Walker: Independence (TV Series) The Owl and the Arrow (2022) User Reviews

Perfect

[Sarah423 · 10/10 · 18 November 2022]

Quite honestly, this episode was immaculate.

The world building was respectful and accurately done.

There were no "Hollywood" shortcuts to how the trail was handled or the townspeople (or main characters) reacted.

And the topics dealt with were heavy, yet still not overwhelming for family television night.

This is a "water cooler" episode.

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I hate to not do a blow by blow and give shout outs to the cast. (Amazingly deserved) But viewers really need to go into this episode cold to feel the full impact.

The story deserves that, as well as those making sure the story is told.

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Gorgeous, nuanced, cutting a new path in Westerns.

Independence is just a really powerful show.

Hopefully the end of the shakedown stagecoach ride

[militarymuseu-88399 · 6/10 · 26 November 2022]

Francis Reyes is dead, and Calian is arraigned for the murder; Abby takes on the job of his defense attorney. Abby has yet another mystery on hand - why is there $7500 in her late husband's bank account, and is it related to the Davidsons? In the meantime Sheriff Davidson is recovering from his stabbing and blames Augustus.

Courtroom drama takes up a good deal of the hour, but its a weak presentation compared to past judicial jousts on "Bonanza" and "The Virginian;" no lawyers, no prosecutor, no jury, and a somewhat unlikely role for town newcomer Abby to take up. But, the last minute gallows drama is well-choreographed. The Sheriff Davidson character grows in complexity, and a possible path to redemption is emerging. The role of the Pinkertons is muddied somewhat, moving from a "government contract" (for what?) to direct work for the railroad.

The series is now on a mid-year hiatus, and if still in post-production could come back strong if the writing underwent some research and revision. The series clearly is not intended as a docudrama, but the universe title is "Walker: Texas Ranger" and not "Walker: American Cowboy."

Some weigh-in from Texas specialists would be welcome here. We have a Tejano ranch family operating well north of the Hill Country (was that Spanish land grants territory?), a town "built on tribal land" (as far as I recollect, in the central and eastern parts of the state, the tribes were simply violently expelled to Oklahoma sans formality of land purchase and reservations), Arizona Apaches living in nominally Comanche territory, the 1870 unique circumstances of Texas Reconstruction are left aside, and the town's incoming railroad is referred to as the "Plains Union Railway." (Entirely fictional - whats the problem with using the Santa Fe's name?)

A reasonably sharp dramatic hour in this episode, but some more attention to easily accomplished details would add much.