There was a new cowboy in Dallas, and he wasn’t throwing touchdown passes. But Walker was almost gone before he could really get started. After just four episodes the show’s production company suffered financial collapse, and the show was rescued at the last minute by CBS Productions, who would continue to run the show for its nearly decade-long run. For nine years Chuck Norris brought us the ultimate Texas Ranger in a formula cops and robbers show. The show often became a parody of itself but maintained a solid viewer ship throughout. Truthfully, what started as a one-man show (it was originally called Chuck Norris Is Walker, Texas Ranger) became a good working ensemble that probably kept the train going for so long. Walker (Norris) is a tough guy Texas Ranger. He is partnered with Sydney Cooke (Peebles) and Jimmy Trivetti (Gilyard), who’s an ex-jock with a brain. Walker had a love interest and eventual wife in the local assistant district attorney Alex Cahill (later Walker). Together they fight the evils that come to the high plains of Texas armed with their fists, six-shooters, and Stetsons.
Norris almost deadpans his entire performance. Let’s face it, the man is no accomplished thespian. Still, Norris fans are quite passionate about their guy. There’s a popular T-shirt design that lauds their hero in epic fashion. One of my favorites is : “McGyver can build a plane out of gum and paper clips but Chuck Norris can kill him and take the plane.” Another brags: “Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas”. And there’s the humorous: “Chuck Norris knows what Willis is talkin’ about”. Fans of Norris were never disappointed in what they got here. The requisite martial arts and tough guy talk are present pretty much in every episode.
This episode features a law enforcement shooting competition that Walker tends to dominate. It’s the nationals, and that always brings out top cops from all over the country, politicians and the folks who want to kill them. Beverly Hills Cop assassin Jonathan Banks stars as the killer here as well. He leads a group trying to take out a senator who has the hots for Alex. Remember, this is before she married Walker. The show also stars Stuart Whitman from The Cimarron Coast as Laredo. He’s an old ex-ranger and friend to Walker. He’s here trying to get revenge for a Denver cop killed years ago. Other western icons like L.Q. Jones also appear as part of the gang at CD’s.
What you have to understand is that this is not a reunion film as the title might suggest. In fact, this “film” has been recycled a few times over the years. It was first a two-part episode that was originally intended to end season 2. It was feared the show was going to be cancelled, and this would have served as a series finale. As it happened, the show went on for many more years, and this ended up second-to-last episode of that season. It turned up later as a video release under the title Walker: Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion as was the episode title. The number denoted the third release of a two-part episode as a video film.
There are no extras on this disc, and you can get it on the complete second season release. I don’t know about you, but that sounds a lot like “a dollar waiting on a dime”.
