Like many CW dramas before it, a big part of Walker's premise is the brooding, grieving widower struggling with his loss and guilt about his wife's murder - yet footage from the night Emily Walker died doesn't appear to add up. What happened that night still haunts Jared Padalecki's Cordell Walker, yet all that has been specifically shown is one intense flashback in the pilot. Now the show is crafting another mystery about that night with Border Control Beacon footage leading Walker and others to believe something doesn't feel right about the night Emily died.
Through numerous flashbacks, Emily has been presented as a devoted wife and mother. She was apparently a good friend, given how Geri and Walker’s family react anytime her name is mentioned, and Emily was also a humanitarian who was giving her time to help others. She was also a bit of a rebel. Though she's not actually in Walker's life, her influence continues to impact him even after her death, an event that drastically changed him and it's that rebellious streak that could be significant to the story moving forward.
As it turns out, her death may not be so straightforward in the CW's Walker, Texas Ranger reboot. Despite Emily knowing how to avoid being seen or caught by Border Patrol cameras, part of the night she died was captured on footage that seems to indicate Cordell Walker, his brother, Liam, and Captain James will soon be wondering if there's more to Emily's death than they thought. Emily's rebellious streak and penchant for risk-taking have been firmly established, along with her love of photography. With Liam and the Captain's confused reactions upon watching the footage of Emily's death at the end of season 1, episode 5, "Duke," it's clear something isn't right. It's entirely possible Emily's personality and hobbies being established in the show weren't just to humanize her, but may have been contributing factors in her death. Did she photograph something or someone she shouldn't have on one of her runs, drawing attention from the wrong people?
Walker's interest in the footage is obvious. He feels responsible for Emily's death, for failing to protect his wife, and that guilt is overwhelming him. Although he knew the dangers his wife and Geri faced delivering water and blankets to immigrants crossing the border in the dead of night, he supported them. He was adamant to her in the pilot that she follow his approved route to avoid detection. Later, his conversation with Geri reveals he was the one who told Emily how to avoid the Border Patrol cameras, which could have placed her in greater jeopardy.
The CW’s Walker is just beginning to scratch the surface of Emily Walker’s murder. More questions than answers have been raised about the night she died and the subsequent investigation. For example, how was the man who confessed and charged with her death caught in just two days? There are also many questions about what Geri saw that night and why she won't talk to Walker about it. It all sets up a plausible storyline of Emily and possibly Geri having run into someone they shouldn't have or seeing something they shouldn't have. Before long, the Captain and Liam will have to bring Walker into the loop regarding the suspicions and doubts they have after taking a closer look at the suspicious video. The big question then is whether or not Walker can wisely use this new information to keep Cordell Walker from veering further off the rails.