The western Walker Independence, a prequel to Walker, is better than expected. Her husband's murder leaves Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara, The Stand) in a tricky package. She ends up in Independence after a stay with the Apaches. This hamlet under construction is controlled behind the scenes by a powerful family. When Independence's new sheriff bears a suspicious resemblance to her husband's murderer, Abby has a vengeance. Aided by adolescent criminal Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr, Blood & Treasure), Apache Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez, Walker) and bar manager Kate (Katie Findlay, Nancy Drew), Abby tries to realize her revenge.
In the beginning, Walker Independence seems a bit too much like a series in which beautiful people are allowed to parade around. It is striking that the role of Calian is not played by a Native American. The other Apaches are clearly from the right background. We saw this phenomenon once, long ago, in the traditional westerns. Nowadays there is normally more attention for authenticity. The role of Hoyt is certainly quite pubescent in the beginning. The low point is when he robs the bank in Independence but hardly anyone seems to recognize him. Furthermore, his role as a womanizer is quite cliché. In some episodes, the stories are rather thin or even nonsensical. When you suspect someone of the murder of your husband, it is not really realistic that something special will arise afterward. Yet it happens.
It's not the best western ever but it has enough leads to be interesting.
On the other hand, the series manages to surprise. Once the story gets going, there is some suspense and excitement. It makes for a mostly light-hearted but interesting story. There is even the necessary surprise. This ensures that you are curious enough to look further every time. Thanks in part to Deputy Augustus (Philemon Chambers) and the Chinese Kai (Lawrence Kao, Wu Assassins). Their story is a nice addition to the other protagonists. Unfortunately, the ending is quite predictable, so the series does not exceed a seven. In addition, it is now known that the series has not been renewed. Too bad, because the open ending asks for more.
Walker Independence gets better as the story progresses. There are a bit too many clichés, but the surprising plots and the light-hearted character make this season worthwhile. It's not the best western ever but it has enough leads to be interesting. It's a nice escape from the issues of the day. The pace is good on a regular basis. That makes it fun to follow, just like the decoration of the sets and the actors. Well worth it for Western fans. Just don't expect this to be the new Deadwood or any other serious Western.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
