Cordell Walker said goodbye to the Texas Rangers, and so did Jared Padalecki.
The Walker season 4 finale — which also acted as The CW show’s series finale — was full of emotional moments that tied the show up with a bow. Well, it did leave one question unanswered.
Titled “See You Sometime,” the episode, which aired on Wednesday, June 26, focused on rebuilding the Walker family in the aftermath of closing the Jackal case.
Spoilers for the Walker series finale ahead.
Now that The Jackal, a.k.a. Cole Tillman (Brian Letscher), has been captured, Cordell is moving on to his next chapter. The first order of business was making sure that his son, Augie (Kale Culley), celebrates his high school graduation the right way. Naturally, the father of two throws his youngest a party — offering what appeared to be a goodbye speech.
“I’ve spent months worrying about how to let go. When to do it, how to do it, and I realized it happened. I have to let it happen,” Padalecki’s Cordell told his son and the partygoers. “To my family, I love you. I am nothing without you, and I am more grateful than ever to be with you here and now.”
The party took place after it was revealed that Cassie (Ashley Reyes) had nabbed the Texas Ranger Lieutenant position over Trey (Jeff Pierre). After the party, however, she receives a letter from Cordell asking for a leave of absence. As there’s still some tension between Cordell and Cassie following the death of Detective Luna (Justin Johnson Cortez), both agree that spending the summer apart would be good for them.
With an engagement ring in his pocket, Cordell packs up his pickup truck for a summer with girlfriend — and possible new fiancée — Geri (Odette Annable), daughter Stella (Violet Brinson) and Augie. As they drive off into the Texas sun, a moving truck passes them by with a new neighbor in tow.
While Cordell and the kids hope for no drama with the new addition to the neighborhood, it seemed something ominous was afoot. The mysterious neighbor walked up to the Walker ranch, leaving a basket of soaps on the front porch along with a note that read: “Hi, neighbor! Sorry I missed you!”
The camera panned up to reveal James Van Der Beek in an undisclosed role with a big smile on his face. As he got back into his truck, the credits started to roll, leaving one major question unanswered as Walker came to an end: Who does Van Der Beek play and what does he want with the Walker family? (OK, maybe more than one question was left unanswered.)
Previously, Van Der Beek hinted at his role on the show in March. At the time, the actor revealed that he was sneaking on set to play a prank on Walker showrunner and former Dawson’s Creek writer Anna Fricke. (It’s important to note that Walker filmed in Texas, where Van Der Beek resides.)
Late last month, Padalecki revealed in an emotional social media post that Walker had been canceled after four seasons.
“Howdy y’all. It is with a heavy heart that I share this news with you. #Walker will not be airing on #CW for a fifth season,” he wrote on May 21. “It’s a tough piece of news to be sure, but we are SO thankful for the #WalkerFamily that has been built, both on set and off.”
