Stella has herself a Romeo and Juliet situation, and not Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” version.
I kept saying, just tell your dad, Stella (Violet Brinson), as she was dancing with him, but what fun would that be if she came clean? The writers are gearing us up for an intense episode on two fronts in “Freedom,” but for “Encore,” Stella was reuinted with Trevor (Gavin Casalegno), and she’s in way over her head.
She went looking for Trevor and instead found his father, Clint (Austin Nichols). I’m starting to accept Austin as the bad guy more after his interactions with Stella. This guy is smart. He knew exactly what to say to lead Stella to Trevor and find out where his son was.
It turns out that Trevor not only left Stella behind the night of the dance, but he also left his father behind. He’s been put in a pretty bad situation being used by his father to get to the man that put his father in jail and got his mother killed.
Stella and Trevor are overlooking something, though. Cordell Walker (Jared Padalecki) was just doing his job, and Clint is a criminal. There really is nothing to be mad at their dads about for complicating their relationship. As for Trevor, he has plenty to be mad at his father for. One, being a criminal instead of raising him, and two, he’s the one to blame for his mother’s death because he put her in harm’s way.
It is an exciting little storyline that ties everything together and brings Walker’s family into it. I also appreciate that Trevor and Stella are acting like typical teenagers. They are so wrapped up in their tragic romance that they can’t see that all they need to do is go to her father.
I love that Walker balances the family parts with the intense cases.
The family stuff was quite great in “Encore.” They were reopening the Side Step bar, and everyone was all hands on deck for the renovations. It led to some great scenes between Trey (Jeff Pierre) and Auggie (Kale Culley). Auggie really took the lead. I see a lot of potential for his character.
Not sure where Trey is going. I loved the team-ups with Walker and Micki (Lindsey Morgan), but it doesn’t seem like that will be in his character’s future, sadly. He has great chemistry with everyone, so they should find a place for him somewhere.
There were also great moments between Liam (Keegan Allen) and Bonham (Mitch Pileggi). He had some great words of wisdom when Liam was taken aback by the current District Attorney stepping down. He thought he would have more time before putting his hat in the ring, but now it could be years before he would get his chance. Bonham told him to go with his gut, and that’s exactly what he did.
I’m so excited about this storyline. Liam’s storyline has been so tied to the Walker’s. I’m happy he’s going to get his own arc.
I loved how he said he wants to bring them to the 2020s instead of living in the 1920s. It makes me think Liam should be successful in his run, but I’m sure there will be many bumps along the way.
A great thing Walker does is it balances the drama, comedy, and heartfelt moments very well.
This episode’s comedic relief was the case. Micki was so excited to get a second chance at a case she came across as a Trooper. It was like a kid getting to play with their favorite toy. It was so cute to see her that excited.
Only, she went into the case, certain who the suspect was, Minnie (Crystal Monee Hall), a famous country singer who Walker was fangirling out on.
Between her excitement for the case and his excitement for Minnie, these two are just dorks, and I love them for it.
Breaking and entering and robbery is not typically funny, but the writers made it funny. Micki and Walker checked out Minnie’s house when she believed she was being framed for stealing the violin, and the thief was already stealing her guitar. They managed to get the guitar back, but the chase scene was more out of a cartoon than a cop show. Neither one of them could pin him down. Then, at the bar, he slightly drugged Minnie and almost got away with the guitar again. This time Walker and Micki were able to stop him.
Minnie wasn’t behind these robberies or maybe even the other ones, but she did have a criminal history, and she taught the suspect everything he knows about robbing someone, which is quite ironic. It was a very different case than what Walker has had before.
Next up, in “Freedom,” not only will Walker be dealing with Stella running away with the son of the man he put away, but also Hoyt is getting out of jail and coming home. There’s still that lingering kiss between Geri and Walker that neither of them is dealing with. It should make for a pretty interesting episode.
Do you like Stella’s Romeo and Juliet storyline? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
