Patriot is the second episode of the 5th Season of Walker, Texas Ranger. It aired September 28, 1996.
Trivette's cousin, Jeff "JJ" Jordan, a US Army Lieutenant stationed at Fort Kimball, is killed by soldiers stealing equipment from the base. The leader behind the operation is his Sergeant Major, Bart Hawkins, who in reality, is the leader of a white supremacist group known as the Freedom Brigade. When Hawkins is found out by Walker and Trivette and arrested, his gang retaliates by taking Alex and several employees of a minority-owned TV station hostage in exchange for his release, as well as to use it to broadcast their racist propaganda.
Tropes seen in this episode:
- Alliterative Name: Jeffrey "JJ" Jordan.
- Avenging the Villain: After Walker and Trivette arrest Hawkins for killing JJ, his contacts from Fort Kimball and in Arkansas arrive at the TV Station while Alex is in the middle of an interview, armed with the equipment stolen from Fort Kimball!
- Big Bad: Sergeant Major Bart Hawkins.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: Hawkins to a "T", holding the rank of Sergeant Major in the United States Army and stationed at Fort Kimball to steal munitions for his white supremacist group. This, along with killing JJ, soon leads to him being dishonorably discharged after he is arrested by Walker and Trivette.
- He Knows Too Much / Leave No Witnesses: The show's villains do this all the time:
- Hawkins learned that JJ caught on to his munitions smuggling at Fort Kimball, and while JJ was en route to Ranger HQ to tell his cousin and Walker, he rigged the interior of his car with what appeared to be poison gas, causing him to end up disoriented, eventually causing unconsciousness and making him drive off the road. Afterwards, Hawkins and his gang spread kerosene all over his car, burning him to death.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Trivette would love nothing more than to kill Hawkins after he killed his cousin, but Walker stops him from doing so, saying it's not worth it, at which point the two take Hawkins in.
- It's Personal: During the first confrontation, before Hawkins could get a chance to gun down Trivette, Walker shoots the gun out of his hand, to which Trivette takes it and is prepared to shoot him himself, but Walker stops him from doing so, saying it isn't worth it, and bring Hawkins in for arrest.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Alex and Shelley to Hawkins when the former rushes to the latter's aid after he strikes her:
- Special Guest: John Savage as Sergeant Major Bart Hawkins and Lynne Moody as Shelley Preston.
- Stuff Blowing Up:
- Walker and Trivette are nearly blown up by a stolen grenade when they confront Hawkins and his smuggling ring after trailing him to a house in the backwoods.
- The Teetotaler: JJ. When Walker and Trivette investigate the accident caused by Hawkins that killed him, first responders think alcohol was a contributing factor, but Trivette notes that his uncle, JJ's father, Emmett, drank himself to death, and from there, JJ never touched a drop of liquor if his life depended on it, which has him conclude something was going on at Fort Kimball.
