Recap / Walker Texas Ranger S6E24 "Test of Faith"

Test of Faith is the 24th episode of the 6th Season of Walker, Texas Ranger. It aired May 9, 1998.

With the ongoing gang wars in East Dallas where five of them want complete control of the neighborhood, Lemmon Avenue Middle School is smack-dab in the center of it, and of those gangs, there is none more ruthless than the Diablos. When this results in the murder of popular teacher Ricardo Lopez, who was a former karate student of Walker's, with one student having witnessed the murder, but being too scared to come forward, Walker substitutes for him while trying to find the people responsible, and at the same time, tries to help curb gang violence. When another student named Faith Hollister gains a lot of recognition for the work she's doing to curb gang violence, she also becomes a target.

Written by Bob Gookin
Directed by Eric Norris

Tropes seen in this episode:

• Anyone Can Die: The body count is as follows:
  • Walker and Trivette kill two of the bank robbers they are chasing, returning fire as they fired at them.
  • Manuel Vega and Chato Gomez are killed by Loco when they are about to perpetrate a drug deal. Both were 14 years old and their pockets were crammed with crack cocaine and cash. Killed at close range with two gunshot wounds to the back. Medical Examiner Mary Williams also takes note of this.
  • Ricardo Lopez is killed by Loco just as he is about to go home after another workday, to which Walker, Trivette, C.D., Alex and Trent take note of this on the late night news.
  • Several Diablos gang members are killed when the Rangers raid their hideout to arrest Loco.
• Artistic Licenses – Gun Safety and Law: Pretty debatable for two characters in this episode, because one has to be at least 21 years old to buy a gun in Texas.
  • Malcolm had to purchase a gun from an unlicensed seller after witnessing Loco kill Ricardo, using it protect himself in case he runs into him again. He accidentally shoots Faith with it while trying to stop Carlos from doing it as part of his initiation into the Diablos gang, while Loco thinks Carlos was responsible; while Carlos was drawing his gun, Malcolm had his gun in his backpack and dug desperately for it, but he became so nervous, he ended up dropping the backpack, which then caused his gun to fire at Faith. Faith luckily survived, as the bullet hit her spinal column and she has to undergo rehab if she wants to walk again.
  • Carlos was apparently given a gun by Loco to kill Faith only for Malcolm to fill that role by accident when he tried to stop him from doing so, but she survives with the bullet hitting her spinal column. Carlos is also barely talked out of shooting Walker just as he confronts and fights Loco.
• Asshole Victim: Chato Gomez and Manuel Vega, who belong to one of the rival gangs of the Diablos, known as 12th Street, both eighth graders at Lemmon Avenue Middle School and both 14 years old. Later that night after their fight with Carlos in the cafeteria, Loco guns down both of them.
• Badass Teacher / Cool Teacher: Ricardo to a T, especially having learned a thing or two from Walker during his time in "Kick Drugs". He was also more than happy to enroll Malcolm in Trent's karate school after he was impressed of how he stood up to Loco. As he previously did in Season 5's "Devil's Turf", Walker now has to fulfill this role after Ricardo is murdered by Loco.
• Big Bad: Juan "Loco" Morales of the Diablos Gang.
• Chekhov's Gun: No pun intended in this case. The gun Malcolm illegally purchased out of fear of retaliation from the Diablos gang after witnessing Loco kill Ricardo. He accidentally shoots Faith with it while trying to stop Carlos from doing so as part of his initiation into the gang. While Loco thinks Carlos was responsible, Malcolm becomes guilt-ridden and tells Walker what really happened.
• Continuity Nod:
  • This is the second time so far Walker has gone undercover at a school to seek out a criminal. The first time this occurs is in Season 5's "Devil's Turf".
  • This isn't the first time an underage character brought a gun from an unlicensed seller, with Malcolm doing so in this episode like Ted McGee from "In God's Hands" did before him. While Ted's case was revenge on Trivette for his brother, Danny, nearly dying from a gunshot wound after the former was engaging the villain in a shootout and Danny happened to be caught in the crossfire at the wrong time, only for Walker to prove that the bullet came from Kroeger's gun and Trivette's bullet was lodged in a tree, thus vindicating him, Malcolm bought it out of fear of retaliation from the Diablos gang after witnessing Loco kill Ricardo. Loco and his men barely recognized him as they saw him run away.
• Gangbangers: The Rangers deal with a gang war sweeping East Dallas where one of five gangs are vying for control of the neighborhood, including Lemmon Avenue Middle School. Hundreds of lives were claimed in the gang war, and among those during the investigation would be Ricardo.
• Hanging by the Fingers: While Walker and Trivette are chasing the trio of bank robbers during the prologue, just having barely avoided being blown apart, their car chase ends at an abandoned building where the robbers have an accomplice in a helicopter waiting for them. Walker and Trivette kill the other two robbers while the leader gets away in the copter. Walker, however, grabs hold of the copter's skid, and just after the opening credits, he is able to nab the robbers.
• He Knows Too Much / Leave No Witnesses: While this is a staple for the show's villains, it is averted in this case, as Malcolm barely got away after he saw Loco kill Ricardo. Malcolm likely testified in court against Loco after Walker finally arrested him.
• Heroic Sacrifice / Holding Out for a Hero: Ricardo Lopez was easily able to trounce Loco and two of his men when they entered his classroom during school hours and harassed his students, but was sadly shot and killed while he was about to head home, setting the plot into motion.
• If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Walker and Trivette get the break they need to catch Ricardo's killers. Loco escapes the hideout while Trivette and other officers arrest the rest of the gang, but Walker chases him down and dukes it out with him, just before Carlos shows up. While Loco encourages Carlos to shoot Walker, Walker tries to talk him down, saying he didn't shoot Faith and has his whole life ahead of him. Carlos relents, allowing Walker to arrest Loco.
• Just Got Out of Jail: While Walker is in the middle of his teaching duties, one of his students tips him off to the run-in Ricardo had with Loco. When Trivette pulls up his information, he, Walker, Trent and Alex find that Loco served a three-year stint in Huntsville for aggravated assault and attempted murder and was released six months prior to the episode. This is lampshaded by Trent:
  Trent: Three years for assault and attempted murder? What's wrong with our system? Walker, you think he's the one who killed Ricardo?
  Walker: Right now, he's our prime suspect.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Malcolm was responsible for shooting Faith, but by accident, when he tried to stop Carlos from shooting her as part of his initiation into the Diablos Gang, to which Loco thinks Carlos really did do it and gives him praise for it. When he saw Carlos draw his gun, Malcolm dug into his backpack trying desperately to get his gun and stop him, but he became so nervous, he dropped the backpack, causing the gun to fire. Luckily, the bullet only hits Faith's spinal column and she has to undergo rehabilitation in order to walk again. In addition, after tearfully coming forward and telling Walker what really happened, tipping him off to Ricardo's killer in the process, Malcolm gets community service, but doesn't face any serious punishment.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Diablos street gang and Loco. "Diablo" being Spanish for "devil" and "loco" for "crazy", respectively.
• Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: During the prologue of the episode, a fight in the school cafeteria breaks out between Carlos Delgado of the Diablos and Chato Gomez and Manuel Vega of 12th Street; after Carlos knocks him down, Chato breaks out a knife and is ready to stab him with it, but Ricardo quickly breaks up the fight and Carlos, Chato and Manuel are sent to the principal's office. Also lampshaded during this time by Malcolm and Faith while having lunch with two of their classmates, Hector and Chantelle, as well as Mr. Lopez, when he breaks up the fight:
  Faith: We can't just let the gangs take over. I mean, this is our school too.
  Malcolm: Why don't you tell them that? [he, Faith, Hector and Chantelle see Carlos push down Chato]
  Chato: Yeah, you think you're tough, huh? [takes out a knife]
  Manuel: Go ahead, Chato, stick that punk!
  Lopez: Let it go, Chato. Give me the knife. Don't make this any worse than it already is. All right, show's over! Get your stuff and get to class!
  Malcolm: See what I mean?
• Shout-Out: To Superman. See What Were You Thinking? below.
• Special Guest: James Wlcek as Trent Malloy, Rachel Crane as Faith Hollister (a student at Lemmon Avenue Middle School who helps Walker and Mr. Lopez combat gang violence), Billy Gallo as Mr. Ricardo Lopez (an eighth-grade teacher at Lemmon Avenue Middle School and the episode's intended victim), Jonathan Hernandez as Malcolm (a student at Lemmon Avenue Middle School who wants to enroll in Trent's karate school only to witness Mr. Lopez's murder), Emilio Rivera as Juan "Loco" Morales (the Big Bad of the episode) and Abraham Verduzco as Carlos Delgado (a misguided student at Lemmon Avenue Middle School).
• Stuff Blowing Up: During the prologue of the episode, Walker and Trivette are busy pursuing a trio of bank robbers. The robbers lure the two into a gas station and set it ablaze in an effort to kill them. Luckily, the two Rangers survive, as does Walker's Ram without so much as a scratch.
• Tears of Remorse: From Malcolm after he tells Walker what really happened the day Faith got shot: he did it by accident with the gun he purchased out of fear of retaliation from Loco and his gang after he saw them kill Ricardo, having occurred at the same time Carlos was instructed to shoot Faith, while Loco thinks Carlos did it at his instructions as part of his initiation into the gang. Malcolm tried to get his gun out of his backpack, but he became so nervous, he dropped it, causing the gun to fire. Although Walker gets the break he needs to catch Ricardo's killers, he tells Malcolm after the fact: "I think you learned that carrying a gun is the problem, not the answer.".
• Victim of the Week: Ricardo Lopez and Faith Hollister.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Loco likely got life in prison or the death penalty for murdering Ricardo.
  • Carlos likely got community service for attempting to join the gang, just barely having been talked out of killing Walker while he was duking it out with Loco.
• What Were You Thinking?: After Walker catches the leader of the bank robbing trio and his accomplice in the helicopter after grabbing hold of the copter's skid and forcing them to land so they can be arrested, this exchange between him and Trivette occurs:
  Trivette: Hey! Superman called and he wants his cape back! What the hell were you thinking to jump and grab that skid?!
  Walker: If I had time to think, Trivette, I wouldn't have done it!
• The X of Y: The episode's title, "Test of Faith".
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After the opening credits, while the Episode Title Card and guest cast names are being shown, as Walker hangs on for dear life on the helicopter skid while chasing down the leader of a trio of bank robbers, this exchange occurs between the leading robber and the helicopter pilot due to Walker and Trivette having killed the other two robbers, just before Walker sidles up to them and forces them to land so they could be arrested:
  Pilot: Jeez, that was close with those Rangers.
  Lead Robber: Are you kidding? They did us a favor. Half million dollars in loot and two less guys to split it with. Hell, if they were here right now, I'd kiss 'em both.
  Walker: (holding the robbers at gunpoint) I'll pass on the kiss! Take it down!