Recap / Walker Texas Ranger S7E12 "Lost Boys"

Lost Boys is the 12th episode of the 7th Season of Walker, Texas Ranger. It aired January 9, 1999.

When Dallas Police detective William Sadler is killed by a gang of burglars during a sting at an electronics warehouse, the gang leader leaves the gun in the hands of one of his accomplices, namely Bobby Landrum. Bobby, as such, is forced to go on the run to his friend, Jesse's house (who happens to be nephew of Carlos), and hide the gun in his home so he doesn't get caught with it. When the gang leader demands that Jesse return his gun and stay silent about the whole thing, or else he kills his mother, it quickly goes from bad to worse when his mother and Carlos find it first, and he is forced to go on the run before he is eventually arrested. Jesse is then left with a sadistic choice upon his arrest: either confess that he killed Sadler and spend the rest of his life in juvey (along with the juveniles who took part in the failed heist) or confess that the gang leader really did commit the murder, at which point he kills his mother. Worse yet, both Jesse and his mother would be killed by the gang even after the forced confession in case Jesse ever changed his mind, even the defense attorney is in on the plot, unless Bobby is willing to come forward...

Written by Robin Madden
Directed by Rich Thorne

Tropes seen in this episode:

• Amoral Attorney: Hotshot lawyer Lawrence Patterson, who is a senior partner in one of the biggest law firms in Dallas. Considering he was on Blade's payroll, he bailed out the four henchmen who threatened Jesse while Walker, Trivette and Carlos took them all into custody and would be instrumental in carrying out the hits against Jesse and Theresa. At the end of the episode after Blade is taken down, when he is about to be accept his Metroplex Trial Lawyers Humanitarian of the Year Award, a warrant for his arrest is issued.
• Big Bad Ensemble: John "Johnny" Tyler Blade and Lawrence Patterson.
• Blackmail: The whole plot of the episode. Bobby hid the gun Blade used to kill Sadler in Jesse's dresser, and Blade, demanding his gun back, forces Jesse not to say anything about it or he kills him and his mother. It goes From Bad to Worse when Theresa and Carlos find the gun first, and Jesse is forced to go on the run. When Jesse is taken into custody and he and Patterson meet for the first time, he is forced to confess that he killed Sadler or else Blade will kill his mother (Patterson having shown him the photo of her kidnapped and tied up), but even if he did confess, both will end up killed. While Blade is left to do so with Theresa, one of his regulars at the arcade, namely Snake, is more than happy to do so with Jesse in case he ever changes his mind. Luckily, it's not long before Bobby confesses his involvement in the raid, Jesse is released and the Rangers arrest Blade.
• Bound and Gagged: Theresa is kidnapped by Johnny Blade and his gang after Jesse ends up in juvey. The first thing Jesse sees when he and Patterson meet for the first time is a photo of this. She is later freed by Walker, Trivette, Carlos and Ochoa when they raid the arcade and arrest Blade after Bobby comes forward and confesses his involvement.
• Disappeared Dad: It is unknown of what happened to Jesse's father.
• The Dragon: Snake. He hasn't let Blade down once and is never willing to do so. He is given the task of killing Jesse in juvey if he ever changes his mind about the confession. Long story short, Johnny Blade was going to kill Theresa, anyway, even after the forceful confession.
• Everyone Has Standards / Heel–Face Turn: Bobby is forced to go on the run when Blade kills Sadler and leaves the gun used for it in his possession, then hides it at Jesse's house, where it is eventually found. Upon hearing then news that Jesse was taken to juvey for the murder along with several other members of Blade's gang who participated in the raid at the warehouse, Bobby feels guilty that he sold out his best friend and finally confesses. Needless to say, he was quite disturbed by what Blade did. At the end of the episode, both Bobby and Jesse got 300 hours of community service at the HOPE Center. Jesse is more than willing to help, never having been in trouble all his life.
• Faceplanting into Food / Pie in the Face: In this case, a cannoli in the face when Walker, Trivette, Carlos, Ochoa and several Dallas PD officers show up at the hotel to arrest Patterson just as he is to accept his Metroplex Trial Lawyers Humanitarian of the Year Award. Carlos delivers this to Patterson while he is cuffing him.
• Fall Guy: Jesse Estrella.
• Frame-Up: Bobby leaves the gun in Jesse's possession, and but when Blade demands it back, he is unable to retrieve it due to Carlos and Theresa having found it first, at which point, Jesse ends up taking the blame for Sadler's murder.
• From Bad to Worse: The gun used to kill Detective Sadler, owned by Johnny Blade, was left in the hands of Bobby, then Bobby left it in Jesse's hands. When Blade demands that Jesse return his gun, he has two choices: either stay silent of what happened or he murders his mother. Jesse then ends up taking the blame for Sadler's murder when Carlos and Theresa find the gun first!
• From Camouflage to Criminal: Johnny Blade was once a United States Navy SEAL until he was dishonorably discharged for black-marketing stolen Navy equipment, but wasn't prosecuted.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Johnny Blade, during his time as a Navy SEAL, all the way to opening his arcade 4 years prior, as well as having disabled the security system to the electronics warehouse where the sting took place, which ended in Sadler's murder just as he caught Bobby at the front entrance.
• Hastily Hidden MacGuffin: The gun used for Dallas Detective Bill Sadler's murder. When Sadler catches Bobby outside the warehouse, Bobby is willing to go peacefully, but Blade certainly isn't, having shot Sadler to death. After killing Sadler, Blade left the gun in Bobby's hands, and with police searching for the weapon, Bobby was forced to go on the run and hide it in Jesse's dresser drawer. When Blade demands that Jesse return his gun and keep silent of what happened, or else he will kill his mother, it quickly goes from bad to worse when Carlos and Theresa find the gun first, leading up to Jesse taking the blame for Sadler's murder.
• He Knows Too Much / Leave No Witnesses: Blade and his gang are not willing to take any chances after Jesse's forceful confession if he changes his story; first, they kill Jesse and then, his mother and make her death look like a suicide. Bobby comes forward and tells the Rangers what really happened, and this is quickly stopped.
• Missing Mom: For our episode's villain, Johnny Blade. His mother passed away when he was 12 years old and was in and out of foster homes through the years, up until his enlistment in the Navy when he was 19.
• My God, What Have I Done?: When Jesse is taken into custody, Bobby is guilt-ridden of having sold out his best friend after hiding the gun used in Sadler's murder in his dresser drawer, and afterwards, Theresa and Carlos found it, leading up to Jesse taking the rap for a crime he didn't commit. After Jesse's forceful confession at the hands of the Amoral Attorney Patterson upon seeing a photo of his mother kidnapped, Bobby finally comes forward and confesses. Jesse is released in time before the juvenile members of Blade's gang could murder him, and Walker, Trivette, Ochoa and Carlos proceed to raid the arcade and arrest Blade and rescue Theresa before he could murder her and make it look like suicide.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Johnny Blade, being that he is a gang leader, it sounds pretty meaningful!
• One Dialogue, Two Conversations: When Carlos, Alex and Ochoa tell Walker and Trivette that Jesse confessed shortly after the two dig up Johnny Blade's information, Walker figures there had to be some explanation why he confessed, because he believes he didn't do it. Carlos, meanwhile, tried to reach Theresa to tell her, but no answer, which is due to her being kidnapped by Blade and his gang. It's not long before Bobby interrupts their conversation, coming forward and telling the ADA and the four officers what really happened.
• Sadistic Choice: For Jesse after Bobby sells him out by hiding the gun used for Sadler's murder in his dresser drawer. When Blade orders Jesse to return his gun, he can either stay silent about the whole thing and avoid losing his mother to gang violence or he can confess at which point the gang murders her. However, Theresa and Carlos find the gun first, and the former choice escalates to confessing to a murder he didn't commit, and Theresa being kidnapped by Blade and his gang.
• Special Guest: Danny Lee Clark as John "Johnny" Tyler Blade (the episode's Big Bad), Ada Maris as Theresa Estrella (Jesse's mother and Carlos' sister), Chauncey Leopardi as Bobby Landrum (Jesse's best friend and a participant in the electronics warehouse heist), Michael Fishman as Snake (a regular at Blade's arcade who participated in the failed heist and was sent to juvey), Bernie Guzman as Jesse Estrella (Theresa's son, Carlos's nephew and the Fall Guy taking the rap for the murder of Detective Sadler) and David Labiosa as Dallas PD Detective Sal Ochoa.
• Spies In a Van: The show tends to do this from time to time, and we have the Rangers, Carlos and Detective Ochoa gathered in a van outside an electronics warehouse, which Johnny Blade and his gang are about to rob.
• Victim of the Week: Detective Bill Sadler and Theresa Estrella.
• Video Arcade: Most of the episode, especially the final fight scene takes place at AttakZone, which is the arcade owned by Johnny Blade.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We can only assume Johnny Blade is either serving life in prison or was sentenced to death for killing Sadler and kidnapping and threatening to murder Theresa and Jesse. As for Lawrence Patterson, he got disbarred following his arrest for helping Blade carry out the hits against Jesse and Theresa, not to mention the Metroplex Trial Lawyers Humanitarian of the Year Award that he was nominated for was rescinded.
• You Have No Idea Who You're Dealing With: Patterson, when Walker, Trivette, Carlos and Ochoa arrest him for his involvement in Blade's frameup.
  Carlos: Hands behind your back.
  Patterson: Do you know who you're dealing with?!
  Carlos: Yeah. You're a bloodsucking lowlife who frames young kids for murder. [while cuffing Patterson, he slams his head into a cannoli on the table] Now, I said hands behind your back!