Recap / Walker Texas Ranger S5E4 "The Brotherhood"

The Brotherhood is the fourth episode of the 5th Season of Walker, Texas Ranger. It aired October 12, 1996.

A group of dirty cops decide to kill off criminals who managed to beat the justice system, and when Walker and Trivette track them down, they warn them one of these days, an innocent person would be killed because of their extremist actions. This eventually happens when the son of a close friend of Walker's is exonerated for a rape he didn't commit, and Walker is now prepared to have arrest warrants issued for the bad cops.

Written by Gordon Dawson
Directed by Michael Preece

Tropes seen in this episode:

• Acquitted Too Late: Ernesto is cleared of all rape charges, but this doesn't stop the dirty cops from killing him, because they didn't bother to check.
• Anyone Can Die: Our episode's body count is as follows:
  • Milo Creech, Frank and Ben Bodine, several inmates set to be paroled, plus a few prison guards, and Ernesto Lopez are killed by Horne, Ross and Foster.
  • Foster is killed by Walker during the confrontation at the cemetery.
  • During the confrontation at the cemetery, Horne is accidentally killed by Ross when he attempted to snipe Walker.
  • Ross commits suicide after Walker follows him back to Police Headquarters to arrest him.
• Asshole Victim:
  • The criminals who got off on technicalities murdered by the dirty cops:
    • Loan shark Milo Creech is the first victim, having been thrown off a building.
    • The second and third victims are the Bodine Brothers, Frank and Ben, respectively, with the former being shot while in the middle of a jog, and the latter also being shot clean through the heart while prepping for their trip to Costa Rica. They got off due to a typographical error.
  • The dirty cops themselves are victims of this, too: Foster is killed by Walker during the confrontation at the cemetery, and after Ross accidentally kills Horne while attempting to snipe Walker, he goes on to commit suicide before he could be arrested.
• Better to Die than Be Killed / Driven to Suicide: Walker chases Sergeant Ross back to the police station after Horne and Foster are killed during the fight, but Ross commits suicide by shooting himself in the chest before Walker could arrest him.
• Big Brother Instinct: Sergeant Bob Horne of the Brookdale Police Department has a younger brother named Randy Horne, who served only two months on the Dallas Police Department before being gunned down in his driveway by a gunman who wasn't properly mirandized. The motive behind Bob, Ross and Foster killing the freed felons was to avenge Randy, having gone on to kill his killer three days after the fact.
• Big "NO!": From Marta after Walker tells her Horne, Ross and Foster killed Ernesto.
• Bulletproof Human Shield: After Walker visits a funeral home where Ernesto is being prepped for burial after he was gunned down by Horne, Ross and Foster because they failed to check that he was innocent of the rape he was accused of and pays his last respects, he is now prepared to have arrest warrants issued for the trio, but they're not going down without a fight. While Walker fights the dirty cops in a cemetery nearby the funeral home, Walker already kills Foster, then dukes it out with Horne. During the fight, however, Ross accidentally shoots and kills Horne while trying to snipe Walker.
• Clear My/Their Name: Ernesto Lopez is accused of a rape he didn't commit after being picked off in a Police Lineup and needs Walker's help proving his innocence. Alex manages to get the judge to reduce his bail to $10,000, and in order for him to be proven innocent, she needs an alibi, with it being he was seeing his crush on the night of the rape. DNA tests later prove Ernesto is innocent, but while picking up flowers for Angela (under the guise of them being from a secret admirer, so she knows it's him) and Marta, he is killed by the dirty cops before Walker could tell him and his heartbroken mother the good news.
• Continuity Nod: Tommy Lopez, the younger son of Walker's old friend, Marta Lopez, is out of gangs and doing well with himself following the events of "The Covenant" and is excelling at school. The family appears again in "Circle of Life" one season later.
• Dirty Cop / Killer Cop: The episode's Big Bads, Sergeants Lou Ross and Bob Horne and Officer Foster of the Brookdale, Texas, Police Department. They've made it their goal to kill off felons who got off on technicalities, and Walker gave them the stern warning that one of these days, their actions would result in an innocent person being killed. Ernesto Lopez becomes that victim.
• Evil Versus Evil: Extremist police officers vs. crooks released on technicalities, even after they've been cleared of offenses they didn't commit.
• Honor Before Reason: Ernesto fell in love with Congressman Escobar's daughter, Angela, who had recently enrolled at Harvard Law School last May while doing service on her BMW, and was afraid of upsetting him if he told Walker and Alex his alibi the night the rape took place, having agreed to keep their relationship a secret until after his honorable discharge from the Marines and she graduates law school. Walker and Alex promise not to tell the Congressman if he told the truth. Ernesto is cleared of all charges via a DNA Test.
• I Warned You: Walker warned Horne, Ross and Foster that their malicious and extremist actions would result in the death of an innocent person and his warning came true: the victim was Ernesto Lopez after he was cleared of a rape charge he didn't commit.
• It Is Not Your Time: Averted. In "The Covenant", Ernesto nearly died due to gunshot wounds during a drive-by shooting while he and Tommy were bringing home their Christmas tree, but this time around, thanks to a group of dirty cops, Ernesto wasn't so lucky.
• Killed Off for Real: Ernesto Lopez.
• No Ending: When Walker chases Ross back to his office at police headquarters, the only thing he hears behind the door is the sound of a gunshot. Walker comes bursting in to find that Ross committed suicide.
• Off on a Technicality: Several cases Walker and Trivette may or may not have taken on, resulting in those many criminals, plus an innocent person being capped.
• Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers: Lampshaded by Walker after he and Trivette raid the Bodine brothers' warehouse and arrest them:
  Walker: They can have the whole Bar Association. It won't do them any good this time.
• The Precarious Ledge: This is how the dirty cops kill Milo Creech during the prologue of the episode.
• Special Guest: Jameson Parker as Sgt. Bob Horne, John Beck as Brookdale PD Officer Ross, Cyril O Reilly as Frank Bodine and Scott Valentine as Ben Bodine.
• Stuff Blowing Up: Horne, Foster and Ross plant a bomb on a prison bus loaded with inmates set for release and blast it to smithereens, killing the inmates and guards onboard. Only the driver survives the explosion, suffering third-degree burns.
• Tempting Fate: Walker warned Horne, Foster and Ross their extremist actions would result in an innocent person being killed, and that someone is Ernesto Lopez. Ernesto is accused of a rape after being mistakenly picked off in a Police Lineup. Alex, however, manages to prove he is innocent via a DNA Test, but it doesn't stop the dirty cops from murdering him.
• Vigilante Execution / Vigilante Injustice: Horne, Ross and Foster's motive to correct the justice system is by killing off the criminals who got off on technicalities, but Walker warned them one of these days, an innocent person would die at their hands and Ernesto would be that victim, having been exonerated of a rape charge, thanks to a DNA test, but the cops never checked, and Walker is now prepared to have arrest warrants issued for them.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Sergeants Horne and Ross and Officer Foster aim to clean up crime by killing off felons who got off on technicalities.
• You Are Too Late: Ernesto is cleared of his rape charge, thanks to DNA evidence, but Horne, Ross and Foster kill him before Walker could find him. Who should be the first Ranger on the scene when the local police find Ernesto's body? None other than Walker! Cue a Big "NO!" from a very heartbroken Marta after Walker tells her he was killed!