Child of Hope is the 9th episode of the Ninth Season on Walker, Texas Ranger. It aired December 9th, 2000.
19-year-old Steve Parkins, fresh out of the slammer along with three other criminals, participates in a home invasion, but only as the lookout and getaway driver while the other three loot the house. The homeowners arrive home from a charity auction and are killed by the burglars as a result, at which point Steve panics and flees the scene, leaving the other three behind. However, they steal the homeowners' car and follow Steve to his home. Steve tells his wife, Cara, and baby son, Max, they have to flee before the robbers arrive, but it's already too late and he is killed, and from there, Cara is forced to flee for her life and find a way to keep their baby safe from the criminals. She runs into Alex at the supermarket and is forced to abandon Max with her and Walker. While caring for the infant and investigating the home invasion, Walker and the other Rangers soon discover the link between the baby and the burglary and have to arrest Steve's killers before they could kill Cara and Max.
Tropes seen in this episode:
- Anyone Can Die: The body count is as follows:
- Steve Parkins: Killed by Jake Horbart after he chickens out on the robbery and flees in the getaway car, at which point Horbart, Randall and Jerrett steal the Winfields' Mercedes, track him to his trailer and kill him, and they're going to kill Cara and Max, next, setting off the plot.
- See also Asshole Victim below for the villains' deaths.
- Asshole Victim: Mostly all the villains of the episode:
- Corky Randall is killed by being hit by a speeding semi while being pursued by Gage and Sydney; the driver never had the chance to slow down.
- Frank Jerrett is gunned down by Walker and Trivette when he tries to kill Cara after meeting up with Alex at the H.O.P.E. Center. Cara runs away, but when Trivette searches his car, he finds a Maywood Hotel envelope with the center's address scribbled on hidden in the visor, and when Gage and Sydney search Horbart's hotel room, they find a newspaper article about the Pediatric AIDS auction, which could be how Horbart picks his targets, and Horbart and his gang plan to hit the auctioneers' house, next.
- Jake Horbart and his new accomplice, Lopez, are both killed by Walker when they are about to kill Cara, as well as Alex and Max, after they follow her to Walker's house.
- Babies Ever After: At the end of the episode, Alex reveals she is eight weeks pregnant.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Jake Horbart and his gang, composed of Corky Randall, Frank Jerrett, Lopez, Hoop and the Gorge Brothers. A gang of vicious criminals who usually commit home invasions, as long as their victims aren't home, but should they, they Leave No Witnesses and kill them. They'd usually pick their targets through newspaper articles (which Gage and Sydney find in Horbart's hotel room after Trivette finds a Maywood Hotel envelope in Jerrett's car after he tried to kill Cara and Alex). The newspaper article helps the Rangers nab Hoop and the Gorge Brothers when they try to rob the Gorman residence.
- Cut Phone Lines: When Cara visits Walker's house so she and Max can be reunited, Alex attempts to call Walker so she can be placed in protective custody, but all she hears is static. She sees Jake and Lopez outside, having killed the officer who escorted Alex home, and they flee into the barn.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Gender-inverted; Cara with Baby Max. Cara is forced to flee for her life after Horbart and his gang murder Steve and she cannot risk letting Max get killed. After running into Alex at the supermarket, Cara leaves Max in hers and Walker's care to make sure Horbart and his gang don't kill him.
- He Knows Too Much / Leave No Witnesses: By now, you know the whole routine with most of the show's villains. 19-year-old Steve Parkins, out of prison after serving a six-month stint for shoplifting (which was his second offense and the judge decided to set an example by not going easy on him), has made a lot of pretty bad choices in his life, but his biggest one was befriending Jake Horbart, Frank Jerrett and Corky Randall. Now out of prison, the gang robs the Winfield residence while they were attending a charity auction. However, Mary and Oliver return home just in time to see the gang rob their house, and then be murdered (Horbart, Randall and Jerrett did the thieving and killing while Steve was the lookout and getaway driver). Steve panics and flees with the getaway car, at which point Jake and the others steal the Winfields' Mercedes, where they eventually follow him to his trailer and kill him before he could flee. This kicks off the premise of the episode, with Jake and his gang now going after his wife, Cara and their young son, Max.
- Just Got Out of Jail: Steve Parkins, Jake Horbart, Frank Jerrett and Corky Randall. The latter three decide to celebrate by committing a home invasion in a nice neighborhood, whereas the former doesn't want any part of it, ending up serving as the lookout and getaway driver. Steve panics and flees after the homeowners are killed, at which point the gang steals the homeowners' Mercedes. A neighbor of the Winfields' across the street sees this and calls the police, and it's not long before a woman matching Cara's description comes up at Steve's trailer, where a match also comes up for the getaway car, at which point Walker and Trivette discover the link between the baby and the home invaders, as well as finding Steve's body and alerting the coroner.
- Just in Time: A staple of the series. Horbart has trailed Cara to Walker's house, where she is reunited with Max, and he tries to kill them and Alex. Luckily, Walker stops Horbart and kills him.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Alex tries a sneak attack on Jake and Lopez when they find Cara hiding in the barn of the Walker ranch, and Walker shows up a few moments later and guns down the two criminals.
- Missing Mom and Disappeared Dad: Pretty debatable for this episode's Victims of the Week, specifically for the Parkins family:
- Played straight and justified with Steve Parkins, who lost both of his parents so very young, and ending up making a lot of bad choices in his life, from shoplifting to becoming a teenage father to ultimately befriending a gang of burglars and serving as their lookout and getaway driver during one of their heists, only to chicken out at the last minute and eventually be killed by his own accomplices.
- Like Father, Like Son for Baby Max; his father is killed by Horbart, Randall and Jerrett and his mother had to leave him in Walker and Alex's care while she hides from the three. Max and his mother are eventually reunited, only for Horbart to trail them to Walker's house and try to kill them and Alex, but Walker stops him just in time.
- Downplayed with Cara Parkins, as her parents are still alive and live in Fort Worth, and at the end of the episode, Walker and Alex had tracked them down so they can help her raise her baby.
- Played straight and justified with Steve Parkins, who lost both of his parents so very young, and ending up making a lot of bad choices in his life, from shoplifting to becoming a teenage father to ultimately befriending a gang of burglars and serving as their lookout and getaway driver during one of their heists, only to chicken out at the last minute and eventually be killed by his own accomplices.
- Special Guest: Katie Wright as Cara Parkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Jake Horbart, Robert Floyd as Steven Parkins, Clay Wilcox as Frank Jerrett and Max Carlos Norrisnote as Baby Max Parkins.
- Trashy Trailer Home: Cara, Steve and Max live in one, but are forced to vacate it after the Winfield home invasion goes sour. It's already too late for Steve, as Horbart and his gang have killed him, and now Cara and Max are next on his list! When an anonymous tip leads Walker and Trivette to a woman matching Cara's description at that trailer park, they investigate and find Steve's body, plus a picture of him, Cara and Max, upon which they alert the coroner and piece together the baby and the burglary.
- Victim of the Week: Mary and Oliver Winfield and Steve, Cara and Max Parkins.
- The X of Y: The episode's title, "Child of Hope".
