Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Walker: Independence episode “Random Acts.” Read at your own risk!
Sheriff Tom Davidson, to this point in The CW’s Walker: Independence, has been portrayed as the most despicable and conniving villain. That’s largely because Abby Walker believes he killed her husband Liam, and in previous weeks, Tom hasn’t exactly shown enough to cast a reasonable doubt that he is the culprit. That is, until the latest episode “Random Acts,” which showed that the well-to-do sheriff might just be different than we assumed. If Tom’s on the path to a redemption arc, I’m here for it.
“Random Acts” picked up on the story following Tom’s acquisition of the saloon, which was gifted to him via a family member who made threats to the previous owner, Hagan. Tom decided to rally the town and celebrate his new ownership with a special “fight night,” and noted he wanted to do something special for the beautiful town of Independence that would really help its people. Tom was so eager to impress the town he actually participated in the fight night, and emerged victorious thanks to some advice mid-fight from Kai.
The next day, Tom was thrilled to learn that the fight night made the paper with a story that was running throughout the state. Kai congratulated Tom on succeeding in bringing the town attention, but Tom corrected him. This was a group effort, and he made it clear to Kai that he deserved just as much credit for the night’s success as he did. Villains aren’t typically so humble, and obviously, Walker: Independence showed that for a reason. Does Tom really seem like a cold-blooded murderer, or do we just believe that because Abby does?
Fans who travel back to Walker: Independence’s murder scene in the pilot might remember that Abby didn’t see who killed her husband Liam clearly. Granted, the man responsible did look like Tom, but that could be because The CW series intentionally framed the scene that way to illustrate Abby’s hazy memory. It was dark, after all, and she was also injured and left for dead not long after. Her memory might not be spot on, even if she’s so confident that Tom’s the killer that she took a job with him to gather evidence to get him convicted by outside forces.
Walker: Independence also took steps in this episode to point out that Abby may not be a reliable narrator. Abby was blindsided by the news that Liam lied to her about the circumstances of their coming to Independence. Abby uncovered via documents that Liam received a good deal of money to take the job as sheriff in Independence, which she was unaware of.
It definitely helped feed the narrative first introduced by Kate in the episode prior that Liam might not have been who Abby thought he was. Perhaps he had enemies she didn’t know about? Maybe it’s my experience with Arrowverse shows that makes me so leery of people who seem good for no apparent reason, but something doesn't add up about Liam and I think this will be the first of many reveals about him.
Let’s also remember that Walker: Independence ended the episode with Tom getting cut down by some unknown stranger. I wager he’ll survive what looked like a gruesome stabbing, but assuming this had nothing to do with Abby and her friends, someone is clearly attempting to kill the sheriffs of Independence at an alarming rate. Is it possible Tom had nothing to do with Liam’s murder?
I’ll concede that it feels a little hard to believe Tom is entirely uninvolved in the murder. At the same time, we’ve seen enough nuance in the character in this latest episode that it seems off base that he’d maliciously kill a sheriff just to take his job. I'm also relatively certain Liam has more secrets that may even justify Tom’s actions, assuming he did murder Abby’s husband. I just want to go on the record, though, and say that if Tom isn’t as vile as we’ve been led to believe, I’m ready for him to become the hero or anti-hero that this series deserves.
Walker: Independence airs on The CW on Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET. The series is rolling along and keeping fans entertained in 2022, but it’s never too soon to check out the 2023 TV schedule and start prepping for what television to watch in the new year!
