S01.E01: Welcome to Margrave

[AnimeMania]

Reacher is wrongly accused of murder while visiting the small town of Margrave, GA.


Original Airdate: February 4, 2022

[Raja]

A terminator comes to town and meets Mr. Tibbs. Since I have been hearing about him since Tom Cruise got cast seeing an authentic Reacher didn't ring out as a real person to me, just a character. 

[Netfoot]

Wow, I really enjoyed that.

I like this Reacher. So much closer to Child's character than Tom "Short-assed Moses" Cruise. 

The production values were first class and the story-line stuck closely to the source material. If this is any indication of the remainder of the series, I will be extremely pleased.

Beirut, not Kandahar.

[Raja]

14 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

 

The production values were first class and the story-line stuck closely to the source material. If this is any indication of the remainder of the series, I will be extremely pleased.

Beirut, not Kandahar.

Sounds like the MCU Ironman's move from Vietnam to Afghanistan. For Beirut to fit you have to do a period piece. Although as a kid in 1998 I guess Major Reacher was medically retired, unless he was a couple of years older in the flashback scene than I estimated

 

[Humbugged]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Wow, I really enjoyed that.

I like this Reacher. So much closer to Child's character than Tom "Short-assed Moses" Cruise. 

The production values were first class and the story-line stuck closely to the source material. If this is any indication of the remainder of the series, I will be extremely pleased.

Beirut, not Kandahar.

He would have been one when the bomb went off in Beirut and then they pulled out of Lebanon and never went back ,like Ryan would have been just born as well during his series kicked off

So they changed it because the dates did not add up

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Humbugged said:

So they changed it because the dates did not add up

Of course.

When The Manchurian Candidate from 1962 was remade in 2004, Major Bennett Marco's war switched from Korea to The Gulf. That sort of thing is frequently done when movies are remade. Or, as in this case, when a book published 25 years ago is made into a movie or TV series set in today's world. 

When I mentioned it I wasn't complaining. Just noting the only departure from the source material that I had spotted in the episode.

 

 

[thuganomics85]

Haven't read the books or seen the Tom Cruise films, but this seemed like it would be a decent enough of an action thriller/crime show, so I gave it a go.  So far, I thought it was pretty solid for a pilot.  Didn't break any barriers story wise and the characters are mainly atypical (for now), but I'm at least curious to see where this goes.

I know Alan Ritchson has been in a few things lately, but I will always remember first as Aquaman on Smallville (probably helped that I had did a rewatch of the series last year.)  He seems like a good enough of a fit as the "giant of few words who lets his actions speak for himself" type character, I thought.  Maybe not the most challenging role ever, but effective enough to carry this time of series.  Willa Fitzgerald was good as Roscoe, even if the character was literally screaming "future love interest!" as soon as she popped up.  Always great seeing Malcolm Goodwin (iZombie!  Breakout Kings!), but I hope his character eventually improves upon being a one-note pain in Reacher's ass.

Good production value and nice scenery, but I knew it was actually filmed in Canada instead of Georgia as soon as good old Patrick Garrow popped up as the crooked corruption officer!  Always love it when the recognizable Canadian faces show up on shows I watch.  But the biggest surprise was seeing Harvey Guillen a.k.a. Guillermo from What We Do in the Shadows as the mortician.  Have to imagine we'll see him again because I don't see him having that small of a role.

Fight scenes were simple but effective.  Obviously someone like Reacher is just going to be a straight up brawler and doesn't need to do anything fancy to take out some goons!

[Rickster]

Saw the first episode last night. Have seen the Cruise movies and read one book (not this one). Have never seen Richtson before.

Generally, we liked it. My one quibble is that by casting someone with Richtson’s build, it makes it a bit cartoonish. A guy like that is spending a couple of hours in the gym each day, not riding Greyhound buses from town to town.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Rickster

[Ottis]

I want to like this Reacher. He is better than the Cruise version. But he’s too … cutesy. He was great until he started talking. Then he was too whimsical for me. Smartass is fine. He’s a bit… entitled.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Rickster said:

A guy like that is spending a couple of hours in the gym each day, not riding Greyhound buses from town to town

He does physically demanding manual labour from time to time, to eke out his finances. Not gym training, but it helps explain why he isn't going to seed.

[Lone Wolf]

 

6 hours ago, Rickster said:

Saw the first episode last night. Have seen the Cruise movies and read one book (not this one). Have never seen Richtson before.

Generally, we liked it. My one quibble is that by casting someone with Richtson’s build, it makes it a bit cartoonish. A guy like that is spending a couple of hours in the gym each day, not riding Greyhound buses from town to town.

 

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

He does physically demanding manual labour from time to time, to eke out his finances. Not gym training, but it helps explain why he isn't going to seed.

Plus, per the books he's essentially a genetic freak.  In one of them, one of his his pectoral muscles is so developed that it literally stops a bullet. He eats nothing but road food and lots of it, and it apparently has no effect on his build which as described would put Mr. Olympia to shame.  Even in one short story that takes place when he's a kid there's mention of him looking like a bulked up Greyhound.

18 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

 Willa Fitzgerald was good as Roscoe, even if the character was literally screaming "future love interest!" as soon as she popped up. 

Fight scenes were simple but effective.  Obviously someone like Reacher is just going to be a straight up brawler and doesn't need to do anything fancy to take out some goons!

 That's standard operating procedure, too.  In the books Reacher doesn't "get the girl" about as often as he loses a fight.  He's all about using his elbows instead of his hands and breaking knees. 

My quibble is with the injury resulting from the soldier's jawbone becoming embedded in his stomach.  They mentioned it briefly in the ep, but in the book the resulting scar was pretty horrific - here you could barely see it.  In fact, he was in pretty good shape scar-wise overall compared to the books.

All that said, I like the series better than the movies for the obvious reasons.  Lee Child definitely stood his ground this time around.  

[Netfoot]

13 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

He eats nothing but road food and lots of it...

I was amused by, yet pleased to see the huge mouthfuls he was taking. It is a very small, insignificant detail which was never the less, not forgotten.

14 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

I like the series better than the movies for the obvious reasons.  Lee Child definitely stood his ground this time around.

100%

 

[Morrigan2575]

I haven't read the books and all I know about Jack Reacher are the people who complained Tom Cruise was too short.

I have to say, I really enjoyed the first episode and I like Reacher. I was very upset to find out the first victim was his brother. 

I like Roscoe, looks like S1 is all about Joe and Margrave so she'll be a LI for now. I didn't know anything going on so I thought it would be a case/town of the week deal...figured next girl every town. 

[Netfoot]

13 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

all I know about Jack Reacher are the people who complained Tom Cruise was too short.

It's more than just his height. 

Reacher is 6' 5" tall, 250 lbs. and built like a brick shit-house. A reinforced brick shit-house. He was a senior MP for over a decade. When Special Forces soldiers did evil, Reacher is who they sent to subdue them. He's been specially trained by the Army for that role. As an Army brat, he's been kicking ass and taking names since he was five years old. It shows in his physique and his face.

Cruise... just didn't fit the bill.

[johntfs]

13 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

It's more than just his height. 

Reacher is 6' 5" tall, 250 lbs. and built like a brick shit-house. A reinforced brick shit-house. He was a senior MP for over a decade. When Special Forces soldiers did evil, Reacher is who they sent to subdue them. He's been specially trained by the Army for that role. As an Army brat, he's been kicking ass and taking names since he was five years old. It shows in his physique and his face.

Cruise... just didn't fit the bill.

No, but he still did about as good a job portraying the character as someone with his physical stature could have done.  He absolutely captured Reacher's attitude.

Edited February 6, 2022 by johntfs

[Morrigan2575]

30 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Cruise... just didn't fit the bill

That's fair, I don't like Cruise and didn't even watch the movie. That was just my knowledge of Reacher 😂

[LadyIrony]

I don't see this as anything amazing but it is reliable entertainment. I am kind of shell shocked by the lack of political sermonizing which is great. A lot of shows pour that stuff on now days which is why I watch so little TV. I like the cast and the concept so far. 

[preeya]

22 hours ago, Rickster said:

Generally, we liked it. My one quibble is that by casting someone with Richtson’s build, it makes it a bit cartoonish.

I thougth his acting and mannerisms were a bit robotic.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, preeya said:

I thougth his acting and mannerisms were a bit robotic.

A bit, he looks like a terminator.

[pasdetrois]

I've read all of the books. Having scoffed at Cruise's vanity in the movie, we were cautiously optimistic when a series was developed.

So far, OK. But it's easier to accept this gargantuan, monosyllabic character in a book than visually. Reacher did seem kind of flat to me in the first episode (when he wasn't busting heads). One thing we don't like about the books is that the author spends a lot of time on boring details, such as all of the streets that Reacher walks in each town.

I laughed when teeny Roscoe ordered Reacher around. The detective needs to calm down. And where are the GA accents? They are still prominent in small southern towns.

As Reacher waited to be arrested in the diner, I was yelling "Eat some peach pie while you wait!"

[Raja]

35 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

 

I laughed when teeny Roscoe ordered Reacher around. The detective needs to calm down. And where are the GA accents? They are still prominent in small southern towns.

As Reacher waited to be arrested in the diner, I was yelling "Eat some peach pie while you wait!"

Command/officer presence. Adam-12 did an episode on it. As hard as the officers came in thinking a giant murderer needed taking down he might have been choked while trying to swallow the pie.

[Avabelle]

Just watched this tonight, I’m gonna stick with it because it’s an easy watch but for me it’s definitely In the so bad its good territory.

[WAnglais1]

He walks like Rod in BIRDEMIC.

[Anela]

On 2/6/2022 at 3:11 PM, pasdetrois said:

 

As Reacher waited to be arrested in the diner, I was yelling "Eat some peach pie while you wait!"

I was thinking the same thing.

I'm not familiar with the story, only know of the character, because of the Tom Cruise drama, and am here for Malcolm Goodwin, who I loved in iZombie. I didn't recognize Willa Fitzgerald at first.

So, his brother is dead, and he's just threatened to kill people, in front of two police officers. 

[SmittenKitten]

I’m here for this because Reacher is a smoke show. 

[NeenerNeener]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:56 AM, thuganomics85 said:

as soon as good old Patrick Garrow

That's who that was! I didn't recognize him without red hair.

[Zonk]

"cuffs didn't fit him"? Seriously?! What kind of hack writing is that?

And now there is only one pair of prison uniform his size, because he's so big? I mean seriously. They act like he's 10'5 instead of 6'5. God, what annoying bullshit.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Zonk

[Tachi Rocinante]

The first episode was pretty decent considering the source material is crap.

Lee Child is a hack - the first book is so poorly written and poorly researched i couldn't make it past 100 pages.

[Raja]

15 hours ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

The first episode was pretty decent considering the source material is crap.

Lee Child is a hack - the first book is so poorly written and poorly researched i couldn't make it past 100 pages.

I don't know about the books but from the series I think the research was limited to discovering that the US Secret Service does something beyond providing Presidential bodyguards.

[Kristi800]

I forgot Tom Cruise was in the movie and didn't see it (I don't mind him). Only started watching this for Alan Ritchson, loved him in Blood Drive (anyone who likes horror, social commentary and lots of sight gags, watch now! Also with Christina Ochoa from Animal Kingdom.). 

Anyone watching something like this should not be looking for anything new. Pretty much every cliche in the book (ha!) is here.