S02.E08: Fly Boy

[jenrising]

Quote

Reacher and Neagley make a final desperate attempt to save O’Donnell and Dixon, stop A.M. and avenge their friends’ murder. Season Finale

Available 1/19 on Prime Video.

[thuganomics85]

I guess it was foolish of me to think that some of this couldn't be wrapped up in one episode.  Reacher just blows through two villains and a scummy senator in less than thirty minutes!

Cracked up that after the whole "I have an idea!" tease, it seems like Reacher's grand plan was just to just bank on Langston being arrogant enough to not kill him on the the spot, and give Neagley and the senator's soldiers time to swoop in and help save the day.  I mean, I guess that falls in line with his ability to read people because Langston is that type of guy.  But that still seemed like a huge risk.

When Reacher was running towards the ascending helicopter, I sincerely wondered if we were going to see him pull a Captain America from The Winter Solider-style grab.  But I guess he isn't quite that strong.  But, hey, he did get to have the bit where he manages to hold onto a Dixon-strapped gurney dangling out of the plane with just one hand.  There's regular strength, super strength, and Reacher strength!

A.M. ends up being no kind of threat and just gets mowed down by all members of the Reacher squad instead.  Heh, I did find that that a little amusing.

Surprised that no one else died (although we did get confirmation Swan was killed.  RIP, good sir!), and they even kept the money for themselves.  Of course, Reacher got control of it and used it mainly for charity and didn't just give the members money, but used it in various ways to fund those they care for.  And he did relent and buy himself a bus membership for a year.  Bet that hurt!

All in all, not quite as good as the first season, but I really don't expect that much out of this show besides being silly and entertaining, and it pretty much delivered.  I do think the show is better when Reacher is more of a fish out of water, so hopefully next season will be back to him showing up in some new town or city, and dealing with whatever mayhem comes his way.  But I can still see them working back in this cast for an episode or two.  In particular, I get the sense Neagley is going to be someone who shows up each season in some form or another.

[Sundazed]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

A.M. ends up being no kind of threat and just gets mowed down by all members of the Reacher squad instead.  Heh, I did find that that a little amusing.

 

I found that moment kind of Tarantino-esque.  I think A.M. went out way too easily, though. 

[Raja]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

But, hey, he did get to have the bit where he manages to hold onto a Dixon-strapped gurney dangling out of the plane with just one hand.  There's regular strength, super strength, and Reacher strength!

It may be the newest TV trope a NCIS Agent in Hawai'i pulled the same stunt with a full grown man trying to commit suicide by launching himself out of a window.  But of course he wasn't impaled with a knife when he did it.

What about Dixon not going Black Widow (MCU) to save Reacher but rock climber by pulling the knife and using the mook as a hand hold.

Ex Military Police kill squad an ex NYPD kill squad and a Senator's bodyguard kill squad with only one killer team being for some sort of justice if extrajudicial, I don't think the writer likes Americans very much.

[Johnny Dollar]

It was nice to see another example of Chekov’s Shoulder-Launched-Surface-To-Air-Missile. 

[Capricasix]

8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

hen Reacher was running towards the ascending helicopter, I sincerely wondered if we were going to see him pull a Captain America from The Winter Solider-style grab. 

That was my thought, too 😄

[Raja]

5 hours ago, Sundazed said:

I found that moment kind of Tarantino-esque.  I think A.M. went out way too easily, though. 

Another show had getting gut shot as a big part of the dialog. I too was expecting Reacher to let him linger.

[dleighg]

why do some bad guys instantly die from a torso shot, and others stand there looking down at their stomach like "WTH?"

Pretty impressive to put down 5 guys with guns with your hands behind your back :) 

What was the whole electrified fence and "It gives me an idea" about? How was that used?

Edited January 19 by dleighg

[Raja]

5 minutes ago, dleighg said:

why do some bad guys instantly die from a torso shot, and others stand there looking down at their stomach like "WTH?"

Well real world it depends upon what you hit in the torso. Along with body armor it is why the "double tap" and "Mozambique Drills" with a follow up head shot came to prominence in the pistol era with a large number of rounds pistols  carry compared to the revolvers of the past. 

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, Johnny Dollar said:

It was nice to see another example of Chekov’s Shoulder-Launched-Surface-To-Air-Missile. 

I think this show lost me with the team’s glee at shooting down that helicopter.

[dleighg]

54 minutes ago, Raja said:

Well real world it depends upon what you hit in the torso

yeah I get that. Just seems like in TV shows, it depends on what is convenient to the story line.

[wmdekooning]

8 hours ago, Sundazed said:

 I think A.M. went out way too easily, though. 

With the soliloquy he gave about him only being the middle man and that if he hadn’t done what he did, someone else would have meant his remaining screen time was to   be measured in seconds.

The team was going to kill him in any case…

[Meedis]

Well I'm glad to see none of Reacher's team were double agents...LOL.   I do agree with everyone that said A.M.'s death was anti-climatic and also hilarious.

So many over the top moments but one thing Reacher does is keeps me entertained.   Looking forward to next season.

[dleighg]

7 minutes ago, Meedis said:

So many over the top moments but one thing Reacher does is keeps me entertained. 

I can deal with all the shooting and even hand-to-hand, but the torture stuff (like digging the bullet out of what's-his-face's-arm) I have to cover my eyes

[Morrigan2575]

15 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

When Reacher was running towards the ascending helicopter, I sincerely wondered if we were going to see him pull a Captain America from The Winter Solider-style grab. 

I just laughed because he had a funny looking run.

I was quite satisfied with the ending,  I got my helicopter payoff, they tied up all the loose ends. I love that they gave the money to help out the friends/family, choked up a little at donating to the animal shelter. 

 

[Chicago Redshirt]

I do wish we had a shot of Langston falling from the helicopter like Hans Gruber in Die Hard, but oh well.

Glad the there-must-be-a-traitor-to-the-cause component was fulfilled by the bodyguards to the senator rather than any of the special investigators, and that none of the four surviving special investigators got killed. I am surprised Dixon did not die because that seems like the most plausible explanation why she doesn't up her life to roam the country at Reacher's side. But oh well.

[transitfan]

On 1/19/2024 at 2:30 PM, Meedis said:

Well I'm glad to see none of Reacher's team were double agents...LOL.   I do agree with everyone that said A.M.'s death was anti-climatic and also hilarious.

 

Well, I for one enjoyed seeing that a-hole get "ventilated" 😂

[rhiamon]

On 1/19/2024 at 8:38 PM, dleighg said:

I can deal with all the shooting and even hand-to-hand, but the torture stuff (like digging the bullet out of what's-his-face's-arm) I have to cover my eyes

I did not love looking at the jar with Swan's eyeball and finger...

[Ottis]

The most anti-climactic ending ever. Langston could have won multiple times. But the show is simplistic, like the books. 

[roughing it]

"Reacher" is my husband's must-see; I watch along but could take it or leave it.  I didn't mind Season 1, but this season seemed convoluted and improbable.  I can suspend a lot of belief but this was really out there.  Not my favorite and I probably won't join in for Season 3.

[shrewd.buddha]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:54 AM, thuganomics85 said:

A.M. ends up being no kind of threat and just gets mowed down by all members of the Reacher squad instead. 

A.M. being killed by all four team members empying their guns into him felt like .. overkill.  Those four were not aware of all the murders A.M. had committed during his travels - even if they did know about his crimes through Homeland Security.  Unless A.M. was connected to their teammates murders, killing him should not have been so personal.

There were quite a few "really?" moments on the helicoptor: a lot of actions that felt like forced choreography, where Reacher could have easily been shot or stabbed more effectively by Langston.

And using the missile tech to take down the helicopter was 'cool',   .. but .. what about the possibility of death and/or destruction from an exploding helicopter falling to the ground/water?

I like that Reacher has neat, clean, all loose ends tied up seasons.  The show provides a satisfying amount of righteous beatdowns of bad guys.

 

Edited January 25 by shrewd.buddha

[Chicago Redshirt]

26 minutes ago, shrewd.buddha said:

A.M. being killed by all four team members empying their guns into him felt like .. overkill.  Those four were not aware of all the murders A.M. had committed during his travels - even if they did know about his crimes through Homeland Security.  Unless A.M. was connected to their teammates murders, killing him should not have been so personal.

They knew A.M. was the middleman who dangled enough money in front of Langston such that Langston was fully willing to arrange for their friends to be killed, and for Langston to have made like a half-dozen attempts on their lives, to have killed Russo, and to have threatened to kill the kid and her mom.

They knew that A.M. was there to get the Little Wing chips to terrorists who planned to use them on innocent civilians. 

That seems like plenty of reason to make it personal. 

Also, it was pretty funny, him acting all superior and such, and them just having none of it. Reminded me of Indy killing the swordsman in Raiders.

 

[Raja]

25 minutes ago, shrewd.buddha said:

A.M. being killed by all four team members empying their guns into him felt like .. overkill.  Those four were not aware of all the murders A.M. had committed during his travels - even if they did know about his crimes through Homeland Security.  Unless A.M. was connected to their teammates murders, killing him should not have been so personal.

I get that they were retired US Army SPECIAL INVESTIGATORS/detectives, but they still officers and NCOs knowing they had a major intelligence high value target, with Homeland Security agents on the way to take him to Gitmo. 

 

 

 

[Taryn74]

43 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Also, it was pretty funny, him acting all superior and such, and them just having none of it. Reminded me of Indy killing the swordsman in Raiders.

Hubby and I both burst out laughing when AM was about to go into some deep monologue about what it takes for a person to pull the trigger on another, and all four of them just opened up on him. Turns out it's not that hard. Heh.

[shrewd.buddha]

13 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Also, it was pretty funny, him acting all superior and such, and them just having none of it.

I admit it was satisfying.  And I really hate the trope of a show having a high profile actor villain who kills lots of people -- but the heroes don't kill the person because they are "too valuable" (and the possibility of a rematch).
It just seemed that Langston would have been the one that deserved the group effort overkill.  ..not some guy they had not interacted with .. and who had not tortured and killed their teammates. 

Maybe  A.M. was considered to be the evil mastermind of it all.  I just didn't see him that way. 

Edited January 25 by shrewd.buddha

[curbcrusher]

15 hours ago, roughing it said:

"Reacher" is my husband's must-see; I watch along but could take it or leave it.  I didn't mind Season 1, but this season seemed convoluted and improbable.  I can suspend a lot of belief but this was really out there.  Not my favorite and I probably won't join in for Season 3.

I also liked season 1, but this one felt very cartoonish.