‘Reacher’ – ‘Picture Says a Thousand Words’ – Review
The Special Investigators are on the case, and the action ramps up in Episode Three, ‘Picture Says A Thousand Words’, and our team moves from detection to all-out action.
After more of his friends fall victim, Reacher (Alan Ritchson) forges an uneasy alliance with a dogged detective, and their only clue in the case leads the 110th to a troubling discovery.
Right from the start Season Two of Reacher has been a whole new different type of show. Lee Child’s wandering giant has proven that he can adapt to every situation, and so too has showrunner Nick Santora, who has stepped up the edge of the second season. Reacher, Neagley, Dixon and O’Donnell are now deep into the conspiracy that is seeing their teammates of the Special Investigators ending up dead. And in ‘Picture Says A Thousand Words’, they’re ready to hit back. And damn, is it one heck of a swing.
The action of Episode Three is proactive rather than reactive, as we’ve previously seen in the season. And damn, does it bring the BOOM. Throw in a homemade pipe bomb and plenty of firepower, and things get interesting. What’s really great is that this isn’t Reacher fighting alone; instead, we get to see each of the Special Investigators get in on the action. You’ve got Neagley’s clinical precision, Dixon’s double-tap, smashmouth gun style, and O’Donnell brings the rough and tumble thanks to his one-two combo of brass knuckles and switchblade! Bad guys, watch out. Ohh and Reacher also happen to take out an SUV with a barbecue, which is a hell of a lot of fun.
This mix of action is kept interesting with some great narrative points as well, not only do Reacher and his team form a defacto alliance with New York Police Detective Gaitano ‘Guy’ Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi), but we also get some notable flashbacks to the team’s military days and the introduction of their commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Hortense Fields (Josh Blacker) who has a big hold over the lore of the Reacher universe, and who has a role to play in how Reacher became Reacher. Santora and his team are not skipping out on the detail in this second season of Reacher, and it all adds to the complexity of the larger narrative.
One key narrative detail concerns the appearance of ruthless mercenary and arms dealer A.M. (Ferdinand Kingsley), known only by the initials of the various aliases he uses. A.M. is a calculating and sly killer with zero empathy, and he’s at the centre of the unfolding conspiracy in front of Reacher and his team. This conspiracy also points to corporate aerospace giant New Age hiding a dark secret courtesy of its head of security Shane Langston (Robert Patrick).
The action moves fast in ‘Picture Says A Thousand Words’, and the episode ends on a dynamic cliffhanger that shows just how deep and dangerous the conspiracy that Reacher and his team have wandered into.
Reacher steams on Prime Video.
Image: Prime Video
