Possessing a sharp, analytical, and composed mindset that perfectly complements his hulking stature, a war horse like Jack Reacher surely must have foreseen the possible ramifications of going after a hard-boiled corrupt cop like Langston in his efforts to foil a terrorist scheme. After a number of close calls since the first episode of this season, danger finally caught up to Reacher’s team in the penultimate episode, leaving him in a critical juncture that, as of now, has forced him into the most vulnerable situation yet.
In the previous episode, Reacher and his team had managed to locate New Age’s director of operations, Marlo Burns, and they learned that she had hired Swan to investigate the company’s suspicious security department, which was filled with corrupt cops. Elsewhere, Detective Russo confronted NYPD Lieutenant Marsh about his shady dealings with Langston and ratting on Reacher’s team, and he spit on Marsh’s proposal of ever betraying his moral code for fear or greed. Reacher decided to use Marlo as bait to lure out Langston, and in order to ensure Jane’s safety, he entrusted Russo with her life. Unfortunately, Langston got away at the end, and after engaging in hot pursuit with Langston’s henchmen, Russo sacrificed his life while valiantly protecting Jane’s. Russo’s death continues to affect Reacher’s team, the repercussions of which will continue through the season finale.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens To Lieutenant Marsh?
As the episode begins, the primary concern for Reacher’s team turns out to be stationing Marlo and Jane somewhere safe. Although it seems that they have overcome the troublesome situation by wiping out Langston’s henchmen, Marlo and Jane are pretty much within the danger zone as long as Langston is alive. Therefore, Reacher plans to send them to a safe house for the time being, and Dixon suggests that she can arrange such a place at one of her trusted contacts in Buffalo. With A.M. and Langston’s meeting about to take place soon enough, which will mark Littlewing’s transfer into the wrong hands, Reacher and co. have the additional responsibility to track Langston down before it’s too late. Speculating Lieutenant Marsh to be the informant responsible for Russo’s death, Reacher decides to pay him a visit to learn Langston’s whereabouts. The team splits into two: as Reacher and Neagley go to apprehend Marsh, Dixon and O’Donnell arrange means to send Marlo and her daughter to the safe house at Buffalo.
The news of Russo’s death has spread like wildfire, prompting Marsh to rush an escape plan on his own. Before Reacher enters his house, Neagley duly reminds him about the gravity of Russo’s death and to make Marsh pay in kind, as the ever-stoic demeanor of Reacher makes it difficult for others to read his mind sometimes. Reacher might be unable to express his inner emotional turmoil, but he feels as strongly as anyone else about the loss of a trusted companion—a point he proves as soon as he meets Marsh by pinning him to a corner at once, foiling his escape plan. Reacher tries to pressure Marsh into revealing the location of Langston’s upcoming meeting, but realizes that he is unaware of any such information. However, he states that one of Langston’s henchmen, whom Neagley had run over, has survived, and he might prove useful in their investigation. Before leaving, Reacher provides the corrupt lieutenant with two options: surrender himself to the authorities or face worse consequences. Needless to say, Marsh makes the mistake of choosing the latter by going for his firearm and ends up with a bullet in his head. Neagley and Reacher decide to proceed to confront the surviving henchman at the hospital before Langston’s men get to him.
Can Reacher Save Dixon And O’Donnell In Time?
On the other hand, Dixon and O’Donnell arrange secure passage for Marlo and Jane by sending them off from a particular location, and as a parent himself, O’Donnell is able to comfort Jane, as the teenager was clearly in a troubled state of mind after the horrid experience she had been subjected to a night before. Later, Dixon, visibly impressed with his parenting skills, advises O’Donnell to back away from the investigation given how much is at stake for him as a family man, contrary to Reacher and the other remaining members of the 110th unit. Quite obviously, O’Donnell shrugs off the idea, but as viewers, we recognize the validity of her advice right away.
Reacher and Neagley manage to sneak into the room where the surviving henchman is admitted and force him, through torturous methods, to reveal that Langston’s meeting with A.M. is happening the next day. Reacher eventually kills the henchman as an act of revenge against Russo’s death, which, although satisfying, might seem a bit distasteful. However, the surviving henchman was going to be eliminated anyway, as Neagley later spots a hitman sent by Langston, who has been assigned to take care of loose ends by killing the survivor. A tense chase ensues, which culminates in a grueling brawl between Neagley and the hitman, who dies brutally after Reacher’s timely interference. Reacher calls Langston using the hitman’s phone to taunt him into revealing his location, but this time he himself is up for a nasty surprise as Langston reveals he has abducted his 110th comrades, Dixon and O’Donnell, whose lives are on the line until Reacher and Neagley turn themselves in. Reacher bluffs about Neagley’s death in the altercation with Hitman and delays their meet till the night by stating he is being questioned by the cops, thereby buying some time to gather reinforcements before the final showdown. Reacher calls Senator Levoy, the ‘lesser evil’ politician whose connections allowed Littlewing to manifest in the first place, and who, after learning its destructive potential in the wrong hands, assured Reacher of every means of support to shut it down for good. Reacher asks for assistance from Levoy’s security detail for the upcoming confrontation, something the senator is gladly willing to provide.
In a crisis such as this, Reacher and Neagley remember the last assignment of the 110th unit, where the team led a drug bust operation by exposing crooked soldiers, going against the wishes of their superiors. Fully aware of the ramifications of their actions, Reacher had provided his team with a chance to back away from the mission beforehand, much like Dixon advised O’Donnell in the present. His refusal to do so in both cases proved the integrity the unit members had and the strength of the bond they shared with each other. The drug bust eventually resulted in the disbandment of the unit, but the members took pride in contributing to a greater cause by coming together. No wonder Reacher believed so strongly in Swan’s innocence, even going against the judgment of others and some dubious evidence to affirm his trust in him.
The recollection of the memory forces Neagley to almost question Reacher’s judgment about surrendering himself, as she doesn’t want to remain the last surviving member of her unit. In his usual mix of devil-may-care and fatalistic attitude, Reacher re-assures her, and as the episode ends, he proceeds to surrender himself to Langston. The ending hints for an eventful finale, as Reacher needs to tackle the threats of both Langston and A.M. simultaneously in order to save his friends and eventually save the day as well. In this episode, Swan wasn’t mentioned in the present timeline at all, but the finale needs to address the situation concerning his fate as well, given how convoluted and conflicting evidence against him almost turned him into a supposed antagonist.
