‘Reacher’ Recap: ‘ATM’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Episode 201 of ‘Reacher’ – ‘ATM’. (Photo Courtesy of Brook Palmer/Prime Video.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Reacher’. To revisit the Season One Finale, click here.
​
It’s been a little while since we’ve talked about the Prime Video series, Reacher, and with good reason. After all, this show was in essence… an overnight sensation. For fans simply fell in love with this new iteration of Lee Child’s iconic character and that meant… there was a lot of work to be done to keep the wonder of this show going. Such as assembling a new season that was equal to season one in quality, and there was the whole matter of securing future seasons of the show as well. And now that season three is a go, and the hard work in creating a new season is done, the time has come to discuss the adventures of Jack Reacher once again. For yesterday saw the season two premiere of the series drop on Prime Video and well… ‘ATM’ absolutely set the stage for an epic new adventure with Reacher, shortly after reminding us why we love the character so much.

For this episode opened up with a dark moment (more on that in a second) and a trademark Reacher moment. Wherein he spotted real trouble involving a mother in distress, and that prompted him to step in and save the day as only he can, and shortly after he put down one bad dude… that bigger and bolder story got underway. For he received an urgent message via his ATM account from Neagley, one that was absolutely worth his attention. Simply because, Franz, an old friend/co-worker from the Special Investigation Unit that Reacher headed up, turned up dead under very suspicious circumstances. The kind that spoke to torture and suffering for reasons unknown, and his passing, combined with the reality that others from the unit were radio silent, left this duo convinced that something suspicious was happening.

In fact, they were only able to contact one more member of their unit, and well… the fact that he didn’t respond because he was out of town and off the grid, only helped their concerns to grow. Which prompted Reacher and Neagley to dig deep into Franz’s life while carefully keeping watch over their shoulders. For people were watching and ransacking places where they had been, all because they were in search of something that Reacher and Neagley did indeed find first. Specifically, a jump drive. One that featured a list of names that featured matching initials. Which wasn’t much to go off of, prompting this small team to keep digging and keep searching for their friends. Only to find death and a basic understanding that their unit was being hunted by a mysterious entity. One that will pay dearly for messing with Jack Reacher and the men and women he hand-picked to serve in that unit.

All of which made for a unique season premiere. In part because, well… we are in essence being introduced to a supremely brave villain. Because whomever is behind this actually has the stones to go after Jack Reacher. Who outright took down an entire corrupt town with but a handful of friends and his bare hands. So, this villain either has some power behind them, or they’re the dumbest person to ever walk the earth. But also, this was a premiere that truly was grounded in heavy mystery and fact finding, which was obviously designed to set up the season ahead. But that’s not a bad thing, because it worked like a charm here. Because it really does offer up an engaging mystery grounded in the past, one that we must know more about and speaking of the past, that’s another reason that this premiere is so worth our while. Since it showcases… the man Jack Reacher used to be.

For we do get to see him with his unit, back in the day, when Reacher wasn’t a wanderer filed with brooding darkness. But where he was a touch more optimistic and wanted to really see the potential of those vested his time into, giving rise to the reality that this will be a supremely intimate story about Reacher as well. One that could explain what pushed him to be so alone and if there is any hope for him to enjoy a touch of redemption. Especially since we came to learn in this story, he did do right by a lot of his team and showed them a better way. But while we wait to discover why Reacher and his team are being hunted, and what will come out of having the past haunt the present, we simply must celebrate one delightful tale. One that brought Jack Reacher back into the fold in the perfect manner and has us ready for more his of incredible quest to make the world a more just place, by any means necessary. Until next time.

---

Watch ‘Reacher’

Powered by JustWatch