‘The Terminal List’ Recap: ‘Encoding’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘The Terminal List’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the dynamic and fascinating new Prime Video series, The Terminal List, we talked a little bit about quite the unique twist present within the story. In that, this is a show that more or less kept us in the dark about Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s mental standing. Because Reece was struggling to remember exact events in the series premiere, not to mention he was fixated upon the possibility that a great evil was coming after him and his family. A reality that spoke more to a soldier suffering deeply from PTSD over finding himself embroiled in a mysterious world of cloak and dagger. But at the same time, the death of his family, left all of us wondering as to whether or not the man was right and well… the next episode of this series, did us no favors regarding this question.
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For ‘Encoding’ is a tale that more or less thickened the dark clouds surrounding Reece’s mental health. For shortly after the authorities removed his now dead family from his home… we were privy to the visage of a man completely broken. After all, he refused to leave his family’s side, after they were buried, and he was quick to just head home and sit within the dark and brood and to complicate matters further… there were questions surrounding the attack at the hospital. Because while there were clear signs that something bad happened within its walls, there were no bodies to corroborate his story. Nor was there any evidence that he was attacked, just that his gun fired often. Which is news that of course pushed James to believe that this was part of a conspiracy that his nemesis put together to bring him down.

A belief… that was quickly proven to not be the case either. For while James was pondering upon potentially going back and finishing the job, Secretary Hartley invited him out for a drink to assuage him that the situation was in hand and that no one from abroad was observing him or hunting him… because everyone that could perform such an act was dead. For the Seals went back in without him and finished the job no problem and well, having that particular possibility removed from the equation… motivated James to believe that the NCIS agent in charge of the investigation into the death of his family, was in fact the harbinger of his doom. Because Agent Holder handled Boozer’s case as well, and he was doing as little as possible in James’ eyes to solve these mysteries, so… the Lieutenant Commander decided to take matters into his own hands.

Which led to a heartbreaking sequence. One where James began to work, day and night to learn everything possible about Holder in the hopes of gaining entry to his home to confront him when the time was right. And of course, he received help from Katie, inadvertently, and Ben was more than happy to join in and well, when the day came to confront Holder… this story went to some dark and surprising places. Wherein we watched in horror as James came to realize there was a real possibility his career was over, and his mind was shot. Since Holder showed no physical signs of being involved in the fight at the hospital, as James believed. Nor did he have information and assaulting a NCIS agent and smacking around an Admiral in this tale… had to lead to doom. But then, Holder outright shocked James and the audience… by offering a name that could provide James with information, before being put down.

A twist that once again left Reece and the audience in a stunned and curious place. Because enough happened here to make us question if anything Reece is doing is grounded in any measure of sanity. To the point where we don’t know if he actually heard a name or if he killed Holder in cold blood. Which means at this point, we simply have to know what comes next… and we utterly have to know if James is right about something more at work here. Because what’s most important of all regarding this fascinating and engaging tale, is that it proved to us that James Reece is a genuinely good man that has been dealt an awful hand and seen some dark times, and he genuinely deserves a measure of peace and retribution for his family… after suffering through so much and being exonerated and proven to be of sound mind… would be a wonderful ending, regardless of the losses. Until next time.   

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