At this point, we’ve come to realize Reacher is an anthology of sorts. While our hero, Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchison), is in every season, and sometimes familiar faces pop up along the way, it’s mostly a whole new set of characters and a whole new adventure. This latest outing, season 4, is no different. And in this week’s premiere episode, “Brotherly Love,” we get the setup for where we are going on this new case and adventure.
Let’s dive in. SPOILERS BELOW.
We begin with Reacher on the train. He’s in Philadelphia as part of his nationwide rambling. But he can’t help but turn off his gifts. He spots a woman clutching a bag on the train, and she appears to be in distress. He believes she might be about to cause some harm and destruction, so he feels the need to intercede. He confronts her, believing she has a bomb, but instead she pulls out a gun.
Despite Reacher’s best efforts to help, the woman is panicked and sees no way out. Reacher wants to help assuage her fears and get her to put the gun down. Instead, she puts it to her temple and pulls the trigger. Reacher, and the rest of the people on the train, seem stunned.
Reacher begins a new investigation
After the opening we find Reacher in a police station—again. He’s facing the inquiry of local cops—again. This time it’s a prickly detective, Dockerty (Kevin Corrigan), and his more reasonable partner, Detective Green (Sydelle Noel). Reacher wants to know more, and he appears to click with Green, so he answers their questions and waits, as requested, to speak to some federal agents.
When those agents arrive, Reacher tries to probe for information. They are withholding, save for the admission they think the woman—Anna Merrick (Karen Kwong-Chip)—may have given him something. It’s something that they are desperate to get back, which piques Reacher’s curiosity further. But the conversation gets boring, so Reacher walks out.
On the street, two men (Armando Alera and Joel LaBelle) try to stop him. They want a thumb drive; they think he got it from Anna. He quickly dispatches them and heads off for more information. He walks into a café and finds Anna’s brother, Jacob (Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette), a New Jersey cop. Jacob is shattered, but he, too, wants answers. So, Reacher decides to get involved. The two men reappear, so he decides to follow the threads.
Reacher sets out to help find a missing father
Turns out, Anna worked for the Army in the personnel department. That is how she came across Lila (Agnez Mo), a young woman whose father—a soldier named John—had an affair with her mother Amisha (Anggun) while overseas. Now, Lila is ill and needs help, and she’s desperate to find her father. An adoptee herself, Anna was moved to try and help. But the search for a soldier named John led to John Sampson—a congressman with designs on higher office.
The thumb drive Lila and everyone else is seeking contains information Anna retrieved that could be used to blackmail John into doing the right thing. Reacher sees a young woman in need and feels moved to help. He agrees to keep looking and goes back to find Jacob and keep digging into what happened.
It isn’t long before those that are seeking the drive by any means necessary find Reacher. He manages to dispatch one that came after him but quickly realizes Lila is in danger. He and Jacob rush to the hotel and get there just in time. Reacher fights off an attacker and is able to save Lila, for the time being. But they have to get out in a hurry.
Reacher sends Lila to find her family. He sends Jacob to return his cruiser and makes a plan to meet at the train station to continue the search. But as Reacher wanders off alone, another group of men in suits and a van arrive. They use a tranquilizer dart and manage to get Reacher on the ground. We end with him in a van and heading to another interrogation, or worse.
This is the first of a three-episode premiere week, and it gets off to a hot start. I like the potential of this new case, and we’re definitely dropping right into the action. Does it look bleak for Reacher at the end here? Sure, but we know that won’t last long.
Reacher streams Wednesdays on Prime Video. Check back as we continue to recap all the action of season 4.
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