As we left off in Reacher season 4 episode 6, things were looking grim.
It seemed Reacher (Alan Ritchison) and Green (Sydelle Noel) were heading to their death in the woods. Meanwhile, Jacob (Christopher Rodriguez Marquette) was in custody, which means plenty of danger. But in this penultimate episode of the season, our heroes turn certain doom into a chance at flipping the tables thanks to some help from a friend.
Reacher season 4 episode 7, “Vote For Sampson,” sees our titular congressman stepping up.
Springfield saves the day
We pick up where we left off, with Reacher and Green in a van. The doors open, and they’re prepared to face their fate. Before those charged with taking them off the board can get the job done, they face a distraction. That distraction turns into their death. It’s Springfield (Aaron Poole), who followed the van out and saves the day.
Springfield was dispatched by his boss, Congressman Sampson (Marc Blucas), to get to the bottom of the photo. While in pursuit of answers, he saw Reacher and Green loaded into a van and knew he needed to intercede. So, he followed the van and waited for his opportunity. Now free, Reacher sets his sights back on getting answers.
With Green and Springfield following behind, Reacher uses the van to catch up with Leo Ahlquist (Shawn Doyle). After forcing him off the road in a typically Reacher fashion, he presses Leo for answers. They finally learn what the photo means — it captures some chemical weapons research. In fact, there is a formula in the picture that, with the help of AI, could provide a weapon of mass destruction.
While Sampson didn’t know what was happening in the country, his old commander, Cahill, did. That’s why Cahill warned Ahlquist, and while Ahlquist was trying to get the picture back and eliminate the threat. Now that the ladies have the formula, they are making something that threatens the world. So, Reacher and the team have to find it.
Jacob gets free
Meanwhile, it turns out Detective Docherty (Kevin Corrigan) wasn’t taking Jacob to jail. He realized that something bigger was going on and has decided to help for Green’s sake. So, he turns Jacob loose and lets him know that if there is more help needed, they can give him a call. When Jacob rejoins Reacher and Green, he shares that update.
They do need more help. They learn that Lila (Agnez Mo) and Amisha (Anggun) are planning to sell the weapon at an upcoming dark web auction. That means they’ll need a successful test first. The team believes that test will be in Philadelphia, and they’ve narrowed down a likely target. Green turns to Docherty to get the police to clamp down on the event.
Docherty helps out but the problem is that the ladies don’t show up. There is no threat to be found and it leaves Docherty with egg on his face and the team back at square one. So, Reacher calls on Sampson again, suspecting the attack might be on the morning rush hour traffic instead.
Sampson’s fundraiser
We’ve wondered for a while whether Sampson was as good and honest as he appeared. This episode does plenty to answer that question. He shares more details about his mission; it’s clear he didn’t know about the weapons because he would have stopped it, and we see how he cares for people, including Reacher.
So, when Reacher calls, Sampson takes it seriously. But it’s not traffic that is the target, but rather Sampson’s own fundraiser. And the attack is about to happen.
Sampson was the one who took out the general that Amisha worked for, making him a logical target. While Reacher and the team race to the event, Sampson springs into action looking for the suicide bomber.
Sampson uses his training and sets eyes on the man. Reacher arrives, but it’s go time. As Reacher makes his way into the event, Sampson sees the bomber is about to make a move and runs to tackle him, knocking him into the nearby river just as the bomb explodes.
This has been an up-and-down season of Reacher. I like the cast, and I thought we started fast. The past few episodes have felt a bit like treading water. Perhaps it would have been better with a shorter season. It makes sense that the story picked up the pace, providing answers and setting the stage for a potentially explosive finale next week.
Reacher season 4 episode 8 airs on Wednesday, Sept. 16, only on Prime Video.
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