If the first two episodes of season 2 of The Terminal List were about catching up with the characters and exploring the new storylines, this third episode is about hunting for the truth.
The episode, “Shooter Ready,” brings Reece (Chris Pratt) into the hunt for Mo Farooq (Dar Salim). And things don’t go according to plan. Let’s dive in.
An unlikely pairing
Raife (Tom Hopper) knows there are weapons going missing. He knows that someone in the government is involved, but he hit a roadblock last week. So, now he’s turning to Katie Buranek (Constance Wu) for help. She is stunned but intrigued. That’s especially true when he shares that the weapon used to attack her is part of his search.
Buranek is looking for some stability. Adrenov (Costa Ronin) is officially buying Voltstreem. She’s not sure how to feel, but it gets worse when she learns her friend and editor, Jordan (Arturo Castro), is stepping away. That leaves her wondering who to lean on. So, a pairing with Raife to get some answers seems appealing.
She does some digging and finds the senators who approved the shipments linked by a major donor. She sets a meeting to provoke a response, while Raife plants some bugs. As expected, she doesn’t get a real answer, but it does prompt him to make a panic call after her visit. Raife stays on to tail him as he leaves.
The donor gets in the car to head to a meeting. Along the way something happens, and he’s involved in a crash. Raife does a U-turn to see what’s happening and learns his target is dead. All he’s left with is the name Kestrel to investigate.
Back in the saddle
Meanwhile, Reece arrives in Morocco and meets with an old friend, Freddy (Gabriel Luna). He is working as an operative for a CIA team, and he has an offer for Reece.
When Reece's tests were re-examined, the results revealed he had tumors that could be corrected with surgery. That seems likely to be the case for Reece, too. He can get the treatment he needs and get his record cleared if he agrees to join the hunt for Mo Farooq. While he doesn’t have a family or a lot to ground him in life, Reece agrees to help seek his old friend.
He does it, in part, because he doesn’t believe Farooq would have turned. The team is led by Jules Landry (Luke Hemsworth), who feels a little wild. They also have a cultural guide (Alexander Siddig) who takes to Reece and his desire to learn. He offers a book that Reece studies and some conversation about his old friend and what might have happened.
Reece is weighing a lot of things and struggling with his conviction that Farooq wouldn’t become a terrorist. Before he has much time to dwell, their secret base comes under fire. Reece and the rest are left to fight their way out. In the process, their guide is killed when he sacrifices himself to smother a suicide bomber.
In the wake of the battle, Reece looks at the attackers. He recognizes one as a man he helped train in Iraq. He was a man that worked with Farooq. That seems to confirm that not only has Farooq turned, but he’s behind this attack on Reece, Freddy, Jules, and the rest.
That revelation hardens Reece’s resolve. He is determined to track down his former friend and get some answers. The hunt is now on for real.
This was a bit of a quick episode with an interesting focus. We see Reece getting his training going and preparing for what’s to come. He also learns that his condition might not be fatal. That is both an answer for how we maintain an ongoing story but also provides some hope for the future.
But is it a future Reece really wants? That’s an open question. I also believe the investigation from Raife and Buranek is going to intersect with Reece soon. And I still have a feeling Adrenov is going to be involved.
The Terminal List is streaming on Prime Video. Check back as we recap all the action of season 2 here.
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