Somewhere under a bridge, a man races through the brush only to be gunned down by an unknown assailant. The dead man is then severely beaten before a piece of cardboard is laid on him to 'conceal' the body.
Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) gets off a bus while still on the highway and then starts walking. He is headed to the small Georgia town of Margrave. He has hardly been served at the local diner when the police arrive with guns drawn to arrest him for murder! He happened to walk near where the dead man was found and is now the chief suspect. At the police station, he finds that there are 5 officers on the force, among them are Captain Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) a Harvard-educated Boston cop who has relocated to Georgia for undisclosed reasons and the oddly named Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald), a no-nonsense officer who is not intimidated by the hulking Reacher. Finlay has hardly started the investigation than the nebbish Paul Hubble, a local financial wiz, admits to the murder but provides all the wrong details. Both Reacher and Hubble are sent to a nearby prison for holding until they can be arraigned. And here the fun begins. Through some 'mistake' they find themselves in the general population and are targeted for death by various groups of convicts. Reacher is not an easy man to kill. There is a lot more to this murder than it first appeared. Although he plans to leave town as soon as his alibi is confirmed (he was on the bus at the time of the murder), he changes his mind when he discovers that he knew the victim.
Alan Ritchson is outstanding as Reacher. His version is very different from Tom Cruise. Cruise is generally a regular guy who just happens to be a badass who wanders the country. Ritchson is that as well, but he is an emotional recluse as well. That Ritchson had 8 hourlong episodes to develop the character surely explains the greater depth to the character. The flashbacks to his youth where he plays the avenging angel even then provides further development.
Malcolm Goodwin is terrific as the police captain. There is a lot of character here, from his unexplained move to rural Georgia, his struggles to stop smoking, his habit of spinning his wedding ring on tables, his music tastes, and his habit of always wearing a jacket and vest. He proves to be an excellent foil to Reacher but also a reliable ally.
Willa Fitzgerald is a combination of love interest and buddy cop. Roscoe is clearly enamored of Reacher after reading his military record. She is a competent cop who, despite recruitment efforts by the FBI, has chosen to stay in this tiny town. Though a local, she doesn't have any close ties. Why is she staying? Her parents died when she was a child and the man who was her father-figure committed suicide last year. She often plays referee when Reacher and Finlay argue. Fitzgerald does a great job, but the character didn't quite fit the setting.
There are a few instances that are just too coincidental. It would be one thing if the murder victim had said to meet him in Margrave, but that Reacher should happen to arrive on the very day of the murder is beyond belief. There are other crazy coincidences that caused some eye rolling. In the big finale fight, each of the main characters has a one-on-one opponent to overcome, which was a bit too much. Another issue was that Reacher's fighting ability changed depending on the needs of the plot. In prison, he took down four guys solo and it is totally believable; Reacher is a huge guy with a Schwarzeneggar physique. Later, he has trouble with one guy who is dinky by comparison. Sigh. That character should have been played by a much bigger guy.
This is an awesome series and I couldn't stop watching once I started. The action is well done and the body count is off the charts. In the real world, the FBI would have swarmed this town with a score of agents by the third episode. Still, this was great popcorn fun and highly recommended. I can hardly wait for the next one. Binge this series!
