REVIEW: Reacher – Season 2, Episode 2, “What Happens in Atlantic City”

Television Reviews

“What Happens in Atlantic City” is a busywork episode, bringing Reacher and his team to a new location to chase a lead in their investigation while little of the story develops. These can feel like video game sidequests if handled poorly; fortunately, Reacher roots this episode in character, and while some of it is a reiteration of what we learned in the previous episode, new wrinkles to Reacher are explored as well.

After Reacher beats up someone he probably shouldn’t have, he and his friends head to Atlantic City to follow a lead on one of their missing teammates. This includes a newly arrived Karla Dixon, who shared an attraction with Reacher in their MP days. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the killings decides Reacher is more trouble than he’s worth.

“What Happens in Atlantic City” opens with a clever inversion of Reacher’s introductory scene in “ATM.” As they leave Swan’s house, the team notices one of the cars that’s been following them – the one belonging to the bald guy. While the others discuss what to do about it, Reacher walks to the car, kicks the hood hard enough to trigger the airbag, then punches the driver unconscious. It’s a cool scene that demonstrates Reacher’s directness in confronting a problem and his physical capabilities. Then, they discover the driver is a cop, and suddenly, it doesn’t seem so cool anymore. Now, they’re on the run and decide to hightail it to Atlantic City to find two more members of their team before the whole NYPD starts hunting them. This time, instead of cutting through a bunch of red tape, Reacher’s force-of-nature approach gets everyone in trouble, which is becoming a theme this season.

*SPOILERS*

Reacher’s directness is explored through Dixon, whom they run into while looking for a new car, the better to hide from the cops. Dixon is a corporate embezzlement investigator now, and after catching her up on Franz’s murder, she agrees to use one of her undercover aliases to rent them a car. (This is a glaring coincidence, which makes me wonder where they’re planning on going with Dixon; was it an accident that she was exactly where Reacher was when he needed her?) As Neagley suggested in “ATM,” Reacher was attracted to Dixon in their MP days, but nothing happened. A flashback and their present-day interactions make clear that the attraction was mutual and still exists. So, why didn’t Reacher accept her offer to grab a drink years ago? He says that because he was her superior, it wouldn’t have been appropriate, which Dixon calls “classic Reacher.”

That’s the biggest signal yet that Reacher has changed. He was once more thoughtful and considered, denying himself what he wanted even when it was offered to him because it would have been imprudent for his job. This is consistent with the flashbacks from the first episode, where Reacher brought Franz onto his team because Franz displayed good judgment and a hesitancy to use violence. Does that sound like the Reacher we know? Nope, especially this season, where he’s been cracking skulls left and right. He’s not the guy who turned his men into good detectives and conscientious problem-solvers; he’s a bull in a china shop, eager to smash his next tea cup. And just as he beats the tar out of every obstacle in his path, he makes sure he doesn’t miss another opportunity to be with Dixon, who is all too willing to make up for lost time after taking down a hit team that’s been following them.

So, what’s changed for Reacher? The easy answer is to say that he’s a bit off because his old team is being killed, and he’s out for personal revenge. But I think it’s more than that. His different approach to life is not only demonstrated through his propensity for violence but through his new lifestyle. Each member of his old team has moved on to something structured: Neagley has a successful career; O’Donnell is married with children; Franz remained in the military and learned how to balance it with his family life; Sanchez had a steady girlfriend to whom he was devoted; Dixon, while lousy with relationships, has a job that she wants to use as a springboard into a cause she believes in. Reacher, on the other hand, wanders the country, sleeping in truck beds and eating at diners, with no one in his life and nothing that gives it purpose – no roots, no home, no friends or family. He has cast off the rigidity of the military to be a rolling stone basking in nothing but unfettered freedom.

It’s the freedom that appealed to Reacher, or so he says in “What Happens in Atlantic City.” After years of following the rules and giving up his desires, he was ready to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. That means giving up the things most people use to define themselves and give their life purpose: friends, family, work, home, stability. But in place of those things, Reacher has his freedom. And while the show appears to be saying that Reacher is wrong through his old team, I’m not sure that’s the real message. His new outlook on life is what finally allows him to get together with Dixon, while Dixon following the path the others did to the T  – getting married to a guy who, on paper, was perfect husband material –  would have kept her from Reacher, the guy she really wants. Reacher’s nomadic lifestyle also kept him off the bad guys’ radar, meaning that whoever is killing off his old team couldn’t get to him, but he’s in the best position of anyone to get to them. Sure, he’s giving up a lot; he’s lost touch with the people he cares about, and he gets lonely from time to time. But there’s a lot to be said for his version of the American dream.

That’s a lot of talk about theme and subtext, huh? Well, that’s where “What Happens in Atlantic City” shines most. In terms of the plot, it’s basic A to B to C stuff, with the exception of a brief appearance from the mysterious traveler that reveals that he’s spearheading a truck hijacking to steal some weapons. This is that section of a mystery where little is discovered, and it ultimately becomes a dead end. We find out some important things: Sanchez and Orosco, two other members of Reacher’s old team, were found dead not far from Franz; the three dead members were investigating something together, and the numbers “650 and a 100k each” are tied into it; their deaths have nothing to do with Atlantic City, where Sanchez and Orsosco did some work for the casinos. As Dixon says, this was always about New York, so the good guys are headed right back where they started. And while “What Happens in Atlantic City” certainly isn’t a bad episode – it’s entertaining, there are a few good fights, and the characters continue to shine – it feels like a diversion with reveals that could have just as easily been gotten in New York.