1x08 Pie

I don't know. I suppose this was an alright finale. I guess I was expecting more flair behind it all or something along those lines. The most important thing was how it would conclude, and the conclusion was decent, so that's good.

Above all, I'll miss the characters of Oscar Finlay and Roscoe Conklin. They and Reacher were the highlight of this first season. I know each novel is a one-and-done type deal where with each one, there's a new cast of characters, besides Reacher and Neagley, so we probably won't see Finlay and Roscoe again; the conclusion/future of their characters seemed pretty definite. But it would cool if the writers "go rogue," so to speak, and perhaps make them recurring, like Neagley. I doubt they'll do that, though.

The underlying storyline wasn't as much of a highlight, especially towards the end. I thought most of everything happening was decent rather than the 'why.' Looking back on it, once the picture of what's going on started becoming clear, the storyline wasn't as investing. At that point, one of the saving graces was the characters. Reacher, Finlay, and Roscoe, although Roscoe became somewhat AWOL in these last few episodes: which was disappointing.

The flashbacks were pretty nice. I thought the one in this episode was the best. Interestingly enough, when the episode switched over to the flashback, it didn't seem like one until the guy Reacher was talking to was "revealed" to be Joe. With the other flashbacks, you could tell it was a flashback based on the color grading, which wasn't there in this episode's flashback. But, yeah: best flashback.

I'd say that my biggest disappointment was the antagonists. They were underwhelming, and I think that the opposite side of them, the Venezuelans, were shafted. I figured that their role in all this would've been more significant. And that Mr. Kliner's client over in Venezuela would end up being the big bad behind/above the public side of things. But he wasn't important at all. This first season/show comes from novels, though, so it is was it is. It probably played out better in written form than being brought to life.

• I wonder if that moment where Paul tripped going up the steps was because the actor accidentally tripped, not because that was supposed to happen, and that the director decided that there was no need to redo that moment of going up the steps, so the editors kept it in. But maybe it was intentional. I'll choose to believe that it wasn't, though.

• It was a little ridiculous that Picard somehow made it to the grand stage of the final battle. I get that he "had" to be included, but there was no point in having Reacher shoot him (and not bothering to confirm the kill, by the way) and on top of him somehow having made it there; in time, too. Was that only included so Picard's appearance in the warehouse would be a surprise? Because it wasn't. It was borderline comical.

• The fact that Reacher missed all those shots at Kliner Jr. was ridiculous. But struggling against Dawson was probably more outrageous. Hopefully, that aspect won't be as prominent in the second season, on top of being refined.

• Ah, yes. The infamous CGI tear. I'll admit, it was somewhat comical. Probably more so, in hindsight. When I saw it, it looked off, but that was it. After seeing people bring it up, that's when it became somewhat hilarious.

• That part with Reacher and that other guy in the diner was odd, and the thought that it was a cameo by Lee Child himself never crossed my mind. I only learned that information after I finished watching the episode. I bet the majority recognized him and that I'm in the minority.

• Well, Reacher had his piece of pie, at last. Unfortunately, it didn't look that appetizing, and it probably didn't taste that good, either, based on what Alan Ritchson said on his Reddit AMA on r/television about it, and I quote, "Not that piece a crap on the show. It was legit terrible, and I waited all season to have a bite." That was in response to being asked about the best peach pie he's ever had, is. Reacher's response "I've had better": I wonder if it was improvised; maybe Reacher's laughter afterward was. It came across as super sincere and genuine; from the heart. No wonder: Alan thought it was terrible.

In hindsight, this first season was better in the beginning. The first two or three episodes were this season's best. After that, especially towards the end, the quality of what was happening began to dip. That wasn't that big of a problem, though. I enjoyed watching this entire first season, and/but I hope the second season is way better, on top of staying at the same level or higher throughout its entirety.

The first season has been a consistently fun watch, but this final episode was the weakest one. It was loaded with the usual cliches or tropes of the genre (and maybe that's why it's in a genre, after all). There's a rescue happening, but it's mostly just revenge killings by the good guys.

Most people will remember this episode fondly because it does the usual thing we get these days, which is heart-tugging and tear-inducing farewells between characters. It's manipulative and if you like that, fine. But there's nothing creative or original about it.

Mayor Teale was a passable villain, but KJ was another story. The most ridiculous thing about this season finale was the way that KJ monologued his way through the opening of the episode, filling in all of the blanks that viewers may have missed. Why would he do that?!? He was such a psycho that he wanted to brag about what he'd accomplished?!? That's not enough of a reason to dismiss the truckload of exposition that he spews. Then, during the showdown in the warehouse, he stupidly gives away his location by monologuing a second time. Dude...give yourself a chance and just shut your big mouth! And to the writers, I get it...KJ is bad. How stupid do you think the viewer is?!?

Enough complaining, though. This was a pretty enjoyable season based on the strength of the characters and some pretty smart dialogue overall. Ritchson, Goodwin, and Fitzgerald were easy characters to pull for and were very likeable.