2x02 What Happens in Atlantic City

(1,498-word review) I can't remember how the pacing of the first season was; it may very well have been the same or similar enough, which is beside the point. My point is that, because I can't remember, I can't compare it to the pacing here – no reason for wanting to do that beyond comparison's sake; I like and desire to be as thorough as possible. By itself, and I know this is only the second episode, the pacing felt slow. And part of me thinks that, for many people, it can be relatively easy to forget something like that in the heat of the moment, at least in scenarios like this where you're only two episodes in or at the start with more ahead.

The result can be having an unintentionally disingenuous opinion and outlook toward what you just watched after the fact: "This was too slow," "I can't believe how boring this was," "Where is the action?" – so on and so forth. Latching onto those kinds of opinions and mindsets, while lacking a crucial and essential, little thing by the name of 'introspection,' can happen even easier (possibly more often, as some people may have similar opinions of a piece of media regardless of possessing contextual knowledge at any point) than forgetting that sentiments or questions of such a nature aren't relevant because you've only just watched the second episode of a show/season or you're at the beginning.

In this context, the somewhat slow pacing is completely understandable. And, looking at it from a broader perspective, that's better in multiple ways than moving things along too quickly. I would rather various (and preferably all) facets at play here, not just plot-related, to be allowed the necessity, albeit privileged, of cooking and progressing at a slower but steady enough pace, even though a small part of me usually wants the exciting "meat" right away.

Ultimately, it's a matter of pacing YOURSELF – keeping YOURSELF and your hasty, impulsive thoughts in check, and realizing the most desirable sections of the "meat" will eventually be served to you. It comes down to patience and how much you're willing to muster.

I had no issue with it. This was considerably better than the premiere. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A significant reason for that boils down to the slower pacing, in a manner of speaking, due to what we got in return: individual and collective character development of these characters alongside Reacher, which was mostly done and showcased through the scene in the suite with them. That scene was great. I liked that specific instance of them having time together and their overall time together in this episode. Alan Ritchson, Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos, and Maria Sten have excellent chemistry with each other.

My attention was intently grabbed by Dixon and Reacher's deeply personal moments during the whole crew's conversation scene, including their talk while walking, and their preceding interaction of flirtation before the "sex scene"/makeout session to imply what's about to happen (spoiler alert: he got beaten for the first time in his life), which, in and of itself, was exciting to see – for two reasons: 1.) they've, at last, done what they wanted to do in the past, and (2.) the less-than-tiny sneak peek we saw, despite the "tameness" of what the full nature of the act itself entails, somehow had a detectable level of eroticism and sensuality to it beyond what tamer scenes like that in shows and films usually seem to possess. The lighting, camera angles, and the song played into it. They seem to have a spark – an extra-sizzling effect, significantly and noticeably a level further than the spark between him and Roscoe, which I'm 110% here for.

By the way, Alan Ritchson, when shirtless, before they got to it, looked to be twice as huge and chiseled as he was in the first season, where he was already pretty huge and chiseled. It's almost to the point of having an immediate worry for his health. I'm sure he's surrounded by exceptional-in-their-field people who are ensuring his health, on all fronts, is top-notch and in good condition.

The humor amongst these characters feels natural and as charming as the humor was in the first season. Everyone seems to mesh well together, and so soon. That's both a testament to good writing but especially the great jobs done by every actor; assumably, they hardly knew each other during this point of filming, yet all of them were able to achieve this level of camaraderie in the arena of acting/pretend. O'Donnell is by far the primary source of that, and he's on the fast track toward becoming a favorite of mine – unless he's made it there by now. I'm going to say something outrageous but subjective: Neagley, O'Donnell, and Dixon have already reached, possibly exceeded, the esteemed status of Finlay and Roscoe. For me – though I have a feeling many others felt the same way. I want O'Donnell and Dixon to return in the third season (and any after that), but I doubt that will happen. Dixon, at least, probably won't return. O'Donnell, however, could return. There's a possibility I could've seen an article within the last few months that announced Shaun Sipos' return for the third season.

I also liked how most (if not all) the visuals and overall cinematography looked. Most of the locations had an alluring appeal, further highlighted and complimented by the lighting at times. Everything about the visuals possessed a strong, aesthetically pleasing essence that radiated through the screen. Nothing concerning those elements stood out that much in the premiere, besides that one shot of the ATM with the reflection of the woman with Reacher behind her. This episode had a change of pace, for the better, with its look.

Additionally, I can't ignore the main fight sequence close to the end – "main," as there was the immediate handling of Russo at the beginning (though it barely crossed the threshold of being a fight sequence) and the bar fight, which scratched the at-least-one-fight-sequence-per-episode itch until the proper one came along. Reacher and Dixon vs. those three guys easily scratched the itch with more poised professionalism. There was a subtle, barely existent feeling that it was a little unnecessary in the sense of the way it played out, but I can't complain about getting action/action sequences, particularly when they include Reacher taking out the trash figuratively, as one would do so in the literal sense of the phrase.

I imagine a few others had more concerns with a different aspect of it: the duration and the slight depiction of "weakness" from Reacher, contrary to their possible belief that he should've blitzed right through them and anyone – but perhaps more so regarding future fight sequences rather than this one, based on a thing or two I vaguely recall seeing mentioned by some people. Either way, I believe such sentiments are highly irrelevant, and the reason is simple: we know Reacher will always come out on top, so we should get on board with slightly "prolonged" fights for the mere entertainment benefit they have if nothing else.

Now, let's talk about the biggest piece of information we've received thus far: New Age Technologies, an aerospace company. My developing theory, stemming from that, in addition to other information so far, specifically the scene with Adrian and the other guy in Colorado, is that it could be unofficially selling stuff to non-American, non-military/governmental entities to use overseas.

Or they ARE selling plenty to the American government, but someone involved on their end, somewhere amongst the chain of command of those possible transactions, is siphoning little amounts here and there for personal profit: aka that guy in the scene with Adrian, who gave off government official vibes, and he's the one "selling" or rather helping Adrian steal shipments, followed by him selling it to the specific individuals, entities, or highest bidder; Adrian could be the final person at the end of the transaction process – everyone gets paid handsomely, including Robert Patrick's character who is almost certainly in on it somehow. But his involvement (and Franz, Sanchez, Orozco, and probably Swan) is harder to construct a theory for due to the understandably limited information we've been given so far. He could potentially be at the helm of the company, have some form of leadership there, or he's on the military side of things.

I might as well end this review by adding a layer to my developing theory with a shot-in-the-dark addition. What if the flashback with Reacher and Dixon holds important significance beyond purposes related to their dynamic and budding relationship in the present time? The case she brought to him caught my attention. Someone was using the appearance of excess aviation fuel as a means to transport something secret and likely illicit. What are the odds of that case being related to the present-day case?

That's where my mind is currently frolicking while awaiting something more concrete.