Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Reacher season 4, episode 6, “Plum Out of Luck.”Reacher season 4 has easily been the most action-packed installment of the Prime Video show yet, as it features the protagonist trying to take down a criminal operation despite being one of the most wanted men in the country. Usually, the combat veteran is one step ahead of his enemies, but this season has been particularly rough.

Alongside being ambushed and captured on several occasions, Reacher still hasn’t figured out what is really going on or how to stop his foes. One of the biggest signs he’s struggling this season is that season 4 just used the same ending for the third week running, which involves the main heroes being stuck in seemingly inescapable situations.

In episode 4, Reacher entered a hotel room filled with dead mercenaries before a squad of police showed up to arrest him, creating a cliffhanger since he was completely at their mercy. Of course, he managed to escape, yet episode 5 flipped this slightly by having Jacob be the one in danger this time, leaving Reacher and Tamara in a tough spot.

After Reacher season 4 revealed Lila and Amisha were actually villains, they managed to capture Jacob and threatened to kill him in episode 5’s conclusion if Reacher didn’t hand over the drive. Now, episode 6 has continued this theme of characters being in trouble during the final moments, with Reacher and Tamara being kidnapped once again.

This time, they are held at gunpoint and handcuffed inside the back of a van, suggesting there really is no way out. However, despite Reacher being presented as slightly weaker in season 4, there is almost no way he and Tamara both die with two whole episodes remaining, making it an almost identical ending to the past two outings.

Why Reacher’s Ending Trick Never Seems To Get Old

Having seen key characters being left defenseless for three weeks running, you’d think this ending trick would get old, yet Reacher episode 6’s conclusion was every bit as hype as the previous two. The simple reason behind this is that the show leans into its over-the-top and often unrealistic action for the sake of entertainment.

As a result, seeing our favorite characters in seemingly impossible scenarios works perfectly, since we’re just waiting to see how they make their inevitable escape. At the beginning of episode 5, Reacher somehow manages to fight off all of the cops surrounding him and make a run for it, only to get caught anyway, giving fans the best of both worlds.

We saw him defy the odds, yet still got to watch him being imprisoned so that he could escape all over again. Likewise, episode 6 began with Plum getting shot, kickstarting a brawl between Reacher’s crew, Lila and Amisha, alongside some mercenaries, with the USB drive bouncing between each group.

Now, seeing Reacher and Tamara in their stickiest situation yet only adds more excitement, as there is no obvious route to safety. Rather than this feeling like a tired trope, it continues to be thrilling since we’re left guessing as to how these heroes are going to overcome adversity once again, especially since Reacher seemed to embrace death this time.

With Tamara acting as season 4’s replacement for Roscoe and Neagley, she could step up in some unexpected way, yet she’s just as restrained as Reacher. Knowing almost anything could happen, logical or otherwise, makes these intense conclusions set up the following week perfectly.

If Reacher was designed to be 100% realistic, it would get exhausting seeing characters captured all the time, as you’d think eventually the villains would just shoot them and be done with it. However, Prime Video’s incredible action show embraces the chaos and keeps viewers on their toes, making this repeated ending formula a stroke of genius.

How Reacher & Tamara Will Survive Being Held At Gunpoint While In Cuffs

The last we see of Reacher and Tamara in episode 6 is them handcuffed to the interior of a van while guns are pointed directly at them, raising questions as to how they’ll survive this one. We’ve seen Reacher do serious damage even while in cuffs, but now he is almost completely immobile, meaning there is no way of reaching his enemies.

With their options limited, it does feel like the duo’s best chance of surviving is through external help. Unfortunately, Jacob and Plum are both out of the picture, with one in jail and the other hospitalized. Therefore, Reacher may need to rely on one of his previous allies to show up, creating room for a big return.

Neagley has been involved in every season of the show so far, so she could show up briefly despite having a spinoff premiering in just a few weeks’ time. While Neagley appearing in Reacher season 4 could impact the excitement of her upcoming show, a short cameo saving her long-term ally would be welcomed and could even raise interest in the spinoff.

Failing that, the protagonist has plenty of other friends who could appear in the nick of time. Another potential out is that the mercs who are ordered to shoot Reacher and Tamara are secretly on their side, but this feels like a stretch since almost everyone has been trying to kill them so far.

In terms of the duo freeing themselves, it would take either a pre-established plan that was devised off-screen, or a moment of magic. Maybe Tamara has an emergency contact or gadget to use, while Reacher could potentially rip the van apart with his strength, which would only feel slightly exaggerated by the show’s standards.

No matter how it happens, their chances of surviving remain high, given we’re not even at the finale yet, and however they end up gaining their freedom, I have no doubt it’ll be entertaining.

Why Reacher Season 4, Episode 7 May Break The Pattern

After repeating the same type of ending for three weeks running, Reacher season 4’s penultimate outing may break this formula. The past few near-escapes have ultimately been for the sake of action while showing Reacher’s inability to go down easily, but the final two episodes need to focus on the plot’s unsolved mysteries.

We’ve learned a little bit more about who the key villains are, yet there’s still plenty of uncertainty about what their actual end goal is, a point that Leo Ahlquist makes crystal clear to the protagonist. While episode 7 will likely be full of action as the heroes attempt to escape their current situations, they’re still attempting to uncover this ongoing conspiracy.

As a result, a perfect climax could be Reacher finally figuring out what is going on and why it’s so dangerous, setting up the finale with yet another cliffhanger. This time though, it may create a new sense of urgency and tension, replacing characters getting captured with them having to act if they want to stop a certain disaster.

With everything that has gone down, it’s hard to imagine Reacher’s life ever being the same after season 4, as his face has been plastered all over the news for the wrong reasons. However, in his mind, this baggage will all be worth it to put an end to this scheme, meaning episode 7 should end with him having some kind of revelation.

Fortunately, we’re less than a week away from finding out if Reacher‘s next episode breaks this recent ending trend, and regardless of how things play out, the finale is building up nicely to be one of the show’s best yet.

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

Directors

Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers

Cait Duffy