| “ | I guess I'll find everybody responsible. And kill every last one of them. | ” |
–Reacher's promise | ||
Welcome to Margrave is the premiere episode of the first season of the Reacher Prime Video television series. It aired on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service on February 3, 2022.
Synopsis[]
Jack Reacher, recently discharged from the Army, travels to Margrave Georgia to try to find out what happened to Blues musician Blind Blake. However, Reacher has walked into a town that has just had it's first murder in 20 years, and as the newly arrived stranger, Reacher is arrested and thrown into jail. After his innocence is established, he discovers that the town is a cesspool of corruption, and after it becomes personal, he vows to burn it down.
Plot[]
Jack Reacher arrives off a Greyhound bus as the small town of Margrave with only a wad of cash and the barest of essentials. He stops a local diner where he intimidates an abusive boyfriend without saying a word. He continues into the diner where he's about to take his first bite of peach pie. He notices the police cars arriving and solemnly sets his fork down. The police burst in and arrest Reacher for murder, roughly removing him from the diner in zip ties. He's taken to the local police station. Roscoe Conklin processes him, learning the man doesn't speak and only had a passport on him - Jack Reacher, no middle name. He only has $212 in cash and a foreign medal that she recognizes as being a WWII French medal. Reacher's silent act annoys the arresting officers and Chief Morrison, who threatens to put him in a holding cell and force him to talk.
Oscar Finlay intervenes than, asking the officer to put Reacher in the conference room, introduces himself as the detective on the case, informing Reacher that he's been arrested for the murder of a man earlier that morning. The murder was brutal yet professional, and they can't I.D. the body due to the swollen fingertips. Finlay determines that a lawyer can get him to open up, but Reacher finally speaks to decline his right to a lawyer - he didn't kill anyone recently or in this town. Finlay thinks the crime is something Reacher is capable of due to his MP background. Reacher speaks as he informs Finlay of how wrong his theory is, as the M.O. of the kill suggests three killers with distinctly different styles, not a single killer. Finlay still has a description of Reacher walking near along the road when the body was found. Reacher assures Finlay that was him - he asked the driver to do him a favor and drop him off at the town lines, on account of Blind Blake, the blues musician who allegedly died in Margrave. Finlay still isn't convinced and puts Reacher in holding until he can confirm the alibi. In the cell, Reacher remembers his childhood when he and his family moved to an Army base in 1998. He and Joe walked to the beach. They run into the other base kids and one shoves Reacher, and the two brothers remove their jackets to fight. Joe remarks that their mom is right - trouble does find him.
Roscoe brings Reacher a cup of coffee though he wants the ties off. She refuses as Chief Morrison won't allow it. They talk for a bit until she admits he can't be guilty of much, as his preliminary scan came up clean. She has to leave with Finlay and takes his coffee away.
Finlay and Roscoe chase down their only lead - a phone number that was stuck to the bottom of their victims shoe. It matches local finance manager Paul Hubble. As they explain the murder, Hubble spontaneously confesses to being the killer. Roscoe prepares to record him dismissing his rights, but Hubble doesn't need to be read his rights. He confesses again to having killed the man. As Finlay digs deeper into the circumstances of the killing, it becomes clear that a nervous Hubble is lying. They return to the station with an arrested Hubble, placing him in the cell with Reacher. Finlay requests Reacher to come with him but he refuses until the ties come off. He finally concedes so Reacher breaks them apart with ease than picks up the plastic, surprising Roscoe and Finlay.
Once outside, Reacher prepares to leave now that Hubble has confessed, but Finlay isn't convinced that Reacher isn't still involved. Reacher and Finlay talk in the parking lot about Hubble's confession, which is a false confession. Finlay thinks he still has information to share but Reacher thinks Stevenson has something to share about the case as he held eye contact with Hubble. Finlay remarks that Hubble married Stevenson's cousin, but Reacher thinks it's more than that. Finlay calls him out on being overconfident, but Reacher perfectly profiles Finlay to prove his point. He went to Harvard, is divorced, and recently stopped smoking. He can tell all of these by various observations. Finlay admits that he went to Harvard, is near the age of 40, and can't deny the lingering scent of cigarette smoke in his tweed suit. Unable to argue, Finlay instructs Reacher to follow him inside.
The pair speak to Stevenson in Finlay's office, where Reacher interrogates Stevenson to rule out the three major motives for murder. When Stevenson confirms that Hubble was at a family gathering past midnight, Finlay dismisses the man from the office. Finlay wonders why a man like Hubble would confess to a crime he didn't commit. He hopes Reacher can get Hubble to talk in prison. He reminds Reacher he's not a cop anymore and Chief Morrison wants him detained until his alibi clears.
As the two are detained, Reacher reminds the officers to inventory Hubble's accessories and tells Roscoe it was nice talking with her. The pair are taken to the local prison where Officer Spivey intakes them. Spivey wants to strip search them but Reacher refuses as it's unlawful. After some snippy words, Spivey concedes and takes them to their cell. Reacher reminds a talkative Hubble to shut up.
The next morning, Finlay watches his wedding ring spin and then calls Sharon, remarking that he misses her and he's in a small Georgia town solving a hard case. When he hangs up, Roscoe brings Reacher's military file in. She gives him a run down of Reacher's stats, with each revelation being more impressive than the last. She reads his Military Police numbers even though Finlay says he doesn't want to hear them. Reacher solved over 100 cases, each with successful prosecutions. His list of Medals is extensive and impressive. Finlay wonders why Reacher is in Margrave, but she just wonders what he's doing in jail. She would hate to be the one who put him there. He tells her to leave his office so she listens.
Meanwhile, Reacher learns they are in general population with the lifers. He warns Hubble that he's currency in here and should save his strength, then lays back on the bed. An inmate enters and takes Hubble's shoes, glasses which he steps on, and tries to solicit actions when Reacher intervenes. He gives them to the count of three to leave, and when they don't, he headbutts the man and renders him unconscious. He takes one of his friends glasses than kicks the others out of his cell. Reacher takes the glasses for himself and the pair head to the yard.
They sit on the benches where Reacher assures Hubble of his safety. Hubble explains that people forced him to help people with their schemes. If he disrupts their operation they would torture him in front of his family, then kill him and his wife. The pair head to the bathroom when a group of inmates enter, clearing out the showering prisoners. Reacher warns them to leave but they don't listen. He expertly fights the group and defeats each of them. The security teams is alerted and, despite Reacher temporarily being overwhelmed by the other inmates, he eventually defeats them just as the guards arrive. One of the officers wonders why Reacher and Hubble were in gen pop. They are escorted back upstairs and puts them in a room - which is where they've been the whole time if anyone asks.
When Reacher awakens music is playing softly on the radio which Hubble put on in the hopes of finding a soothing song. Reacher notices the food and Hubble lets him have both trays. Hubble worries that he'll be killed when he's bailed out but Reacher thinks he'll be fine as he's important to the operation. He is curious why someone wants him dead. Spivey set them up in gen pop and the inmates were contracted to kill him in the bathroom brawl. He plans to leave Margrave once he's released.
That afternoon, the pair are released from the prison. Reacher finds Roscoe waiting for him as she offers a lift and gives him back his things. He watches the Greyhound footage of him getting on the bus last night. She admits she lied to obtain the footage to get him out, while they're waiting to press charges on Hubble to see if he cracks. He approves of the plan, calling her officer Roscoe. She corrects that her first name is Roscoe while her last is Conklin. She asks about his injuries so he reveals his scrap and his desire to leave town. She feels bad the welcome wagon wasn't great. She was going to apologize with an early dinner which he quickly agrees too. He needs new clothes so they stop at a Thrift Store.
She asks about his life but he wants to see the country on his own terms without a home base for once. His pension is wired to a bank each month. His brother Joe is the only family he has left alive, but Reacher doesn't know where he is. Once inside, Roscoe presses why he's in town, something Reacher isn't lying about. He's there because of Blind Blake and a bar in Tampa that was playing "Police Dog Blues" by Blind Blake. He talked to Joe about Blind Blake a while ago, read an article that Blind Blake performed his last show in Margrave, and decided to visit. He decides to check out the town for a bit until tonight, so she drops him off in town.
The people of Margrave avoid Reacher and move out of his way. He finds a statue in town dedicated to Casper Teale. He stops in a barber shop for a shave, and asks Mr. Mosley for information about Blind Blake. They bond over their appreciation of blues singers. Mosley already knows him as the town talks - but he's not scared as Roscoe cleared him. Mosley tells him about Blind Blake and The Kliner Foundation's role in the town. A truck pulls up with KJ Kliner and his cousin Dawson. Reacher leaves the shop to confront KJ about eyeballing him. KJ mentions that he read Reacher had charges filed against him outside of Baghdad that suddenly disappeared. He warns Reacher to watch his back as Margrave doesn't forgive so easily.
Reacher walks to the police department when he learns another body has been found. Roscoe can't go to dinner which he finds disappointing. She doesn't know if he can leave yet. Finlay storms over to confront Reacher over Hubble talking to him in lockup. Reacher denies everything but Finlay doesn't believe him, something Reacher doesn't care about. Finlay threatens to lock Reacher back in prison until a forensic scientist goes through his alibi video, or he can go with them to the morgue in case something jogs his memory about Hubble.
The trio heads to the morgue where they learn more about the crime and the new victim. The medical examiner Jasper explains that the first John Doe is hard to identify as his dental work is inconsistent - some done in the US and some foreign. His fingertips were compromised by a dermatitis reaction. Reacher sees the monitor with a photo of the victims hand. He picks it up and admits the victim was allergic to latex so they killers worn a polyvinyl protective suit. The dental work is off because he had them fixed wherever he was living at the time. He broke his right arm when he was eight and had it set in Berlin. His tonsils were taken out at ten in Seoul. The examiner removes the body from the box and shows Reacher the face. He emotionally picks up the mans hand and sees a scar on the left wrist. They were wrestling when he pinned him against a stove without knowing it was hot. That's how his brother got the scar.
Reacher leaves the morgue while Finlay throws questions at him. The two get heated until Roscoe intervenes to break it up. She tells Reacher to sit in the back. She knows he won't beat up Finlay without a reason, but Reacher warns that Finlay's giving him a reason. She knows he has kind eyes and won't. He gets in the car. As they drive, Reacher wonders if Joe told him about Blind Blake for a reason so he could so he could do something about his brother being dead. Finlay wonders what he'll do. Reacher thinks he'll find everybody responsible and kill them.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher
- Malcolm Goodwin as Chief Detective Oscar Finlay
- Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin
- Chris Webster as KJ Kliner
Guest Starring[]
- Willie C. Carpenter as Mosley
- Harvey Guillén as Jasper the Medical Examiner
- Maxwell Jenkins as Young Jack Reacher
- Gavin White as Young Joe Reacher
- Leslie Fray as Josephine Reacher
- Matthew Marsden as Stan Reacher
- Hugh Thompson as Officer Baker
- Jonathan Koensgen as Stevenson
- A.J. Simmons as Dawson
- Marc Bendavid as Paul Hubble
- Patrick Garrow as Spivey
- Catherine Fitch as Waitress
- Peter Skagen as Chief Edward Morrison
Co-Starring[]
- Gator de St. Jeor as Curtis
- JD Smith as Boyfriend
- Kelsey Falconer as Girlfriend
- Lee Villeneuve as Redd
- Eli Ham as Prison Guard #1
- Emeka Agada as JD
- Hazel Gorin as Old Woman
- Nathaniel McParland as Boy #1
- Connor Laidman as Boy #2
- Lauren Howe as Meteorologist
- Darrin Maharaj as News Anchor
- Drew Moss as Jobling Jr.
Images[]
Cast Images[]
Starring[]
Guest Cast[]
Episode Images[]
Music[]
- Main article: Music in the Prime Video Series
- Smokestack Lightnin' by Howlin' Wolf
- Line Em Up by Lowpass Lushes (featuring 1STCLSS)
- Get it While You Can by Howard Tate
- Let Me Do My Thing by Jordan Max
- Shake 'Em On Down by Mississippi Fred McDowell
- Can't You Hear Me Knocking by The Rolling Stones
Trivia[]
- Alan Ritchson had full-body charlie horses throughout the strip search scene, and had to disguise his agony each time he bent over.[1] The pain was caused by side effects of a powerful NSAID for a shoulder injury, as the NSAID depleted his hemogloban.[2]
- The fight in the jail cell is the scene where Lee Child knew the show was in good hands, as his concern was the brutality of Reacher wouldn't be portrayed properly.[3]
- To film the sandwich scene in the cell, Alan Ritchson ultimately ate an entire loaf of bread before filming ended.[4]
- Willa Fitzgerald wore a layer of thermals under her outfits for episode one to keep warm.[5]
References[]
- ↑ Alan Ritchson on Twitter
- ↑ @alanritchson: 'I was taking a powerful NSAID for a shoulder injury...'
- ↑ @alanritchson: 'That jail cell fight was the moment Lee Child said he knew the show was in good hands...'
- ↑ @alanritchson: 'I ate an ENTIRE LOAF of bread in this scene.'
- ↑ @willafitz: 'Underneath every costume in episode 1, was at least 1 layer of thermals.'