Notice when the story can be summarized by a simple sentence. Subject-verb-object. I’ve written basically a treatment of the show. It’s not meant to be thrilling, but it is meant to demonstrate concise beats. Any beat that is hard to condense is a red flag.
“WELCOME TO MARGRAVE”
ONE
Joe is killed.
Reacher is introduced.
He’s arrested while trying to eat pie.
TWO
Introduce Roscoe and Finlay at the station.
Background on Reacher; he shows off his detecting abilities.
Flashback: introduce Young Reacher.
Introduce Paul Hubble and the black sedan.
Hubble confesses. He and Reacher are sent to prison.
Spivey locks them in with the lifers.
Hubble tells Reacher the truth. He’s a currency manager for someone who will nail him to a wall.
Fight in the bathroom.
THREE
Finlay calls his (dead) wife.
Roscoe reads out Reacher’s military record.
Finlay is tempted to smoke.
Reacher is released and Roscoe picks him up.
FOUR
Introduce Barber Mosley.
Introduce KJ and Dawson.
Introduce Coroner Jasper.
Recognize Joe’s body.
Reacher decides to stay.
“FIRST DANCE”
Returning to the station house, Reacher walks away from Finlay.
Roscoe follows him.
Introduce Charlie Hubble and the girls.
Reacher finds the shoelace teazel.
He realizes Paul was the target in prison.
Reacher examines his brother’s crime scene.
Roscoe, following, sees what Reacher can do when he beats up the motel lot thugs.
The hazmat gang attacks someone’s house.
Introduce the dog.
The police chief has been murdered.
Reacher knows the chief was nailed to the wall.
Finlay, Roscoe, and Reacher realize they can trust no one else.
Roscoe checks on Charlie, and Reacher borrows the Hubble’s car.
Town meeting with new Chief/Mayor Teale.
Introduce Kliner Sr.
Finlay is assigned to desk work.
He will call his friend Picard.
Teale reassures Reacher. Plant the walking stick.
Picard will take the Hubbles into protective custody.
Flashback: the Reacher Boys see the bullying.
The black sedan threatens and Picard arrives to take the Hubbles.
Meeting Spivey, which is a set-up. Introduce South-American military gang.
(Identify buddy cop theme, lol.)
Roscoe has found that Joe worked for the Secret Services division of Homeland.
She offers to take Reacher for a beer.
Dancing.
The road back is flooded. Overnight at a motel.
Introduce the Clark bar.
During the bedtime talk, introduce Gray.
Roscoe finds her house vandalized.
Reacher needs a gun.
“SPOONFUL”
Roscoe is pissed about her break-in.
She loans Reacher Gray’s hand cannon.
They meet Finlay at the morgue.
Introduce the details about Pete Jobling.
Introduce Joe’s colleague, Molly Beth.
Joe ran the Anti-Counterfeiting department. Molly Beth will assemble his files.
Roscoe returns to the station for pretend desk work.
Finlay investigates Spivey’s house and is arrested.
Reacher intimidates Jobling’s attorney for information.
Roscoe bails out Finlay.
At the Chicken Shack the trio suspect Kliner Sr.
Introduce Finlay to the dog.
At Kliner Industries, Reacher notices the animal feed.
Show the hallway of mounted animal heads.
Finlay confronts Kliner Sr.
Flashback: Young Joe takes the blame for beating up the bully.
Finlay packs, preparing to live in a motel.
KJ confronts Roscoe.
Finlay goes to an Atlanta banking party and learns Hubble hasn’t worked for them in a year.
SWITCH (FINLAY)
He turns down a hotel bar pick-up.
FIVE
Reacher chases down Spivey.
Reacher battles and kills the Spanish-speaking men.
He finds Spivey dead in their trunk.
“IN A TREE”
Load the trunk with the dead.
They find Joe’s burnt out rental SUV. Picard will run the VIN.
Roscoe and Reacher look in the trunk. She sees the exit wounds.
Flashback to the children in Baghdad.
Returning the black sedan to the airport rental lot.
Animal feed. Changing the Jag’s license plate.
Pseudonyms.
Molly Beth is ready to deliver Joe’s files.
SWITCH (REACHER)
Shower sex.
FIVE (CONT.)
At the Joblings’ (the parents). Let the apostrophe games begin.
Plant Teale’s cane again with Finlay.
Picard calls with the VIN info, which he must deliver in person.
Pete’s wife shows them Kliner AC boxes in her garage.
Meeting Picard.
Finding Joe’s motel. His things were just picked up.
Garment bag in the dumpster, slip of paper in side pouch.
South Americans shoot at Reacher and Roscoe.
Men dead, Roscoe slaps Reacher.
Blaming Stevenson for the breach.
Flashback about instincts.
The note has three clues: Joblings’ garage, Gray’s Kliner file, and three phone numbers.
Mention a hell of a lot of animal feed again.
Call in Neagley for the Memphis E.P.A. lead.
Molly Beth killed at the train station.
“NO APOLOGIES”
Leaving Molly Beth’s body.
Rescuing the dog.
Taking Hubble’s Bentley.
Thinking about teazels and cattle.
“Whore” written on Roscoe’s truck.
Beating up KJ in a diner.
Teale fires Roscoe.
Looking at Gray’s gun case. A key is hidden inside.
Off to Mosley’s, who has Gray’s files.
More animal feed.
Gray’s files indicate the Coast Guard blockade is important.
Roscoe realizes Gray was murdered.
Flashback: Young Reacher refuses to apologize.
Grown Reacher tells Roscoe, “No apologies.”
Neagley and Reacher investigate toxic pollution on the Mississippi.
Roscoe has Jasper reexamine Gray’s head wound, recognizes the walking cane head’s pattern.
Kliner Industries dumped chemicals in the Mississippi.
Roscoe pounds on Teale.
A stripper bar, info on “The Viking”, Neagley defending one of the workers.
The two police officers in the cruiser that crashes in the river.
Finlay sneaks in, only to find Kliner Sr. dead at his desk.
“PAPIER”
Venezuelans killed Kliner Sr.
In order to stakeout the business, they need a car.
Teale tells Finlay to back off the case.
Reacher gets a loaner while the Bentley’s windows are tinted.
Finlay visits Mosley.
Picard gives Roscoe duty to watch over the Hubbles.
During the stakeout Finlay admits he’s a widower.
Dawson drives a delivery truck away from Kliner Industries.
Roscoe spots someone out the window at the safe house.
Finlay and Reacher follow Dawson on the freeway.
Two black sedan men chase Roscoe in the woods. She disables them.
Investigating the truck while parked, Reacher discovers it’s empty.
One econ professor is dead. Reacher’s coming for the other.
Roscoe and the Hubbles walk to town.
Charlie tells Roscoe about Paul and the horse farm torture.
Picard picks them up.
Reacher arrives at the NYC police station.
Econ professor explains hundred dollar “super bills”. Reacher sees it all now.
He must fight and kill the man who follows him afterward.
“REACHER SAID NOTHING”
Officer Stevenson and his wife settle into bed; the hazmat gang shows up.
Reacher arrives back in Atlanta.
Flashback: Young Reacher prepares to move with his family. Mom gives a pep talk.
Finlay picks up Reacher, who tells him the crime scheme.
Kliner’s burial service. Dawson threatens Finlay while Reacher waits at the minivan.
Reacher picks up the Bentley.
Plant the kitty litter.
The Stevenson crime scene.
Teale fires Finlay.
Reacher takes Baker to lunch. Baker orders the last slice of pie.
Reacher manipulates Baker.
Reacher at the Hubble’s, applying camo paint and waiting.
Finlay visits Stevenson’s parents.
Hazmat crew arrives at Hubble’s.
Fighting until every villain, including Dawson, is dead.
Reacher takes their weapons and launders his clothes.
While dressing, he notices Joe’s message slip: Joblings’ Garage.
He calls Roscoe to tell her he’s figured it out.
Summary of the crime counterfeiting scheme.
As Roscoe hangs up, Picard enters. She tells him the news.
Finlay must escape “hitters” at his motel room.
Reacher and Finlay meet at Pete Jobling’s house, which is burned down.
The apostrophe conundrum is figured out. They know to go to the parents’ house.
Reacher tells Finlay to update Picard.
Neagley calls Reacher as he’s pulling into Margrave.
Realize Picard is a bad guy. Reveal Finlay’s capture.
“PIE”
Teale disarms Reacher.
SIX (REACHER)
Roscoe, shown on a cell phone, is held hostage.
SEVEN (REACHER)
KJ intends to kill Paul.
Reacher tries to intimidate KJ with the Venezuelans.
KJ admits to killing everyone, even his own father.
And Joe.
EIGHT (REACHER)
Reacher must use his tracking skills to find Paul. Or else.
Picard, gun trained, rides with Reacher.
They stop at the diner for Reacher to think.
Reacher knocks the coffee onto Picard.
He pockets a fork, then uses it to puncture the car tire.
Baker beats up Finlay in a police cell.
A flat tire stops the car. Reacher, tricking Picard, trades gunfire. Picard runs off.
Reacher finds Paul.
Roscoe and Charlie are handcuffed to a warehouse pipe.
Teale takes the Hubble girls away and into an office for leverage.
Paul reveals he was Joe’s contact.
Reacher switches to Dawson’s truck.
He drives the truck through the police doors, crushing Baker and freeing Finlay.
Paul and Neagley help load guns from the police locker.
At Mosley’s, Paul sketches the warehouse floorplan.
They arrive at the warehouse. Reacher siphons gas from the truck.
SEVEN (FINLAY)
Finlay removes his tweed, ready for business.
Inside, Roscoe reassures Charlie.
Neagley snipes the guards. Reacher pours the gasoline under the door.
SIX (FINLAY)
Finlay stops him and inhales a cigarette, using the butt to ignite the gas.
EIGHT (FINLAY)
Fire in the warehouse. Everyone scrambles.
Paul rescues his daughters and takes them outside.
Reacher unlocks the women. Roscoe leads Charlie away.
Outside, Charlie is reunited with her family.
Finlay kills Picard. Roscoe kills Teale.
They and Neagley escape. Reacher is still inside.
The KJ and Reacher showdown. KJ ends up dying in flames.
Boom. Reacher escapes.
Reacher and Roscoe share a tender moment.
Flashback to Paris as Reacher and Joe visit their dying mother. She gives him the war medal.
NINE
Roscoe and Reacher say their goodbyes.
Outside the diner the dog sits in Finlay’s car.
Finlay and Reacher say their goodbyes. Finlay will return to Boston.
Reacher eats peach pie.
Reacher buries the war medal at Joe’s death spot.
Reacher leaves town.
CRITICAL NOTES
Take a look at “No Apologies”. The first half of the episode is so crisp and pretty. The second half is gobbledygook. I remember how hard it was to sort out any kind of Enneagram structure for that one. The beats feel mushy because the summary can’t encompass the information dump. Everything should be much leaner. Compare it to the finale, “Pie”. That one reads like a pack of index cards that can just be riffled between the fingers. Beautiful.
Finlay screams to be the Three, Six, and Switch. Look at those beats! His transition from a broken, grieving man to someone ready to return to life is laid out so clearly. I’m not sure the other beats support this, though. What is the Seven? Reacher decided long before FInlay’s Six to wipe KJ off the earth. Once he admits he killed everyone, especially Joe, KJ’s a dead man.
Therefore, we have more than one Enneagram. Reacher’s, interestingly, centers around Roscoe. She instigates any changes that happen romantically for them, including the Switch. Reacher’s Three is when she picks him up from prison. His Six is when he sees she’s in trouble. Remember, when Roscoe’s house is vandalized, she chastises Reacher for patronizing her. She can take care of herself. Well, handcuffed by a madman, she clearly needs help, and they both know it. Reacher’s Seven, just a beat later, is crystalline. His Eight encompasses the final battle, but also the reunion kiss with Roscoe and the morning after. He leaves her daisies, her favorite flower. Once I can recognize that his Enneagram is not primarily about the case but about the romance, the beats line up easily.
Finlay’s Enneagram is going along smoothly until the Six and Seven. His Switch is relatively close to Reacher’s, making the storytelling coordinated and orderly. His Seven — deciding to join the fight wholeheartedly — is in a Six position, but I can’t let go of the symmetry of those smoking beats. I need them to mirror, lol! If it had been up to me, I’d have worked the writing to line up those moments. Prep the cigarette first for the Six, take off the tweed at the Seven. I can see the scenes as they would flow. It would’ve been possible.
Why does “Papier” have no Reacher flashback? Every other episode has one. I didn’t think of it while watching, but what purpose do these flashbacks serve? It’s our chance to see a relationship between Reacher and Joe; we know that Reacher was born a badass, and his mother accepted him as one; we know he comes from a family military tradition on both sides. And, frankly, we know that he and Joe had a codependency that wasn’t always healthy. It’s funny. The flashbacks show Reacher finding peace with his mother, but his relationship with Joe is never resolved. The whole season seems to be about this, and we never get closure. Joe is dead and Reacher brings his killers to justice. But what about their own personal problems? Joe will continue to haunt Reacher after this.
Otherwise, though, the Enneagram is lovely. I still have questions about those flashbacks, lol, but perhaps a future season will delve further. I look forward to it!