Reacher Season 4 Episode 5 Review: “Bridge” Turns the Hunt Into a Full-Blown War

Spoiler Warning: This review contains major spoilers for Reacher Season 4, Episode 5, “Bridge.”

Reacher Season 4 Episode 5, “Bridge,” feels like the point where this season stops letting Jack Reacher investigate from the edges and puts everyone directly in the line of fire.

The episode starts with Reacher already under pressure, spends its middle section tightening the investigation, and then gives us two excellent action sequences: an ambush on a bridge and a frantic escape that takes Reacher from a building to the rooftop and eventually back onto the streets.

But the biggest moment comes at the very end.

After everything Reacher survives in “Bridge,” the final threat comes from someone standing right beside him.

And that cliffhanger completely changes how we have to look at the alliances that have been forming this season.

Reacher Starts the Episode With Nowhere to Hide

“Bridge” wastes almost no time getting moving.

The opening sequence picks up with Reacher and the people around him caught in another rapidly escalating situation. Armed officers flood the building, forcing Reacher into escape mode almost immediately.

This is classic Reacher.

He doesn’t have time to stand around explaining himself. He reads the environment, finds the route nobody else would think to use and gets moving.

The escape takes him through the building, outside onto the fire escape and eventually through the darker service areas below.

What I liked about this opening is that Reacher isn’t simply punching his way through twenty armed men.

He knows when brute force isn’t the answer.

When an entire tactical team is searching for you, sometimes the smartest move is disappearing.

Alan Ritchson continues to sell that side of Reacher well. The physical presence is always there, but his best scenes often come when Reacher solves a problem before he has to hit somebody.

Reacher’s Allies Have Their Own Problems

While Reacher is dealing with his situation, Tamara, Jacob and the others are trying to piece together what is happening without having Reacher physically beside them.

That separation is important.

This season has increasingly built a group around Reacher, but “Bridge” forces those characters to prove they can survive when the biggest guy in the room isn’t there to solve the problem for them.

They uncover more information, examine documents and continue following the trail surrounding the people hunting them.

Then somebody decides they have learned enough.

The response is immediate.

The Bridge Ambush Is the Episode’s First Big Set Piece

The title “Bridge” becomes very literal when the group is attacked on the road.

What begins as another drive quickly turns into one of the season’s better chase sequences.

Two armed women pursue the group, opening fire from their vehicle as everyone races toward the bridge.

The sequence keeps escalating.

Cars are hit.

Windshields are destroyed.

Vehicles slam into each other.

Gunfire continues while the drivers are trying to keep control.

And once everyone reaches the bridge, the fight becomes considerably more personal.

The attackers get out.

The group has nowhere convenient to disappear.

Now the bridge itself becomes the battlefield.

The Bridge Fight Works Because Reacher Isn’t There to Save Everybody

This is probably my favorite part of the sequence.

Reacher isn’t the one handling everything.

His allies are forced to fight back themselves.

That gives the action more uncertainty because the audience doesn’t have the usual safety blanket of knowing Reacher is about to walk into frame and destroy everyone involved.

The bridge provides very little protection, and the attackers keep advancing.

The confrontation eventually becomes physical, with the fight moving dangerously close to the edge.

And yes, people go over.

The episode makes good use of the height and the water below without stretching the sequence longer than necessary.

It is fast, violent and easy to follow.

That last part matters.

Modern action shows sometimes cut fights so aggressively that you barely understand where anyone is standing.

“Bridge” mostly avoids that.

You understand the geography of the chase, the cars, the bridge and where the danger is coming from.

Reacher in a Holding Cell Is Still Reacher

The episode then shifts gears.

Reacher spends a sizable portion of “Bridge” behind bars.

Obviously, putting Jack Reacher in a cell doesn’t suddenly make him harmless.

The scenes work because Reacher remains completely comfortable with the situation.

Other people see bars.

Reacher sees another temporary inconvenience.

He receives a visitor, gets questioned and watches the people around him try to decide exactly what they are going to do with him.

The funniest part is how little Reacher’s personality changes.

He isn’t suddenly desperate because he’s detained.

He isn’t begging anyone to believe him.

He simply waits, observes and figures out what is useful.

Then a guard makes the mistake of getting too close.

You can probably guess how well that goes.

The Police Station Material Adds More Pressure

Outside Reacher’s cell, the rest of the group continues working through the investigation while also dealing with law enforcement.

The police-station scenes become increasingly tense as information begins crossing between people who don’t necessarily trust one another.

There are arguments over what happened.

There are questions about the people involved.

And there is a growing sense that the official response to Reacher has become almost as dangerous as the people he is actually investigating.

That becomes much more important later in the episode.

Because eventually Reacher’s face isn’t simply known to a handful of cops.

He becomes news.

The Investigation Starts Connecting More Pieces

The middle section of “Bridge” slows down compared with the opening chase, but the episode uses the time productively.

Reacher and the others regroup.

They examine photos, locations and digital information.

One particularly effective sequence has the group gathered around a computer as they begin connecting people and places.

Maps become important.

Phones become important.

Images become important.

The group is slowly realizing that their enemies haven’t simply been reacting to them.

They have been watching them.

That changes the dynamic.

Reacher usually succeeds because he knows more than the person hunting him.

Now he is dealing with people who have been studying his movements too.

Reacher Becoming a Public Fugitive Changes the Game

One of the episode’s biggest developments comes when television coverage identifies Reacher as a fugitive.

At that point, the problem gets much larger.

Reacher can handle criminals.

He can handle corrupt people.

He can handle a handful of cops.

But once his face is broadcast publicly, every patrol officer, camera and random person with a phone becomes another obstacle.

“Bridge” uses that development well during the second half.

Reacher can no longer simply walk through the city unnoticed.

Every movement becomes more dangerous.

And the people behind the hunt understand exactly how to use that pressure against him.

The Building and Rooftop Chase Is the Episode’s Best Action

The second major action sequence begins when police converge on Reacher’s location.

The episode moves quickly through several environments.

A lobby.

Hallways.

A stairwell.

The roof.

The chase keeps changing shape as Reacher tries to stay ahead of the officers closing in.

At one point, officers use Tasers against him.

For most people, that would be the end of the chase.

For Reacher, apparently it is just extremely annoying.

The sequence then moves onto the rooftop, where things become considerably more dangerous.

The Skylight Scene Is a Great Reacher Moment

During the rooftop escape, Tamara ends up in serious danger around the glass structure below.

This gives us one of the better visual moments of the episode.

Someone is suspended above a long fall while Reacher is forced to improvise under pressure.

It works because the scene isn’t simply another fistfight.

Reacher has to use strength, positioning and timing to keep the situation from becoming fatal.

The sequence also reinforces something Season 4 has gradually been building.

Reacher may prefer operating alone.

But he isn’t operating alone anymore.

There are now people he is willing to risk himself to protect.

That makes the final scene considerably more interesting.

Escaping the Police Becomes Its Own Mini-Mission

Even getting off the roof isn’t enough.

Reacher and Tamara still have to disappear.

That leads into an entertaining sequence involving crowded streets, public transportation and vehicles as they try to break contact with the police.

Reacher using ordinary city infrastructure as part of an escape is much more interesting than simply watching him steal another car.

He moves through crowds.

He uses the bus.

He uses traffic.

At one point, hiding around a moving vehicle becomes part of the escape.

The sequence has momentum without feeling cartoonish.

It also gives Alan Ritchson another opportunity to play Reacher as someone who can make decisions almost instantly.

Then “Bridge” Pulls the Rug Out From Under Reacher

After surviving all of that, Reacher and Tamara make their way to another location.

The episode suddenly becomes quiet again.

That usually means something bad is coming.

They enter the building and begin looking around.

The atmosphere changes immediately.

There are signs that something has happened.

Reacher studies what is in front of him.

Then another woman appears.

And suddenly the room begins filling with people connected to different sides of the investigation.

For a few seconds, it feels as though the episode is finally about to provide answers.

Instead, it gives us a gun.

That Final Gunshot Setup Changes Everything

The final seconds are easily the most important part of “Bridge.”

Reacher isn’t facing a stranger.

The weapon is coming from someone who has been working alongside him.

Tamara raises the gun and points it directly toward Reacher.

Then the episode ends.

That is one hell of a cliffhanger.

The obvious question is whether this is an actual betrayal or whether there is something in the room Reacher hasn’t seen yet.

Reacher is exactly the type of show that can make a gun pointed at someone’s head mean several different things.

Maybe Tamara has been playing him.

Maybe she has been compromised.

Maybe she has figured out something Reacher hasn’t.

Or maybe Reacher isn’t actually the intended target.

The episode doesn’t answer it.

It cuts.

“Bridge” Is Really About Trust

The title obviously refers to the literal bridge where one of the episode’s biggest action sequences takes place.

But by the end, it also works thematically.

Reacher has spent much of this season slowly building connections with people he normally wouldn’t rely on.

That requires trust.

And trust is difficult for a man whose entire lifestyle is based around leaving before anybody gets too close.

Episode 5 repeatedly tests those relationships.

Reacher is separated from the group.

His allies have to survive without him.

They regroup.

They work together.

He risks himself during the rooftop escape.

Then someone in that group points a gun at him.

That’s a strong way to end an episode built around people depending on one another.

Alan Ritchson Continues to Understand What Makes Reacher Work

The action in “Bridge” is good, but Alan Ritchson’s performance remains the thing holding the show together.

Reacher isn’t interesting simply because he’s huge.

There are plenty of huge action heroes.

The character works because his brain is moving almost constantly.

You can see Reacher assessing rooms.

Watching people.

Looking for exits.

Noticing inconsistencies.

The episode gives him plenty of physical work, but the quieter investigation scenes are equally important.

Ritchson has become very comfortable letting Reacher react without overplaying him.

A look is often enough.

Final Verdict

“Bridge” is one of the stronger episodes of Reacher Season 4 so far.

The bridge ambush gives the supporting characters a chance to carry a major action sequence without Reacher doing everything himself.

The police-station material keeps the pressure on.

The investigation moves forward.

And the rooftop escape gives Alan Ritchson another excellent physical set piece without simply repeating the same type of fight we’ve already seen.

Most importantly, the episode ends by attacking something more important than Reacher’s body.

It attacks his ability to trust the people around him.

Whether Tamara has actually betrayed him remains unanswered.

But pointing a gun at Jack Reacher after everything they just survived together guarantees Episode 6 has some explaining to do.

Rating: 8.7/10

“Bridge” combines two strong action sequences with a growing conspiracy, a citywide manhunt and a cliffhanger that immediately changes the relationships at the center of Season 4.