Reacher Season 2's Sixth Episode Brings The Tears With An Unexpected Death

This post contains spoilers for episode 6 of "Reacher" season 2.

A sinister conspiracy is unraveling in the latest season of "Reacher," where the titular ex-Special Investigations officer (played by Alan Ritchson) and his old colleagues are in a race against time when it comes to stopping a deadly terrorist plan. Things are further complicated when Reacher and Neagley (Maria Sten) witness a building explode after a contract killer confesses that Tony Swan (Shannon Kook) hired him to kill members of Reacher's team. As Swan was close to everyone in Reacher's 110th Special Investigations Unit from years ago, this revelation impacts Reacher and co. emotionally, especially considering Swan's apparent involvement in the dangerous missile program, Project Littlewing.

Episode 6, titled "New York's Finest," rapidly moves towards dissecting the Swan problem after Reacher and his team interrogate Marlo Burns (Christina Cox), the Director of Operations at New Age, who is currently on the run. Burns reveals that Swan is innocent after all and that he was the only one to object to Shane Langston's (Robert Patrick) nefarious plans. While Burns did not wish to be a part of Langston's plans, she was forced to do his bidding after he threatened to kill her daughter, which prompted Burns to flee. Reacher and his team manage to convince Burns to call a meeting with Langston, which leads to a tense confrontation between Reacher and Langston's respective teams.

Meanwhile, federal officer Guy Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi) decides to look after Burns' daughter, Jane (Kate Moyer), but the duo is pursued by Langston's men in a high-stakes speed case. To save her, Russo gallantly fights the goons but is fatally shot by the time Neagley reaches to aid him. This sudden, tragic death has way more emotional impact than expected, as it leaves everyone reeling. 

When Russo and Reacher first meet, the latter kicks his car so hard that the airbags activate and leave the federal officer vulnerable, allowing Reacher to beat him unconscious. This sets off a chain of mutually frustrating interactions between the two, but Russo turns out to be a clean cop, willing to aid Reacher in catching the mysterious A.M. (Ferdinand Kingsley). While Reacher's proclivity for breaking conventional rules (and the law) irks Russo, the two men uncover a newfound respect for one another during Franz's funeral, where they work in tandem to catch the two contract killers hired to murder Reacher's friends.

It is interesting to note that Guy Russo's character does not exist in Lee Child's novel, "Bad Luck and Trouble," which the latest season is based on. However, Russo's presence in season 2 is pivotal to perceiving Reacher from the perspective of a morally upright ally, who doesn't quite agree with his methods but still ends up helping his cause. Considering how ruthless the world of "Reacher" is, where corrupt ex-cops participate in terrorist operations or accept hush money to look the other way, Russo's devotion to his ideals is admirable. Moreover, the episode also reveals that Russo's father, who was also a cop, died young due to a similar devotion to upholding the truth — a hamartia that costs Russo's life in the end.

While Russo's death is pretty shocking, the narrative sets it up when he confronts his Chief, who urges Russo to look the other way and choose a comfortable life over one rife with danger and moral quandaries. Furious at the suggestion that he should even consider being a crooked cop, Russo recounts his father's morals and vows to uphold them till the end. 

As Reacher is used to dealing with cops who pretend to be clean, and officials who harbor dirty secrets, he initially perceives Russo's kindness towards Franz's kid as suspicious. When Reacher sees Russo gifting the kid with a toy at his father's funeral, he accuses Russo of using the kid to extract information, which understandably angers the federal officer. In truth, Russo was able to empathize with the ugly reality of losing a parent at such a young age and had reached out to the child in hopes of comforting him during such a difficult time.

After Burns agrees to Reacher's plan to confront her boss, she requests him to ensure Jane's safety, as Langston had previously threatened to hurt her. Reacher entrusts the kid's safety to Russo, since he's the only trustworthy person in New York apart from his friends. While Russo does his best to keep Jane safe, Langston's men force the vehicle to crash and corner the duo while shooting at them. Imparting the last bits of strength to a frightened Jane, Russo encourages her to run and not look back, while covering for her by drawing all the gunfire. Reacher's friends save Jane, but Russo dies in Neagley's arms, his last words being concern for Jane's safety.

A good man has died in "Reacher," while the likes of Langston and A.M. are still roaming free, with the threat of a terrorist plot lurking in the shadows. It is up to Reacher and his team to put an end to this madness before time runs out while avenging the unjust death of yet another hero. After the dust settles, Guy Russo's sacrifice will always be remembered.

The first six episodes of "Reacher" season 2 are currently streaming on Prime Video.