After seven episodes of conspiracies, betrayals and some of the best tactical action on television, The Terminal List Season 2 closes in style with a finale in ‘Fathers and Sons’ that leaves us wanting more… almost everything we could want in fact, while making it very clear that James Reece’s story is far from over.
Reece, Raife Hastings and Mo Farooq find themselves on a mission that completes an element of this increasingly complicated puzzle. I’m deliberately being vague with details because there are a number of developments throughout these final episodes that are better experienced without knowing what to expect.
What I loved about the way it all played out is that this isn’t a finale that attempts to tie things up with a neat little bow. One element of the story comes to a conclusion, but another door has been opened which potentially goes back further than anything we’ve seen so far with the character.
Throughout the second half of the season, we’ve had little pieces of information surrounding Reece’s family and his past. ‘Fathers and Sons’ begins to give those breadcrumbs more context, highlighting that there are forces at work connected to events occurring long before Reece became the operator we’ve come to know.
It opens up an entirely new can of worms.
After investing so much of the season in Reece being a hunted man, it’s interesting to see him come face to face with a very different future. His relationship with the CIA has changed considerably and there are opportunities ahead of him that could see the character going in an interesting direction. But this is James Reece we’re talking about, and unfinished business isn’t something he tends to leave behind.
Katie Buranek also reunites with Reece, and I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic between them. There’s bond between these two that has survived everything they’ve gone through and Buranek makes it clear that sitting safely behind a desk isn’t where she wants to stay. You can already see how these two could rely on each other as Reece’s story moves into it’s next chapter.
The finale doesn’t forget about the action either.
One of my favourite elements is actually the helicopter work. There are some fantastic aerial sequences as Reece and the team make their way towards the mission, and whoever was responsible for the helicopter flying deserves huge credit. It’s absolutely incredible looking as it sweeps incredibly low across the terrain almost making the aircraft look like a shark hunting its prey.
It’s a relatively small detail compared to what’s going on in the story, but visually it looks absolutely unreal and adds an extra sense of scale.
That’s something Season 2 has done exceptionally well. Whether it’s Reece clearing buildings, long-range shooting, brutal hand-to-hand combat or helicopters skimming across the terrain, there’s a physicality and authenticity to the action that keeps me invested.
The finale might not have quite the same huge hoorah moment like watching Reece finally get to Steve Horn in Season 1, but it doesn’t need to. This season has been telling a different kind of story. Season 1 was very much about a man working his way down a list.
Season 2 has been about discovering that the list may only have scratched the surface.
Chris Pratt continues to completely own James Reece, while putting characters from Dark Wolf into the main series has made this world feel considerably bigger. Raife Hastings in particular has been one of my favourite additions and seeing his story become intertwined with Reece’s has been one of the highlights of the season.
What started with a broken James Reece spending 172 days alone at sea, has gradually rebuilt that man over the course of eight episodes. We watched him find a purpose in Mozambique, rediscover his abilities, return to the fight and eventually begin uncovering something much larger than the conspiracy he set out to stop.
And that’s why the ending is as good as it is.
We get enough closure for Season 2 to feel satisfying, but the final revelations have you itching to see what happens next. There are still questions concerning Reece, his family and the forces operating behind everything we’ve witnessed.
‘The Terminal List’ Season 2 was absolutely worth the wait.
I just hope we don’t have to wait that long again.
I need my James Reece fix.
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