Shooter Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Red on Red
Jasmine Blu
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Holy Crap!
I haven't hid the fact that I enjoy Shooter best when it's giving us a ton of action. They have great choreographed fight scenes, and the rest of the action at its best, is akin to that of a suspense-thriller.
I was not ready to come down from the Die Hard marathon I fell into over the holiday season. I wanted to keep it up, and despite the majority of the action being a healthy dose of mental warfare, Shooter Season 1 Episode 8 did not disappoint.
So we finally got that Lon and Bob Lee face-off, and sadly, it wasn't as thrilling as we were led to believe it would be. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why it played out the way it did and appreciated that, but man I can't wait until those two really get to go at it.
They teased us enough with their banter and thinly veiled threats that came across more like promises. They want this as badly as we want to see it, but alas it was not meant to be, because there was bigger sh!t that needed to be handled.
I was beginning to wonder if you were gonna come.
Lon
As a protagonist, I thoroughly enjoy the fact that Bob Lee is a realist. He's practical, pragmatic, and can think about the bigger picture and the long game.
Too often we're stuck with a protagonist who either thinks too much or not nearly enough because they let their feelings get in the way of rationale. I imagine one of the perks of having someone like Bob Lee, especially given the fact that he's a soldier, is he actually thinks things through.
He's calculated, and every step he takes is carefully measured. As much as he probably wanted to kill the likes of Lon, Payne, Meachum, and whomever else, and he probably could have with ease, he recognizes that it isn't in his best interest just yet.
He knew how to bide his time, and therefore he spent the episode carefully engaging in one of my favorite tactics, mental warfare. Sometimes that's more intriguing to watch unfurl than a physical action scene because it takes skill.
Bob Lee: I'll turn up the heat. Red on red.
Nadine: Red on red?
Bob Lee: Yeah. We did it in Afghanistan. We turn them against each other.
Red on Red, as he called it, consisted of him setting all of the players in this fiasco, like chess pieces, against each other and letting them essentially take out each other. It has been such a tangled web of individuals (and it still continues to be...I might need a flow-chart) that it was almost difficult to follow who became susceptible to Bob Lee's plans and who wasn't.
Shame on me for even considering that Payne might be an asset of some sort. He has clearly always been about himself and never more than in this episode.
I want ten million dollars in uncut diamonds for Dimitri's thumb-drive.
Jack
Apparently diamonds are a sociopath's best friend! He wanted to strike a deal with Gregory; $10 million dollars in uncut diamonds in exchange for the incriminating evidence on a thumb-drive that he had.
Of all people to be in possession of the proof, he was probably the last person anybody would want to deal with, slimy as he is. It made him in high demand by all parties.
And unfortunately, meant he got to skate by unscathed again. I'm not one who typically advocates for the death of a character, but Payne can die any damn time, and I'd be perfectly fine with that. He can take Isaac, too.
It makes absolutely no sense to me that Payne was able to live as long as he has so far. He never should have gotten to a point where his life had to be spared for a thumb-drive. He should have been dead a few episodes ago.
Were you guys back there measuring dicks? Lon won right?
Payne
And yet, and I admit this begrudgingly, I actually found him so entertaining in this episode because he ended up with almost all of the best lines. He's a sadistic, good for nothing asshole, but damn if he didn't have me sniggering multiple times.
It was so satisfying watching Bob Lee kick his ass and take the thumb-drive. It was long overdue. And now somehow he was able to go back to Isaac and Hugh and report back that they failed. Again.
Like I said, how is he still freaking alive at this point? He's been more of a liability and a screw-up than an actual asset.
And what the hell is Isaac's deal? I had a glimmer of hope for him after he finally started to act as if he had a modicum of sense, in Shooter Season 1 Episode 7, but he's right back to getting on every last freaking nerve I have.
I cannot stand him.
Does he even know what he's doing anymore?
Bob Lee: If some shit goes wrong keep Payne alive until we get the evidence. Copy?
Nadine: Copy.
Did I mention I love the partnership between Nadine and Bob Lee?
I love the fact that she was able to let him call the shots and she worked as a great right-hand for him, even though she was clearly struggling internally with her own morals the entire time. She didn't let it interfere with the task at hand.
She was able to compartmentalize it all until after they had gotten away. I really enjoy Nadine, and I've really enjoyed her arc this season. I think in some ways her partnership with Bob Lee has helped her be more confident and assured even if it scares her what she's capable of when she's with him.
Bob Lee: You did what needed to be done. Shit happens on a battlefied.
Nadine: This isn't a battlefield.
Bob Lee: It is for me.
Bob Lee walking her through using a rifle reminded me a bit of how he talked Joey through it during Shooter Season 1 Episode 5. She seemed uncomfortable with it at first, but I was thrilled with how quickly she grasped it and how effective she was.
Though I did find myself afraid that she would end up getting hit when it was revealed that Isaac was there, too. She did good, but she's in no way an experienced long distance shooter like Isaac, Lon, and of course Bob Lee.
I'm afraid that Nadine might not have it in her to see everything through. She seems like she's wearing down a bit. She's Bob Lee's most trustworthy partner at the moment, and the emotional repercussions of everything that has transpired seems to be taking a toll on her.
Nadine: I shot a man in cold blood today. What did you get me into?
Bob Lee: Nobody needs to know you were behind that rifle.
Her having to actually kill people again brought up the incident she was struggling with since the beginning of the season, coping with killing an innocent. Bob Lee might be hyper-focused but he has to remember that as great as Nadine is, she isn't a soldier...taking lives takes a toll on her more than it does him.
I hope she's able to work through it and get her head in the game, because he's going to need all the help he can get in order to get Julie and Mary back.
I knew they were going to end up with his family! The gunshots that rang out were scary, but hearing little Mary scream while she was being dragged from beneath the bed did me in! God I wanted to strangle Julie's sister. And the freaking reporter, honestly, who isn't involved in this mess?!
What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy Bob Lee pitting everyone against each other? Are you concerned that Nadine has finally had enough? Do you foresee Bob Lee scorching the Earth to find his wife and daughter? Share your thoughts below!
Don't forget you can watch Shooter online right here via TV Fanatic
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
