Summary
The Terminal List is starting to develop moral complexities in an outing with a huge plot reveal and a thrilling action sequence.
This recap of the Amazon original series The Terminal List season 1, episode 5, “Disruption,” contains spoilers.
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The Terminal List season 1, episode 5 recap
The fifth episode starts with a Navy SEAL team rescue led by Commander James Reece in a flashback. The commander and his team will rescue a military helicopter that has been shot down. When he reaches the wreckage, he finds the pilot who just ran out of ammo fending off the enemy combatants. When tending to her wounds, the pilot mentions she is from Alabama. Reece asks if she is a “War Eagle” to see what team she roots for. In this case, that phrase is asking if she roots for Auburn. “Fuck that,” she replies. “Roll Tide!” she says a moment later.
That pilot is Lizzy, and from then on, she has been his loyal friend.
Reece travels to San Francisco to seek answers on a drug that may have started this all. He is taking pictures of Capstone Industries headquarters. That is where he sees the San Diego FBI have a meeting with him. She also spots Kate and sends her a message that the FBI is in town and they are watching her. Either way, Reece keeps working and returning to his hiding spot with the loyal Liz waiting for him as they ponder their next move.
Katie attempts to flip Mike Tedesco so she can, no pun intended, blow up Nubellum, which will be a significant blow to Capstone’s plans. She finds that he started his company to fight Alzheimer’s medications but switched to military nootropics in soldier optimization, which made his company billions. The conversation she has in the men’s bathroom, by the way, comes down to this: how much oversight does he have, and who did they give RD-4895 to?
His response talks about his oversight and control because he has nothing to say. He is just a figurehead, a patsy, a front for whatever Capstone wants to do. Though, he does say RD-4895 has not gone to human trials yet. Katie begs to differ. What if it was given to the entire Navy SEAL team, and that team was targeted in an attack that almost wiped out the whole team? They end the conversation by Katie giving him her number to call him if he wants to go on the record.
The San Diego FBI, including Tony and his team, play protector for Steve Horn. Not necessarily because they want to serve and protect, but Reece is a big piece of meaty bait. This all comes to a head for all three factions when Mike downloads information from the server on RD-4895. Horn sends his goons after him. The thing is, the FBI and Reece are watching, and they both note that this is the first time Horn’s detail has split up. They are going after Mike, who is on his way to meet Katie with the information.
When Mike gets to Katie, he tells her the drug was developed to help alleviate the symptoms of soldiers’ PTSD. The last time Mike heard about it doing well in animal trials, Capstone ended it. He also states that Capstone itemizes shareholders within the company. Katie says, “I don’t follow. What does this have to do with dead SEALs?” Mike’s response? “Everything.”
By the way, this conversation is taking place in front of subway tracks. So, I am tensely anticipating that someone will push poor guilt-ridden Mike onto the third rail. Then Katie sees a man walking towards them, behind Mike. She asks if he brought his cell phone, and he says no. Phew, we think. He then says he left it in the car as he told her. Oh, Mike. How can a billionaire be that dumb? They run, and one of Horn’s goons gives chase.
Mike desperately tries to keep up with Katie but can’t. She feels his blood spray all over her as the bad guy takes Mike out with one shot. Katie continues up the stairs. She does something you don’t see every day when an innocent is running for their life. Katie stops and waits for the guy, pulls the trigger, and kills him as he turns the corner.
She is met by the dead lousy guy’s buddy when she attempts to leave through a back exit. He approaches her and pulls out his gun but is shot immediately. Reece, hiding between a couple of cars, saves her. We can discuss how he would know where she would be or why he let the first lousy guy go in after them. (Did he fully believe Katie would shoot her way out?). He grabs her and gets Katie to his car. When they get far enough away to talk, they park in an alley. He manages to calm her down. Even though she is a war correspondent, she has never seen someone killed before. He gives her water and explains what Mike told her.
That the drug that would effectively end trauma for the brain was rushed to human trial and showed Reece’s team tumors. Reece demands names, but Katie wants more time for her story. Reece scares her now, and he tells the reporter this is not about her story but about his friends and family getting justice. He sees her look at her purse, search through it, and find the flash drive. Katie pleads with him because he will be the story if he goes this route. When she tries to enter the car, he pulls his gun and tells her to get out and stay out of his way. Her death won’t be on him if she enters the battlefield again.
The ending
Ben gives him the names. Marcus Boykin, Admiral Pillar, Commander Cox, and JAG Captain Howard. Now, Reece wants to take Horn out using an EFT bomb. Of course, Liz objects, and he pulls out the old “I saved your life” guilt trip. She demands they do not take out civilians, hence, the EFT. She drives a flower delivery van to distract the FBI so he can set up outside Horn’s vehicle. The issue is Katie is there berating Horn and how her story will come out and delay his deal. Except, one problem: the deal went down yesterday.
That’s when Katie sees Reece through the window. She backs off as he has been waiting for her to move for a minute. He gets out of the car. Horn sees him and yells for them to drive. As Reece gets far enough, he hits the trigger button, sending Katie flying and badly injuring Horn. That’s when he pulls out his assault rifle, killing Horn’s team. He then walks up to Horn, lying on the stairs to his building, and gets up close and personal. He pulls out his nine-millimeter and puts two in his head. Reece commandeers an SUV and drives off, with the FBI and police chasing him.
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