Shooter Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Ballistic Advantage
Jasmine Blu
at
.
Updated at
.
I love the satisfaction that comes with a pesky adversary finally meeting their maker.
In fiction, of course. By all means, join me in jubilation as two of Shooter's most nefarious antagonists finally bit the bullet. May they burn for eternity in the fiery pits of hell where they belong.
Too much? Maybe a tad. I don't take it back though.
What more could you ask for in a penultimate season finale that Shooter Season 1 Episode 9 didn't give us? There was action, loads of action, not so surprise team-ups, all around badassery, and some resolution to most of the issues that have plagued Bob Lee and co. this season.
Isaac and Bob Lee teaming up was far from unexpected, but it was unexpected that I found them enjoyable to watch. The dynamic between Bob Lee, Nadine, and Isaac was quite an interesting one, and I give the first two a hell of a lot of credit, because I wouldn't have had it in me to work with the guy.
Weren't they just the not-so-merry band of misfits, playing out the classic, enemies joining forces to help each other combat a bigger enemy. It's a tale as old as time, one that never quite gets old because it's so effective and interesting to watch.
You really think they're going to let you walk away with the diamonds?...They don't trust you, hell they probably don't even like you.
Bob Lee
All this time we were caught up in Isaac, Payne, and Meachum and it was Lon and Grigory who were the heavy players. That's something we finally got a glimpse of in the back half of the season.
Up until this episode, however, I was still under the impression that Meachum had more power and clout than he did. I mean, I figured it was mostly bluster what he was giving off, but still.
I certainly didn't anticipate Grigory and his men being the one to take Meachum out. That was a hell of a thing to toss in there, although it happening off-screen with us only given a hasty bit with, I presume was his body, being lugged around in a van was disappointing.
Meachum was going to have to answer for all of his colossal errors he made in this whole operation along the way. All of it catching up to him was inevitable, but I still wanted a bit more with him and Grigory before he ended up in a body bag.
But meh, I'm not going to miss him.
Bob Lee: Where is my family?!
Isaac: What did I tell you? Leave your emotions out of it.
But with Meachum's death, of course that was just enough to persuade Isaac to get on the winning team. And obviously that's Bob Lee's. If Grigory took out Meachum for screwing up so damn much, then obviously Isaac would be next in line.
Isaac is all about Isaac so once he figured it was in his best interest to strike a deal with Bob Lee and help, he was an asset. I say that begrudgingly, because honestly I still can't stand the guy.
He has us scoped right now doesn't he? I can feel it.
Lonnie
I LOVED watching the three of them work together to infiltrate the space they thought Julie and Mary were being held hostage. In such a short period of time, Bob Lee has trained Nadine well, and she was awesome being their eyes as they navigated the building, rifles in hand.
Everything about that scene, the music, the lighting and angles, it was great. And that was before they even got to the shootout.
Bob Lee: Payne set us up! Julie and Mary were never here.
Isaac:They lured us here so Lon could have a clear line of sight.
To a certain extent there is honor among thieves, criminals, baddies and the like. There's a code of conduct accepted and expected no matter how nefarious a person is.
So it really pissed me off that Lonnie knew Bob Lee wouldn't shoot him when he had the opportunity, but Lon was more than willing to off Bob Lee without hesitation like a true coward. You can't boast and brag about being the best and having all these balls and yet display such cowardice.
I really enjoyed their exchange of words when the two of them had yet another standoff (without doing anything I might add...how they have been able to drag out their confrontations only God knows). Lon is all talk and Bob Lee called him out on it.
Lonnie: Are you here to kill me?
Bob Lee: I don't talk about killing, Lon.I just do it.
And in the end all of his arrogance cost him his life.
Damn, I was wondering how Bob Lee would take Lonnie out. I thought it would be face to face and more hands on.
Having him die by his own hand, because he took for granted that the bullets he was gleefully firing at the Swaggers were good, well, it was an unexpected, gruesome, but rather poetic way for him to go.
I'm glad that's finally over, because to be honest I'm still not convinced that Bob Lee couldn't just take the guy out earlier on. Didn't it feel like the reasoning behind Bob Lee not just killing Lonnie (and a few others) was flimsy?
Bullets and a rifle are what started this mess, and that's what ended it for him. You live by the sniper rifle and you die by it.
I guess he found my bullet.
Bob Lee
Speaking of killing, let's talk about Payne. FINALLY he's dead! I did not hide the fact that I loathed the man and he honestly should have been dead a long time ago.
In fact even he managed to make a couple of statements to the effect of commending himself for evading death so much. I'll give him credit, he definitely did that.
Well, for a while. But yeah, finally all of his sadistic, evil acts caught up to him. It was fitting that Isaac finally got to be the one to maim the man, because I'm sure Isaac was itching to deal with the guy for a long time.
Payne was a pain in the ass to work with.
But in another badass Julie moment (which those have become a very much appreciated staple of the show at this point) she got to take Payne out herself! She put him down like a dog.
I will never tire of the show reminding us regularly that Julie Swagger is a BAMF who can hold her own. And I love the fact that Bob Lee knows that his wife can fight her own battles.
Bob Lee: He's with me.
Julie: What? That is the asshole who started all of this!
Isaac: And I'm the asshole who's going to finish it.
Now the race is on!
I fully expect the showdown between the Swaggers and Grigory to be pretty incredible. It was obvious during the long period of time where the van and SUV were next to each other, that they were separating Mary and Julie.
I'm guessing Grigory wanted a fail-safe because he already knew Payne was a loose-canon and a liability as he had proved time and time again, but also Lonnie was too obsessed with Swagger. To his own detriment and demise.
I figured he took Mary to the Russian Embassy mere seconds before Nadine actually said it. It was the smartest move to make if he wanted to keep Mary away from her parents.
It's going to be incredibly difficult to get her back, when she's technically in another country, but with a badass team of Bob Lee, Julie, Isaac, and Nadine the final showdown is going to be out of this world!
I cannot wait to see how it all ends on Shooter Season 1 Episode 10! I'm excited, guys! It'll be the best episode yet.
What did you think of the episode? Are you as thrilled as I am that Payne, Lonnie, and Meachum are dead? Not the exact three I was thinking, but they'll do. Do you think Mary is as badass as her parents and will find a way to make her kidnappers lives a living hell until her parents save her? I mean she IS a Swagger, so what if she's 7-years old. Do you trust Isaac?
Hit up the comments below and let us know what you thought of the episode. Don't forget you can watch Shooter online right here at TV Fanatic and catch up before the finale.
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.
