Shooter Season 3 Episode 4 Review: The Importance of Service
Jasmine Blu
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What the hell is the God Box?
Shooter Season 3 Episode 4 had everything from shootouts, explosions, kidnappings and more. It made for an exciting hour from beginning to end. This season is excelling at balancing out the various components, and it's evident that Shooter Season 3 has hit its stride.
But again, what the hell is the God Box and what does Gregson have to do with it?
There is never a time when Gregson isn't shady as hell. The only world Gregson isn't duplicitous is an imaginary one where Isaac follows plans and plays well with others, and the most excitement Bob Lee experiences is reliving his glory days while telling Mary bedtime stories. This world does not exist!
The funny thing is how Isaac reached this Gregson conclusion. It took the kidnapping of poor Harris to get them to this point. It still needs to be said that Harris has become one of the highlights of the season because he's so not cut out for this world, but he's trying to go along to get along.
Isaac: There were four of us in the room when the safe was open. If we don't have it -
Nadine: Then Gregson does.
All Harris wants is a latte, somewhere to sleep, and to not be on a kill list. Harris is the most relatable character on the series now. That's what makes his quips and reactions to the batshit crazy so hilarious. Harris didn't sign up for any of this crap, and he would like to remind us every time he gets the opportunity.
Bob Lee wanted to send Harris away to protect him and also keep him the heck away from his family. It made sense. What didn't make sense was that they were a bit too casual about him being on a kill list and Atlas being after him. Who sends someone on a bus ride farther away and barely sets up a contingency plan?
Related: Shooter Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Sins of the Father
Jeebus, Harris who has an understandable and new appreciation for guns was handed a pink can of pepper spray and sent on his merry way like he was being shipped off to summer camp. What is a can of pepper spray going to do for a man with assassins after him, Bob Lee?!
Meanwhile, Nadine was supposed to be babysitting her former beau. She dropped the ball on that task when Harris was taken by Red Bama's men from right under her nose. You had one job, Nadine.
Bob Lee's complete and utter exasperation when he realized he had to drive all the way to Oklahoma to rescue Harris was so unintentionally funny, and that is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this season.
Shooter has always had some comedy sprinkled in throughout the series, and Bob Lee's dry humor is unparalleled and one of the many appealing aspects of his character, but the increase in humor this season has a girl snickering, chuckling, or flat out laughing almost as much as gasping and fist-pumping.
For that, I'm very much appreciative.
Thank you for the clothes. I will mail them to you once I wash the fear out of them.
Harris
The tension between Bob Lee and Isaac during the scene at the diner was still thick. It was a perfect reminder of how the two of them will never fully trust one another. There is too much history there, and even though Isaac is an ally and asset, he's still a wildcard capable of screwing any of them over.
That's not to say that he isn't enjoyable though. Isaac has somehow become one of the best characters on the series while remaining this unpredictable person.
There is something intriguing and liberating about his inability to give a damn about anything else but taking down the people who killed his wife.
His partnership with Nadine is easily one of the best things the season has given us this far. The two of them cannot be more different. What's interesting is both of them had valid concerns about their partnership during the installment.
Isaac has proven time and again that he doesn't follow plans, has a habit of going rogue, and of course, he isn't the most trustworthy. On the flip side, it was perfectly reasonable that Isaac would question if Nadine was cut out for doing whatever it would take when the time called for it. She's not a senseless killer.
Nadine isn't a soldier either. A large part of Nadine's arc over the course of the series is her making this shift from cop to soldier.
Under the tutelage of Bob Lee and with her experiences with Isaac, she has blossomed into a woman who wears many hats now. It's like viewers are bearing witness to her becoming a soldier right before our eyes.
Related: Shooter Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Red Meat
Nadine and Isaac saving one another was such a pivotal moment for their partnership. Up until that point, the two of them have been working together, but they haven't put their full trust and faith in one another.
Both of them still had doubts about one another and whether or not they would have each other's backs when it came down to it.
I'm not in the business of saving lives, Nadine. I'll leave that to you and Swagger.
Isaac
That moment showed that when it's all said and done, they both will have each other's six. For now.
Nevertheless, they'll probably keep bickering like siblings in desperate need of a get-along shirt, which is perfectly fine because it's so much fun to watch, but there was a huge step taken in their partnership.
There's a quote from USA's In Plain Sight that came to mind during the Earl portion of the hour:"One of the most difficult points in anyone's life is when the fog of childhood lifts and we see for the first time our parents as people."
After the whammy of finding out that his father was a co-founder of Atlas, Bob Lee also had to accept that his father had an affair with Edie Poole. That wasn't much of a surprise, but it was still difficult to swallow.
The moment where Bob Lee recalled meeting Edie at the feed store once was particularly heartbreaking because he was looking back on that moment with this newfound knowledge and without the naiveté and aloofness of a child.
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It sucks that Bob Lee has to keep finding out so many things about this man he idolized from everyone other than his family. It also sucks that everyone around town knew so many things about Earl but never saw it fit to talk to Bob Lee about them.
Sam, for instance, holds back on everything, and while he's supposedly an old family friend, it makes him seem untrustworthy. Other than that, he's finding out nuggets of truth from the Sheriff, Solotov, and Red Bama. That's not cool.
The more I learn about him, the more I realize everything I knew about him was a lie.
Bob Lee
The information led him back to the Poole hillbillies. Do you think their criminal activities will play a role down the line or was it something thrown in for the hell of it? Either way, the Pooles are despicable.
Their attempt to get the jump on Bob Lee was laughable. One doesn't simply threaten and attempt to intimidate Bob Lee and get away without an ass whooping. Nice try, though.
It's a pity that Edie is right there in town but can't take in the teenage girl who keeps helping Bob Lee. It didn't feel right when he left her in that house with those abusive jackasses.
Bob Lee's way of handling the Pooles and obtaining information isn't the most ideal, but Julie has some finesse. It was a bit odd that she was the one to approach Edie and Edie just handed over the old letters she and Earl exchanged. Wouldn't it make more sense if she gave them to Bob Lee instead?
It gave Julie something to do and tied her into the storyline involving Earl Swagger. Inquiring minds want to know what Julie expects from Bob Lee?
As far as we know, Bob Lee doesn't technically have a job. Doesn't he consult? Why, better yet, how does she expect him to not be involved in conspiracies or investigations or anything like that? What does she want from him?
Bob Lee: Harris got grabbed.
Julie: What does that have to do with you?
Other than her visible frustration with Bob Lee for wanting to help Harris and save lives (because who cares if people die, am I right?), she wasn't a nuisance, and she had something of importance to do. Sadly, Julie hasn't impressed in a long time though.
What does Gregson have up her sleeve? How much are you enjoying Red Bama being the latest "big bad" of the series? Is the Nadine/Isaac pair up everything you could ever want? Hit the comments below, Shooter Fanatics!
Don't forget, you can watch Shooter online 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.
