Based on the sheer amount of advertising there’s been for The Terminal List, it’s quite obvious that Amazon desperately wants this show to succeed. And why wouldn’t they? The novels it’s based on, by Jack Carr, are bestsellers, and Chris Pratt and Antoine Fuqua are involved, among other big names. On paper, these are advantages that should lift this show to the top, but in reality, these are obstacles that need to be overcome before it can ascend. Sadly, The Terminal List often stumbles because of this, but some committed performances and standout moments prevent this series from being a total misfire.

Before I begin, I should point out that I’ve read the first two novels in Jack Carr’s Terminal List series, including the one that was adapted into this show. Because of this, I will occasionally make comparisons and references to said books, mainly because I believe those comments will truly help to elucidate my points.

As shown in the numerous trailers, Chris Pratt plays Navy SEAL James Reece, who’s recently returned from an operation abroad that went horribly awry, resulting in the utter destruction of his platoon. While he’s told that a terrorist is responsible, Reece quickly discovers that there may be more to the story. Teaming with a relentless journalist, Katie Buranek (Constance Wu), and an old SEAL buddy, Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch), Reece begins to compile a list of those who played a part in his platoon’s ambush. It’s not long before they realize that all signs point to home, to the U.S. of A, to some of the most powerful and wealthy individuals in the country, corporately and politically. All the while, Reece’s mind gradually fails him, and it soon becomes clear that Reece may have more than one battle to fight.

For me, The Terminal List almost plays out in two distinct halves, with episodes one through four representing the show at its dullest, and episodes five through eight representing the show at its most exciting. From the off, we’re thrown into full military mode, with Reece and his SEAL platoon inserted into Syria to take down a chemical weapons expert. Then the ambush occurs, and the resulting shootout is appropriately chaotic and riveting. It moves the needle, which is likely due to Antoine Fuqua’s confident and experienced direction. After this though, the show bogs itself down with some clichéd fluff, but hey, the writers had to get eight episodes out of this somehow. It really bothers me that Antoine Fuqua was wasted on this first episode, one that features minimal action and bog-standard dialogue.

After some requisite character introductions and weepy family scenes involving Reece’s wife and daughter (Riley Keough and Arlo Mertz), the show does find its footing a bit more. I quickly noticed that The Terminal List is at its most watchable when it pairs Reece with doers, like Katie and Ben. While I often found Constance Wu’s Katie a little dull, at least she drives the story forward, making her scenes all the more engaging. That said, the best scenes are those with Reece and Ben. When those two link up, more often than not, stuff is about to hit the fan. It also doesn’t hurt that Chris Pratt and Taylor Kitsch have pretty strong on-screen chemistry. If there are any scenes that save the earliest episodes, it’s the ones that those two share.

Before I press on, I want to address the action in this series, as it’s one of the primary features that will attract viewers to The Terminal List. While there’s only a limited amount early on, there are flashes of the brutal, bloody violence that’s to come. In the latter half, the action picks up and becomes more sustained, which is partially why that half is better. Like in Carr’s books, there’s an overriding emphasis on realism, which is quite apparent with some of the gun handling and technical lingo on display. For action buffs, they’ll notice things like blanks and practical explosions, and be quite pleased. I, for one, was extremely grateful for the general lack of CGI. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed at times. Yes, the violence is graphic, but not in a way that’s memorable, like in the novels. Similarly, the action scenes are entertaining, but they’re not filmed well enough to feel like anything more than a slightly elevated version of what you’d see on SEAL Team. All in all, the action is good, but there’s room for improvement.

It’s not until the latter half of the season that The Terminal List begins to feel like the program hinted at in the trailers. Sure, Reece takes care of a few baddies in the earlier episodes, but at that point, the conspiracy surrounding his platoon’s ambush is still mostly unclear. By episode five, however, everything starts to come into focus, since more players and plot points have been introduced. In other words, due to the show’s thin writing and structure, the earlier episodes lack the form and intrigue that the later, more developed episodes exhibit. It takes a while, arguably too long, for this series to become the political revenge thriller its intent on being. This is mainly because of one major alteration that the writers, led by David DiGilio, made when adapting the book.

You see, in the novel The Terminal List, there’s a cabal of villains with one clear leader. This means that, from the outset, the readers get to enjoy more insight into the villains’ aims while also having a primary antagonist to fervently despise. For some reason, the show’s writers decided to do away with that structure, opting for a slow reveal format with less-defined bad guys. The problem with that is, well, it’s just not that compelling. Perhaps it could’ve been, if any of the show’s reveals were surprising, which they almost never were. This series needed a central villain for one main reason: it’s a revenge story first and a political conspiracy second. Jack Carr understood this and structured his debut novel accordingly, and thus, it was successful. The writers of this show fundamentally misunderstood this, and the end product consequently suffers because of it.*

To me, the changes made by The Terminal List‘s writers seem orchestrated for one specific purpose: to make this series as broadly appealing as possible. This is the primary obstacle I alluded to earlier; that the inclusions of Pratt, Fuqua, and so on in an Amazon Prime show actually restrict the series instead of freeing it. After all, with a star like Pratt on a platform like Prime, there’s going to be pressure to craft an easily digestible product. But the thing is, Jack Carr’s novels are oriented toward an audience that’s more niche than broad. In many ways, those niche traits – the unabashed insubordination, brutal violence, and yes, right-leaning politics – are what make his books a blast to read. For their readers, that’s what gives them personality, but for a TV producer, that’s what makes them an unsafe bet. Stripping this series of its source material’s uniqueness was a misstep, but I think it’s one they could eventually amend once they realize who their core audience is.**

Thankfully, Chris Pratt’s committed performance often counteracts this show’s flaws. I’m not saying he’s mind-blowingly good or anything, or even that his performance is the best of the series (that’s probably Kitsch or Jeanne Tripplehorn as Lorraine Hartley). Still, every time I felt unsure about the dialogue or storytelling, I could see Pratt trying his darnedest to honor the SEALs his character is based on, and that brought me back. For an actor who’s clearly best in comedic roles, he really comports himself well here. Episode six is when I fully realized how solid Pratt is as Reece, in an episode that forces him to stretch his acting muscles both literally and figuratively. All things considered, I understand why some found his performance to be a little bland, but for those who read the books, like myself, they’ll likely see James Reece more than anything else.

At the end of the day, The Terminal List was always going to divide critics and viewers alike. Many will find it dull and improbable, while others will find it thrilling and truthful. Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle of those viewpoints. Despite this show’s action and realism being up my alley, I found its dialogue and storytelling to be thoroughly lacking, both on their own merit and when compared to the novel. I can’t help but to ponder: would the show have been better had they made it a more faithful adaptation? I think so, but I also realize that Carr’s novel is less suited to an eight-episode TV series, while also being a lot more divisive. His version of The Terminal List is a whole-fat political thriller, but Amazon prefers 1%, so that’s what we got. Hey, at least it’s not skim.***

If I had to score it, I’d give season one of The Terminal List a 6/10.

Notes:

* If anyone deserves credit for bringing a little villainy to the proceedings, it’s Jai Courtney, who played venture capitalist Steve Horn. Courtney seems to know what’s best for this kind of show, imbuing his performance with a bit of 1990s action flick energy. The man gets it.

** I normally try to abstain from referencing other reviews in my reviews, but I feel I need to here. For one reason or another, a lot of critics are being condescending or outright political when critiquing this series. I’ve seen many of them label The Terminal List as a “right wing fantasy” or a generic “dad show.” These kinds of comments, which I’ve never seen in such abundance, rub me the wrong way. The way I see it, if supporting a man seeking revenge on a bunch of rich and powerful people is right wing, then I guess everyone who hates rich and powerful people is right wing. That being, oh I don’t know, most American citizens. I know the show’s military side also implies a right lean, but again, most Americans support their troops and veterans. To me, The Terminal List is mostly apolitical; there’s not a single mention of Democrats or Republicans the entire season. Of course, the current political and social climate affects the perception of content like this. I understand that, but come on, it’s not like Jack Carr is the first to ever tread this path.

*** Please forgive my corny dairy metaphor.