Reacher, Episode 2.6: Is Reacher homophobic? With a Ritchson p enis, a Bertchtold butt, and my new favorite catchphrase

In Season 3 of Reacher, the iterant do-gooder (Alan Ritchson, below) mentors shy, troubled college student Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold).  Richard has a lot of queer codes, such as lack of expressed heterosexual interest and a preference for lavender.  When he stands in Reacher's bedroom doorway after a crisis and asks "Are you ok?", I expected them to hug...or maybe kiss.

I wanted to know if he is canonically gay, so I did a Google search.

Nothing came up about Richard, but some Reddit discussion board posts complained that Reacher was homophobic because he roughed up a gay guy during Season 2.  

Reacher often expresses a disdain for actions, interests, and behaviors that fail to meet alpha-male hegemonic masculinity ("Help you with your flower arrangement?  Nope, nope, I'm teaching you to box"), so I could see him being homophobic.  Let's check out the scene.

It's Episode 2.6, "New York's Finest."

The Story So Far:  A member of Reacher's former military investigation team is murdered, and the whole team may be in danger, so the Man-Mountain and his buddies investigate, from Atlantic City to New York to Denver and back, as the players become more and more powerful.  There are corrupt politicians, corrupt cops, enemies that turn out to be friends, and friends who turn out to be enemies. 

When two hitmen target Reacher and his buds, they kill one and interrogate the other.  He was hired by Swan (Shannon Kook, left), assistant head of security at the defense company New Age (dumb name, innit?).  

They go to the New Age company to ask about Swan.  Director of Operations Marlo arranges a meeting at a warehouse, but when they arrive, it explodes!  She set them up! 

I don't know who plays the hitman, but it could be Kyle Mac, seen here tied up next to Craig Henderson on Hemlock Grove (2013)

In Episode 2.6, the team will look for Marlo, who has gone into hiding.

Opening Ad: Why you should join the army, har har.

Scene 1:  Reacher's team consists ofL

1. Francis Neaghley, his former partner (a woman)

2. The Hacker, a young woman.

3. David O'Donnell (Sean Sipos, below), below, a lawyer and heterosexual "family man."

They find Marlo and her teenage daughter on the security cam of a convenience store run by a sleazy, hetero-horny clerk.  Noting that the daughter is a gamer, the Hacker suggests tracking her down through her gamer tag.  First they have to wait until she begins playing. 

Scene 2: While they are waiting, Reacher has sex with team member Francis.

More after the break.

Scene 3: The Hacker bursts in to tell them that the daughter started playing.  She's about an hour's drive away.

Commercial Break: Why you should visit Abu Dhabi (nope, being gay is a felony there), and something about nuclear families. 

Scene 4: The prim, prissy Chad (Cory Bertrand) is giving Marlo wine and asking if they need food.  No, "you've done so much for us already."  

She claims that she left an abusive boyfriend, which Chad understands, because the same thing happened when he "left Thomas."  Gay identity established in his second sentence.

Suddenly the sprinklers outside the house go off.  "I'm going to fire my groundskeeper!" Chad exclaims, and goes outside to take care of it.  Is this the stereotype that all gay men are rich, or is it just that the Head of Operations at a defense company is likely to have rich friends.

Outside, Chad is grabbed by Reacher and the team and taken to the garage.  He thinks Reacher is the abusive boyfriend, and insults him: "You gotta hit a woman to feel big.  You're pathetic."

They explain that Marlo lied about the ex-boyfriend -- she actually tried to murder them -- and order Chad to call her into the garage. They can't go in and get her themselves because it would traumatize the daughter (they have the Hacker playing video games with her so she doesn't find out what is happening).

Chad refuses, so Reacher makes a homemade silencer for his gun and threatens to shoot him in the leg. "And don't scream, or I'll shoot you in the head."

He calls Marlo out.  They sit her down and ask why she sent them into a trap.  She didn't know; when they came in to ask questions, Swan got spooked, and told her to send them to the address.  She was actually trying to "stop all this." 

Chad has no idea what's going on, and keeps interrupting, but they point guns and say "Shut up, Chad."  That's my new favorite catchphrase.

 Finally Reacher says he can go.  At the door, he says, "Marlo, don't take this the wrong way, but find a f*king hotel."

Big Reveal: Security Director Langdon has hired some corrupt cops to help him sell bombs to terrorists.

I didn't see any homophobia here, except for some gay stereotyping.  Reacher acts as if he is barely able to restrain himself from punching Chad in the face, but that's the way he treats everyone, even his friends.  So many of his friends and lovers have betrayed him that he assumes everyone is waiting to stab him in the back. 

Actor Cory, who is gay in real life,  says that he had "a blast" working on the show.  It doessn't look like there was much homophobia in the cast.

Bonus: A young Alan Ritchson with a pixilated p enis 

See also: Johnny Berchtold: I have good news and bad news.  The good news is his c ock

Reacher Episode 3.1: The man-mountain buddy-bonds with a gay college student, and there are plot twists and d*cks

Workaholics Episode 1.10: Adam would suck a man's cock for $900.  Does he take credit cards?