Reacher is back and better than ever…well, that isn’t so difficult to do because Alan Ritchson’s mere presence is always a joyous occasion! The adaptation of Lee Childs’ Jack Reacher novel series turns to the 2003 entry Persuader and takes us to Maine, where Jack Reacher saves a college student from an attempted kidnapping, but like most trouble that Reacher finds, there is so much more going on.
Taking its cues from Season 2, the third season delves into another part of Reacher’s past, coming back to bite him on his firm ass in the present. Without spoiling the specifics (yes, the novel is 22 years old, but I have not read it), Season 3 has Reacher going undercover to protect a young man because his father, a successful rug importer, has gotten involved with some dangerous people, and for added drama the DEA are sniffing around. With Reacher involved, shit is undoubtedly going to hit the fan.
Tonally, the show doesn’t stray too far from its previous seasons. There is a comical through line that continues to be embraced through Reacher’s socially awkward demeanour, blunt delivery and notable size. His banter is clearly amped up this season; I guess the naturally extroverted comedian within Ritchson could not be restrained. However, there is a seriousness this season that cuts deep, as another one of Reacher’s past traumas is revealed and fellow protagonist Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy), the DEA agent in charge, has some open wounds in need of healing. The melding of these two tones makes Reacher what it ultimately is: a an entertaining, fantastical interpretation of the modern hero. Sometimes, it’s silly, but the explicit violence and emotional story make for a thoroughly engaging and fun watch. This tonal balance is crucial to the series and ultimately cannot be achieved without Ritchson internalizing it.
Ritchson is critical to the show’s success, and the action solidifies this sentiment. This season supersedes last season, though I did not find last season strikingly bad in the action department; there were some shortcomings, but nothing suggests that there wasn’t a considerable effort made to make for an entertaining show. However, compared to this season, you can tell that Ritchson must have felt restless not just as an actor but as a producer. There is a more intimate approach, a touch of ambition, and more involvement from Ritchson. You can tell from the screen that Ritchson is behind the scenes, moulding the show to his skills and desire to do more and be a better Reacher.
The cast is all-around fantastic, though we are returning to a model of character work that makes Reacher stand out as an anomaly. In the second season, Reacher is surrounded by people who know him, know his quirks, and, for the most part, accept his decisions and actions with little pushback because they have similar sensibilities. Season 3 echoes Season 1, where Reacher becomes entangled with law enforcement, who must keep up with him and his unusual methods. The notable new character is Sonya Cassidy’s Duffy. She is a hotheaded, shit-talking DEA agent who, like Reacher, follows her wild instincts over arbitrary rules and procedures. She is more or less an obvious archetype of the type of woman Reacher tends to attract: white women who don’t take to being belittled, brushed off or dismissed because of their gender and can kick ass.
Brian Tee is steps into the bad guy role as Xavier Quinn, whose menacing presence creates an unsettling atmosphere throughout the season. He isn’t in the show as much as other villains, but when he does appear, he plays the role of a narcissistic psychopath very well. His narrative is tied to that of Mariah Robinson’s Dominique Kohl, Reacher’s previous subordinate who takes centre stage in perhaps the most harrowing episode in the entire series. Anthony Michael Hall and Johnny Berchtold are stellar as the father-son duo that get unwittingly tangled in the battle between Reacher and Quinn and are ostensibly the emotional anchor of the season. Hall, in particular, is engrossing as he is one of those actors who just brings a sense of gravitas to everything he touches; he is just that engaging to watch. The rest of the ensemble is comprised of diverse personalities that are either great comic relief, emotional gut punches or punching bags for Reacher.
The one area in which the character development takes a stumble is the romance. Not to get on a soapbox or anything, but every female lead doesn’t have to have the hots for Reacher. Neagley (Maria Sten) is the exception who benefits from being an intriguing character in her own right, so much so that she gets her own spinoff. The moment Cassidy appeared on screen, I felt an almost immediate sense of dread because I could see the timer tattooed on her forehead, counting down to when she and Reacher hooked up. This may be canon so I guess it gets a pass, but making narrative changes to fit a new format or time and place is commonplace for book-to-TV adaptation.
This trope is becoming an uncomfortable pattern for a show that is only 3 seasons deep. This trope works for James Bond because he is a womanizer, gross as it may be, but that is ingrained in his appeal; Jack Reacher has other things going for him, or so I hope. I have never read the Lee Childs series, and quite frankly, I have no intention to because romanticized books about macho white men are not my cup of tea, but I digress. It would benefit the characterization of TV Reacher if every once in a while he and his female counterparts have a platonic working relationship that do not blur the lines. Neagley cannot be the only exception because, it’s possible to have the ultra-masculine male lead have more than one lady friend and partner without something going on.
Furthermore, it simply diminishes Cassidy’s work at crafting a captivating character who stands on her own. She is dynamic, and as strong and capable as she is, she is gripped with anxiety over her mistakes. She dwells on things and is unable to stop fixating on how she can do things better. In many ways, she mirrors Reacher, though she lacks that cold, inhumane demeanor that Reacher possess. She runs hot, he runs cold, it’s a compelling dynamic that is ruined by compulsory romance. Ultimately, she is morphed into a prop to service Reacher’s narrative needs rather than the two being mutually beneficial in their respective journeys.
Additionally, Cassidy is sporting an insane Boston-meets-Brooklyn (or perhaps South Side Chicago) accent that is already difficult to overcome, and this perfunctory decision makes her hard to take seriously. It reduces her character to some box that needs to be checked. The story could have been enriched by having Duffy be totally independent of Reacher with only this cast tying them together. Well, that and their weirdly compatible humour and reckless spirits.
Reacher is a series in literature and TV bound by expectations, tropes and archetypes. So much of the series relies on the characters outside of Reacher (and Neagley by extension) to be simplified concepts to serve a purpose to the story and to Reacher’s development, but there is only so much rinse and repeat that a show that is potentially going to be a long-running commitment can handle. The scripts have slivers of imaginative writing and subversive ideas of the classic hero’s journey that make this adaptation feel more grounded and contemporary. Reacher isn’t infallible; he is a human who makes mistakes despite having rather rigid rules in his life. The show truly shines when Reacher, a seemingly perfect specimen, is pinned to a corner, forced to think or fight out of a situation and then face the consequences. Sure, he always gets out of trouble, but he is not totally impervious to consequences.
Additionally, the show benefits from Ritchson being a sensitive, outgoing, and passionate person, as evidenced by his public appearances and personal testimony about his beliefs, political leanings, and personal life. The show has the potential to modernize the ideas that Lee Childs has built an empire upon without any risk of damaging the beloved literary hero’s reputation. The changes don’t have to be grand. In fact, it is as simple as not having every female lead sleep with Reacher because he is hot and totally down to…have fun. Sex and romance are often intrinsically linked to the action genre because it adds to the desirability of the male lead, but here, at least in this season, it really isn’t needed, especially since Serinda Swan’s Dixon was made to feel special in the prior season.
Putting that aside, Reacher is honestly always a good time. Each season seems to be improving upon the last, whether in the cinematography, the acting, the action, or the script. There are incremental changes that make each season feel and look better than the last. For a show that hit it out of the park in the first round, it is hard to see the quality of the show dip dramatically anytime soon. Nick Santora, the showrunner, seems to be growing in strength with each season, and that could only be because the source material has been so influential, prosperous, and wide-spanning and because his lead is as involved as he is.
The best compliment to Reacher is that the audiences who love the show simply want more. The wait between seasons is excruciating, especially when considering how much time it would take to develop every book or, at the very least, half of it. With network shows of similar DNA lasting for decades, it feels especially hard to accept what little we are getting despite the overall rewarding experience. Ultimately, I think we are benefiting from the restraint. Reacher is a great show; the crew is top-notch, and there is a strong understanding of how to make Reacher a worthy hero in contemporary times. Now, let us all wait patiently for Season 4, and Neagley. It will surely be worth the wait.
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