TV Review: ‘Reacher: Season Three’

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Review by James Lindorf

The only thing more unstoppable than Jack Reacher the character appears to be the Jack Reacher media empire. It has been 28 years since Lee Child introduced the world to the Retired Army Major in 1997’s “Killing Floor.” Later this year, the 30th full-length Reacher adventure will be published. There are short stories, a long-running series set in Reacher’s world, two movies starring one of the biggest names in Hollywood history, and the popular streaming series “Reacher” on Amazon Prime. A series that will be returning for its third season on February 20th, and if that isn’t enough, a fourth season and a spin-off series have already been announced.

Based on “Persuader,” the seventh novel in the series, season 3 finds Reacher (Alan Ritchson) trapped in a mansion on the coast of Maine owned by Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), a rug importer. But of course, not everything is as it seems; for someone who sells rugs, Beck has a surprising number of secrets and a small army of armed guards. The first episode opens as the purest form of adaptation, going beat for beat with one of the best sequences in all 29 novels. Being confined to a room while people decide your fate isn’t a good time, no matter how posh the location. But then the season’s first twist is revealed: Reacher hasn’t entered the lion’s den; he is the lion, and lots of bad guys will experience his brand of justice.

From the first moment of episode one, it has been clear that Alan Ritchson is the driving force behind this series. Outside of his talented castmates, the weight of the series falls on his shoulders. Luckily for MGM, Amazon, and everyone else involved, they found a lead actor who was chiseled out of pure charisma. Ritchson’s Reacher is cocky, intelligent, and a master of the deadpan joke, effortlessly mixing humor with his serious side. Ritchson owns every moment, whether leading his subordinates, bull rushing through angry locals, squaring off against Paulie (Olivier Richters), who manages to make Reacher look average, or offering gruff but heartfelt advice to Beck’s traumatized kid.

That said, there is room for improvement. If I had to pick one thing for Ritchson to work on between now and next season, it is being a more convincing liar. Often, when he plays dumb, it comes off so bad you can’t understand how the bag guys are buying it. Of course, it helps that they are hearing what they want to hear in a stressful situation, and Reacher always proves himself capable, adding validity to his words even if they aren’t delivered as well.

The character development in this season keeps the audience engaged and invested in the story. Reacher is the embodiment of the immovable object. He has his code of ethics that has guided him since making a promise to his mother as a child. Even if those ethics lead to broken arms, cracked skulls, and the occasional bullet wound, Reacher stays the course, doing what he believes in. Because death is the only thing that would cause Reacher to deviate from his mission, character variability and traditional character arcs, if applicable, have to go to someone in the supporting cast. This season, it belongs to Sonya Cassidy as Susan Duffy, a DEA agent whose own personal vendetta intertwines with Reacher’s. The British actress disappears behind an often obnoxiously thick Boston accent to become the wry guilt riddle shotgun to Reacher’s time bomb. When Reacher makes his decision to go off, it might kill everyone, assuming Duffy doesn’t ruin the plan by rushing into every opportunity and letting the bad guys win. If they could tone down the accent, I would love to see further adventures of Duffy and her team of agents. Anthony Michael Hall also gives a solid performance, adding layers to Beck and the season as a whole, but this is the Reacher and Duffy show, and no one can outshine them.

“Killing Floor” is my favorite Reacher story, which makes me a little biased towards season one, but season three is in the running for the best so far. “Reacher” works best when the cast is smaller, and Reacher has a personal and slightly guilt-driven connection to the victims. The series is running full steam ahead, and as long as the audience returns, I would expect a fourth season to be the first step in continuing the franchise. The best thing Amazon could do to ensure this is to give the creative team a slightly higher budget. Reacher is a force of nature, brutal and methodical even in the most absurd moments, but not the kind of absurdity seen in blockbuster action films. Still, a little more money would allow a bump in quality to the action choreography and greatly improved visual effects, making “Reacher” tier Television in every aspect. As is, “Reacher” Season Three is a 4.25 out of 5 for being the most violent and complex season to date.