'Reacher' delivers the goods in Season 3
Alan Ritchson makes it all work as a well-read, ass-kicking drifter.
The best action heroes find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, giving audiences an entertaining view of their escape from those dangerous waters. The hero can be a tough guy with a huge body, but a sense of humor and history of picking up a book or two to read makes him even better. After all, the guy is eventually going to have to speak at some point so being well-read and quick with a joke pushes the entire plot forward.
Alan Ritchson does all of that as Jack Reacher, or just Reacher. From the moment he pops out of a car and into frame in Season 3 of the Prime Video series hit, there’s not an ounce of disbelief wasted. Just a tower of protein, persuasion, and bloody intentions if the time calls for it. Ritchson’s Reacher also finds himself in tough spots every couple of years or so.
After Season 2 saw him toss the very bad Robert Patrick out of an airplane for killing members of his unit and say goodbye to the still-living members of his team for a trip down the highway, Reacher finds himself in another setting with unsettling events taking place. Season 3 wisely opens by throwing the audience into a live undercover plot, with the big guy saving the son of a rug company tycoon (Anthony Michael Hall) who may be moving more than floor mats.
Of course, there’s a key reason for him to be involved and it always has to do with a form of revenge. Unlike Reacher’s coffee, he likes to continually serve that dish cold. In working with a team of officers again, Reacher must connect the dots of a wide-reaching conspiracy in order to save the day. If you saw the trailer for the latest season, you know he’s chasing a man named Quinn who brutally murdered one of his friends a while back. When the incredibly smart Neagley picks up what Jack is putting down over the phone and he hangs up, one knows it’s serious.
Sonya Cassidy fills the seasonal spot of the love interest who also keeps Reacher in line, and she does it well. Rocking a hybrid accent with some New Orleans and Irish mixed into a spitfire blender, Cassidy needs him to help her find a missing girl. Conveniently, she went missing at the rug doctor’s mansion. Like the first two seasons, creator Nicky Santoro knows that every strong man needs a strong woman to keep them in line and also float the possibility of some romance.
Throw in Olivier Richters for the antagonistic angle, filling the role of the large soul who stands across from the star of the show for a tussle. For the first time in the show’s history, Reacher has a match for an opponent. Someone who isn’t going to go gently into a right-cross and uppercut night, Richters’ Paulie poses a challenge for Reacher that the show writers tease perfectly with steely confrontations and a Bavarian arm wrestling match in a gym.
Once again, the previews for the season promise a nice fight between the two, something that the third season direly needed. No offense to Mr. T-1000, but Patrick in his 60s isn’t a good match for the ripped-to-shit Ritchson. Inserting Mr. Richters, a former bodybuilding champion, was a wise move that’s teasing something bigger in the first three episodes.
Based on the Lee Child novel, Persuader, Season 3 mixes in a human trafficking angle into the plot with the missing woman possibly being hidden on the trucks with the transportation of rugs… or maybe not. The first three hours don’t give all of it away, but filter in plenty of Reacher trimmings and specialties to get fans primed for the final batch of episodes, which will be released weekly until the finale on March 27.
Ritchson makes all of it work. The inconceivable trappings of the plot, a wicked one liner, or just a decent stare. There was a moment in the first season where a guy was roughing up his girlfriend and yelling at her outside a diner, and all Reacher had to do was stand there and stare at him. Most actors could pull a cold, mean stare off and fulfill the needs of the scene. Ritchson, though, left no doubt. He installs fear from the jump, something that the fiery yet undersized Tom Cruise could never do as the character.
If Cruise had to fight big Paulie, he’d need one of those rug trucks to run him over with before the fisticuffs even got started. Ritchson doesn’t need the movie star history or any advanced interrogation techniques; he just squeezes all the juice out of the role with a witty blend of charisma, brawn, and brains. People keep underestimating Reacher. After Season 3, they’ll never underestimate the action star power of Ritchson.
I’m only mad or sad that there’s just five episodes left. Whatever happens with James Bond over at Amazon/MGM, just make sure it doesn’t interfere with the adaptation of every single Child novel. A long list of recent movies couldn’t pack the entertainment and humor that one episode of Reacher provides. Show some self-respect and get on Season 3. And bring a change of clothes for Jack. He only keeps the pair he’s wearing.
My wife hasn’t watched the latest episode, one where Cassidy’s Susan Duffy sees a mostly naked Reacher walking up to get a change of clothes after a swim and simply says, “fuck me.”
Said every woman all over the world. Action heroes shouldn’t just save the day and look good doing it. They need to inspire their viewers to work out, read a book or two, and woo a few ladies who are just as strong. In this embattled country, we need Reacher more than ever. Happy watching, folks.