This article has spoilers for Reacher Season 3, Episodes 1-3
It’s always interesting to see how a television show develops season after season, especially when you have a hit show on your hands like Prime Video‘s Reacher, where sticking to the formula can sometimes be a bad thing.
Season one saw Reacher working on his own, with some help from a small-town police department. Season two was more about working with his old squad from the army days. After watching the first three episodes of Reacher season 3, it is clear that they have picked more of a season one approach, as Reacher works solo while getting some outside help, this time from the DEA. As with season one, this approach seems to work best, as the season is off to a very solid start.
Things start quickly in the premiere, which is no real surprise in this show as Reacher (Alan Ritchson), picking up right where we left off in season two, wanders into another small town and smacks into trouble again. This time, however, while he saves the day, he also shoots a cop in the process, which immediately changes the tone. However, after the kid he saved, Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold), gets Reacher to take him to his wealthy father for a reward, we find out this was all a ruse, as Reacher is working with the FBI to go undercover in the father’s business and find out what’s going on.
There are a few new key players in Reacher season 3 and a familiar face. The father, Zachary Beck, is played by veteran actor Anthony Michael Hall and does a solid job in the first few episodes as the brooding rug tycoon dealing in more than just rugs. DEA agent Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) leads the small team that recruited Reacher to help out. This team includes veteran Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos) and rookie Steven Elliot (Daniel David Stewart). They are already in way over their head, but with the mix of personal and professional reasons for Duffy, they are all in.
Suffice it to say the first three episodes, and most likely the rest of the season, are about Reacher and his ability to walk the line between a hired gun and a good guy/DEA kind of teammate. It’s not exactly a new story, and honestly, as it’s been done many times before. Still, one of the keys to making this work is the fast-paced scenes and story, which the show has successfully done for the most part over the first two seasons. In fact, this is Reacher’s personality as well: straight to the point, with no grey areas, life is just life, and problems are to be solved. His character makeup fuels the show’s fast pace, which can help hide the parts that seem tired and somewhat recycled.
There are a couple of quick phone interactions with Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), who has been in every season, but it’s unclear how much she will be a part of the remaining episodes. The new cast has its work cut out, going toe to toe with Reacher, verbally and physically, in ways that make the interactions interesting. Anthony Michael Hall is fun so far as Zachary Beck, a father who is losing his grip on his relationship with his son and his “rug” business. At the same time, Sonya Cassidy, as Duffy, is tough and sarcastic, making even Reacher blink twice a few times (this is usually how he shows any kind of emotional change on a normal day).
There is a personal element for both Duffy and Reacher, raising the stakes even higher on this particular mission. There are a lot of tense moments when they sneak around, almost getting caught, but also some more down-to-earth scenes, especially between Reacher and Beck’s son Richard. Those scenes are executed well, just long enough to nudge a little bit of facial emotion from Reacher but not too long that they become sappy and/or boring. A few storylines are being juggled already, and that’s where things get a bit bogged down at times. This includes the man the DEA trio is illegally detaining in a cabin to get information and scenes that are too long or don’t seem to fit.
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However, the action is top-notch again in Reacher season 3, with plenty of fists and bullets flying, including a game of Russian Roulette, to satisfy the action fan. It’s almost funny to see the introduction of bodyguard/thug Paulie (Olivier Richters), who is much bigger than Reacher, as Reacher has always given off the bigger-than-life persona. It helps humanize him a bit more, which is a good thing, as sometimes he does things that almost seem superhuman in strength and endurance. While that is part of his charm, it’s nice to be reminded that there are people out there even bigger than he is.
Minus a few bogged-down scenes and some odd dialogue, the first three episodes of season three were tight, fun, and fast-paced. They are juggling a lot so far, but the quick tempo helps keep both the action and story moving. There are some potential traps out there in terms of romance and being too predictable. Still, Ritchson seems born to play the role, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him put everyone on his shoulders and sidestep those traps. As always, Reacher always sees things through to the end.