Diehard fans might say that Tom Cruise can do no wrong nowadays, but he and director Christopher McQuarrie’s take on Lee Child’s treasured Jack Reacher character was poorly received by those looking for more than a quick action thrill. Prime Video’s Reacher successfully brought out the most from Child’s vision for the central role, with Alan Ritchson embodying the character’s size and intelligence far better than Cruise. Halfway through its second season, the series and Ritchson are positively nailing this take on small-screen action adaptation.
‘Reacher’ Season 2 Plot
Based on the eleventh Jack Reacher novel, Bad Luck and Trouble, a member of Reacher’s old ex-army investigators in New York alerts him that one of their associates died mysteriously. As a result, the detective puts together the team to determine if someone is hunting them all down.
Alan Ritchson and the Potent Distillation of Jack Reacher
When the series debuted in 2022, critics set nearly all of the show’s flaws aside to mention its instant superiority to McQuarrie’s film adaptation. Ritchson’s casting made for a far better encapsulation of how Child designed the titular character, with a physical presence that dominates every scene. But Reacher is not just a massive man: he also has to come across as a brilliant detective, and the longer Ritchson has played this role, the more he has perfected that genius in a not-too-corny manner.
Though still with plenty of show left, Ritchson and company have set themselves up for success with an all-hits-no-misses first half. The pacing of this second season is nearly flawless, balancing hooky suspense with instant gratification that spreads the appeal beyond Ritchson’s exceptional presence. Inhumans’ Serinda Swan works well when playing off Reacher’s witty dialogue, and Robert Patrick remains a pleasant force as always.
Serinda Swan in ‘Reacher’
Perfect Action TV Does Not Always Equal Universal Appeal
Of course, like any knowingly enjoyable action feature, the dumb fun factor is positively maxed out, which means those coming for extreme seriousness have completely mischaracterized their expectations for the show. Even without truly moving character experience, the show’s faithful design for this character is as captivating as Child’s novels, and the resulting drama can be as gripping as the typical action fare at times. Like the first season, developer Nick Santora has bestowed Season 2 with elevated elements without producing an enlightened experience (based on the audience the show draws, everyone is pretty much on board with that).
Santora and his fellow writers have honored the most significant qualities that made Jack Reacher stand out in written form. Ritchson and Santora will likely keep up the momentum with the remaining second-season episodes, as audiences have already clamored for more adaptations from this group.
Reacher is streaming now on Prime Video.