Streaming series review - Reacher: Season 2

Reacher: Season 2 **** (out of 5) Ever since Season One hit the streamiverse (is that a word?), fans have been speculating and salivating about the arrival of the next of Lee Childs’ 28 Reacher novels to provide the source material for another round with their icon. Season One was based on the first and included the childhood part of Reacher’s backstory that shaped his values. This one is based on the 11th, Bad Luck and Trouble, which seems apt for the medium. This one shows us the strong military ties and allegiances that explains more about his character and skills.

For those who’ve only seen the Tom Cruise Reacher movies, prepare for a major tone shift. Alan Ritchson is a laconic, focused hulk who is supposedly much truer to the Reacher of the novels than the diminutive and perkier Mr. Cruise. I advise starting with Season One, since some of it carries over to this one, though the location, most of the cast and the challenge to be met are all different.

Reacher is a former Army special investigator who’d hand-picked an exceptional team to handle the worst of the military’s nemeses, here and abroad, with their particular sets of collective skills. In the novels, he’s become a wanderer, traveling on his own with minimal baggage – emotional or physical – like a contemporary Kwai Chang Caine from the 1970s Kung Fu series. He learns that someone is killing off his former squad members and assembles the rest to suss out the who and why behind this plot, foil the plan and eliminate the planners.

The eight episodes will certainly not disappoint franchise fans. There’s suspense about the baddies’ identities and endgame; plenty of well-staged action, minimal dialog; evildoings worthy of their pursuit; and character-defining flashbacks to the former unit that never waste viewers’ time; plus occasional bits of wry macho comic relief. Unlike many series that seem to drag out plots to fill a contracted length of running time for the package, these eight hourlong episodes are tight. A one-day binge was super easy; barely an inconvenience (that last sentence is for action movie buffs who also spend too much time on YouTube.).

Performances from a deep supporting cast are first-rate from top to bottom. Among them, Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, Robert Patrick and Domenick Lombardozzi are particularly worthy of mention. Several directors helm episodes, with no noticeable differences among them. They all understand viewers’ expectations for an efficient action drama with a fairly high level of splatter… and deliver. No cliffhangers. Season Three will start clean, whichever novel they use next. Soon, I hope.

(Reacher: Season 2 streams on Amazon Prime as of 12/15/23)