‘Reacher’ Season 2 review: Double the action, twice the fun

A still from ‘Reacher’

There is a particular reason I have never returned to Lee Child’s 2007 novel, Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11^th book in his humungously popular Jack Reacher series. The reason for not rereading the addictive, rocket-paced thriller is the lonely death of one of the character’s dogs, Maisie. When the announcement was made that Season 2 of Reacher would be based on Bad Luck and Trouble, I hoped the celluloid Maisie would make it. Spoiler alert — she does not.

Once I wrapped my head around that heart-breaker, I was quickly drawn into the unfolding story. Drifter extraordinaire and ex-MP, Jack no-middle-name Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is wandering about, minding his business while cracking skulls of assorted rotters, when he receives a coded message from his former master sergeant and present high-flying security consultant, Frances Neagley (Maria Sten).

One of the members of the elite 110th MP Special Investigations unit, that Reacher commanded in the Army, Calvin Franz, (Luke Bilyk), has been killed. That he was thrown out of a helicopter with broken legs, points to torture and murder. Three others from 110th, Sanchez (Andres Collantes), Orozco (Edsson Morales) and Swan (Shannon Kook) are also missing.

Joined by forensic accountant Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), and O’Donnell, (Shaun Sipos), from the 110^th, it is up to Reacher to lead his team into cracking this mystery. The pared-down Special Investigations unit have their work cut out for them as they joust with crooked cops, a shadowy arms dealer referred to as A.M (Ferdinand Kingsley), the hard-as-nails Shane Langston (Robert Patrick), head of security for a private defence contractor, and an honest, intelligent and tough NYPD detective Guy Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi). In between there is a night at the symphony where the fab four go dressed to the nines, and long conversations in diners.

There is also a scared mum, Marlo Burns (Christina Cox), an oily Senator Lavoy (Noam Jenkins) and a ruthlessly efficient hitman, at least till he comes up against the 110^th, Saropian (Joris Jarsky). The action sequences are breathtaking including one which cuts between two shootouts; one in a gigantic warren of huge containers and the other a high speed chase in the dead of night on New York’s rain slicked streets.

While the action runs on pure adrenalin and the central mystery provides enough twists and turns all the while keeping the thread of reason straight and true, it is the banter between Reacher, Neagley, Dixon and the “sleazy-adjacent” switchblade wielding, knuckleduster carrying family man, O’Donnell, which is an added bonus.

Reacher finally acts on his feelings for Dixon (he did not in Army as he was her boss), and also pauses to rethink his lifestyle choices seeing how the other members of his team have moved on and up. Ritchson makes for a fine Reacher, as he conveys volumes with a flick of his eyes or an ambiguous smile. He also sports a five o clock shadow suggesting a move away from his strictly regimented Army life.

There are all these conversations around music, with Reacher calling O’Donnell’s choice of Talking Heads’ ‘Road to Nowhere’ defeatist, causing O’Donnell to snipe about whether Reacher would prefer the American rock band’s ‘Psycho Killer’! The climactic battle is to the soft psychedelic notes of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’ — delish.

Also Read | Alan Ritchson’s ‘Reacher’ renewed for season three at Prime Video

Die-hard Jack Reacher fans will be happy with the call backs including one about running into Joe Barr the previous year. Barr is the infantry sniper arrested for the random shooting of five strangers in the novel One Shot, which was made into the first of Reacher’s big screen outings, with Tom Cruise starring as the iterant military policeman. Fans of the show will also be happy with a cameo by one of the characters from season 1.

Switching between the present and the past — the massive drug bust that caused the 110th to disband — Season 2 of Reacher is everything we require of a bingeable show. Reacher has already been renewed for the third season and production is underway. Christmas has come early or what.

Reacher Season 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video with fresh episodes dropping every Friday till January 19, 2024