After the success of the first season, a sequel could not wait. Reacher is back and he's bigger, meaner and better than ever. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first season of Reacher. The casting of Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher positively surprised me. I had my doubts that he could take on such a major role, but he completely convinced me that he is the right man to portray Reacher. Add to that the fact that the series was an entertaining cocktail of tension, action and humor and you understand that I was eagerly looking forward to what the second season has to offer. As a tip of the veil, I can reveal that I am anything but disappointed. The second season is once again enjoyable.
The second season is based on the eleventh book by Lee Child called Bad Luck and Trouble. To respect Reacher's eye for detail, the second season takes place two years, seven months and nineteen days after the events in Margrave. When members of Reacher's former military unit are found dead one by one, Reacher has only one thing on his mind: revenge. Together with a number of former members of his military unit, he hunts down the perpetrators, but in the meantime becomes involved in a plot that threatens to destroy the entire world.
I partially agree with the poster's quote that Reacher is bigger, meaner and better than ever, because those terms were already applicable in the first season. Except for being bigger, because Alan Ritchson has pumped up his muscle mass even further to resemble his character's physical attributes even more. Furthermore, the second season of Reacher offers more of the same, but in the positive sense of the word.
The makers have tried to make Reacher seem more human. You get to know the character better this season. This is mainly due to his team members. While Reacher prefers to solve everything himself, this time he spends more time with his team members. In the form of flashbacks, the viewer gets an insight into how close they became during their military unit period. In particular, the bond between Reacher, Frances Neagley (Maria Sten, Swamp Thing) and Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan, Coroner) is further explored.
It is wonderful to see how he brutally kills one accomplice after another in all kinds of creative ways.
This is not at the expense of the action for which the series is also known. Once again you are regularly treated to violent settlements from those who get in Reacher's way. It is wonderful to see how he brutally kills one accomplice after another in all kinds of creative ways. For example, cement and a catheter are involved. I will of course not reveal how these attributes are used, but I do appreciate the ingenuity.
The villain this time is Shane Langston (Robert Patrick, Peacemaker). At first he stays in the background, but as the series progresses he has sufficient interaction with Reacher. When Robert Patrick appears on screen, it takes little effort for him to appear threatening. Although you know he's no match for Reacher physically. Yet he can make Reacher seem vulnerable in other ways. In the search for Langston, Reacher comes into contact with police officer Gaitano Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi, Tulsa King). The two have a love-hate relationship which makes for nice dialogues.
I was curious to see how the almost complete replacement of the cast for the second season would turn out. Reacher is a traveler and therefore doesn't stick around in one place for long. The chemistry between the cast members was one of the strong points of the first season. I can reassure those who share my concerns. The new cast members adapt seamlessly and the chemistry between Reacher and the new characters is once again present. It even feels refreshing to see new faces. For the real fans, a character from the first season makes an appearance in the form of a small guest role.
The atmosphere, tension and humor provide more than enough viewing pleasure, just like in the first season. I haven't read the books, but the series remains a hit with an excellent Alan Ritchson as the tall and muscular Jack Reacher. The third season will be based on Lee Child's seventh book Persuader. I can't wait to see what Jack Reacher has in store for us this time.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
