Some people are always in the right place at the right time. Reacher is one of those people. Is that still fun in the third season? It's true, I've read all of Lee Child's Reacher books. They're easy to read, because Lee has a writing style that reminds you of a chocolate milkshake that's just thick and sweet enough to slurp down in an astonishingly short time. Afterwards, you almost think your cup was leaking, it's gone so quickly. I'm not ashamed of it.
The books are the same. After the last page, all the bad guys are dead, in the hospital—where they are guaranteed to reconsider their life choices—or they are regretting their criminal careers in prison. All questions are answered and the ‘good guys’ can get on with their lives. Nice, a book series for men.
Reacher is not only as big as two Tom Cruises stacked on top of each other; he also has a strong maternal instinct.
The series is actually the same. Reacher arrives in a small town and everything is going well. Then something happens—of course just as Reacher is walking by—and he has to get involved again. Because he is not only as big as two Tom Cruises stacked on top of each other; he also has a strong maternal instinct. Protect the weak and punish the bullies, that is the motto of our Big Friendly Giant.
In this season, the weaker one might not be as weak as he seems, the bad guy might not be a really bad guy, and not everyone gets a happy ending. Teaspoons of tragedy and hints of romance give the series something for all viewers. Yes, there is also a dash of fan service built in, as Alan has to take off his shirt (or more) every now and then. Great, a 4K widescreen TV.
It is striking that many things always go wrong at just the right moment, but also turn around at just the right moment. Yes, that makes sense in the film world. Of course it helps if you are physically intimidating and slightly clairvoyant.
By the latter I mean that he outsmarts his opponents so often that you get the feeling that he gets help from somewhere else. And that is often the case. Unfortunately, that help comes a bit too often from the scriptwriter. In the film world they also call that a lazy script. And that is really my only real criticism of the Reacher series.
Really, I think Alan Ritchson is an almost perfect choice for this role. He is absolutely believable according to the physical description in the books. Also his friendly, sometimes almost shy behavior suits the man. You grant him the victory and because of that you forgive the series the sometimes too easy solutions from dire situations.
In the third season, Reacher has a much harder time than in the first two. First, he meets a man who physically dominates him. Reacher has a worthy opponent. Is he smart and strong enough to take on this even bigger giant?
A second opponent is of a different kind. Intelligent, without an ounce of empathy for his victims, and prepared to burn everything behind him and start over somewhere else. How do you fight someone like that? For Reacher, it becomes even more difficult when it turns out that this is an old acquaintance with whom he still has an entire orchard full of apples to peel.
Is this a good series? Forget the predictability that is part of the genre. Just watch it, don't expect too much and you will binge this series effortlessly away in a weekend. Before you know it, you will be waiting for the fourth season. And I don't mind if it comes.
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.
Perhaps it's worth mentioning here regarding the even bigger giant in this third season.
To take on this even bigger giant, Reacher had to compete against none other than our own Dutch pride Olivier Richters, better known as “The Dutch Giant”, this season.
The confrontation between Reacher and his character Paulie is one of the most brutal fights of the series. During filming, Alan Ritchson was even knocked unconscious once when Richters rammed him through a wooden table.
Interestingly, Richters turned down an offer for the film Gladiator 2 for this role, as he saw the role of Paulie as a unique opportunity to prove himself in a prominent action role.
Perhaps it's worth mentioning here regarding the even bigger giant in this third season.
To take on this even bigger giant, Reacher had to compete against none other than our own Dutch pride Olivier Richters, better known as “The Dutch Giant”, this season.
The confrontation between Reacher and his character Paulie is one of the most brutal fights of the series.
During filming, Alan Ritchson was even knocked unconscious once when Richters rammed him through a wooden table.
Interestingly, Richters turned down an offer for the film Gladiator 2 for this role, as he saw the role of Paulie as a unique opportunity to prove himself in a prominent action role.