The toughest Amazon series goes even faster: the action in the second season of ‘Reacher’ is so good and brutal

When the first season of ‘Reacher’ premiered on Amazon Prime Video in February 2022, the series adaptation not only convinced the many fans of Lee Child’s new series, which has now been running for 26 years. With the physicality of Alan Ritchson in the title role and a directness and intensity that is far too rarely seen, the badass action also thrilled many new fans.

Now, almost two years later, the second season comes, which builds on the success formula of the first season. Many elements are similar, but the whole does not seem repetitive!

“Reacher” and his old team seek revenge

In the series, more than two years have passed since Reacher (Alan Ritchson) cleaned up the quiet town of Margrave and avenged his brother’s murder. He continues to wander the United States with the clothes he is wearing and a toothbrush as his only possession when he notices a clear transfer to his account: $1,030 – an apparent reference to the military code 10-30, which is used to make immediate to ask for help. . Behind this lies his good friend and former comrade Frances Neagley (Maria Sten).

Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk), a member of their former elite unit, was brutally tortured and then thrown from a helicopter. Reacher also learns from Neagley that other members of her former military police are unreachable and appear to have disappeared without a trace. At least David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos) and Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) can track them down. The quartet wants to clarify the fate of their remaining colleagues. To Reacher it is clear that those who murdered the young father Franz will pay the same price. You certainly won’t end up in jail, but you can ‘look forward’ to a flight from a helicopter.

But he and his team soon suspected that someone was specifically targeting their ex-unit. But they still have no idea what they’re really getting into…

As with the first season, those responsible do not keep much of a secret about the true background. Shane Langston (Robert Patrick), who heads a security team, and a mysterious man (Ferdinand Kingsley) who travels the US with varying identities and leaves corpses behind are revealed to us right in front of the TV as the villains, and only their The exact motive is revealed and not immediately explained. So the only question left unanswered is whether someone from Reacher’s old unit could be involved.

When Amazon Prime Video releases the first three episodes when it starts on December 15, 2023, some viewers will likely be wondering what exactly will be told in the next five episodes. Because At the end of the third episode, all the cards seem to be on the table, Now it’s just a matter of taking out the bad guys as brutally as possible.

But do not worry. Of course we’re not going to reveal the remaining episodes for you here, but we can say this: There’s enough going on to keep the season not only exciting, but actually fun is becoming.

A whole ‘Reacher’ team

This is mainly due to the very sharp and brutal action scenes that characterized ‘Reacher’ in the first season. Like a steam hammer, the titular hero gets to clear out the villains one by one again – this time with even more great support.

The supporting roles also appear to be an enrichment this time. Maria Sten was already an asset in the first season as a researcher who doesn’t want to be touched but can really hit. Shaun Spios (“Final Destination 2”) is in his element as a steamy chatterbox with brass knuckles, while Serinda Swan, as a powerful and erotic numerical genius, takes on the title character in analysis, beating up opponents and in bed.

Starring her and Domenick Lombardozzi, who plays a New York police officer, series creator Nick Santora continues the tradition started with Malcolm Goodwin in the first season by bringing stars from his previous series ‘Breakout Kings’ to ‘Reacher’ .

Above all, those responsible for ‘Reacher’ act a little more confidently in the second season. There is no need to explain too much anymore. The audience has to figure out why Reacher acts the way he does, which makes the series even simpler and clearer.

At the same time, there is also more insight into the interior of the figure. Reacher’s position as a loner and eccentric is further illuminated. He is the only one who does not have the group photo of the former unit. When one of the comrades died years ago, not only did he not attend the funeral, he didn’t even know about his death.

The series makers are once again working with flashbacks. While we learned how Reacher and his brother grew up in the first season, we now see their time as heads of a special investigation unit – from team bonding in a bar fight with goons to a bloody shootout with drug gangsters. Most of all, these flashbacks show that this man doesn’t follow any nonsensical rules when it comes to justice.

“Psycho Killer” Reacher

The series even becomes surprisingly clear in the psychologization of the main character. In one of many discussions about music, O’Donnell tells his former boss that he is an absolute fan of the Talking Heads song “Psycho Killer.” Not only does the song play later in the episode’s credits, but also Elsewhere, Reacher is portrayed as the villain in a slasher, as a psycho killer. But of course, he still retains the audience’s sympathy.

In ‘Reacher’ (as in the novel series), vigilante justice is of course not a problem – as long as it is carried out by the right person. And So of course Reacher is allowed to break a lot of laws, torture and brutally slaughter opponents because they are the bad guys and the police are already corrupt or powerless and would not be able to handle the problem at all. Anyone who still doubts whether this is really okay will be reassured by the fact that it is also about preventing a second “September Eleventh” – you cannot unpack a bigger club of justification in an American series.

Yes, Reacher may be a “psycho killer,” but he kills for a good cause. So get started quickly; hit two to three enemy heads on the wall; and of course the imposing body of leading man Alan Ritchson was once again put in the spotlight – either in the best Tony Scott style in front of sun-drenched curtains, or with a close-up of the impressive six-pack.

But ‘Reacher’ is not a stupid series. It gets really emotional several times and is also about loss and loneliness. These moments where you notice how Reacher also learns or at least realizes things that are foreign to him never last long, but are memorable (and even better than similar scenes in the first season). These are wonderful moments that captivate you in a different way, before the bullets or fists start flying again… or one-liners are exchanged.

There are plenty of them in the second season as well, but they don’t always sit well. Some meta-gags in particular seem very tried – for example, ‘Terminator 2’ villain Robert Patrick has to comment on a ‘Terminator’ reference. But these are only B-class deductions for this strong series.

“Reacher”: this is how the episodes appear on Amazon Prime Video

The first three episodes of the second season of ‘Reacher“ will be available on Amazon Prime Video from December 15, 2023. Episode 4 will follow on December 22, 2023 and then continue with one episode per week. The season finale will be available on Amazon Prime Video on January 19, 2024.