Reacher: Season 3 Review – Like A Snowball Going Downhill

If you’re a fan of the books, or specifically the show, you know what you’re getting by this point. And the questions will be: is it done well and am I still enjoying this? I still enjoy this. It is in the realm of comfort food. The show does follow the book closely, so I still had the same story quibbles. How our protagonist gets away with things was one. Overall though, the story is simple but engaging enough to follow. I enjoyed the backstory for proceedings, the relationships between the team and when the action came along, it was better produced than season two.

Reacher: Season 3 was created by Nick Santora and is based on Lee Child’s 9^th novel, Persuader. Season 3 was released weekly on Amazon Prime between February & March 2025.

Media adaptations are all the rage recently, Khadijah Jay talks about if making Red Dead Redemption and Assassin’s Creed on TV is a good idea.

Story: “Wherever I Go, Trouble Just Seems To Find Me” 

Reacher find himself going through Portland, Maine. In a scabby old van, he ducks into a local pawn shop to fob off old vinyl records. The owner isn’t impressed: Ethyl Merman? Still, gazing outside onto a beautiful day, he sees a man in a car across the road. Waiting. Apparently waiting on a black sedan which comes into view. In time to ram straight into it and then kidnap who is inside: Richard Beck. Reacher’s instincts kick in and in a kinetic opening, saves the day but with complications.

In the aftermath, Richard Beck wants Reacher to take him home and meet his father, Zachery Beck. Zachery takes a liking to Reacher to give him a job in his shipping company, Bizarre Bazaar and for him to stay at his home. Mission completed.

For we find out that Reacher is working with a small group of FBI agents to go undercover. To recover a Confidential Informant as well as looking into Beck’s business as a “rug merchant”, hoping to discover information on a dangerous man from Reacher’s past.

Reacher this season I found to be built on momentum. There’s the big set up: getting Reacher inside the organisation. Then there is gaining the leader’s trust while avoiding detection. I found the first half the of season tense but a bit unbelievable in certain aspects. I enjoyed the backstory on Reacher’s past. There is a sub plot involving a FBI agent and a bodyguard I would have taken out completely. However, when Reacher gets to episodes 6-8, it’s pedal to the metal and worth getting through the grunt work. Just like working a real investigation I’d wager.

Reacher helps save Richard Beck in exciting opening.

Characters & Performances: Solid All Round

Reacher seems to have a reliable cast all the time. Alan Ritchson naturally nails it as Reacher. Despite what you could perceive as flaws about the character: he’s almost too good. Reacher is smart, strong, capable, adaptable but Alan manages to bring an authentic warmth to Reacher. He can be a smug son of a gun in one scene, aloof in another, or genuinely caring. Really depends on who he tends to be talking to at the time. And I think that’s the enduring appeal of the character. He isn’t as one note as he first appears.

Reacher’s team; Sonya Cassidy as FBI Agent in charge Susan Duffy, I really liked her. Even with the put on Irish accent (she’s English), I admired the character’s tenacity, determined to pull the operation off. She also had enough charisma about her where I believed Reacher and Duffy would predictably get on well. Roberto Montesinos as Duffy’s partner Villanueva was likable, he was predictable as her backup, the solid dependable, soon to be retired, on one last mission man. Decent rapport with Reacher, although his jokes tended to be about his weight, but they were in jest. Last was Daniel David Stewart as the “kid”, Steven Eliot. He wasn’t given a lot to do but did fine.

Shoutout again to Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, nails the role. Thought she was great and got to stand out by herself in certain scenes and carried herself well in an action role.

Another standout, specifically for one episode was Mariah Robinson as Sergeant Dominique Kohl. She was excellent.

Mariah Robinson was great in a limited role

Bizarre Bizaar

Regarding Zachary Beck’s operation, Beck and his son Richard were fine. A couple of goons stood out, Angel Doll & Harley were particularly scummy. Olivier Ritchters as Reacher’s “adversary” Paulie, I liked him and he was intimidating but I didn’t think they gave him enough to do as an adversary until the very end.

I suppose the biggest disappointment about the series was Brian Tee as the main antagonist. I found him to be quite one dimensional. He was a bad man. Didn’t think he was an evil genius. Mostly a scumbag that somehow has managed to evade capture.

There was also the sub plot involving Ronnie Rowe Jr as John Cooper, one of Beck’s body guards. I found it to be the weakest part of the story and was thankful when it finished. He was fine.

Zachery & Richard get on better over time

Cinematography & Sound: Well Shot With Solid Music

Reacher Season 3 had great exterior shots. I loved seeing Beck’s house and the grounds and the sea cliff surrounding the property. It’s almost like a prison. I noticed that, while the finale is again more at night time, there were plenty of nice location shots showing the town of Portland as well as great sun and lighting. Of course, there were plenty of indoor location shots too – warehouses, motels. And it was nice to see where Neagley worked. 

When it came to seeing the action, it was well done, especially since a lot of it again was set at night time, there was a lot more lighting involved and it was better shot.

I enjoyed the music. It was always appropriate for the time. It was atmospheric in its own way. The action music was excellent. Generally, a pounding, percussive beat. A lot of the show actually was real world sounds. The music itself was your usual atmospheric, operatic showing when important plot points were shown. It didn’t stand out but was perfectly good.

Most of Season 3 takes place here. Looks beautiful.

Editing & Pacing: Like A Snowball Rolling Downhill

Reacher starts with a bang. A lot of exposition. How we got here, who we’re looking for, what’s the objective. It was intriguing. By the middle, it gets good and heats up. I’d say it isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, but most scenes stick around for a few minutes, and they move on. There is the sub plot with Steven & a bodyguard that sticks around too long. Sometimes I did wonder how Reacher isn’t found out.  However, the end game is very well done, by episode 6 it’s very good.

Editing, most of the show was easy to follow, I especially appreciated the action being enjoyable and that camerawork was done at times to follow the characters. Makes it more immersive. Most scenes were a few minutes long, keeping it flowing smoothly. I felt it got better the further we got.