Why Fans Shouldn't Be Worried About Reacher Season 2 Adapting Bad Luck And Trouble
This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of "Reacher" season 2.
When a band of thugs break into Jack Reacher's hotel room in Lee Child's "Bad Luck and Trouble," they find no luggage to go through, save for a toothbrush they snap angrily in half. When Reacher finds out, he's understandably pissed: the toothbrush was the only thing he was carrying while drifting from place to place, save for passports that he kept on his person. There's a reason why Child's 11th novel in the "Jack Reacher" series was such a sensation when it hit the stands. This was the first time Reacher was forced to abandon his vagabond ways and work closely with a team of friends he had not spoken to for years. This sudden sense of destabilization, coupled with the realization that his friends were the targets of a dark conspiracy, pushed Reacher to depths never breached before.
The first season of Reacher adapted Child's "Killing Floor," which saw Reacher (Alan Ritchson) uncover a deadly counterfeit scam in Margrave. The season ended with Reacher burning the scam's illegal base of operations to the ground while choosing his wandering lifestyle over a sense of security in Margrave. This meant leaving loved ones behind, but Reacher is the kind of man who is ready to make these necessary sacrifices — he lives like a phantom, intervening when he feels like he should and disappearing after everything is resolved.
While fans of Child's "Reacher" books were apprehensive about the show jumping to "Bad Luck and Trouble" and skipping nine whole stories in the process, this particular juncture in Reacher's life is not only interesting but essential. Season 2 puts Reacher in a tight spot, testing his mettle against a scenario that is dangerous and unpredictable, even by his standards.
Jack's a wanderer no more
The only constant in Reacher's life is private investigator Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), who sends him an emergency ATM code message in season 2's first episode. Things are dire: their mutual friend, Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk), who used to be a part of Reacher's 110th Special Investigations Unit, has been found dead after being hurled from a helicopter 3,000 above ground. Franz's death shakes the very foundation of Reacher's existence; he can no longer be a wanderer who's unreachable at all times, as he needs to get to the bottom of this conspiracy, and fast. His other friends from the 110th also seem to be in danger, and it is up to Reacher and Neagley to bring the group together to uncover the identity of a mysterious man named A.M. (Ferdinand Kingsley).
Conversations with Neagley highlight how aloof and isolated Reacher has been, having missed important milestones in his friends' lives that everyone except him has been a part of. While this is handled in the form of a running gag, where the toothpaste incident is used to underline the ridiculous nature of his aloof, ultra-minimalist lifestyle, it is clear that Reacher feels acutely lonely without ever candidly acknowledging it.
Kala Dixon (Serinda Swan), whom he had a crush on during their time together in the 110th, intensifies this feeling of having missed out on human connection. While Reacher is still as gruff and no-nonsense as ever, we get to witness a more nuanced shade of vulnerability that stems from consciously distancing himself for the sake of who he is and what he does. Reacher has had love interests in the past, but his connection with Karla is markedly different, as they've known one another for years and are aware of their mutual idiosyncrasies.
Reacher reckons with his loneliness
The first three episodes frantically set season 2's plot in motion, where someone influential is trying to take everyone out in the 110th one by one. Upon further investigation into Franz's death, it is revealed that he had been in contact with two other fellow ex-special officers, who have gone missing since then. Tony Swan (Shannon Kook), also one of their ex-SI friends, is traced back to the heart of an emerging plan that might be tied to shady organizations dealing with weapons of mass destruction. Realizing that their lives are in danger, Reacher and co. move from one location to another, but this time, they're all traceable, and our titular hero has to learn to adjust to these fresh, dangerous stakes.
While Reacher does trust his friends implicitly, this sense of trust is put under scrutiny after Swan's apparent involvement is revealed. While Swan might be innocent, the lack of transparency is enough to make Reacher feel on edge. Balancing between trusting others enough to open up emotionally and reserving trust for only those who deserve it puts Reacher in a complicated situation. The camaraderie that the 110th shared is highlighted time and again, and in many ways, it was a simpler time. Now, the world not only feels more volatile, but people also may not be what they seem.
"Bad Luck and Trouble" consciously unravels a new side to Reacher, where he questions his life's choices for the first time and is compelled to navigate his repressed emotionality. Season 2 might have only just premiered, but it's already done a solid job of highlighting this new facet. Hopefully, by the end, Jack Reacher will be more than an infallible one-man unit.
The first three episodes of "Reacher" season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.