Reacher Season 2 Teases Us With The Mention Of A Season 1 Favorite
This post contains spoilers for "Reacher"
At this point, it's fair to say "Reacher" season 2 is a dramatic improvement on the first. Not only does the new season feel so much bigger than its predecessor (which was hampered somewhat by pandemic-imposed restrictions), the story is much more engaging than the small-town conspiracy Alan Ritchson's hero thwarted last time around. Part of that is down to the legend that is Robert Patrick, who brings a specific kind of seedy menace to the role of antagonist Shane Langston, paying homage to his classic James Cameron villain, the T-1000, in the process. But the camaraderie between Reacher and his former Army unit, the Special Investigators, makes for a more compelling watch, too.
That said, there's no doubt fans of the show will be missing the rag-tag group from season 1. When Jack Reacher first hit Prime Video in 2022, he arrived in the small town of Margrave, Georgia before teaming up with Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and Officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) to uncover widespread corruption. Since then, pretty much everyone has been wondering whether Finlay and Roscoe would return for season 2, which seemed unlikely as the Jack Reacher of the novels travels to a new location and meets new characters with each entry. But even the author of those books, Lee Child, said he'd be "devastated" if Roscoe didn't return.
Which is why it was a big deal when Finlay did indeed come back for episode 4 of season 2. Thus far, however, Roscoe hasn't materialized, despite the fact she and Reacher were romantically involved, arguably making her closer to Ritchson's hero than Finlay. Now, however, the show appears to be taunting us with just the hint of a potential Roscoe return.
Reacher's 'friend' from Margrave
In "Reacher" season 2, episode 7, the Special Investigators are looking for a safe place to stash former New Age Director of Operations Marlo Burns (Christina Cox) and her daughter. Having tracked down Burns and learned the details of Shane Langston's corruption, the team needs help to keep the pair safe while they go after Robert Patrick's villain and his cronies.
At this point, Francis Neagley (Maria Sten) asks Reacher if he still trusts Roscoe Conklin, briefly hinting at a possible return of his former lover and friend. Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) then asks "Who's Roscoe," to which Reacher replies, "She's a friend back in Margrave." He then dismisses the idea of asking Roscoe to watch over Marlo and her daughter as unsafe due to Langston potentially being able to track them to Georgia.
Showrunner Nick Santora previously seemed to confirm that neither Roscoe nor Oscar Finlay would return for season 2, mainly because he and his team are trying to stay as faithful to the books as possible. In Lee Child's novels, neither character returns after they appear in "Killing Floor," the book on which season 1 of "Reacher" is based. They certainly don't show up in "Bad Luck and Trouble," the book from which season 2 takes its cues. But as we've seen, Finlay did indeed come back to help out his old pal this season, so is a Roscoe return possibly on the cards?
Is Nick Santora just teasing Roscoe fans?
With only one more episode to go until "Reacher" season 2 wraps up, it seems unlikely Roscoe Conklin will show up in the season finale, especially since Reacher dismissed the idea of enlisting her help so quickly in episode 7. But you've got to wonder whether Nick Santora was setting up yet another return of a fan-favorite character.
Reacher and Roscoe were romantically involved, and this season he and Karla Dixon are similarly involved. As such, there's an obvious tension between these two relationships, which would make for some really engaging and potentially quite funny scenes should Roscoe come back and Reacher is made to feel uncomfortable being around two of his love interests. That's hinted at in episode 7 when Karla clearly picks up on the fact that Reacher and Roscoe were more than just friends and gives her former Army boss a wry smile. Season 2 of "Reacher" has already made major changes from the books, so the possibility of a Roscoe return is there, even if it is a very small possibility.
If Roscoe doesn't show up in the season finale, this will all have been a bit of a tease for fans of the first season. That said, it's good to know Santora and the writers are at least thinking about Roscoe, suggesting that even if we don't see Willa Fitzgerald's Margrave Police Officer this time around, there's still scope for her to return next season.