The Secret Reacher Character That's Quietly Appeared In (Almost) Every Season [Set Visit]

Prime Video's "Reacher" is all about the action, but there's also a fair number of easter eggs for the more dedicated fans to discover. For example, Jack Reacher actually exists in the world of a Stephen King sci-fi epic, and star Alan Ritchson managed to sneak in a cameo from author Lee Child. But there's an even deeper level to the "Reacher" easter egg iceberg — a level no fan was even aware existed. I'm talking about the Trish level. Yes, "Reacher" has featured a secret character since its second season, and nobody except the production design team knew about it.

Who's Trish? Well, as production designer Naz Goshtasbpour explained during a recent set visit attended by /Film, she's quietly been one of the few characters to reappear in multiple seasons of "Reacher." The show is essentially an anthology series, with Ritchson's hero remaining the only constant as the various seasons bring in all-new casts. But Trish has been quietly toiling away in the background as one of the only other recurring characters, all while fans around the world remained oblivious.

Goshtasbpour revealed how she and the set decorators create backstories for the unseen characters of "Reacher." "What we also like to do is when we dress the cubicles [...] everybody personalizes their workstation. So we like to [...] come up with a backstory of who sits at that desk, even though nobody's there in our story. And we came up with a character named Trish." 

Trish first "appeared" (without actually appearing) in "Reacher" Season 2, returned for Season 3, and now, she's back once again for Season 4.

During the set visit, Naz Goshtasbpour revealed how Trish made her "debut" in Season 2 at the New Age Technologies Research and Development facility, even though she's never actually seen on-screen. According to the production designer, she and the set decorators decided Trish is "fun and happy" and "liked to go for happy hour," and this informed how they designed her desk. "We had a leopard print jacket hanging on the back of her chair in Season 2 with her high heels and a bag of wine that she was going to give as a gift."

The New Age facility was located in Rockland County, New York, but it seems Trish is just as itinerant as Jack Reacher himself. As Goshtasbpour explained, "In Season 3, Neagley's office [...] we had Trish again because she changed jobs." Yes, it seems between Seasons 2 and 3, Trish embarked on a new career and wound up in the very same Chicago-based private investigation firm for which Reacher's longtime friend and former Army colleague Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) works. (Perhaps the massive firefight at the R&D facility had something to do with it.)

Neagley will soon be fronting her own spin-off, which was teased during "Reacher" Season 3 when Sten's character had to fend off a hit squad that descended upon her Chicago high-rise. Thankfully, since the skirmish occurred after hours, Trish was unharmed (though her desk probably sustained a few bullet hits). That's just as well, because it allowed Goshtasbpour to bring the fake character back for Season 4, where her extroverted personality helped inform the design of yet another blink-and-you'll-miss-it set detail.

Those eager to test their easter egg-hunting abilities should be on the lookout for Trish's desk in "Reacher" Season 4. Naz Goshtasbpour did reveal exactly where the unseen character's new career path has taken her, so if you don't want to know, stop reading now. It seems Trish has now found a new calling as a chemical plant worker, though Goshtasbpour stopped short of providing any further details, adding only, "We always joke that Trish is back [...] look out for Trish."

Trish's inclusion is a fun little detail that makes the world of "Reacher" feel even more immersive. Frances Neagley's Chicago office in particular felt very realistic with its views of downtown and the detailed office interior, and to know Trish was a part of that makes it all the more fun. But we shouldn't get too attached, because Goshtabpour revealed during the set visit that this long-hidden "Reacher" supporting character might soon be retiring. "Next season, if we do another office, it's going to be her retirement party," she said.

I don't blame her, seeing as every office she's worked in has been the site of some horrifically violent gunfight. For now, we'll have to see whether Trish is ever given more to do than provide some fun desk decorations. But considering Prime Video has plenty of Jack Reacher books left to adapt, I doubt we'll be seeing the adventures of Trish any time soon.