Even though Season 3 of Reacher just premiered, it is never too soon to theorize which one of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels the hard-hitting series will adapt for its fourth. Season 1 of Reacher adapted the first novel of the series, Killing Floor. In contrast, Season 2 adapted Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in the series, and Season 3 is an adaptation of Persuader, the seventh novel of the acclaimed series, leaving future seasons wide open for which of the 25 remaining novels to tackle next. With where things are headed in the series thus far, an interesting story to pivot to next for Alan Ritchson's portrayal of the titular character would be the third novel, Tripwire.
'Reacher' Could Benefit From More Backstory
Tripwire picks up with Reacher with his flag planted in the Florida Keys. A nice sunny vacation would be a great change of pace for the big guy after his undercover stint in Maine. His quiet life of digging pools and bouncing at a strip club is quickly uprooted when the mysterious murder of a private investigator looking for Reacher leads him to his office in New York City. It turns out the private investigator was sent by attorney Jodie Garber-Jacob, daughter of General Leon Garber, Reacher's Army mentor and father figure. Reacher's past is still quite mysterious in the context of the series, and introducing such a monumental figure in his life would be a massive opportunity to fill in some major blanks for the audience. There's no doubt Ritchson's version of Reacher is charismatic and kicks major ass, but having more of an emotional throughline in the series can take this already good action-packed franchise to a whole other level.
It turns out Jodie was searching for Reacher because General Garber has died, and she needs help in completing their father's last project: trying to find the missing son of the Hobie family, Victor, who went missing in action while serving in the Vietnam War. In classic Reacher fashion, the search for Victor finds them in the crosshairs of a psychopath with nefarious business dealings, but said psychopath is Victor himself. Reacher and Jodie discover that the Hobie family have been scammed in the quest to find their son, leading them to St. Louis to pay a visit to the National Personnel Records Center, which, in turn, brings the duo to Hawaii, where a forensics lab reveals a shocking secret -- Victor did die in the Vietnam War and has been impersonated all these years by his fellow soldier, Carl Allen.
Allen was severely burned in the helicopter crash that took Victor's life, but he left his dog tags behind so that he could steal Victor's identity. Allen also lost his hand in the accident, which he replaced with a hook, leading to his nickname, "Hook." Hook, with his new identity, became a vicious loan shark, which turned out to be a very lucrative endeavor for him. Since he had a secret identity to uphold, he went to great measures to ensure that his real identity remained a secret. A protagonist like Hook would be a fresh injection into the series, even though Reacher has featured numerous sadistic adversaries to the big guy, a larger-than-life-feeling villain with a hook for a hand would be a glorious addition to the series' bad guy mythos.
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Posts 1 'Tripwire' Could Affect 'Reacher' for Seasons To Come Close
The conclusion of Tripwire sees Allen attempt to pull off one final job, taking over a multimillion-dollar company that went bankrupt, even though he is well aware that both Reacher and Jodie have more than enough evidence to put him away. Allen's last-ditch effort to stay afloat lures in Jodie, as her firm is hired to handle the company handover, which results in her being captured. This all sets the stage for what could be another bombastic finale of the series featuring a massive gunfight, exemplifying Reacher's insane aptitude for killing people. Reacher, of course, saves the day, but he does not leave unscathed, as he suffers what should be a life-ending gunshot wound to the chest. Not that Reacher's muscular frame wasn't big enough already, his days spent digging pools had built his muscles so massive that it stopped the bullet from killing him. Not only does the wound come into play in future novels, but it could make the series a bit more interesting in terms of challenges for the seemingly unbeatable Reacher. Not to mention seeing Ritchson survive a fatal wound because his muscles are too big would be an absolute crowd-pleasing moment to behold.
Jodie's relationship with Reacher blossoms throughout their adventure, which seems to be a pattern for Reacher, but Jodie has had feelings for him since she was a teenager, and the two have known each other for a very long time due to Reacher's relationship with Jodie's father. She stands by Reacher during his recovery process, and he even contemplates settling down with her. But, Reacher wouldn't be Reacher if he wasn't wandering the United States in his never-ending pursuit of justice. The thought of having Reacher consider staying put in one place would add some more complexity to the character, garnering the audience to desire him to finally find that happy ending, beyond all the espionage and killing.
The beauty of Child's approach when crafting each installment of his Reacher series, is that each story is meant to be a standalone tale, making it perfect to adapt, as any novel can work for a new season of the television series. But Tripwire in particular sets some pieces of Reacher's story in stone that can be felt throughout how many more seasons Prime Video decides to dish out. Not only would an adaptation of this novel give us more backstory to the character, but it would also leave Reacher with an injury that would play a factor in future seasons. While this story still falls into the troupe of Reacher having another one-and-done love interest, it's one that inches the drifter to contemplate settling down eventually, there's an endgame for everyone, right?
Reacher Season 3 is now streaming on Prime Video.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Reacher TV-MA Crime Drama Action Thriller 9 10 43 9.5/10 Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video Showrunner Nick Santora Cast See All Alan Ritchson Jack Reacher Maria Sten Frances Neagley Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming
When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.
Directors Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent Writers Cait Duffy Franchise(s) Jack Reacher Creator(s) Nick Santora Powered by Expand Collapse