I feel like there are a lot of moments in this season that they're trying to move too fast or trying to be too clever and things don't make sense.

"Wait... why is the ATF swat team being ambushed?"

"Wait... how is plugging the machine gun backfiring and killing Mountain Man?"

"Wait... So Reacher straight up just murdered that guy and there's really no investigation or questioning?" X 10

And the tropes....

Mountain man gets his trachea bashed in and floats away, obviously dead... Two minutes later is chasing Reacher again.

The first season felt clever and showcased Reacher's physical ability. The suspension of disbelief was reasonable. This season felt like they were trying too hard and it jumped the shark. There were some fun moments, but that's about it for me.

Also, in the middle of a full blown crime scene the kid just walks out with a huge bag full of money and Reacher with a motorcycle. Very poor writing this season.

That being said, I'll probably still watch the next season for some mindless TV.

fig96 said:

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Catching up on this thread after catching up with the show before the finale, more hate than I expected. It's not award winning tv but it's fun for what it is.

Question for the readers, I haven't read any of the series but was thinking about picking one up. Best to start at the beginning or any other recommended titles?

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I think reading them in order is helpful early on. After book 6 or 7 it probably matters less. There was a noticeable shift around then, I don't remember specifically which book. It became more and more formulaic and the mystery part of it became less complicated. Suddenly Reacher had different character traits that popped up. I distinctly remember thinking in one book - when did he become a math genius? I think the villains were more interesting early on too.

I keep hoping they'll figure out a way to do Tripwire. That was my favorite book. I saw an interview with Ritchson where he said he really wants to do Die Trying. Will be interesting to see which book they do next.

As far as this season went - I liked it better than season 2 but not as much as season 1. It's 100% cheesy action and that's fine. My attachment to the books and character will keep me watching to see if they really land one of them.

Faustus said:

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It hasn't dawned on him yet but at some point the kid is going to realize that if he'd done a better job repairing the toy gun his Dad may still be alive.

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Or, when he saw his dad holding the toy and the bad guy set down an SMG, maybe go pick up the SMG.

Faustus said:

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It hasn't dawned on him yet but at some point the kid is going to realize that if he'd done a better job repairing the toy gun his Dad may still be alive.

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I said the same thing to my wife when it happened.

I'm a Reacher book fan, read them all. Persuader isn't my favorite (don't ask me which one is because I'm drawing a blank right now).

So from that standpoint, I had to think this season was less likely to be great. The more characters (and actors) in a given Reacher story, it gets looser and less likely to be top to bottom, start to finish, entertaining. There was a fair bit of fat that needed to be trimmed from the book, and wasn't, and it showed.

Your cast needs to be Reacher, the love interest, a sidekick, the victim, the bad guy (who doesn't actually appear til later), and an unlikely ally. Throw in a score of anonymous bad guys and not so bad guys, and let's roll.

"You shouldn't have ****ed with me. I'm bigger and stronger than you."

[50 cal backfires killing the mountain]

"You might be bigger and stronger, but I'm smarter. I pulled the bullet from the belt and plugged the barrel."


I lol'd. Classic throwback to 80s action movie cheese. I ate it up.