6 Major Things Reacher Season 4 Needs To Avoid

Reacher season 4 already seems exciting, but it must avoid some of its predecessors’ mistakes to ensure its success. So far, the Amazon Prime Video detective series has performed incredibly well and is all set to expand its lore with an upcoming Neagley spin-off show and Reacher season 4. Given how the people behind the franchise are primarily focusing on Neagley‘s production, audiences will have to wait for quite some time before they can watch Reacher season 4.

Since Reacher has consistently performed well among critics and even been commercially successful with each new installment, it seems likely that season 4 will continue the show’s streak. Most story and casting details surrounding season 4 remain unknown, but it just has to riff on the strengths of its predecessors to be able to deliver another compelling chapter in the Alan Ritchson character‘s story. At the same time, though, Reacher season 4 must also be careful not to repeat the same mistakes that have weighed down its first three seasons.

6

Featuring Another Forced Love Interest For Jack Reacher

Reacher Season 4 Must Break This Recurring Story Beat

Like the original Lee Child Jack Reacher books, the Amazon Prime Video series has featured a new love interest for the main character in each season. Every season ends with Jack Reacher parting ways with his new romantic interest and embracing his love of the open road instead of settling for a long-term relationship. While it is appreciable that the show is staying loyal to its source material, it needs to pause this trope for at least one season.

The trend of Reacher getting romantically involved with a new female character in each season is starting to get a little too redundant and needs a refresh to keep the narrative from feeling formulaic. Reacher’s short-term relationships in each season complement his lone-wolf persona in many ways. However, instead of rinsing and repeating the same cycle of brief romantic relationships for the character, season 4 can just focus on developing him more as a solo figure by not getting him involved in another fleeting romance.

5

Stretching The Suspension Of Disbelief Too Far With The Action

It Must Have A Semblance Of Realism

Reacher season 3 features an over-the-top scene in which the titular character almost single-handedly overturns an entire car. Fortunately, moments later, the show makes the Alan Ritchson character seem less overpowered by showing how one slap from Paulie severely injures him. Even in the climactic showdown, Reacher takes a brutal beating from Paulie before he manages to overpower the giant. With moments like these, Reacher season 3 strikes the right balance between portraying its lead as a formidable force and reminding viewers that he is still human.

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After Season 3’s Finale, I’m Convinced Reacher Just Had One Of TV’s Most Epic Fight Scenes Ever

Reacher season 3’s finale finally delivers the show’s most anticipated fight sequence, which is convincingly one of televisions best action scenes.

Season 2, however, made the mistake of making Reacher seem a little too invincible. In the season’s final showdown, Reacher achieved feats of strength that not only made him look superhuman but also significantly diminished the stakes of the overarching conflict. Reacher season 4 should avoid treading the same path as season 2 at all costs and use season 3’s action scenes as a blueprint.

4

Repeating The Same Dialogue Again And Again

Reacher Season 2 Was Weighed Down By Redundant Dialogue

Many viewers grew tired of Jack Reacher and his former team members from the 110th Special Investigation Unit repeating the same lines again and again. The quote, “You don’t mess with the Special Investigators,” was initially a fun credo that highlighted the dynamic between the team members of the military police team. However, it was repeated so often that it almost lost its impact by the end of the season.

Something similar happened with another Jack Reacher line: “I ever tell you you’re smart, Neagley.” The quote initially showed how much Reacher respected Neagley and appreciated her help. But before season 2’s final credits started rolling, it was hard not to eye-roll every time Reacher said the same thing to his former military ally. Hopefully, season 4 will keep its dialogue fresh and crisp.

3

Focusing Less On Reacher And More On The Secondary Protagonists

Reacher Is Better Off As A Solo Figure

In an effort to raise the stakes for the show’s action and expand its lore, Reacher season 2 took the risk of adding more overpowered main characters like Neagley, O’Donnell, and Dixon to the mix. Unfortunately, all three new characters came off as copies of Jack Reacher. Instead of contrasting his personality, like Roscoe and Finlay, they became overwhelmingly similar to the Alan Ritchson character in almost every aspect.

This did not favor the series because, throughout season 2, Reacher and his three allies mindlessly killed the bad guys without either of them questioning their actions. Owing to their shared military police background, the four characters, as a team, also seemed a little too powerful against the bad guys. Reacher season 3 avoided repeating the same mistake by showing how Reacher teams up with the DEA but ends up fighting solo as an undercover agent throughout the story. Hopefully, season 4 will also do the same.

2

Making The Villains Seem Far Less Formidable Than Reacher

Only Season 3’s Villains Seemed Powerful Enough

Most Reacher villains in the series have not been up to the mark. Kliner, Langston, and A.M. from seasons 1 and 2 seemed a little too one-dimensional and significantly less menacing than Reacher. In one-on-one showdowns against the Alan Ritchson character, the villains did not stand a chance. Season 3 finally flipped this by featuring Paulie as one of its main villains. This paved the way for the series to feature its best action sequence, where Reacher nearly died while attempting to take Paulie down.

Even Brian Tee’s Quinn was a compelling villain in season 3. Although he was nowhere as huge as Paulie in stature, he was brilliantly portrayed as an erratic, merciless killer who crossed all moral boundaries to ensure no one got in his way. Reacher season 4 may not be able to introduce someone as big as Paulie as one of its villains. However, it can still ensure that its main antagonist seems threatening enough to pose a genuine challenge to Jack Reacher.

1

Using Revenge As The Primary Driver For Reacher’s Story

Jack Reacher’s Motives Have Been The Same Since Season 1

Since season 1, Jack Reacher’s crime-solving endeavors have primarily been driven by his hunger for revenge. He stayed in Margrave in season 1 after learning about his brother’s murder. Similarly, in season 2, he joined forces with Neagley and his former 110th Special Investigation Unit team members because Langston killed his military allies. Season 3, too, adopted a similar narrative device, where Jack Reacher only agreed to work with the DEA because it allowed him to exact revenge on Quinn for killing Dominique Kohl.

The revenge trope has been overused in Reacher at this point. Therefore, Reacher season 4 needs to introduce a new narrative motivation that goes beyond personal vendettas for Jack Reacher. Given how some tropes have worked wonders for the series, Reacher season 4 cannot be expected to suddenly shed everything that has proven successful for the series so far. However, it can still strive to bring something new to the table to ensure the show is making some semblance of progress with each installment.

Reacher

8/10

Release Date

February 3, 2022