Opinion: season three of “Reacher” keeps it’s edge

“Reacher” is back. The adaptation of Lee Child’s series of books featuring Jack Reacher returns for its third season this week. The first season was an excellent small-town mystery with a likable cast of characters, alongside our titular protagonist (as played by Alan Ritchson).  The second season was a more overblown action movie with a squad of characters taking on some evil government conspiracy, but it was still a solid piece of television. After the problems that season two had, fans hoped the show hadn’t lost its edge. 

Luckily, season three is on track to be yet another fine season of television. Much like the first season, this season focuses on the mystery and building tension. The new season follows Reacher as he joins a trio of DEA agents to take down an old enemy of his. The season starts out with a bang, as Reacher once again finds trouble or should it be that trouble finds him once again. The show wastes no time in building tension, especially as Reacher joins the organization of Zachary Beck (played by Anthony Michael Hall) and hurdles keep popping in his way. 

One thing “Reacher” understands is that Reacher isn’t a complicated character. Like The Punisher, he’s more of a force of nature than a fully fledged human being, but the show makes up for it by giving the characters around him depth and nuance. The character interactions feel natural and the dialogue flows clearly. “Reacher” has the occasional one liners, while not taking away from the natural chemistry between the characters. The mystery is also deeply compelling, and it may remind viewers of the highs of season one. This new season feels like a return to form. 

One of the big wins of this new season is the cinematography. Everything looks outstanding, it has great lighting and plays with colors in interesting ways. The characters this time around are very compelling, much more so than the previous season. Sonya Cassidy is outstanding as the hard-nosed DEA agent Susan Duffy, who has her own personal reasons for taking on this investigation. The action sequences are also well helmed, though there haven’t been too many of them, since we’re only three episodes in currently. 

“Reacher” season three has started out great and hopefully this season will keep the momentum going.