"Reacher" season 3 isn't that different from season 1 or season 2.
Now, that's probably not worth a spoiler warning. Nor is it necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of great shows don't deviate from the formula that works for them. Instead, they tend to iterate slightly, slowly layering changes that build season after season. "Slow Horses" is a perfect example of this.
And "Slow Horses" is probably an apt comparison for "Reacher." Their leading men may have very little in common at first glance. Still, both are adaptations of action thriller novels that your dad probably reads, and those novels — like the shows adapted from them — similarly follow a tried and true formula.
After all, you don't come to watch "Reacher" expecting "Game of Thrones." As successful and great as the latter is, you'd probably be annoyed if suddenly Alan Ritchson showed up riding a dragon and speaking Valyrian.
However, you would be annoyed if you literally got the same story each time. You want some character development, some new hook to bring you in, etc. In "Reacher" season 3, we don't really get the former.
However, we do learn more about what shapes Reacher, like what he learned from his mentor in the military and the backstory of a tragedy befalling a beloved protege. This season doesn't quite get into what makes Jack Reacher tick to the same degree as season 1 did. But we do get the best villain this show has gotten by far, and it's my favorite thing about the season.
Season 3 introduces a truly sadistic villain beyond what "Reacher" has shown so far
Minor spoilers for "Reacher" seasons 1-3 below
In "Reacher 3," Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) has once again moved onto a new town. We've long left Margrave and season 1 behind and now we're in Maine. But a lot of the notes are the same. Something from Reacher's past catches up with him, giving him a new mission for the season.
There's a new cast of partners as well — though Neagley (Maria Sten) from the previous two seasons returns for a cameo that isn't in the "Persuader" Jack Reacher novel this season is based on. Still, they follow some similar tropes as previous characters. Unsurprisingly, there's a gun-toting badass law enforcement officer (Sonya Cassidy) who is the love interest for Reacher this season.
But this season's villain is a new type of evil we haven't seen before. Last season our main villain was the simply corrupt Shane Langston, a crooked NYPD cop who turns mercenary while head of security at a private defense contractor. In season 1 we get a bit more depth with the somewhat psychopathic, very much entitled (and probably a bit racist) KJ Kliner, but he looks like a model citizen compared to this season's villain.
That's because this season we get Xavier Quinn (Brian Tee), and this guy is truly sadistic. Reacher has had run-ins with him before and seen his handiwork firsthand, including victims hung to bleed out like game or livestock.
Calling back to my "Game of Thrones" reference from earlier, he reminds me of Ramsey Bolton, and those who have seen that show need no reminder of how purely evil, and unrepentant that psychopath was. It's Quinn's sudden appearance in Maine that gets Reacher undercover with the DEA to investigate suspected drug dealer Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), who Reacher suspects is an associate of Quinn's.
Verdict: If you love "Reacher," you'll love season 3
As much as I love Quinn as a villain, I still rate season 1 as the best season of "Reacher" to date. The supporting performances around Alan Ritchson were a bit better in that show, and Kliner was still a compelling villain.
But season 3 comes close. Very close. So if you're a fan of the show, watch without fear because I guarantee you won't be disappointed. If you've never watched "Reacher" before, start binging seasons 1 and 2 on Prime Video now before season 3 drops its three-episode premiere on February 20 at 3 a.m. ET.
Stream "Reacher" on Prime Video
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