The fourth and latest season of Prime Video’s global hit series, “Reacher,” started rolling out on the platform last week. If you’re new to the series, it will be a relief to know each season is a standalone story. You don’t really have to keep track of characters and or MacGuffins from the past as one does with “House of the Dragon,” and many Marvel TV shows.
“Reacher” is based on a hugely successful series of novels following the adventures of Jack Reacher, a former US military police major. He goes from town to town across the United States like the other famous, Jack — Kerouac. Though the similarity ends there. Other distinguishing traits: he stands 6’5” and weighs about 250 pounds, and he knows how to fight. You don’t not want to be at the receiving end of a punch or a choke hold. He is basically a weapon.
Reacher is surprisingly adept with numbers, probability and patterns, he’s observant, he likes black coffee, and is a fan of blues music. He’s also a man of few words, and he doesn’t need to be a people pleaser. He gives a direct and honest “No.”
He doesn’t have a middle name and he’s what we’d call in this part of the world, NPA or no permanent address. Wherever Reacher travels, trouble seems to find him as he stumbles across all sorts of crime. There’s not a diner or bar where he can drink or eat in peace. He instinctively gets involved when someone needs help.
The series has cast the perfect actor for the role, Alan Ritchson. Reacher is really like some kind of superhero, and the square-jawed 6’3”, 240-pound Ritchson has been cast previously as Aquaman in “Smallville,” Hawk in “Titans,” and auditioned for the role of Thor for Marvel. He grew up with a father who was in the military. He later developed a love and aptitude for theater and performance, and here we are.
There are currently 30 “Reacher” books and season 4 is based on “Gone Tomorrow.” It’s set in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and gets off to a quick start with Reacher being at a subway trying to stop what he thinks is an attempt to detonate an explosive. Instead, he uncovers a conspiracy with political implications involving a US presidentiable.
Past seasons offer comfort via a familiar structure: Reacher rolls into a new town, some kind of mystery or crime happens and he gets roped in. Each season also has him working with colorful allies who also get a front row seat to all his quirks. Then the show offers a puzzle which keeps viewers glued and invested.
This newest season moves at a quick pace. It also has a great fight scene in a bowling alley where he uses a bowling ball and a trophy as weapons, all while KC and the Sunshine Band’s ‘70s hit “Boogie Shoes” plays in the background. It also answers what ever happened to Anggun, who is familiar to ‘90s kids for singing the hit song, “Snow on the Sahara.”
Episodes 1 to 4 of the current season are out on Prime Video. New episodes drop every Wednesday with the finale set on Sept. 16.
