Minor spoilers ahead.
Having read a couple of the books and watched both Tom Cruise films, I was sceptical when I heard Jack Reacher was coming to television. I didn’t think it would work. Then again, I’d had similar doubts about Shooter, only to prefer the series to the Mark Wahlberg film. So I gave Reacher a chance.
I was hooked from the beginning, and I still look forward to every episode. Alan Ritchson has made the role his own, capturing the physical presence, quiet confidence and dry humour that make the character so compelling. He can command a scene without saying much, and it’s consistently entertaining to watch someone mistake his silence for an invitation to start trouble.
This season’s mystery begins with a chance encounter on a Philadelphia subway and a missing flash drive. Before long, Reacher is dealing with government agents and professional soldiers, all searching for the same thing. The story grows naturally from that opening moment, gradually revealing how one woman’s death connects to something far bigger.
Tamara and Jacob give the season its own identity. Jacob’s search for answers about his sister’s death creates an emotional core, while Tamara is drawn deeper into the danger alongside Reacher. Their presence gives him people to protect and makes the predicament more engaging than simply waiting for his next fight.
Lila Hoth and her mother, Amisha, add another dimension to the mystery. The growing closeness between Reacher and Lila reveals a different side of him, bringing quieter moments away from the interrogations and fights while allowing Ritchson to explore more than the character’s usual confidence and physical strength.
With several factions pursuing the flash drive for their own reasons, the plot can be difficult to follow, and some sections could have been tighter. The season works best when it focuses on its central characters rather than the mechanics of the wider mystery.
By the final act, a major loss within the group feels genuinely possible. Entering the confrontation without backup is dangerous enough, but watching Reacher take so much punishment makes it harder to assume he has everything under control. The nail-gun and karambit knife sequences are especially brutal, even by the show’s standards. I expected him to keep fighting, but I was no longer confident that he, or anyone beside him, would make it through. Ritchson deserves credit for his performance in these scenes.
Season four occasionally becomes more complicated than it needs to be, but its strong performances and tense closing stretch keep it thoroughly entertaining. The action lands because the characters give it weight, making this another worthwhile entry in the series.
Rating: 4/5