Reacher is back for a second season, this time adapting Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in Lee Child’s global best-selling series. In the first season, we met Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson, Titans, Blood Drive, Blue Mountain State), a retired Army Major/military police investigator, who now spends his time drifting wherever the wind takes him. He travels light, without any bags or even a car or cell phone, living off his pension. While he prefers not getting involved in things, when he sees an injustice, he steps in to help.
As the second season opens, Reacher receives a coded message and determines it has come from his old friend Frances Neagley (Maria Sten, Swamp Thing, Channel Zero), who informs him that one of members of their unit, Franz, has been found murdered. They believe that the murder may be related to a case that Franz had been working on, and that someone may be targeting other members of their unit as well. So they try to locate the rest of the members of the U.S. Army 110th MP Special Investigations Unit to warn them, and are soon joined by David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos, Outer Range, Krypton) and Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan, Coroner). The only clues they have are the initials A.M., belonging to a mysterious mercenary (Ferdinand Kingsley), but his identity, motives and mission aren’t initially clear. The team also finds itself repeatedly tailed by NYPD cop Gaitano ‘Guy’ Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi, Tulsa King), and professional hitman Saropian (Joris Jarsky), who’s been hired to take them out by a mysterious man named Shane Langston (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day).
As the team tries to figure out the mystery of who wants them dead and why, they also set out to find and protect the remaining members of their unit. Through flashbacks, we learn how the 110th was originally formed. We also see how Reacher and Dixon had feelings for one another, but how Reacher refused to act on them since he was the boss and she was his direct report. However, in the present, those flames start to rekindle. The team must figure out who they can trust and why people are after them if they are going to be able to solve the murder and prevent other members of their team from befalling the same fate as Franz.
While the dynamic of the second season definitely feels quite different than that of the first. In the first season, Reacher was pretty much on his own, reluctantly working with local cops to complete his investigation/mission. This time around, he has reunited with his team to investigate the deaths of those he considers family. They work like a unit and a well-oiled machine, counting on one another to carry out their mission. This is no longer a solo effort for Reacher. I can’t really say if I prefer the team dynamic to the solo mission, but I have thoroughly enjoyed both seasons. And I did really enjoy these other characters assisting Reacher, especially Neagley (who is rumored to have her own spin-off in the works).
Season 2 still has all of the action we’ve come to expect in this series, with Reacher punching through car windows and taking down the bad guys with his hands or utilizing whatever he can find for a weapon. There are also some extreme, exciting and over-the-top action sequences taking place in the air. Reacher is constantly using both his brain and brawn to solve the case and take down the bad guys. In addition the series has lots of humorous moments, whether it is Reacher’s often dead-=pan, almost emotionless delivery, or meta jokes like Robert Patrick’s character stating that he has never heard of and doesn’t care about someone named “Sarah Connor”.
I really enjoyed binging through this second season for the second time on disk. The episodes flow nicely into one another, using ending on some big reveal, making you want to immediately check out the next episode.
Paramount Home Entertainment has released this second season of Reacher on Blu-ray & DVD as well as a MOD 4K UHD release. We were sent the Blu-ray version for review. The picture looks fantastic—I can’t imagine how the 4K UHD release could look any better. The picture is pristine with bright, beautiful colors and a stellar amount of detail in faces. The audio track is equally impressive, providing clear dialogue throughout, as well as a very immersive feeling, whether that be the sound of a thundr storm, or just the ambiance of the locations the teams end up in. You feel like you’re right in the middle of the action.
The second season’s eight episodes are split evenly across 2 discs, which are placed on either side of a standard HD keepcase, covered with a glossy cardboard slipcover. Unfortunately, there is no bonus material on the discs, and no digital copy included.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (5:51:17)
- All 8 episodes of season 2:
Disc 1 (3:06:59): “ATM”, “What Happens in Atlantic City”, “Picture Says a Thousand Words”, “A Night at the Symphony”
Disc 2 (2:44:18): “Burial”, “New York’s Finest”, “The Man Goes Through”, “Fly Boy” - 1080p / Widescreen 2.00:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Description, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, German, French
Extras:
-
No bonus material has been included.
Final Thoughts:
The second season of Reacher is another satisfying 8-episode action-packed mystery. While the dynamic is switched up this season, with Reacher working with his former unit members rather than solo, I still found it to be the same great show I enjoyed in the first season, and just as entertaining and exciting. The new characters are great and the team has excellent chemistry. The season also delves a bit more into Reacher’s backstory and how his unit was formed. Paramount’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, but unfortunately doesn’t include any bonus material or digital copy. That said, the relese still comes recommended based on the quality of the series itself.
