Fly Boy

The first season of Reacher was essentially perfect. The writing and acting absolutely nailed Reacher. It was a superb TV adaptation of the book Killing Floor. The second season has been so much worse, mostly the writing.

Season Two of Reacher is what happens when the writers decide to make it more stereotypically "Hollywood". This isn't Reacher. It's a dumb action flick with all the tropes, like unnecessary violence, thousands upon thousands of bullets flying everywhere and no one getting hit, people doing absurd stunts that make no sense, plus plenty of other physics-defying nonsense.

If you like Reacher, and especially if you like the books, I think you're going to be disappointed in this season and especially this absurd ending.

I haven't checked to see if the same writers were used for this season or not. If not, they absolutely need to fire this group and rehire the original group. If this was done by the original group, well, time to fire them, too, and find someone willing to stick closer to the source material.

I think they ran out of script about half way through this episode, and then tread water for the remaining time. Total anticlimax here. When the major plot threads are wrapped up, we had a lot of feel-good but rather inconsequential "farewells" between cast members. And weren't you expecting just a bit more explanation of what became of Swan? Also the exits of some other villains, while satisfying, was a bit hurried, but perhaps an earlier version of this episode was thought to be burdened with too much explanation.

I preferred the former season, when Reacher was more of a loner, mentally and physically, and that character trait figured significantly in the plot. The first several episodes of this series promised a lot more than what was delivered here.

Maybe the novel this was based on was more subtle. The finale was two thirds an extended action sequence.

So when Reacher phoned the Senator for help. He sent three Navy Seals. Did he also sent a photo to tell them when you are taking out the baddies. This is what Neagley and Reacher look like. Don't take them out immediately.

In fact if Reacher has friends at Homeland security. Maybe they could had sent some guys down!

It is action packed in a ridiculous way. People who have been tortured, stabbed and shot at had miraculously recovery powers.

The rest was padding. Reacher and his team dividing up the spoils for everyone.

Where to begin ?

This finale should've been taken back to the drawing board, The pacing is rushed, we learn what happened to swan, what kind of men langston and AM really are and reacher is basically hercules.

Production - another rough cgi, obvious stunt work set piece, poorly mixed audio ( i use headphones).

Acting - usual standard, some shine others just phone it in.

Music - well chosen.

The episode starts right where ep7 left off with reacher going in to the lions den and ready to fight.

The bad guys become utter chumps and drop like flies, and it just gets worse from there.

With out spoiling specifics, the main fight is over by the half way point of the episode and the rest of it is used to wrap up the 'victims families' and reachers good byes.

Some violence, a teeny bit of gore, a lot of suspension of disbelief required and alot of mixed messages.

A good sum up of the season, moments of brilliance and good action let down by dumb writing and forced cliches.

Firstly, I loved the first season: tight plot in a small town, with a great cast. Season two on the other hand is entirely devoid of the first season's charm and intellect. The story is paper thin, extremely soporific, and very predictable; the supporting cast are completely forgettable and dull; and the main flaw is Reacher lacks the allure he had in the first season.

It's not a terrible season, it's just an eye-watering slog to get through, because there's so little here that grabs you. I hope to god they correct course for the next season and make something in line with what made the 1st season so good, because this ain't it.