Reacher Fans Think That Jack Seems Too Indestructible
Jack Reacher can find himself in some tricky situations — Lee Child's character may be an imposing figure, but even he is subject to a few close calls. The Amazon Prime Video series "Reacher" expands on what the author envisioned for his most popular creation. Star Alan Ritchson checks the boxes for Reacher's most prominent attributes — impressive height and physique.
He's also offering a dominant performance that relies on physicality over dialogue. Ritchson himself has even admitted to the stress that comes with filming the well-known literary hero. Season 1 sees the character facing a murder charge as well as a dangerous mystery. Of course, it wouldn't be a Child adaptation without some larger-than-life fights.
While fans have embraced the sequences, they definitely have some reservations — top among them in how Reacher seems to evade injury after brutal altercations. "Even after he takes the crowbar to the face and dumps blood into the pool he walks out unscathed," posted u/treert.
They're not alone in their conclusions about the title character. More often than not, fans are confused about the portrayal of Reacher as someone that goes beyond human — traits that can be both enthralling and problematic at times.
Fans are surprised by his recovery after the crowbar fight
Fights are one of the series' highlights and it emphasizes how much Reacher is capable of when pushed to the limit. His savage takedowns often come in defense, but when he strikes out there are equally bloody consequences. "He isn't really human, he is human pro plus edition," wrote u/Drezzon. Getting hit by a crowbar seemed to emphasize the more-than-human critique.
"Reacher being the modern Terminator wasn't a surprise. But his facial damage was like a love bite despite taking the crowbar to the face," added u/gauthambrb. Something else that stood out about the attack was the surprising aftermath — u/murphdog09 noticed the hit produced no bruises or bleeding after the pool. They also pointed to him looking as if nothing happened after putting on clean clothes.
Another aspect that had viewers confused is the title character's effectiveness during various sequences. While Reacher had numerous fights over Season 1, none stood out more than the lengthy prison battle — it came up as fans were debating another altercation at [Hubble's] house. "Reacher took down [six] guys at the jail by himself but I'm supposed to believe he has such a hard time beating up methed up man at the pool at [Hubble's] house?" asked u/Rokhard82.
There's confusion about his strength versus certain opponents
The Hubble's house sequence wasn't popular with u/willie4979 either. They wrote about Reacher being an awesome fighter but felt like it was discarded for this moment. "So when he took about [six] in this fight sequence my belief was officially suspended," the user posted. More than just critiquing the interaction, this user also had an idea as to what would have made it better. "Reacher stumbles going down steps to pool.. accidentally falls on skinny evil guy," they added.
The debate about this famous character's fighting skills in season 1 was only the beginning. Fans have another chance to see Reacher in action with Season 2 to debut in 2023. The second season adapts Child's 11th novel "Bad Luck and Trouble" — in the book, Reacher reunites with figures from his past as murders hit close to home. It's also full of the intense action that fans have come to expect. Time will tell if these sequences are faithful adaptations that will quell these arguments.