This second episode of the new season of Reacher is a day without much sunshine. By which is meant Reacher (the magnificent Alan Ritchson) has only one physical fight in Truckin’. It is between Reacher and Paulie (Olivier Richters), the unpleasant thug who is literally double Reacher’s size. Fortunately, Reacher is an expert at “Bavarian arm wrestling,” but being such a smartass will have consequences. Reacher, of course, doesn’t care. If there was ever a man alive who was able to manifest the fantasy that consequences are for other people, it’s the man without fear.
Just as Reacher settles into life in the compound owned by the criminal Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), he is sent on the road, with a truckful of Bizarre Bazaar product reviewers have been specifically asked not to spoil to deliver to an address in Connecticut in six hours’ time. Reacher, who can obviously though not legally drive a 18-wheeler without difficulty, calls Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) from his secret cellphone. She hops into the cab for the road trip so they can discuss the plot and its ramifications. Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos) drives the GPS tracker in his own car and Eliot (Daniel David Stewart) babysits a man named John Cooper (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) in a DEA safe house. Duffy doesn’t like Cooper, as evidenced by her tendency to ask him questions while hitting him upside the head with a book. It’s this kind of loosey-goosey sense of ethics that has endeared her to Reacher, no doubt.
But the point of this episode is to demonstrate the thoroughness of the dragnet surrounding Reacher and the missing Theresa, personified by the cheery Angel Doll (Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz). Angel Doll is also ex-army, has big plans for career advancement and shoots his mouth off in ways designed to irritate Reacher personally. For example, he refers to women’s underwear as “hoochie covers.” Worse, he got his nickname by winning a beautiful baby contest. There’s also the housemaid, a Frenchwoman named Annette (Caitlin McNerney), who Reacher catches snooping in his room. Not to mention the complex father-son relationship between Beck and Richard (Johnny Berchtold). College-boy and ninety-pound weakling Richard’s a painter who works from his bedroom, and while Beck is adamant that he can keep his son safe, Richard has a slightly different – and highly justifiable – perspective. Just ask his ear, after all.
While first episode, Persuader, was designed to lay out the complex and overlapping cast of characters, Truckin’ is designed to give us a feel for the territory. We learn the set-up of the enormous house Beck lives in, and just how strained his relationship with Richard is. We also witness more of Duffy’s relationships, including her closeness to Villanueva and her mean-spirited teasing of Eliot. We learn about Reacher’s contempt for weightlifting and see how he kind of smiles when Duffy pays him a compliment. We also learn that he has previously only used a blowtorch in order to get someone to talk. This wipes the smile off Duffy’s face.
The visual style of the show is fairly nondescript, which is also by design. Reacher’s ethos is one of substance, not style, meaning that anything too showy by production designer Naz Goshtasbpour would go against the ordinary-superhero vibe. But costume designer Abram Waterhouse works miracles with gray t-shirts and cheap suits, and cinematographer Ken Glassing manages to infuse the warehouse, truck stop and basement gym settings with more menace that you’d expect. Tony Morales’ music also makes sure even the most inattentive viewer knows when the big worrisome events are happening. None of these remarks are criticism, of course. We are not here for obvious visual trickery of any kind – although there’s been a great deal of VFX work done, not least in the lighting. The issue is whether the man without fear has finally found himself in a situation he ought to feel at least mild concern about. In light of the comprehensive danger all around him and the woman’s life at stake, Reacher’s final choice in the episode may well be the worst decision he’s ever made.
Closing needle drop: “Dead Language” by The Defiant
Season 3 of Reacher is now streaming on Prime Video.
Learn more about the show, including how to watch, at the official site for the title.
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