Reacher

Reacher is, for me, the series surprise of the year. A rather unassuming eight-episode series that leaves most of its competition far behind. I haven’t read the books, so I can’t compare much, but most people say that the casting in the series was spot-on. Alan Ritchson, who was unknown to me before, surprised me; he's not just a two-meter-tall muscle giant you wouldn’t want to challenge to a fistfight, but he also showed that he has acting chops, delivering emotionally charged scenes without coming off as wooden. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in a small American town. The rest of the cast didn’t disappoint either, and the abundance of humorous situations was delightful. I especially enjoyed the action, whether it was physical combat or shootouts. On top of that, Reacher didn’t shy away from delivering some pretty brutal scenes, which I didn’t expect even in my wildest dreams. I’m eagerly looking forward to the second season; this project definitely has a bright future ahead. For me, it’s 8/10. (2022.05.05)

The second season is a bit of a disappointment for me. Compared to the first season, a few aspects hurt it. First, the series no longer focuses primarily on Reacher himself, which is exactly what I enjoyed about the first one. Sure, the four-person team works quite well, especially in terms of acting. But the one-liners sometimes felt forced compared to its predecessor. And most notably, the action suffered significant losses. The implausibility was sometimes glaringly obvious (which I never felt in the first season), especially in the final episode where all the protagonists turned into Marvel and DC heroes... Such a shame. Secondly, the story didn’t manage to hook me properly (the villain, Robert Patrick, didn’t help much, as he was blandly written). So, overall, I see it as a 6/10. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely not a disaster; Alan Ritchson still performs effortlessly. It’s just no longer a standout hit. Hopefully, the next installment will turn things around for the better :) (2024.01.30)