There’s something beautiful about stupidity. It just has to be the right kind. The kind that doesn’t try to be clever. The kind that doesn’t wrap itself in irony or prestige-TV ambitions. And that’s exactly what Reacher season 3 does: it stands there proudly, bare-chested, and screams “U-S-A” with a stick of dynamite in its hand. And we clap. With one hand. The other is holding the phone.
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Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
You know exactly what you’re getting when you hit play. It’s the steel stare, jaws like concrete blocks, and men speaking in short, efficient sentences about revenge, morality, and guns. It’s like opening a bag of salted chips and finding… salted chips. No frills. No layers. And that is both the series’ strength and its huge problem.
It all begins (and ends) in a kind of ultra-violent version of “the man who knew too much,” only without anything he actually knows. Reacher – our wall of a protagonist – stomps into a case involving murder, betrayal, and ear-cutting. Yep. Someone has had their ear cut off, and of course that must be unpacked in minute detail through several scenes that could have been lifted straight out of an episode of CSI: Walmart Edition.
The story could be written on half a Post-it. A nasty Post-it. With a crease in it. And yet the series insists on pausing to give us dialogue like:
– “We need answers.”
– “Then let’s get some.”
– “Copy that.”
It’s almost zen-like, if it weren’t so loud.
But damn, it’s also kind of lovely. Because Reacher dares to be dumb. It doesn’t try to be a political statement, it doesn’t try to portray PTSD, trauma, or gender roles in a modern military context. It just wants to kick the door in and give us someone who hits hard. Very hard. And he does.
And so does the series, once it finally shuts up and lets the muscles do the talking. The action scenes are solid – like a good steak. You know, the one from the backyard grill, not the one from Noma. It’s blood, sweat, and exploding trucks. Entertainment in its purest and most insolent form.
Is it good? No. Is it fun? Yes. Especially if you expect nothing more than a little laugh, a little head-shaking, and glancing up from your phone every time someone says something along the lines of:
– “He’s behind you.”
– “No… I’m right here.”
And Reacher is right here too. Ready to do it all again. In season 4.
And you know what? I’m actually looking forward to it a little.
Maybe sometimes you just need something that doesn’t demand more than 12 percent brain capacity and a subscription. Maybe it’s okay to be served entertainment with an iron fist and a nod to ‘Murika!’ Maybe we should just let Reacher be Reacher. And that’s exactly what he does. With one-liners, broken ribs, and enormous shoulders.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
(… and half a Post-it)
