Reacher Season 3 Keeps The Original Book's First Amazing Twist

The following contains spoilers for "Reacher" Season 3, Episode 1, "Persuader."

Henchman-crushing hero Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is back in an all-new third season of "Reacher." From the off, however, it's clear that something just isn't right with our favorite loner. Reacher's all about laying down the law, which is why it's so shocking when, within the first 10 minutes of the Season 3 premiere, he actually breaks the law himself by gunning down a cop in cold blood. Okay, Jack has occasionally broken the rules in the past, but what happened here, Reacher? What could've caused you to fly off the handle without a care in the world and leave an unsuspecting police officer dead while you flee the scene? Well, the truth is this particular scene was staged from the get-go, and it's one of the coolest moments of the Season 3 premiere – a scene that hooks you in before the title card even reveals itself.

Drawing from the pages of "Persuader," Lee Child's seventh (and best) "Jack Reacher" book, the Season 3 premiere does an exceptional job of keeping the biggest twist of the story intact. Humming along at such a breakneck speed, it's a jarring introduction to Jack Reacher's world, turning it upside down within minutes and making us question if Reacher has gone off the rails since the last time we saw him. Of course, that's not the case. This is the walking tree, breaker of bad guys, and former U.S. Army Military Police Corps Major Jack Reacher we're talking about. Everything has gone according to plan. The difference between Season 3 and its source material, however, is that we don't have to wait too long to find out what the hell is going on.

Mirroring the same essential plot thread as "Persuader," Reacher does indeed save the skin of Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold), son of shady rug importer Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall), at the start of Season 3. He then uses this as an in to get connected to the family business, which involves a whole lot more than rugs. The difference, though, is that readers had to make their way through a whopping 100 pages before Jack cracks his boot, yanks out a phone, and gives Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) confirmation that he is, in fact, in like Flynn, thus confirming that the whole thing was staged (from Richard's kidnapping to Reacher killing a cop).

It's a head-spinning but immensely satisfying twist in the show, but just imagine how it was for fans on their first read of the book. After Reacher publicly murders someone and drives away in an alarmingly calm fashion at the beginning of "Persuader," those reading wouldn't be blamed for thinking they'd missed a few pages and feeling confused as to why their hero for six books had suddenly gone rotten. Thankfully, the "Reacher" showrunners deemed it best to show their cards a lot sooner (namely, in the season's first episode) and not leave viewers out of the loop for too long. But even if they had held off on revealing the truth, there's a Reacher-sized tell within the first few minutes of Season 3 — one that gives the game away, assuming you've been paying close attention to the series so far.

While totally capable behind the wheel, Ritchson's take on Lee Child's legendary hero has tended to wander from town to town by either using public transportation or sticking on a sturdy pair of boots and walking. Trekking across the country, occasionally wrecking shop, and then carrying on his merry way is the guy's modus operandi, so seeing him drive anywhere just looks weird. That's even before he goes into a random record store to try and push some secondhand vinyl. Last we checked, Reacher doesn't even own a cassette player (remember those?), let alone a van. But then, why would he — if it meant not using the very heartfelt gift he received at the end of last season from someone who can read him like a book?

Recall that at the end of Season 2, Reacher closed another case with his old war buddy Neagley (Maria Sten). So, as a parting gift, she presented the big guy with something he really should've gotten sooner: a bus pass. Now, anyone else might've easily misplaced such an item, but not Reacher. This guy might carry the bare minimum, but the small things still matter to him, especially something as essential as this. As a result, carrying a bus pass is a far better option than being tied down with a ride of his own. It's this little giveaway that proves this really is the same old Reacher, no matter what kind of new mess he's found himself in this time.

New episodes of "Reacher" drop Thursdays on Prime Video.