68

A huge improvement over season one. There are aspects I preferred in the first season that didn't carry into this one, but there's also a ton of stuff that was way better here. And honestly, if both of these seasons mixed, the outcome would be a genuinely great show.

One thing I preferred in season one was the group dynamic. It's okay here too—and it gets a lot better as the season progresses, but the back and forth is never as entertaining as it was previously, very largely due to the absence of Finlay. He was the polar opposite of Reacher, and their relationship was one of compromise, frustration, and near the end—a true understanding of one another. It was also elevated by Roscoe who was a great addition since her and Reacher actually shared chemistry, and had a relationship that was compelling because of their major differences. Reacher & Dixon's isn't compelling. It's barely talked about. There's barely any build up. Sure! They also have chemistry! But it's not as interesting because Dixon isn't a good character at all, she's one-dimensional. She's not even close to Roscoe. And now compare all of that to *this* group dynamic, and it's a stark contrast between the two. It's a lot less interesting because Reacher *knows* all of them, and the show expects us to care because he does! Without actually bothering to build up their bond through flashbacks or anything else (I know there are flashbacks, but there's not enough of them, especially between him and the other dead members that we're supposed to care about). This could've easily been 10 episodes to flesh all of those characters out, and I think the show would've been all the better for it. 

I would've also appreciated a few more risks? There's barely any twists that trick the audience or subvert expectations, it's like a straight line towards the end. And that removes a lot of tension. I would've loved to see the other members' deaths through an opening scene—much like the first episode, imagine a new death almost every episode, that would set the tone and inform the audience of how serious and horrific something like this actually is. It would make Reacher's character more empathetic in the form of *us* caring about him, since we *see* what he *knows* has happened to his so called "family". And on the opposite end, it would add more to the villains too! Since we can associate that pain with a face, which would make them a lot more hateable. But as it is here, it's constantly keeping me at arms length—both ways. 

Another risk that I think this season should've taken is showing us that Reacher *can* actually be wrong. That's been a huge strength of his character thus far—the fact that he's always right and can solve anything at any time, but imagine if in this scenario he wasn't right... imagine if he *didn't* anticipate Swan being a traitor, I mean they even fucking tease it but walk it back straight away. What's the point then? What did that do for his character? Nothing! It did nothing. I need them to switch it up next season, I really need them to do something *meaningful* with his character. If they don't, I'll probably still like it because it's pure entertainment regardless, but it'd be nice if it was more than that.  

But apart from that; the action was a lot better this season, it clearly had more effort put into it—along with budget. The shoot-outs in particular looked great. I preferred the setting, even though I wish they did something a little more with it. It's shot about the same. The acting is about the same. The comedy is a massive improvement, I laughed a ton every episode, those out-of-pocket Reacher moments are incredibly funny. And I'm looking forward to what they can do with a third season! 