In the latest episode of “Reacher” Season 3, titled “L.A. Story,” Jack Reacher and DEA Agent Susan Duffy travel to Los Angeles to confront drug kingpin Darien Prado. Their goal is to blackmail Prado into setting up a meeting with their targets back in Portland, Maine. However, this plot choice exposes a recurring flaw in the series: unnecessary road trips that feel disconnected from the main storyline.
The decision to have Reacher and Duffy leave Portland, where most of the action takes place, comes across as a convoluted and unnecessary plot device. In “L.A. Story,” Reacher and Duffy’s plan involves extorting Prado by threatening him with a dubious legal charge. This forces him to arrange a meeting with Zachary Beck and Frances Neagley in Portland.
The elaborate setup yields minimal results, as Prado only makes a phone call to Beck without providing any new information about Teresa’s whereabouts or Quinn’s operations. The episode fails to stress the necessity of the Los Angeles trip. The revelation that Teresa is being held captive in Maine makes the road trip seem even more superfluous.
With most of the season’s action centered around Portland, the L.A. excursion disconnects viewers from the main plot. This issue is not new to the series. Previous seasons have featured similar detours, where characters leave the main action zone to chase leads in various locations.
While these trips occasionally serve the story, they often feel like fillers that detract from the narrative’s core dynamics. “L.A. Story” epitomizes the worst of these road trips, presenting a storyline that strains plausibility and adds little to the overarching plot. To improve future episodes, the series needs to integrate these trips more organically and establish their critical necessity to advance the story.
Without doing so, these detours will continue to come off as laborious and unnecessary, diluting the effectiveness of the main plotline.
Flawed road trip plot choice
As the penultimate episode of Season 3, “L.A. Story” sets the stage for the finale with a shocking twist.
Reacher, frustrated by the DEA and ATF’s sidelining, decides to take matters into his own hands. He purchases a sniper rifle, intending to kill Quinn despite the consequences. However, Reacher learns from Neagley that the intel about Quinn’s location is wrong.
She informs him that she’s tracking Quinn’s buyers at a different location heading towards Beck’s house. Reacher realizes that he, Duffy, the DEA, and the ATF have all walked into a trap. This twist raises questions about Quinn’s awareness of Reacher’s plans and potential allies within the DEA or ATF.
It also casts doubt on Beck’s intentions to help save his son. The cliffhanger ending sets up an uncertain finale, leaving fans eagerly awaiting the season’s conclusion. As the series delves deeper into Reacher’s character, it becomes increasingly difficult to overlook the harsh reality of his actions.
Despite his adherence to a personal code, Reacher consistently exhibits a disregard for societal rules and the justice system. He justifies his brutal methods by convincing himself that those he kills deserve it. In “L.A. Story,” Reacher’s disdain for institutional justice becomes apparent when he declares, “I don’t want justice, I want revenge.” This season has seen a shift in how Reacher is held accountable for his actions, with characters like Duffy and Villanueva challenging his methods and exposing his moral flaws.
As “Reacher” adapts one of Lee Child’s best novels, its exploration of the character provides a deeper understanding of his complex personality. Reacher’s anti-heroism leads him to walk a thin line between moral righteousness and pure malevolence. The upcoming finale promises to further delve into these themes, challenging traditional notions of heroism.
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