Neagley will return for Reacher season 3 but despite not appearing in the source book, there is an obvious if disappointing way to insert her into it.

SUMMARY

 Flashbacks to Reacher’s Army days in season 3 are likely to feature Neagley and other 110th Special Investigators in his pursuit of justice for the murdered Kohl.
 However, limiting Neagley’s role to just flashbacks would be a disappointing use of the cereal-loving private investigator.
 Neagley’s role in season 3 needs to be more than just a cameo to justify her inclusion in the plot.

Reacher season 3 will adapt the novel Persuader, and Neagley’s most obvious role in the story would also be a big disappointment. The formula of Lee Child’s Reacher books involves the title character (played by Alan Ritchson in Amazon’s adaptation) arriving in a new place, getting into trouble, punching/shooting his way out and then moving on. This helped keep the series fresh since the plot and cast of characters were always changing. Reacher’s nomadic nature worked great for the books, but it’s a tricky aspect to adapt for an ongoing TV show.

Audiences were heartbroken to find out Roscoe (Willa Fitzgerald) wouldn’t be returning for Reacher season 2, since she was such a great character. The showrunners have tried to make Ritchson’s hero a little more sociable, which includes making his old Army buddy Neagley (Maria Sten) a major supporting character.

Neagley appeared in the first two series and is set to return once more for the upcoming Reacher season 3, though how the show will use the character is another question.

Flashbacks To Reacher’s 110th Days Is Neagley’s Most Obvious Season 3 Role

Neagley is absent in Reacher season 3’s source novel Persuader

The next season will cover Lee Child’s seventh novel, Persuader, which sees Reacher being recruited by the DEA for an undercover operation. His true objective is to find a man named Quinn, who a decade prior was responsible for the torture and murder of Reacher’s colleague, Dominique Kohl. The first two seasons of Reacher have included flashbacks as a narrative device, and season 3 is certain to include Reacher’s memories of Kohl leading up to her vicious murder.

Neagley and other characters from the 110th Special Investigators could be seen during flashbacks as part of Kohl’s investigation into Quinn during Reacher season 3

If the writers were looking for an organic way to include Neagley in Reacher season 3, flashbacks to the titular character’s Army days would be the obvious move. What happened to Kohl still haunts Reacher in the books, so the TV version will need to spend time developing her as an important figure in his life.

Neagley and other characters from the 110th Special Investigators could be seen during flashbacks as part of Kohl’s investigation into Quinn during season 3. In that case, Neagley appearing in these scenes wouldn’t be straying too far outside the narrative of Child’s novel either.

Neagley Only Appearing In Reacher Season 3 Flashbacks Would Be A Mistake

Limiting Neagley to Reacher’s memories would waste the character

Reacher season 2’s ending saw Neagley make a plea to her old friend to stay in touch, and not disappear from her life for years at a time again. This was a great way to set up her return in future series, and establish the TV show would be more interconnected than the books ever were.

With this in mind, if Neagley’s Reacher season 3 role is limited to flashback sequences, this would be an enormous waste of the cereal-loving private investigator.

Sure, it would be nice to see her back even briefly, but if Reacher is seeking revenge for Kohl’s death, Neagley would want to be part of that.

A large chunk of Persuader involves Reacher going undercover as a bodyguard inside a criminal organization, with his communications with the DEA being limited to text messages and the occasional meeting in person. Given how flexible past seasons have been when it comes to giving Neagley more to do, she could be one of Reacher’s contacts on the outside.

Perhaps he asks her to be his backup since Neagley is one of the few people he trusts completely. He could also reach out to her for information on the people he’s working for, a role that the DEA plays in Persuader.

Neagley’s part might be more limited than it was in the first two seasons, but her role needs to be more than a glorified cameo to make her inclusion worthwhile.

Reacher Season 1 Already Proved Neagley Doesn’t Have To Appear In The Original Book

Neagley was also missing from Lee Child’s Killing Floor

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Sten has become the de facto co-lead of Amazon’s Reacher, with Neagley easily having the second-largest episode count. She fit so smoothly into Reacher season 1 that some viewers may not realize Neagley wasn’t even mentioned in Killing Floor, the novel it adapted.

The character wouldn’t make her debut until Child’s sixth novel, Without Fail. Granted, Neagley doesn’t appear in much of the first season, but Sten still had a great supporting role.

Neagley was already a major character in Bad Luck and Trouble, the source novel used for season 2. Presumably, Reacher’s third season might pull a similar move to Killing Floor, where the retired 110th investigator will aid her friend without playing a featured role.

The show has been careful to stay faithful to Child’s writing, but a key part of the books involves Reacher’s internal thoughts and problem-solving. On the show, Neagley is the one who typically pulls those thoughts out of him, so making her part of the undercover operation makes sense for the story.