The Best Part of ‘Reacher’ Season 2 Isn’t Reacher
Reacher may take up most of the screen, but it’s these characters who dominate the second season.
Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Reacher Season 2.
THE BIG PICTURE
Reacher Season 2 breaks away from misogynistic action stereotypes and features strong female characters who take center stage in combat.
Maria Sten’s Neagley is a formidable action star, commanding attention with her ruthless fighting skills and tech abilities.
Serinda Swan’s Dixon is a fantastic addition to the show in Season 2, holding her own alongside Neagley and using clever investigative tactics to take down enemies.
It’s no longer entirely a man’s world in Reacher. Alan Ritchson stars in the Prime Video series as the titular character, a retired Military Officer who is still very much in the line of fire.
Season 1 debuted in 2022 and quickly became a sensation. With its sleek look, shockingly violent but stylized fight scenes, and Ritchson’s tender performance as a big man dealing out justice with his fists, it had the perfect formula to become the perfect entertainment for guys’ night.
Season 2 has only increased in its popularity among fans, and has dominated the streaming numbers game. But Reacher is not just for men anymore, and Reacher himself is not the only best part of the show. Though Reacher takes up the majority of the space on-screen, he, and the series, have made room for women to kick some serious butt too.
Reacher could have easily played into misogynist ideals and been a storm of toxic masculinity, but it’s rejected the old stereotypes of the action genre, becoming a show for all viewers — and it also happens to feature some of the toughest female characters on television right now.
Season 1 introduced Willa Fitzgerald‘s tough Margrave cop Roscoe Conklin, while Season 2 increased its spotlighting of women in action, putting them at the front of all the fights.
Maria Sten was first introduced as former military sergeant Frances Neagley in Season 1, a powerhouse fighter and incredible sharpshooter who served with Reacher in the 110th Special Investigations Unit. Meanwhile, Serinda Swan debuts Karla Dixon in Season 2, a former military officer who also served alongside Reacher and Neagley in the 110th.
As both Neagley and Dixon come to Reacher’s aide in Season 2 to save members of the 110th, the women take center stage in combat. The long-cemented notion that action flicks are made only for men is finally disintegrating, and Reacher is celebrating that.
Reacher
TV-MA: Drama
When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians.
With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.
Release Date: February 4, 2022
Cast: Alan Ritchson , Maria Sten , Malcolm Goodwin , Willa Fitzgerald , Robert Patrick , Serinda Swan
Main Genre: Action
Seasons: 2
Streaming Service(s): Prime Video
In Season 2 of ‘Reacher,’ Neagley and Dixon Are an Unstoppable Duo
As Season 2 begins, it has been two years since the explosive showdown in the small town of Margrave, Georgia. Now, Reacher is an wandering traveler, never staying in any one town too long — that is, until he finds out members who served under him in the 110th Special Investigations Unit have been murdered, thanks to Frances Neagley.
As Neagley draws Reacher out of hiding and brings him to New York to help her solve the murder of their former colleague Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk), she kicks the story into high gear, with the two teaming back up again to administer beatdowns of the unsavory criminals involved.
Neagley is not the only woman in the room anymore, though, as Dixon also joins the group in hunting down the baddies who are responsible for the deaths of several special investigators.
As former 110th member David O’Connell, Shaun Sipos provides most of the comic relief with his character’s brass knuckles, while leaving more of the cutthroat fighting to Neagley and Dixon.
Together, the two women make for the best action duo in Season 2, feeding off each other’s energy and getting to take part in some of the series’ most memorable showdowns, including the season’s best fight scene featuring a very angry biker gang.
Neagley and Dixon Are Fighting Machines in ‘Reacher’ Season 2
Reacher Season 2 puts women at the forefront and is better for it. Making space for women, and also letting them rule the action, is not only a monumental moment for Reacher but also within the action genre as a whole. It’s a miracle anyone can squeeze past Reacher’s biceps, but once Neagley and Dixon do, it’s game over for the bad guys.
Maria Sten is a force to be reckoned with as Neagley. Taking on the role of the ultimate tough guy, she is ruthless with her opponents. Standing at nearly 6’0″ tall, Sten’s presence alone commands attention, and she has become one of the most formidable action stars on television right now.
And it’s not just her body that’s a weapon. Thanks to Neagley’s tech abilities and detective skills, she’s able to sniff out any conspiracy and is undoubtedly the brains behind the whole operation in Season 2.
Swan’s Dixon is a fantastic and crucial addition to the cast, as the series makes room for more than just one main female character at a time, and holds her own alongside Neagley as an expert fighter. In the aforementioned fight scene against a nasty motorcycle gang, Dixon has no problem fighting dirty, like using the spike of her high heel as a weapon in addition to her own fists.
On their own, Neagley and Dixon are fighting machines in their various showdowns against drug dealers and corrupt officials. Together, the pair are an unstoppable duo.
Whether they’re trekking through the snow in the woods, or getting dressed up to go undercover in symphony halls, they do everything Reacher can do — and sometimes in heels, too.
It’s not easy work, but the pair make it look effortless. Their addition to the cast is part of the growing population of female action stars in both television and film.
Women Rule the Screen and Action in ‘Reacher’ Season 2
Reacher is a call to action and a pump of pure adrenaline to the veins. Season 1 was like a kick-start to the heart, and it took off running with nauseating but thrilling fight sequences that challenge even the likes of John Wick.
Yes, the series embraces classic tropes of the action genre, as Reacher swoops into fights and conspiracies as an indestructible hero — but while the show may embrace old-fashioned action flicks when men ruled the screen, it’s become a groundbreaking series for female action heroes too.
The series notably takes the focus off women’s bodies and focuses on Reacher’s body instead. It’s an interesting flip of the male gaze, as women’s bodies have become strictly weapons that are free to do whatever they want, while Reacher’s eight-pack is ogled by Dixon, the camera, and the audience. While Dixon and Reacher have an unresolved romantic history, Dixon is first and foremost a fighter, and very much in control of her desires and relationship with Reacher.
Whether it’s Roscoe, Neagley, or Dixon, the women on Reacher are not second-class citizens or sidekicks; they are the main fighting attraction.
In Neagley and Dixon’s various Season 2 scenes together, they’ve got much more on their plate than talking about relationships, like taking down truckers stealing missiles, and it’s a small but important victory.
The most important aspect of Season 2 is that Neagley and Dixon’s male co-workers are also their allies and friends. Reacher and O’Donnell more than respect Neagley and Dixon; they let them take the reins and always have their backs. The women of Reacher aren’t merely survivors — they’re fighters, just like Reacher himself.
