What Song Plays In Reacher Season 2’s Final Scene (& What It Really Means)
Reacher season 2 bows out on a piece of music that is both wholly appropriate for the character and slightly ironic considering previous comments.
Warning: spoilers ahead for Reacher season 2’s finale.
SUMMARY
The final scene in Reacher season 2 features the song “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which perfectly captures the essence of the main character’s love for freedom and adventure.
“Simple Man” not only reflects Reacher’s simple taste and motivation but also connects to his past and hints at his future, making it a fitting choice for the ending of season 2.
The song carries a layer of irony as it goes against the musical preferences of Tony Swan, a character who was a victim in the series.
Reacher season 2’s final scene picks the perfect closing song, and while it’s both an appropriate track and a song many viewers would have heard before, there is a layer of irony to it.
Amazon’s Reacher season 2 could only ever end one way – with Alan Ritchson’s character bidding farewell to his 110th Special Investigators friends and returning to his nomadic hobo lifestyle, taking in baseball games and sleeping in unattended boats.
Sure enough, Reacher season 2 concludes with the title character now the proud owner of a bus pass, ready to move to his next destination, wherever that might be.
The song brings season 2’s final moments together, carrying the story from its closing scene to the end credits and setting a tone full of freedom and adventure ahead of Reacher season 3.
More importantly, the tune carries a deeper meaning during Reacher season 2’s ending. It encapsulates Jack Reacher as a character and puts a somewhat ironic twist on a recurring joke from past episodes.
The Song In Reacher Season 2’s Final Scene Is “Simple Man”
The closing song in Reacher season 2 is “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Released on the band’s 1973 album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), “Simple Man” was not one of the record’s official singles, but has gone on to become one of the band’s best-known tracks regardless.
While perhaps not the kind of blues music Jack Reacher himself would put on a diner jukebox, Lynyrd Skynyrd certainly sits on the bluesier end of rock music, making “Simple Man” a fitting choice for a character who wears his love for the blues on his tree trunk-sized sleeves.
Why “Simple Man” Is The Perfect Song For Reacher’s Character
On a surface level, “Simple Man” speaks to the core motivation of Alan Ritchson’s character. Pushing aside all material possessions, personal attachments, and home comforts, Reacher values nothing above his own personal freedom, surviving with naught but a few clothes and his trusty toothbrush.
Reacher is the very definition of a man with simple taste, making Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song the perfect accompaniment as he chooses to continue that lifestyle in season 2’s dying moments.
Looking deeper, however, “Simple Man” connects to Jack Reacher beyond just the song’s title and chorus. In the opening verse, Ronnie Van Zant sings of a mother giving advice to her child. As shown in Reacher season 1’s flashbacks, Mrs. Reacher was an instrumental figure in Jack’s life, helping to define the lifestyle he leads in the present day.
The song goes on with, “Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold/All that you need is in your soul,” which is a perfect nutshell explanation as to why Reacher walks away from the money he could have kept after busting Langston’s operation.
“Simple Man” gives a hint for Reacher‘s future in season 3 too. The line “troubles will come and they will pass” plays on the fact season 2 was based on the Lee Child book Bad Luck & Trouble, while also promising more shenanigans to come.
Most curious of all, “You’ll find a woman, yeah, and you’ll find love” could be interpreted as a hint that Reacher will eventually settle down further down the line – something he previously touted as a possibility when talking with O’Donnell in Reacher season 2, episode 4’s diner scene.
The Bitter Irony Behind Reacher Season 2’s Final Song
Tony Swan was no Gary Rossington, but he did provide the 110th Special Investigators with an acoustic musical backdrop, whether they wanted it or not.
Swan performed songs by Elton John and Heart – upbeat classics – and had a rule against harder music: “No Skynyrd. No Zeppelin. No Hendrix. No Who.” Swan also refused to play Skynyrd’s own “Free Bird” when it was requested on the 110th’s first night together. As such, Reacher season 2’s final song takes on a strange hue.
Swan was, of course, one of Langston’s very first victims, and Reacher attempts to honor him by making a dog shelter donation in his name. Ending the season on a band that Swan vocally did not like and refused to ever play on guitar is a somewhat odd way of respecting his memory.
It almost feels as if, now that Swan’s death is confirmed, Reacher can finally dig into its rock collection and play the tunes Swan didn’t see eye-to-eye on. The days of “No Skynyrd. No Zeppelin. No Hendrix. No Who” are officially over.
