Just like the novel, season 2 finds the titular ex-military police officer at the center of a conspiracy targeting former of Reacher's 110th Special Investigations Unit. Aided by season one returning favorite s Neagley (Maria Sten), Reacher reassembles the of his unit who haven't gone missing to avenge their murdered friends, and stop a mysterious terrorist arms dealer from acquiring an experimental missile dubbed "Little Wing."

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Reacher Season 2 Ending Explained

Jack Reacher and the 110th Special Investigations Unit end their crusade for vengeance against Shane Langston in the packed Reacher season 2.

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18 Calvin Franz Is Murdered In New York State

Franz was killed in California in Child's novel

The event that kicks off Bad Luck and Trouble's propulsive story is the murder of Calvin Franz. In both the book and series, Franz idolizes Jack Reacher; in his final moments, he even chides his killers for messing with the "big guy." For the most part, Franz's death remains true to the source material. Beaten to a pulp and tossed from a helicopter 3,000 feet above California, Franz dies in the desert in Child's novel. In the show, his murder is relocated to upstate New York. Regardless, it's a gnarly way to go out.

17 Reacher Season 2 Features A Shorter Time Jump

There was a bigger gap between the events of Killing Floor and Bad Luck and Trouble

Published in 2007, Bad Luck and Trouble was pretty much set in the present day when it hit shelves. Since it's the eleventh Jack Reacher novel, that means quite a bit of time ed between Bad Luck and Trouble and the Margrave, Georgia-set Killing Floor. In Reacher season 2 there's still a time jump, but it's significantly shorter. While catching up with Neagley at a New York diner, Reacher mentions it's been two years and change since Margrave.

16 Jack Reacher Is In Arkansas When Neagley Reaches Out

The eternal drifter was far away from Arkansas when the novel begins

In Child's novel, self-proclaimed "hobo" Jack Reacher is drifting around Portland, Oregon, when he sees Neagley's S.O.S. Prime's take on the story ditched the West Coast altogether in favor of other climes. When the sophomore season opens, Reacher visits a thrift store in Murfreesboro, Arkansas — a far cry from Oregon. The change in setting doesn't have a huge impact; namely, it just allows Reacher to meet up with Neagley that much quicker.

15 Reacher Solves Neagley’s Code Much Quicker

Reacher instantly recognizes the distress code

Aimless as ever, Reacher has nothing but the clothes on his back and an ATM card in Child's Bad Luck and Trouble and in the Amazon series, he's much the same. In the book, the math-obsessed investigator sees an anonymous deposit in his for $1,030.00. After some light detective work, he puts together it's his fellow math lover Neagley calling for urgent help using their old military police code, 10-30. In the show, Reacher gets an ATM receipt and sees deposits for $110 — the number of his old unit — and $1,030, and realizes almost instantly who sent it.

14 Reacher Season 2 Shifts Child’s Bad Luck & Trouble Book To The East Coast

Season 2 relocates the action of Bad Luck and Trouble

Not only does Franz's aerial killing take place in New York State's Catskills, but Reacher gets relocated to Arkansas. In fact, most of Reacher season 2 orbits around New York. Reacher meets up with Neagley in Manhattan; later, the reassembled 110th heads to Atlantic City, New Jersey as part of their investigation. In the novel, Franz is killed above California and most of the book takes place in the Los Angeles area or Las Vegas. While the change in location doesn't impact the narrative arc as a whole, it certainly adds a different atmosphere to events.

13 Lee Child’s One Shot Occurs Offscreen Between Seasons

It appears Prime won't be re-adapting the Tom Cruise movies anytime soon

In the second episode of Reacher season 2, Jack lets slip a name familiar to fans of Child's books: James Barr. According to Reacher, Barr "owes him one." This is a clear reference to One Shot, the ninth book, which was adapted into a 2012 movie starring Tom Cruise. A popular novel, One Shot seemed like a strong candidate for Reacher season 3, which was renewed well ahead of the sophomore outing's debut. However, given the nod to One Shot, it seems that story occurred off-screen — likely to help the series stand apart from the films.

12 Reacher & Neagley Meet Up With Their Friends Before Heading To New Age

The 110th reunion takes place much quicker in the show

In Child's Bad Luck and Trouble, Reacher and Neagley head to former 110th member Tony Swan's workplace after speaking to Franz's widow. Swan works for defense contractor New Age, which becomes a key element of their investigation, but on this first visit, the duo is turned away by the company HR manager, who claims Swan was fired weeks earlier. The show switches up the order of events, with Neagley and Reacher assembling their old teammates before Neagley and Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) visit New Age.

11 David O'Donnell & Karla Dixon Are Introduced Earlier In The Show

Reacher season 2 puts the band back together in a more timely manner

Prime's adaptation of Bad Luck and Trouble makes the wise move of introducing Reacher and Neagley's army buddies earlier than in the book. In fact, the duo makes a point of assembling their 110th friends first. Both David O'Donnell (Shaun Sipos) - now a lawyer - and private investigator Dixon enter the plot pretty quickly. This allows viewers to get to know the former of the 110th much sooner — a stakes-raising move for a medium that doesn't allow for the same interiority as a novel.

10 A Present-Day Setting Defines Amazon’s Reacher

Bad Luck and Trouble took place around 2007

With Reacher season 2 being set in the present, it has a different feel from Child's novel, which was published in 2007. For starters, technology has made quite a leap in the decade-plus since the book hit shelves. The basics remain the same: Reacher has a bank card, mobile phones exist, and Neagley tries to crack the on a flash drive (though, as she points out, USB variants have certainly changed since 2007). While Bad Luck and Trouble felt of its time, Reacher season 2 feels very of the moment, thanks to its updated tech and pop culture references.

9 The 110th Flashbacks

"Operation Kite Runner" is a new addition to the plot

The first season of Reacher introduced a flashback structure, where the title character would occasionally recollect a key event from his childhood. Season 2 continued this storytelling trend, where Reacher would often flash back to his days running the 110th Special Investigators Unit before he left the army. Bad Luck and Trouble features no flashbacks whatsoever, but the show was smart to add them, as it gives viewers an insight into the bond Reacher formed with his team. With "Operation Kite Runner," Amazon's adaptation also revealed the reason the unit was disbanded.

Just as the 110th was preparing to wrap up an investigation in a drug trafficking operation within the army, their commanding officer Lt. Colonel Fields (Josh Blacker) ordered them to stand down. It turns out the bust would destroy the reputation of one of Fields' friends, but despite knowing the effect it would have on their careers, the 110th go through with the arrests anyway. Despite doing the right thing, Fields disbands the 110th and vows to make the rest of their time in the army a misery.