Warning: spoilers ahead for Reacher season 2's finale.
Summary
- Reacher season 2 changes Dixon's ending, making it less tragic and more satisfying.
- Dixon's TV show ending gives her more agency and empowers her by allowing her to acknowledge the temporary nature of her relationship with Reacher, which makes her an equal partner in their decision to end things.
- Changing Dixon's ending in Reacher season 2 avoids redundancy and similarity to Roscoe's ending, giving Dixon a well-rounded closure.
By changing one crucial detail about Reacher and Dixon's relationship from the original Lee Child book, Bad Luck and Trouble, Amazon's Reacher season 2 does not take a lot of time to introduce Dixon and O'Donnell as its main characters. It takes even less time to reveal that Reacher and Dixon had feelings for one another since their time in the military, but Reacher drew boundaries to ensure their relationship remained professional.
In the show's present timeline, Dixon and Reacher realize that, since they are not in the army anymore, they do not have to conform to the professional boundaries that previously kept them apart. This marks the inception of their romantic journey, which lasts till the end of Reacher season 2. However, they are forced to split paths after completing their central mission because Reacher decides to continue living as a hobo. Although Reacher's departure and the end of his relationship with Dixon is heartbreaking, the show makes it a lot less tragic by changing one element from the original book's portrayal of the same.
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After keeping Swan's whereabouts a mystery throughout its second season, Amazon's Reacher finally reveals what happened to the character in its finale
How Reacher Season 2 Changes Dixon's Book Ending
Dixon's ending in Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble was different
In Reacher season 2's closing arc, all ends well for the titular character and his team when they overpower Langston and his men and even kill AM. After they recount all the good times and take one final picture together, the scene cuts to Reacher and Dixon's final interaction. Instead of abruptly leaving one another, the two characters agree that they are about the past business, not the future. With this, they make love one last time before moving on with their respective lives. This brings a satisfying closure to Dixon and Reacher's romantic arc because it leaves neither of them hanging.
They clearly understand the differences in their lifestyles and choose to move on instead of holding on to false hope. Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble, however, gives Dixon a significantly different ending. In the book, Dixon hopes that Reacher will come and stay with her and even sends him an ATM message like Neagley does in Reacher season 2's episode 1. Unfortunately, "Reacher says nothing" and leaves another broken heart behind. While both endings are bittersweet in their own ways, the show's ending feels far better because it changes one thing about Dixon and her relationship with Reacher.
Reacher seasons 1 and 2 are available on Prime Video for streaming.
Dixon's Reacher TV Show Ending Gives Her Character More Agency
Reacher season 2's ending adds more layers to Dixon's characterization
Dixon's acceptance of the fact that she and Reacher were never meant to have a long-term relationship makes her an equal partner in their shared decision to end what they had started.
The book turns Reacher and Dixon's arc into another tragic love story where Dixon has little to no agency. In the show, Dixon initially demands that she wants him to meet her parents. Baffled by Dixon's demand, Reacher lets out a sigh of relief when she assures him that she is joking. Dixon then explains that she understands how neither of them was trying to build a future relationship, implying that she only wanted to resolve their "unfinished business" from the past. Dixon's acceptance of the fact that she and Reacher were never meant to have a long-term relationship makes her an equal partner in their shared decision to end what they had started.
In Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble, on the other hand, Dixon seems to understand that Reacher will likely continue embracing the open road instead of settling with her but still holds on to a speck of hope. Hence, she drops him an invitation instead of accepting that their paths were only supposed to intersect briefly before Reacher, as always, went his own way. While the book effectively conveys a nuanced struggle within her, balancing the realism of her expectations and her desire for deeper connection, the show empowers her by showing how she readily acknowledges the temporary nature of their relationship.
Following The Books Would've Made Dixon's Ending Too Similar To Roscoe's
By changing Dixon's ending, Reacher season 2 avoid being redundant
Like Roscoe's Clark bar wrapper, Dixon's ATM message would have been a silent plea for Reacher to give up his vagrant lifestyle.
In Reacher season 1's ending arc, the titular character bids a final farewell to Roscoe before departing from Margrave. Surprisingly, he even claims that only she could make him settle down in Margrave. However, despite opening up about his feelings, Reacher sticks to his hobo lifestyle and leaves Margrave. With a heavy heart, Roscoe lets him go but still puts her number on a Clark bar wrapper. She realizes that Reacher will likely never look back but hopes that he will have a change of heart and her sometime in the future. This gives Roscoe a rather tragic ending because, in some ways, her love for Reacher remains unrequited.
If Reacher season 2 had loyally adapted Bad Luck and Trouble's original conclusion, Dixon's closing arc would have been too similar to Roscoe's. Like Roscoe, Dixon would have given Reacher an open invitation to come back to her despite knowing that Reacher never would. Like Roscoe's Clark bar wrapper, Dixon's ATM message would have been a silent plea for Reacher to give up his vagrant lifestyle. By giving both herself and Reacher a well-rounded closure, Dixon not only avoids inflicting the pain of hope and expectations on herself but also demonstrates a profound understanding of Reacher's perception and inclinations.
Reacher Sets Up Neagley & Other 110th Character Returns For Season 3
Although Reacher makes his way to a new destination in season 2's ending moments, one subtle detail sets the stage for 110th's reunion in season 3.
Will Dixon Return In Reacher Season 3?
Dixon's return seems likely after Reacher season 2's ending
Dixon's return would be unlikely in season 3 if the Amazon show closely adapts Lee Child's books. However, considering how Reacher season 2 significantly drifted away from the source material to mark Finlay's return, it might feature a 110th Special Investigators' reunion in a future installment. Dixon also avoids complicating her relationship with Reacher by assuring him that she has no issues with the temporary nature of their relationship. Owing to this, Reacher will likely not think twice before reaching out to her and asking her for help when necessary. After all, Dixon is incredibly good at decoding numbers, making her a valuable asset in Reacher's future crime-solving endeavors.
In Reacher season 2's closing moments, Neagley also reminds Reacher that she, Dixon, and O'Donnell are his family , and he does not have to wait for an emergency to get in touch with them. Although "Reacher says nothing" in response, he later acknowledges that the Special Investigators are, indeed, his family, setting the stage for their return in future Reacher seasons. Whether Dixon and the other surviving special investigators will cross paths with the Alan Ritchson character in Reacher season 3 is yet to be seen, but their return seems likely in a future installment of the Amazon series.
Reacher
- Release Date
- February 3, 2022
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Nick Santora
Cast
Jack Reacher
Maria Stens Neagley
WHERE TO WATCH
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.
- Directors
- Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent
- Writers
- Cait Duffy
- Franchise(s)
- Jack Reacher
- Seasons
- 3
- Story By
- nick santora
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
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