This militarised murder mystery might be the perfect mix of brains and brawn – but who exactly are the special investigators?
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Reacher season 2.*
It’s time to say goodbye to Jack Reacher for now, because season 2 has finally wrapped up – and what an ending!
With an epic adaptation of The Killing Floor under his belt following our introduction to Alan Ritchson’s Reacher, creator Nick Santora turned his hand to Bad Luck and Trouble for season 2’s action-packed instalment, revealing the humanity beneath his man mountain and delving deeper into Reacher lore.
For those of you still wrestling with the finer points of this follow-up, let us light the way and offer up some clarity – but be warned, spoilers lie ahead.
Reacher season 2 ending explained: Who are the 110th?
Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher) in Reacher. Brooke Palmer/Prime Video
First up is Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), Reacher’s streetwise private investigator who spends her time bankrolling the big man and taking verbal potshots whenever the mood takes her.
Next up is David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos), known for his womanising ways back in the day, but now happily reformed and building a future, which includes two young children.
Karla Dixon (Serina Swan) knows her numbers, can hold her own, but gets pulled back in when one of their own turns up on a mortuary slab.
That dead man walking is Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk), who gets beaten, tortured, and thrown out of a helicopter in episode 1. Leaving behind a young family and no motive for his murder, it represents the first domino to fall in this complex thriller.
Second to last on Reacher’s list is Jorges Sanchez (Andres Collantes), who teams up with Franz to do some private security work at New Age, only to end up dead after getting mixed up with the platoon songbird Tony Swan (Shannon Kook).
Who is New Age?
In a nutshell, they are a tech company who take on Tony Swan for a lucrative corporate gig that also drags in other members of the 110th, before crucially introducing this season’s villain in New Age head of security Shane Langston (Robert Patrick).
He is the Svengali behind it all who kidnaps Dixon and O’Donnell late on, tries to have New Age employee Marlo Burns (Christina Cox) murdered, and also aims to get rich quick from the sale of surface to air weapon system Little Wing, using an elusive weapons broker known only as AM (Ferdinand Kingsley).
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Who exactly is AM?
Short for Azhari Mahmoud, Reacher stumbles onto a list of his aliases early on that are recovered from a flash drive discovered at Franz’s office, which is then passed along to police detective Gaitano Russo (Domenick Lombardozzi).
He is a surly character who provides some of the best moments throughout the series as he rubs Reacher up the wrong way – that is until he is killed protecting Marlo Burn’s daughter against Langston’s goons in a poignant moment of self-sacrifice that really hits home.
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With his cover blown thanks to Russo, Mahmoud is forced to re-arrange his travel plans, steal an identity by lethal force, and delay his rendezvous with Langston.
In the meantime, Dixon and Neagley have tracked Little Wing tech back to Boston, and Reacher has encountered Malcolm Lavoy, the corrupt US Senator who not only voted Little Wing through Congress and set this whole plot in motion, but also offers Reacher help dealing with Langston.
Is Tony Swan Dead or Alive?
Reacher season 2. Prime Video
As Reacher walks into Langston’s lair, audiences are still wondering whether Tony Swan is on the take. Surrounded by heavies, Reacher faces off against Langston while Dixon and O’Donnell lay there strapped to stretchers.
When their talk turns to fingerprint ID and retinal scanning, the penny drops as Langston brings out what remains of Swan in two jars. In one. a single eyeball and in another, a perfectly pickled finger that may prove the man to be innocent, but also gives Reacher all the reason he needs to get medieval.
Does Lavoy Come Through?
With Neagley presumed dead and Reacher surrounded, this finale hinges on Senator Lavoy delivering that extra artillery, which arrives in the nick of time and gives everyone an out.
With bullets flying and Reacher pinned down by enemy fire, Langston makes his escape, with Dixon and O’Donnell already packed in the cargo bay of the helicopter.
As Lavoy’s men mop up the remaining bad guys, Reacher launches himself at the chopper, catching hold of its undercarriage in an effort to save his friends and deliver some old school justice.
Do Langston and Mahmoud Meet Their Maker?
You bet! First off, Langston learns to fly without a parachute, and Dixon and O’Donnell offer up some tag team smackdown action even while tied down as Reacher gets to administer his own style of retribution – a fate that feels tame in comparison to what is waiting for Mahmoud, who gets to experience the full force of the 110th gunning him down in cold blood.
Is Reacher a real-life Robin Hood?
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 2. Brooke Palmer/Prime Video
With the arrival of Homeland Security, who scupper Malcolm Lavoy’s plot to make off with the money, Reacher and his crew finally get to share a beer after Neagley has tied up that last loose end with a perfectly launched Little Wing missile.
With a montage of monies being distributed by Reacher to his new pals and the families of fallen comrades, this latter-day Robin Hood ensures every cent of Mahmoud’s $65m finds a new home, leaving him just enough money for that Trailways bus pass and a new toothbrush.