Warning: Mild spoilers ahead for Reacher Season 4, Episodes 1–3!Reacher Season 4 is off to a flying start, with a triple-episode premiere that I couldn’t help but binge as soon as it dropped on Prime Video. That being said, something is missing from the show’s latest batch of episodes so far, but that actually benefits the Reacher universe. With Amazon’s Lee Child adaptation just weeks away from expanding into a franchise, Alan Ritchson’s fourth run as Jack Reacher has made a subtle but undeniable effort to prepare audiences for the show’s first spin-off series. Although all was very quiet for a long time when it came to Neagley, Maria Sten’s return as Reacher’s friend and ally is now looking pretty exciting.
The latest Neagley trailer has revealed a thrilling, cult-centric storyline that’s totally original and not pulled from the vast lore in Lee Child’s literary source material. I think that’s actually great, as it means not even fans of the books will be able to anticipate what will happen in Neagley, despite Reacher himself having come up against cults before in the novels. Furthermore, the fact that Neagley is only in a handful of Child’s original stories means her expanded role in the Amazon adaptation also offers something unpredictable to Reacher for pre-existing fans to enjoy. On that subject, let’s talk about Neagley’s presence in Reacher Season 4. Or, more accurately, her absence.
Neagley’s Absence From ‘Reacher’ Season 4 Feels Very Intentional
Of the books adapted for Reacher so far, only Bad Luck and Trouble (Season 2) features Neagley. However, she has played a prominent role in Seasons 1 and 3, neither of which is based on a novel where Child used the character. So, it seems obvious that Reacher has been setting up the Neagley spin-off from the beginning by allowing the audience to spend much more time with Sten’s character than is book-accurate. Placing her at the center of her own story in a separate show feels like the endgame of that decision. If I’m being honest, I figured we would also have seen Neagley in Reacher Season 4 by now, despite the fact that she isn’t in Gone Tomorrow, the book on which this run of episodes is based.
On paper, it seems like it would have been a great way to get fans ready for the spin-off. After all, Philadelphia is only a short flight from Chicago, where Neagley is based. It wouldn’t have taken much to write Sten’s character into Season 4’s story, just as she has been included more than once already. Then, the more I thought about it, the more logical it seemed to leave her on the sideline this time. Not only is Neagley busy working as a Private Investigator now, but the character could easily become overexposed if she’s too heavily present in two back-to-back series set in the same universe. I’m not ruling out the possibility of her getting a Reacher Season 4 cameo at some point, but I think it’s smart to delay her actual comeback for the spin-off.
Luckily, even if Neagley is totally absent from Reacher Season 4, fans won’t be left waiting long to see her again. When Reacher drops its upcoming finale on Sept. 16, Prime Video will be unleashing all eight episodes of Neagley Season 1 at the same time. That’s nine total episodes from the Reacher franchise to binge on the same day, if that’s how you consume content. Personally, I’ll probably take a day or two to digest Reacher Season 4 before moving on to enjoy the spin-off.
