Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) is a private investigator in Chicago and former military protégé of Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) in the Army’s 110th Special Investigations Unit. When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice. Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.
Starring Maria Sten as the titular character, after four seasons of Reacher on Prime Video, she’s spinning off into her own show. You can jump right into Episode 1 without knowing anything about her past history or character dynamics, and you’ll still be able to fit right in.
In the past, she assisted her respected colleague Reacher whenever he called, but this time, Neagley isn’t helping out a friend in need. The conflict is personal, which raises the stakes, tension, and emotions across the board. Neagley is no damsel in distress, either. She comes across as a Spider Woman, Power Ranger hybrid when she’s throwing down in the action. If she fought not only the average person, but even those with physical combat training, she’d still most likely come out on top. You get to witness all of this within the first few minutes of the first episode. You’ll instantly fall in love with her due to her willingness to survive, tied in with her strong physical attributes.
Her character is unapologetic, bold, and not afraid of confrontation. Whether she has a team behind her or she’s on a solo mission, she will burn an institution down to the ground without hesitation.
However, she’s not always as hard as a rock. She’s dealt with more trauma than the average person, which still affects her relationships with people on both a personal and professional level. You get to see her in her most vulnerable position at a certain point in the story, which answers so many questions about why she turned out the way she did as an adult. This can be a surprise to fans who know her from Reacher and a deeper dive into her character for newcomers.
She has a unique fear of being in close proximity to people and doesn’t like being touched, unless she’s kicking butt. Those questions and concerns are addressed seriously, and the answers don’t disappoint.
Now, it’s obvious that the actress knows how to act and perform on screen, but she takes it to the next level during the middle of the season while addressing someone in her family. She’s able to deliver one of the best performances in the entire Reacher universe through her acting abilities, which makes this show much more than another action thrill ride chasing the next bad guy. You can see that she’s in pain, hurt mentally and emotionally, and confused. You want to jump through the screen and hug her, saying everything is going to be okay. You can see that this isn’t her fault and that she was a victim of someone else’s nefarious behavior. It was her eyes, the trembling of her lips, and the veins popping out of her skin that sold the performance and everything she was going through. She was able to portray how broken she was in that moment.
The show also caters to multiple audiences. Many will appreciate the action, while others will appreciate the series more for its emotional side and the communication, or lack thereof, between certain characters. From watching the series, you’ll learn or be reminded of how important it is to communicate, stay in contact with the people you love, and understand how crucial therapy can be to reaching your full potential. These are all important elements, especially since tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, and the last conversation you have with someone may be the actual last conversation.
One of the main issues that makes it difficult to give the series a higher rating is the buildup of the final villain or boss without it seeming like the ultimate challenge. There is a payoff toward the end, but one aspect of it felt too easy and a little unrealistic. For the big bad to have so much power at their disposal, one portion of the conclusion felt unearned for the titular character, Neagley.
However, we can all use someone in our corner like Neagley. If you can’t find a person like her in reality, watching her character on streaming in the comfort of your own home will, at the very least, leave you satisfied.
Video Review:
Video Interview:
Official Trailer:
Official Teaser:
Featurette:
