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Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher
Played By: Alan Ritchson
A nomadic veteran who tends to find trouble wherever he goes.- The Ace: He's a brilliant investigator whose cases led to a 100% conviction rate, makes deductions easily with limited information, has multiple medals for acts of heroism in combat, including two Silver Stars and is a terrifyingly effective combatant who takes out multiple opponents without breaking a sweat.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Although Finlay and Reacher have some friction early in their relationship, when Finlay (very atypically) curses out Kliner Sr., Reacher can be seen hiding a smirk behind his hand.
- Amateur Sleuth: Although he's a trained investigator, Reacher is no longer affiliated with any law-enforcement agencies and participating in cases of his own volition. Unfortunately for the villains, the only thing "amateur" about him is that he's unofficially investigating without the backing of the law, and in Reacher's opinion, that's just another advantage.
- Big Eater: Reacher tears into a massive plate of barbeque and fried chicken with great gusto and it's implied such meals are standard for him given his size and the levels of physical activity he regularly engages in.Jolene: Two fried chicken thighs, fried okra, ribs, collard greens, poe greens, rice with giblet gravy, cottage cheese and peaches.
...
Finlay: How do you eat like that and still look like you do?
Reacher: Like this! [Takes a big bite of food] - The Big Guy: Reacher stands at six feet, five inches, and packed with muscle. He towers over everyone else he comes across and sometimes has difficulty finding clothes that fit him.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: As in the books, Reacher is a good person, but his time with the military means killing people is way more of an option for him than with normal people. Beating the snot out of six men - including jamming one's eye out and potentially killing others - barely gets his heart racing.
- Bully Hunter: Reacher can't abide bullies and flashbacks show that he'd pick fights with them wherever he went. KJ painting "WHORE" on Roscoe's truck gets him to attack KJ despite knowing full well KJ is baiting him.
- But Now I Must Go: Reacher at the end of season 1. Once everything has been settled, he leaves town to continue his wandering ways.
- Character Catchphrase:
- "In an investigation, details matter."
- "In an investigation, assumptions kill."
- Combat Pragmatist: Reacher doesn't really care for playing or fighting fair. In his first fight in the series, he gives someone to the count of three to back off, then attacks him on "two". If he decides that beating someone is necessary, he'll do what it takes to win. He also has no issue simply ambushing and shooting opponents rather than fighting them directly.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has a dry wit, and often engages in Snark-to-Snark Combat with Finlay.
- Death Glare: Reacher is quite good at these.
- Determinator: Once Reacher sets his mind to something, he will not stop until he sees it through.
- Genius Bruiser: An imposing, formidable man with a sharp mind and outstanding detective skills.
- Insistent Terminology: He insists to be called Reacher rather than Jack, Major, or even sir.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Blunt, taciturn, somewhat anti-social and definitely rude. But he never hesitates to protect someone in need.
- Last-Name Basis: Prefers to simply go as "Reacher" for unspecified reasons. Even his mother and brother didn't call him by his first name.
- Manchild: As tough and intelligent as he is, it's also clear that Reacher isn't very mature. He has a bad habit of acting on impulse and doing whatever fits his "tough guy" persona even if it just makes things worse for him and has difficulty processing and showing emotions, has a disrespect for rules and authority that often comes across as just being contrarian for it's own sake, can be brash and insensitive, makes assumptions about people he dislikes, is quick to use violence as a first and only resort and his lifestyle is as much about his disinterest in obligation as it is rugged independence. This becomes a lot more notable in the second season when he's with his old unit who are also very smart and tough but also have stable lives and impressive careers and he works with Russo who is constantly annoyed with his macho attitude and tendency to go off half cocked because he wants to play cowboy and seems more interested in that than actually discovering the truth.
- Off the Grid: A self-described hobo, Reacher doesn't have any social media, license, phone number or permanent address.
- The Stoic: Reacher generally keeps his feelings close to his chest, and doesn't emote too much.
- Not So Stoic: He's clearly devastated once he realizes the first dead body belongs to his brother Joe, he even fights off tears as he realizes.
Season 1 Characters
Oscar Finlay
Detective Oscar Finlay
Margrave's PD Sergeant.- Boring, but Practical: He's not prone to Sherlock Scan or kicking ass like Reacher, he gets to his conclusions based on solid detective work, questioning witnesses, and connecting the dots based on evidence.
- By-the-Book Cop: Finlay is very serious about doing things the legal way. Even when bends the rules, he's careful to make sure the forms of the law are observed. This brings him into conflict with Reacher, who's more than willing to simply ignore any laws that keep him from doing what's right.
- Deadpan Snarker: can match Reacher snark for snark.
- Determinator: He will do whatever it takes to see the case be solved, and won't be deterred.
- Fire-Forged Friends: He and Reacher are this by the end, with both admitting they couldn't have seen it through without the other.
- Hidden Depths: He really likes rock music, much to Reacher's chagrin. He also shows himself to be a skilled combatant in his own right.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Finlay is uptight and can be a bit of an ass, but he's an honest cop who sincerely wants to see justice done.
- No Social Skills: Downplayed, as Finlay can hold his own in social situations. But his blunt and critical nature means that he has a hard time making friends. He gets better though.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Too sharp, even. Finlay wears expensive three-piece suits: while they're not gaudy per se, he looks more like a professor than a police detective, and wearing it in a Southern small town makes him stick out like a sore thumb.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Finlay comes off as an uptight asshole when he first meet him, and he clashes with Reacher almost immediately due to their differing philosophies on how to catch bad guys. But it's revealed that his wife, who Reacher assumed divorced him, actually died of an unknown illness, and Finlay came to Margrove because the thought of being in Boston, surrounded by memories of her, was too much for him to bear.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has this dynamic with Reacher.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He has this type of relationship with Reacher by the end of Season 1.
Roscoe Conklin
- Action Girl: As she points out and later proves, Conklin can take care of herself and is tough and scrappy in a fight.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Aside from Finlay, Roscoe is probably the most moral and compassionate character in Season 1, but once she learns Mayor Teale killed her father figure Gray, she goes berserk. She goes as far as to punch him in the face when she sees him next.
- Damsel in Distress: Downplayed, as Conklin is thankfully incredibly useful and helpful the entire first season, but gets damseled for the season finale. She's captured off-screen along with Hubble's wife and kids and has to be rescued. She does manage to take down Teale after Reacher frees her, at least.
- Gender-Blender Name: Lampshaded: Roscoe isn't exactly a feminine name.
- Ms. Fanservice: Roscoe is played by the lovely Willa Fitzgerald, who gets a brief topless scene when Roscoe joins Reacher in the shower, and herself strips down to her underwear in the second episode.
- Nice Girl: Roscoe is a friendly, patient person always happy to help someone in need.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Reacher. She likes him, and he likes her a lot too. But Reacher can't change his nature as a wanderer who walks the earth, and thus their relationship cannot last.
KJ Kliner
KJ Kliner
Son of Kliner Sr.- Adaptational Villainy: In the novel, KJ was just as much of a scumbag as he is here, being part of the cleaner crew, but this adaptation has him depicted far worse than he already was, with him torturing and murdering Stevenson and his pregnant wife, killing Mary Beth in the subway, slitting his own father’s throat using an agonizing technique, and being the one who shot Joe.
- Asshole Victim: KJ was a swarmy little shit, and deserved every moment of being burned alive courtesy of Reacher.
- Ax-Crazy: KJ Kliner seems fairly put together at first but after revealing his true colors, he is unquestionably this, gleefully talking about all the people he's killed or had killed, including his own father, and salivating at the thought of murdering Charlie and her two kids.
- Bad Boss: The leader of the counterfeiting organization, he frequently kills his own men in brutal fashion for failure or outliving their usefulness.
- Batman Gambit: He pulls a pretty impressive one on Reacher, as he anticipates that Reacher will want retribution after he spray paints the word "WHORE" on Conklin's car. Though unfortunately, he didn't take into account that Reacher could request access to his family's financial records if he pressed charges, so he is unable to fully succeed.
- Big Bad Wannabe: KJ talks a big game and murdered quite a few people, but he's nowhere near the physical threat he likes to think he is. Dawson gives Reacher the toughest fight of any character in the first season. KJ, by comparison, fights Reacher twice and is clearly outmatched both times, ultimately putting up very little in the way of a challenge.
- Dragon Ascendant: KJ is the main muscle behind Kliner's operation, but his methods are brutal even by Kliner's standards. KJ eventually kills his father as he feels he was too weak to run their operation.
- Evil Gloating: KJ does this when he thinks he has Reacher dead to rights in their final battle, relaying a story about how he snuck up and killed a rhino in Africa under similar low visibility conditions. However, the rhino was not able to set a trap, whereas Reacher was...
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Subverted hard. KJ takes it hard when he learns his father was killed, blaming Finlay for not doing a good enough job of protecting him. Except it's all an act. KJ was the one who killed his father because he thought he was weak and wasn't capable of doing what was necessary to maintain their operation.
- Eviler than Thou: KJ proves that he is this to his father, killing him in a gruesome manner in order to take control of his operation.
- Faux Affably Evil: KJ Kliner never drops his polite tone but it's always laced with condescension and smugness as he is eager to let people know they can't touch him. Even after he's gone off the deep end, he never drops his manners, even as he tries to kill Reacher.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: KJ gloats in the final battle that he'll find Reacher in the low visibility conditions due to a similar experience hunting a rhino in Africa, where he was able to sneak up on the animal because it didn't know where KJ was in the fog. Reacher sets a trap for KJ, luring him into a specific area to get the drop on him, essentially reversing KJ's situation with the rhino. Reacher then dunks his head in the same chemical bleach his family used to remove the ink from the $1 bills for their counterfeiting operation, and tosses him into a pile of burning money, burning him alive.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: KJ is a slimy creep, but he's genuinely devastated when his father is killed, seemingly showing he has some redeeming qualities. Except as KJ reveals in the season finale, he killed his father to take over the counterfeiting operation and is positively gleeful about it.
- Patricide: KJ is revealed to be Kliner Sr.'s assassin. He felt his dad was too weak to run their operation.
- Smarter Than You Look: Due to his unimpressive build and casual arrogance, people are quick to assume KJ is just the smarmy Spoiled Brat son of Kliner Sr, and Reacher is quick to confront him under the belief he's a simple would-be "Alpha Male" sort. Reacher is visibly surprised when KJ then lists private information about Reacher's own service record, and is a few times caught off-guard by both how smart and how sociopathic KJ actually is. Reacher is still more than a match for him, but the underestimation gives KJ a surprising advantage.
- The Starscream: KJ kills his father and takes over the operation.
- Too Clever by Half: KJ spray paints the word "WHORE" on Roscoe's car with the intent of getting Reacher in trouble and it works. He ends up not pressing charges because, as Reacher points out afterwards, Reacher would be able to request discovery on the Kliners' financial information and records, potentially exposing their shady business dealings. The net result is that KJ gets bitch slapped out of his seat for nothing.
- Villainous Valor: KJ's one redeeming trait is that he isn't a coward. He never backs down from facing Reacher despite knowing full well how dangerous he is and when Reacher finally hits him and his buddies, KJ manages to make him back down by pulling a knife, catching Reacher off guard. Even after Reacher has wiped out his whole operation, KJ doesn't cut and run and determines to face him down.
Mayor Teale
Mayor Grover Teale
Margrave's mayor.- Asshole Victim: No one shed any tears when Roscoe shoots him dead.
- Corrupt Politician: Teale's as crooked as they come, as well as one of the main players in the conspiracy.
- Pragmatic Villainy: He'd prefer not killing Hubble's wife and children, not for any moral reasons, but because it would bring even more people sniffing around Margrove and Teale would prefer not to deal with it.
Kliner Sr.
Kliner Sr.
A businessman responsible for Margrave's economic well-being.- Asshole Victim: May not have been involved in or even approved of the murders committed by KJ (hence KJ slitting his throat), he did still run a shady counterfeiting operation and cruelly forced Hubble to be a part of it.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the book, Kliner Sr. was shot in the chest by Reacher with the Desert Eagle during the climax; he’s killed much earlier here, getting his throat slit by his own son.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While a ruthless criminal in his own right, he often balks at his son's cruelty and thinks he goes too far. Said son then kills him when he feels he's too weak to protect his interests.
- Faux Affably Evil: Kliner is quite magnanimous and friendly to people, but it's a transparent mask and quickly fades when people prove willing to stand up to him.
Paul Hubble
A banker arrested for the murder.
- Affably Evil: Downplayed, as he's not 'evil' per se, he's just in a bad situation where he sees no way out. He's generally friendly and soft spoken.
- Blatant Lies: He confesses to the murder in the first episode, but it's so obvious by his demeanor and the forced nature of his confession that he didn't do it and is quickly released from jail.
- Forced into Evil: The only reason Paul Hubble went along with the villains' financial scheme is because they threatened him and his family. He did try to get word out to what was happening to Reacher's brother Joe, but this only resulted in Joe being killed.
- Nice Guy: Overall, Hubble never appears to be anything other than a polite, soft spoken guy.
- Papa Wolf: He really loves his wife and daughters after all, and when he finds out his daughters are in danger. He goes with Reacher to rescue them without hesitation, even killing a guy when he's freeing his daughters.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After going to jail and nearly being killed and raped, he gets the hell out of dodge. But he returns once Reacher finds him and he learns his family is in danger.
- Token Good Teammate: While he's undeniably complicit in the Kliner's operation, he clearly is doing it out of fear and doesn't want to be involved with Kliner or his cronies. Hell, the whole reason the plot of season 1 was set into motion was because he was trying to find a way out from Kliner's control.
Picard
Picard
Played By: Martin Roach
- Asshole Victim: By the time Finlay kills him, it's hard to feel bad for him.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Agent Picard initially appeared to be a friendly Reasonable Authority Figure and friend of Finlay who helps Reacher and Co. anyway he can. The final episode reveals he is a Dirty Cop who is in on the operation and his true Jerkass personality comes out.
- Dirty Cop: Well, a dirty FBI agent to be precise.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Finlay feels this way once he realizes his old friend's true colors.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed, but it seems like he genuinely cared for Finlay and saw him as a friend, warning him to stay away from Margrove. But has no hesitation in trying to kill him once Finlay realizes his true colors.
- Evil Former Friend: He seems like he'll be a Friend on the Force for Finlay, but it's revealed he's a Dirty Cop who's in on the take with the Kliners.
- Professional Killer: He took on the role for this after his partner, who was the real hitman for the Klines, died from cancer.
Season 2 Characters
Shane Langston
Played By: Robert Patrick
- Adaptational Name Change: Is named Allen Lamaison in Bad Luck and Trouble.
- Almighty Janitor: Langston is the head of security for New Age's New York facility, which is a responsible position, but not normally a powerful or influential one. He uses his position to build a security force mostly consisting of his old, corrupt precinct, and then bribes and threatens enough key people that he's able to use the company's resources for his own plots with impunity.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: A very cruel example. When Langston reveals Swan’s true fate and the cover story he made for Swan’s sudden disappearance, he very gleefully points out that Swan “even left his poor dog behind.” The fact Langston points this out after the audience already knows the inhumane fate of Swan’s poor dog shows that he and his crew knew they were leaving an innocent dog to a cruel grim fate just for the sake of their cover story.
- Bad Boss: Langston is quite prone to killing his own men when they outlive their usefulness. When Reacher and Senator Lavoy's men invade his base, he immediately flees and leaves his men behind to die.
- Borrowed Biometric Bypass: When Langston is asked about Swan, he reveals that he amputated the man's eye and finger to access his computer at New Age and activate certain retinal scanners to create the appearance he was still active at the company.
- Dirty Coward: Langston's arrogance disappears the second his sense of security does. He cuts and runs when Reacher and co invade his base and his last scene has him desperately beg for his life after failing to kill Reacher.
- Disney Villain Death: How Langston is killed at the end of Season 2.
- Evil Old Folks: He's close to retirement age and is the main villain of the second season.
- Jerkass: Langston is already evil, but in contrast to his Affably Evil partner A.M., Langston is quite coarse and rude even to his own men.
- Mean Boss: Langston repeatedly insults and berates his men for any failures.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Subverted by Langston. He spends most of his screentime staying in his office while ordering his men to go after Reacher and looks out of shape, but when the time comes that he has to face Reacher in a fight, he proves a competent brawler and holds his own quite well against the much bigger and younger opponent.
- Would Hurt a Child: Langston is willing to pit a hit on children, but to the credit of the hitman, he at least acknowledges it's dirty business and doesn't take any pleasure in it.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Langston's last desperate gamble to save his life is offering to give up A.M. as long as Reacher spares him. Reacher doesn't even entertain the thought, because he doesn't need to: Langston's pilot knows the rendezvous location.
