Reacher Season 3 finale gives Neagley a signature line - A major change from the books

Reacher Season 3 reintroduces Frances Neagley in a way that reminds us why she is one of the most compelling characters in the Reacher universe. Though she wasn’t there throughout the season, we know that her impact is undeniable.

We first see her in danger when Quinn sends men after her in Chicago. They are supposed to finish her off. But Neagley finishes them instead. That sequence is the highlight of the episode.

Neagley proves exactly why she deserves a spin-off of her own. She is stealthy and highly trained. Also she doesn't get shaken by threats.

Neagley later returns to help Reacher out. And in the final moments after Quinn is dead and everything else is over, she says a defining line to Reacher.

And this is a major shift from the books. It resonates deeply with Reacher's philosophy. Let’s explore a bit more.

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Neagley gets one of Reacher's most defining lines in Reacher Season 3 finale

In the final moments of Reacher Season 3, we see Reacher step outside the house and find Neagley casually eating a bagel. That’s when she delivers a line that tells us about Reacher’s motives:

"I figured it out. "

"It’s not just 'cause you need to put things right. And it’s not 'cause you love the little guy. It’s 'cause you hate the big guy. You hate the big, powerful, smug sons of b*tches who think they can just get away with things. So you make sure they don’t."

This line is familiar to the readers of Persuader. The only difference is that in the book, Reacher says this to Dominique Kohl. The show makes a major change by having Neagley say it instead.

But that isn't really surprising because the show has already made a huge departure from the book by including Neagley's character. In Persuader, she never appears to help Reacher.

Her ability to put his philosophy into words tells us that she knows him better than we might have thought. This moment totally seals Neagley as someone who truly understands Reacher.

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Reacher's philosophy

Neagley’s words in the Reacher Season 3 finale don’t come as a revelation to Reacher himself. Instead it serves as a reminder.

His reply to her is:

"You just figured that out?"

This proves that he is self-aware and knows he has a dark side. But he channels it toward something that resembles justice. And if there’s one person who reminds him of who he really is, it’s probably Neagley.

In Persuader, Reacher tells Dominique Kohl the same, and she responds by saying that he achieves the right results by doing so for all the wrong reasons. Reacher doesn’t deny it. He accepts it.

He is not a hero in the traditional sense. He isn’t someone who fights for the greater good out of moral obligation. He has his own personal code and it's one that is fueled by something darker.

In Season 3 his motivations aren’t purely about saving Theresa. He was in this mission because of Quinn. His desire for revenge was what made him accept the mission.

He was so consumed by revenge that he almost went against Susan Duffy and was ready to end Quinn with his sniper all set up before he knew it was an ambush.

He even argued with the ATF to take Quinn down himself. These moments reassert the fact that Reacher doesn’t act out of pure righteousness. He acts because he cannot stand the powerful and smug men who think they can get away with anything.

Reacher doesn’t dwell on whether his reasons are right or wrong. He only cares that the outcome serves his sense of justice. And in the end that’s what defines him.

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