Reacher Season 4 on Amazon Prime began last night. I am watching the first episode as I type this. I have written about Reacher twice before:
- Alter Ego, January 2022
- Alter Ego – Revisited, July 2024
The first was about the Jack Reacher books by Lee Childs and the first two Reacher movies starring Tom Cruise and the, at that time, upcoming Reacher Series on Amazon Prime. The second was about the Amazon Prime Series starring Alan Ritchson. Cruise worked for me, though he didn’t fit the Lee Childs profile/description of the Jack Reacher character. Basically, it was because Cruise is such a good actor. Today after watching the first three seasons of the Amazon Prime Series, Ritchson is Reacher to me for sure… and probably everyone else.
The new series got me engaged from the get-go. It has the feel of Season 2 which until now was my favorite. In the opening minutes, Reacher was involved in an intrigue deep within the government. It is the kind of non-stop action the books and the Prime Series is known for.
This whole Alter Ego thing?
It’s real. Well, it’s a real fantasy. At my age, I probably can’t even walk as fast as Reacher/Ritchson. As for hand-to-hand combat, knife fights, or gun fights, it is pretty certain I would fail quickly and miserably. Why harbor such a fantasy then?
Well, there is a part of me that is still in my late teens where anything is possible and that life of intrigue and fighting had a great lure. Even then it was a fantasy since I probably never would have made it through Army Ranger, Navy Seal, or whatever branch of military or clandestine service trains the Reachers in the US.
I never felt is as strong as when I worked in Manhattan. I was reading a lot of Robert Ludlum back then. As with Jack Reacher, a lot of the action in the Jason Bourne stories took place in the urban jungles of big cities. Taxis, buses, subways, walking the streets, in and out of diners and restaurants and offices where bad guys and maybe the police were looking for you. One had to be alert, who amongst the masses were suspicious? One had to be ready to escalate to flight or fight in the blink of an eye. As I stated in a July 2011 post, Secret Agent Man: It is pure Walter Mitty.
I looked into the psychology behind why men read and like these books. This means, simply, that I queried AI. Google Gemini, my AI of choice, gave me the following, ready to drop into PowerPoint slides.
The Autonomy Fantasy (The Ultimate Loner)
- Zero baggage: Reacher owns nothing but a toothbrush and travels light.
- Complete freedom: Men often face heavy work, family, and societal obligations.
- No compromise: These characters answer to nobody and make their own rules.|
Competence and Mastery
- Peak capability: Both heroes know exactly how to handle any dangerous situation.
- Hyper-competent execution: They use logic, survival skills, and physical strength flawlessly.
- Vicarious control: Reading about them provides a sense of control in an unpredictable world.
Moral Clarity and Retribution
- Clear justice: The line between good and bad is completely clear.
- Immediate consequences: The bad guys get punished quickly and decisively.
- Systemic correction: When laws and bureaucracies fail, these heroes fix the system.
Biological Stress Relief
- Safe adrenaline: High-stakes action triggers a safe, thrilling rush of dopamine.
- Controlled endings: The guaranteed resolution lowers cortisol and relieves daily anxiety.
- Mental reset: The straightforward narrative allows the brain to fully unplug and recharge.
Not bad, especially the stress relief segment. I had not thought of that aspect before and it does make sense. Never the less, I am sticking with alter ego, fantasy, and Walter Mitty.
