"I Hope We Skip Over That": Reacher Star Reveals What Part Of Persuader Novel He Hoped Would Be Left Out Of Season 3 (But Still Made It In)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Reacher season 3, episode 3.

Reacherstar Alan Ritchson breaks down that water sequence in season 3, episode 3, revealing that he hoped it wouldn't be included. Adapting the events of Lee Child's Persuader novel in the Jack Reacher series, season 3 of the hit Prime Video show premiered this week, following Ritchson's character as he goes undercover within a criminal organization. In Reacher season 3, episode 3, there's a tense sequence pulled straight from the pages of Child's novel in which Ritchson's character strips down to his underwear and swims out of the Beck compound in order to meet with Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy).

In a recent interview with EW, Ritchson recalls what it was like to film this very wet Reacher season 3 scene, admitting that he was hoping they could alter how it plays out from the book. In addition to being uncomfortable for Ritchson as an actor, the entire sequence also wasn't easy to pull off from a filmmaking perspective, and the star reveals that it involved a massive set and a wave-making rig. Check out his comment below:

"It was tough. That water work was pretty tricky, and stripping down and crawling across those cold, wet rocks naked was not the funnest for me and for just about anybody watching — but we did it because we love the show.
Having read the book and enjoying it, that was the one [part] that I was like, 'I hope we skip over that. Maybe [Reacher] just crawls across the lawn, maybe he stays on the grass. But no, we actually built most of that world in a gigantic indoor pool. We had a wave-maker. I had some guys visit that have been on $400 million sets, like Aquaman, and sets that are just huge water world sets, and they're like, 'I've never seen anything like this for a water stunt.' So yeah, it was crazy."

What Ritchson's Comment Means For Reacher Season 3

Prime Video Has A Hit On Its Hands

Reacher has been a massive hit for Prime Video and a recent report from Parrot Analytics just claimed that it's generated $279 million for the streamer. It's not clear what the show's per-episode budget is for season 3, but Ritchson's description of the wave rig used for episode 3 suggests they're pulling out all the stops to make it look as good as possible. Even though Reacher pales in comparison to Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in terms of scale and budget, a big emphasis has evidently been put on the action thriller show's production value.

Jack Reacher looking up in Reacher season 3

How Many Episodes Reacher Season 3 Has & When The Finale Releases

Alan Ritchson's Jack Reacher will return in a new batch of episodes in Reacher season 3, in which he will go undercover to take down a drug kingpin.

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So far, this looks to be paying off. Reacher season 3 reviews have been positive, and the season has an impressive 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics (though it has a less stellar 75% from audiences). In his review for ScreenRant, in which he awarded the show an eight out of 10, Greg MacArthur praises Ritchson's commanding and charming lead performance, as well as the new setting:

Season 3 is quite grounded in its coastal Maine setting, adding distinction and providing its own memorable aesthetic. Reacher season 3 delivers another classic round of sharp twists, witty humor, palpable suspense, and thrilling action while also upping the ante with bigger villains and darker themes.

Our Take On Reacher's Water Sequence

The Show's Future Looks Promising

Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) informs Duffy that he is part of Beck's team in Reacher Season 3 Ep 1

With only three episodes out so far, it's hard to say how season 3 will compare to the more divisive Reacher season 2 and the well-received season 1. Thus far, however, it's been refreshing to see Reacher working on his own once more, and his new mission has tested both his brains and his brawn in some fun ways. Even though adapting the water sequence probably wasn't crucial to telling a compelling story, the fact they did speaks to the creative team's dedication to capturing what makes Child's novels so popular.

Reacher season 4 has already been given the green light, but it's not clear what book it will adapt.

Considering how much attention was paid to getting Persuader's water sequence right, the rest of Reacher season 3 is looking promising. The show is clearly building to a big fight with Paulie (Olivier Richters), and this could end up being one of the best moments in the show's history. It remains to be seen how the rest of Reacher season 3 will play out, but the show remains highly compelling television.

Source: EW