Lee Child Addresses Season 3's New Female Lead As He Reflects On Recurring Heartbreak When He Finishes A Book

Reacher author Lee Child shares his thoughts on season 3's new female lead and explains why he's filled with heartbreak after finishing a book. Adapting the events of Child's Persuader novel, Reacher season 3 follows Alan Ritchson's titular hero as he attempts to infiltrate a dangerous criminal organization to rescue an informant. As with previous seasons, Reacher is joined by an array of new allies and enemies in the new episodes, with Sonya Cassidy's Susan Duffy, a DEA agent, quickly emerging as one of the show's most notable supporting characters.

In a recent interview with Forbes, both Cassidy and Child discuss Duffy's role in Reacher season 3. Cassidy praises how the show's writing team and creator Nick Santora have translated Duffy from the books into the show, saying that the character offers an interesting counterpoint to the "testosterone" that dominates so much of the rest of the series.

“What Nick and the amazing writing team has done is take [that backstory] and bring it into the show … in particular with the female characters, who have much more agency and more of a sense of themselves. They have their own nuance of what they bring to the show along with the testosterone [that drives it]. It’s really exciting to watch and only enriches the series even more.
“What’s lovely about Season 3 is it really hits the ground running with Duffy. I think we’re actually seeing Duffy’s critical life and career moments happen in real-time. So, while we get more from Reacher in terms of his flashbacks, I feel like we’re getting Duffy’s moments, too. It is so dangerous. [The situation has] gone so much further than she ever could have imagined.”

In a separate interview with Forbes, Child also shares his thoughts about Duffy and about all the female characters in his novel series. According to the author, it can be challenging to leave these characters behind when one book ends and Reacher has to move on to a new town or city:

“I get exactly what you just said, that you fell in love with her. I do that with every book. There is a different woman in every book and I'm hopelessly in love with them and I'm bitterly disappointed when the book finishes and I have to leave them.
“That’s how it works, though … All three seasons have had an outstanding love interest and Duffy is that [in Season 3]. I love how she’s a rough, tough badass. I remember writing that book and being so sad that I would never see her again.”

What Child's Comments Mean For Duffy In Reacher Season 3

Could The Character End Up Returning?

Custom Reacher image of Sonya Cassidy as Sarah Duffy and Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher

One of the strengths and weaknesses of a show or novel series like Reacher is that almost all the characters, save for Reacher himself and his friend, Frances Neagley, don't return after their single outing. This certainly helps to keep things fresh, with Reacher moving from place to place and interacting with new people and embarking on new adventures, but it makes it bittersweet when a character like Duffy emerges as a particular highlight only to never be seen again.

Which Book Reacher Season 3 Is Based On & How Accurate The TV Show Is

Reacher season 3 adapts one of Lee Child's best novels, with Amazon's adaptation being surprisingly faithful - aside from a few big changes.

Posts

Reacher hasn't been completely beholden to this structure, though. In season 2, Malcolm Goodwin's Finlay makes a brief cameo appearance after playing a strong role in season 1. This opens the door for a potential return from Duffy down the line, though it's likely to be in a similar cameo capacity given the show has been fairly faithfully adapting one of Child's Jack Reacher books per season.

Reacher season 4 is already confirmed, and there remain more than two dozen novels in Child's series that could be adapted next.

Our Take On Duffy In Reacher Season 3

There Are Pros & Cons To Reacher's Structure

Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos), Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), and Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) practicing the supposed kidnapping of Richard in Reacher Season 3 Ep 1

One key pillar of success in any show is its characters. The Reacher season 3 cast features a handful of standout actors and characters, and it's a shame that audiences may not get to see Duffy again when this season concludes. This anthology-type structure is a benefit when a season doesn't totally work, as it means the show gets to start fresh next season, but it can be frustrating when it feels like there's more to mine from a particular character or relationship than what can be accomplished in only one season.

The response to season 3 has been generally positive so far, more so than to season 2, and that means it could be hard to say farewell to this crop of characters when the season concludes. Part of Reacher's charm, however, is that he is a wanderer. At the end of the day, it's Reacher himself that is key to the show's success, and it continues to be entertaining to watch him solve crimes as a heroic drifter.

Source: Forbes