People are excited about the upcoming third season of Reacher, based on the novel Persuader, as am I, but I can't help but notice a lot of discrepancies between the novel and the show.
In the trailer alone, there are so many things to point out.
I'm gonna do a very geeky thing and point them out one by one.
- 0:00 - 0:11 - Opening scene with Reacher beating up some goon for hitting on the maid: this isn't the book
- 0:12 - 0:24 - The conversation between Duffy and Reacher where he gets recruited takes place in the motel room, not outside near the pool
- 0:25 - 0:29 - In the book, Reacher discovers Kohl's body lying in bed, not hanging from the ceiling
- 0:33 - 0:38 - Reacher drives Richard Beck back home in a sedan, not a van
- 0:41 - 0:42 - Assuming that's Duke, he's described in the novel as being the same size as Reacher, the actor here is significantly smaller, this is also relevant because the animosity between Duke and Reacher, which is a plot point in the book, is further enhanced by the fact Reacher borrows some of Duke's clothes in the book, which he clearly won't be able to do here
- 0:50 - 0:60 - In the book, it's Paulie that initiates the arm wrestling thing, not Reacher, and Reacher wins by squeezing Paulie's knuckles, not by making him slam his own face with an arm wrestling trick
- 1:05 - 1:06 - Reacher communicates undercover with a pager-like email device, not a phone - Although I understand that, for obvious reasons, the TV show is set in the mid 2020s, but the novel was published in 2003
- 1:10 - 1:13 - This isn't in the book
- 1:22 - 1:24 - Assuming that's Harley, in the book he gets shot after a lengthy standoff while holding Duffy at gunpoint, not after opening the barn door
- 1:28 - Neagley isn't in the book
- 1:30 - No boat scenes in the book
- 1:38 - 1:43 - The comment about Reacher becoming a cop to stop big smug guys from getting away with things is an answer given by Reacher when Kohl asked a question, not a comment made by Neagley
- 1:46 - This isn't in the book
- 1:48 - No bike scenes in the book
- 1:50 - The fight between Paulie and Reacher takes place outside in its entirety, and Reacher doesn't use any weapons to win the fight. Instead, he beats Paulie by using Paulie's attempt to kick him martial arts style to heave him off the ground and landing him on his head. He then uses two guns to shoot him after he'd already defeated him
To be clear, I'm still eager to watch the show
