Why Reacher Didn't Cry Over Kohl's Death In Season 3 (Despite Crying In The Book)

Warning: Major spoilers for Reacher season 3, episode 4 "Dominique" below!Reacher season 3 toned down the graphic death of the title character's protégé Kohl, including dropping Jack crying over her death. The Lee Child Jack Reacher books have been running for close to 30 years, and despite the title character never really changing or evolving, the series is addictive reading. Reacher has the mind of Sherlock Holmes with the body of Dolph Lundgren, and wherever he shows up, an action movie tends to break out around him.

Reacher season 3 adapts Child's Persuader, where Alan Ritchson's avenger goes undercover to find an old enemy. While various novels have given Reacher personal stakes in a particular mission or investigation, it's rare for him to get emotional. Reacher is even more stoic in the books compared to Amazon's adaptation, where there are few examples of Jack losing his cool or letting his anger get the better of him. Even in season 3, when he discovers the mutilated body of his friend and colleague Dominique Kohl (Mariah Robinson), he keeps his emotions in check.

Garber talking on the phone alongside Reacher in his Army uniform

Reacher Season 3 Neatly Sets Up A Major Book Character For Season 4

Reacher season 3 episode 4 "Dominique" introduced General Garber from the books, but does his appearance set up another key novel character?

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Reacher Cries After Discovering Kohl's Mutilated Body In Lee Child's Persuader Book

Kohl was horrifically mutilated in Persuader

A close-up of Alan Ritchson as Reacher looking upset. — A close-up of Alan Ritchson as Reacher looking upset

That's not to say Ritchson's Reacher isn't devastated by Kohl's death, but outside of being glass-eyed and clenching his jaw, those emotions remain internal. This is in contrast to Persuader, where Reacher's response to Dominique Kohl's torture and murder is more explosive. Reacher discovers Kohl's badly mutilated body in the home of corrupt military intelligence officer Quinn (Brian Tee), where she had been badly beaten and tortured before Quinn stabbed her in the brain.

Reacher both vomits and cries after finding Kohl's corpse, noting that it had been at least 20 years since the last time he cried. It's a very vulnerable moment for the character, highlighting how much he cared for Kohl and how vicious her death was. Amazon's show greatly tones down the brutality of Kohl's murder; it's unclear exactly what Quinn did to her, and the episode keeps details of her torture vague.

Reacher Doesn't Have Time To Cry For Kohl In Season 3

The series condenses the timeline surrounding Kohl's death

Next to a cliff, Reacher shoots Quinn in Reacher Season 3 Ep 4

Kohl and Reacher had been investigating Quinn for selling classified information, and since Reacher wanted Kohl to receive the credit, he tasked her with arresting Quinn. This proved to be a terrible mistake, and Reacher lives with the guilt for years to come. Season 3 condenses the timeline somewhat so that Reacher finds and confronts Quinn almost immediately after finding Kohl's body. Thus, Reacher had little time to cry over his friend since his mind immediately turned to revenge on Quinn.

Every Jack Reacher Movie & Show	Book Adapted
Jack Reacher (2012)	One Shot (2005)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)	Never Go Back (2013)
Reacher: Season 1 (2022)	Killing Floor (1997)
Reacher: Season 2 (2023-2024)	Bad Luck and Trouble (2007)
Reacher: Season 3 (2025)	Persuader (2003)

Reacher captures Quinn, marches him out to a cliff edge and shoots him in the forehead with his own pistol. Logically, that should have killed Quinn in at least three different ways - but he miraculously survives. Once Reacher discovers this, his thirst for revenge is what drives him throughout season 3, with Reacher labeling Quinn as the "single worst person I've ever known."

Of course, it's possible Reacher cried for Kohl offscreen, as the trauma and guilt surrounding her killing has never left him. Maybe the showrunners felt it would be distracting to have Ritchson's character being so outwardly emotional, or that it could be cheesy if the execution didn't work. Audiences are used to Jack keeping himself in check, so to have him weeping would have been a bold step.

Reacher Crying Would Have Been A Shocking Scene For Amazon's Series

The showrunners should have committed to the horror of Kohl's death

Reacher himself comes from a long, proud line of tough action protagonists, who are men of few words - Child's most famous catchphrase from the books is "Reacher said nothing" - and rarely, if ever, cry. It's impossible to picture Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando or Sylvester Stallone in Cobra shedding tears, since that's just not done in the action genre. Watching Alan Ritchson's Reacher crying over Kohl's body would have been a genuinely shocking moment, and it's one the series should have tried.

If author Lee Child felt it was appropriate to have Reacher cry, then it could have worked on the series too.

Again, there was likely concern a crying scene would be too much for Reacher, but this move lessens the impact found in the book. Child wanted readers to feel what Reacher did after discovering Kohl, including the anger and pain. The way the series depicts this is still emotional, but committing to Reacher's original reaction would have made it much more powerful. Kohl's death is a turning point in Reacher's life and military career, and something he will always carry with him.

If Lee Child felt it was appropriate to have his taciturn hero cry, then it could have worked on the series too. Some viewers wouldn't have liked this overtly "sappy" response, but Reacher crying over his friend's cruel death would hardly make him any less manly. Plus, he had already shed a tear after meeting his dying mother during a season 1 flashback.

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