Warning! Spoilers ahead for Reacher season 2, episode 5.
Tony Swan’s involvement in New Age in Reacher season 2 makes a major villain theory more plausible. Jack Reacher and the other surviving members of the 110th Special Investigators continue their hunt for the killers of their former teammates in Reacher season 2, episode 5, “Burial.” With Jorge Sanchez and Manuel Orozco now confirmed dead after Calvin Franz’s murder, all eyes are on uncovering the truth about Swan’s ties to New Age. That includes whether he actually betrayed the Special Investigators. While the rest of the squad is starting to be convinced that Swan has turned villainous, Jack remains steadfast in his trust in him.
In Reacher seasn 2, episode 5, “Burial,” Jack, Frances Neagley, David O’Donnell, and Karla Dixon split up to fast-track their investigation. While Jack and O’Donnell touch base with Joe Reacher’s contact at Homeland Security, Neagley and Dixon go to Denver to check out New Age’s second facility, where the manufacturing of their weapons is being done. The former surprisingly gets some valuable information, but the latter not only comes face to face with some bad guys, but they also learn new details that further incriminate Swan. The question is, how reliable that information is.
Reacher Season 2 Really Wants You To Think Swan Betrayed The 110th
Jack is the only one who still believes in Swan’s innocence.
By the time Neagley and Dixon get into New Age’s facility, the latest shipment of the missiles has just been dispatched, forcing them to chase them down the icy roads of Denver. During their match-up with AM’s goons, they find out that Swan signed off the delivery, which is more proof of his villainy. Between this and their discovery of his ties to New Age, it sure seems like Swan is part of the weapons smuggling scheme of Shane Langston. In terms of storytelling, however, there’s a feeling that it may be too on the nose to be Reacher season 2’s big plot twist.
As Jack comes to terms with the possibility that one of his own caused the brutal deaths of his other men, Reacher season 2, episode 5 features more flashbacks from their days as the 110th Special Investigators. During one of their drug busts, Swan used his own body to shield a bullet aimed at Jack. The memory makes it all the more difficult for Jack to believe that Swan would betray any of his colleagues. However, it’s also getting increasingly difficult to defend him, considering the mounting evidence against him.
Only Hortense Fields Could Have Taken Swan’s Identity
Fields’ personal ties to the 110th Special Investigators makes him a good villain.
That being said, there’s still a way to explain the 110th Special Investigator’s involvement with New Age’s illegal operations. Just because Swan signed off the delivery papers doesn’t mean that he did it willingly, or that he did it all. One interesting theory claims that Hortense Fields may have something to do with the whole scheme. He is the perfect person to be Reacher season 2’s secret villain as it establishes a personal connection between him and the 110th Special Investigators. As menacing as Langston is, his lack of previous connection to Jack or any of his members makes him less compelling than someone whom they’ve worked with.
Hortense’s introduction in Reacher season 2, episode 3, “Picture Says a Thousand Words” felt out of place and shoehorned. There was no narrative need for his involvement — unless there’s a bigger reason for his debut, particularly the person impersonating Swan throughout Jack’s investigations of the deaths of his men. It is confirmed that Langston and his cronies are all ex-cops, effectively linking a military cop like Fields to their operation.
If Swan Was A Villain, Reacher Season 2 Would’ve Shown Him By Now
Swan is still nowhere to be found since Franz’s death.
Suspiciously, Swan is still nowhere to be seen in Reacher season 2. Considering all the piled-up evidence against him, there isn’t any need to continue hiding him if he really is the narrative’s villain. The Amazon Prime Video series has substantially featured AM and Langston, even establishing a connection between them via a phone call. If Swan is part of their operations, Reacher season 2 should have already revealed his interactions with his fellow bad guys. From there, its storytelling can move on from deciding who the bad guys are to how Jack and his team can take them down.
The fact that Reacher season 2 continues to hide Swan suggests that there’s more to his ties to New Age than just being Langston’s cohort. Without any physical appearance, it’s unwise to cast him off as a villain, especially considering Jack’s conviction that everyone from the 110th Special Investigations Unit is trustworthy. At this point, Reacher season 2 has repeatedly emphasized how solid the team was and that it’s better to assume that, like Franz, Orozco, and Sanchez, Swan remained faithful to the squad until the very end.
Reacher season 2 airs on Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.
Reacher
Produced by Amazon Prime Video, Reacher adapts Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series to live-action. The series follows veteran Military Police Officer Jack Reacher as he unravels a dangerous conspiracy in the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia. Played by the towering Alan Ritchson, the titular hero collaborates with officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) and Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) to clean his name and save Margrave from crime and corruption.
