This character’s death is an emotional gut punch.

Editor’s Note: The below contains spoilers for Reacher Season 2.

THE BIG PICTURE

 Detective Russo sacrifices himself to protect a witness’s daughter, creating one of the most powerful and emotional moments of Reacher Season 2.
 Neagley overcomes her fear of touching to hold Russo’s hand as he dies, showcasing her respect for him and marking a significant breakthrough for her character.
 Russo’s unexpected death raises the stakes for Reacher and proves that the show is willing to kill off important characters, setting the tone for future seasons.

One of the most impactful episodes of Reacher Season 2 saw the show bid goodbye to cast member Detective Guy Russo (Domenic Lombardozzi). Despite his adversarial relationship with Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) throughout his run in Season 2, Detective Russo proved to be a virtuous human being.

He also proved to be an invaluable ally to the 110th unit in their investigation into New Age and its corrupt head of security, Shane Langston (Robert Patrick), the man responsible for the murder of four of Reacher’s former teammates in the 110th unit.

Season 2’s sixth episode, “New York’s Finest,” ends on a harrowing note, with Russo giving his life to protect the young daughter of a witness in their investigation. The moment when Russo dies, with Francis Neagley (Maria Sten) comforting him and holding Russo’s hand as he bleeds out, stands out as one of the most powerful and emotional moments of Reacher Season 2.

When retired Military Police Officer Jack Reacher is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians.

With nothing but his wits, he must figure out what is happening in Margrave, Georgia. The first season of Reacher is based on the international bestseller The Killing Floor by Lee Child.

Release Date: February 4, 2022
Cast: Alan Ritchson , Maria Sten , Malcolm Goodwin , Willa Fitzgerald , Robert Patrick , Serinda Swan
Main Genre: Action
Seasons: 2
Streaming Service(s): Prime Video

Neagley Overcomes Her Issues With Haphephobia to Comfort Russo

In the first season of Reacher, the show introduces the character of Neagley and illustrates that she has a longstanding issue with haphephobia, which is the fear of touching. Neagley refuses to shake hands with other people, and when Neagley and Reacher meet up with an informant at a gentleman’s club, Neagley takes matters into her own hands when a sleazy customer refuses to listen to an exotic dancer’s pleas regarding “no touching.” In the Season 2 finale, she doesn’t even hug or shake Reacher’s hand when they share an emotional farewell at the end. So to have Neagley holding Russo’s hand as he dies makes for one of the series’ most memorable moments.

Neagley hesitates at first before grabbing Russo’s outstretched hand. It is difficult for her to fight through her deeply ingrained fear to honor a man’s dying wish, but it shows how deeply Neagley and the rest of her teammates respect Russo.

While Russo and Jane Burns (Kate Moyer) are chased by Langston’s hitmen, Russo stays behind to engage the thugs, so Jane can escape, but he’s fatally shot in the process. When Neagley reaches Russo, he spends his last words making sure that Jane is safe.

The dread of Russo’s passing is already an emotional gut punch, but the moment when he offers his hand to Neagley, who returns the gesture, creates a significant breakthrough for Neagley’s character and the show as a whole.

Russo’s Death Raises the Stakes on ‘Reacher’ Season 2

Russo’s death raises the stakes for Reacher in a way that’s never truly happened before. The first season set Reacher apart from a typical network murder mystery or procedural drama with its harder edge. Characters, both good and bad, meet dark, brutal, and gruesome ends.

It establishes that while Reacher is a righteous man of integrity who seeks justice for wrongdoings, even the well-meaning actions of him and his team always come with a cost — such as the deaths of Molly Beth Gordon (Lara Jean Chorostecki) and Officer Stevenson (Jonathan Koensgen).

Molly Beth was a former colleague of Reacher’s older brother Joe, who was murdered by the Kliner Foundation’s conspirators. Although never explicitly stated, the show heavily indicated that Molly Beth and Joe were close, likely in a romantic relationship.

However, Molly Beth’s screentime was brief, and the series never allowed the audience to spend much time with Molly Beth and truly get to know her. Meanwhile, the off-screen murder of Stevenson and his pregnant wife was undoubtedly one of Season 1’s darkest and most tragic moments.

Like Molly Beth, Stevenson was a minor character in the season and not part of the main characters’ inner circle. The difference is that Russo was part of the main Season 2 cast and investigation team, which likely lulled the audience into a false sense of security that Russo would make it to the end of the season.

While Molly Beth’s death was surprising and heartbreaking, it wasn’t nearly as shocking as Russo’s. Season 2 spent considerably more time with Russo and developing his dynamic with Reacher, similar to the one between Reacher and Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) in Season 1.

While Russo and Reacher don’t meet under the best circumstances, and they are continually adversarial and distrusting of each other throughout Season 2, the New York detective proves to be an upstanding man of integrity, someone whom Reacher could trust and respect.

In Season 2, Episode 5, “Burial,” Russo is seen comforting the young son of Calvin Franz (Luke Bilyk), the 110th member whose murder kicks off this season’s mystery.

When snipers employed by Langston open fire at Franz’s funeral, it’s Russo who immediately seeks to protect Franz’s son and widow. At that moment, Reacher realizes that Russo is trustworthy and on their side.

Most of the characters who meet their end in Season 1 are usually the villains or tertiary or background characters, while Russo was essentially a main supporting cast member.

Russo’s exit also raises the stakes for the show heading into the Season 2 finale, “Fly Boy.” It would be premature to call Reacher a show where “no one is safe,” but Russo’s death proves that the series can and will kill off important characters when least expected — which potentially sets the tone for future seasons as well.

‘Reacher’ Season 2 Wraps Up With a Bittersweet Ending

While Russo doesn’t make it out of Season 2, his memory is not forgotten. Reacher and his 110th teammates donate a significant portion of the money for Langston’s illicit weapons deal to the family of Russo’s brother.

Amusingly, Reacher only keeps less than $2,000 to buy himself an annual bus pass to ride around the country. Sadly, Reacher and Russo never get the rematch Russo wanted after their initial meeting earlier in the season.

Considering how it was referenced repeatedly throughout the season, it’s yet another reason Russo’s death was so shocking. While Russo didn’t make it to the final act of Season 2, his good deeds and integrity are not forgotten by Reacher and his teammates.

With the conclusion of Reacher Season 2, viewers can now stream both seasons on Prime Video. Reacher Season 3 started production shortly before the launch of Season 2, so hopefully, there will be more news on the show’s future soon.