Lee Child’s originalJack Reachernovels and Amazon’sReacherhave not resolved one question about Neagley’s story, but her upcoming spinoff series could finally provide some answers. Even though the announcement of theNeagleyspinoff showmay seem surprising, Amazon’sReacherhas been paving the way for it for quite some time. From season 1 itself,Reacherintentionally drifted away from its source material to accommodate Neagley into its narrative.
Reacherseason 2 even riskeddiluting the significance of the titular character to portray how talented Negleay is as an investigator. Given howReacherhas been gradually setting the stage for theNeagleyspinoff, it is hard not to be excited about what it will bring to the table. However, what makes the show even more interesting is that it might finally delve deeper into Neagley’s backstory and explore one aspect of her personality that has not been fully addressed inLee Child’sJack Reacherbooks.
Lee Child’s Jack Reacher Books Never Explain Why Neagley Has A “No Touching” Rule
The Books Only Reveal She Has A Rare Medical Condition
Reacherseason 2 establishes that Neagley hates being touched. She not only turns down handshakes but also has a signature “no touch” goodbye gesture for Jack Reacher towards theend ofReacherseason 2. The only time she willingly touches acharacter inReacherseason 2is when she holds Russo’s hand to comfort him moments before his death. Amazon’sReachercarries over Neagley’s “no touch” rule from Lee Child’sJack Reachernovels but never truly explains the reason behind it.
All Jack Reacher Books In Order (Where To Start)
The Amazon Prime Video television show Reacher is based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books – read on for all the novels in the lengthy series.
Lee Child’sNight Schoolreveals that Neagley has a rare medical condition called haphephobia, which is a fear of being touched. It also features a sequence in whichJack Reacher says that Neagley was born with the conditionwhen a character asks him if her medical condition stems from a childhood trauma. However, since Jack Reacher, too, seems unsure about the real reason why Neagley hates being touched, the franchise has yet to explore the full implications of her haphephobia.
The Neagley Spinoff Can Reveal Why Neagley Hates Being Touched
The Spinoff Will Likely Offer More Insight Into Her Backstory
In the original Lee Child books, Neagley is treated as a side character who only appears in five installments. Lee Child also never wrote any spinoff novels to explore Neagley’s backstory or standalone investigative adventures. Owing to this, the books have seemingly never had the time to fully explore the depths of Neagley’s characterization and all the events from her past that have shaped her.
SinceReacher’sNeagleyspinoff will primarily revolve around the Maria Sten character and treat her as the protagonist, it can finally offer more insight into the character’s backstory and reveal the truth behind why she does not like being touched.
Although the Amazon show has given Neagley more importance, Jack Reacher has been its main character since the beginning. Because of its limited runtime, the series, too, has only been able to walk through Jack Reacher’s backstory while only giving a glimpse ofNeagley’s shared military past with Reacher. SinceReacher’sNeagleyspinoff will primarily revolve around the Maria Sten character and treat her as the protagonist, it can finally offer more insight into the character’s backstory and reveal the truth behind why she does not like being touched.
Reacher
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.
