Jacob Merrick has spent most of Reacher Season 4 running out of people he can trust. So when he finally turns to his uncle for help, viewers should probably be worried.
Lieutenant Monty DeRosa is introduced as Jacob’s late father’s former partner and one of the few remaining authority figures who might actually be on his side. He runs the Mayfield Police Department; he’s family in every sense that matters to Jacob, and he’s the first cop this season who isn’t immediately trying to kill or arrest him. That trust does not last long.
What Uncle Monty Won’t Do For Jacob
When Jacob shows up begging for help, convinced the federal government is covering up the conspiracy behind his sister’s death, Monty’s response is not reassuring.
He refuses to bend, insisting he will only follow the letter of the law, and pushes to hand Jacob, Tamara, and Plum straight over to the FBI instead of helping them dig further.
Jacob’s own assessment of their situation sums up why that answer feels like a death sentence: “We are a demoted detective, a small-town cop, and a blogger. We are in over our heads.”
Realizing his uncle won’t budge, Jacob makes the call to ignore him entirely, steal a squad car, and get back to Reacher on his own.
Related: Reacher Season 4’s Djibouti Mystery: Who Is Tomas Waberi?
The Case Against Lieutenant DeRosa
By the time Jacob brings Tamara and Plum directly to Mayfield PD, the show has already started stacking evidence against Monty rather than just having him play it safe. He comes across as friendly on the surface, but it becomes clear fast that he’s more interested in quietly funneling the trio to federal hands than actually protecting them.
Whether that makes him actively dirty, scared, or just a company man who values procedure over his nephew is still an open question the show hasn’t answered outright. What is clear is that Monty keeps resurfacing at exactly the moments when Jacob’s group is most vulnerable, interrupting a private conversation about the drive’s contents almost as soon as they think they’re safe.
That timing matters. A conspiracy that reaches into the CIA and connects back to a mass murderer like General Putra needs local infrastructure to function, and a Mayfield lieutenant with access to police resources and Jacob’s trust would be a useful asset for whoever is protecting that secret.
Jacob being “lowkey relieved” to see a familiar face after the chaos he’s survived only makes it worse if that familiar face turns out to be part of the problem. Reacher has built its whole season on people close to its heroes turning out to be compromised, and Monty fits that pattern uncomfortably well.
With Amazon already confirming a fifth season for the franchise before Season 4 even finishes its run, Nick Santora’s team clearly has room to let this thread play out rather than resolve it in a rush. Whether Monty is protecting Jacob, protecting himself, or working for someone else entirely should become a lot clearer as Reacher Season 4 heads toward its finale on Prime Video.
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