“In an investigation, assumptions kill.” Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) finallyclosed the book on his adventures in Mainein Season 3 ofReacher. Marking the ex-military officer’s first undercover mission throughout the television series, the wandering drifter is pulled into a world of shady truck deliveries, unregulated business meetings, and contraband weapon sales — courtesy of business magnate Zachary Beck (Anthony Michael Hall). But the more Reacher gets sucked into this criminal underbelly, the more he realizes that Zachary’s just a mere puppet. The real perpetrator is out there in plain sight, and it just so happens to be someone from Reacher’s painful military past.
Based onLee Child’s “Persuader,” Season 3 is a high point of the series thus far, and theReacheruniverse is just getting started.With a Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) spin-off underwayand aSeason 4 confirmed for future production, crime doesn’t sleep as long as Reacher is awake. Without further ado,here’s everyReacherSeason 3 episode rankedbased on the action, the story, and how well it keeps the momentum going.
8“Smackdown”
Season 3, Episode 5
Out of all the episodes, this one featuredone of the sloppiest deaths in the season. Throughout Season 3, Eliot was assigned to make sure that Richard Beck’s (Johnny Berchtold) previous bodyguard, John Cooper (Ronnie Rowe Jr.), was held hostage and wouldn’t escape. That being said, Eliot shared a lot of time with Cooper, watching TV together, the latter feeding him chow mien with his hands cuffed. While Duffy and Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos) were almost killed in the warehouse, Cooper pleaded with Eliot to let him have a smoke. Feeling some sympathy for the guy, Eliot lit him a cigarette, only for Cooper to make a fire by spitting the rubbing alcohol he was holding in his mouth, followed by stomping Eliot’s head to death.
Eliot had so much potentialthat could be further explored in the show. Unfortunately, it was his soft-heartedness and naivety that led him to his death — something that is cast onto the character as he was the young, pushover rookie out of all three on the team. It would’ve been more interesting to see whatthe underdog Eliot could bring to the table, just like how he volunteered to be the “kidnapper” in the first episode. Fortunately, Eliot didn’t die in vain. With Reacher and Villanueva staging a car accident to stop Eliot in the middle of the road, the military vet was able to swiftly kill Cooper before he could get to Zachary.
7“L.A. Story"
Season 3, Episode 7
Image via Prime Video
Normally, every season features that one moment where Reacher and the leading lady find themselves in another town. In this case, it’s Reacher and Duffy who travel all the way to Los Angeles to confront drug dealer Darien Prado, the original perp Duffy was after before her investigation got revoked due to a warrant error. Thanks to some quick blackmail, Reacher and Duffy get ahold of Zachary from a safe distance and learn that Xavier Quinn (Brian Tee) would sell his contraband weapons to Yemeni buyers.
It’s also the episode where Reacher and Duffy ultimately get intimate in the motel room. Although there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sex in an action series,Reacher and Duffy’s chemistry doesn’t seem as organiccompared to Reacher’s previous relationships withSeason 1’s Roscoe and Season 2’s Dixon. Reacher and Duffy’s relationship has been nothing but work the entire time, so to see them get up all on each other is quite the jump in their chemistry. In the show’s defense, Duffy does explain her “no strings attached” stance to romance in the season finale.
6“Truckin”
Season 3, Episode 2
Episode 2 slightly dips in momentumand isn’t as explosive as its debut episode, but this direction makes sense. With Reacher freshly recruited by Zachary and his security team, Reacher must appear as passive as possible to avoid suspicion. His first few jobs from his boss are simple: I.D. the “kidnapper’s” Toyota pick up at the police impound lot and drive a truck to New London, Connecticut in 6 hours. Things get a lot more complicated when the slick and sly Angel Doll spots the original bodyguard’s Audi in the compound, which he assumes would’ve been wrecked to bits from the “bomb”. On top of that, Angel Doll tracked Reacher the entire time throughout his truck delivery.
Going undercover means working in extremely tight circumstances, which includes Susan Duffy (Sonya Cassidy) switching the Audi’s plate and hiding under the car unbeknownst to Angel. Don’t worry —there’s still brute force to keep things amped up in Episode 2. Reacher and the jacked-up Paulie (Olivier Richters) participate in a not-so-friendly match of Bavarian arm wrestling that leaves the latter sucker-punching himself. That’s not the only risk Reacher took — with his cover almost blown, Reacher has no hesitation in slamming Angel Doll’s head to death (and cracking his limbs so his corpse would fit under an office table).
5“Persuader”
Season 3, Episode 1
Just like last season, Season 3 ofReacherprimarily takes place on the East Coast — specifically in the fictional college town of Abbottsville, Maine. The episode begins with Reachersaving Richard from getting kidnapped. What’s shocking about this scene is that Reacher accidentally shoots a cop, ensuing a police chase. It’s hard to believe that this ex-military police officer, who over the last two seasons has shown nothing near zero error, would make an extremely careless kill like this.
The opening almostthrows audiences off with Reacher’s sloppy work before revealing the plot twist: the kidnapping is a setup that Reacher has been a part of, together with DEA agent Duffy and her two confidantes. Sharing a common goal, Reacher’s job is to infiltrate Zachary Beck’s shady rug business and home through his son, Richard, and go undercover. It’s the first time throughout the series that Reacher is required to put on a facade, and seeing just how far he’ll take with his act (cue the Russian Roulette scene) shows he’s just as good as a discreet mole.
4"Number 2 with a Bullet"
Season 3, Episode 3
Things literally heat up inReacherEpisode 3. Thanks to Reacher’s brilliant decision-making (impulsively killing Angel Doll), he and Duffy secretly visit the yard after hours to get rid of the corpse and search for Teresa. The two may not have been on the best of terms earlier this season, but when they came face-to-face with murderous truck drivers, Reacher and Duffy got each other’s backs. Speaking of bonds, Reacher gets closer to Richard, and the latter becomes emotionally vulnerable enough to share that his father is haunted by a criminal shadow known as Julius McCabe.
The fact thatZachary could possibly be both a perpetrator and a victimin this situation complicates the story in a good way. Just when Reacher thinks getting into Zachary’s inner circle would be enough, he still has to find out who his Julius person is. That feat would only be possible if Reacher wins Zachary over and eliminates Duke, which the hero does by killing Duke in a fake shootout, setting the house on fire first by putting explosive chemicals in a microwave and putting the blame on an already dead Angel, which Zachary believes.It’s a peak framing situation by Reacher, with loose ends eliminated swiftly.
3"Dominique"
Season 3, Episode 4
Episode 4 explains why Reacher is dead set on killing Julis McCabe, formerly known as Francis Xavier Quinn — a corrupt former U.S. military intelligence lieutenant colonel turned arms dealer. Reacher’s relationship with him goes way back to Reacher’s time in the army, where a case involving Roland Gorowski turns out to be orchestrated by Quinn. Joining Reacher on this case is E7 Sergeant First Class Dominique Kohl (Mariah Robinson), a bright-eyed youngin’ who isn’t fazed by Reacher’s straightforwardness and is passionate about her work.
Unlike Season 2’s rowdy yet endearing 110th MP Special Investigations Unit,Dominique shares a lot of similarities with Reacher. With the same high level of dedication, skills, assertiveness, and hunger to solve the case, Dominique is essentially a carbon copy of Reacher. Unfortunately, even the brightest proteges aren’t immune to death. While Reacher has narrowly escaped death thousands of times, Dominique doesn’t share the same fate as she was brutally murdered by Quinn. It’s a stark reminder that no matter how smart or invisible these characters are, at the end of the day, they’re only mere mortals.
2"Smoke on the Water"
Season 3, Episode 6
Everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong with this investigation happened in Episode 6. Reacher’s cover is blown, and all hell breaks loose — especially in the Beck household. Whether it’s the shoot out in the front yard, the desperate escape into the woods, or assassinating Zachary’s men in pitch black darkness, it’s one man versus an entire army with an arsenal of weaponry.It’s alsorefreshing to watch Reacher take on a more militaristic, stealthy approachwhen wiping out the bad guys. As he covers himself in mud, he’s practically unseen in the dark. Next thing they know, some guy gets strangled by a cord attached to a revved-up ATV. Sometimes, silence is the best weapon — even more dangerous than a bunch of rattling guns.
This episode alsofeatures Quinn going absolute balls to the walls. His sharp suit doesn’t conceal the fact that he’s an absolute, murderous madman who deliciously relinquishes torturing people. Upon discovering that Zachary accidentally brought an undercover FED into his household, he’s not having it. To pay for Zachary’s carelessness,Quinn forces Richard to relive his past trauma by playing Russian Roulettein front of his dad. What really takes the cake is when Quinn wants “a matching set” from Zachary.
1"Unfinished Business"
Season 3, Episode 8
After getting ambushed in a fake setup, Reacher, Duffy, and Villanueva save Zachary and sneak into the Beck compound, which is currently holding Zachary’s 50th birthday gala. However, the party is just a cover-up for Quinn’s business dealings with the Yemeni gun buyers. Together with Neagley, the team disperses across the estate to save their respective hostages and stop Quinn. From Villanueva electrocuting someone’s hand in a toilet bowl, to Duffy shooting someone’s dick off,each character a high-octane solo momentand truly savored the brutality. But when it comes to fight scenes,the biggest honor goes to Reacher’s fight with Paulie.
Throughout the season, the tension between Reacher and Paulie simmers but never explodes. Sure, there are the occasional punches and offensive verbal exchanges, but the show saved the best for last. In a 15-20 minute, all-gas-no-brakes physical beat down,Reacher and Paulie absolutely demolished each otherin what appears to beReacher’s best finale fight out of all three seasons.It’s like watching a bear and a mammoth tear each other off— no guns, just pure, manly force. It’s also a very environmental fight; whether it’s in the barn or the ocean, not only do the two have to fight each other with their bare hands, but they also make use of what they have in the surroundings to maximize the fatality.
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