While Reacher is no stranger to cliffhanger endings, the previous episode’s declaration that he and Susan Duffy were off to Los Angeles was unique. The trip was a mere diversion, though eventful, and the bulk of the episode brings former 110th Special Investigator Frances Neagley into the inner circle. As Season 3 heads into the endgame, Reacher starts to act more recklessly than usual, but a double-cross ends up working out for the best.

The penultimate episode of Season 3 is equal parts predictable and satisfying. By this point ,viewers know Reacher is going to have some kind of romantic dalliance with one of his allies. They also know that if she’s not already there, Neagley will show up. Interestingly, the best relationship work in “L.A. Story” is between Richard and Zachary Beck. The father and son have had a strained relationship all season, but they finally share a touching moment. The episode also finally proves that Teresa Daniel, Duffy’s missing informant, is indeed still alive. Yet, the biggest curveball is that, for the first time, Jack Reacher will have to save the day around the proper authorities. Duffy and Guillermo Villanueva finally read in the ATF, including telling them their agent Annette is dead. Naturally, they cut them all out of the arrest, leading Reacher to do something uncharacteristically foolish.

Reacher’s Romance with Susan Duffy Feels Perfunctory, but Authentic

Never the Strongest Part of the Series, the Trip to L.A. Helps It Make Sense

Despite being an overall excellent series, Reacher treats its annual romance as an afterthought. The women characters in the show are always well-rounded, capable and intelligent, so it makes sense that Reacher feels something for them. Similarly, he is far from unattractive and often saves their lives more than once. A romantic, intimate connection is authentic, at least. However, that doesn’t stop these moments from feeling like the show is ticking a box.

Duffy and Reacher shared their first kiss in the previous episode, and she immediately pushed him away. She denied that she would “again” get involved with someone she was on a case with. In this way, their trip to Los Angeles provides the perfect excuse. They are far away from the action with nothing else to do while in a hotel together. Just before they connect, Reacher all but swears an oath to Duffy that Teresa’s life will take precedence over his revenge.

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Again, becoming intimate feels earned and sensible. However, there is a formulaic element to it as well. Right before the season finale, viewers can expect Reacher to hook up with whomever his closest woman ally is (other than Neagley, of course). Yet, unlike other inevitable series’ romances — like “Chenford” on The Rookie, for example — it doesn’t pay off unspoken desire or tension. The kiss from the previous episode and Duffy forswearing the connection after arguably undercut this “payoff.” In Season 4, Reacher could stand to improve the emotional connection that precedes the physical one.

Zachary Beck and His Son Richard Reconcile as He Prepares to Betray Quinn

He’s Not Actually a ‘Good Man,’ but He at least Wants to Be a Good Dad

The best “love story” in “L.A. Story” is one between a father and son. Richard Beck was Reacher’s way into his hunt for Xavier Quinn. He bonded with Zachary after both saving his son and saving them from a fake coup by rivals. Yet, in the previous episode, Zachary expressed some bitterness and even jealousy over Reacher’s closeness with Richard. After agreeing to help Reacher stop Quinn, Zachary takes a moment to reconnect with Richard the way he always should have.

In the novel that inspired the season, Richard’s mother is actually still alive. The decision to make Zachary a single father is inspired. Not only does it make Richard more alienated and vulnerable, it also creates a level of tragedy in their lack of a relationship. Zachary’s confession that he was purposefully a “bad” father to spare his son heartache is twisted logic, but heartbreaking just the same. He’s a gunrunner, but Richard gives him a replica of a toy pistol he had as a child. Even as bad as Zachary was to him, Richard displayed sensitivity and understanding.

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With the bedlam the Season 3 finale is about to unleash — especially since Quinn’s terrorist buyers are headed to the party — this moment was important. Richard got to hear from his father that he’s loved and “everything” he wanted in a son. He affirms that despite all the terrible people around him, including himself, Richard is a “good” person. Richard echoes this sentiment, saying his father is a good man. This is not true, but at least once he told Neagley he’d help Reacher, Zachary started trying to be one. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

As Season 3 Draws to a Close, Reacher Clarifies the Stakes of the Mission

Hunting Quinn Began as Revenge, Now He’s In It to Save Good People’s Lives

Before heading off to L.A., Duffy takes Reacher to see Mrs. Daniel, Teresa’s grandmother. While it’s a scene meant to foreshadow their connection, it does more than that. Viewers learn that the elderly woman doesn’t even know what Teresa is up to. She thinks Duffy is a rehab counselor. Mrs. Daniel seems to like Susan, but their entire relationship is based on a deep, poisonous lie. If Teresa were dead, the news would probably kill Mrs. Daniel.

Instead of telling Mrs. Daniel that she is a DEA agent and Teresa is on a mission to stop criminals, Duffy lied. It doesn’t spare the old woman worry, either. Rather, instead of being worried about her granddaughter doing something noble, she simply thinks she fell off the wagon. To a parent, facing death from criminals or addiction doesn’t make the fear or pain of their child’s loss any better. It’s arguably the worst thing Duffy’s done this season.

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Still, Teresa is alive, as viewers saw in a scene revealing her and Quinn. He’s drugging her with heroin to keep her docile and addicted. He is treating her like a piece of property, a bonus gift for the terrorists buying his guns. It’s a disturbing scene, yet it’s fair to wonder why it’s taken this long to show her. The implication has always been that she’s not dead. Showing what she’s endured could have built more tension. It would have also made the scene with Mrs. Daniel a little better, as viewers would already know what truth Duffy was trying to spare her from.

For the First Time, Reacher Will Have to Work Around the Proper Authorities

He Would Have Made a Terrible Mistake, but Quinn’s Double-Cross Saved Him

The biggest curveball the series throws in the penultimate episode is bringing Reacher face-to-face with the ATF. This is the first season where the majority of cops around him aren’t corrupt and part of the problem. Predictably, the agents are unhappy with Duffy and Villanueva. The director tells Duffy he has to report their conduct, but really, she’s lucky that all of them didn’t end up in handcuffs for their off-the-books investigation.

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Naturally, Reacher doesn’t take being sidelined all that well. It leads him to do arguably the first truly stupid thing he’s done in 23 episodes. He buys a sniper rifle from a pawn shop and plans to murder Quinn in front of a team of heavily armed ATF agents. In this case, he’d be lucky to be arrested after taking out his nemesis. The agents would be just as likely to open fire on his position, killing him. Ironically, Quinn saves his life.

Since Neagley was following the buyers, Reacher learns from her that they are heading to Beck’s home. So, just as the episode ends, he’s aware that Quinn set up Zachary with false information. So, his almost terrible mistake put him in a position to likely save lives. While uncharacteristically reckless, this moment subtly underscores just how desperate he became over the death of Dominique Kohl. He was willing to throw away his life in order to bring lethal justice to her killer. Thankfully, it won’t have to come to that.

The Season 3 finale of Reacher debuts on Thursday, March 27, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video.

Reacher

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

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  Alan Ritchson

  Jack Reacher

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  Maria Sten

  Frances Neagley

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Pros & Cons

• The culmination of Zachary and Richard Beck’s relationship is a heartbreaking evolution.
• The added element of the ATF in Reacher’s way is a great escalation and obstacle.
• The scene with Reacher and Neagley is great and makes fans want more of the characters together.

• While earned, the romance between Reacher and Duffy could’ve been better developed emotionally.
• For those doing math, the trip to Los Angeles barely fits into the episode’s timeline.
• While intentionally crafted this way, Xavier Quinn could strike some viewers as almost cartoonishly evil.