Reacher Is About to Commit the Stupidest Blunder of His Career (& It’s the Right Call)

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Posted 6 days ago by inuno.ai

The following contains spoilers for Reacher Season 3, Episode 7, “L.A. Story,” now streaming on Prime Video.

The penultimate episode of Reacher Season 3 is shocking, but not so much for the cliffhanger leading into the finale. After federal law enforcement officers sidelined him, Jack Reacher was about to do something uncharacteristically stupid. While some viewers may call it poor storytelling, preparing to gun down Xavier Quinn in front of an army of cops is exactly the kind of thing Reacher would do, given his arc over the season.

The former US Army Special Investigator is fully aware that committing cold-blooded murder in front of a squad of ATF agents has significant consequences for him. He simply doesn’t care. To him, the loss of his liberty is worth the satisfaction of killing the man who murdered his first protégé. Even as profoundly stupid as this choice may be, the episode gives Reacher an escape hatch. Rather than a murderer, he is in a position to be a savior.

Dominique Kohl’s Death Is a Major Failure Reacher Wants to Correct

Avenging Her Death by Killing Xavier Quinn Was a Moral Imperative for Him

The fourth episode of Season 3 shows viewers a point in Reacher’s US Army career before the creation of his Special Investigators Unit. He preferred to work alone, but his commander assigned him a subordinate anyway. Despite his resistance to taking command of another soldier, Dominique Kohl impressed Reacher. Her ingenuity and instincts led directly to gathering enough evidence to arrest Xavier Quinn for selling US secrets. Because he trusted her abilities, he sent her and a lower-enlisted soldier to make the arrest and take the credit.

“There are very few people you meet who do everything right…. Domique Kohl did the right things the right way. She was going to be great.” — Reacher to Duffy and Villanueva in “Dominique.”

Instead of arresting Quinn, he killed the soldier with Domique, tortured her and then murdered her. Thus, Reacher took it upon himself to sentence Quinn to death, even lying to the police when they showed up on the scene. It wasn’t just out of anger, either. Reacher felt guilty, because as her commanding officer, he had a duty to have her back and set her up for success. In fairness, that is what he thought he was doing. If Kohl arrested Quinn, it would help advance her career and her reputation as an Army investigator.

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When he went to Quinn’s house to find Kohl, Reacher brought a tactical team with him. Despite her intellect and ability, Kohl didn’t have that same foresight. Going to arrest Quinn without sufficient backup wasn’t her fault, however. The blame falls squarely on her commander, for either not training her well enough or, at the very least, not suggesting it. Reacher failed Kohl which, when compounded with his personal affection for her, meant he believed his life was a fair trade for the life of the man who killed her.

Reacher’s Guilt and Thirst for Revenge Almost Ruined His Life

He Is Willing to Trade His Own Life and Liberty to Get Justice for Kohl

Reacher shot Quinn in the head, which sent him tumbling over a cliff into icy waters. Despite how unlikely it seems, the combination of a small caliber bullet and cold water kept him alive. Because he lied to the police about shooting him, they were looking for a healthy fugitive instead of a nearly dead man washed up on the shore. Reacher could have arrested him or shot him, claiming self-defense. Instead, he helped Kohl’s killer evade capture.

Because Quinn survived, he lived to kill again and kidnap Richard Beck, slicing off his ear. During his time undercover, Reacher grew fond of Richard, blaming himself for the harm Quinn caused the boy. Reacher only travels the country with an ATM card, his toothbrush and the clothes on the back. Yet, he is sentimental when it comes to people. There’s nothing he can do for Kohl, but killing Quinn would let Richard know he’s safe. With a sniper rifle he bought at a pawn shop, Reacher prepared to shoot Xavier Quinn on sight, regardless of the ATF’s orders.

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One of the great things about putting Reacher undercover in Season 3 is how it highlighted his wits. He couldn’t just punch his way through problems. Characters in previous seasons often talk about Reacher’s intelligence. Doing something as dumb as murdering Quinn where ATF agents will either shoot him dead or, at least, arrest him seems out of character. But fictional figures aren’t equations to be solved — they’re representations of people, and emotions, like guilt, make them act irrationally. Reacher is simply willing to die or go to jail to ensure Quinn meets the end he was supposed to on the night he killed Kohl.

Reacher’s Sentimentality Drives Him, and Also Saves Him

By Trying to Warn Off Neagley, He Learns They Are Being Set Up

Reacher holding a shotgun as Frances Neagley stands in a white shirt, black vest and bowtie — Image via Amazon Prime Video

After Kohl’s death, Reacher recruited his unit of Special Investigators, including France Neagley. The care and training he gave to her is why she was able to take out Quinn’s hitmen. Her presence in all three seasons of the show makes it clear Neagley is Reacher’s most trusted ally. As she told him, she was already on her way to Maine before he called her. Neagley is always one step ahead, at least until Reacher makes his very stupid decision.

Maria Sten’s Frances Neagley appears in every season ofReacher, despite only appearing in the bookBad Luck and Trouble which inspired Season 2.

Knowing the murder of Quinn might cause her trouble, he calls Neagley to warn her. His sentimentality for her may end up saving the lives of Duffy, Villanueva and the ATF agents. Neagley spent the day following Quinn’s buyers, taking her to Zachary Beck’s mansion. Reacher realizes instead of Quinn and a bunch of terrorists, the ATF agents will be met with more hitmen. Instead of wrecking his life, Reacher’s reckless plan puts him in a position to save people’s lives.

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It’s this development that makes Reacher’s uncharacteristic decision the right call. It serves his character’s story arc, yet it still paves the way for heroics. From his sniper position, he might be able to give the ATF agents a fighting chance against this surprise attack. His singular commitment to lethal justice for Quinn becomes both his greatest attribute and greatest flaw.

Reacher Is Driven by the Wrong Sense of Justice That Caused the Problem

While He Wanted to Kill Quinn, Dominque Kohl Would Have Wanted Him Arrested

Reacher in a dark shit holding a pistol at the ready in a dark salvage yard — Image via Amazon Prime Video

Despite how much Alan Ritchson wants to be the DCU’s Batman, Reacher is more like the Punisher. From Margrave, Georgia to New York City and now, Maine, the enemies he faces only end up one way: dead. This impulse was in him as far back as Kohl’s murder, and it created all the problems he faces in Season 3. Not only that, killing Quinn is very likely not what she would want.

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Reacher says that Kohl did everything right, including her commitment to the law. The best way to honor her memory would have been to finish the arrest she started. Instead, Reacher tried to kill Quinn and screwed that up. Reacher’s sense of responsibility for others stems from failing Kohl. The discovery that Quinn survived sent him reeling, leading him to continue to make mistakes. The whole season is built on Reacher’s fallibility.

Previous seasons have shown Reacher to be an efficient and relentless force against corruption and killers. This single-minded focus backfired with Quinn, and it almost happened again. If not for the double-cross, Reacher would have gone to jail or died in a hail of ATF gunfire. Reacher found the perfect way to highlight the character’s central flaw while still creating a way to get out of an impossible situation and fight another day.

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