The following contains spoilers for Reacher Season 3, Episode 6, “Smoke on the Water” now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Things are coming to a head in Reacher Season 3, as the titular hero finds his cover blown and runs for his life. Thus far, the series has expertly employed tension in a fresh way because Jack Reacher can’t just punch his way out of trouble. As the façade of his time as Zachary Beck’s lieutenant comes crashing down, Reacher employs some classic mortal violence against brutal killers. Also, a familiar face returns and character relationships evolve in interesting ways.
Viewers get a sneak preview of series star Alan Ritchson’s dialogue-free movie as he dons natural camouflage to take out some bad guys. In the series, Reacher has a little more personality than in the books. Yet, when the time comes for quiet action, Ritchson delivers. Still, the best part of Season 3 has been seeing the character use his other skills, particularly his quick wits, to maintain his cover. When that’s challenged, he mostly salvages it. Yet, he’s ultimately discovered because he didn’t bother to lie about his past as a US Army Special Investigator. There are more than a few members, past and present, of the 110th in the episode in gripping and heartbreaking scenes. Lastly, Zachary Hall reflects on his history as a parent just in time for his son Richard to be threatened again.
Reacher’s Cover Is Blown Up, and He Gets Down to His Dirty Business
After Over Half the Season Undercover, He Hulks Out and Kills Some Dudes
Season 3 villain Xavier Quinn sets his goons on a mission to check out who all might be investigating his operation. Through this effort, he discovers the interest of members of Reacher’s old unit, the 110th. It’s actually the elder Beck who gives him up. Yet, Reacher was a step ahead. He shot out the tires on the cars and stole a snowplow truck to make his escape. He didn’t get very far, and that’s when the episode delves into the classic action Reacher fans love.
The sequence in the woods is Rambo-esque when Reacher cakes his face, head and arms in mud. The natural camouflage allows him to make short work of a trio of killers chasing him. While the fight with the man-mountain gate guard Paulie won’t be as easy, it’s satisfying to see Reacher dispatching these villains so easily. Free of trying to maintain his cover, he doesn’t have to worry about cleaning up his messes. Instead, he just faces down the goons with dispassionate intensity.
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Reacher and Susan Duffy’s mission to Harley’s boat is also a great action set piece, and it was satisfying to see Harley meet his end. Yet, the scene that perfectly captures who Reacher is as a man isn’t the fighting, but rather his interactions with the elderly couple in the laundromat. How Ritchson effortlessly plays Reacher as threatening, and then the exact opposite is great. Despite a language barrier, the audience absolutely buys that these folks wouldn’t be afraid or intimidated by the muddy, half-naked guy washing his clothes in their business.
The Relationship Between Reacher and Richard Is Tested (and It Passed)
Zachary Beck Starts to Reconcile With His Bad Parenting
Despite his imposing stature, Reacher can also be a very “soft” character, wearing his emotions on his very tight sleeves. Richard Beck sees Villaneuva in town and immediately understands the kidnapping that opened the show was a fakeout. He’s upset, but more because of the betrayal of this guy who became like an instant big brother to him. Despite the show trying to milk it for tension, no one believes for a second that Reacher or Richard would betray the other. In fact, Zachary Beck gets jealous of Reacher.
Reacher to Richard: [Your Dad] is already in prison. So are you. McCabe’s got both of you under his thumb, and I’m your best shot at making it out of this alive. So, can I trust you not to blow my cover…? Don’t overplay your hand, kid. I don’t like you that much.
After the revelation of Reacher’s true purpose, the elder Beck all but threatens his new bodyguard. He does so because he’s jealous of their relationship. In just a few days, Reacher is closer to and trusted by Richard more than Zachary ever was. Still, his love for his son is painfully on display when Quinn forces the younger Beck to play Russian Roulette. It’s a great scene that mirrors the “test” Beck gave Reacher in the premiere. There is a great moment for Richard when, instead of putting the gun to his own head, he points it at Quinn. It’s the Reacher effect.
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In this dire moment, he shows uncharacteristic defiance and bravery. Reacher is definitely going to try to save Richard before it’s all over, but the son might convince the father to switch sides, too. If their relationship improves at all, that will be the Reacher effect, too. While this evolution only really works because Reacher is busted, it’s enough to make viewers wish there was one more episode where he could still be in that inner circle.
Finally, Frances Neagley Returns and She Also Kills Some Dudes (Trying to Kill Her)
A Reminder for the Audience That One Doesn’t Mess With the Special Investigators
After a brief scene earlier in the season, Reacher spinoff series lead character Frances Neagley returns to the show in a big way. She and Warrant Officer Powell, also seen in the premiere, were attacked by hired goons working for Quinn after they investigated him at Reacher’s behest. While Powell didn’t survive (but he didn’t break, either), Neagley delivered some Reacher-style justice to the two hitmen who came after her.
Reacher and Neagley are, ostensibly, superheroes based on what they survive and how they defeat the villains. Yet, part of the dark charm of Reacher is that they don’t get hung up on the same kind of morality that Superman or Spider-Man does. Neagley questions the slowly dying hitman while eating cereal, and then she taunts him as he expires. He told her the hit was “nothing personal,” but Reacher and Neagley take everything personally.
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This is why the Reacher spinoff for Neagley is good news. Just this sequence is enough to make viewers wish she’d been in every episode. Of course, a central tenet of Reacher’s character is that he’s a loner. He can’t wander the United States with Neagley by his side, as fun as that would be. Still, she’s in the mix now and, as she did in Season 1, it’s a safe bet she’ll find herself at the center of the action in the final two episodes.
Reacher Season 3 Is in the Endgame Now, and They’re Headed to Los Angeles?
In the Penultimate Episode, Reacher and Duffy Are Taking a Surprise Trip
As part of his loner persona, Reacher also isn’t one for long-term romance. Yet, he always seems to connect emotionally with someone on whatever mission he undertakes. In “Smoke on the Water,” he and Duffy kiss, and he playfully accuses her of stealing some glances at him as they change out of wetsuits. The sudden trip to Los Angeles their taking isn’t a romantic getaway, but they are two efficient operators likely capable of multitasking.
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While Reacher‘s short seasons keep the story tight and focused, sometimes these relationships can feel shortchanged. While this episode advances many of them, it’s a fair concern that there might not be enough narrative space to let them breathe in their evolved states. Still, it’s a sign a show is doing something right when audiences want both more action and more quiet time with the characters. Thus far, Reacher has found the right balance, but with the addition of cross-country travel, there’s a bit less wiggle room.
Ultimately, the first three-quarters of Reacher Season 3 has been impressive, thrilling, rife with tension and a fresh approach to the character’s skill sets. The fight in the forest is likely just an overture for the symphony of conflict to come in Episodes 7 and 8. Viewers got to see Reacher in a new way. He’s no less capable and, to some in the audience, may seem even more clever than before. Yet, the problems ahead aren’t ones solved by strategy or fast-talking. It’s time to do battle, and thankfully, that’s what Reacher does best.
Reacher debuts new episodes on Thursdays on Amazon Prime Video.
Reacher
- Release Date
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February 3, 2022
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Nick Santora
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Alan Ritchson
Jack Reacher
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Maria Sten
Frances Neagley
- The episode delivers an expertly blended story balancing tension and action.
- The evolution of character relationships is earned and welcome.
- The action sequence was brilliant juxtaposed with Reacher’s tea with the elderly couple.
- Some viewers may find Quinn’s ability to find Neagley and Powell a bit too convenient.
- The budding romance between Duffy and Reacher may have been too quickly curtailed instead of building up a slow-burn.
- The ending of the episode may be more confusing and less tantalizing that storytellers intended.
