Summary
Reacher Season 3 ends in a predictably chaotic flurry of gunfire, with Episode 8 tying off every loose end and delivering a series-great tussle between two giants.
And here I was wondering if Reacher could tie off every loose end in Season 3 in just a single episode. I needn’t have worried. Episode 8, aptly titled “Unfinished Business”, provides the most suitable ending possible by descending into a bloody maelstrom of gunfire, MonsterVerse-style brawls, macho one-liners, and dramatic — even emotional — payoffs. Everyone who should die dies, and everyone else lives happily ever after.
Almost everyone, anyway. Let’s break it all down.
Return to Sender
The finale picks up from where things left off, with the ambush in the salvage yard. This quickly descends into a bloodbath, resulting in the deaths of every ATF agent and all of Quinn’s men except one, which by Reacher’s standards is a pretty good day’s work. But the bigger problem is that the ruse means literally every problem our heroes still have — the weapons sale, Quinn, Richard, and Teresa — are all back at the house, guarded by more of Quinn’s goons and, of course, Paulie.
The gang decides to return to Beck’s place in the trucks that were driven to the salvage yard. Neagley is already there, scoping the place out, so it should just be a simple matter of driving inside. Of course, it turns out to be anything but simple. They’re rumbled almost immediately, leaving Reacher to deal with Paulie while the others sneak inside via the basement, guided by Beck. Neagley impersonates the catering staff to keep an eye on Quinn, Villanueva goes after Richard, and Duffy heads upstairs to find Teresa.
We’ve been waiting all season for this, so let’s discuss the Reacher vs. Paulie fight.
Godzilla vs Kong
Given all the build-up, it was almost impossible that Reacher taking on Paulie would live up to expectations, but I’m thrilled to report that it exceeds those expectations by a country mile, delivering a smackdown so ridiculous it becomes funny but never stops being wildly entertaining.
Olivier Richters was tremendous casting for Paulie. It isn’t a complex role, acting-wise, but it demands a sheer size that you don’t get in ordinary humans. Paulie is the only character in the books — at least to my knowledge, and I’ve read them all — who is superior to Reacher physically. But Alan Ritchson is a huge dude. Getting someone to legitimately dwarf him is a tough ask. But the gargantuan size of Richters means that you get that sense of scale without the need for any camera trickery or post-production embellishment. And you feel that scale in the brawl, which is choreographed and framed to reinforce it at every turn.
We’re talking doors and walls being crashed through, balconies being collapsed, heavy machine guns firing, shovels being used as knuckle-dusters, a hanging, a plunge off the cliffs into the perilous waters below — the ones where Beck has his victims dumped, where we got all that foreshadowing about the currents earlier in the season — and a saturated, lumbering chase down the coastal road. Both men seem indestructible to the audience and each other. The whole thing’s so nuts that it’s almost a relief when Reacher tricks Paulie into killing himself with a jammed-up M60. Brains over brawn, but only just.
Anthony Michael Hall in Reacher Season 3 | Image via Prime Video
Rescue Mission
While Reacher makes his way to the barn full of guns to arm himself for the fight ahead, rescue missions are taking place on multiple fronts. Villanueva manages to make it to the bathroom before he’s rumbled by one of Quinn’s guards and forced to fight to the death with the help of a toilet cistern lid, and eventually, he makes so much noise that Richard has to rescue him. Meanwhile, Duffy, armed with Beck’s skeleton key, finally manages to find a strung-out Teresa in one of the bedrooms just in time for her new “owner” to decide it’s time to test the merchandise.
Predictably, it all erupts into carnage. There’s a lot of shooting. In the chaos, Richard manages to run right into Quinn, who once again takes him hostage. But this time, Beck is determined not to let any harm come to his boy. He points a gun at Quinn, finally standing up to him, but the problem is he’s using the replica Richard bought him for his birthday. Midway through the gamble, the barrel, having only recently been glued together, droops away like a piece of rotten fruit. Quinn takes the opportunity to put several bullets in Beck’s chest. At least he got to prove to Richard that he loved him before he got swiss cheesed.
Outside, the Russians arrive, sick of waiting around for Quinn. So does Reacher, and then Villanueva, Duffy, and Neagley. It’s a standoff.
Revenge Is Sweet
Reacher — who speaks Russian — wants Quinn. But so does the mob. Luckily, they want the money he owes more, so thanks to a ploy by Neagley involving a suitcase full of cash and a grenade that is later revealed to be inert, they hand Quinn over to Reacher. He takes the opportunity to remind him of Dominique before executing him. You see the flash of recognition in Quinn’s eyes seconds before the flash of the shotgun’s muzzle.
But that’s that — Reacher Season 3 has an unambiguously happy ending. That’s part of the fantasy. These things never end on cliffhangers or mysterious teases or downers. Reacher saves the day every time, as well he should.
Duffy doesn’t keep her job with the DEA, but after everything she’s been through, she’s ready to walk away. And that includes from Reacher — she hits him with his usual break-up spiel before he has a chance to say goodbye. Villanueva becomes the only cop in TV history who was on the cusp of retirement and genuinely gets to retire. Richard leaves his now-late father’s estate with a ton of money and his entire life in front of him. And Duffy takes Teresa home to her grandmother.
As for Reacher, he steals a motorcycle and rides off into the sunset and, presumably, a fourth season. There’s no way Amazon kills this cash cow now, right?
