Reacher Season 3 Episode 6 Recap

Season 3 of the Prime Video series Reacher has been very intriguing till now, and sees the titular character in the middle of a dangerous mission. From the very first episode, it was clear that Reacher would have to be at his very best if he wanted to have the upper hand on his enemies. The first four episodes took the story forward in an exceptional manner and kept viewers guessing about who Julius McCabe was. On the other hand, Reacher got to know that his nemesis, Frances Quinn, was still alive and involved in the illegal arms business. However, viewers soon found that McCabe and Quinn are the same people. Quinn lost his memory after his first meeting with Reacher and doesn’t remember who the former US army general is. The ending of the fifth episode made it clear that the highly-anticipated meeting between Reacher and Quinn was finally about to take place, and Reacher was ready to do anything, even kill him.

But things don’t happen so easily in the Reacher universe, and viewers would have to wait for the showdown. Zachary Beck’s situation is getting worse with each passing minute, and whenever he thinks that things are under his control, Reacher does something that buries him in more problematic situations. While Episode 5 saw Reacher at his tactical best, the sixth episode sees the main character trying to maintain his allegiance to Beck. However, something sinister is just around the corner for him.

RELATED

Reacher Season 3 Episode 5 Recap

The fifth episode of Reacher Season 3 sees the good guys losing some of their allies and the titular character meeting his old nemesis.

McCabe and Reacher finally meet, but things get dangerous for Beck

Episode 6, titled Smoke on the Water, started right where Episode 5 left off, with the long-awaited meeting between McCabe and Reacher finally taking place, setting the stage for a tense exchange filled with revelations and shifting alliances. McCabe didn’t waste any time in labeling Beck as a dumb person for hiring an ATF agent as one of their housemaids. McCabe wanted answers and didn’t move ahead with the conversation till the time Beck called himself dumb, and apologized for this rookie mistake. He made it clear that he wanted to put a bullet in Beck and be done with him. However, he can’t do that because all the buyers know him and like him. So, he gets to live another day. On the other hand, McCabe praised Reacher for his work and wanted him to remain close in the exchange that is about to happen, making it clear that he doesn’t remember who Reacher is.

The previous episodes indicated that McCabe was the boss and running everything. However, it seems he is receiving help from the Russian mob and owes them money. During the exchange, McCabe tells the Russian gangster that he needs a couple more days to pay the exact amount he owes. The Russian gangster threatens him to give his money on time or else, he will have to face consequences. The meeting ends with McCabe telling Reacher to take Beck out of his face. During the meeting between Reacher and McCabe, aka Quinn, one of McCabe’s men drifted past the duo with a new dress designed for a woman. Reacher noted that he didn’t know that a busy man like McCabe would have time for relationships, and that’s when McCabe tells them that the dress is for a young girl they captured earlier. She is a redhead and one of his clients likes redheads. The conversation makes Reacher believe that Teresa Daniels is still alive. Susan Duffy, who was watching all this from a distance, also saw the man carrying the female dress and got to know the address of the shop.

Did [Spoiler] get to know about Reacher’s true identity?

Duffy and her partner, Guillermo, go to the store and ask for the number of the person who ordered the green dress. The store owner did give her the number, but sadly, she couldn’t get in touch with the person. A few moments later, Reacher and Beck’s son, Richard, visit town to get the toy gun fixed—the one Richard bought as a birthday present for his father. As soon as they reach the town, Reacher gets away from Richard to meet Duffy and discuss something with him. However, things turn upside down when Guillermo is there too and Richard sees him. If people have seen this season closely, they’ll know that Guillermo was the same police officer that Reacher shot during Richard’s fake kidnapping. As per Richard, he is already dead. Richard sees him and the situation gets bad for the undercover agent. While driving back to the house, Reacher stops the car and takes Richard out of the car to tell him the truth. He makes Richard understand that he is the only person who can help him and his father. But only if he doesn’t tell this truth to anyone. Moreover, Reacher makes it clear that he likes the boy, but he wouldn’t blink an eye to finish him if his cover was blown.

Elsewhere, McCabe is now trying to find out what’s going wrong and why things are getting dangerous for him. Soon, he finds out that an Army personnel got to know about one of their vehicles. As a result, two of his men reached his place and beat him so that McCable got to know the name of the person who ordered him to check the license plate. On the other hand, two of McCabe’s men reached Neagley’s office to finish her off. However, Neagley outsmarted them and killed them both. Neagley called Reacher to tell him that two men were there to kill her, but she killed them first. This made Reacher believe that McCabe knew about him and his plans.

Reacher’s cover is blown, while the search for Teresa continues

McCabe made his way to Beck’s house and told him that some from the 110th special investigators unit. Beck tells him that Reacher belonged to the same unit. After learning this, McCabe orders Paulie to kill Reacher. However, Reacher managed to get away from them. McCabe’s men pursued him into the woods so that they could kill him. However, Reacher had other plans and killed them ferociously. He managed to reach the town and hid inside a laundromat. Back at Beck’s house, McCabe orders Paulie to bring Beck’s son into the kitchen and orders him to play a game of Russian Roulette. Beck begged him not to do anything to his son, but he didn’t listen to him and told him that things would have been even worse for him if he had told Paulie to bend Richard over the kitchen counter and take him in “prison style.” If people have read Persuader, they know what Paulie did to Richard in the books, but the series decided not to show that particular sequence.

The show ended with Duffy and Reacher realizing that Teresa might be in a boat standing right in the middle of the sea at a port in Maine. As a result, they both make their way to the boat and get some clues about Teresa. However, she was not present inside the boat. However, one of McCabe’s men got there and a fight broke out. One of the bullets struck the lantern and a fire broke out. Duffy struck the man multiple times, while Reacher made sure that the fire kept burning. Before getting away from the boat, they got the information that McCabe transported the girl to a new location. As a result, they got out of the boat and made their way to the mainland. But Duffy is frustrated that the man who could have told them more about Teresa is now dead and Reacher’s cover has been blown as well. So, things are not looking bright for them. But Reacher seems to be having a plan and tells Duffy to pack her bags because they are going to Los Angeles.

Smoke on the Water is undoubtedly the best episode of the season so far. It was filled with action, suspenseful sequences, and masterful storytelling. Brian Tee knocked it out of the park with her portrayal of a ruthless man, while Sonya Cassidy remains one of the standout performers this season. It would be interesting to see why they are going to Los Angeles and what they are trying to find there.

The sixth episode of Reacher Season 3 is streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

MORE

GR Exclusive: Reacher Season 3 Stars Sonya Cassidy and Maria Sten On Bringing Fierce, Fearless Women to Life

Game Rant sits down with two of the most important cast members of Reacher Season 3 to discuss the fearless female characters they portray.