Reacher Season 3 Episode 5 Delivers A Tragic And Shocking Death

Season 3 of “Reacher” has been a lot of fun so far. Alan Ritchson’s massive ex-military hero has been skulking around a mansion trying to solve the disappearance of a DEA informant in the Jack Reacher-as-sleuth story we didn’t know we needed. The hulking henchman Paulie, who somehow makes Reacher himself look small, is one of the show’s best villains yet, and will surely make for one heck of a final showdown when he and Reacher inevitably face off. We’ve also been treated to one of the funniest action scenes in “Reacher” yet, which also happens to be one of Ritchson’s finest moments, and the episodes haven’t been short of the kind of ridiculous over-the-top action we’ve come to expect from Amazon’s hugely-popular series.

But season 3 of “Reacher” hasn’t been without its share of tragic moments, either. In episode 4, we learned a lot more about Reacher’s military past in an extended flashback that focused on his time as a Major in the military police. The story followed him and his sergeant Dominique Kohl (Mariah Robinson) as they tracked down season 3’s central antagonist Xavier Quinn (Brian Tee), before Kohl is tortured and killed by Quinn during the episode’s climax. 

It was a major tragedy for Reacher, who had taken Kohl under his hulking wing and assumed a real mentorship role for his capable subordinate. Unsurprisingly, Reacher seemingly killed Quinn as a result, before the character popped up again very much alive to become the main villain of this latest season. But more than that, Kohl’s death was clearly a hinge moment in Reacher’s development, and the man isn’t exactly known for forming deep connections with those around him. As such, he was forever changed by the death of a younger character with whom he did connect and was charged with protecting. 

And now, the same has transpired in episode 5, which gave us yet another tragic and shocking death.

In episode 1 of “Reacher” season 3, we see the titular hero plant himself inside the mansion of Anthony Michael Hall’s Zachary Beck. The episode then reveals that Reacher is actually working for Sonya Cassidy’s Susan Duffy, one of the best things to ever happen to “Reacher.” Duffy is a DEA agent whose young informant, Teresa, went missing after she similarly became embedded in Beck’s dodgy rug import company, Bizarre Bazaar. Reacher is therefore trying to solve the disappearance of Teresa and figure out what Beck’s business is really up to. Meanwhile, Duffy, alongside fellow DEA agent Guillermo Villanueva (Roberto Montesinos) and rookie agent Steven Elliot (Daniel David Stewart), set up camp at a safehouse nearby, having kidnapped John Cooper (Ronnie Rowe), the bodyguard of Beck’s son Richard (Johnny Berchtold).

Over the next few episodes, we’ve watched John has tried to goad Steven into giving him a cigarette, hinting to the audience that he may well have devised some scheme to escape his captors. Meanwhile, Duffy has consistently dismissed the rookie agent’s abilities and undermined his standing as a DEA agent, mainly because he was responsible for scuppering her initial investigation into Beck. All of which, if it wasn’t clear, scans as set-up some horrible fate for that awaits Steven.

In episode 5, that’s exactly what we get. Steven goes out in an absolutely appalling way, when John finally convinces him to give him a cigarette before taking a mouthful of rubbing alcohol that’s been used to treat his wounds. After Steven offers the lighter, John spits a stream of fire into his face then beats the poor rookie to death, leaving Duffy to find him on the floor of the safehouse later in the episode, giving us yet another poor subordinate who suffered a gruesome fate.

“Reacher” season 3 is already delivering great storylines that don’t rely on action at all, and that certainly seems to be the case with Reacher and Susan Duffy. Episode 4 already hinted at a shared bond between the two after Reacher finishes telling Duffy and her DEA colleagues the story of Dominique Kohl and her murder at the hands of Xavier Quinn. Duffy then talks about the guilt she feels for forcing Teresa into investigating Beck’s business, which ultimately led to her disappearance, saying, “I f****d that kid over and now I have to make it right,” to which Reacher replies, “I guess we have that in common.” Now, with Teresa’s fate not yet confirmed but Steven’s very much so, Duffy actually does share a tragedy in common with Reacher.

The DEA agent will now have to deal with the guilt of not only Steven’s death on her watch, but the fact that she constantly made the youngster feel inadequate for the mistake that cost the original Zachary Beck investigation. Meanwhile, Reacher is clearly still grappling with Dominique Kohl’s murder happening on his watch, making he and Duffy two determined heroes united in tragedy. What will this all lead to in the end? It’s hard to say at this point, but with some obvious sexual tension brewing between Reacher and Duffy already, perhaps this will lead to something even deeper down the line. 

Meanwhile, poor old Steven is well and truly gone after his murder at the hands of John. While Guillermo Villanueva does get revenge for his erstwhile colleague, shooting John in the head, it doesn’t feel like enough considering the sheer brutality of Steven’s death. Surely, then, Xavier Quinn will be the one to feel the full effect of Reacher and his DEA cohorts’ rage when the season comes to a close — but who knows how many more tragic deaths we’ll have to endure before then?