Warning! This article contains spoilers for Reacher season 3’s finale.
Reacherseason 3 significantly changes Reacher and Paulie’s fight from the original Lee Child book and surprisingly makes it even better.Based on Lee Child’sPersuader,Reacherseason 3 accurately adapts its source material’s narrative structure and even stays loyal to most of its primary character beats. Like its predecessors, however, season 3 does not shy away from deleting some segments from the books and adding new story elements to its overarching narrative.
Even when it comes to portraying Reacher and Paulie, season 3 takes some intriguing creative liberties. For instance, the size difference between Paulie and Reacher is relatively greater in theAmazon Prime Video detective series. Both the book and theReacherseason feature an all-out showdown between the two giant characters in their final arcs. While the two characters' fights are compelling in both the book and the show,Reacherseason 3’s endingbrings some massive changes to its source material to make the showdown look even better.
How Reacher Season 3’s Finale Changes The Paulie Fight From The Books
The Fight Is Long & Gripping In Reacher Season 3’s Finale
In the original Lee Child novel, Paulie almost beats Jack Reacher to death before Reacher spots one weakness in Paulie’s approach and uses it to his advantage. Like the version of the character in the show, Jack Reacher in the book initially proves to be a far more skilled fighter than Paulie because Paulie never felt the need to polish his fighting abilities — his sheer size was enough for him to overpower people. However, despite being far more skilled, Reacher struggles to take him down because of his massive stature.
However, luckily for Reacher, Paulie’s ego eventually gets the best of him as he steps back from adopting a basic fighting style and attempts to use a fancy kick. As soon as Paulie executes the kick in the book,Reacher grabs his leg, lifts him off the ground, and hurls him off his feet. Once the big guy falls to the ground, Reacher delivers several brutal blows that turn the tides in his favor. Paulie eventually gets up, but Reacher gradually wears him down by delivering calculated blows to his arms.
After Season 3’s Finale, I’m Convinced Reacher Just Had One Of TV’s Most Epic Fight Scenes Ever
Reacher season 3’s finale finally delivers the show’s most anticipated fight sequence, which is convincingly one of televisions best action scenes.
After breaking Paulie’s arms, Reacher gets his hands on a gun and points it in Paulie’s direction. He then concludes the showdown by shooting Paulie 12 times in the chest. InReacherseason 3’s finale, the titular character’s fight with Paulie lasts far longer and seems way more brutal. It also highlights one crucial thing about Reacher that gives him a significant edge over Paulie.
Paulie Would Have Won If It Wasn’t For Reacher’s Quick Thinking
Image via Prime Video
Paulie gets two opportunities to killReacherin season 3’s finale. The first is when, despite having a gun, he chooses to have a fistfight with Jack Reacher, claiming that they should duke it out like real men. Much later in the fight, Reacher loses consciousness, which gives Paulie the perfect opportunity to take his life. However, he still goes through the trouble of hanging him with a chain to give him a slower, painful death.Jack Reacher, in contrast, does not underestimate his enemyand realizes he must kill him as soon as he gets the chance to.
During the filming of the table-smashing scene from the final fight, Alan Ritchson was accidentally knocked unconscious by Olivier Richters (viaEW).
Therefore, when they end up fighting underwater, Reacher almost gets him by punching his throat and preventing him from breathing. Later, when they end up in the guardhouse at Richard Beck’s mansion, Reacher realizes that Paulie is mindlessly throwing hands without even thinking about what he is doing. He uses this to his advantage and secretlysets up a trap by blocking the barrel of the massive gun in the guardroom. He then intentionally allows Paulie to take control of the gun and makes him believe he has finally got him.
Although the fight in the book also attempts to highlight how Reacher’s wit and quick thinking ultimately help him win the fight, the show seems to do a better job at emphasizing the subtle mind games Reacher plays with Paulie to lead him into his final trap.
However, just when Paulie pulls the trigger, the gun’s barrel blows up in his face and kills him. With this, Reacher concludes, “You may be bigger and stronger, but I’m smarter.” Although the fight in the book also attempts to highlight how Reacher’s wit and quick thinking ultimately help him win the fight, the show seems to do a better job at emphasizing the subtle mind games Reacher plays with Paulie to lead him to his deathbed.
The Book’s Reacher Vs. Paulie Fight Was Good, But The Live-Action Version Is Better
The Live-Action Fight Is Long But Never Boring
Reacherseason 3 takes the risk of stretching the final fight between Paulie and the titular character almost throughout its finale. Fortunately, this works wonders. In the original book, the fight remains confined to one fixed location and a few pages, where Reacher initially struggles to take down the giant villain but eventually lands a win. In the series, however, the fight begins on the mansion’s lawn and then moves to a shed. From the shed, Paulie and Reacher take their brawl to the sea and keep fighting while struggling to stay afloat in the treacherous waters.
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Just when it looks like Reacher has finally killed Paulie by drowning him in the sea, the show drops another twist by revealing that Paulie somehow made it out of the water. Finally, when the two end up in the guardroom,the show brilliantly captures that even though Reacher’s strength is not enough to beat Paulie, he has the brains to trick him into a loss. Even though Olivier Ritchters' Paulie has no redeeming elements, it is hard not to feel bad when he finally dies inReacherseason 3’s finale because it brings an end to an epic showdown between two titans.
Reacher
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.
