Warning! This article contains spoilers for Reacher season 3’s episode 5.
Reacher’s car flip scene in season 3’s episode 5 may seem wild, but he has pulled off even more impressive feats of strength in the original Lee Child books. Since Prime Video’sReachertries to closely adaptLee Child’s Jack Reacher books, it does not shy away from portraying how ridiculously strong the titular character can be.Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacherhas displayed many shocking feats of strength since season 1. For instance, he easily snapped a zip tie in season 1’s early episodes and later took down a group of prisoners all by himself.
In season 2, Reacher even triggered a car’s airbag by merely kicking it. Similar to its predecessors, season 3 does not hold itself back from capturing how insanely strong Reacher is. It shows him flipping a full-fledged car with minimal help from a DEA agent. However, as over-the-top as these feats of his strength might seem, what he does in the books makes him seem even more superhuman.
Reacher’s Season 3 Car Flip Is Not Even Close To His Most Impressive Feat In The Books
Even A Bullet To The Chest Does Not Kill Reacher In One Book
In Lee Child’sTripwire, Jack Reacher spends the summer as a swimming pool digger. The act of digging pools on a daily basis helps him reach the peak of his physical condition, and he grows incredibly muscle-bound. This ultimately pays off in the book when he gets shot in the chest, buthis dense pectoral muscles prevent the bullet from going too deep. The book mentions that he gets shot by a relatively smaller gun that has older and less powdered bullets. However,Reacherseason 3’s car flip scene still seems nothing compared to Reacher’s feat of surviving the bullet wound inTripwire.
Which Book Reacher Season 3 Is Based On & How Accurate The TV Show Is
Reacher season 3 adapts one of Lee Child’s best novels, with Amazon’s adaptation being surprisingly faithful - aside from a few big changes.
Reacher seems to have many nearly superhuman feats of strength in the original Lee Child books. For instance, he uses a knife and fork as a makeshift wrench in one of the novels and even snaps a door off its hinges with his bare hands in another. By showing how Jack Reacher is capable of flipping a car,Reacherseason 3 seems to stretch the suspension of disbelief a little too far, just like its source material. However, the show, like the original book, balances this by showing how vulnerable Reacher can sometimes be.
Paulie Makes Reacher Look Far Less Superhuman In Season 3
Paulie Takes Him Down With One Slap
Jack Reacher almost seems superhuman when he manages to flip a car in season 3’s episode 5. However, the show humbles him moments later when he encounters Paulie. When Reacher confronts Paulie in season 3 for killing the maid, Paulie asks him to do something about it. Reacher feels confident in his ability to take people down with one punch. Therefore, he delivers a hard punch to Paulie’s ribs, believing it would be enough to teach the giant a lesson.
Reacherseason 3 perfectly captures that as strong the Alan Ritchson character may be, he is not invincible.
However, to Reacher’s surprise, Paulie barely flinches and snaps back at him with a hard smack on his face. One slap from Paulie sends Reacher flying and makes his knees buckle. Since Reacher is used to winning fights, Paulie’s strength catches him off-guard. With this,Reacherseason 3’s episode 5perfectly captures that as strong the Alan Ritchson character may be, he is not invincible.
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.
