Reacher Season 3 Episode 5 is a slow climactic build up but those deaths seemed unnecessary

Reacher Season 3 has been coming with a lot of surprises, and we are already down 5 episodes. With the sixth chapter titled "Smoke On The Water" gearing up for another mid-week premiere tomorrow, excitement is skyrocketing among members of the Jack Reacher fan club.

With mixed reactions from viewers and several complaints regarding loopholes in the plotline, the upcoming episodes are about to face quite some challenges. Already, we have seen a number of deaths in Season 3 (including that of Agent Steven Eliot), some of which seemed unnecessary and irrelevant with respect to the story. However, now the climax is not much far, as the plot unravels steadily - culminating through a slow build-up.

After Reacher narrates the backstory of Sergeant Dominique Kohl in Episode 4, we learn about his long-rooted enmity with Xavier Quinn. Now, Reacher is the head of security for Quinn's associate Zachary Beck and is deep inside his operations (despite multiple life-threatening challenges) as an undercover agent. Reacher Season 3, Episode 5 ends with a cliffhanger as Reacher finally gets a chance to meet Quinn in person (again) at the Bizarre Bazaar warehouse - a climactic point in the third installment.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinion. It also carries a few descriptions of death and murder. Viewer's discretion is advised.

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Is Reacher Season 3, Episode 5 a climactic build up? Exploring our take on this

The mood has been quite grim since Reacher Season 3 Episode 4, owing to the tragic fate of Dominique Kohl - an incident that has traumatized even a person so mentally firm as Reacher. But the story plays an important role in what's going on right now inside the Bizarre Bazaar's business operations.

We know now that it's not 'drugs' but 'guns' that Beck is involved in, and that, too, for international drug cartels. He is the one who backs Quinn's dirty business with manpower and makes it look clean - not to mention his solid business records.

With a rug merchant (like Beck) who is much wealthy yet clean in his operations, it became absolutely important for Reacher to get into the core of the whole thing. So, once he learns about Quinn's potential involvement with Zachary Beck, he takes help from DEA agent Susan Duffy and her associates and starts the mission by faking Richard Beck's kidnapping.

Till Episode 3, Reacher tries to get rid of men like Angel Doll and Chapman Duke so that he can't have Zachary Beck fully rely on him as his head of security. Once he accomplishes it, he tries to find ways to reach Quinn (who is not someone to be accessed so easily).

While he tries to cover up what happened to Angel Doll and Chapman Duke's death (in a staged ambush), Reacher gets constant help from Susan Duffy (who is also occupied with finding Teresa). Moreover, Episode 4 is the main turning point in the story when Quinn's intentions come to light, and we get an idea that a Reacher v/s Xavier Quinn face-off can happen anytime.

But does it require the killing off of characters who were not contributing directly towards driving the plot? For example, the tragic death of Steven Eliot (his skull was smashed) while he was keeping an eye on the bodyguard whom they kidnapped (John Cooper). And also the death of the French maid Annette at Zachary's mansion, who eventually turned out to be an ATF agent.

With their expert training and on-field operational instincts, it seemed a bit absurd that a young agent like Eliot would fall prey to such an obvious move by Cooper. Moreover, the French maid Annette (who was with the ATF) would not be so dumb as to hide things in her room that could link her back to her undercover involvements.

Both deaths were quite tragic but not at all necessary, meaning they could have been avoided. However, Episode 5 plays the role of a slow climactic build-up where Reacher is doing his best to reach out to the head of Zachary Beck's dirty business.

He learns about what Quinn is actually dealing with, gains the trust of Zachary Beck, proves his loyalty time and again, and now has the chance to meet the big boss. The narration is definitely a bit slow but serves the purpose of driving the plot towards its much-awaited climax.

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Action is limited in this episode, and death takes a toll out of nowhere (not just for bad people but for good ones also). Though we see more of a smart Reacher all throughout Season 3, the latest episode comes with crucial mistakes on his part. For instance, Reacher hiding Susan's badge in his room could have proven to be a fatal error.

He could have easily hidden it somewhere else, like by the sea, between the rocks (where we have earlier seen him stacking his secret things). But these small things will definitely catch the viewers' attention - not to mention the ones who are already here after reading Lee Child's book.

Reacher Season 3, Episode 6, titled "Smoke On The Water," will hit Prime Video tomorrow (March 13) at 3 a.m. ET, which corresponds to 12 a.m. PT. Episode 5 ended with a big question mark as to what lies ahead for the titular character as he steps into the warehouse of Bizarre Bazaar with Zachary Beck for the first time.

Quinn and Reacher go way back in time, and their common link, Dominique Kohl, is the major reason why our smart, muscular hero is resilient to tearing apart Zachary's dirty business. Will Quinn be able to recognize Reacher? Or has a bullet in the skull distorted his memory already? Answers to all these questions lie in Reacher Season 3, Episode 6, as fans eagerly await after a cliffhanger ending to "Smackdown."

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Also read:Reacher Season 3 Episode 5 finally reveals Quinn's illegal business involvements with Zachary Beck