What is Bavarian arm wrestling in Reacher Season 3? Explained 

Reacher Season 3, based on Lee Child's Persuader has introduced a new big villain in Paulie, played by bodybuilder turned-actor Olivier Richters.

In the books, he is described as someone who is ''least six inches taller than [Reacher] and probably ten inches wider across the shoulders'' and "two hundred pounds" in weight.

While the villain is bigger in size than Jack, which is a rare feat for the hero, it does not stop him from outsmarting him in a Bavarian arm wrestling sequence.

As explained by Jack, in Bavarian arm wrestling, one person will sit in a traditional arm wrestling pose, extending his fist and facing him toward him, while his opponent will try to take his fist down using force. The person has to resist his opponent's efforts.

More on the Bavarian arm wrestling sequence in Reacher Season 3.

---

Exploring Jack's Bavarian arm wrestling idea in Reacher Season 3

Jack's fight with Paulie proves that Reacher's Season 3 hero is not just about his build, but he can over-smart his rivals using quick thinking and appropriate strategy.

In Episode 2, while Pauli and Jack are working out in the gym, the 'big man' asks Jack how much he can bench press. Paulie wanted to prove him better than Jack by establishing that he could bench press more than him.

Knowing where this conversation was going, Jack quickly flipped the table to his side and instead invited Paulie to Bavarian arm wrestling and continued explaining the game's rules.

He asked Paulie to sit on the bench behind him and extend his hand in a fist 'facing him' like you would do in regular arm wrestling. Jack will then use his force to take his fist down, and Paulie must resist and keep his fist upright.

---

What happened during the Bavarian arm wrestling in Reacher Season 3

While Paulie thought that Jack really wanted to arm wrestle with him because he is a man who always thinks about using force, our hero was just proving that he is more than his size.

When Paulie is using his full force and resisting Jack's effort to take him down (quite easily), Jack lets go, which leads to Paulie punching himself in the face and falling down from the bench.

While he is taken aback, Jack wittingly says it was a 'slip of hand' on his part. The sequence is humorous and establishes Jack in a superior light to a man almost double his size. Since Paulie is the big baddie of Reacher Season 3 and Jack will eventually fight him, the sequence proves that our hero will outsmart the big man because he is more than just brute force.

In an interview with Empire, Richters discussed the upcoming showdown in Reacher Season 3 and how it would be worth it for the fans:

“The effort they put into Reacher versus Paulie is astonishing. We might be a little bit immortal in the fight, because it continues for so long. I’m not going to say we’re going to win an Oscar for the fight scene, but it’s going to be spectacular. I said to [Alan] as a joke, but it’s kind of true, that he’s really Reacher in real life, It’s inhuman, what he does. It’s a level I can only dream of."

Richters comment ensures that the fight will be epic, but since Jack is also about brains and quick thinking, he should be fine.

Reacher Season 3 Episode 4 will be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 27, 2025.

---

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.