The Reacher vs Paulie fight went down as expected, though the ending felt slightly underwhelming

The third season of Reacher has just concluded with a thrilling ending. It shows the big guy fighting the bad guys, not just to seek justice for things that happened in his past, but for reasons he believes in—that may go beyond conventional morality.

Jack Reacher doesn't always do things because they are the right things to do. He seeks something more. As Neagley explains in this episode, he loathes

"the big, powerful sons of b**ches who think they can just get away with things."

In line with this, Reacher goes face-to-face with all the villains throughout this season, whether that's Quinn, Naseer, or Paulie. His fight with Paulie might just have been the most awaited for the show's fans.

After all, Olivier Richters is 7+ feet tall, which makes Paulie, quite literally, a much bigger challenge than others. Their confrontation must have been one of the highlights for the viewers. The season was building up to this moment, and it finally happened. Reacher beats Paulie, but some viewers might be wondering how he did that.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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How does Reacher fight Paulie in the end?

Reacher is an intimidating person, considering his physique and imposing height. However, he found a bigger opponent this season in Paulie's form, who is taller and equally menacing, if not more.

To beat this ruthless man, Reacher had to use his strength but also Paulie's emotional weaknesses against him. Previously, Reacher couldn't beat Paulie with a single punch in the same way he beat others. It made him look for other options to beat Paulie, who appeared far more dominant.

As a result, Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold) advises Reacher to plan his strategy well in advance instead of relying solely on his muscles as he often does. So, Reacher's eventual, brutal fight with Paulie shows him using his brains. It goes down as expected but is underwhelming for Paulie.

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How does Reacher manage to beat Paulie in Season 3?

Reacher realizes that his strength alone isn't going to sail his boat against Paulie. Once Reacher's team enters the house, Reacher stays out and enters a long-winded brawl against the big guy. They fight outside a truck and eventually enter a barn to continue it.

Paulie throws Reacher almost everywhere, whether it's a cupboard, a table, or the haybales. He wants to fight like "men" by throwing away guns. So, Reacher keeps teasing the big man. Somewhere in the middle of their fight, Paulie tries to choke Reacher to death.

Luckily, Reacher saves himself and then, enters the ocean near the property. They try to drown each other, with Paulie losing and supposedly dying. However, he mysteriously returns and gets back into another fight.

This is where things get interesting since Reacher packs the end of the barrel that Paulie decides to use against him. So, once Paulie fires the gun, the bullet shoots him from the back. And in a true Reacher fashion, his parting line to the giant was,

"You may be bigger and stronger, but I'm smarter."

This is how Reacher manages to beat Paulie at the end of season 3.

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Was the ending underwhelming?

The third season finally shows Jack Reacher beating Paulie. His usual strategy doesn't prove effective for him. So, he decides to use his brain along with his muscles to defeat a 7+ feet tall man. Unlike him, Paulie's ego gets the best of him in his final showdown against Reacher.

Reacher uses Paulie's superiority complex to believe he is undefeatable, which also makes him overconfident and careless. The fight scene is as brutal as expected and will long be remembered by the show's fans. However, it may have been underwhelming to some viewers to see Paulie dying in such a silly way.