The fifth episode of Season 3 of "Reacher" kicks off with Reacher speeding towards a warehouse in a desperate bid to rescue Duffy and Villy. As expected, a fierce gunfight erupts the moment Reacher arrives to come to their aid. At this juncture, the adversaries are oblivious to Reacher's true allegiance, granting him a strategic advantage.
Amidst the chaos, Duffy inadvertently drops her badge. Realizing that their abrupt departure with him as the sole survivor would raise eyebrows, Reacher quickly devises an escape plan for Duffy. He also alerts her to the peril posed by Angel's laptop, instructing her to hurl it out the window as she speeds away.
Once Duffy and Villy are safely on their way, Reacher deliberately disables his vehicle, much to the chagrin of Harley, the sole adversary left standing. Harley, who is well-versed in such matters and is aware of Duffy's federal agent status, promptly informs his superiors once they resume their journey.
Harley's cruelty is evident as he boasts to Reacher about a callous tale where he allowed someone to drown rather than shoot them after breaking their spine. He dismissively compares his comrades to cannon fodder, showing little regard for their forced disposal of bodies by hurling them into the water at the cliff's edge, near the Beck house. To Harley, these men are degenerate souls, and the individuals recruited by Quinn are socially dysfunctional and unemployable elsewhere. I eagerly anticipate Reacher's inevitable confrontation with this despicable individual!
Despite the dire circumstances, Duffy remains hopeful that they'll catch a break. This optimism is demonstrated by her and Villy's decision to split up and hit several more locations the following day. Without the laptop, they seem to have a fighting chance, and she updates Reacher on their progress, who in turn reminds her that he's in possession of her badge.
However, more pressing concerns loom on the horizon. McCabe's men arrive, swaggering with bravado, but Reacher swiftly puts an end to their arrogant display with a bone-crunching slam of a table, knocking one of them unconscious.
As Reacher grapples with the badge issue, ultimately stuffing it into his pillowcase, Steven finds himself enchanted by John Cooper's charisma and allows him a cigarette, unaware that his mouth is filled with flammable medication from the nearby table. Cooper, seeing his chance, brutalizes the unsuspecting agent and makes a swift escape.
Upon returning to the cabin, Duffy discovers Steven's lifeless body and swiftly dials Reacher to inform him of the tragedy, warning that their cover might have been blown. The sole viable solution, if time permits, is to utilize Villy as a decoy to thwart John's plans before it's too late. Duffy lends a hand by sabotaging the generator, plunging the entire facility into darkness and preventing John from making any calls ahead.
Quinn instructs Beck to conduct a thorough search of the premises, suspecting a traitor within their ranks. Meanwhile, Reacher flips Villy's car on the sole road leading into the town, orchestrating a crash to block the sole entry point to the facility, forcing John to venture out and assist. The plan unfolds flawlessly, and Reacher prevails in eliminating Cooper.
As he makes his way back, Duffy calls to reveal her intention to disclose everything to the higher authorities once the dust settles. Though it will undoubtedly cost her her job, she is prepared to pay this price to restore justice. Reacher expresses his gratitude for her assistance and proceeds to Beck's.
There, he encounters a disgruntled Beck, who has scoured the entire house and realized the presence of an undercover agent among them. Fortunately, it's not the badge that has been discovered, but rather a secret phone concealed in the maid's room. It transpires that Annette has been collaborating with the ATF throughout this entire ordeal.
Reacher volunteers to confront her and extract some information, but unfortunately, Paulie has already beaten her to it—literally. With a punch that pierces through her skull. Reacher is enraged and attempts to retaliate with a punch of his own, but Paulie barely budges. Instead, he turns and delivers a powerful punch to Reacher, causing him to cough up blood in distress.
Forced into the grim task, Reacher reluctantly dumps Annette's body aside, though he finds a fleeting moment of satisfaction in landing a sneaky hit on Harley. Post this grim chore, he engages in conversation with Duffy, both pondering over how Quinn's operation seems heavily inclined towards firearms and explosive power, rather than drugs. This revelation clarifies the mystery behind their fruitless search in the truck.
Quinn undoubtedly runs a state-of-the-art operation, complete with all the fancy gadgets necessary to cater to anyone in need of guns. However, the following morning, Reacher is summoned to the warehouse alongside Beck. Convinced that he's on his way to confront Quinn, Reacher informs Duffy that if push comes to shove, he's more than willing to battle his way out. Despite outwitting him in Portland and Virginia, Reacher won't let hubris lead him into making the same mistake again. In fact, he's prepared to shoot his way out and make a swift escape.
Duffy swiftly discourages him, arguing that such a move would be suicidal and might even prompt them to terminate Teresa, if she's still breathing. This would also mean them relocating their operation, but Reacher insists that Teresa is already beyond saving, rendering this consideration moot. Nevertheless, Duffy and Villy stake out the warehouse, just as Reacher arrives to confront Quinn.
