Paulie might be gaining all the attention asReacherseason 3’s latest villain, but a single line from his boss Quinn convinced mehe’sthe show’s best bad guy yet. TheLee ChildJack Reachernovelshave never been that concerned with convincing readers the main character could actually die. The books are a power fantasy where they step into Reacher’s muscle-bound shoes as he dispenses fist-shaped justice; the trouble with that approach is thatmany of Reacher’s villains feel underwhelming and one noteas a result.
During the first two seasons, I was consistently unimpressed by the bad guys on Amazon’sReacher. They were effectively nasty, but they also never felt like credible threats.Reacherseason 2 adaptedBad Luck and Trouble, and while it further developed Alan Ritchson’s anti-hero, the lameness of the villains was a real problem. I feel like season 3 has worked hard to fix this, with both the hulking Paulie (Olivier Richters) and Quinn (Brian Tee) being truly detestable antagonists.
This Persuader villain is a true psychopath
Image via Prime Video
Reacherseason 3 coversPersuader, the seventh novel and my personal favorite. The Paulie vs Reacher fight is the absolute highlight, but the novel works because Child made sure to keep Reacher on his back foot. The new series has put Paulie at the forefront, but episode 6 “Smoke on the Water” has convinced me Quinn is the best bad guy the series has produced. In particular,there isa line Quinn delivers that truly unnerved me, where he demands the execution of a Reacher ally with the order “Gut him from tongue to t**** and let him bleed out.”
Even Quinn’s men are horrified by his request, but when they say they could just shoot the man instead, Quinn smirks “Where’s the fun in that?“Reacherepisode 4 “Dominique” fleshed out Reacher’s history with Quinn, revealing that lattrer’s interrogation and murder of Jack’s protégé Kohl (Mariah Robinson).Quinn’s psychological profile also underlined how he enjoys inflicting torturetoo. This is seen again in the way he forces Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold) to play Russian roulette later in the episode as punishment for his father’s perceived failures.
Brian Tee previously played Shredder alongside Alan Ritchson’s Raphael in 2016’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
I’m thankful Reacher doesn’t actually show the “gutting” demise of Warrant Officer Powell (Owen Roth), but Quinn’s demand is chilling enough.There’s a level of sadism and spitefulness to Quinn that sets him apart from the show’s previous bad guys, and while Paulie might be the muscle, Quinn still feels like the bigger threat. His eventual comeuppance can’t come fast enough.
I’ve Found Most Of Reacher’s Previous Villains Underwhelming
I forgot about season 2’s main villain for most of the series!
It’s not like Paulie or Quinn are particularly deep or well-fleshed out. It’s hard to picture either having any kind of personal life outside their scenes, and they exist merely to be awful so Reacher can eventually beat them. Still, they are a step up from the forgettable bunch Reacher fought in the previous seasons.Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is a fantastic actor, but he had little to do as season 2’s villain aside from barking orders into a phone and waiting to diein the finale.
Exactly When Reacher Realized His Cover Was Blown In Season 3, Episode 6
The latest episode of Reacher season 3 sees the main character’s cover story finally being blown, but when exactly does he piece this together?
I still thinkReacherseason 1 is the best so far, but enjoyably hissable as Chris Webster’s Kliner is, he felt more like a henchman than a true villain. The second season also gave more development to shadowy mastermind AM (Ferdinand Kingsley) than was found in the source material - but he still made for a forgettable foe. In fact, I forgot about him for entire episodes, and he had little impact on the plot until the finale.
I Think Quinn Is Reacher’s Most Despicable Villain Yet
Quinn will be the villain to beat moving into Reacher’s future seasons
Reacher has battled violent, psychopathic villains before, but Quinn is the most menacing, and he genuinely enjoys the torment he inflicts. He might be a businessman at heart, but he always takes the opportunity to indulge in some torture when the opportunity presents itself. That’s what made his “gutting” line so unsettling to me;Quinn wants to kill Powell in the most vicious, painful way possible because he’s bored and wants to have some “fun.”
Quinn’s death will need to be something special considering all he’s done, but I trust Reacher to dream up something inventive…
Paulie is Quinn’s blunt instrument; he might enjoy his job, but it’s Quinn who controls him. In contrast, Robert Patrick’s Langston may have inflicted torture, but at the end of the day, he considered that business.Langston didn’t take any particular enjoyment from torture, unlike Quinn, who has made it a hobby. It was his idea to slice off Richard’s ear during his kidnapping to prove to his father his threats were serious, and the only time Quinn looks happy is when he’s causing pain.
I’m sureReacherseason 3 will save his end for the finale, and whatever flaws the other series had, they at least gave their chief villains great deaths. Quinn’s demise will need to be something special considering all he’s done, but I trustReacherto dream up something inventive for his last moments.
Reacher
Cast
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.
Reacher - Season 3
Based on Lee Child’s novel ‘Persuader,’ Season 3 finds Reacher tangled up in a DEA investigation of an import business owned by Zachary Beck. As is often the case, Reacher has a personal stake in the investigation, when he realizes someone he investigated years ago for a crime during his time in the Army has resurfaced in connection to Beck’s operation. To unravel what’s happening in Beck’s business, the DEA collaborates with Reacher and attempts to send him in undercover to help rescue another undercover DEA informant and put a stop to Beck’s business practices.
