Although Reacher season 3 may be the best outing yet. The adaptation did an impressive job of making Reacher's undercover story compelling while portraying memorable side characters and villains, without making major changes to the source material. Both fans and critics also seemed to enjoy the season, proving the show is constantly improving.

As expected, Reacher season 3 ended with a bang, as the final showdown at Beck's mansion gave all the central characters a fitting conclusion, while once again putting the protagonist back on the road. Season 4 has already been confirmed and will once again try to raise the stakes and cover new ground, but I'm not ready to move on from season 3 just yet. The latest batch of episodes had plenty to ire, hence the positive reception, but season 3's 10 best scenes deserve extra appreciation as they epitomized everything that makes Reacher such a great show.

10 Duffy & Reacher Blow Up The Boat

Episode 6, "Smoke on the Water"

"Smoke on the Water" contained some of Reacher season 3's best action, and the episode's climax certainly didn't disappoint. During their search for Teresa, Reacher and Duffy head to a boat where they believe she could be held hostage, but upon arriving, she has already been moved elsewhere. During their investigation, one of Quinn's men, Harley, arrives, which results in a fight scene taking place between the three characters.

With the villain at their mercy, the duo then torch the ship, letting Harley go down with it in a cruel yet justified ending.

Naturally, Reacher and Duffy are more than capable of dealing with him, and the two decide to interrogate him to find out everything he knows. With the villain at their mercy, the duo then torch the ship, letting Harley go down with it in a cruel yet justified ending. Although Duffy and Reacher didn't find Teresa on the boat, they did gain valuable intel during the gritty scene, and it was a great chance to expand on their relationship while showing their chemistry, making episode 6's climax a memorable part of the season.

9 Reacher Saves Richard & Infiltrates Beck's Operation

Episode 1, "Persuader"

Season 3's opening scene wasted no time getting into the action, as the protagonist went from attempting to sell some vinyl to saving Richard Beck in mere minutes. Watching Reacher spring into action without hesitation was an immediate reminder of how badass he truly is, and it perfectly set the tone for what was to come. At first glance, Reacher rescuing Richard seems to prove how selfless he is, willing to put himself in harm's way by saving an innocent person's life. However, the scene becomes even better as the season rolls on.

It turns out the opening sequence wasn't Reacher acting impulsively. Instead, it was actually a carefully planned ruse to infiltrate Beck's operation. Working with Duffy and Villanueva, Reacher carefully stages Richard's abduction, making the interaction even more fascinating on a second viewing. Even if it isn't the highest-stakes moment in Reacher's three-season run, it was a fantastic way to kick off the "Persuader" storyline as the adrenaline-pumping chase certainly got me hooked, and I appreciated it even more after finding out why the protagonists used Richard to get to his father.

8 The DEA Hostage Escapes & Kills Elliot

Episode 5, "Smackdown"

Elliot's naivety always looked destined to get him into trouble, and while it was heartbreaking to see it finally come to fruition, the scene was executed to perfection. Elliot was left in charge of watching over Cooper, a member of Quinn and Beck's villainous organization in season 3, who the DEA managed to capture. Throughout the opening few episodes, Cooper slowly manages to connect with Elliot, so much so that the DEA agent reluctantly agrees to give his unwilling informant a cigarette.

Unfortunately, this was a setup by Cooper, who took a swig of alcohol beforehand, spitting it against Elliot's lighter, which subsequently burned the agent's face. The tragic action didn't stop there though, as Cooper stomped repeatedly on Elliot's head until he died, allowing the criminal to escape. It was a tense scene that was destined to end in disaster, but the stellar acting and clever scheme combined perfectly to create one of Reacher season 3's most impressive moments.

7 Reacher Finds Dominique & Shoots Quinn

Episode 4, "Dominique"

"Dominique" focuses on the gut-wrenching fate of Reacher's former protégé, and while the episode is filled with great dialog alongside some tense moments, the reveal of what happened to Dominique is by far its best moment. Having sent Dominique to arrest Quinn, things go wrong when she doesn't return on time, prompting Reacher to send a team after her.

Eventually, the protagonist finds her, but he's too late as Dominique has already been tortured and killed in a grizzly fashion by the time he arrives.

While Reacher rarely shows much emotion, this scene is arguably the most distressed we've seen him throughout the series, which cemented Quinn as Reacher's best villain so far. The antagonist didn't go unpunished though, as Reacher walked him to a cliff and shot him in the head before paying his respects to Dominique. It was an interesting look into the leading character's history, and the brutal reveal of his protégé's fate helped make the scene unforgettable.

6 Reacher Sets Up Duke & Replaces Him

Episode 3, "Number 2 with a Bullet"

For Reacher to successfully infiltrate Beck's operation and find out exactly what was happening, he needed to get closer to the man in charge, which involved taking out his most dependable allies. Crucially, he needed to get rid of Duke, someone who didn't trust Reacher right from the opening episode. While he could have achieved this in a variety of ways, his plan was even more clever than I first anticipated, as he killed Duke, and cleared his previous suspicion masterfully.

After killing Angel earlier, Reacher hinted at a rival business being responsible and pointed them to an abandoned house, which was actually used as a DEA safe house. As he and Duke went to check it out, Reacher killed Beck's right-hand man and made it look like it was an ambush, blowing up the house in the process. The final moments were filled with tension, followed by explosive action that proved just how smart and creative Reacher really is, perfectly setting up the rest of season 3's exciting story.

5 Reacher Sneaks Out Of Beck's Mansion

Episode 1, "Persuader"

Although it may not have the same stakes as a big shootout or one-on-one fight, Reacher sneaking out of Beck's mansion is easily one of season 3's most epic scenes. Given the scene takes place in episode 1, the protagonist hadn't earned the trust of Beck's crew, causing him to be locked in his room. Therefore, he had to climb out the window to reach the barn he planned on investigating, using all his core strength as he navigated his way down the building.

Not only is the concept itself impressive, but the shot of Reacher climbing down the mansion in season 3 is extremely well done, as there are no obvious cuts. Alan Ritchson also performed the stunt himself and had to do so repeatedly, adding to how impressive the final product was. As much as Reacher is at its best while conveying high-octane action, moments like this are a perfect reminder of what makes the series so unique, and any chance to utilize Ritchson's physical talents is always welcome.

4 Paulie & Reacher's Fight Inside The Barn

Episode 8, "Unfinished Business"

Paulie and Reacher's fight in the finale served up numerous memorable moments, but the best scene by far was their confrontation in the barn. With both men trying to one-up each other, they use all sorts of weapons and techniques while trying to kill the other, showcasing just how menacing each of them is. They aggressively throw everything they have at the other until Paulie eventually gets the upper hand, hanging Reacher with a chain before walking away.

Their confrontation had several more epic scenes, such as their underwater fight and their battle inside the guardhouse, where the protagonist eventually killed his foe, proving he was smarter.

It was a rare instance of seeing Reacher lose, even if only momentarily, but it perfectly sold how intimidating the villain was, and their season 3 fight highlighted that Paulie was even stronger than Reacher. Their confrontation had several more epic scenes, such as their underwater fight and their battle inside the guardhouse, where the protagonist eventually killed his foe, proving he was smarter. However, their war inside the barn was the highlight of the finale for me and deserves its flowers.

3 Villanueva Helps Reacher Flip The Car

Episode 5, "Smackdown"

Despite a lot of Reacher's action being fairly grounded, the show also has a few more ambitious moments, which season 3 continued through its car flipping incident. After Cooper escaped, Reacher and Villanueva hatched a plan that would allow them to get justice for Elliot, but it was far from orthodox. It required the duo to manually flip a car, leading to both men lifting the vehicle using all their strength before miraculously tipping it upside down.

This insane moment was fun in itself, but the whole plan is what makes the scene so special. Villanueva then gets into the car, causing Cooper to slam the brakes when he drives up to it, before getting out to check what happened. As he proceeds to check under the car, Villanueva smiles and says "This is for Elliot" prompting Reacher to shoot the villain in the head. It was the perfect way to maintain Reacher's cover while avenging Elliot's death and proved how brutal yet meticulous the protagonist can be when it comes to his elaborate ideas.

2 Neagley Thwarts Costopoulos' Hitmen

Episode 6, "Smoke on the Water"

With Neagley set to get her own spinoff show, it's no surprise she wound up being a critical part of season 3, and it seems fitting she had one of the installment's best scenes. Despite Reacher trying to keep her involvement in his undercover mission minimal, she looked into what was happening anyway, putting her on the radar of Quinn. As a result, he hired Costopoulos to put a hit on Neagley, but although she was caught off-guard by the villain's guns for hire, she was still able to fight them off.

Neagley used all her wit to outmaneuver the two hitmen as she dodged their bullets and scrambled to her office. Here, she was able to grab her gun, killing one of the men while injuring the other. After catching the surviving hitman, she decided to extract information from him as he pleaded for her to call an ambulance, something she eventually complied with after knowing he'd die. It was a badass encounter that really highlighted her cunning and capable nature, and after this scene, I can't wait to see how different Neagley's spinoff is from Reacher season 3.

1 Reacher's Forest Massacre

Episode 6, "Smoke on the Water"

Picking the most impressive scene from Reacher season 3 is far from easy, but the forest massacre really demonstrates what makes the protagonist so unique. After having his cover blown, Reacher stealthily left Beck's estate, but he was eventually caught up while in the forest, leading to a gritty confrontation. After shooting out the lights on his enemies' ATV, Reacher was forced to get creative, using dirt to camouflage his face as he picked off each assailant one by one.

He was able to catch his first victim by surprise, beating him before snapping his neck. He then snuck up on the next man before stabbing him in the neck, showing just how scary facing off against Reacher is. Finally, he took down the last one by using the wire of the ATV to choke him out, leaving a messy site for Paulie to find. The forest massacre was the perfect demonstration of how dangerous Reacher can be with his back against the wall and how quickly he can devise a plan, making this Reacher season 3's best scene.