Jack Reacher novels, watching Alan Ritchson uncover criminal conspiracies all over the United States in the show has always been very entertaining. However, after a great first season, the general consensus is that Reacher season 2 was not quite as good.

Thankfully, the creative team behind the series addressed many of the aspects of season 2 that did not work. Because of this, after the action-packed Reacher season 4, which will begin production this summer, is just as good, if not better, than the third season. However, before more news is revealed about the show's fourth season, let's take a look at how Reacher season 3 is a big improvement on season 2.

10 Reacher Season 3's Action Was Way Better Than Season 2's

Reacher Season 2's Action Was Underwhelming

While promoting the show's third season, Ritchson himself claimed that he wasn't happy with a lot of the action in Reacher season 2. While it is surprising for a lead actor to criticize their own series, Ritchson was right in claiming that several action sequences in season 2 were underwhelming. Therefore, to remedy this, Ritchson claimed that it became one of his main priorities to make the action in Reacher season 3 as good as it could be.

Ritchson and the rest of the creative team behind Reacher season 3 undoubtedly topped season 2's action sequences. The most notable action scenes in season 3 are the forest massacre after Reacher escapes from Beck's mansion, the scrapyard gunfight at the beginning of the finale, and of course, the intense fight between Reacher and Paulie. Overall, it is amazing that the creative team addressed season 2's underwhelming action and made sure that Reacher season 3 included several incredible sequences.

9 Xavier Quinn Was Way More Menacing Than Reacher Season 2's Main Villain

Xavier Quinn Was A Terrifying Villain In Reacher Season 3

In season 2, Reacher had to take down Shane Langston, the head of security for New Age, the company that was at the center of the season's main conspiracy. Langston was definitely very merciless and would have stopped at nothing to achieve his goal, but he ultimately didn't pose a major threat to Reacher. Throughout Reacher season 2, Langston continuously sent people to kill Reacher and the other of the Special Investigations unit, but his plans to take out his enemies always failed.

The writers of Reacher season 3 put in extra work to make sure that Xavier Quinn would be the best villain in the entire series.

Because of these failed attempts at Reacher's life, Langston was never a very effective villain in season 2. However, the writers of Reacher season 3 put in extra work to make sure that Xavier Quinn would be the best villain in the entire series. Not only did Reacher have history with Quinn, which elevated the villain's threat level, but he was also consistently menacing towards Zachary Beck and his son, Richard Beck. Therefore, Quinn was a much more threatening villain than Langston.

8 Paulie Was An Intimidating Physical Opponent For Reacher In Season 3

Reacher Has Never Faced An Opponent Like Paulie Before

You don't need to stare at Reacher for long to figure out how effective he would be in a fight. From the very first episode of the series, Reacher has established that there is practically no one who poses a very serious physical threat to its titular character. This is exactly why nobody Langston sent to kill Reacher in season 2 was able to get their job done. However, this all changed in Reacher season 3 with the introduction of Paulie.

Paulie is one of Xavier Quinn's goons and works at Beck's estate, where Reacher spends the majority of the season undercover. Paulie is bigger, stronger, and meaner than Reacher. Throughout the season, the rivalry between Reacher and Paulie heats up more and more, until they finally have their highly anticipated fight in the season 3 finale. This fight was well worth the wait, and is easily the best action sequence of the entire series.

7 Reacher's Revenge Mission In Season 3 Was Much More Fleshed Out

Reacher Wants Revenge Against Xavier Quinn In Season 3

In season 2, Reacher and his allies wanted revenge against Langston for the deaths of several former of the 110th Special Investigations unit. This was definitely a good motivator for Reacher to uncover the criminal conspiracy in season 2. He definitely cared about all the of his previous unit, and wanted justice for their deaths. However, Reacher season 2's flashbacks only show viewers brief glimpses of the deceased of the 110th Special Investigations unit.

Because of this, it is hard to really care about Reacher's revenge mission in season 2. In contrast, Reacher season 3 dedicates an entire episode to establishing why he wants revenge against Xavier Quinn. Even though she only appears in one episode, viewers never forget about Dominque Kohl while watching season 3, and constantly root for Reacher to finish his job and kill Xavier Quinn.

6 Dominique Kohl Was More Interesting In One Episode Than Some Of Reacher Season 2's Characters

Dominqie Kohl Is A Tragic Character In Reacher Season 3

Building off of the last point, Reacher season 3's story is much more effective than season 2's because of how well Dominque is handled as a character. Even though she is only a minor character, season 3, episode 4 takes its time to reveal how capable of a military officer Dominque was and establishes her special relationship with Reacher. Since Dominque was Reacher's first protégé, it makes complete sense why he will do whatever it takes to get revenge against Xavier Quinn.

Other than Neagley, Dominque is arguably more interesting than every ing character in Reacher season 2.

Compared to Dominique Kohl, most of the 110th Special Investigations unit, who are featured in season 2, are not nearly as interesting. Reacher season 2's flashbacks don't reveal enough about the minor of the unit, and even Karla Dixon and David O'Donnell aren't necessarily the most intriguing characters. Therefore, other than Neagley, Dominque is arguably more interesting than every ing character in Reacher season 2, which is impressive since she only appears in one episode.

5 Reacher Going Undercover In Season 3 Was Refreshing

Reacher Had Never Been Undercover In The Series Before Season 3

To get revenge for the brutal death of Dominque Kohl, Reacher goes undercover in season 3. Reacher's undercover mission in season 3 sets it apart from season 2, and was a refreshing change of pace for the series. In the show's second season, it didn't take long for Langston to find out who Reacher was and continuously try to complicate his investigation. However, in season 3, the primary villains have no idea what Reacher is really up to.

Reacher being undercover allowed him to interact with the season's primary villains way more than he typically would. This made his eventual fight with Paulie and his final showdown with Xavier Quinn that much more satisfying to watch. Overall, Reacher was forced to be much sneakier in season 3 than he's had to be in the past, which added a lot of tension. Honestly, after his mission in season 3, it will be hard to watch Reacher not undercover in future seasons of the series.

4 Duffy & Her Team Grounded Reacher (Season 2's Special Investigators Didn't)

Reacher Season 2's Special Investigators Were Perhaps Too Good At Their Jobs

Of course, Reacher's undercover mission likely would have failed very quickly if he didn't have people on the outside helping him. Susan Duffy and Villanueva, who are working the case with Reacher in season 3, help him constantly throughout the course of the season. While it will be hard to top Finlay and Roscoe from the show's first season, Duffy and Villanueva are definitely better ing characters than Karla and David.

Overall, all the of the 110th Special Investigations unit were constantly too smart and capable to be very relatable. Therefore, it was refreshing to see Duffy, Villanueva, and Eliot portray DEA agents who are capable of making mistakes in season 3. Even though they are both smart agents, Reacher season 3's writers took a more grounded approach with Duffy and Villanueva and highlighted how they constantly struggle while working the case.

3 Duffy Was A Better Love Interest For Reacher Than Karla Dixon

Reacher Had More Natural Chemistry With Duffy In Season 3

Speaking of Duffy, she was definitely a better love interest for Reacher than Karla was in season 2. Once again, it needs to be mentioned that it will be hard for anyone to ever top Roscoe from season 1. Duffy isn't better than Roscoe, who is arguably the second best character in the entire series, but she definitely has more chemistry with Reacher than Karla did.

Reacher and Duffy had a much more natural connection in season 3.

In season 2, it seemed like Reacher and Karla were only together because they used to have crushes on each other. Reacher and Karla definitely enjoyed spending time together, but it never seemed like their relationship was going to last beyond the events of the season. In contrast, Reacher and Duffy had a much more natural connection in season 3. Furthermore, Reacher surprisingly seemed disappointed when Duffy decided to end things with him at the end of the season.

2 Villanueva Is One Of The Funniest Characters In The Series

The Jokes In Reacher Season 2 Did Not Always Land

While Duffy was more involved in Reacher season 3's biggest moments, Villanueva was also instrumental in solving the case. Villanueva always helped Duffy and Reacher when they needed it throughout the season, and even got his time in the spotlight during his intense bathroom fight in the finale. Additionally, Villanueva is also arguably the funniest character in the entire series.

In my opinion, the comedy in Reacher has always been hit or miss. Sometimes, there are surprisingly funny moments or line deliveries. However, at other points, the show's comedy seems to miss its mark. This seemed to be the case a lot during Reacher season 2, as the banter between the of the 110th Special Investigations unit just didn't always come across well. However, basically all the comedy that comes from Villanueva lands in Reacher season 3, which makes the season even more fun to watch.

1 Beck's Estate Was A Better Setting Than Reacher Season 2's Big Cities

Most Of Reacher Season 3 Takes Place At Back's Estate

Finally, the setting of Reacher season 3 was much more effective than season 2's. Reacher season 2's big cities were a drastic change from the show's first season, which was primarily set in the small town of Margrave, Georgia. Margrave was such a great setting in season 1, and cities like New York and Brooklyn didn't quite have the same charm. Thankfully, season 3 brought Reacher to a small town once again.

While not much time is actually spent in the Maine town in Reacher season 3, the majority of the season is set at Beck's estate. Beck's beautiful waterfront mansion was a wonderful setting in Reacher season 3, and made me realize that the series works best when the scale is smaller. Even though the story of Reacher season 3 is more high-stakes than ever, it is great that the season explored its characters while they are in much closer quarters to each other. Therefore, Beck's estate will not easily be forgotten about as Reacher continues on with more seasons.