Warning: spoilers ahead for Reacher season 3's finale.

Since Reacher season 3's ending revolves largely around the clash between Prime Video's titular protagonist and the villainous Paulie in an unstoppable force vs. immovable object battle for the ages. Barely an episode es without Reacher exploiting his mountainous frame, or without another character making a humorous reference to Reacher's size.

The presence of Oliver Ritchers' Paulie among 110th Special Investigations unit a force to be reckoned with.

The Result Of Reacher's Fight Against Paulie Proves His Best Asset Is Intelligence, Not Strength

Reacher Hits The Sudoku More Than The Gym

Reacher and Paulie batter each other all over the grounds of Zachary Beck's mansion. Rakes, chains, strangulation, crotch kicks - nothing is off-limits in the final showdown between the big man and the bigger man. Despite having the physical edge, Reacher and Paulie effectively cancel each other out in of power and strength. Thanks to each man's unholy ability to keep fighting after taking huge amounts of damage, it seems that going blow-for-blow will never yield a decisive victor.

The fight against Paulie was won inside Reacher's head.

In the end, Reacher comes out on top by using his intelligence, plugging the barrel of Paulie's gun and forcing it to backfire. The outcome highlights Reacher's attention to detail, ability to think calmly under pressure, expansive knowledge, and eye for seizing a strategic advantage. Even a regular citizen like Richard Beck could have killed Paulie using the same technique, proving that Jack Reacher's most dangerous asset has never been the circumference of his biceps or ability to rescue cats from trees without a ladder, but the myriad of other qualities he brings into the combat arena.

By contrast, Paulie remains focused purely on overpowering his opponent. The towering villain believes that having the muscle to maneuver Reacher in front of the gun's business end is enough to guarantee winning.

Reacher's tactics were clearly foreshadowed earlier in season 3. After getting on Paulie's bad side the first time, Reacher described Quinn's henchman not as someone he needed to overpower, but as a puzzle he needed to figure out. When training with Richard, Reacher also pointed out, "Strength is not your strength. You need strategy." Reacher's awareness that a smart mind can overcome a size mismatch only serves as further proof that the fight against Paulie was won inside Reacher's head, not his tightly-fitted clothes.

Reacher Season 3 Found A Great Balance Between Investigative Reacher & Aggressive Reacher

All Sides Of Reacher Are Welcome In Season 3

While Jack Reacher is a multi-faceted creature, he typically has two modes: investigative and aggressive. Reacher season 1's Margrave story pushed investigative Reacher to the fore, since the case was a tightly-woven conspiracy featuring multiple parties. The slew of dead Special Investigators in Reacher season 2, however, summoned forth the protagonist's aggressive side, as Jack and pals plowed through swathes of enemies on their route to justice.

Reacher season 3 has landed upon a pleasing middle ground whereby Alan Ritchson is allowed to showcase both aspects of his character. Going undercover and working with the DEA has necessitated Reacher's cognitive skills and abilities as a detective, but situations have arisen where Reacher has found himself with no choice but to raise hell, whether that be chewing his way through Quinn's men with a shotgun, or skulking around a dark forest quietly dispatching foes.