Prime VideoIn the new episode of Reacher, Jack meets his match in the shape of Paulie, and the slap he receives has everyone saying the same thing.
Reacher is big. A huge bloke whose size intimidates pretty much everyone he meets. But Paulie is bigger.
The giant bodyguard – played by Dutch bodybuilder Olivier Richters – stands a foot taller than Jack, and endeavours to intimidate him at every opportunity he gets.
Early in Season 3, Reacher had Paulie hitting himself in the gym. But during Episode 5 – appropriately titled ‘Smackdown‘ – the man-mountain gets his own back.
Paulie slapping Reacher means a “huge problem” lies ahead
Prime Video34 minutes into Episode 5 of Season 3, Reacher realises that Paulie murdered undercover ATF agent Anette. “I gave her a crack to the head to get her to co-operate. Oops!” says the giant. This angers Jack, who retorts “I’m pissed because you killed a source before I had a chance to get any information. It was a dumb move by a dumb man.”
Paulie pushes Jack and says “do something about it.” In response, Jack punches him in the stomach, and Paulie doesn’t move. And in response to that, Paulie slaps Reacher in the face, and he is hurt. The look on Reacher’s face suggests Jack has never been hit that hard before.
The moment ends there, but suggests that Jack will have a major problem in the near future.
Prime Video“That slap scene made me realise one thing,” a Reacher fan wrote on Reddit. “Alan is a great actor and nailed the expression well. The realization that this Paulie guy will be a big problem and the shock Alan showed was so real.”
“Hell of a scene,” writes another. “The Paulie-Reacher interactions this season have been some of the best scenes of the whole show. Getting someone actually bigger than Reacher for him to go up against was a GENIUS move.”
Fans are enjoying the role-reversal, with one saying “I love Reacher as a character and Ritchson as an actor but it was satisfying to see him (the character) get his ego checked.”
While speaking for pretty much everyone, another viewer said: “Jesus. Reacher finally found a dude he can’t take on.”
For more on the show, here’s how to read the Reacher books in order and details of the Reacher Season 3 soundtrack, plus how many Reacher movies Tom Cruise made. Alternatively, check out our list of the best TV shows of 2025 so far.
