Reacher season 3 episode 4 ending explained: Why does Reacher want to kill Quinn?
Reacher season 3 episode 4, titled Dominique, premiered on February 27, 2025, on Prime Video. The episode takes viewers deeper into Jack Reacher’s past and the reason why he is after Francis Xavier Quinn, a man he once thought he had killed.
This episode has highlighted action from the present with scenes from the past, helping viewers better understand Reacher's anger and drive to finish what he started years ago.
Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from Reacher season 3 episode 4. Reader's discretion is advised.
Jack's mission to catch Quinn is the main focus of this episode. The story primarily consists of flashbacks to Reacher's time in the army. The relationship between Reacher and Dominique Kohl, a former sergeant, is the primary reason why Reacher hates Quinn and is chasing him.
Reacher recounts the story to DEA agent Susan Duffy, giving much-needed background to the grudge that has driven him to chase Quinn throughout several episodes.
Reacher has a personal reason for wanting Quinn's demise, which becomes clear by the end of the episode. Simply put, Reacher wants to kill Quinn to avenge Kohl’s torturous death and the threat he is to countless others. The path of Reacher's pain and grief is very clear as the episode concludes.
Explaining what happens at the end of Reacher season 3 episode 4
By the end of Reacher season 3 episode 4, Jack Reacher has come a long way in his hunt for Quinn—specifically, Julius McCabe, the criminal alias Quinn uses to run his empire. Reacher is relentless in his pursuit of Quinn's deception, even as he secures his role as head of security for rug mogul Zachary Beck.
In this episode, viewers follow Reacher as he is tasked with finding a laptop that is connected to Quinn's illicit shipments. However, his plans are interrupted by an unforeseen development. While exploring one of Quinn's warehouses, DEA agents Duffy and Guillermo unwittingly step into a trap that Quinn's men have set.
Reacher quickly races to their aid after learning of their perilous situation. The episode leaves viewers wondering whether Reacher will arrive in time to rescue Guillermo and Duffy.
Reacher season 3 episode 4 ending: Reacher's relentless pursuit of Quinn
Reacher wants to kill Quinn not just because the psychopath has done wrong to so many people but because he has a personal grudge against her that has been building for years. In the flashbacks shown in the episode, the audience learns that Reacher and his coworker, Dominique Kohl, were working on a military espionage case together.
The main suspect was found to be a weapons expert who had been giving state secrets to enemy forces. But as they dug deeper, they found that Lt. Francis Xavier Quinn was running the whole thing and selling top-secret information because he was in a position of power.
During their investigation, Reacher and Kohl found that Quinn had taken Kohl's family hostage and tortured them to get her to cooperate, which had a huge effect on Kohl's mental and emotional health.
When Reacher and Kohl get close to Quinn, bad things happen. Kohl is taken hostage and tortured horribly until she dies. This is a turning point for Reacher. He thought he had killed Quinn when he shot him in the head during a fight.
But it turned out that Quinn had lived, changed his name, and started committing crimes again under the name Julius McCabe. Reacher, devastated by the loss of Kohl, feels a sense of failure.
The episode shows that Reacher's desire to kill Quinn is due to his guilt for not being able to protect his student Kohl and for not killing Quinn when he had the chance. Not only does Reacher want to find Quinn because he wants justice, but he also wants to get even with Quinn for killing Kohl.
The past: How Reacher and Kohl ended up together
The fact that Reacher worked with Sergeant Dominique Kohl explains why Quinn's actions affect him. Reacher didn't want to work with Kohl initially because she saw her as just another military assignment.
But as they worked together on the case, Reacher saw how smart and skilled Kohl was, making him respect her. They found out important details about Quinn's illegal activities because they worked well together. Sad to say, their relationship ended too soon when Kohl was taken by Quinn's men and killed before her time.
When the flashbacks show how close Reacher was to Kohl, they make him feel even more betrayed when she dies.
Reacher's tough exterior hides how much Kohl's death hurts him emotionally because it forces him to face the weaknesses that come with being a leader and protector. This is especially clear when he thinks about the short time they got to know each other during their investigation.
Kohl's tragic death brings the emotional drive for Reacher to go after Quinn. He is even more determined to complete the task he began years ago and ensure Quinn doesn't get away a second time after this loss.
Reacher’s guilt and determination to kill Quinn
Reacher also wants revenge on Quinn because he feels very guilty about what he did; he feels responsible for Kohl's death because he thinks that it would not have happened if he had been more careful. Throughout the episode, this guilt keeps eating away at him, and his interactions with Susan Duffy show how much Kohl's death still bothers him.
In contrast to Reacher, Duffy has trouble dealing with her feelings of guilt about sending her agent, Teresa Daniels, into a dangerous situation. The main emotional conflict in the episode is Duffy's guilt and sense of responsibility. This shows how Reacher is not the only one to go through emotional trauma in the story.
The episode explores Reacher’s internal struggle with failure and how it pushes him to take matters into his own hands. His interactions with Duffy reveal a man who is not afraid to confront his past, even when it means confronting painful memories of loss and betrayal.
By the end of the episode, viewers can see that Reacher’s obsession with Quinn is not just about retribution—it’s a way for him to atone for his failure to protect those he cared about, like Kohl.
Reacher’s new role as Beck’s head of security
Reacher season 3 episode 4 ends with Jack Reacher having successfully broken into Zachary Beck's business to kill both Beck and Quinn. Being in charge of security for Beck puts him in a unique position where he can learn more about Quinn and plan how to attack her. But Reacher knows that Quinn is using Beck to get what she wants, which makes Reacher even more determined.
Even though Beck is just a pawn in Quinn's bigger plan, he still knows a lot about how Quinn runs his business, which is why Reacher needs to keep his job in Beck's organization.
Reacher's new job gives him more information about what Quinn is doing. However, as the episode continues, the tension between Beck and Reacher grows, and Beck starts to see that Reacher isn't completely loyal to him. This rising tension makes it likely that the two will fight again in the future.
Reacher also works harder to find the laptop that has important shipment information on it because that is what will reveal Quinn's whole criminal enterprise. Reacher is way more dedicated to his mission because he knows that he will need to use both strategy and force to stop Quinn.
Reacher’s race against time: Search for the laptop
At the end of Reacher season 3 episode 4, Reacher is told to get a laptop that has important information about Quinn's shipments on it. This laptop is important for figuring out how Quinn's criminal activities work, so Reacher needs to get it before Quinn's men destroy the evidence.
But things get really dangerous when Reacher finds out that DEA agents Duffy and Guillermo are in immediate danger. The two agents were looking into Quinn's business on the laptop, but they didn't know that Quinn's men had set a trap for them.
When Reacher gets to where Duffy and Guillermo are being held, he feels even more compelled to protect them. The tension grows as Reacher faces more problems, such as Quinn's men, who have already arrived at the warehouse before he can get to them. This sets the stage for a dangerous rescue mission, and Reacher's timing becomes very important to save Guillermo and Duffy from certain death.
Reacher season 3 episode 4 ends on a cliffhanger, leaving viewers to wonder if Reacher will be able to save Susan and his friends in time or if they will be captured by Quinn's cruel plan.
Reacher season 3 episode 4 is available to stream on Prime Video.
