Reacher Ruins Season 4's Final Fight With A Line So Cringe Even Austin Powers Would Think Twice

Published Sep 26, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. Season 4 of Reacher has given us some of the best fights in the entire franchise, but one potentially iconic scene was ruined in one single moment, which was a surprising twist for a TV show that usually contains excellent action scenes. It is easy to see how Reacher has become Prime Video's best action TV show, as the series is not just exceptionally well-paced with as many quips as brawls, but Reacher's beatdowns tend to be justified, with villains well and truly getting their comeuppance, which is a major highlight for the entire show. While Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) has plot armor, each season of Reacher gives us at least one fight scene in which we truly feel he is in danger, despite his height and strength. Season 3 outmatched him in size, with the season building up to a showdown with the formidable Paulie. This season, we see Reacher fighting both Lila and Amisha, who might be a fraction of his size, but their skill with karambit knives gives them the edge, and threatens to destroy Reacher in a brutal "death by a thousand cuts" moment, before the final second destroyed its credibility. Reacher's Best Fight Scene Was Ruined By The Villain's Final Line It was all but inevitable that Reacher's final fight scene in season 4 would be against Lila, who both seduced and fooled him in a plot twist that many felt was out of character for Reacher, who usually thinks several steps ahead and trusts nobody. Still, the season established that sometimes, Reacher thinks with his pants and this became a nearly-fatal flaw. The scene was the most brutal in the entire series, as Reacher already gave us three inventive kills within six minutes, but taking eye-watering injuries in the process. While fighting three men, Reacher was shot through the hand several times with a nail gun, and while he turned the situation to his advantage, this was a far more disturbing injury than the usual bumps, bruises, and occasional bullet grazes he usually sees. By the time he demolished his third opponent, Lila and Amisha were ready to take him on, slashing at him with karambits in the bloodiest fight that he has seen yet, and a perfect adaptation of the fight in Lee Child's Jack Reacher book, Gone Tomorrow. Unfortunately, despite the fight's intensity, novelty, and excellent choreography, Lila is given a line that turns the scene from James Bond to Austin Powers: "I don't know what I enjoy more, f**king you or killing you!" Reacher's best villains are not always realistic, and Lila has not been the most popular of antagonists, but the cartoonish script choice turns an already overexaggerated character into a caricature that ruined the momentum and high stakes of the moment, which ends seconds later with Reacher killing Lila, as the script makes Ritchson respond, "I know which one I like more." Reacher Is Better Than This Scene-Ending Moment Ritchson's ability to keep a straight face and work with this line is impressive, but he should not have needed to. Reacher might sometimes make no sense, with some especially ludicrous moments from the books yet to be adapted, but the show generally requires viewers to suspend disbelief when it comes to choreography, not characterization. Even Reacher's most villainous characters usually have a reason behind their actions, and had her motivations been explained a little better, Lila would have worked well enough as a character without being reduced to a malfunctioning fembot in what should have been her best scene. Reacher season 4 has a 94% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This season has included some genuinely powerful scenes and a line like this does not fit the standard of the series. Reacher's best supporting characters have sometimes defined their season, with Neagley's spinoff being a perfect example of great character writing and exciting action, but when it comes to characterization, it is hard to imagine Lila and Neagley existing in the same show. Reacher is one of the best action thrillers currently on TV and is better than corny lines like this. With season 5 set to be its darkest yet, the show must go on without them. Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video Showrunner Nick Santora Cast Maria Sten Frances Neagley Without a phone and traveling light, former military police officer Jack Reacher drifts between American towns, embroiling himself in local crimes and bringing justice in his wake. Based on the series of novels by Lee Child, Reacher's journey offers him an intimate understanding of the nation he once served.