Reacher Season 3 Episode 6 drops big clue with ‘Smoke on the Water’ title

Reacher Season 3 is building to a pair of major showdowns, and the Episode 6 title suggests action at sea.

Season 3 of Reacher has been a tense affair, with Jack going undercover to find a missing woman and track an old enemy, during which time his cover has nearly been blown multiple times.

Episodes 1-3 saw him infiltrate a dodgy import-export business, Episode 4 showed what Jack is fighting for via tragic flashback, and Episode 5 featured both a shocking death and a major twist.

We also now know the title of Episode 6, which may be a clue as to where the next big event will take place.

Reacher’s next major showdown will likely happen at sea

Reacher Season 3 Episode 6 is called ‘Smoke on the Water,’ which is also the title of a classic Deep Purple rock song from the 1970s – one that’s yet to appear on the Reacher Season 3 soundtrack.

That title suggests Reacher will end up doing damage on a boat in the next episode, which makes sense for a couple of reasons.

The huge house he’s staying at is on the sea-front, and Reacher has disposed of bodies in that ocean and also swum in the choppy waters for a clandestine mission, meaning boat action is currently on his doorstep.

Plus, we learned in Episode 5 that McCabe – Reacher’s nemesis who previously sold military secrets to America’s enemies – is now using a rug business as cover to buy and sell weapons. Those guns are transported by road, as we saw in Episode 2, which was titled ‘Truckin.’

But it’s also likely they are being moved by boat, and the ‘Smoke on the Water’ title suggests that Jack’s investigation will reveal that fact, and possibly lead to a shoot-out at sea, or even some kind of explosion.

Whether that involves McCabe or the goon who slapped Reacher in the last episode – man-mountain Paulie – remains to be seen, as the series will still have two more instalments remaining for those characters to face off. But whatever the case, we’re predicting that this week’s title is literal, and there will be actual smoke on the water in Reacher Season 3 Episode 6.

For more on the big guy, here’s how to read the Reacher books in order, plus how many Reacher movies Tom Cruise made. Alternatively, check out our list of the best TV shows of 2025 so far.