John Krasinski gives us all a new perspective and renewed life into Jack Ryan.
It is said that art imitates life. That probably explains why American mainstream entertainment has suddenly rediscovered Russia as the bad guy in their action and espionage stories three decades after the end of the Cold War. Russia’s incursions in Ukraine and Crimea have made it a threat again, and Jack Ryan season 3 takes advantage of that well. An old Soviet loyalist is trying to resurrect the Soviet Republic, which makes the titular hero face a new but old threat. It is an old concept, but it has been handled with finesse. Additionally, John Krasinski’s screen presence and earnestness give it all the more credibility.
I was so excited when I saw that the show has finally started streaming season 3. The wait seemed like it was years since season 2 ended. These are the types of TV Shows that I really get into.
You can binge-watch the entire season right now on Prime Video just in case you didn’t already know. Before you continue reading on, I should mention that there may be a spoiler hidden within my review.
Jack Ryan goes rogue this season
Jack Ryan, an agent turned analyst for the CIA, discovers a new threat. There are some Russians who have revived an old project designed to make Russia strong again called the Sokol Project. Jack is fighting against time because his superiors refuse to believe him about this new information so he needs to act quickly. He goes rogue and does everything on his own – with only the help of some close friends that truly care about their country – in order to take down this malicious plan and save us from a potential nuclear war.
Netflix’s Prime Video production of Jack Ryan has received tremendous reception over its first two seasons. John Krasinski, the lead actor in both series, portrays a more experienced and wiser character than before. He no longer acts out his humor or plays coy, but instead appears as if he had been through many missions and is constantly on edge; it seems to be weighing heavily upon him at last.
Ironically enough though – there is no better man for the job than John himself- an actor who has mastered going from light-hearted comedy characters such as Jim Halpert from ‘The Office,’ all the way to darker roles such as Lee Abbott from ‘A Quiet Place.’ And if he had lived in Britain instead? Well, then this would have easily been his audition for James Bond…
Same story but done even better
The option to throw Ryan out of his comfort zone, giving this season a twist from all others before it, keeps audiences hooked. Even though the storyline had been seen before, writers still managed to incorporate some thrilling action scenes and chase sequences.
A particularly convincing action sequence involving a convoy, a tunnel, and a nuclear bomb (no spoilers) was cleverly written and well-executed. But outside these scenes of excitement, the politics of the plot is lazy and boring; riddled with predictability as well as reminders of how much things have changed over time. For instance – this is no longer the post-WWII era and America needs to point fingers at something else other than Russia – everything there has been done way too many times already and is just not fresh enough anymore.
Despite the lack of anything new, Jack Ryan is a successful show and season three has some great moments. This primarily comes down to how well it was filmed, directed, and acted by the cast. The best part of this season for me was seeing the fast-developing friendships between Ryan and Mike November (played smoothly by Michael Kelly). One had come out from being an actor who does action movies while another was trying out acting in comedic scenes. They share witty banter back and forth which keeps things fresh every episode – making sure that every single second of watching this show won’t bore you.
Why you should still watch it
Jack Ryan season 3 is an entertaining, suspenseful show which succeeds because of the performances of its actors. Despite its predicaments such as predictable character arcs and stereotypical villains, the program remains engrossing and thrilling – maintaining a consistent rhythm all throughout its running time. It is never boring; each episode leaves you on edge about what will come next. After all, this isn’t just any generic action thriller! Season 3 started streaming on Prime Video on December 21st.
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