Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 8, 2023)
After a slew of feature films, Tom Clancy’s most famous character transitioned to the small screen via Season One of Jack Ryan in 2018. A year later, we came back with the inevitable Season Two.
However, fans needed to wait longer for Season Three. Probably delayed due to the pandemic, Season Three didn’t debut until the end of 2022, more than three years after S2 concluded.
This Blu-ray package includes all eight of Season Three’s episodes. The plot synopses come from IMDB.
Falcon: “Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) is called into service to right a wrong against his country. Using the latest technology and help of a loyal friend he jumps into action to prevent chaos, that could destroy democracy and our republic.”
I found the first two seasons of Ryan to offer moderate entertainment. However, they didn’t surpass that level of just seeming… okay.
Given the positives of the franchise, though, hope springs. Will Season Three fulfill the series’ potential?
That remains to be seen, but “Falcon” becomes a reasonable launch to the year. Of course, a plot that connects to old Cold War tensions and issues with the former USSR doesn’t exactly seem fresh, though “Falcon” does link to current events due to allusions to issues in Ukraine.
For the most part, “Falcon” exists as an introduction to S3’s overall narrative and an expository piece. It does fine in that regard and I hope it signals a taut collection of episodes yet to come.
Old Haunts: “Out in the cold and on the run after the fallout from his failed operation in Greece, Jack must evade authorities both foreign and domestic before receiving help from an old friend.”
“Agent goes rogue” offers a pretty tried ‘n’ true plot device for properties like Ryan, and we find ourselves in that realm already in Season Three. The question becomes whether or not the series will do anything fresh with the concept.
So far? Not really, but it remains early. “Haunts” feels like a fairly expository episode, so hopefully the tension and action will pick up soon.
Running With Wolves: “Jack travels to Vienna to track down the source of his original intelligence on Sokol. Greer (Wendell Pierce) advises Alena (Nina Hoss) on a key NATO deal. Alena's father Petr Kovac (Peter Guinness) hosts a hunt in the Czech woods.”
As noted earlier, Seasons One and Two of Ryan didn’t knock off my proverbial socks, and S3 doesn’t thrill me so far either. I now think my main issue stems from the elongated nature of the narratives.
It feels like Ryan’s seasons take material appropriate for a two-hour movie and stretch it to more than six hours. That becomes my impression with “Wolves”, as it moves at a slow enough pace to make me think that the season could use a kick in the pants.
Perhaps that will come, but so far, S3 seems moderately enjoyable but too languid to impress. Well, we still have five shows for matters to perk up!
Our Death’s Keeper: “In Budapest, Jack and Mike (Michael Kelly) plan a sting on a slippery arms dealer to ascertain the whereabouts of the Sokol nuclear device, as Greer discovers some intriguing and potentially incriminating information on Petr Kovac.”
Despite the series’ title, we spend surprisingly little time with Jack Ryan. He can often feel like the main character in theory, as S3 devotes reams of time to the other participants.
“Keeper” does move along the overall narrative, and it occasionally threatens to develop a pulse. Nonetheless, matters progress at such a slow rate that it becomes another moderately interesting but eventually semi-stagnant show.
Druz'ya I Vragi: “Jack and Mike head to a mysterious, abandoned outpost in Russia to seize the Sokol nuclear device, but an unexpected visitor foils their plans. Meanwhile, Petr seeks to rescue Alena, who has been kidnapped by her own head of security.”
As we enter the second half of S3, the drama finally starts to pick up with “Vragi”. It might end up as too little too late, but at least the episode delivers some real intensity and movement.
Ghosts: “Jack races to stop the detonation of the Sokol nuclear device, which has traveled to the Czech Republic. Petr and Luka's secret histories come to the surface in a deadly reckoning.”
S3’s resurgence continues with the fairly effective “Ghosts”. I still think the first four episodes could’ve easily been condensed into two, but I feel happy S3 shows a pulse when really necessary.
Moscow Rules: “In Moscow, Jack teams with Luka (James Cosmo) to expose the high-ranking cabal members within the government who are now orchestrating the secret Sokol plan.”
Star on the Wall: “Jack, Greer, Wright (Betty Gabriel), Alena and Luka all work in concert to prevent the start of a third world war.”
It seems like stories in the Ryan franchise often – usually? – end with a ticking clock and an urgent mission Jack needs to complete just in the nick of time. That becomes the template for S3’s finale – sort of.
As became the case during much of S3, Jack can seem like a secondary character here. Still, he comes through in the end and this turns into a reasonably tense end to the year.
I went into this package with the sense of Jack Ryan as a decent but not exceptional series, and S3 didn’t really change my mind, especially because the first four shows seem lackluster. However, matters do improve in the second half, so it becomes a moderate success eventually.
