After Cobra Kai, Jack Ryan season 1 was the best thing on TV or streaming in 2018.
I know that a lot of people have a problem with John Krasinski playing the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan but the series is as close to those early ’90s Harrison Ford movies as we are ever going to get.
It showed a lot of Inside Baseball tradecraft while giving us a jihadist enemy who was humanized but also ruthless, diabolical and, above all, motivated by righteous belief. We haven’t seen an Islamic terrorist portrayed this accurately since the BBC’s Dirty War movie from 2004.
Personally, I think Krasinski is perfect for the role; The Office has imprinted him in our collective consciousness as the ultimate copy room guy but in 13 Hours he proved he could be a convincing operator. Or maybe you enjoy Chris Pine or Ben Affleck trying to play nerds who spend their time pouring over bank records and reconnaissance photos?
Plus the show made women at Vanity Fair cry about patriotism — and that’s a good thing.
Now Amazon is back with season 2: Jack is off to deal with realpolitik in Venezuela and he’s joined by the perfectly vulpine, and always fantastic, Noomi Race.
After tracking a potentially suspicious shipment of illegal arms in the Venezuelan jungle, CIA Officer Jack Ryan heads down to South America to investigate. As Jack’s investigation threatens to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy, the President of Venezuela launches a counter-attack that hits home for Jack, leading him and his fellow operatives on a global mission spanning the United States, UK, Russia, and Venezuela to unravel the President’s nefarious plot and bring stability to a country on the brink of chaos.
Vibes of Clear And Present Danger here. Check out the trailer:
I think what they mean by “Coming Soon” is “Can’t Get Here Fast Enough.”
Amazon is really on an amazing roll with Bosch, Jack Ryan season 1 and The Boys, let’s hope they can continue their winning streak and deliver another high-quality show that focuses on entertainment instead of lectures.
I’m assuming season 2 fast ropes onto Amazon Prime on August 30th, 2019.
