The Checklist: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (S3 Ep1) “Falcon”
Jack’s back, baby! Everyone’s favorite CIA agent is back and ready for Prime time for the third time in season three of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. John Krasinski returns as Jack Ryan and after his last couple of adventures he isn’t so wet behind the ears. Can season three hold up to the high level of action and jingoistic excellence just like the first two? Let’s find out by putting the season three opener “Falcon” to the Checklist test!
- Does Season Three Differ From the First Two? Season one sees a novice Jack Ryan takedown an Islamic terrorist. Season two has a more experienced Jack battle corruption and political intrigue in Venezuela. Season three ramps up the intensity with the return of a classic movie bad guy in the form of Soviets and their nuclear weapons. Jack is straight legit super agent and chock full of confidence from the start. A completely different, and downright timely story if you peep any of the contemporary news headlines, and a Jack who is on his A game from the start means season three is a unique thrill ride.
- Does Jack Use His Allies? – Jack may be more experienced, but that doesn’t mean he can’t use help. Wendell Pierce returns as James Greer and they might not have always seen eye to eye but Greer is in Jack’s corner. Betty Gabriel debuts as Ryan’s boss Elizabeth Wright and her by the book methods initially clash with Jack’s hero ball style in the first episode. Will that continue throughout the season? You will have to find out.
- Does the Action Hold Up? – Episode one has some outstanding globetrotting action set pieces. An attack on a freighter is just the kind of special operations missions you want to see in a set piece. Jack manages to integrate himself into the team after meeting them for exactly two seconds before going on a mission. I told you Jack has leveled up. There is a shootout on a beach that will have you rethinking your summer holiday plans in Greece. I would mention the car chase in Athens, but from what I have heard, crazy driving is a pretty standard day over there.
- Does the Serious Life or Death Storytelling Continue? – Jack Ryan is a serious action packed thriller that doesn’t have time for too much light hearted storytelling. “Falcon” opens with a flashback of a slaughter of a Soviet nuclear facility. That is a pretty somber opening. There isn’t much time to rest as we learn the beginnings of the story that will continue throughout the season and the Seven Days to the Rhine plan that gets kicked off with the assassination of a Russian defense minister. Nothing like opening and closing an episode with some murder.
- Does Season Three Have Legs? – “Falcon” clocks in at over an hour, and while it is the longest episode, it does a great job of showing this season is no joke. We are whisked all over Europe from Rome to Athens to Prague to Moscow with some of the best shots of the series. The threat of a nuclear attack, while used in the Jack Ryan movies, is fresh to the series and having the return of the Soviets is a great way to have a bad guy that is easy to root against. There are plenty of other twists and turns in later episodes, but this Checklist is only for episode one so I will leave it with the fact that “Falcon” left me wanting to see more.
Season three of Jack Ryan is off to a perfect start, if you go by Checklist math (or maths if you are British) and I really don’t see any other reason to calculate it any differently. An action spy thriller might be right in my wheelhouse but there is a lot to like for fans of drama and geopolitical machinations. Make sure to let us know if you have enjoyed season three or any of the other seasons of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.
