Jack Ryan season 4 review: John Krasinski ends final mission on tame note despite occasional shades of brilliance

Creators: Carlton Cuse, Graham Roland

Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish, Michael Kelly, Michael Pena, Betty Gabriel

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Rating: 3 stars

When Jack Ryan began four years ago with Jim from The Office as its titular analyst-turned-spy, a few eyebrows were raised. Many wondered if John Krasinski was up to the task, playing Tom Clancy’s iconic character. Others were not certain if the web series format would lend itself to the Ryanverse. Over the next three seasons, Krasinski and Amazon Prime Video proved those doubting Thomases wrong. Season 4 was the chance for the show to end on a strong note and cement its legacy as something for the ages. Alas, the show did not just squander that chance but made a right royal mess of the grounded storytelling that had led to its success in the first place.

Season 4 sees Jack Ryan (John Krasinski), now the acting Deputy Director of the CIA, aiming to uncover corruption within the US administration after an investigation into a drug cartel in Myanmar leads to links to a terrorist organisation and some discrepancies in CIA operations itself. Helping him along in this are old friends James Greer (Wendell Pierce) and Mike November (Michael Kelly). But there is also a new figure in CIA operative Domingo Chavez (Michael Pena) and Ryan is unsure if he is a friend or a foe.

The last season retains some of the strong elements of the show that have made it so popular over the years. Jack Ryan is not a gung ho action hero and it stays like that. He is a man who is ready to get his hands dirty but would prefer if he can get the job done without it. The presence of familiar supporting characters makes the show relatable and the most fun happens in scenes involving any combination of Krasinski, Pierce, and Kelly.

But in going bigger, grander, and more globe-trotting, Jack Ryan abandons its grounded style of narrative that has been the show’s USP for three seasons now. It tries to be bigger, almost cinematic, in its approach. But that has the unintended consequence of making it too similar to so many spy thrillers out there. Jack Ryan’s appeal had been that it had been a slick cross of House of Cards and Mission Impossible, grounded in reality. That is effectively chucked out of the window here.

However, all is not lost, John Krasinski’s screen presence elevates the show. The actor breathes and lives Ryan in a way that you forget that there have been so many memorable portrayals of the character earlier. He embodies the everyman aspect of the hero perfectly. And by season 4, he also beautifully portrays the frustration and fatigue of a man, who seems to be losing the battle against the system. The other performers complement him quite well. Special marks to Michael Kelly, who rises above being the comic relief and makes an already likable character that much more appealing.

However, Michael Pena has been given a raw deal. The actor comes in as Domingo Chavez, another popular character from the Ryanverse, and immediately he seems like a misfit in this universe. An accomplished actor, Pena tries his level best to create a charming and likable persona of Chavez (one that may lead to that planned spinoff) but his efforts are undone by how the character is written. He is the anti-Ryan, too effortless, too slick, and too confident. He seems like a misfit in this world, and it shows.

Another factor that is a letdown this season is the villain. Having been treated to big bads like Suleiman (season 1) and Petr Kovac (season 3), the bar has been raised. Without spoiling anything, I can safely reveal that the bad guy in season 4 does not live up to those lofty standards.

On a whole, Jack Ryan season 4 is not a bad watch. But it is weighed down by its own past successes. The culmination of any show is a chance to go out with a bang. But in a bid to do that in a anner that does not befit the show, Jack Ryan ends with a whimper instead.