Sometimes, I really hate how my brain thinks. For instance, when I read that season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan was releasing only six months after its third installment, I assumed that meant its writers must’ve had a clear and concise vision of where to take the series since before season three. But, did I check to see if those same writers stayed with the show? Of course not, that would’ve been the logical thing to do.* Consequently, my expectations for Jack Ryan’s fourth and final season were quite high, especially coming off a relatively strong third chapter. Naturally, this conjecture proved misguided, but at least I can say that my opinion of this season would’ve remained the same, expectations or no expectations. It’s utterly subpar.

Rather than doing my normal thing and typing a full synopsis, instead I’ll just say this: season four’s story is a hot mess that generally lacks intrigue and coherence. To summarize, Jack (John Krasinski) is tasked with fixing the CIA, but in doing so stumbles upon a terrorist plot that some members of the CIA – past and present – are directly involved in. At its core, this plot involves the union of a Burmese criminal triad and a Mexican cartel, thus merging terrorism with drug-running. While that summary may sound pretty badass, the product on-screen is anything but. In the first three episodes, it almost feels like nothing happens while all this stuff is happening. Confused? Well, let me elaborate.

Ultimately, the failings of Jack Ryan’s final season are mostly attributable to the scripts’ tendency to tell rather than show. For example, it’s constantly repeated that this Burmese triad is an all-powerful organization that’s ruthlessly violent, but it’s never shown how expansive their operation is or how bloody they can get. The end result is that they feel unthreatening, regardless of how much they’re talked up. Over the first three episodes, this is especially problematic since all of the tension is supposed to stem from the idea that the villains are too cunning and vicious for anyone to be able to stop them. The same tell-over-show method is also applied to Domingo Chavez (Michael Peña), a character whose involvement with this conspiracy is so unexplored that it borders on irresponsible. If Amazon hopes to develop a spin-off centering on Chavez, then they’ve already failed to provide him an engaging introduction. In all fairness, Peña does alright with what he’s given, but overall, Chavez is so bland and predictable that I don’t foresee too many people getting really hyped for his spin-off.**

Movies and TV series often utilize a tell-over-show strategy when they either don’t have a lot of time for filming, or they don’t have a lot of money, or possibly both. Season four of Jack Ryan exhibits qualities of each of those possibilities. I’ve spent most of this review critiquing the scripts, but perhaps they were purpose-built to be lean and shallow, in order to keep things fast and cheap. It certainly felt that way throughout, and if I knew for certain that was the goal, then I’d probably be more forgiving. The same goes for the action, which is really dreadful this season. Certain set pieces, like one involving Mike November (Michael Kelly) and a helicopter, seem like they were edited in fifteen minutes on iMovie. The gunfights are no better, as there’s clearly no employment of blanks, squibs, or anything else that gives a shootout some thump. On top of that, the VFX artists rarely animate a gun’s action recoiling or casings ejecting. This could be a sign that these artists were rushed to put out a semi-finished product. All of this is just speculation, however. Either way, it’s clear that many shows and movies are transitioning to airsoft guns as an overcompensation after the Rust tragedy. They may be cheaper and safer, but they lack authenticity, especially when the actors don’t feign recoil and the VFX looks this amateurish.

Fortunately, there are some time-tested elements of Jack Ryan that still appeal, such as the cast. John Krasinski remains a compelling lead, even if he’s normally less interesting than his allies, especially Mike November. Speaking of allies, Wendell Pierce is still excellent as Greer, even as the addition of Chavez relegates him to more mundane duties. And Betty Gabriel really kills it this time around, which is nice after her solid but unmoving turn in season three. Also, I should point out that I found the last ten minutes or so of the series finale to be thoroughly riveting stuff, finally offering up some of the grit and creativity that made the previous seasons much more memorable. In fact, this coda is so satisfying that it does somewhat redeem some of the storyline’s lesser moments. At the end of the day, whether or not you’ll enjoy Jack Ryan’s final mission will depend on your preferred storytelling depth. Previous seasons definitely dove deeper, but surface-level has its charm too, I suppose. Then again, that’s the kind of charm I prefer in 1980s action flicks, not modern six-episode political thrillers.

If I had to score it, I’d give season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan a 5/10.

Notes:

* Season four’s screenwriters are indeed new to the series, with the exception of Vaun Wilmot who co-wrote the first episode with two other writers. I looked up the new team’s credentials and it’s a mixed bag of experience. While I think it’s neat that a few fledgling writers are getting opportunities on series like Jack Ryan, I’m not sure a final season of a show this big is the best place for them to cut their teeth.

** [Minor Spoiler] If you’ve seen Clear and Present Danger, then you’ve already seen Chavez’s subplot in season four, as it’s almost the same as John Clark’s in that film. Chavez gets duped by his CIA handlers, leading men on dodgy black ops missions that deliver certain results before those men are killed off to tie up loose ends. Look, I understand the inclination to reduce Chavez to a trope, but there’s nothing wrong with taking risks and giving him nuance. I’m sick and tired of forgiving characters for the awful crimes they commit because they were “just following orders.” We didn’t allow the Nazis that excuse, so why do we offer it to our heroes? Chavez getting revenge is fine, but it’s boring. Chavez seeking penance is more interesting, surely. I’ll let you guess which route the writers took.