Jack Ryan season 4 episodes 1 & 2 recaps & review

Open Go TV / June 30, 2023 / Reviews

In the first two episodes of Jack Ryan season 4, an investigation into the CIA begins when the President of Nigeria is killed with their weaponry. The episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.

Episode 1 recap: Triage

In Lagos, Nigeria, a group of operatives break into the president’s residence and assassinate him quietly. The moment the place is alerted, the person instructing the operatives, Walters, abandons them and leaves.

Walters contacts Chao Fah Sein, the head of operations of the Triad from Burma, and informs him that the Lagos shipping lines are now cleared. The CIA is suspected to be involved in the death of the President of Nigeria, as the weaponry used belongs to them.

Jack Ryan, the deputy director of the CIA, and Elizabeth Wright, the director of the CIA, currently don’t have answers for whether their agency is involved or not.

During the confirmation hearings, Jack admits that he can’t say for sure that the CIA is not involved in the death of the President of Nigeria because the CIA is in danger of being used by outside interests.

Jack promises the Senate Intelligence Committee that it is his job to eliminate any outside interests left by their predecessors that are not in favor of the Americans. Jack is then questioned about his previous mission in Russia. The committee can’t trust him, considering his actions on that mission.

Jack goes back home, and Dr. Cathy Mueller, whom he is dating, has made preparations, knowing his day has been tough. Greer joins him moments later, and they both start working on operations authorized by former CIA director Thomas Miller.

Greer leaves Jack on his own to spend some family time. Jack ends up discovering nine operations that are difficult to decipher. He calls Wright and takes permission to shut them all down, as this is the only way to expose the people behind the mission in Lagos.

Amidst all of this, Domingo Chavez works for Marquez’s cartel in Yucatán, Mexico, and eliminates the competition, which will now allow Marquez to join hands with the Triad. This relationship will be more than just about drugs.

However, the meeting between Chavez and Chao Fah is interrupted by the arrival of some soldiers. A shootout breaks out, and Chavez loses Chao Fah.

Jack and Wright are reported about this incident. Jack promises to look into whether this is connected to Miller’s operations. After spending an evening at the 8th annual Nigeria Foundation Gala, Jack comes home with Cathy, and Chavez holds a gun on him from behind, demanding Operation Pluto be turned back on in the next 24 hours.

Episode 2 recap: Convergence

The next day, Jack enters the CIA office and puts an agent to work, asking him to look into Pluto. They find information on Chavez there. It turns out that Chavez is a CIA operative too. After tasking the agent to find out more about Chavez, Jack is invited by Chavez himself to meet in secret.

Jack meets Chavez in a park and lets him onto the information he has on Miller. Chavez has an impressive record, which is why Miller may have chosen him for these operations.

After realizing that they are both on the same side, Chavez opens up too. Chavez reveals that he has been working with Chao Fah Sein, the head of operations of the Triad from Burma.

Fourteen months ago, Chavez embedded himself into Marquez’s cartel to carry out missions for the CIA. Chavez worked on the missions given by Marquez to eliminate competition, and once everyone was dead, Chao Fah contacted him.

Chao Fah claimed that Chavez’s entire operation is being controlled by the Triad. Whoever is running his operation from Washington, D.C., is in their pockets. Chavez worked tirelessly for his country without question, and now he has lost his brothers.

Chao Fah reached out because he wants to get out of this too. He says this is far bigger than drugs, and he has hard evidence. Chavez trusts Chao Fah, and he has also promised the safety of Chao Fah’s family. He guaranteed it for the name of Miller.

Jack invites Mike November to join, and Greer visits Miller to question him about Pluto. Miller leaves without answering and warns that if Greer brings up that name again, they will take the fall.

Miller quickly goes back home and calls Walters, who orchestrated the assassination of the President of Nigeria. Walters tells him to call only when this is official.

After making sure that his family is safe, Chao Fah calls Miller too, and demands that Pluto be turned on. Chavez is next to confront Miller. Chavez instructs Miller to tell Jack everything, and moving on, he will take care of him and do exactly what they were going to do to him after the end of Pluto.

Miller alerts Walters that it’s official that Jack Ryan is looking into Pluto. Jack, on the other hand, reports everything about Chavez, Chao Fah, and the Triad’s plan to merge with one strong Mexican cartel to Wright and the President.

Jack plans to use Miller and reestablish contact with Chao Fah, the mole in the Triad, who can be a valuable asset to them, and if this mess traces back to the CIA, Jack wants the President to pin the blame on Jack.

Things are getting worse in Lagos, and Wright has been invited by the new president to the country as he has been accused of using the CIA for assassination.

Miller finally contacts Jack and arranges a meeting. Chavez is invited as well, but he says he won’t be there. He will go kill Miller once Jack gets what he needs.

During the meeting, all Miller asks is for Jack to turn the Pluto on. Miller let this operation go through because the results were delivered to him in the form of lower drug trade and fewer crimes. Miller doesn’t reveal who is behind this but says they are more powerful than the US government.

Miller refrains from letting Jack talk to the people in charge, and when Jack claims that they could be watching them if Miller says they are really powerful, Miller runs back to his house.

At his house, Miller is killed by Walters. Unfortunately, Chavez, Jack, and Greer arrive a bit too late to the scene. Chavez likes to think that he is the next target.

Review

The fourth season of Jack Ryan continues to be filled with flawed and uneven writing. The dialogues are too plain, and they hardly excite or tell you more about a character or an event.
Jack Ryan clearly brings an intriguing plot every season. However, it fails to execute it in a way that people will be glued to their screens. It is completely bland, and one gets lost in figuring out the motivations of the characters. For example, the show drops hints that Chao Fah is a good guy, but viewers won’t figure it out until Chavez reveals it.
The first two episodes have kept some beloved characters in the background, including the returning Dr. Cathy Mueller. The focus is on the new members who will soon interact with them.
Lastly, so far, the new mission Jack has, which targets the CIA, doesn’t feel that big yet. It’s more of a downgrade from the previous mission, which seemed huge, although the show suffered from the same problems back then.