Jack Ryan: S1E6

So much happened in season 1 episode 6 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan! Let's begin.

We see two men are digging the ground in Liberia where Ebola patient's dead bodies are burried in a flashback scene that happened 6 months ago. After securely getting hold of the body, they take off their costumes and we are shocked to see Suleiman and Ali.

Cut to present time where Hanin and her daughters Sara and Rama are traveling in a truck in which people are gathered like cattle. We feel bad for them. Then we see Jack and James arrive in an airport in Adana who are greeted by Lance. Remember him who Hanin had met earlier? They get in a car to go and meet a local guy who can help them find Hanin. Coincidentally, Victor is also there at the airport who hires a cab to go to Syria. He is here to make amends with the family of the guy that was innocent but Victor had killed because he was misidentified.
At Washington Memorial Hospital, Cathy is very busy after finding signs of Ebola in a recent death case. Her friend advices her to go behind her boss's back (who had ignored Cathy's concerns) and consult with another senior doctor working in Liberia.
We see Yazid; Suleiman's guy; arrive where the truck in which Hanin, Sara and Rama were traveling has stopped. He pays a local guy to find out about Hanin and her daughters but Hanin catches him and silently attacks him. He falls in a shi* pile and Hanin, Sara and Rama runs away. I wonder how did Yazid came back after he was presumably dead with Victor's drone shot. Anyways.
After learning about the incident that we saw in the flashback scene at the beginning of the episode, Dr. Cathy Mueller gets super nervous and writes an email raising a red flag related to Ebola.
Lance introduces Jack and James to the local guy inside a brothel and Jack is very uncomfortable working with the shady guy. He affirms there must be another way to find Hanin but James Greer shuts him down. James speaks with experience because he knows this needs to be done and tells Jack to watch and learn. While they are on the road, they learn about the incident that happened with Hanin and her daughters. When they come to know that Suleiman's guy tried to get hold of Hanin and her daughters, they rush to the beach from where the human smuggling takes place. Hanin, Sara and Rama are on foot when the daughters requests Hanin to take a halt for taking rest. However, Hanin is in no mood to listen to her daughters's wussing and shouts at them to suck it up.
Jack and James's car is halted because of a new wall. The local guy deals with the situation by killing the security guards and Jack loses his sh*t and starts beating him up. Greer intervenes and finally they are back on the road.

In Syria, Victor makes peace by giving away a lot of money to the family members of the innocent guy he had killed. No one understands each other. Yet the whole sequence is played out brilliantly. If anyone is going to sleep like a baby tonight, it's Victor!
Hanin and the girls finally arrive at the beach but guess what? Yazid is already waiting for them. He calls Suleiman who asks him to bring the girls back home but kill Hanin. Woah! Just in time when Hanin and her daughters are yelling for help, Jack and James points guns at Yazid. Yazid has Hanin at his gunpoint and the local guys point their guns at Jack and James. The guy with Jack and James talks to Yazid's men and James asks Jack to put down the weapon. Knowing that Yazid is returning Hanin and not the girls, Jack is reluctant but finally gives up. But as soon as Hanin is safely returned, James kills Yazid with a sharp and quick headshot. That's the experience that Jack still lacks! And the local guys point their guns with a lot of confusion on their faces. Finally the situation gets diffused and Jack and James takes Hanin and her daughters with them. Jack takes Hanin under confidence and learns about Suleiman's location but James is not thrilled to hear that. When Jack sits down next to a brooding James, James opens up about what happened in Karachi. He was trying to secure a high level asset from Pakistani Army but the guy turned on him and James had to stab him and flee. The reason James told Jack about this was so that he could learn from his experience but Jack being Jack is still stubborn about only making the righteous choices. James has a look on his face that tells us that Jack may be hesitant to adopt to the ways in which the real world operates but will eventually have to accept it the hard way!

There are so many things that stays with us when we think about this episode. But the most important thing is the realization that we are just 2 more episodes away from the end and the Jack v/s Suleiman face-off is just around the corner! Are you all with me yet?

Jack Ryan: S1E5

The episode begins with a scene in the church where the terrorists had killed more than 300 innocent people. By killing a priest earlier, the terrorists ensured that there will be a lot of people and dignitaries at his funeral. It is revealed through a series of videos that Suleiman was behind these mass casulties. Jack is not dealing with the aftermath of the destruction very well and James is there to explain to Jack how he should not react to this emotionally but with his brains.

There are some episodes which are fast paced and high in action and then there are some episodes like this one. These are the episodes that helps the audience get up to the speed while placing its characters at the right places in order to build a strong story in the upcoming weeks. When you have a series like Jack Ryan with many characters and parallel storylines, it's required to take a breather episode so that we can gain our strength back and be ready to race again!

We see the strange reality of present time through Hanin's story arch. Hanin arrives at a Turkish refugee camp. She seeks political asylum but an undercover CIA officer is not quite open to believe her. When Jack learns about this, he feels that this can be a major step while dealing with Suleiman and wants to verify if this is really true.

We see Suleiman remembering his past. We see how he was denied any opportunity to have a civil future because the French people judged him based on his religion and not by his knowledge. We also see Ali carrying a gun in his younger age when Suleiman risks himself by assaulting a policeman only to save Ali. After spending spending months in prison , Ali pays Suleiman a visit. We also see how Suleiman was brainwashed in the prison by extreme religious propaganda. Clearly, the realities of the world in the past were not better than the present times.

Suleiman meets the leader of the 12 hostages and promises him that all of the needs of the hostages such as fresh water, medicines etc will be fulfilled. Looks like there is still some remains of humanity left inside Suleiman after all!

At Nevada, Victor learns that the man he had killed in Syria who had a son was misidentified. The guilt and shame of killing an innocent person breaks him. He tells Ava that their CO has ordered him to take a 10 days mandatory leave. He also reveals to Ava how he wanted to be a Pilot and not control the drones like he does. To this Ava explains why the work he does is not any less than actually fighting in a war. She tells Victor to get piece of mind by doing whatever he requires to do before he comes back.

At Langley, the CIA is planning to catch hold of Suleiman by contacting him through the messaging system inside the video game that Ali used to use to communicate to his brother. Suleiman initially believes him and sends his men at the location where the CIA has set the trap. Later he identifies Jack because he is unable to reply to a trick sentence by Suleiman. Suleiman tells Jack that he will find him but Jack brings up the topic of Hanin only to successfully confirm that she has left Suleiman. Meanwhile, Hanin gets on a truck with her daughters after she has given all her jewellery to a local human smuggler to help them flee. Suleiman's man is there in Turkey at the camp from where Hanin had just ran away. How the hell did he survive the drone attack I wonder! Elsewhere Jack and James are seen getting into a plane for Turkey so that they can get hold of Hanin.

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Jack Ryan: S1E4

There is no one who is a complete saint and no one who is an all out monster. People come with many shades. But after this episode, we can easily place Dr. Jack Ryan as one of the few people on this show who knows he wants to choose the right path whenever he can.

Episode 4 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan opens in the beautiful Alps mountains in France where Ali is stopped by a cop for overspeeding. Jack is relieved when he sees Ali released by the cop with only a warning. Jack and Sandrine are following Ali by tracking his movements using GPS tracking. In the car, Sandrine boosts Jack's morale and he asks Dr. Cathy Mueller out on a date. In another car, James Greer who was also following Ali loses his track only to find out that Ali has switched vehicles.

In Syria, Suleiman is missing his wife and daughters. He listens to the news of 12 foreign hostages and decides to put on the show of the power of money. He visits the camp of a local militia along with his men and meets their leader; a local Sheikh; who is an extremist by nature. Suleiman fools him and pretends to buy the hostages from him. But instead of giving money to the Sheikh, he distributes it to his men who turns against the Sheikh. Suleiman brings home many more men than he previously had along with the 12 hostages and the Sheikh as his captive. He then publicly beats the Sheikh and announces to his men that he will be a better leader and will establish a Caliphate.

Back in France, Jack and Sandrine stop at a gas station to fill up the gas and buy some cigarettes. Coincidentally, Ali who is also there catches Jack suspiciously looking at his car. Ali takes out his gun to shoot Jack but himself gets shot by Sandrine. A local policeman shoots Sandrine unaware that she is a Police Captain who is then shot dead by Ali. Jack manages to hide only to find a gun and then Ali and Jack shoots bullets at each other until Ali runs away in the woods. Jack follows him and both of them get in a fight and Jack finally kills Ali. Shocked by the incident, Jack comes back to the gas station but finds Sandrine has also died.
When Jack returns back to Washington DC, James advices him not to go to sleep in this state of mind. Unfortunately, Jack doesn't have time to process the happenings in France because he has a date with Cathy. Jack has to lie again when Cathy asks him details about his job. The two of them end up sleeping together in her apartment after spending a good time on their date.

Back to Paris, we get an answer to one of the cliffhangers from last episode. Remember the priest that was killed? We see a church full of people who are there to pay their respects to the dead priest. Among them are three men who are carrying chemical weapons inside the bags with them. I wonder if Suleiman is behind this...not sure what is his big plan but I am sure we will get the answers in due course of time. One by one each of the three men get out of the church. Slowly. Without getting noticed by anyone else. They bar the church with chains and a lock. They start walking away from the church. We already know what's coming but we end up watching anyway with only a small ray of hope that somehow the mass destruction may be avoided but in vain! One of the men activates the weapons by sending a message from a mobile. The end.

Before you know it, we have reached exactly at the middle of the series and all the storylines are going ahead with full speed. Neither Suleiman is ready to back down nor is Jack going to give up.

The cry for help from inside the church, did it reach anyone? Is everyone inside dead? What was the motive behind killing so many innocent people anyway? By the way what happened to Hanin and her daughters? And what about Victor?

So much to explore with only four more episodes to go. Stay tuned!

Jack Ryan: S1E3

Upon returning to the apartment, Jack finds a SIM card on the floor which confirms his theory that Suleiman is using a mobile app to replace the money in the account frozen by the CIA. He and Sandrine are surprised after learning that James Greer follows Islam when they see him praying for the woman who blew herself to carry out the blast but of course none of the two says anything.

In Syria, we see a man teaching his son how to pray to Allah. Then he leaves his house with a gun on his shoulder. His activities are being captured by Victor and Ava through a drone. When they get an order, the drone kills that man and Ava gives Victor a dollar for his perfect aim although; Victor doesn't seem very happy and proud.
Back in Paris, Ali is identified by the CIA referring to the prison records which showed that he was the only visitor Suleiman had when he was in prison.
We see Hanin gets passports for herself and her children using her uncle's help so that she can flee from her husband but a man spies her when she hides the passports in the kitchen. Bad move Hanin!

Unable to sleep, Victor decides to blow up all the money he made from each kill he made by the drone attacks. He visits a casino in Vegas, but is unlucky(!!) because he wins much more money. (And also gets laid with a woman whose husband watches them fuc*ing on the sofa and beats Victor later on) I am not sure on the entire scene's purpose but never mind!

Back to Al Mnajeer, Syria, Suleiman burns the passports in front of his family and Hanin and her children watches helplessly. Poor Hanin and her children! Meanwhile, Jack finds a video game in the apartment where an injured Ali had taken refuge. He figures out that Ali was contacting Suleiman using the messaging system built in the game. Hanin manages to escape from Suleiman with two of her daughters while Sandrine tracks the car which Ali has took to flee and the team decides to follow the car. Suleiman sends men to search for her wife and daughters. One of the men tries to help Hanin but is shot dead by another man who then ties Hanin's daughters in the car and tries to rape Hanin.
All this is being monitored by Victor and Ava who are controlling the drone from Creech AFB, Nevada. They ask their supervisors permission to engage. The permission is not given but Victor who is already frustrated and worked up makes a move and kills the man who was trying to rape Hanin. Hanin and her daughters run away and Victor is lucky once again because he doesn't lose his job.

The casting for the series is spot on. The storylines of even the minor characters are developed wonderfully. Every episode brings something new and unexpected. And soon we realize that this is not just a chase between Suleiman and Jack but there are many other people who are playing their parts which gets the story ahead by leaps and bounds!

Thank you for being with me. Do I write simple enough for you to grasp the gist of the story and enjoy it at the same time? Do you have any suggestions or improvements for me? Let me know in the comments so that I can write more and better. Until next time!

Jack Ryan: S1E2

One noteworthy thing about the show Jack Ryan is the way it takes it's viewers to different places, showing different characters, their POVs, the situations these characters are in etc all with such a grip over the storyline that I can't help but draw parallels in the approach of storytelling of Game Of Thrones which is another iconic show that I write about.

The second episode starts in Paris where we see a Priest assassinated by two guys. And that's it. No names, no dialogues, nothing!
Cut to Langley where we see Jack and James attending a meeting with many senior officers of the CIA all of whom are watching the video showing the happenings from the last episode where Suleiman was rescued. Senior officers suspects Suleiman maybe related to ISIS but Jack points out the different way in which Suleiman operates asserting that he is not with ISIS and is a major threat similar to Bin Laden. Although Jack and James wear actively involved with all the research up until now, the CIA assigns CTC Europe with a task force to take this further.

In Yemen, Suleiman assigns a new mission to his brother, Ali, saying that he is the only one he fully trusts.

Jack visits Washington Memorial Hospital to get an MRI. We see the glimpses of his past which disturbs him. He also meets Cathy and explains to her without revealing his true identify why he was airlifted the last time they met. Cathy doesn't really believe him but still gives him her number because she is clearly drawn to him. Awww!

In Syria, Suleiman returns home with gifts for the kids who are happy to see him. He also brings a lot of new, mysterious men with him which makes his wife, Hanin, upset and tensed.

Back in the office, James Greer gives Jack Suleiman's mobile phone and Jack is supposed to unlock it because he is the only one with most knowledge about Suleiman.
Frustrated after unsuccessful attempts to unlock Suleiman's phone, Jack finally takes it out on James by asking him about his secret in Karachi but James puts him to his place by bringing up his secretive past in Afghanistan. Ooooh...Steamy ;-)
But before we get a scoope of anyone's past, James notes Suleiman's habit from the footage claiming that he has served a prison sentence in the past. Then our hero Dr. Ryan does his thing with a database and finds out some number in prison from France and that is the password to his mobile. Voila!

We are then taken back to Paris where Ali buys a lot of SIM cards. God knows why?

In Syria, Hanin questions Suleiman about his plans but he asks her to relax and chill. Meanwhile Jack, James and another person named Matice arrive in Paris and meets Police Capt. Sandrine and a SWAT leader. The team attacks an appartment where Ali and his people are using SIM cards to replace the money from the account (frozen in the last episode, remember?) using a mobile app. Before Jack and team could storm the place, Ali is informed about the same by a spy kid and Ali manages to escape. Jack runs behind Ali but couldn't shoot him because of disturbance and boom! A suicide bomber blasts herself in the apartment and Jack looks back at the apartment with a whole lot of emotions. Are James and Sandrine and Matice and all the good guys dead? Did Ali successfully escape and survive? What will Jack do now? And why the hell was that priest killed at the beginning of the episode? The episode ends with so many cliffhangers and we are left with no choice but to click on the next episode. This is the power of this series that only through a couple of episodes it gets the viewers hooked to it so badly!

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Jack Ryan: S1E1

The premier episode starts with a flashback in Lebanon when a village is bombed by a group of aircrafts and two boys playing on the roof witnesses this first hand.

Back to present day when we see the titular character Jack Ryan rowing in Washington DC. It can be clearly seen how much work John Krasinski has put into making a transformation from his earlier roles to the lean, strong and serious Dr. Ryan. On the way to the office he almost gets hit by James Greer's car who comes to the CIA as Jack's new boss. There are rumors about James getting demoted from his earlier posting which we will figure out as the story progresses. Jack is also carrying a history with himself. He was a marine who left the defense forces and joined the Wall Street and then left it to join CIA as an analyst. Ignoring his co-worker's efforts, Jack tells James about the mysterious case related to suspicious financial transactions but James refuses to put too much attention to it.

In Al Mnajeer, Syria, we see Suleiman's wife who is surprised to see a white man in the compound as a new 'brother' as per her husband's order.

Haunted by his past and unable to sleep, Jack goes deeper into his research related to Suleiman's unexplained transactions and comes up with a conclusion that there is money laundering involved and that Suleiman could have a humongous plan to threaten the world. Jack brings to Jame's notice about a series of suspicious transactions and asks him to freeze the bank account but James refuses to do so. Jack then goes behind Jame's back and gets the deed done.

We see that there is a shi*load of weapons, computers and whatnot in a barrack inside the compound where Suleiman and his men resides. We also see people doing something with a mysterious liquid.

In Yemen, we see two men meeting a bank manager and a team of CIA people monitoring this. The two men are then captured by the CIA and taken in for questioning.

Jack meets his former boss's daughter Cathy Mueller; a doctor specializing in infections diseases; but before the two of them could hit it off, Jack is airlifted from the party and taken to an airport. James and Jack fly to the site where the two men captured in Yemen are interrogated. Jack finds out that the phone number in the suspicious transactions matches with the number of one of the two men who is a businessman.
Jack then meets with the other man who works as a bodyguard for the businessman in the other room and suspects that he knows something and that he is much more than just a bodyguard. Jack also notices the scars on the man's hands. Outside the site, some dead bodies are brought in by some Saudis. Surprisingly, one of them is not dead and is hear for the captured men. The base is attacked by some armed men and a riot happens. The businessman is killed but Jack manages to save himself when the attacker who was swept in as a dead body comes to the room where Jack and the bodyguard are present. When the man posing as a bodyguard is rescued, Jack identifies him as Suleiman. Suleiman also notes that Jack is not just an analyst in CIA but much more than that. Finally we see Suleiman and the man who rescued him touching their heads together and then we are taken back to the flashback scene where after the bombing, one boy saves his brother by lifting a burning object off of his legs burning his own hands in the process. After this, the two of them touch their heads and this reveals that these two boys grew up to become Suleiman and his brother in present time.

Phewww! So much content to take in. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan has already been seen in movies before but the television version of it cannot get any better than this. John Krasinski is the perfect choice to play the role of Dr. Jack Ryan. James Greer played by Wendell Pierce complements Jack wonderfully. The episode ends after almost an hour and when we finally come to know who is Suleiman we cannot wait to jump to the next episode, ASAP. Do you agree?

Let me know in the comments if you liked my review of season 1 episode 1 of Jack Ryan. I need your feedback and appreciation to boost myself to write more and write better. So don't shy away. Tell me how you liked to read this.