Jack Ryan, Season 2 — A Review, But Mostly What Should Have Happened (spoilers included)

While Jack Ryan, Season 1 was an admirable continuation of the Tom Clancy legacy, Season 2 fell far short of that goal. This was most especially true in a number of smaller details and plot decisions which I cannot believe Tom Clancy would have ever countenanced. He built his novel empire by layering good characters and plausible plot lines on top of a strict adherence to common practices in intelligence operations, military tactics and techniques, and defense technology capabilities. Season 2 sacrifices that adherence in service to plot to the detriment of the season’s quality.

On top of that, Season 2’s incredibly formulaic character portrayals — all the good guys start and end as good guys, and all the bad guys do the same — means the entire weight of the series-ending climax has to be placed on the plot, with the obviously terrible consequences. If you conclude your pitch for a multi-million dollar mini-series by saying, “And then it’s revealed that a Senator was behind the assassination of another Senator in a foreign country,” you are admitting the characters you’ve built are so flat that they can do nothing for you.

So, without further ado, here is how I would have rebuilt this series to be less absurd in its small details and more vivid in its character development. Even with all of its flaws, Season 2 provides plenty of grist for a truly outstanding drama. Without changing any of the major characters, or adding to them, there is plenty of room to make this a better show than it was.

The short form of my suggested changes are as follows:

• Rather than portray Reyes as the ultimate antagonist, with Max and Bastos as his lesser antagonists, the series should climax by revealing that Ubarri was secretly behind Cinco Palmas and the ongoing violence across Caracas because he was being paid by the Russians to cement Reyes’ power so he, Ubarri, could continue his hold on the Ministry of the Interior (Bonalde’s husband found the financial linkages between Ubarri and the Russians, which is why he disappeared). This is not revealed until the final episode, and throughout the first 7 episodes, we see a President Reyes who alternates between outrage against the CIA, who he believes is inciting the violence that is wracking Caracas, and fear at what is happening to his dream of a modern Venezuela. Jack and Greer, too caught up in their theory that Reyes must be behind Moreno’s assassination, miss multiple clues throughout the first episodes that Reyes genuinely doesn’t know why the violence is happening and that he is not responsible for Moreno’s death.
• Similarly, rather than portray Mike November as an accommodating and rule-bending Chief of Mission, he should be a gritty, skeptical pessimist who is savvy enough to begin developing an Ubarri-focused theory for Moreno’s assassination but who is so petty and hateful about Jack’s presence in the country that he doesn’t reveal what he knows to Jack until they are united in the highlands prisoner camp in the last episode or two.
• Finally, rather than end the series as it does (with Jack almost killing Reyes in cold blood and uncovering Senator Chapin’s involvement in the conspiracy), the series should end with Jack and Mike rescuing Greer from the compound while Reyes and Ubarri fight to the death. Jack, Greer, and Mike discover Reyes in the act of killing Ubarri as they leave, and Reyes tearfully explains that Ubarri was behind it all, showing them the documents pulled from Ubarri’s jacket that show he was the true antagonist. In a heart-wrenching monologue, Reyes describes how his vision for Venezuela has died at the hands of his best friend and brother, and therefore he is dead as well. He raises his weapon at Greer and Jack shoots him with Ubarri’s pistol. Greer collapses, and Jack hastily puts Ubarri’s pistol back in Ubarri’s dead hand so he and Mike can carry Greer to the roof and escape. Bonalde wins an uncontested election, and with Ubarri’s perfidy discovered, and everyone assuming he killed Reyes, Reyes is given a state funeral, which Jack and Greer watch while Greer tells Jack he should switch to Operations.

Also, some smaller silly shit definitely needs to be changed, much of which is documented below in a more detailed approach to how each episode should have changed.

Episode 1

We’re introduced to all the major characters, as required, and the episode ends with the climactic scene of the Senator getting assassinated, setting up the ‘whodonut?’ plot device for the rest of the series.

Instead:

• Rather than kill Senator Moreno immediately, this should have been pushed to the end of Episode 2.
• Re-focus Episode 1 on Jack and the Senator arriving and immediately beginning to find things aren’t as they seem on TV from afar. Gangs of men are already violently attacking Bonalde supporters, but Reyes and Ubarri deny their government is involved. Jack and Moreno split up to begin their investigations — Jack to meet with staff at the Embassy and some of their developed local contacts, Moreno to spend time individually with Reyes and Ubarri and their spouses. The episode ends with them agreeing to reunite to watch a Bonalde speech, but when they arrive and Moreno tells Ryan he’s found out something interesting, they can’t talk more as the rally erupts into violence and they’re forced to flee through the streets. It’s unclear to them whether the men are targeting them specifically, but some of them seem to be on the lookout for them, and Jack has to use some of his skills to evade them and get them back to the hotel safely.
• Alternatively, switch the endings of Episodes 1 and 2, and have Jack Ryan end up in Senator Moreno’s room by accident, where he is almost murdered by Max, who’s there to kill Moreno. He fights him off, but the man escapes and Moreno and Jack realize there is much more going on than they expected.

Episode 2

This episode introduces the Chief of Mission Mike November, who will become a central character, and ends with the attempted murder of Jack by Max.

Instead:

• This is the episode that should conclude with Senator Moreno being assassinated. Then his connection to Ryan has been more established, and in the episode we can show him disagreeing with Ryan and Greer (or Mike November) as they begin to build a case that shows Reyes is behind the violence against Bonalde.
• Rather than becoming an accommodating figure, Mike November should instantly be suspicious of Jack and remain so throughout the rest of the series. He refuses to share with Jack and Greer the information coming in through his local network, which is that the gangs attacking the Bonalde rallies are being well-paid through a series of front companies tied to Cinco Palmas.
• In a meeting that lays a marker for the rest of the season, Jack and Greer meet with Reyes and Ubarri (with Mike November and the Ambassador present) and Reyes seems genuinely never to have heard of Cinco Palmas, though Jack and Greer don’t believe him. Ubarri has heard of Cinco Palmas, and offers up a suggestion that it’s connected with someone in London (Rupert Thorne).

Episode 3

This episode introduces the Special Action Team, including Matice, and focuses on Marcus Bishop and climaxes with him being left behind in the jungle.

Instead:

• The first major change in this episode should be to show Reyes and Ubarri meeting, with Reyes expressing concern and doubt about the escalating violence and unhappiness and looking for ways to accommodate, while Ubarri pushes him to be stronger and deploy the police and military to reduce the violence. The power dynamic between the two is constantly shifting — Reyes is doing the dirty work as the one in power, but has moments of doubt and struggles with whether he is adhering to their original vision; while Ubarri alternates between being a sycophantic follower of Reyes and pushing for a hard-edged, militaristic response to conditions in the country.
• The second major change is to improve the reason Marcus leaves the boat behind. Perhaps a semi-working radio transmits a garbled signal that sounds to him like the team on-shore needs help; or a local patrol discovers his boat and he has to reposition it, then leave it to try to find the team and alert them to the change. Almost anything would be better than what was actually shown.

Episode 4

Development of the London trip, Bonalde’s relationship with Greer, and climaxes with Jack chasing Max through the city after he assassinates Thorne.

Instead:

• No changes needed to this episode.

Episode 5

Mike November makes the offer to Ubarri, Bonalde and Greer continue meeting, and Max and Jack climax this episode with their fight over Max’s son.

Instead:

• To strengthen the drama of this episode, Harriet should end up revealing that she is the mother of Max’s child. She kills him, but her daughter becomes furious with her and screams in her face (which sets up the potential for a character in Season 3).
• Mike November makes the offer to Ubarri, thinking his back is against the wall. We then later see Ubarri coming to Reyes and playing a secret recording of November’s speech to him. He tells Reyes the time has come to eliminate the colonizers and that they should add November and Greer to the list. Reyes asks “what list?” and they have a dramatic moment of silence — this must be shown but not told, but Reyes is reacting to the fact that he doesn’t know Ubarri has been using Cinco Palmas and Max as cut-outs to fund the violence, assassinate Moreno, and target the CIA agents without Reyes knowing about it at all.

Episode 6

Matice is killed in the jungle, Jack and Greer are kidnapped and taken to Reyes, the anti-American violence escalates and the Embassy is evacuated. The episode climaxes with Greer being taken hostage.

Instead:

• The only change to this scene should be that Reyes, Greer, and Jack end up in a shouting match at the polo match where Jack and Greer are brought to. Reyes tells them he knows about their team in the jungle and is planning to kill them all if they don’t leave; he believes they are responsible for funding the violence and making his regime look bad, which in turn is better for Bonalde, and that all of this has come up since they entered the country. Astonished and outraged, Jack counter-accuses Reyes of all the same things and says he is setting them up to be the fall guys so he can win on a platform of patriotism and nationalism. Reyes responds with a heated story of coming out of the barrio and what he stands for, what he’s trying to do. They stand eye to eye, breathing heavily. Ubarri comes out, calms them both, and suggests to Ryan and Greer leave immediately, as they are now persona non grata.

Episode 7

This episode really needs to eliminate the silliness, like the Chief of Mission using an AT-4 to destroy a solo armored vehicle and then having their own bullet-riddled car start up; the Chief of Mission calling his ex-wife the Ambassador and getting everything he wants even though he’s illegally in the country with two other agents; and the Chief of Mission murdering one of his local security agents, Jose Marzon, in cold blood on the beach. And also the scene where someone who’s lost a finger to Greer is willing to take money to go save Greer and others. This episode climaxes with Reyes killing Ubarri and Greer in his cell in the Presidential palace.

Instead:

• Ubarri should be replaced in the trip to the barrio with Reyes, who is astonished and despondent over the violence in his own childhood neighborhood. He returns to tell Ubarri he can’t stand it, it’s better to resign than to continue on like this. Ubarri urges him to stand firm, shows him new (fraudulent) evidence that the CIA is funding Cinco Palmas and the vigilantes because they want to control the government so they can access the tantalum mines.
• Rather than end with Reyes killing Ubarri, Ubarri confronts Reyes and tells him he must act. Ubarri pulls a gun and Reyes freezes, thinking its for him; then Ubarri tells him he is going to kill Greer himself. Reyes follows him through the corridors of the palace, arguing with him; they meet with their wives and have a short conversation about what is right for Venezuela, what is right for them; then Ubarri pushes aside his own wife and heads for the prison in the basement. Reyes follows him, and in the climactic scene the two men fight, the gun going off repeatedly, ending with Greer being wounded (but not killed), and the men breathless and staring at his motionless body.

Episode 8

Jack, Mike November, and the SAT return to the Palace. Climaxes with Jack almost killing Reyes, but not, and all of them evacuating safely; and then Jack accusing the Senator of being behind everything after he traces his Philadelphia phone number.

Instead:

• Rather than make this about Reyes and Senator Chapin, this episode reveals that Ubarri was secretly behind Cinco Palmas and the violence in the country, and was trying to use Rupert Thorne as an intermediary to sell the country’s tantalum reserves to Russia. Reyes was an unwitting enabler, and in the climactic scene Ubarri attempts to kill Reyes while Jack and Mike are attempting to rescue Greer. As the rescue happens, the Americans stumble into the Presidential office and find Reyes in the act of killing Ubarri with Ubarri’s own knife (made with a bright blue tantalum edge to it). Reyes acknowledges that it was Ubarri the whole time and produces the documents from Ubarri’s jacket pocket that show he was the owner of Cinco Palmas and was receiving tens of millions of dollars from Russia through Thorne. Reyes knows the story will never get out, and that he is responsible for all the tragedy that has befallen, and forces Jack to kill him by raising his weapon and aiming it at Greer’s head. Jack shoots him with Ubarri’s pistol which he had previously picked up from the floor. Greer looks at the scene and just says “oh shit.” He grabs his chest and falls. Jack hastily puts Ubarri’s pistol back in Ubarri’s dead hand, and he and Mike carry Greer to the roof. Mike November shouts at Jack that he’s going to end his career, but they make a deal that neither will say what happened and leave it at that. The election committee validates Bonalde’s win, and the story comes out in the media that Ubarri was the hidden usurper and Reyes died tragically defending Venezuela; Bonalde holds a state funeral that Jack and Greer are watching while Greer talks about stepping back from Operations and suggesting Jack step into that kind of a role.