‘Jack Ryan’ Recap: ‘Black 22’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When it comes to spy dramas, you’re basically guaranteed to have a fun time. Because the story will be filled to the brim with thrilling action and adventure, the kind that takes your breath away, and you’ll also be treated to a rousing cat and mouse game between a dynamic hero and a dastardly villain as the story catapults you toward a heart-pounding ending where the good guy is triumphant. Unless that spy drama happens to be Jack Ryan. Because this is clearly a series that wants to separate itself from clichés as quickly as possible and for proof, look no further than the third episode in this series, ‘Black 22’.
 
Because this particular tale, was devoid of every single trope one finds in this genre, and instead took the time to focus upon the spoils of war and how the evil that men do impacts their conscience and shockingly enough, it also worked to show us the fallout/aftermath of the some of the acts that normally force us to shovel popcorn into our mouths since this one opened up with corpses littered everywhere in the apartment in Paris, and with the adrenaline wearing off, the sobering fact that people died and died horribly sunk in for Jack and the audience as well and that set the tone for this bleak tale, which quickly shifted gears to the other explorations I made mention of a moment ago.
 
Case in point, how those evil deeds rattle the men who carry them out, since we saw Ali Suleiman struggle mightily with his past and the things he was ordered to do in this tale. Because it was inherently clear that the old friend who patched him up, saw him as a good man who had made some poor choices and regardless of the harm he had caused others, Ali was shown nothing but kindness in this safe house and it was fascinating to watch him struggle with the order to kill his savior and to reflect upon the man he used to be and with a show this thoughtful, I’m fairly certain that’s a setup point that’s going to come into play later on.  

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However, Ali was not the only one struggling with the decisions made by Mousa bin Suleiman. Because his wife Hanin, came to the realization in this episode that her husband’s bloodlust and desire to wage war would likely cause her family to suffer and she did everything and anything necessary to keep her children safe, going so far as to procure passports, and eventually a car to get her family the hell out of there and well, I loved this part of the story, despite its harrowing nature, simply due to the fact that this shattered all kinds of stereotypes. Too often we see terrorists and their families depicted as bloodthirsty monsters at every level and it was refreshing to see Hanin’s character cherish life over war, despite the danger it put her in.
 
Which brings us to the part of the story that explored the spoils of war. Which was handled by way of the introduction of a new character in this tale, Victor, who just so happened to be a talented drone pilot, who was struggling with his murderous skill set, to the point where he tried his damndest to shake the demons that haunted him by gambling away every single dollar that his partner gave him after a solid kill and well, that backfired spectacularly, speaking volumes to the fact that the only way he was going to be free of his demons was to find a way to confront them and he had that opportunity in the most ironic of fashion, by saving Hanin from the men that her husband sent after her and well, it was fascinating to show how constant combat can wear down a man’s soul, and how far one good deed can heal it.
 
If anything, this was hands down the most cerebral and poignant episode of the series to date, and I loved every single second of it. It was just cool to steer the story away from Jack and Greer for a short while to give the other characters time to shine and I love that this series is working to buck the tropes of the spy drama and give us something new and powerful and in my eyes, it’s succeeding every single step of the way. But of course, while this was a joy to watch, there are still some important plot points left unresolved in this one. After all, Hanin is on the run and Victor may not have a clue what he’s stumbled upon and of course, Ali is still a free man, but the CIA is watching, and it should be interesting to see where these plot points go, and what other poignant surprises are waiting for us down the line. Until next time.   

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