‘Jack Ryan’ Recap: ‘Blue Gold’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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​Often times in storytelling, we find ourselves captivated with the motivations of the antagonist. Because it is always fascinating to learn about what exactly allows for a human being to turn their back on their fellow citizens and do harm to them as well. But the flip side of that coin is often something that is viewed as taboo for storytellers. For we expect our heroes to be something quite different. They are to be infallible in fact, free from temptation and notions of revenge, and they are supposed to represent the best of us, and are not allowed to explore the darker recesses of our souls and this is why I’m such a fan of season of two of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan. Because this particular season is bucking that trend and offering up a supremely human look at Dr. Ryan, one that is seeing him give in and indulge his darker side all in the hopes of righting a horrible wrong.
 
Granted, this is something that season two has only been toying with in its first four episodes, but the next chapter in this tale, ‘Blue Gold’, saw Jack let loose and take risks and make decisions that he’s never made before, which were a touch scary in their own right and might lead him into more trouble when all is said and done. But what made this sudden shift in his demeanor so shocking, is the sheer fact that this episode dropped it into our laps without warning, since this started out like any other episode. After all, Gloria Bonalde continued to inspire the people of Venezuela and Greer even figured out how that the rock she gave him was a valuable mineral that could change the fortunes of this country forever. Plus, November even made an offer to the General to defect to the United States in exchange for a little information.
 
But Jack and his dark journey is what truly made this episode worth our while because he pushed the envelope like never before. Because when faced with the prospect of returning stateside once again, he took matters into his own hands and decided to explore Throne’s penthouse on his own and continue to dive deep into Rupert’s shady dealings and reveal the fact that his company did indeed take part of a direct line cash transfer to Max. But he only thing he couldn’t prove while diving into that data, was who exactly fired off the assassination order for Senator Moreno and well, the only way to figure that out was to get to Max himself. Which of course meant it was time to team up with Harry once again, who was still in London thanks to a tense confrontation with Max and well, the information she offered Jack is what in essence transformed him before our very eyes.
 
Because let’s be honest, the guy is indeed a boy scout, one that stands for truth, justice and the American way and he’s always played by the book to get what he needs. But losing his friend has indeed compromised him and his soul, since he headed off to a nearby school to confront Max’s daughter and use her for bait and this was just stunning. Because Jack using a kid for his own personal gains should be a line, he would never cross, but he did here and it was shocking to watch him grab Max’s daughter, Annabelle, and use her to draw this mysterious assassin out into the open. Granted, he didn’t hurt Annabelle in the slightest, but the act and the decision is a huge step for Dr. Ryan and sadly, his efforts were all for naught. For before Max could reveal who really ordered the hit on Moreno, since he made it clear that Reyes was not behind it, Harry showed up to put a bullet in Max’s brain and now we are left with an intrepid hero that is fighting to keep his purity, and has zero answers as to what is going on.
 
If anything, Jack’s decisions in this particular tale made this an incredibly powerful episode and I’m honestly blown away that the writer’s room took this risk. Because this is a slippery slope for Jack to play upon and it could lead us in two vastly different directions when all is said and done. But it’s a genius move if you ask me, as was making this episode incredibly ambiguous when it comes to the side characters. For there is a frightening passion coming from Gloria at this point, leaving one to wonder if she really wants a peaceful change in her nation and I still cannot tell where Harry’s loyalties lie since she kinda, sorta threw Jack under the bus in the closing moments of this tale, and I don’t know if she did that to save her own hide or if she’s working another angle as. But the only way to find out, is to continue the journey, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to my Amazon Prime app to see what surprises await me next.  

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