‘Jack Ryan’ Recap: ‘Dios y Federacion’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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

I have to admit, that I was extremely nervous to settle in and watch the next episode of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan. Because the death of Matice in the prior episode made it clear that this series was no longer going to mess around, and that more bad things could be waiting for us down the line, and well, ‘Dios y Federacion’ didn’t exactly do all that much to squelch my fears. For the opening salvo of this particular tale saw our intrepid hero under fire from Reyes’ forces, meaning that the danger was going to continue. But despite the odds, Jack was likely going to stop at nothing to save his friend once he discovered that Greer was alive and well and that, alongside a few other surprises, offered up a taste of hope in a tale that should have been supremely bleak.
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For Greer was indeed alive and well in this story, and while he was taking quite the beating at the hands of Bastos, he was staying true to his oaths and not giving Reyes’ thug an ounce of information and thankfully, once the beating came to a close, Jim was able to get a good understanding of what this camp was all about. As it turns out, this was the place that Reyes sent his political rivals, or anyone that just so happened to offend him and it was quite the tragedy to see artists and scholars and good men suffer in horrible conditions simply because they wanted a better life for their fellow countrymen and the hope that I made mention of in this particular tale came about from the fact that Gloria’s husband was still alive and mostly well in this camp and also because, Jack had one hell of an idea in regard to springing Greer.

Because Jack needed an army in order to get his friend to safety and thankfully, he knew how to get one. Which brought him to the mercenary camp that put him in hot water to begin with and despite the bad blood between he and the Jost, our intrepid analyst knew exactly how to get through to his temporary foe by offering him and his men an ungodly amount of money to help them storm the camp and free the prisoners and since money talks, they agreed. But what they found at the camp was enough to chill Jack’s blood. Because by the time they arrived, prisoners were being executed with impunity per order of the presidente, and that left Jack in a panic as he searched for his friend and eventually he was able to discover that Greer was moved to the Presidential Palace and well, this was indeed the brightest point of the story since lives were saved and Jim was finally in a somewhat safer place than the jungle.

But what motivated the death of so many innocent lives and the transfer of a high value asset, made this episode all the more frightening. Because these decisions helped us to understand just how terrified Reyes is of losing an ounce of control over his beloved country and that he will do whatever it takes to keep his grip as tight as possible upon Venezuela and his people, and this was something that was hammered home by his handling of General Ubarri. For at long last the general made his decision about where his loyalties need to lie, thanks to seeing Reyes’ cruelty firsthand in their hometown, and he made great efforts to challenge his longtime friend to change his violent course. But that was a bold and critical mistake on the general’s behalf because when given the opportunity, Reyes slit Ubarri’s throat, for what he viewed as unfettered treachery.

So, this is another one that ends on shaky ground. Because no one is safe at this point and I’m genuinely afraid for Greer’s safety, since now we know that Reyes is a genuine mad man and well, all jittery and breathtaking moments aside, this really was a magnificent way to set up the season two finale. Because the stakes actually managed to get higher in this tale since now an entire country is in danger alongside Greer and I honestly haven’t a clue how Jack is going to prove that Reyes is dirty or bring him down because the man is simply untouchable at this point. Which means it’s best I don’t waste a single minute and get my backside back on my couch and fire up my Amazon Prime app. Because I have to know how this ends and whether or not Jack is truly going to save the day, so if you’ll excuse me, it is time to see how this powerful season comes to a close. Until next time. 

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