Jack Ryan Season 3 Review: John Krasinski Returns in Another Thrilling New Mission
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan has had many interpretations in live-action media, with some being good and others being less than so. But, it seems that they've finally found their footing with the Prime Video series starring John Krasinski. Jack Ryan will conclude its run with a fourth and final season and filming is set to begin sometime next year. In the meantime, Season 3 of the series is launching on the streaming service this week, and all eight episodes are expected to drop at once. The first season of the series was met with high praise, with Jack Ryan racing the clock to foil a terrorist plot, but the second season was definitely lacking the same spark as the first, due to the massive departure in story. Now, it's time to see if the third season can bring the series back to form, and while it doesn't match up with the first season, it's a massive thrill ride that travels the globe.
Jack Ryan Season 3 starts off fairly differently than the two previous seasons, which bodes well with helping set the tone for the rest of the adventure. Vaun Wilmott takes the reins of the series as showrunner for Season 3, and it seems that his fresh eyes have worked wonders for the pace and tone, which sets up fans for a thrill ride. What Wilmott has crafted is a perfect take on the world of espionage and is a masterclass of serial story telling. Throughout every episode, the directors and writers expertly craft a way to keep you wanting more, which will work really well with their release plans. The third season of Jack Ryan finds an even blend of the first and second season all the while creating a fresh story that will interest fans of the series as well as newcomers.
With its fast-paced beginning and the unraveling of a plot that could possibly set up the next World War, Jack Ryan takes the espionage genre to new levels. Wilmott gives fans of the series a masterfully crafted spy story and evolves the series into something very different than what it started out as. Season 3 sees the return of Jack Ryan (Krasinski), James Greer (Wendell Pierce), and Mike November (Michael Kelly) who are right in the thick of a Russian nuclear plot to overthrow the government and begin a war with the United States. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Ryan gets put on the Red Notice list while trying to get to the bottom of it all? During Season 3 we get introduced to a bunch of new characters and along with the performances from the O.G. cast marks for some compelling television.
Alongside Krasinski, we get to see the return of Pierce and Kelly and they're all delivering performances that are a series high. Krasinski feels born to portray Jack Ryan and every moment he's on screen is really good television. We also get to meet some new players like Elizabeth Wright (Betty Gabriel), Luca (James Cosmo), Petr (Peter Guinness), and the President of the Czech Republic, Alena (Nina Hoss). All of these add their own flare to the season and move the board around during the entirety of the latest season. Gabriel's Elizabeth Wright is an absolute win for the series and has one of the best character arcs yet. With its compact eight-episode story and intricate espionage plot, Jack Ryan Season 3 may just be one of the best series you see all year.
If you were a fan of the first season of Jack Ryan but didn't enjoy the second season as much, then the third season is definitely a return to form. If you're a newcomer to the series but love a good spy thriller with solid storytelling and acting, then this is the season for you. Jack Ryan will be a solid hit for Prime Video and it helps that you will be able to binge on it. The performances from Kelly, Pierce, and Krasinski are some of the most memorable for the franchise and I can't wait to see where these characters go next. Krasiniski will be sorely missed after the series concludes after its fourth season, and I for one am excited to see where this universe goes. Jack Ryan Season 3 is one of the most thrilling projects I have seen all year.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
All episodes of Jack Ryan Season 3 will premiere on Amazon's Prime Video service on December 21st.