Jack Ryan Seasons 1 and 2
Dec. 25th, 2021 11:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI liked the series. But I'm glad that the seasons were only 8 episodes because I don't know if I would have stuck around for a 22 episode season.
+ I much preferred Jack going rogue in the first season to it in the second season. I get that he was over-come by emotion in season 2, in rage and grief over Jimmy's death and was laser focused on revenge, but I also found it irritating and wanted to shake him. A lot. A lot of 'dude, get a freaking gripe!'
+ Jack going to kill Reyes in the season 2 finale and then swerving to 'lets take him with us to stand trial' was very dumb all around. I apparently vastly prefer Jack going rogue over data and info he's worked hard to connect rather then running around like a commando killing people. I do love him in action scenes and being competent, I just need the killing to be people trying to kill him not random people.
+ Jack's main character flaw of self-righteousness was established early and has been consistent but it is definitely a flaw and I'd rather like it to be one Jack has to more seriously contend with.
+ The series started well with that helicopter showing up at the fancy party he’s attending to pick him up - that is exactly the sort of thing I love. But then they missed the chance to have Jim and others run back to the rooms to find him stabbed on the floor and their prisoner escaped which would have been much more dramatic and satisfying.
+ I was interested in seeing how Jack would do as a section chief so the show dumping that in season 2 was a bit of a bummer. I also missed the supporting cast of Jack's office. I wasn't actually attached to any of them, I don't in fact remember any of their names, but they added something to Jack's story. I love getting outsider reactions and that's what they were. The were people who had worked with Jack for a while, who knew him, and so to see them reacting to the changes in him, in new action Jack, in Jack going out there and violently changing the world/saving people/becoming a hero, was great to see and I was really missing that in season 2.
+ I loved that moment between Jim and Mike where Mike sees Jack's board of connections and Jim welcomes him to the mind of Jack Ryan and Mike is all 'jesus christ' over it. Both impressed and appalled/scared. It was a great little moment for showing us more of Jack as a person (without him even being there!) and how others view him. I want more of that.
+ The Jack/Jim friendship ended up being really lovely.
+ The show did that thing I hate where they have a love interest in the first part and then she disappears completely unacknowledged in the next instalment and a new potential love interest is introduced. It annoys to enrages me tbh. It makes women feel like they're disposable and unimportant, especially when male supporting characters are retained.
+ The whole Harry situation didn't work for me in season 2. It felt like a confused mess and I have no idea where they were going with it. Harry as a character was confusing. She says she's been tracking Max down because she wants to protect him. She messed up and he took the blame, and that's what led him on his current path. They have a deeply complicated relationship which is honestly pretty interesting and I wanted to see more of it. The elevator scene was fascinating. But then she murders Max to save Jack's life. She doesn't even try for a non-lethal shot just straight to a head shot. She chose Jack over Max, over her desire to save him. And it didn't work to me.
There was definitely an implication that Harry had fallen for Jack, that she cared about him, more so than Max and I was left going 'but why?' No, seriously whhy? They had a one night stand that was a honey trap on her part, they only actually interact a handful of times, so why does she care about Jack so much?
I feel like if the show had gone in with Harry and Jack already in a relationship as the season starts and then it being revealed to Jack/us that she wasn't who he thought she was, and them having genuine feelings for each other and it leading to serious conflicted emotions as they navigate their separate goals and opinions on Max it would have worked so much better. It also added another layer to Jack being so emotionally compromised! That would have been great. We'd have seen them renegotiating their relationship and it would have made Harry's final decision make much more sense to me. As is I don't buy their relationship.
+ Jack going along with Harry’s plan to capture Max made me facepalm. She’s a liar! He doesn’t trust her. Jeremy just told him not to trust her. And then he went along and trusted her! The smart thing to do would have been to try and get ahold of Jeremy or just MI-5 in general and ask for support. When things went wrong and Jack ran at Harry's instigation and we got the daughter thinking Jack murdered Max I thought for sure this was going to blow back on Jack in a bad way but then it's never brought up again, so I guess not!
+ I liked Mike. I was pleased when he was revealed to be on the up and up and in fact had their backs. I loved him punching Reyes in the face when he realised that Jack was going to shoot Reyes for his taunt.
+ Poor Matice. I liked him too. I was pleased when he showed up in season 2 and then that.
+ Lisa’s reaction when Mike asked if she could get a satellite taken out for them was hilarious. I think it was my biggest laugh of the show. And then after all those fucks she gets it done!
+ I liked Hanin in the first season and everything she did to try and save her kids.
+ The attack on the presidential palace was very dramatic and all and I enjoyed watching the small team sneaking around but at the same time seriously? An American military helicopter lands on the roof of the palace, they storm it and murdered over a dozen people to save Jim and then fly away... and??? Like is there going to be fallout to this? There should damn well be fallout and yet I'm pretty sure there won't be.
+ Also not getting follow up - Reyes murders Ubirras the night before the election and it is never brought up again. It bothered me. It felt like the show piling on how evil and corrupted Reyes is now which was honestly not necessary. We know he's a bad guy! If they weren't going to do anything interesting with this betrayal and very big murder then don't do it. Plus Ubirras had been very clear that he no longer trusted Reyes, was scared of him and was specifically afraid that Reyes would turn on him so him confronting Reyes like that and then turning his back (for so long!) made no sense.
+ At the end Senator Chapin says that Jack has made connections in Venezuela but did he? It was Jim who approached (now President) Gloria. The only people Jack made any connections to were Mike (not Venezuelan, maybe not there anymore), Harry and kind of Jost Van Der Byl (also not Venezuelan or there). I didn't really realise it until that moment and left me going huh.
+ I much preferred Jack going rogue in the first season to it in the second season. I get that he was over-come by emotion in season 2, in rage and grief over Jimmy's death and was laser focused on revenge, but I also found it irritating and wanted to shake him. A lot. A lot of 'dude, get a freaking gripe!'
+ Jack going to kill Reyes in the season 2 finale and then swerving to 'lets take him with us to stand trial' was very dumb all around. I apparently vastly prefer Jack going rogue over data and info he's worked hard to connect rather then running around like a commando killing people. I do love him in action scenes and being competent, I just need the killing to be people trying to kill him not random people.
+ Jack's main character flaw of self-righteousness was established early and has been consistent but it is definitely a flaw and I'd rather like it to be one Jack has to more seriously contend with.
+ The series started well with that helicopter showing up at the fancy party he’s attending to pick him up - that is exactly the sort of thing I love. But then they missed the chance to have Jim and others run back to the rooms to find him stabbed on the floor and their prisoner escaped which would have been much more dramatic and satisfying.
+ I was interested in seeing how Jack would do as a section chief so the show dumping that in season 2 was a bit of a bummer. I also missed the supporting cast of Jack's office. I wasn't actually attached to any of them, I don't in fact remember any of their names, but they added something to Jack's story. I love getting outsider reactions and that's what they were. The were people who had worked with Jack for a while, who knew him, and so to see them reacting to the changes in him, in new action Jack, in Jack going out there and violently changing the world/saving people/becoming a hero, was great to see and I was really missing that in season 2.
+ I loved that moment between Jim and Mike where Mike sees Jack's board of connections and Jim welcomes him to the mind of Jack Ryan and Mike is all 'jesus christ' over it. Both impressed and appalled/scared. It was a great little moment for showing us more of Jack as a person (without him even being there!) and how others view him. I want more of that.
+ The Jack/Jim friendship ended up being really lovely.
+ The show did that thing I hate where they have a love interest in the first part and then she disappears completely unacknowledged in the next instalment and a new potential love interest is introduced. It annoys to enrages me tbh. It makes women feel like they're disposable and unimportant, especially when male supporting characters are retained.
+ The whole Harry situation didn't work for me in season 2. It felt like a confused mess and I have no idea where they were going with it. Harry as a character was confusing. She says she's been tracking Max down because she wants to protect him. She messed up and he took the blame, and that's what led him on his current path. They have a deeply complicated relationship which is honestly pretty interesting and I wanted to see more of it. The elevator scene was fascinating. But then she murders Max to save Jack's life. She doesn't even try for a non-lethal shot just straight to a head shot. She chose Jack over Max, over her desire to save him. And it didn't work to me.
There was definitely an implication that Harry had fallen for Jack, that she cared about him, more so than Max and I was left going 'but why?' No, seriously whhy? They had a one night stand that was a honey trap on her part, they only actually interact a handful of times, so why does she care about Jack so much?
I feel like if the show had gone in with Harry and Jack already in a relationship as the season starts and then it being revealed to Jack/us that she wasn't who he thought she was, and them having genuine feelings for each other and it leading to serious conflicted emotions as they navigate their separate goals and opinions on Max it would have worked so much better. It also added another layer to Jack being so emotionally compromised! That would have been great. We'd have seen them renegotiating their relationship and it would have made Harry's final decision make much more sense to me. As is I don't buy their relationship.
+ Jack going along with Harry’s plan to capture Max made me facepalm. She’s a liar! He doesn’t trust her. Jeremy just told him not to trust her. And then he went along and trusted her! The smart thing to do would have been to try and get ahold of Jeremy or just MI-5 in general and ask for support. When things went wrong and Jack ran at Harry's instigation and we got the daughter thinking Jack murdered Max I thought for sure this was going to blow back on Jack in a bad way but then it's never brought up again, so I guess not!
+ I liked Mike. I was pleased when he was revealed to be on the up and up and in fact had their backs. I loved him punching Reyes in the face when he realised that Jack was going to shoot Reyes for his taunt.
+ Poor Matice. I liked him too. I was pleased when he showed up in season 2 and then that.
+ Lisa’s reaction when Mike asked if she could get a satellite taken out for them was hilarious. I think it was my biggest laugh of the show. And then after all those fucks she gets it done!
+ I liked Hanin in the first season and everything she did to try and save her kids.
+ The attack on the presidential palace was very dramatic and all and I enjoyed watching the small team sneaking around but at the same time seriously? An American military helicopter lands on the roof of the palace, they storm it and murdered over a dozen people to save Jim and then fly away... and??? Like is there going to be fallout to this? There should damn well be fallout and yet I'm pretty sure there won't be.
+ Also not getting follow up - Reyes murders Ubirras the night before the election and it is never brought up again. It bothered me. It felt like the show piling on how evil and corrupted Reyes is now which was honestly not necessary. We know he's a bad guy! If they weren't going to do anything interesting with this betrayal and very big murder then don't do it. Plus Ubirras had been very clear that he no longer trusted Reyes, was scared of him and was specifically afraid that Reyes would turn on him so him confronting Reyes like that and then turning his back (for so long!) made no sense.
+ At the end Senator Chapin says that Jack has made connections in Venezuela but did he? It was Jim who approached (now President) Gloria. The only people Jack made any connections to were Mike (not Venezuelan, maybe not there anymore), Harry and kind of Jost Van Der Byl (also not Venezuelan or there). I didn't really realise it until that moment and left me going huh.
