Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 Review: An Emotional Test For Our “Data Analyst”

October 31, 2019 (Last updated: December 22, 2022)
Daniel Hart 1
Amazon Prime, TV Reviews
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Summary

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 presents an entirely new challenge, but the key unique selling point is the character development of the lead character.


This review of Amazon Series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 contains no spoilers.

The opening season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan introduced the world to a fresh-faced John Krasinski playing the multi-skilled character that enjoyed cycling to work and claiming he had found the next Bin Laden. Fast forward to Season 2, and we are in a whole new ball-game. We have an entirely new story to ponder.

We are no longer faced with the baby-faced actor that swooned hearts in The Office US. The versatile John has grown a shabby stubble for Jack Ryan and presents a character that has become more cynical than before, and less naive.

There are several story arcs that conjoin in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 but the selling point is the new Jack. After deciding to remain in the USA, throwing the odd lecture at aspiring students, Jack Ryan is faced with his biggest challenge to date. One that is close to his heart, and changes his development indefinitely.

Jack is astoundingly more interesting due to the wounds he carries in Season 2. Traumatised by the events of last season, he shimmies through action sets with less care. His decision making is more irrational, emotional and less calculated. The Amazon Prime series has flagrantly built a character ready for Season 3. It feels like a filler for more interesting stories to come.

And that does not discredit Season 2. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan focuses on the Venezuelan Government with an upcoming election; corruption reeks in the air with the leader facing strong opposition, and when a satellite is shot in the sky from the South China Sea, Jack’s analytical skills and intuition encourages a diplomatic investigation. There’s plenty of complexities to enjoy, and solutions are less simple than ever in Season 2, with more intense political stakes.

You may have heard in the casting news that Noomi Rapace stars in Season 2. While plot details will have to be left out, her character is a welcome addition to Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. The actress proves once more that she owns the drama/action genre, fitting in with ease into Jack’s world. The only let down is that she is not in it enough,

In its eight chapters, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 is less Data-Analyst and more boots-on-the-ground espionage in Season 2. Jack, Jim and their acquaintances tend to remove their diplomatic professionalism at the door and have free reign in implementing their own missions. It’s laid back “do what you want Jack” approach makes for less-realistic, but more interesting storytelling. It loops back to his character development — a character on edge, with an emotional objective and less of a factual one.

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 2 is a genuinely well-crafted addition to the franchise.


Ready Steady Cut got early access to Amazon Series Jack Ryan Season 2. You can read the recap of the first episode by clicking these words.

You can read the review of Season 1 by clicking these words.

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