Story Recap – what happened in Jack Ryan season 3?

By Marc Miller
Published: December 21, 2022 (Last updated: September 23, 2024)
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This is a story recap of the Prime Video series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 3, which contains spoilers — we detail what happened.

One of Prime Video’s flagship series, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, has shot and completed its third season. The series has been a solid producer for Prime Video and a welcome surprise for John Krasinski fans, who have turned the role of the intellectual government agent into a series that acts as a thinking man’s thriller.

What’s not up for debate is Krasinski’s turn this season. It is easily his best yet, and with returning favorites such as Wendell Pierce‘s James Greer, Michael Kelly‘s Mike November, new additions of Tár’s Nina Hoss, and an awards-worthy turn by veteran character actor James Cosmo (Braveheart), season 3 of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan should satisfy die-hard fans and new ones alike.

Story Recap – what happened in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 3?

Episode 1 – “Falcon”

Jack Ryan completes a mission to recover information about a possible Russian nuclear weapon. When he goes to pick up the cargo on a Russian freighter, it turns out it’s a scientist seeking asylum. He has been working on Sokol, a once-defunct Russian project looking to create a nuclear bomb that is impossible to track with military radar. At the same time, the Russian defense minister was assassinated in front of the Czech Republic’s president (Nina Hoss), and the shooter was killed by a member of her detail, Radek. When the mission goes wrong, and Yuri is killed in front of Jack, the CIA needs a fall guy, and Jack goes on the run.

Episode 2 – “Old Haunts”

It is revealed the new defense minister, Alexi Petrov, was behind Popov’s assassination. Petrov assigns Luke to find and bring in Jack Ryan, who has a red notice issued to him by the CIA. What we didn’t see coming was the woman who delivered the patsy set up as the assassin is the wife of Radek, Alena Kovac’s head of her security detail.

Episode 3 – “Running with Wolves”

Greer updated president Kovac on the situation in Russia. Popov was pretending to be a hardliner but wanted reform in the Russian administration – that’s why they think he was killed. Yet, Kovac’s most trusted advisor is her father, Petr. So why is he having the new Russian defense minister, Petrov, over for a night hunt and drinks? Greer investigates the assassination and finds a video showing Radek leaving her side well before the shooting. He relays this information to Kovac that he could be the mole inside her operation. And in an even bigger twist, it is revealed that the notorious Kremlin agent Luka is feeding the United States information about Sokol. Lastly, Jack finds a friend with Mike November, who flies him out of the country and to safety.

Episode 4 – “Our Death’s Keeper”

Greer finds that Radek used to serve under Petr Kovac in the Czech Republic army in his unit, so there has to be a connection between the two. Jack and November plan a sting on a Hungarian arms dealer to gain information on Sokol’s location. The episode ends with Radek kidnapping his president.

Episode 5 – “Druz’ya I Vragi”

It turns out Radek thinks the secret plan has gone too far and is trying to save Alena ultimately, but the trap he set for his former mentor fails, and Petr kills them. Petr tells his daughter he pulled the strings to get her elected so he could gain access and information, which is power. He wants to bring back the old Russia. In other words, make Russia great again. We also learn Petr used to be a Russian soldier who barely escaped being gunned down for treason for trying to prevent the Makosla slaughter. When Jack and a team attempt to secure the Sokol at the Makosla sight, Luka escapes with the weapon. Why? Because he has to track down the man pulling the strings, the only way to do that is to put the bomb in their hands.

Episode 6 – “Ghosts”

Jack and Mike form a plan to intercept Sokol by having it detonate underneath a mountain in a parkway ramp that was placed inside a NATO vehicle. It was revealed that the group behind this plot made Sokol look like a United States-made bomb. Petr is caught by Luka and handed over to the authorities. However, arranging this NATO vehicle moving nuclear material is the final escalation for a full-scale war between Russia and the United States.

Episode 7 – “Moscow Rules”

The penultimate episode uncovers a plan called “Crossbow,” which is more about power than a nuclear weapon. Sokol, per Jack, was never about a nuke or starting a war. It was always about power. He has found a written note proving an attempt to overthrow the Russian president and start a full-scale war escalation with the United States.

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Episode 8 – “Star on the Wall”

Greer offers Petrov asylum in the United States, but he declines it. At the same exact moment, Kovac plays a tape of Petrov confessing to the coup to overthrow his presidency. The Russian president’s security detail then kills Petrov when they are sent to arrest him, and he pulls out a weapon. Jack lands on a US warship, and Luka boards a Russian one looking to start a conflict that will ignite another world war. Luka can arrest the Russian commander, who is part of operation crossbow, and Jack can talk down the captain of the ship from following the rules of engagement.

Jack and Greer are awarded for their heroism, but Luka is last scene being escorted into the Kremlin, and the mood is ominous.

That’s the story recap of what happened in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 3. What are your thoughts on the story? Please comment below.

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