'Tom Clancy's 'Jack Ryan' season 2: Five subplots we'd like to see from the movie and the book 'Clear and Present Danger'
'Clear and Present Danger' may not be a Nolan standard, however, it was one of the most brilliant political thrillers of the '90s. Director Philp Noyce adapted Tom Clancy's book of the same name for the flick featuring the titular character Jack Ryan, played by Harrison Ford. The film is rated a healthy 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and was intelligent, gripping and, not to mention, a plot quite dense. The book too was well-received for its compelling narrative.
And now, we see John Krasinski playing the character in season two of Amazon Prime's hit series, 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan'. The upcoming season will borrow from Clancy's 'Clear and Present Danger' and there are a bunch of things we'd love to see in the series. To begin with, there's Krasinski himself. He breathed life into Jack Ryan and ensured the show lived up to its billing in season one.
From the trailer, it is evident that the show will have a lot more action. This comes as a boost as season one had a lot to do with mind games. Ryan had to ensure he was a step ahead of the terrorist Mousa Suleiman (Ali Suliman) at all times. The new season, however, seems to balance the intelligence and action concept. Ahead of the second installment, we'd love to see certain subplots from the movie and the book factored into the series.
Jim Greer's death
Jim Greer (Wendell Pierce) was a formidable force to reckon with in the first season. He came in to head the Terror Finance and Arms Division (T-FAD) and in Ryan, he saw a former marine who was also a skilled analyst. While he came across as someone pretty cynical, his relationship with Ryan was one of the successes in the series. In the book, Greer dies from pancreatic cancer.
We don't know if Pierce's version meets his end the same way or is a casualty during the action in the series. But his death would mean a major character arc coming to an end, assuming they kill him of course.
Introducing John Clark
Imagine a version of Ryan on clandestine, off-the-book missions. While at it, also imagine a ruthless version of Ryan, and that sums up the character, John Clark. Clark, aka John Terrence Kelly, is an ex-Navy Seal-turned-operations officer for the CIA and would go on to appear in 17 novels starting with 1988s 'The Cardinal of the Kremlin'. Though mainly seen as a secondary character who helps the CIA, in Jack Ryan, he may deal with more physical elements in missions.
Operation Reciprocity
This is the covert mission that introduces us to John Clark. In the movie, POTUS' National Security Advisor, James Cutter turns to a cynical and arrogant CIA Deputy Director of Operations Bob Ritter to take down the cartel. Ritter, in turn, assembles a black ops team code-named RECIPROCITY with Clark's help. The team inserts itself into Colombia, with Clark running logistics and Captain Ricardo Ramirez leading the squad on the ground in clandestine search-and-destroy missions against the drug cartel.
The Inside Job
In the end, it was an inside job. Cutter brokers a deal with the cartel head honcho and in cahoots with him is Ritter. However, Ryan triumphs in the end when he unravels the conspiracy. This part could be the most thrilling in the series as there's more time to explore the backstory.
Staying true to the modern threat plot
If 'Jack Ryan' was a staggering hit, it was mainly due to the fact that it focused on modern threats rather than dating back to age-old rivalry between nations. While Russia was teased in the final few minutes of season one, the new installment has all the action happening in Columbia, a direct reference to the events that take place in the book.
For now, there's this quiet confidence that the new season will definitely take the wow-factor a notch higher. 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan' season two is coming soon on Amazon Prime.