Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1 Review

Director: Phil Abraham
Starring: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Noomi Rapace, Jordi Mollà, Michael Kelly and Tom Wlaschiha

WARNING: SPOILERS for Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1 in this review!

Jack Ryan Season 1 was one of my biggest surprises of last year. I really didn’t expect to enjoy it, but John Krasinski was just so charming as the lead, the story was compelling and the action was actually pretty good.

It reminded me of watching 24 as a kid and feeling the same levels of excitement watching the hero track down the bad guy. I know it sounds rather primitive, but the show knew what it was doing, and it did it well.

The same can be said of Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1, called Cargo, which sees the CIA operative (John Krasinski) back trying to prevent another global catastrophe by solving a mystery of a Cypriot cargo ship.

Ryan believes that the cargo ship contains Russian weapons of mass destruction that they’ve sold to the corrupt Venezuelan government.

Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode sees John Krasinski at his very best

Jon Krasinski shows what he’s made of in Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1 (Credit: Amazon Prime)

Read more: When Will The Umbrella Academy Season 2 Be Released On Netflix?

Venezuela is under the rather tyrannical rule of Nicolás Reyes (Jordi Mollà), who’s currently facing stiff opposition in the country’s upcoming Presidential election from Gloria Bonalde (Cristina Umaña).

It’s actually quite a fascinating plot because it’s current, what with the recent political issues in Venezuela, and it’s nice to see an American TV show take on another state which isn’t Russia or in the Middle East for once.

Where this first episode in Jack Ryan Season 2 really excels is its performances, especially Krasinski as Ryan himself.

He’s doing an awful lot here. He’s playing the strong man rather well, but he’s able to portray an undeniable intelligence and Krasinski’s really shown how at ease he as a leading man in this show.

John Krasinski gets to show his emotional range

John Krasinski is back as Jack Ryan in season 2 (Credit: Amazon Prime)

Read more: Watchmen Episode 1 Review

There are some especially heartbreaking scenes towards the end of the episode which show off his emotional range as an actor, which is something he also did in the first season of the Amazon Prime show.

However, the show also starts off with a literal bang as far as the action is concerned. Jack Ryan is a really well-made show when it comes to its action.

I would go as far as saying that it’s the best action I’ve ever seen on television. It’s visceral and feels very much real, which is surprising considering Michael Bay is an executive producer.

I’ve always felt that Bay’s explosions feel more like fireworks going off rather than actual explosions.

There are no fireworks to be seen in Jack Ryan.

The episode also introduces us to Noomi Rapace’s character, who’s already very intriguing.

She’s obviously just as smart as Ryan, and can easily beat him in a fight.

Noomi Rapace is also brilliant in Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1

John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in season 2 (Credit: Amazon Prime)

Read more: Watchmen Episode 2 Review

Not much is knowns about her as of yet. She’s very enigmatic, but she’s clearly a spy of some sort. We’ll just have to wait and see what’s to come from Rapace’s character.

We also have James Greer (Wendell Pierce) returning, and he’s got some issues of his own. He’s got heart problems, and this could very much come to be a huge problem for both him and Ryan as they really start tracking down whoever’s behind this new conspiracy.

All in all, Cargo is an excellent start to Jack Ryan Season 2, and it had me with my finger hovering over the ‘next episode’ button once the episode came to its conclusion.

More of the same, please.

What did you make of Jack Ryan Season 2 Episode 1? Did you enjoy as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!