John Krasinski returns as CIA analyst and accidental operative Jack Ryan, armed with an Armani suit and a pompadour. Teetering on nerdy, like his "Office" character, he's unconventionally handsome, cozy, and comfy for the home screen. Lacking charisma like all of the former Ryan incarnations, but not as bland as Baldwin and Afleck, or as merely tolerable as Ford and Pine, he appears closer to the model envisioned by its creator Tom Clancy. One of those popular American authors who always took ownership of a novel, Clancy placed his name not above the title, but in it. He had a hyperbolic take on masculinity, unlike that of the urbane Ian Flemming whose alter ego was also charming, witty, and clever--more than just a human punching bag, yet handy too with a Walther PPK. Ryan can be clever, but in a way that reeks of good old American ingenuity. Krasinski even reveals a glimmer of wit, or what passes for a sense of humor (Ford was capable of this as well).
Clancy's franchise is now the property of Amazon, and Krasinski, its titular hero for a third season of action-packed thrills, hushed voices, spy lingo, surprise take outs, and explosions. There are enough bullets and accents to go around, in multiple European locations, where the lines between good, bad, and indifferent crisscross.
In short order, Jack becomes a liability and goes rogue as only he can do. This is how he'll catch other rogues, evil Russians, of course. The optics are bad. But he's got eyes on. Surikov's compromised. Things need to be ascertained. Where's the Sokol nuclear device? How will Ryan extricate himself from this tangle of intrigue? Does he have the intell? Will he prove himself an asset once again? Can he ever forgive the CIA for doubting him?
There is a necessary evil in these espionage thrillers, and not just the Russians: it's the tendency of writers (there's a gaggle of them) to complicate a plot for the sake of authenticity because, after all, evil doing is a complicated business and requires more twists and turns than a pretzel factory. In accordance with the genre, between kills there's always a necessary turn to something human, but decency is in short supply. How many times can a person get hit in the head and still get up to get hit some more? No worries. Jack rebounds quickly, nothing a band aid can't fix. He's back on the case as only a PhD in economics can be.