Jack Ryan – Season 4 Episode 1 “Triage” Recap & Review

Triage

Episode 1 of Jack Ryan’s new season begins in the aftermath of the events in the third season. We begin in Shan State, Myanmar, where the series will retake proceedings.

Jack Ryan is taken into captivity with a bag over his head and he is brutally tortured. He overhears who might be involved in an upcoming assassination. Three weeks prior, the world of global politics was jolted with a shock. A team of four mercenaries broke into the President’s house in the early hours of the morning in Lagos, Nigeria, and murdered President Udo.

There is no further clarification on the identity and purpose of the men behind the assassination. All we have is a man named Bill Tuttle, who was acting as the operations lead for the four men. He abandoned the mercenaries right after Udo was killed and walked out of a Biz Hub building. Tuttle called someone in the Wukong Palace Casino in Shan State, Myanmar confirming that the job was done.

US President Bachler pulls in Acting Director Elizabeth Wright and Acting Deputy Director Jack Ryan for a briefing. The CIA’s stance is clear: they did not authorize this operation. The men who conducted it were not CIA personnel, although the weaponry recovered from the scene does belong to them.

Bachler warns Ryan and Wright that the confirmation hearings for this incident will be held in a week. The Senate Intelligence Committee hearing will come before that and the CIA must make its position clear.

We shift our focus to Yucatan, Mexico, where Domingo Chavez murders Emilio, the head of the Perez Cartel. He takes Emilio’s severed hands in a chest to the head of the Marquez Cartel.

At the Senate hearing, Senator Henshaw and Jennings bring into question the Agency’s integrity. Ryan’s mission in Russia from the previous season is alluded to and a point is made that they (CIA) can’t keep the interests of the American people safe. The CIA’s involvement in the hit is neither confirmed or denied, which strengthens their notion that the CIA is being run lawlessly.

Rodrigo Marin, Marquez’s right-hand man, congratulates Chavez for his good work. This move leaves the Marquez Cartel as the last standing one in Mexico. Their shared networks with the Triad in Southeast Asia can be leveraged to open the floodgates of the world for them. We met the propreiters of the Triad in Loi Sang, Myanmar. Tin Tun and Chao Fah have different ideas to take the organization forward. While the former is apprehensive of aggressive expansions, the latter wants to make a deal with the Mexicans. He plans to visit soon and meet with Marquez to discuss a deal.

Ryan has struck up a romantic relationship with Cathy Mueller, although it is still in its early days. James Greer and Ryan discuss the recent assassination and the Agency’s role in it. He tells Ryan that former Director Miller used to transcribe all files in his office into shorthand only he could understand. But Greer knows how to read them. As a result, many unauthorized hits were sanctioned. This might be one of them.

At the Palace Casino in Shan State, Fah is shown to have several sim cards in his office. He prepares to go to Mexico that night with his son who is also his bodyguard.  Chavez goes to Lieutenant Morales, who is on the Cartel’s payroll. He tells Chavez that the police know a shipment is coming. Morales takes a bribe to ensure it is not affected. But Chavez warns him to stay within his reach.

Meanwhile, Greer and Ryan sit down in Miller’s office and go through old files. Unsurprisingly, they cannot find logs for nine operations carried out by the agency.

Greer visits his family in his efforts to mend broken relations. He hasn’t been home for a long time since the children were staying with his wife, Jasmine. Their interaction indicates there is a long way to go before Greer is accepted back by his family. Elsewhere, Ryan suggests to Elizabeth that they cut off spending for these operations to shut them off and she agrees.

Chavez is confronted by Rodrigo Marin for changing the plans with the Triad last minute. Earlier, Marquez was himself going to meet Chao at the dock. But now, Marin will be going on his behalf and then Chao will be taken to Marquez. Chavez warns him that the original plan would have made Marquez look weak. The Triad is not to be taken lightly.

Chao and his entourage arrive in Yucatan. The Triad will be providing pure ingredients to the Mexicans to use in their drugs and other products. Chavez has already planned the abduction of Chao with his team of mercenaries.

Morales sees his bank account has been deactivated and Chavez hasn’t deposited the money. Enraged, he sends the police to the dock as planned. They open fire and Chao is barely able to escape. Marin is also taken by surprise but makes it out.

At the Nigerian gala, Elizabeth meets philanthropist Zeyara Lemos and Nigerian lobbyist Osoji. Ryan attends it with Mueller, who goes back home with him. The episode ends with Chavez holding a gun to Ryan’s head and asking him to fund “Pluto” once again, indicating that it was one of Miller’s missions that Ryan shut down.

The Episode Review

Jack Ryan’s new season starts off in a promising fashion. The coming together of two completely different underbellies of crime – drug trade and terrorism – will give viewers a refreshing antagonist presence. Chao already looks like a formidable opponent for Ryan, whose backstory before he got kidnapped will be interesting to see.

The series once again keeps its horizons vast enough to include contemporary international politics in the narrative. Avenues like these can make the storytelling more layered and nuanced and expand the mysteries ahead.