Jack Ryan (series) season 4: So far just as good as the rest of them

If you have never been a fan of this series I am actually strongly recommending that you get started on season 1. This is a really solid series that revolves around one character but many others as well. As the name suggests "Jack Ryan" is the central figure in this series and that character is played by John Krasinski, whose name you might not know but whose face you almost certainly do.

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My first exposure to this guy was in "The Office" and I think that is the case for most people. Unlike almost everyone else that was involved in that series John Krasinski has pivoted himself in such a way that he is now shown to be capable of acting in any sort of situation where one would expect that he would be dedicated to comedy only. This happens to so many actors and actresses: They get well-known because of a certain role and then spend the rest of their careers trying to fight to not be ONLY seen as that character. Just ask any of the people that were in "Friends" about that if you don't believe me.

Jack Ryan is a great series and involves espionage and government secrets via the CIA where Dr. Jack Ryan works initially as a financial analyst. It is obvious that his roles are going to extend beyond that pretty early on and as a viewer we are not let down.

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While his role in the CIA is to be an office type, even as early as season 1, it extends far beyond that as time goes by and he has the background to excel in that because of his role as a member of active military before he took on the job of an office PhD in economics later in life. The intro shows that he is an expert marksman as well as a soldier that has been deployed many times and in this regard the show itself can be seen as some level of military propaganda. Don't let that deter you though because obviously this is a work of fiction and they do a really good job of stringing together the 4 seasons.

Season 4 is the last season of this and perhaps this has a lot to do with John Krasinski being tired of doing it rather than it losing popularity. It is one of the most watched shows on Amazon Prime after all.

One thing that tells all I need to know about the burnout of all involved with the show is that all of the seasons up to this one have had 8 episodes but season 4 has only 6. So you have to ask yourself why they would do that other than the fact that they don't really want to do it anymore.

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Previous characters from earlier seasons are all still in season 4 unless they were killed off (not many were) and new ones are introduced in this season as well including a seriously fat Michael Peña who is one of those Hollywood celebrities that I am kind of disappointed in for letting themselves go physically.

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I don't know how much money we have to give these guys to convince them to get on a treadmill for a month or so but apparently it isn't enough. Michael just looks like the guy you went to college with that really was a lot of fun at parties and could out-drink everyone and it shows in his chins. He isn't even that old so I guess I am happy for him that he got this role. He needs to exercise though because he is presented as being some sort of elite soldier in this and it just isn't believable when it looks like the only thing he would actually run for is free donuts on the corner if they were having a surprise giveaway. I guess it is good that he still had all of his hair but he has to feel inferior when he is standing next to Krasinski, who is around the same age as him but in superior shape physically.

You do not need to know the plot of this or any of the other series that are included in Jack Ryan. You only need to know that it is wonderfully written, has a good pace, and the acting as well as budget keeps things looking real and very entertaining.

Should I watch it?

Yes

That is all I really have to say about that. It is a good show by every metric. The episodes end in such a way that you better not try to watch "just one more" while you are trying to go to sleep because if that is your plan you will not be sleeping. I can only imagine that this is the final season because Krasinski doesn't want to do it anymore or because Amazon needed to free up more money to waste on The Rings of Power. This is an absolutely fantastic show and worth the Prime membership on its own.

_{as it should be obvious in the writeup. This series in legally streamed only on Amazon Prime}