Season Four of television series ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’

A fourth and final season of Amazon Prime Original Series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018-2023) was presented to fans of the series starring John Krasinski as Dr. Jack Ryan over this past summer. Reprising characters from a series of best-selling “thrillers with detailed themes of espionage, military, science, politics and technology” (Biography.Com) written by Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan was central to many of those books while aim for the same things. Here’s our reviews of season one, season two and season three of the series, with the final 6-episode season review of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan presented as follows.

(Betty Gabriel as Elizabeth Wright in season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan).

The murder of Nigeria‘s President Udo in his home opens the mysterious conditions at the heart of the story this season. Jack Ryan, having ascended to deputy director of the  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) alongside new acting director Elizabeth Wright, is called upon to defend what looks to the oversight committee to be CIA involvement in the death. Ryan offers this along with the promise for he and Wright, as portrayed by Betty Gabriel, to clean-up the perceived overreach and corruption within the agency. Former CIA director Thomas Miller, as portrayed by John Schwab, is immediately suspected.

(From left, Michael Peña as Domingo Chavez and John Krasinski as Dr. Jack Ryan in season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan).

The consolidated power of a drug cartel, a terrorist organization and the Central Intelligence Agency had been formed into an organization with seemingly unchecked power to function against the interests of the United States for the aims of profit-making and causing chaos through murderous and symbolic ends. James Greer, Mike November and newcomer Domingo Chavez are enlisted in the direct support of intervening against the people bent on the evil ends. Greer, November and Chavez were portrayed by Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly and Michael Peña, respectively.

(Wendell Pierce as James Greer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan).

Chavez is added aiding the original consolidated CIA mission in Mexico when a plot connected to Chao Fah, as portrayed by Louis Ozawa, leads to Myanmar. Jack, Chavez, and November investigate a Dubrobvnik, Croatia lead while James Greer is elevated to deputy director in an effort to keep Jack’s value as an agent both in play and from tarnishing Elizabeth Wright’s congressional hearing for removing the acting tag from her role as deputy director. Okieriete Onaodowan portrayed Adebayo ‘Ade’ Osoji, a U.S.-based oil lobbyist with special knowledge of the Nigerian political climate, unfolds as a mystery for Wright to puzzle out through this season.

(From left, Louis Ozawa as Chao Fah and Michael Kelly as Mike November in season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan).

Abbie Cornish reprises her role as Dr. Cathy Mueller, with her value to Jack through his transition with the Central Intelligence Agency something that seems to have emerged off-screen between season’s three and four. This romantic link pays off with the further relationship developed with Zeyara Lemos as portrayed by Zuleikha Robinson, whose outcome and purpose played into motives that were distinctly unromantic.

I found the fourth season of this series entertaining. The point-of-view mixed the notions of heroism and mystery well without getting overly preachy on the political or social messaging. Overall, I grant season four of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan 3.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Titus Welliver, Jamie Hector and Amy Aquino in Season Four of ‘Bosch’

The Michael Connelly character Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch first premiered in a series of books begun in 1992. As this is written, the character has led to 24 distinct books and two distinct television shows. We focus here on the fourth season of the series Bosch (2014-2021), starring Titus Welliver in the title role for the series.

(Titus Welliver as Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch in season four of Bosch).

Season four of Bosch picks up three months after season three with subject matter from the Connelly books Angels Flight of 1999 and Nine Dragons of 2009. Irvin Irving, as portrayed by Lance Reddick, has been named police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. As with Irving’s ascension to police chief, threads from previous seasons visit upon the police department, the larger community of Los Angeles, California and the personal lives of the police, members of their families, and the stakes for the cases under investigation with this season.

(From left, Jamie McShane as Francis Sheehan, Tamberla Perry as Gabriella Lincoln and Winter Ave Zoli as Amy Snyder in season four of Bosch).

Important threads for this season tug on racial strife, with the murder of civil rights attorney Howard Elias, as portrayed by Clark Johnson, serving as a central catalyst. Elias was in the process of representing a black man accusing LAPD of police brutality. Irving appoints Bosch to lead a task force, which includes Jerry Edgar, Santiago ‘Jimmy’ Robertson, and sergeant Amy Snyder and Gabriella Lincoln. Jamie Hector, Paul Calderon, Winter Ave Zoli and Tamberla Perry portray Edgar, Robertson, Snyder and Lincoln, respectively. A significant storyline involving Francis Sheehan, as portrayed by Jamie McShane, emerges that captures the attention of this this task force.

(From left, Amy Aquino as Grace Billets and Jamie Hector as Jerome (Jerry) Edgar in season four of Bosch).

Grace Billets, as portrayed by Amy Aquino, continues to serve as lieutenant for the Hollywood division of the LAPD, where the Elias investigation is based. While trying to manage the personalities of the multiple threads of police officers already mentioned, Billets is juggling an assignment as captain without the job title, which presents difficulties that are felt in their own ways by threads of the past for Bosch with Edgar, Robertson and Snyder. Calderon’s own past plays a part in this investigation, while Jerry Edgar has familial struggles with his wife, Latonya Edgar. Ingrid Rogers portrayed Latonya Edgar.

(John Getz as Bradley Walker in season four of Bosch).

Bradley Walker, as portrayed by John Getz, played a relevant role in the fourth season. While having the ear of Irvin Irving as the president of the police commission for the LAPD, in addition to being a former officer, Walker had requested ongoing updates into the investigation into Elias. Harry Bosch had suspected Walker of complicity in the death of Marjorie Phillips Lowe, Bosch’s mother. Things worsened when Bosch‘s ex-wife and the mother of Madeline Bosch, Eleanor Wish, was murdered. The background between Wish and Reggie Woo became more transparent after the murder, with the relationship between Harry and Madeline becoming more visible. Madison Lintz, Sarah Clarke and Hoon Lee portrayed Madeline, Eleanor and Reggie, respectively.

(Sarah Clarke as Eleanor Wish in season four of Bosch).

The fourth season of Bosch offered a good deal of clarity for the larger story being told across the lives of the central characters of the Amazon original series Bosch. With that longer range storytelling, in combination with groundwork laid for additional seasons of the show, I recommend this series. I grant season four of Bosch 4.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, November 12, 2022