When Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan debuted on Amazon Prime back in 2018, it had a straightforward approach to delivering pulpy action and the standard edge-of-the-seat experience that you look for in this genre. The plot of the first season was nothing we hadn’t seen before, but thanks to the star power of John Krasinski and stunningly choreographed action sequences, the show quickly became a rage. In fact, it turned out to be the best screen adaptation of the character. Obviously, more seasons were inevitable, and Jack Ryan continued to deliver in its second and third seasons. But with each passing season, it started to incorporate very relevant political issues, almost mirroring what is happening in the real world. That might have irked the fans who only follow the show for the action, but it has definitely added layers of meaningful death to Jack Ryan.
The current season, which is also supposed to be the last one, seems like a marriage between the worlds of Homeland and Mission Impossible. It is still the same old Jack Ryan we have all loved for the past five years, but it is a lot more than that at the same time. This is not just Jack’s show anymore, as other characters have taken center stage as well. One such character is Elizabeth Wright, who is the acting director of the new CIA. Betty Gabriel has been doing an impeccable job at portraying Elizabeth ever since the character was introduced as Rome Station Chief at the start of season 3. Initially coming off as a stern government official who didn’t quite approve of Jack or his unusual methods of getting the job done, Wright slowly turned into a trusted ally, and her character only became more substantial. In the current season, while Jack is mostly involved with the main story arc featuring the Silver Lotus Triad, Domingo Chavez, and the Marquez cartel, Elizabeth is the star of the other story arc that primarily features the Nigerian conflict, which originated in Lagos. These two plots are running in parallel, and we can bet that eventually, they are going to blend quite seamlessly, but for now, it kind of feels like a separate Elizabeth Wright show is going within Jack Ryan. And that is not at all a bad thing. In this article, we are going to shed some light on that.
Spoilers Ahead
What Is The Main Conflict?
At the very beginning of this season, we see a group of covert operatives breaking into the residence of Nigerian President Udoh and assassinating him. This is effectively leading to a situation of political unrest in the capital, Lagos. While acting president Okoli, an ardent supporter of Udoh, tries his best to keep things calm, warlord Ameh keeps campaigning against the current government and smells foul play involving the Americans and the CIA. He is right, though, given we have already seen these operatives communicating with an American man named Walter, who would eventually be revealed as an integral part of Operation Pluto.
While the idea of American involvement is ludicrous on paper, Jack Ryan, the CIA’s newly recruited acting deputy director, does find out that the assassination of the Nigerian President was indeed the fruit of a secretive operation that was being run by the CIA. That was not in his regime, though, as the suspicious mission (there is more than one) was being run during the time of former CIA director Miller. With the approval of acting director Wright, Jack shuts down all these mysterious missions from the Miller regime.
Why Does CIA Director Wright Go To Lagos?
Jack Ryan has always done exceedingly well when it comes to the representation of colored characters, as any show of the modern world should. In the current season, Elizabeth Wright, a woman of color sitting at the helm of something as prestigious as the CIA at a time when the institution itself is under a lot of scrutiny (thanks to what Miller did), has been developed as an important story arc. And Wright has been remarkable at the top, especially after someone like Miller. From her inspiring speech in front of the senators, where she keeps emphasizing clarity before everything else, to her vouching for her deputy Jack and giving Jack the freedom to do his thing while she handles all the political conflicts, Elizabeth is by far the most inspiring character of this season.
While for a CIA director, going to another country in person during a time of political unrest is a very unconventional thing to be, Elizabeth does exactly that upon the US President’s request. The President, Charles Bachler, also a colored character, appears to be a rational man who fully backs Wright and Jack and wants the same things as the CIA officials. Elizabeth does get surprised when the request to visit Lagos comes from the top itself, but when Bachler explains why it is so important for her to go in person in order to help with the situation, Elizabeth doesn’t think twice. She takes an opinionated Nigerian diplomat, Osoji, with her, in order to understand the situation better and get suggestions from someone who is familiar with the country.
What Happens In Lagos?
This is where things get a bit dicey. While Elizabeth was under the impression that acting president Okoli and warlord Ameh were fighting from different ends of the country’s political landscape, upon reaching Lagos, she found out that these two were actually united. At least their interests align, which happens to be finding out who was behind Udoh’s death and the country’s current situation. While Okoli comes off as a man of culture and humility, Ameh seems to be much more direct, with a hint of arrogance. Both of them ask Elizabeth to look into the matter, as she happens to be one of the most powerful people in the world.
Elizabeth returns to the US with the determination to take care of this issue. However, with the constant disapproval of Senator Henshaw, who appears to have a friendly face but is actually a snake underneath the facade of benevolence, Wright doesn’t find it easy. With her new deputy Greer ending up at the hospital and former deputy Jack Ryan on a worldwide goose chase for Chao Fah, Elizabeth tries her best to hold the fort. It is certain that in the final two episodes, all the storylines are going to merge together, and Elizabeth is going to play an important role in the endgame.
