Jack Ryan season 1, episode 4 recap: ‘The Wolf’
“The Wolf” offers an interesting look at the double life of Jack Ryan and says goodbye to a supporting character.
The fourth episode of Jack Ryan opens up with Ali still on the run from authorities. “The Wolf” doesn’t really expand on his character all that much, but it does give John Krasinski another chance to shine. His take on the titular character is easily the strongest aspect of the series thus far. However, this episode manages to be both compelling and aggravating all within a few scenes of each other.
On the road, Ali is stopped by a traffic cop who ultimately lets him go. That should have been a major red flag for the guy, considering all of France is on a manhunt for him. Nevertheless, he overlooks this to continue on his way to the secret rendezvous point. Close behind, Sandrine and Ryan are tailing him via a GPS signal.
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The two joking around in the car ride actually adds a bit of levity to Jack Ryan and it would’ve been fun to see that friendship develop. After a bit of teasing, Sandrine convinces Jack to finally ask out Cathy on a date via text. At her office, she seems hesitant to accept because he isn’t the kind of guy she’s usually interested in. Her coworker pushes her into saying yes, which doesn’t seem all that hard because Cathy seems genuinely intrigued by Ryan.
Back on the road, Greer discovers Ali has switched vehicles which is why they lost his trail. Unfortunately, he’s at the same gas station where Sandrine and Jack have stopped for some cigarettes. She’s able to buy him enough time to get to his gun but ends up getting shot in the process. It’s extremely tragic that a member of the local police ends up shooting their captain simply because she has a gun and isn’t in a uniform. On top of the shooting of the suicide bomber, Jack Ryan really likes to show France as a trigger-happy country.
Jack follows Ali into the woods where the two fight inside an abandoned cabin. It seems almost fruitless because Ali seems aware that he’s dying. In the end, he tries to pull his gun on Jack which forces the CIA agent to fire the trigger. Krasinski does a good job displaying the shock and terror Ryan fills by killing a person. However, Jack has also been shown to be an expert with numbers, and he’s aware that Ali was out of bullets. Yes, he wanted to die rather than get locked up, but this seems like an oversight.
Nevertheless, he returns home and is plagued by Ali’s dying look as well as Sandrine’s death. He doesn’t have much time to grieve though, because he has a date with Cathy. It’s interesting to watch him have to turn off such a big part of his life to woo her. Considering the two end up sleeping together, it seems to work but Jack will probably have difficulty hiding so much from her.
In Suleiman’s story for this episode, he seizes control of the local militia. He pretends to be paying for twelve American aid workers but ultimately hands the money to the soldiers. They haven’t been paid in months while their leader happily sits on a throne with his money. Quickly, they all choose Suleiman’s side and watch their former leader be beaten.
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It’s unclear what he wants with the workers, but at least Jack Ryan reveals why the priest died in the previous episode. Turns out, Suleiman wanted to attract a large crowd at the church for the funeral of Father Joseph. He has his men set off three chemical bombs and lock the doors so no one can escape. Is Suleiman intent on attacking all the other religions or just Christianity? Also, it felt weird that no one in the church was immediately suspicious of someone bringing a duffel bag to the funeral. Especially when they all reached inside during the service when they activated the devices.
For the most part, Jack Ryan has gotten back on track following the detour in the last episode. However, Hanin and her daughters weren’t seen in this episode so one has to wonder if they have made it to safety. Here’s hoping someone other than Jack is going to get a happy ending by the season finale.
What did you think of “The Wolf”? Let us know in the comments below!