The Ending Of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Season 4 Explained
Contains spoilers for "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan"
After five years, four seasons, and 30 episodes, actor John Krasinski has taken his final bow as the title character in "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan." And while many fans will likely be sad to see his run end, "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" certainly went out on a high note, delivering on high-stakes action, intelligent espionage, and political intrigue. It also introduced several new characters into the fold, including Domingo Chavez, another one of Tom Clancy's most iconic characters, who will be familiar to fans of the "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six" franchise.
Although Krasinski is the latest actor to bring the character to life in live-action, he's far from the only actor to take up the mantle. Just like James Bond, the character has been portrayed by several different actors, including Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. However, "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" is the first time that the character has appeared in a television show, meaning that Krasinski has had the longest tenure in the role. So it's only fitting that the show's final episode provides closure that is not just satisfying to fans of the show, but lives up to Tom Clancy's iconic hero.
What you need to remember about the plot of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Season 4
Season 4 is the shortest season of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" yet, coming in at only six episodes instead of the show's typical episode count of eight. However, like many other shows that revolve around political espionage and spy work, "Jack Ryan" manages to pack a lot of plot into its short episode count, so it can be easy for viewers to get lost. The season opens with the CIA's acting director, Elizabeth Wright, and her deputy director, Jack Ryan, testifying before a congressional panel, promising to clean up the mess left behind by the former director, Thomas Miller. Unfortunately, they quickly discover that Miller was involved in a lot of dirty operations, including running a black ops team that was helping to take out enemies of the Silver Lotus Triad.
After Miller is murdered for making mistakes in the operation, Ryan manages to enlist the help of one of the former black ops operatives, Domingo Chavez, who is upset that his team was being secretly used for nefarious purposes. They team up with one of Chavez's contacts in the Silver Lotus Triad, Chao Fah, who offers to assist in exchange for his family's safe passage out of Myanmar. However, just as they are making their escape, Chao Fah is tragically killed and Jack Ryan is taken hostage, leaving events on a massive cliffhanger going into the finale.
Proof of concept
The finale opens with Jack Ryan being held hostage after his capture in the events of the previous episode. He is being tortured for information, tying the narrative back into a flashforward that opened the very first episode of the season. This time, however, viewers are privy to more information about the circumstances of Jack's captivity, including who took him. Zeyara Lemos, a wealthy benefactor known for her humanitarian work around the world, particularly in Nigeria, is revealed to have been pulling the strings behind the Silver Lotus Triad. Jack Ryan and his wife, Cathy, met Zeyara in the first episode, as she was the host of the Nigerian Foundation Gala they attended.
During Jack's torture, Zeyara reveals something interesting about her villainous plan to smuggle powerful bombs into the United States. She tells him that while openly, the bombs were meant as a test run for the rest of the devices she was planning to sell, they ultimately had a deeper, and more sinister purpose. She says they are a "proof of concept" that the U.S. is vulnerable to attack, and meant to entice other countries and groups into attacking as well. This idea reframes viewers' ideas as to why she is motivated to carry out these actions and is such a vital moment, the entire episode was named "Proof of Concept."
The rescue of Jack Ryan
Since Season 4 is the final season of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," there may be some viewers worried that Jack might not make it out of his captivity alive. But luckily for both Jack and the viewers, Domingo Chavez wastes no time trying to rescue the titular hero. In the previous episode, the third member of their team and longtime ally of Jack Ryan, Mike November, had been shot. After making sure he was stabilized, Chavez, knowing that Mike was in no shape to fight, sent him to acquire a means of escaping the country. Mike reluctantly agrees, and finds a nearby airport where he can get a hold of a chopper.
Chavez, meanwhile, sets about rescuing Jack. However, this is no ordinary rescue mission. Chavez goes in armed with nothing but a knife and a harpoon gun that he acquired from a nearby fishing village. While these weapons are far from ideal, they are surprisingly well suited to Chavez's need for a stealthy approach, and the expert operative and combatant is still far more deadly with a harpoon gun than his enemies are with all of their firearms.
No loose ends
Jack Ryan and Domingo Chavez are two of Tom Clancy's most famous and iconic characters, but in many ways, they are very different men. Jack Ryan takes pride in his honorable approach to missions, attempting to always respect lives and only resort to violence when there is no other choice. Chavez, on the other hand, is a pragmatist. He does what needs to be done in order to complete his mission and survive. Their difference in philosophy is perfectly encapsulated in the way Chavez handles Zeyara after taking down her men and holding her at gunpoint.
Initially, Zeyara tries everything she can come up with to worm her way out of the situation. She offers to pay Chavez off, as well as the families of all of the men he lost during their operations. Chavez then tells her that he will spare her life if she can name just one of his fallen teammates, knowing that she wouldn't be able to. When she hesitates, he guns her down. While his actions may at first seem like little more than revenge for the men he lost, they follow his tactics of doing what must be done and not leaving any loose ends that could come back to haunt him.
A new CIA director Is confirmed
When Season 3 of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" ended with corrupt CIA Director Thomas Miller being ousted, Betty Gabriel's Elizabeth Wright seemed like a shoo-in for the role. She even announced as much during the "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" Season 3 finale. However, Season 4 reveals that Elizabeth has yet to be officially granted the position, only working as the acting director for the majority of the season's run. Her nomination has faced a lot of backlash in Congress, specifically from Texas Senator Henshaw, who felt she was too closely tied to the old regime.
The finale sees her facing the congressional panel for the final time, and the group of senators from different states vote on whether to confirm her to the position or not. Despite receiving several "nay" votes, including a final vote from Senator Henshaw, the "yays" end up winning out, finally moving Elizabeth Wright from the position of the acting director to the permanent director going forward, finishing her arc from Season 3 that saw her working her way into the position through her honest and transparent methods that the agency so desperately needed.
Good at keeping secrets
One of the season's most heartbreaking stories revolves around Chao Fah, a higher-up in the Silver Lotus Triad who eventually ends up taking over the whole operation, serving only under Zeyara Lemos. But despite his success in the Triad, all Chao Fah really wants is to escape from Myanmar with his wife and daughter, which is why he teams up with Domingo Chavez to become his informant. Early in the season, he almost manages to get his family out, but has to abort because a deal goes bad. In order to keep his young daughter from talking about their trip to the airport, he buys her a stuffed rabbit named Mun.
Chao Fah then tells his daughter, Bennu, that Mun is great at keeping secrets because he lost his voice, and that if she ever wants to tell Mun a secret, she can. This comes into play during the finale, when James Greer is looking for evidence that ties the American black ops group and Miller to the Triad. Before Chao Fah dies, he tells Jack and his crew that the evidence is with his family, but once they escape, his family has no knowledge of it. Ultimately, it is Jack's girlfriend Cathy Mueller who manages to solve the riddle after Bennu tells her about Mun keeping secrets. They open the rabbit and find a thumb drive containing the evidence inside.
A loophole in the immunity deal
Zeyara Lemos may have been "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" Season 4's main villain, but she wasn't the only surprise antagonist to be revealed by the end. Another character who was introduced early on as an ally only to later be revealed as working for the Silver Lotus Triad is Ade Osoji. Ade is an American lobbyist that works closely with the Nigerian government. He befriends Elizabeth Wright, gaining her trust while helping her navigate the complicated political situation in Nigeria after the assassination of their president.
When Ade is discovered to have been working with the black ops team, operating under Bizhub and the Silver Lotus Triad, he quickly brokers a deal with Elizabeth Wright and James Greer. He tells them that he is willing to give them the location where Jack is being held captive in exchange for complete immunity for all of his shady dealings. They begrudgingly agree, and for much of the episode, it appears as though he will get away with it. But Elizabeth has something up her sleeve. She later confronts Ade and gets him to admit to being the one who killed former Director Thomas Miller, thinking he had immunity. However, his deal only covered matters of the CIA, and did not extend to local homicide investigations, leading to Ade's much-deserved arrest.
No time for a bomb squad
The final half of the finale of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" saw time not only running out for the show, but for its protagonists as well. Zeyara's bombs were making their way to the U.S. border from Mexico, via the Silver Lotus Triad's alliance with the Cartel. After Jack Ryan and James Greer interrogated their captive, William Tuttle, a former CIA operative who was running the black ops group, they discovered that the bombs would be smuggled into the U.S. in five Toyota trucks the following morning. So the two, along with Mike November and Domingo Chavez, make their to the border crossing to intercept the trucks.
Time is an important element in the operation, and the show utilizes fast-paced music and quick cuts to ensure the sense of urgency is maintained. Jack works with the local border agents to scan the payloads of each truck carrying at least one Toyota. They quickly discover that one truck had not submitted a pre-load weight and was carrying 5 Toyotas, making it the likely carrier of the bombs. The driver does not give up without a fight, and Jack's team has an intense firefight before they are able to confirm the presence of the bombs. Unfortunately, there is no time to bring in the bomb squad, and with time running out, Jack himself is forced to use his know-how to disable the bombs himself.
Corruption in the Senate
After the surprise reveal that both Zeyara Lemos and Ade Osoji were secretly villains running the show behind the scenes, it would be easy to assume that "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" had expended all of its shocking twists. But that assumption would be quite wrong. In fact, the biggest reveal was saved for last, and is only revealed after Jack Ryan is once again forced to testify before a Senate committee. During his testimony, he reveals that he discovered that trucks with a pre-load weight could only cross the border with a waiver signed by a higher-up in the government. In the case of the trucks carrying the bombs, that waiver was signed by none other than Senator Henshaw which, according to Jack, means that Henshaw either knowingly allowed the bombs to cross or was grossly negligent in signing off.
This is an ironic twist in many ways. For the entirety of the season, Senator Henshaw was battling against Jack Ryan and Elizabeth Wright by accusing them of breaking the law, ignoring protocol, and being complicit in the corruption of Director Miller's regime. However, the twist reveals that it was Senator Henshaw who had been corrupt all along, and his hypocrisy ultimately invalidated many of his arguments against Jack and Elizabeth.
A fitting conclusion to Jack Ryan's story
Unless the show is rebooted or brought back at a later time, the series finale of "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" will likely serve as the conclusion of Jack Ryan's story as told by Prime Video. Luckily for fans of the character, the show gives Jack a satisfying ending, not only wrapping up his arc from Season 4, but also providing a fitting end to the character arc that started all the way back in Season 1. After testifying before the congressional panel and revealing the bombshell twist of Senator Henshaw's corruption, Jack meets with his team. He tells them that he is resigning his position in the CIA and taking a well-deserved break. Cathy Mueller, who fans will know becomes his future wife, joins him and the two walk off together.
This is a perfect way to end Jack's story. The show first introduced Jack in Season 1 as a workaholic who always wanted to take care of everything himself. He was dedicated to his job, much to the detriment of his personal and social life. However, the finale shows that Jack is finally willing to put work second. He is prioritizing his relationship with Cathy over his job, and no longer has any qualms with counting on others to get the job done, thanks to the trust that he built with his friends James Greer, Mike November, and Elizabeth Wright.
Is Rainbow Six on the way?
Fans of Tom Clancy's novels and the very popular "Rainbow Six" video game series are no doubt excited by the inclusion of Domingo Chavez in "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan." In Clancy's novels and the video games, Chavez eventually becomes the assault team leader of Rainbow, an elite special ops team that operates under the CIA in the Ryanverse. The novel "Rainbow Six" is primarily told from the perspective of Chavez's father-in-law, John Clark, the commander of Rainbow whose codename is Rainbow Six. However, Chavez plays a vital role in the story, as the commander of one of Rainbow's strike teams.
Amazon has yet to announce a "Rainbow Six" series or any spinoff shows in the so-called "Ryanverse," however, many clues in the final episode point toward the franchise's continuation. While Jack resigns at the end, other supporting players such as Chavez, Elizabeth Wright, James Greer, and Mike November are still very much in play at the CIA. Further, Jack's final interaction with the four has him framing the group with his hands and noting that they make a perfect team, possibly hinting at the franchise continuing without him. Interestingly, Amazon produced a 2021 film "Without Remorse," which also takes place in the Ryanverse and follows John Clark, who is played by Michael B. Jordan. Since the two were both released under Amazon Studios, there could be future potential to cross the two franchises over.
Jack Ryan's Future
While "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" airing its final episode might seem like it's the end of the line for Jack, readers of Tom Clancy know that there is still a lot of Jack Ryan's story left to tell. Many of Jack Ryan's most famous stories, such as "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger" take place later in Jack's life, after he's settled down with Cathy and has a daughter. Additionally, in the novels, Jack not only eventually becomes the director of the CIA, he's even elected as the President of the United States. This turn of events is actually hinted at in the finale's final moments, when Elizabeth Wright tells Jack that the president will be asking him to run for office. Jack brushes the notion off, meaning it might not happen in the show's universe, but many fans of the novels would probably love to see this storyline carried out.
As of yet, there haven't been any announcements as to whether Krasinski's Jack Ryan could reappear elsewhere. However, in an interview with USA Today, Krasinski mentioned that he was open to playing the character again if the opportunity presented itself. With this in mind, there are several avenues in which Jack could make a comeback. An obvious choice would be in a cameo role in a spinoff show centered around Domingo Chavez, although he could also make an appearance in Amazon's film series starring Michael B. Jordan.