Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Jack Ryan’ comes to an end with its fourth season, where Jack Ryan faces the most challenging mission yet. He is in the middle of getting confirmed as the deputy director of the CIA when he discovers that the former director, Thomas Miller, was running some questionable black ops. Further investigation revealed the existence of a program named Pluto, which led Ryan and his colleagues to realize that someone inside the government was helping criminal organizations put the US in jeopardy.
In the final episode of the series, Ryan goes through a series of trials that test his mettle and his belief in the system he is trying to protect. By the end, the secrets that he unveils lead him to make a decision that might change the course of his life. Here’s what the ending means for Jack Ryan. SPOILERS AHEAD
Ryan’s Departure: A Break from CIA
At the beginning of this season, Jack Ryan is well on his way to being appointed as the deputy director of the CIA. The Committee has some concerns about him, most of which revolve around his inability to stick to protocols and relying more on his instincts rather than the orders he receives from his superiors. They believe that Ryan is setting the wrong precedent, which will only worsen the situation surrounding shady black ops.
Once he starts to dig into Pluto, he realizes that the approach needed at this moment will be in direct violation of what the Committee wants from the CIA. To not affect Wright’s chances of becoming the director, he resigns from the post of acting deputy director. There is no time to work out the kinks of where he now stands with the CIA and what his new job title is. He is more concerned about getting to the bottom of the truth.
When the mission is accomplished, and Ryan has averted the disaster, he decides not to make an official return to the CIA. He doesn’t want to go back to getting the title of deputy director or even an analyst in the agency. It’s been quite a few days for him, with the ups and downs making him reconsider his position. He and Cathy almost died on this mission. So now, he wants to take a break from all this. So, yes, technically, Jack Ryan doesn’t work for the CIA anymore. However, Wright hints that the agency’s doors will always be open for him.
Jack Ryan’s Potential Political Ascent Hinted
While the fourth season ends with Jack Ryan walking into the sunset and receiving a happy and quiet ending with Cathy Mueller, the show hints at a greater arc for Ryan. In the book by Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan eventually becomes President. Like the Ryan in the Prime Video series, the Ryan in the books didn’t want anything to do with the government. However, the President, who is impressed by his work and trusts him, asks him to become the VP when the former one is indisposed.
Jack Ryan becomes the VP believing it is a temporary thing, with no intention of coming back to government service. However, when the President is killed in an attack, Ryan is forced to assume the role of the President. The show’s final scene hints towards a similar fate for John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan. Throughout this season, we see Ryan closely working with the President, who takes a liking to him.
In the end, after Ryan publicly exposes Senator Henshaw for the corrupt man he is, Wright tells him that this stunt will lead the President to ask him to run for office. Ryan scoffs at the possibility and doesn’t seem the least bit interested in becoming a senator or otherwise. However, just a few minutes ago, he said something that might change his mind later. He said that while working on the mission, he realized that as the agent of the CIA, no matter what he did, he’d never have the same power as people sitting in the government who could make things happen by simply signing a paper. When the time comes, Ryan might have to think back on his words, and perhaps, he will want to have the power that could change the world for the better.
Read More: Will There Be a Jack Ryan Season 5?
