In episode 2 of Jack Ryan, we find out what happens in the aftermath of the debacle in Yemen. Suleiman has gone from being a hypothetical threat to being a very real one and is very much on the CIA's radar now, though they have no idea exactly who or where he is. Due to the fact that he was the one who pinpointed Suleiman as a terrorist threat, Jack has moved from being simply an analyst to actually being involved in the search for this new, unknown terrorist cell. Inevitably, this means that Ryan comes into contact with higher ranking members of the CIA, specifically Deputy Director Nathan Singer. Singer very obviously has no liking for Greer and attempts to get Jack to agree to report directly to him, bypassing Greer, by suggesting that this would result in rapid career advancement for Ryan. Jack is obviously uncomfortable about this political maneuvering; he puts off giving Singer an answer at first then, later in the episode, makes it clear to Singer that he won't do it by insisting that Greer accompany him to France. Not that this means that Ryan and Greer are suddenly pals: their relationship remains a rather adversarial one. Jack just happens to dislike sneakiness a little more than he dislikes his boss. This is shown in the scene where the two of them figure out that Suleiman was at one time incarcerated in France. Ryan- tired, frustrated and in pain- snaps at Greer and Greer responds in kind. Despite their personal differences, however, it's obvious that the two men's respective areas of expertise complement each other and they work well together even if neither of them are very happy about it. I do like the fact that we don't find out everything about Jim Greer right away- for example, we still don't know any more than Jack what Greer did to get relieved of his command in the Middle East. What we do discover in this episode is that Greer converted to Islam so that he could marry his wife and that, now that they're divorced, he has stopped going to the mosque. This creates an interesting senario: a lapsed Muslim ruthlessly tracking down Islamic terrorists while struggling to reconnect with his own faith, if he has any left. We learn more about Jack's character in this episode as well. We find out that the helicopter crash while he was serving in the military resulted in Ryan having to have multiple surgeries on his back. Re-injuring it, however, does afford him the opportunity to reconnect with Cathy Mueller at the hospital. Their second meeting results in Jack getting her number so that he can ask her out at some future date. As they converse, we see another interesting facet of Ryan's character: although uncomfortable with dishonesty on a personal level- as witnessed when turning down Cathy's father's scheme and Singer's manipulations- he is perfectly capable of unhesitatingly lying for and about his job. He lies to his coworkers- who are in the CIA- about his injuries. And he's lied twice now to Cathy about his job; he can't tell her or anyone else what he's actually doing because it's classified. This raises interesting questions about what will happen if a relationship develops between them... how do you maintain a meaningful relationship with someone who can't really know who you are or what you do. Hanin is becoming more and more uncomfortable with what's going on in her home- rightfully so. She once agreed with what her husband was doing, and considered him a freedom fighter when he was opposing Bashir al-Assad. Now, however, he's actively engaging in acts of terror and bringing both the materials for bomb making and his terrorist associates into their home. It's this last that seems to be pushing Hanin to the edge; while she might have been able to turn a blind eye to her husband's activities, the fact that he's exposing their children to them has her terrified for their safety. Suleiman, whom we've only seen up to this point as a clever and ruthless terrorist, shows another side of his character in this episoode- that of a doting husband and indulgent father. However much he cares about his family, though- and it's obvious that he does- he doesn't love them as much as he loves his cause. No man who was putting his family first would bring dangerous, unsavoury men into close proximity with them, or risk implicating them in his criminal activities. Suleiman does both. We're also getting to see the vulnerability of women in an environment like this: Hanin is powerless to do anything to stop what's going on. She can't take the kids and leave- where would she go, and who would give her help or support? She can't even really confront Suleiman about what's happening, because even hesitantly questioning his actions just ends with him bluntly telling her that she must trust him because he is her husband. This vulnerability is further illustrated by Yazid's predatory behaviour towards Sara, who is only 14 years old. No doubt, if Suleiman had known about what happened, he would have put a stop to it, but what else could he expect, bringing a pack of degenerates into his home? This is just further evidence that his terrorist cause supersedes the importance of his family or anything else. Suleiman may be a cut above the cretins he's associating with, but in the end he, too, is a fanatical zealot. The latter part of this episode sees Ryan and Greer traveling to Paris, tracking the number from Suleiman's cell phone. Here they meet up again with Matice- now Garth- and participate in a raid on the terrorist cell which Suleimon's brother Ali is currently with. There's a nice moment in the SWAT van when Matice- who only knows that Ryan is an analyst- is rather condescendingly explaining to Jack how to use the gun he hands him. Jack doesn't say anything, but his expert handling of the gun tells Matice without words that he knows how to handle firearms expertly, and reminds us that he is a former marine. The episode ends with a cliffhanger: Ali is wounded in the firefight but escapes. Most of the other terrorists in the apartment are killed, but the woman who is wearing the suicide vest detonates when she is shot. We are left not knowing what's happened to Greer, who is in the apartment when the explosion occurs. This is presumably where episode three will pick up.
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