‘Jack Ryan’ Season 3 Ending Explained: Did John Krasinski’s CIA Agent Stop a Nuclear War?
Prime Video’s spy thriller Jack Ryan returned for its long-awaited third season on Dec. 21. The latest outing of the show – which stars John Krasinski as the titular CIA agent – arrived more than three years after season 2, thanks to pandemic-related delays. The fresh batch of episodes sees Ryan dashing across Europe in a desperate attempt to stop a convoluted Russian plot aimed at provoking the U.S. into war. So, did Ryan succeed in averting a global catastrophe? Keep reading for our breakdown of the Jack Ryan Season 3 finale.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 3.]
The world is on the brink of nuclear war in ‘Jack Ryan’ Season 3
When we pick back up with Ryan at the beginning of season 3, he’s in Rome, along with his buddy/mentor Jim Greer (Suits alum Wendell Pierce). He gets intelligence that forces within Russia have relaunched the Sokol Project. Sokol is a Cold War-era plan that involves destabilizing neighboring governments through assassinations. That’s followed by a nuclear strike to invade and expand the country’s borders. (Krasinki told Extra that this timely, Russia-focused season had wrapped filming well before hostilities broke out in Ukraine earlier this year.)
Ryan is convinced the CIA needs to act fast to find Russia’s new nuke and prevent a new global conflict from erupting. Unsurprisingly, some within the agency are skeptical. When Ryan’s efforts to track down the nuclear material go sideways, he ends up on the Red List and on the run from his own government. Meanwhile, the Sokol Project is put into motion through the assassination of the Russian defense minister. As Ryan darts from Rome to Athens to Budapest in an attempt to avert disaster, he discovers what the orchestrators of the plot really hope to achieve.
John Krasinski’s CIA agent races to stop the Sokol plot
By the time we get to Jack Ryan Season 3’s jam-packed finale, the real goal of the revived Sokol Project has come into focus. New Russian defense minister Alexei Petrov (Alexej Manvelov) masterminded the plot. And he didn’t just want to start a war with the U.S. He also wanted to reassert Russia’s dominance as a global superpower and overthrow President Surikov (Mikhail Safronov), whom he saw as weak and feckless.
However, Petrov didn’t count on Luka (James Cosmo). The Russian intelligence officer (one of the most compelling new characters introduced this season) was carrying some heavy baggage due to his role in killing the scientists leading the original Sokol Project in the 1960s. He believed it was his duty to stop Petrov’s coup and the new Sokol Project. He was willing to put his own life at risk to do so.
In the finale, Luka sneaks onto a Russian warship. The captain of the Fearless is in league with Petrov. He plans to launch missiles at the USS Roosevelt sparking a war. Luka ends up in the brig, but that doesn’t stop him from convincing the conveniently sympathetic first officer to lead a mutiny against the rogue captain. Meanwhile, Ryan gets himself tossed out of a helicopter and into the open sea, in a scene that appears to exist mostly because someone thought it would be cool to throw Jim from The Office out of a helicopter. He’s picked up by the USS Roosevelt, whose captain is not exactly pleased that a random CIA agent wants to keep him from firing back at an enemy ship. Ryan tries to convince him not to engage. But the captain believes he needs to respond if his ship comes under attack.
Wendell Pierce’s James Greer is on a mission in Moscow
As if that wasn’t enough action for this 50-minute episode, Greer is on a mission in Moscow. He gets himself arrested inside the Kremlin and asks to speak to Petrov. He offers Petrov asylum in the U.S. if he puts a stop to the plan, though it’s not clear if it’s a sincere offer or just a way to keep Petrov in the room and talking. As Greer distracts Petrov from his in-process coup attempt, independent operator Mike November (Michael Kelly) and Czech president Alena Kovac (Nina Hoss) finagle a meeting with the Russian president. That gives them a chance to share concrete evidence of Petrov’s plot to overthrow him.
Once President Surikov realizes exactly what’s going on, he proves he can be just as ruthless as Petrov. The defense minister’s abortive coup attempt ends with him being shot to death in the halls of the Kremlin. The Fearless’s captain is forcibly relieved of his command and the captain of the USS Roosevelt stands down. Crisis is averted.
A week later, we check back in with our various characters. The CIA’s Rome station chief, Elizabeth Wright (Betty Gabriel), put her career on the line to support Ryan. To reward her, the president immediately promotes her to CIA director. (Who needs a Senate confirmation hearing?) Wright presents Ryan and Greer with some fancy medals in honor of their service. Ryan apparently has no qualms about returning to work for an organization that had declared him a traitor just a few days ago. Finally, Mike November is chilling at a seaside cafe somewhere in Europe and waiting for his next job, possibly with President Kovac.
One person who doesn’t get a happy ending is Luka. He’s at home making a cup of tea when there’s a knock at the door. The old spy knows exactly what’s up as he calmly puts on his coat. “Do not worry, I will not make this difficult,” he tells the nervous man who’s come to take him away. The show doesn’t reveal Luka’s exact fate. But it’s likely that Russian intelligence won’t look kindly on his decision to work with the CIA, even if it did prevent a coup. We can safely assume that, at best, he’s in some remote Siberian prison. At worse, he’s been executed. All along, Luca said that he was willing to die for his country. It appears that, in the end, he probably did.
What’s in store for ‘Jack Ryan’ Season 4?
Jack Ryan Season 3 doesn’t really leave any plot threads dangling for the show’s upcoming fourth (and final) season. Ryan’s recent exploits should further his career with the CIA. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if some twist leaves him at odds with his superiors in the Agency once again. We do know (via Deadline) that he’ll likely cross paths with Domingo “Ding” Chavez (Michael Peña), another CIA agent. Abbie Cornish is also confirmed to return. She played Ryan’s love interest Cathy Mueller in Jack Ryan Season 1 but hasn’t been seen (or even mentioned) since. No release date has been announced for the new episodes.
All episodes of Jack Ryan Season 3 are now streaming on Prime Video.
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