Year Released: 2019
Directed by: Phil Abraham, Andrew Bernstein, and Dennie Gordon
Starring: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Jordi Molla, Cristina Umana, Noomi Rapace
(TV-14, 8 episodes, approximately 60 min. each)
Genre: Action, Political Thriller

“The drama is make-believe. It does not deal with truth, but with effect.” –Somerset Maugham

Amazon’s Jack Ryan Season 2 has him fighting corruption in Venezuela instead of tracking down the wily terrorist Suleiman as he did in Season 1. The cerebral analyst becomes a man of action – and there’s plenty of it, but too bad they use the weak tea of semi functioning Venezuela instead of the hellhole that failed state has now become.

This is from someone very familiar with the once free Caracas of the late 70s and early 80s, a vibrant city, warm and prosperous, where my family joined my husband when he taught various classes there at the Instituto Pedagogico.

That was before his former PhD student, then the Under Secretary of Education, had to flee for her life to Mexico when a hostile regime took over.

I remember the lovely zoo in downtown Caracas before its citizens had to begin eating the animals just to survive. But apparently Amazon settles for the pale pastels of a smiling, sophisticated president instead of the thuggish rogue who now holds power. Can’t lift the painted veil, so to speak.

Hollywood seems to reflect Somerset Maugham’s observation noted above:

“The drama is make-believe. It does not deal with truth, but with effect.”

That is Hollywood right there for you. If only they paid more attention to Anthony Quinn, who advised another path:

“On the stage you have to find truth, even if you have to lose the audience.” But that, of course, doesn’t fill theaters or Amazon’s large coffers.

Here is how the series is marketed:

After tracking a potentially suspicious shipment of illegal arms in the Venezuelan jungle, CIA Officer Jack Ryan heads to South America to investigate. Jack's actions threaten to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy, leading him and his fellow operatives on a mission spanning the globe.

Different Drummer is not alone in noticing the inaccurate portrayal:

Critics have also faulted season two for presenting an inverted version of the politics of Venezuela. Though Venezuela has been led by avowed socialists for two decades—Hugo Chavez followed by Nicolas Madura —the series shows the country being led by a right-wing, polo-playing, corrupt "nationalist". The series explicitly blames the depletion of the country's wealth on him. His political opponent is a female, progressive, "social justice"-supporting history professor. On Election Day, his ballots are red; hers are blue. In addition to critics, numerous viewers have objected to this depiction of Venezuela's politics.

Read more from Amelia Hamilton here:

I guess Hollywood has to pretend that Venezuela has not been brought down by decades of corrupt and ruinous socialism, instead blaming it all on a fictional “nationalist” President Nicolas Reyes (Jordi Molla). Here is how CIA analyst Jack Ryan describes him:

Let's meet President Nicolas Reyes. After rising to power on a wave of nationalist pride, in a mere six years, this guy has crippled the national economy by half. He has raised the poverty rate by almost 400%. Luckily for the rest of us, he's up for re-election. So, who's running against him? This is Gloria Bonalde. Now, Gloria is a history professor turned activist. She's running against him on a social justice and on the strength of, in my humble opinion, just not being an asshole. –Jack Ryan

Now instead of therapy dogs and coloring books, disappointed voters can see the exact opposite of reality on their big screens, just as they played out their fantasies of unrealized hope in West Wing (1999-2006) and currently with Madame Secretary (2014-present), who has recently become the first woman President of the United States.

Need I say that Tom Clancy, the savvy author who first penned the Jack Ryan novels, must be turning over in his grave right now. Talk about an inversion of reality.

But this second season lets us down in even more ways. One getting the most chatter is the unexplained disappearance of Jack’s love interest, you know the pretty doctor who later becomes his wife in the novels and other films.

But in Season 2, not only is Jack a bit more emotionally removed (Abbie Cornish’s Cathy Mueller is conspicuously absent this season), he’s also not even really being used for his intelligence expertise. He can handle his way around a gun, but that’s not really what makes Jack Ryan compelling as a hero. He’s the guy who’s interested in the details, who uses his brain to save the day, but for the beginning of this second season he’s almost aloof—to the point that his opening tryst with Harriet (Noomi Rapace) makes no sense. Wouldn’t Jack Ryan recognize he’s being sexy-spied? – Adam Chitwood

If you can get past the fictionalized setting and the completely inaccurate political presentation, the nonstop action keeps you interested and we come to root for the passionate Gloria Bonalde (Cristina Umana) running against against the corrupt President.

Also, Jack’s boss, James Greer (Wendell Pierce) becomes an even more textured character, although I could do without his Muslim prayer, specifically “Allahu Akbar,” which we are more used to coming from the mouths of terrorists about to cut someone’s head off, mow people down, explode a suicide vest, or knife them without mercy as recently happened in London.

But Hollywood is so great at massaging your eyeballs with glitzy propaganda that, like Jack during his one-night-stand with Harriet, you might not even guess that you are being played.

Big Time.

–Kathy Borich
2 Drums

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

From the Spanish word for blood, sangre, this blood red wine fits perfectly with the crimson conditions Jack Ryan confronts in Venezuela.

My version is from our friend, former Caracas professor, Alfredo Sanchez, who brings his Venezuelan roots and American experience to this sure-to-please punch. And don’t substitute anything for the secret ingredient, Big Red.

· 1 liter Big Red

· 1 bottle dry red wine

· 1 can orange juice concentrate, still frozen

· 1/2 cup Cointreau (or other orange-flavored liqueur)

· *1 bottle Champaign or other sparkling wine (optional)

Garnish with slices of orange and apple.

You can find more Venezuelan favorites here.

Too bad they cannot be enjoyed right now by the people of Venezuela, who have lost an average of 24 pounds in the last year, with over 90% now living in poverty in this “socialist utopia.”