‘Jack Ryan’ Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: “Old Haunts”

It isn’t made clear where exactly Jack Ryan slept after he smashed his CIA phone and melted into the Athens night back in Jack Ryan Season 3 Episode 1, but by morning, we find the world’s newest fugitive keeping tabs on the Russian who’s been one step ahead of him ever since Jack tried to land his boat in Greece. The same Russian who killed the Russian nuclear scientist Jack was attempting to extract. The same Russian who issued an INTERPOL Red Notice pinning that murder on Jack. And as it turns out, the same Russian who seems to be a part of whatever factional government stew new Russian defense minister Alexei Petrov is cooking up. Having supplanted the diplomat assassinated in Prague, Alexei is now blaming that killing on the Americans and using it as a pretext to move more Russian assets into Ukraine. Elizabeth Wright and the CIA questioned the validity of the Sokol intel Jack received from Zoya. But right now that feels like the only thing truly knowable.

With Jack in the wind, Greer knew he needed to give his guy a little boost outside the lines. So he contacted a woman in Rome whose bakery is a Hawala network contact point, and sent Jack cash through the traditional system of informal transfer. He also sent him the address of Tony (Numan Acar), a Turkish smuggler who last crossed paths with the CIA in Jack Ryan Season 1 and is now operating a body shop in Athens. “Jack Ryan, fugitive from justice,” Tony grins. “Seems we have more in common than you thought.” Tony is exactly the kind of neutral evil ally Jack needs, now that he’s operating on the fringes of international law and order.

When Wright and Greer land in Athens, they learn that the Greek police are in the pocket of the same Russian who’s been on Jack’s tail. He’s Konstantin Vyatkin (Anton Pampushnyy) of the GRU, Russian military intelligence, and Greer knows his act from his time running the CIA’s Moscow station. Konstantin is definitely dangerous. But more immediately, his presence proves the Russian military’s role in all of this. With the GRU man tailing him and the CIA looking for him, Jack does the smart thing: he borrows a Hilux from Tony and eludes everybody, driving to a remote airfield to meet the plane of Mike November (Michael Kelly). That’s right, the former Venezuela station chief has nowadays gone private, and he flies Jack to his fabulous Cycladic mansion on Santorini. Mike agrees that Jack had to run. But he also advises him to remain aware of the larger politics at work. “We trade in bullshit for a living. Don’t lie to yourself on top of it.”

In Prague, President Alena Kovac is dealing with some bullshit herself, as an emboldened Alexei Petrov is canceling his predecessor’s moves. “Any deals the two of you made will not be honored,” he hisses over the phone, and repeats his threat to move more Russian troops into Ukraine. With Petrov’s hardliner bluster and the questions swirling around the assassination, Kovac has determined that it was probably an inside job. But she doesn’t yet know how right she is: Kovac’s own chief of security is actually the double agent who orchestrated the shooting. And what of Kovac’s dad, Petr (Peter Guinness)? “It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger,” the old man tells her, “as long as they can use the blame to serve their interests.” He acts as her trusted adviser. But in his younger days, he was a Red Army soldier. Petr says that with Russia, she must be careful. But it’s looking like the president should be careful around her father, too.

Greer was never on board with burning Jack in the first place, which is why he used the Hawala cut-out to send him cash. But there’s also more than a glimmer of professional animosity between him and Wright. “You wanted me burned after Karachi,” he says, and alludes to her ambition to become CIA director. The Rome station chief doesn’t exactly deny his accusations. But Elizabeth also reveals that she’s had Greer under surveillance, she knows all about his back pocket care package for Jack, and she’s weary of him once again undermining her authority. “You’ve proved I can’t trust you. That doesn’t mean I can’t use you.” And Wright sends Greer to Prague, where he’s to make contact with President Kovac, reiterate that the US wasn’t involved in the assassination, and work Jack’s Sokol intelligence from a different angle.

Ever since he received it, Jack’s intel has remained in the digital ether. The location of the Black Sea container ship, and what turned out to be the Russian scientist, was just a pin drop in a map program. And Jack’s texts to his unknown contact don’t reveal any proper nouns or identities. But as a contact point his intel is the only thing that hasn’t been blown to hell. At Mike’s place in Santorini, Jack reaches out to the number again. “Who are you?” And while he doesn’t receive an answer, we do. It’s Luca (James Cosmo), the veteran intelligence maestro who’s become increasingly disgusted with Alexei Petrov’s blatant moves to consolidate power. We’ve already seen Petrov come right out and ask Luca to help him eliminate Jack Ryan. But now we know that it’s Luca operating in one circle of Russian influence while Petrov operates in another. How long until they converge, and with Jack standing where they meet?

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges