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Ok got to say my opinion of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (on Amazon) has swung 180 degrees.
I was expecting a typical fuck-yeah america, militaristic hoo-rah, with jacked white CIA dude flexing America's most advanced weapons going around the world killing terrorists
6 episodes in and the titular Jack Ryan only takes up about half the screen time - the rest is dedicated to an incredibly realistic portrayal of local perspectives, and manages to both respect their stories while also unafraid to display the ugly parts.
The level of detail, empathy, and human activity in the on-location shots (if they're not on-location they have me fooled) is astounding. You have never before seen a US bombing run, a refugee camp, a Syrian village, or a drone strike, from this perspective.
The main villain is, yes, an Arab, Islamic terrorist. But this isn't the usual demeaning caricature of backward half-crazed religious extremists. He is patient, ruthless, and intelligent, and outwits the Americans in major encounters.
The series makes a concerted effort into portraying his backstory, of how he grew up and got a college education in the West yet experienced violent exclusion and persecution no matter how hard he tried to fit in and join the ranks of polite society.
Honestly now excited to watch Jack Ryan season 2. The best TV opens your world to new perspectives in a respectful, even-handed, and empathetic way, and Jack Ryan has accomplished that.
2/2 Jack Ryan: Wow, let me write that down.
