We’re practically looking at a middle school set shot.

He’s a burly presence on the court, and when guys like sportswriter Peter Vescey ( Geoffrey Cantor) describe the “most perfect jump shot you ever saw,” we aren’t fooled. Greg Finley, a character actor since childhood (“The Secret Life of an American Teenager”), seems awfully earthbound to be a basketball prodigy approaching his late 20s expiration date. There’s a decent performance or two, and a time-honored “redemption via sport” formula that has, on occasion, worked.īut as our lurching lead lumbers through middling on-court action, as we grimace at veteran heavy Robert Davi’s version of an Irish American priest, with every “Never saw THAT coming” blast of melodrama, “Blackjack” rolls craps. That doesn’t mean that this story of a Brooklyn playground “legend” who never got out of his own way when it came to realizing his hoops potential isn’t interesting, here and there. How are fans responding to 'Jack Ryan' Season 3?Īs we look to social media to see how the fans of series are experiencing Season 3, it looks like the show continues to resonate with its audience.“Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story” is a slow motion train wreck about a slow-motion train wreck of a basketballer. But it's not a show that's particularly focused on giving you something new. Overall, Jack Ryan Season 3 isn't really reinventing or innovating the genre, it comes through as more of a step into the familiar, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're a fan of a classic spy story. Could there be more of Pierce in Jack Ryan Season 3? Sure, particularly together with Krasinski, but the actor is certainly one of the greats and an absolute delight in every scene. One person we want to continue to watch in this context, for as long as he wants to grace our screens, is The Wire alum Wendell Pierce. It's great to see the show add more sharp and accomplished women characters to its story, who continue to often be put under the pressure of their political and operational systems. While the men in Jack Ryan are solid, it's the women, particularly Betty Gabriel ( Get Out) and Nina Hoss ( Tár), who are the ones to watch for us.

Blackjack the jack ryan story