Warning: SPOILER for Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 2.
A major character is missing entirely from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan season 2: Dr. Cathy Mueller (Abbie Cornish) shockingly doesn’t appear at all. John Krasinski returns as the titular American hero (and as executive producer) in Jack Ryan season 2; this time, the CIA analyst becomes embroiled in Venezuelan political intrigue as he investigates an illegal shipment of weapons into the South American country. But while Ryan has his hands full pursuing a personal vendetta against President Reyes of Venezuela (Jordi Molla), Cathy is unexpectedly absent from Jack’s latest adventure.
Not only is Cathy Mueller missing from Jack Ryan season 2, the crusading CIA agent actually has a new love interest: Jack meets Harriett “Harry Baumann” (Noomi Rapace) in the season 2 premiere episode, “Cargo”, and they waste no time sleeping together. It soon becomes apparent their meeting was no accident because Harry is a German intelligence operative who is in Venezuela tracking a mutual target, Max Shenkel (Tom Wlaschiha), the assassin hired to kill Ryan and who successfully murdered Jack’s mentor, Senator Moreno (Benito Martinez). Jack and Harry chase Max from Venezuela all the way to London to exact revenge and the German agent later helps Jack in his final battle against President Reyes. Although Jack doesn’t feel he can trust Harry entirely, the door was left open for her to return in Jack Ryan season 3.
But where does Jack Ryan season 2 leave Cathy? It’s not entirely unusual for Jack’s traditional love interest to not be part of his adventures; in The Hunt For Red October, Cathy only makes a brief appearance at the start of the movie before Ryan leaves for his fateful encounter with Soviet defector Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery). What is strange, however, is that Jack never mentions Cathy in season 2 - has their romance totally fizzled out?
In Jack Ryan season 1, Cathy learned Jack was lying to her about working for the State Department, which was his cover. She was bitterly disappointed with Jack when she found out he was a CIA agent by accident instead of him telling her. In the Jack Ryan season 1 finale, it was James Greer (Wendell Pierce) who helped Cathy during the climactic attack on President Andrew Pickett (Michael Gaston) at her hospital while Jack was in the subway taking out Suleiman. Although their love affair hit the skids, fans assumed Jack and Cathy would patch up their differences in Jack Ryan season 2 since the source material and previous adaptations established they’re meant to be together.
Next: What To Expect From Jack Ryan Season 3
