Jack Ryan's Season 4 Joke About Jack Getting 'Political' Means More Than You Think

It's finally time to hit the road, Jack. John Krasinski's time as one of Tom Clancy's most iconic literary heroes ends with "Jack Ryan" Season 4 debuting on Amazon Video this week. Having averted World War III last season, the hero that started out as a CIA analyst has moved further up the ranks since and is now Acting Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. 

As far as the original timeline of the literary version of Ryan goes, however, there are still a few more jobs for Jack to take on that we will most likely never see under Krasinski's guard, given this is his last run. That doesn't mean that a few winks to longtime fans can't be thrown in to hint at just what those future occupations could be, though.

In Ryan's meeting with CIA Director Elizabeth Wright (Betty Gabriel) and President Bachler (David Bedella), a tense conversation with the Commander in Chief sees Ryan dance around an answer that even he doesn't have. When describing his current investigation as "an ongoing process," the President smirks, saying, "Careful, Ryan. You keep using lines like that, and you're ready for politics." Ryan humbly replies with "God forbid," before realizing just which office he's in and assuring the President he meant no offense. What's funny about the exchange is that in Ryan's history, a few years later, that's exactly where he ends up — President of the United States.

While he might be reluctant to take a turn into politics, in Tom Clancy's book "Debt of Honor" from 1994, it's a pivotal moment in the Jack Ryan timeline as that's precisely where he ends up. After being offered the job of Vice President following a brief stint out of the field, minutes after being confirmed in the role, a plane crash into the U.S. Capitol Building takes out key political figures, including the president, leaving Ryan to move up to the top job. He completes one whole term and retires before, in the 2011 book` "Locked On," he campaigns again for presidency and wins.

With the clock ticking until the curtains drop on Ryan this season, the chances of him taking the highest seat in the land doesn't seem very likely. There are conspiracies to uncover and globes to be trotted across for Krasinski's hero, and some of that will see him heading into more dangerous territory than he's ever been. Of course, this show has had a track record of throwing some wild curveballs at the audience in the past, so seeing Jack sitting on the other side of the table in the White House by the end of the show would certainly check that box. We'll see if he ever gets there when "Jack Ryan" continues next week.