Critic’s Rating: 2.5 / 5.0
2.5
Welcome to the portion of SEAL Team when we’re retconned with a bit of unknown history.
“A Perfect Storm” brought all of the simmering conflict between members of Bravo team to an explosive conclusion. I think, and I hope, because I don’t think I can take much more of it.
In my opinion, it just didn’t work. In fact, I was so dumbfounded by the end of this episode that I’m experiencing a bit of writer’s block. Where do you even start when things take a turn like this? Well, the best part of the episode was the photos, so enjoy them.
A Brewing Storm
There have been issues brewing within Bravo for a while, but I didn’t expect everyone to turn on each other like they did on SEAL Team Season 7 Episode 5.
The creative team behind the show put everyone in an untenable position to achieve the outcome, but it didn’t feel earned.
Being stuck in a small, hot space brings out your worst, but this is Bravo team. They have traditionally had each other’s backs through everything, even when they’ve had disagreements.
On SEAL Team Season 7 Episode 4, the team played together while attempting to haze Drew. As reader Diddy pointed out in the comments section, they behaved like kids.
I guess it could be said that they are still behaving like kids, finding faults where there are none and twisting words and actions to benefit their point of view.
Blowing Off Steam, SEAL Team Style
There’s no time for childlike behavior when lives are at stake, and everything Bravo does falls into that category, whether their own lives or those they’re sent to protect are on the line.
But what choice do they have?
There’s truth to the saying “work hard, play hard,” especially when your job is high-stress. The only way to retain your sanity is to go a little off the wall now and then.
Bravo spends an inordinate amount of time drinking, but when they’re on the road, that’s their only release.
They don’t have gym memberships or family days. All they have is each other and a bottle of booze to release tension.
That’s not a great coping mechanism in any circumstance, and I can’t help but wonder how much of their troubles come from booze and subsequent hangovers.
Sweating out alcohol is a thing, and it’s not a thing I’d want to do on the regular.
Nobody was feeling their best, and everything was compounding, leading to the perfect storm.
Blowing off steam is a double-edged sword that can dig a deeper hole than the one you’re trying to escape.
Nobody’s Head Is In the Game
Everyone was so busy poking and jabbing at each other that they lost sight of their mission.
I have no idea how Drew didn’t slug Sonny when he pulled off his sock and put his sweaty foot on the console. It was nauseating.
Omar (who, I swear, I didn’t know was officially Bravo 2 already) saw red every time Ray moved across the room or opened his mouth.
Jason’s son had a hockey accident, so once again, his mind was at home rather than on task.
Ray stood up for Jason, who was laying into Omar and protecting Drew. Sonny was angry at the world, especially Jason, for offering up his Trident. It was a mess and very hard to watch.
The only person who had their eyes on the ball was Drew, who was also at the center of the controversy.
Drew Was a Member of Echo Team
Welcome to Retcon 101.
According to my records, Echo Team was a complete loss on their final and fateful mission.
There is no way in the world that every SEAL wouldn’t have known about Drew and his situation. He was supposedly on Echo for a year before disaster struck.
Sonny said he had no idea they were a man down at the time. How did he not know?
Echo was handing off the mission to Bravo. The odds that the teams weren’t fully aware of one another are impossible.
Look, I understand the need to make Drew’s story dramatic, but this was too much. We were there when Echo was lost. We had the information. Now we discover there was another man, and Bravo had no idea.
Losing your whole team like that is the stuff of nightmares. They would have reached out and commiserated. No matter how well they knew him beforehand, they would have been there to help after another operator lost their comrades.
So that’s the big secret and why Drew doesn’t want to get close to anyone.
Of course, that’s also why he’ll be such a great asset to Bravo down the line. This will be his breakthrough moment, where he becomes a part of the team dynamic.
Again, it doesn’t feel earned.
Blood on His Hands — Maybe His Own?
Learning about Drew was sobering. It spurred the team into action, and they saved a family, which was totally off-mission. But I can’t even tell what’s on mission at this point since they go against orders so often.
And the war on terror was easy to follow. This international racket to kill each other with Fentynal is beyond my realm of comprehension. I guess that’s the new warfare. Well, I don’t like it.
At the end of everything, Jason was a wreck. Again. He saw literal blood on his hands.
They’ve pounded that home through SEAL Team Season 7 to the point that the literal interpretation of it was unnecessary.
Then again, this season isn’t easy to follow. Reading interviews with David Boreanaz suggests that the story they think they’re telling isn’t being revealed on screen. There is a disconnect somewhere that hasn’t happened in previous seasons.
Those interviews also discuss SEAL Team Season 7 Episode 6 and that whatever happens with Mike could be life-threatening.
That scenario could do even more damage to Jason’s psyche, as he blames himself for wreaking havoc at home and on the battlefield.
Boreanaz has also been clear that he’s not opposed to seeing Jason’s ultimate end be a flag-draped coffin, and if things continue as they are now, that’s where he’ll end up.
The saddest part of that potential end wouldn’t be what happened to Jason but how the other Bravo operators would take it. Even worse? We wouldn’t be around to see the fallout.
A Continuation?
Paramount+ isn’t in the best shape right now, but SEAL Team is a success story. Does that success hinge on David B?
Sonny pointed fingers at the Bravo operators who were tapped out, and Boreanaz tapped out of SEAL Team, which is why the series is ending.
Could the story continue with a new chapter without Jason Hayes? If Max Theriot was still with the show, I’d say yes. As it stands now, the dynamic resembles the pent-up nightmare in that hothouse. Without a standout character who could lead a new ensemble, hopes for a spinoff are slim.
Overall, I’m really disappointed in this season. It doesn’t have the magic of the previous seasons. But credit where it’s due? The cast acted the hell out of their scenes on “A Perfect Storm,” even if the story itself didn’t land.
Where’s your head at with the final season? Are you as frustrated as I am? Can the series be salvaged and stick the landing in a mere five episodes? Tell me your thoughts in a comment below!