Critic’s Rating: 4.05 / 5.0
4.05
If Bravo Team ain’t what it used to be, neither is SEAL Team.
I went into SEAL Team Season 7 Episode with some trepidation. So much of this season hasn’t worked that I was surprised at how well this hour did.
Finally, I can empathize with Jason and the team is feeling more cohesive. But understanding Jason doesn’t make his story easier to bear, and even a cohesive team runs into trouble.
Jason Hayes, Family Man
Thank God that Mikey isn’t actually a burgeoning drug addict. Still, he learned absolutely nothing from his father, which might say more about Jason’s deployment schedule than his parenting skills.
Mikey cracked under the pressure of his injury almost immediately. Can you imagine if he followed in his father’s footsteps to the battlefield? God help us all.
Despite how he looked at is after the fact, Jason said and did all the right things. Even if you’re in pain, you cannot and should not take more pain pills. Jason knows that better than most.
Mikey dug his heels in and nearly died when his buddy tried to “help.” His friends have been passing around pain pills, and Mikey inadvertently swallowed a street drug that contained the deadly drug Tranc.
There was a happy ending, but it didn’t make Jason feel any better about what happened. He blames himself for not listening to Mikey when he noted his pain. That’s hardly the right takeaway from his experience.
Instead of his home visit cementing his need to be a family man, it may have just sealed Jason’s fate to die on the battlefield. His mind tells him he’s unable to have a balanced life. No other SEALs pull it off, so why would he?
This event doesn’t force Jason to feel a deeper need to be with his family; it seems to push him back to his comfort zone.
Omar’s First Lead
Sonny and Drew talking over the comms was nothing compared to how Sonny drove the mission through those comms.
Why IS Omar Bravo 2 anyway? Leaders don’t question themselves as often as Omar questions himself. From my perspective, he doesn’t have what it takes to be a leader. He’s too easily flustered.
Omar let his team push him to act in ways he might not have otherwise, going against direct orders from command. A natural leader will not be swayed by those under his command. Blaming others and saying he was forced to make a call he didn’t want to make said everything.
He owned his decision when asked, but he was still doubting himself, and I don’t think he truly believed what he said.
Omar is not ready to lead. Period.
His team, especially Sonny, who has a lot of sway in their small group, doesn’t fully trust or believe in him.
The One When All of a Sudden, I Like Drew
Drinking with the guys, joining in on the fun and games. All it took was a hot-house emotional explosion to open him up to the new frontier.
He and Sonny get along like besties, which requires Omar to be a little more patient than he was in the middle of an operation.
But when the rubber met the road, Drew had Omar’s back. He gave excellent advice and was suddenly personable, in addition to the wisdom he’d shown on previous missions.
You know, everybody knows the right answer until it’s on them to make a decision. It will take time to trust yourself to make the right calls.
Drew
We’ve wondered why Drew was added to the series at this late date, and now it makes sense that he will be Bravo 1 when Jason either waves the white flag or is killed in action.
He knows more about leadership than Omar and has won over his teammates. He went from being a lone wolf to being leader of the pack.
The advice he imparted on Omar spoke more about himself than what he thought about Omar’s capabilities.
The best leaders don’t give a shit about where the good ideas come from. Their only concern’s mission success and getting home with a full head count. I can, I can, uh, tell those are your priorities, too.
Drew
The first two sentences in the quote above are straight from Drew’s heart, revealing his views on leading a team. His attempt to recover by tossing Omar a bone about his priorities didn’t meet the mark.
His past still doesn’t make sense, especially after he shares why he wasn’t with Echo during the fateful op.
If anything, it was even more reason why every other SEAL Team would have been aware he was a part of Echo. But dwelling on it makes no difference.
I see a future where Drew is Bravo 1.
Bravo’s Coming Home
Bravo’s actions did what they intended.
They displayed proof of concept for integrated deterrence, which is what Lisa has been fighting for. With targets on their backs now, their job is done.
Lisa isn’t pleased with the success, likely because she knows Bravo’s future is still on the line.
With four episodes to go, we might have just witnessed Bravo’s last best op. If Jason’s future is to die in action, there will be another. But if he’s leading, I expect it to go south fast.
Bravo has tasted a world without Jason and Ray, which could change the team dynamic even more. With so many of them doubting themselves, it paints a grave picture for how the series might end — at least for Jason.
Adapt and Overcome
During the episode, they used the phrase “adapt and overcome,” which SEAL Team members have to do regularly.
But what the “Hundred-Year Marathon showed is that adapting can sometimes make it even harder to overcome obstacles.
Jason adapts to every scenario, but he has problems fully integrating into his different worlds. It’s not that he or any of the SEALs have a reverse Midas touch, destroying whatever they touch. They’re so adaptable that they’ll snuggle into even unsavory circumstances just to keep breathing.
What happens when they lose that adaptability? We might just find out in these final four episodes.