Reviewer Rating: 4.5/5.0
4.5
We’re two episodes away from the series finale, and things are finally starting to take shape.
Jason’s desperate performance in SEAL Team Season 7 Episode 8 makes Ray even more hesitant about his impending retirement.
“Appetite for Destruction” is a tense moment, but one that still finds time for the team’s weaker aspects and does its best to shape the future.
old school bravery
The latest operation provides Lisa with an opportunity to join Bravo and allows Drew to experience the best of Bravo for the first time.
Drew had only heard stories about Bravo and Jason Hayes. Sure, he was (reluctantly) a part of the team all season, but Jason wasn’t himself. At least in this episode, he even outdid himself.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen real friendship in Operations. This time, no one will be competing with each other for the best bunk, or melting on the outside and boiling on the inside.
They do normal things like stocking up on supplies for the kitchen and argue with each other over silly things.
Even better, Jason stopped tiptoeing around Drew.
Skinemax, not Hardcore Jason
Although Drew was impressed when he first saw the real Jason, Omar was quick to point out that he was seeing the Skinemax version and that the hardcore Jason had yet to make an appearance.
I guess we can say that by the end of the hour, hardcore Jason is back. He even scares the living daylights out of Drew, which is a despicable thing in itself.
Drew is a tough guy, just like Jason. His antics on goal demonstrated this when he created a distraction for the team by playing the role of a drunken tourist.
But Jason goes even further, and when he walks into a very dangerous situation in a junkyard, he razes everyone to the ground without a second thought.
Since he was asked to keep a low profile, it was a bold move that caught Drew off guard. It’s hard to tell how much of this is the old Jason back and how much is fear of revenge from his father, Jason, for his drug dealing.
They go hand in hand and work well, but the risks can lead to fatalities. Hot-headed Jason isn’t as popular as hard-hearted Jason, who skirts the rules without breaking them outright.
Jason and Ray Connect discuss practical issues
I didn’t realize how far apart Ray and Jason were until this episode.
The season feels like it’s only just begun and we’re already nearing the end.
Early on, Jason wonders why Ray would risk having a surgery when he’s so close to retirement, to which Ray retorts that he wants to know why Jason was so fond of shooting when he abandoned his plans for fear of someone getting killed. .
Jason’s parenting fears
In the early seasons, Jason and Ray were the best Bravo 1 and Bravo 2 you could imagine. They are partners in the team and in life. They know all each other’s secrets. How did this change?
Jason was so caught up in his own thoughts that he left Ray hanging by a thread. Little did Ray know that Jason was blaming himself for Mitch’s overdose. I don’t even think he knew Mikey ODed.
What I found most interesting about their conversation was that Ray didn’t try to change Jason’s mind about his parenting skills. Instead, he expressed sympathy. Maybe that’s what Jason needs.
Mandy tried to make sense of Jason. Ray just listened. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to connect with someone.
Jason thought he was following Ray’s lead in finding balance in his life, but he believed it was no longer possible to achieve that goal.
Ray’s uncertain future
If Ray knew nothing about Jason, then Jason knew nothing about Ray.
Omar admitted that the longer Ray stayed, the worse he felt about his future. He didn’t know where his place was, and Ray knew that very well.
Ironically, Jason’s take on work-life balance is that Ray kept quiet about the Spencer House because he didn’t want his brothers to lose their unicorns. Ray is busy representing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but in reality, he’s stuck on the rainbow with nowhere to land.
Everyone except Ray considered the Spencer House to be the first pot of gold. Ray felt arrogant in believing he could come out of this clean. It’s so hard to admit.
Although they don’t have answers for each other, at least they are no longer alone. Well, over time, it all started to make sense. But we haven’t quite gotten to that part yet.
Meet Omar
Better late than never, I guess.
Omar’s personal background is tragic. Like many others in the industry, he hit a wall and lost his wife and son.
His wife married a guy from Foxtrot and he raised his kids as his own. Omar straightened up and decided not to rock his child’s world, opting instead to send out Uncle Omar’s gifts on a regular basis.
No wonder he was so worried that Ray would stay. Ray is Omar’s unicorn. He has a wonderful family and future outside of Bravo, while Omar has nothing but a job.
This would have provided a lot of storytelling opportunities for SEAL Team Season 7.
I guess we’ll never know why his backstory wasn’t worth exploring and was pushed aside by Drew, but I do enjoy getting to know him better.
Lisa and Sonny play lovers
You two go get a room!
Omar and Drew weren’t around when Lisa became an integral part of Bravo, so they know nothing about Sonny and Lisa’s past. But once Lisa was under the same roof, it was impossible not to see sparks flying.
Lisa tried everything she could to distance herself from Sonny, but it never worked. Sonny would do anything for a future with that woman, and I’m closer to believing he would.
Jason asked them to play a couple and I wonder how many times they danced together. How much of their dance is about keeping each other at a distance, and how much is about them exploring the possibilities of life together?
The writers didn’t feel ashamed about one or the other of them giving up a future in the Navy to start a life together.
Lisa joined the operation because she was very unhappy with what was happening to the current general. Someone has to pay for this mistake.
She was determined not to let Sonny give up his trident to save her, but the look on his face showed that she was more important than that trident.
Maybe that’s why Sonny brought his tool kit to investors. Does he imagine a future where he no longer kicks down doors?
Curtis opens the door, Bravo will close it
It all starts to make sense when it’s revealed that Curtis was in cahoots with his enemies.
When Curtis joined SEAL Team Season 7, he didn’t think anyone at Bravo would have a chance at achieving their dream of a balanced life.
It’s his complaints that make everyone nervous and make them question their future. Curtis was a true war hero. If he couldn’t get things done, who were they to think they could?
Turns out, what he saw in Bravo might have made him green with envy. It’s not that they couldn’t get the first pot of gold, but that he himself couldn’t do it. You know the old saying – misery loves company.
Ironically, Bravo was so misunderstood in the outside world that no one noticed that these guys would rather suffer alone than bring their brothers down together. This is evident from everything else we’ve discussed in this review.
Will we discover why Curtis turned to the dark side? I don’t think it matters. The important thing is that everyone who fell for his tricks was shocked by the discovery and got back on track.
The end of an old-school SEAL team
Oh, how I missed ending the episode in an intense scene.
It’s great to be able to put real stakes in again. The SEALs do what SEALs do—sneak through the jungle with green faces. This is good stuff.
Still, I have a few quibbles. Do combatants always walk standing up when they are only a few feet away? Lisa said communications were difficult due to the terrain, but she had a perfect bird’s-eye view of the entire operation. Why didn’t the bullet penetrate the rubber boat?
But that’s minor compared to the fact that the characters are starting to act like themselves again. There’s a lot to discuss in the next two episodes.
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