A lot was riding on the first two episodes of SEAL Team Season 7 after the Season 6 finale sent the show in an exciting direction.
As you’ll recall, Jason (David Boreanaz) went public with his TBI while accepting an award, leaving his future up in the air.
Command was understandably blindsided by his actions and hauled him in to tell him that his career, as he knew it, was over.
In one of the most powerful TV scenes in recent memory, various Navy SEALs appeared to reveal their own ailments in a show of solidarity.
At the beginning of SEAL Team Season 7 Episode 1, Bravo Team was still intact but not operating.
Simply put, the team members do what they usually do when back home, only over a longer time, because there’s no longer faith they’re a functional team.
The team is away from the field
For Jason, this gave him time to reconnect with his son and daughter and evaluate what he wanted out of his career and the rest of his life.
Of course, he felt responsible for the Bravo Team’s state because, had he kept quiet about his TBI, there would have been no reason to ground the team.
In an emotionally charged scene, Jason visited Commander Blackburn (Judd Lormand). He offered up his trident to allow the team to return to the field, setting up a compelling arc for the man who led them to success so many times in the past.
Jason rarely gets what he wants because the SEAL Team likes to put him through the wringer. The two-part premiere took an interesting direction when he and his team members were brought in for a debrief.
They learned that Drew Franklin (Beau Knapp) had been drafted to work with the team there.
The good news was that Drew was also deemed a problem by Command, so putting him together with the Bravo Team and sending them to Sweden on what was perceived to be a low-key mission seemed like the best option —until an explosion changed everything.
A car bomb at a shopping mall left countless people dead and others fighting for their lives, so Jason ordered his men to help everyone they could.
Initially, the mission was to offer assistance until the police arrived, but only two officers were sent to the scene, and they didn’t even go inside the mall as gunmen tore through it, killing innocent civilians.
Bravo Team prevailed despite a lack of weapons and resources, but not without facing harrowing scenes.
Jason is questioning his career
Jason found himself pushed to the limit as he tried to kill one of the terrorists and almost lost his life.
Ultimately, he stabbed the terrorist numerous times and was left at the end of the episode examining the blood that was still in his nails from the incident.
It was clear that something had changed for him, and even if Command didn’t accept him handing in his trident, there was a good chance he’d still try to walk away.
Drew also saved Jason’s life in the mall in Sweden with another terrorist, washing away the initial concerns about him joining the team.
The big question, though, is how long there will be a team left because it’s obvious that everyone has moved on.
Ray (Neil Brown Jr.) wants to expand his veteran’s center if he can secure funding, while Sonny (A.J. Buckley) is dead set on helping Stella (Alona Tal) after Clay’s (Max Thieriot) demise.
SEAL Team is headed in a different direction
Then there’s Davis (Toni Trucks), who is moving up the ranks away from the field, but not everyone is happy about her growth.
The first two episodes sent her arc in an unprecedented direction as her colleagues ridiculed her for asking them to look at some of the documents she had prepared.
They felt she may not be fit for the job if she didn’t think her work was up to par.
Of course, Davis is resilient, so it will be interesting to see her prove the naysayers wrong.
As a final season premiere, SEAL Team is still very watchable, but the series is headed into uncharted territory because there’s no telling where things will go.
SEAL Team Season 7 airs Sundays on Paramount+. Stream Seasons 1-7 on Paramount+.