As Jason and the team recover from the crash, they may find things not as they seem!
SEAL Team 1×21 “The Graveyard of Empires” on CBS gave us all kinds of anxiety. After the crash, Jason (David Boreanaz) seems to have a pretty serious head wound. Serious enough for him to be unable to continue leading the team for the time being. So he lets Clay (Max Thieriot) take the lead. For being in charge for the first time, Clay seemed to do a pretty great job. He did what needed to be done while Jason questioned Nouri. But this all falls apart as it seems that with Jason’s head injury, it’s likely he never questioned the man at all. So we could end up back where we started with the entire Echo Team mystery.
RELATED | Drama After Dark: Missy Peregrym Has Been Cast in New Drama, HBO Strikes Out at Amazon, and More!
Meanwhile, Ray (Neil Brown Jr.) and Sonny (AJ Buckley) have a few issues with each other. They seem to be disagreeing on just about everything. Ray is second-guessing himself because of his shoulder injury and Sonny isn’t afraid to call him out on that. But Ray isn’t afraid to call Sonny out on the fact that he often lets his emotions get in the way of his decision making. Ray isn’t the only one second guessing himself as Mandy (Jessica Pare) is also questioning all of her decisions up to this point. The close call with a team she cares about so much has led her to question if she is to blame for how they got to that point.
Let’s meet our roundtable and get their take!
Bryna (@Becoming_Bryna) – Artist and wannabe car wrangler and agent!
Manuela (@yellowhat3) – Spent four and a half years in the Naval Reserves and watches SEAL Team mostly for David Boreanaz!
Micha (@ciaomichaella) – Chocoholic fangirl who loves live tweeting, television, spoilers, books, and social media.
Andrea (@Andrea_Colanni) – Lover of all things David Boreanaz and Max Thieriot, so naturally, SEAL Team is the perfect show!
Marilyn (@Marilyn72568293) – Cosmetologist and lover of fun! Enjoy watching the best shows I can find!
1. How do you think Clay did in the position of team leader for the first time?
Bryna (@Becoming_Bryna): Clay was on fire! Great leadership skills and calm under severe pressure.
Manuela (@yellowhat3): It looked like it came naturally to him and I think he did a great job remaining calm and assessing the situation in a rational way. It was great to see how the team respected him and worked well together in an extremely stressful situation.
Micha (@ciaomichaella): I think Clay did a really good job stepping up the moment he realized Jason was hurt. He was clear-headed, quick to act, and he took charge of the situation, knowing his team wasn’t at 100%. I also liked that he stood up for Jason and defended him for being loopy.
Andrea (@Andrea_Colanni): This is it! I feel like this is the moment we have been waiting for. Clay handled the entire situation flawlessly and proved that he can be a team leader as well as Jason. It makes me wonder where Clay will go from here.
Marilyn (@Marilyn72568293): Every time I feel unsure about something Clay is doing, he blows me out of the water! I was so anxious about this situation and then after watching Clay act, I couldn’t believe I had ever been nervous in the first place.
2. What did you think of the major argument between Sonny and Ray?
Bryna: Wartime attitude from Sonny, and guilt-ridden attitude from Ray.
Manuela: Both were making valid points and they argued very rationally about the point they wanted to make, so you could tell they still hold a lot of respect for each other. Personally, I agreed with Ray and am glad it worked out that way.
Micha: That was a little tough to watch because objectively, they both made good points. Can’t we all just get along? I’m glad Ray pulled rank and stood his ground. I think adding two more dead bodies to their overall list ultimately would not be good.
Andrea: I hated seeing these two argue, that’s for sure! But I think it was something that had to happen. They both had points they needed to get across to the other. They certainly did that. But I also think it all worked out in the end and their relationship will be okay.
Marilyn: Sonny has always leaned more toward letting his emotions rule his decisions. Something that Ray didn’t really disagree with until the situation with his shoulder. So I think this may have helped both of them realize some of their faults.
3. Blackburn didn’t want to send in another chopper. Was this the wrong decision to make for his men?
Bryna: He had to consider all of his men. He didn’t want to lose more.
Manuela: No, it was the right one. Bravo Team is trained to work in extreme danger and Blackburn tasked them accordingly. He executed his leadership role brilliantly and with good orders to his TOC team as well. Cooler heads prevailed.
Micha: As unfortunate as it sounds, it was probably the right decision in the grand scheme of things. They already lost one helicopter and know there are hostiles in the area. Blackburn’s decision was probably a calculated risk aimed to minimize American casualties and costs.
Andrea: I’m sure that it was the correct decision strategically, but I hate that our team was left there injured. But they also didn’t seem extremely concerned with no second helicopter coming, so it was something they were prepared for.
Marilyn: While I wish they would have been able to send a second helicopter, but I completely understand why they couldn’t. They had to make the tough call.
4. Jason seemed to be so close to answers, but it turned out his head wound was causing hallucinations. Was anything he heard real?
Bryna: I was so involved with Jason and the soldier’s discussion, I lost track that they were in a war zone, so I don’t know.
Manuela: Very important question. The part that worried me the most was when Dave was rattling off all of Jason’s ‘failures’ while he was screaming that fearlessness is a habit. All these events are clearly still haunting him and he is very stuck in his head with these terrible events. Jason was adamant about finding Nouri and it was that conversation that had me worried about all the accusations he is convinced of making about Cutter’s deal.
Micha: There was probably a lot of truth in what he heard. Part of me feels like whatever he was thinking, feeling, and saying during his concussed state was part of what is already inside of him, but he was refusing to acknowledge. I wonder how this episode will affect him afterward.
Andrea: I’m so confused. I really hope the information Jason got from Nouri was real. That conversation was important and seemed pretty real.
Marilyn: Honestly, I no longer trust what I see anymore! This show has me in knots, I swear!
5. Will the truth come out that Abad was behind it all, or will it be someone else entirely?
Bryna: THere are so many players in this deployment. I think there may be a new player completely, and quite possibly an inside job.
Manuela: Not sure about how he is involved exactly, but if I am to believe Jason did have a conversation with Nouri, then maybe it could make sense.
Micha: I don’t know. Part of me feels like as soon as we get close to the truth, there is another mystery that unfolds and another layer to peel through.
Andrea: I want to say that Abad is really behind everything, but I feel like it just won’t be that easy.
Marilyn: Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Jason is able to get some solid evidence and prove that he really did have that conversation with Nouri.
6. Should Sonny and Ray have killed the teenagers, or was it best that they let them run off?
Bryna: I seriously cannot even answer this question. I do not feel qualified. It is hard, they could be runners for the soldiers.
Manuela: I believe that Ray made the correct call to show faith in humanity and stave off paranoia about generalizing that all Arabs are bad.
Micha: No, they should not have killed the teenagers. It would’ve made things way more complicated if they added two dead bodies to the mix.
Andrea: That’s really hard because I understand they are in a tense situation where literally anyone they see could be the enemy. But I think Ray was ultimately correct.
Marilyn: I’m going to say that Ray was right and Sonny was letting his emotions run a little wild. But it was completely understandable in the situation.
7. Where will the situation go from here? Will we ever find out who is behind killing Echo Team?
Bryna: That is a great question. But I know they will find whoever is behind it. Keep digging Jason!
Manuela: I certainly hope so! When Bravo Team returns to base, so many loose ends need to get tied up. The main issue I think is wondering if Jason will be able to decipher fact from fiction in his mind. I am really worried about him and how his judgment will impact the team’s actions.
Micha: I hope we get some sort of satisfying closure to the killing of Echo Team, but I can’t help thinking that Cutter could be another red herring. What if we’re left with a cliffhanger season finale? Also, where will things go with season two?
Andrea: I’m not sure where things will go from here but I hope we are left with some answers. I know we will get a cliffhanger for the season finale, but I hope we aren’t left still wondering who killed Echo Team.
Marilyn: Jason will be able to find out who killed Echo Team. I just know it! We’ll be left with some questions for the finale, but I don’t think that will be one of them. At least, I hope.
Final Verdict: We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that Echo Team gets some justice in the finale!
This mystery has been keeping us going for the back half of the season. We’re excited to get the conclusion. The characters and the story have us completely hooked and action just fills every episode. We have loved watching these characters develop, and we can’t wait to see how they will change with the revelations that are sure to come. We’ve gotten to know Jason more than ever with this episode and we now have a deeper understanding of why he makes the decisions he does. The writers have given us everything we could ask for in a team leader, and we just want more!
RELATED | SEAL Team Roundtable 1×20 “Enemy of My Enemy”
We know that the season finale is coming, so situations have to come to a head. But the arguments between Sonny and Ray seemed a little rushed. There were some clear underlying issues between them, but they were all of a sudden fine. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment and the tension of the situation. Or maybe they are going to have the situation come back in the season finale. But either way, their argument about whether or not they should kill the two people they saw walking the road, was solved much too quickly.
The season finale is finally here! Along with it comes the mission to get Echo Team the justice they deserve. But in order to do that mission, Jason has to lie about how bad his concussion really is. We just know this is going to lead to even more problems. This is the team’s last chance to get revenge for Echo Team, as they are due to return from deployment soon. So, does this mean we will finally find out who killed Echo Team? Or will this be a question that only season two can answer?