Jason and Alana are getting closer again as the team takes on a snatch and grab mission that doesn’t go to plan.

SEAL Team 1×04, “Ghosts of Christmas Future”, on CBS gave us hope that Jason (David Boreanaz) and Alana (Michaela McManus) just may be finding their way back to one another. But a big gap between them is Alana still wondering what was going on with Nate (Daniel Gillies) and the mysterious woman. Ray (Neil Brown Jr.) continues to tell Jason to just let it go. Jason is given some time to think about it as he and the rest of the team head out on a snatch and grab. Mandy’s (Jessica Pare) old mentor asks her to do it as a favor and her memories of Oliver as a mentor may just have her judgement cloudy.

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Mandy isn’t  the only one with clouded judgement as Clay (Max Thieriot) comes face to face with his father. But only after Stella (Alona Tal) insists that she wants to meet him. Things don’t go well as Clay can’t help but rehash the past and the fact that his father was never around. Stella seemed to pick up on the tension between the men when Clay first spoke about his father. So we can’t help but wonder why she insisted on meeting the man in the first place. It could be that she’s another fan and wanted to meet the famous Ash Spenser, especially since she’s the one who brought him up. But we’ll just have to wait to find out.

Before we delve too deep, let’s meet our roundtable of the week!

Laura (@Boneslvr38) – Bonehead turned Sealie from Jersey.

Kris (@foxyangel26) – TV fan and movie buff. Shoe and animal lover.

Micha (@ciaomichaella) – Chocoholic fan girl who loves live tweeting, television, spoilers, books, and social media.

Andrea (@Andrea_Colanni) – Lover of all things David Boreanaz and Max Theiriot, so naturally, SEAL Team is the perfect show!

Marilyn (@Marilyn72568293) – Cosmetologist and lover of fun! Enjoy watching the best shows I can find!

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1. Jason and the school guidance counselor have vastly different views. Which one did you agree with?

Laura (@Boneslvr38): I agree with Jason. Sometimes you have to fight and stand up for yourself. Even in these days of zero tolerance.

Kris (@foxyangel26): I think sometimes it is necessary to defend yourself by any means necessary. But physical harm isn’t always the answer. Teaching our children the difference is key, but expecting them to never use violence may be unrealistic.

Micha (@ciaomichaella): I actually agree with the school counselor in the sense that students have to behave a certain way while in the classroom or school in general. Children should be taught to stand up for themselves and as much as possible, not resort to violence.

Andrea (@Andrea_Colanni): That’s a double edged sword isn’t it? I can definitely see both sides and I can agree with both sides to a certain extent. Kids certainly shouldn’t be encouraged to use violence to deal with every situation. But the reality is that sometimes it can be made unavoidable.

Marilyn (@Marilyn72568293): That guidance counselor came off as a real jerk. Correcting Jason about saying teachable moments, but then saying that was basically what it was. Then why correct him? I would want to know more about the situation that caused Jason’s son to act the way he did. Maybe he wasn’t given a choice. What about the other kid? Were his parents called in as well?

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2. Jason and Alana seem to be getting close once again. They even begin to touch on the issues that pulled them apart to begin with. Do you think there is a chance of them sorting out their issues now that they’ve started talking about them?

Laura: I think that the type of man Jason is, he isn’t going to talk in depth about his feelings. So I think Jason and Alana will still be apart. I don’t really think their issues will ever truly be resolved.

Kris: I’m a hopeless romantic so I certainly hope so. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Alana has needs and Jason seemed to be disconnected before. Hopefully they can work it out.

Micha: Jason and Alana need to decide if they’re reconciling 100% or getting a divorce. They’re in a gray area that can make things even more complicated than they already are. Maybe couples counseling would help them get to the root of the problem and figure out a solution.

Andrea: I was so excited when they seemed to really be talking about some of their issues instead of brushing them aside. But then the subject did end up abruptly changing. It seemed to me that Alana was the one who pulled away this time. The two of them really seem to go together perfectly, so I would like to see them in a healthy relationship to see how well they truly operate as a family unit.

Marilyn: That’s hard. I do think there is a chance they can sort out their issues. But they also need to just decide if they are going to be together or not. Pick one and stick to the decision. It’s not going to help them to continue going back and forth like this. That certainly isn’t going to help them any. As far as I’m concerned, they are stuck in limbo.

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3. Jason discovered the woman Nate had been calling was also in Afghanistan. Do you think maybe there was something else going on besides a romantic relationship?

Laura: There still could have been a romantic relationship, the verdict (at least for me) is still out on that. But if the mystery woman was from Afghanistan, she could’ve been an informant. Once she came to the US, Nate was her contact.

Kris: My prediction was that maybe she is someone Nate smuggled into the country for a better life. I’m hoping it’s not a sordid affair.

Micha: I’m starting to get worried there may be something more sinister at play here. I hope Nate doesn’t turn out to be a bad guy.

Andrea: Oh man, I do not want Nate to end up being the bad guy. Please let it be something innocent. Especially because Ray seems so convinced that it’s just something that happens. I don’t want to see them complacent in thinking that it’s natural for a SEAL to cheat or be cheated on. That’s a pretty bleak outlook.

Marilyn: I really think things aren’t what they seem. We are going to find out that it’s something innocent, like Nate helping her become a US Citizen and helping her set up her life. Or maybe she’s an informant. That’s what I’m hoping for at least.

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4. We got to see the men operate a little differently this week. We really got to see them work together seamlessly. Do you think their mission would have been a success if Jason hadn’t been made?

Laura: Since the team works seamlessly in all the missions we’ve seen so far, I really don’t think it would matter that Jason was made.

Kris: It looked like a tough mission but they were working it out until that point. I think it’s possible their first option for the mission could have worked, but the way it happened shows us anything can happen. Missions don’t always go perfectly and plans have to be changed.

Micha: They were in a very public area with a lot of people around. It seems the mission was already high risk to begin with. In a way, I feel like Jason being made helped them out because it forced them to change their plans and trick the bad guys into a false sense of security. In the end, having the conversation at the bar and putting everything out there probably impacted Jakub Kowal’s decision to help the team apprehend the Butcher.

Andrea: I had a bad feeling about that mission from the get go. Literally from the moment Oliver spoke to Mandy about it. It just didn’t seem above board. I think it was a bad idea and I’m glad Jason was made because the execution of the first plan wasn’t going to go well. I just know it. I’m glad they were ultimately successful and Jason didn’t have to kill his old friend.

Marilyn: That’s a hard one. It’s hard to say what would have happened because in my opinion, there were way too many variables with the first plan. There was a pretty high chance that something was going to go wrong just because it seemed there were a million different ways something could go wrong.

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5. So, we finally get to see Clay’s father Ash speak about his book and his experiences. What did you think of the man?

Laura: I don’t like Ash. He comes across as a pompous ass, and not a likable pompous ass.

Kris: I think there are some deep issues here and the story is still unfolding. However, that being said, Ash seems arrogant, brazen and direct.

Micha: Is it just me or was he a little handsy and flirty with Stella? I wonder if Ash is being set up as the retired SEAL Team member Clay shouldn’t want to become when he gets older.

Andrea: Asshat. That’s what I thought. From his first moment on screen to his last, that is the only word that comes to mind. I have no idea why Stella insisted on going to the whole thing. Anybody could tell that Clay was uncomfortable with just the mention of his father. So why in the world she would insist on going to meet the man is beyond me. Besides that fact that they haven’t even known each other that long, it seemed like a real jerk move.

Marilyn: There are a lot of words that come to mind to describe Ash Spenser. Not a single one of them are good. The only good thing that came out of seeing that man on screen was to show me why Clay acts the way he does. I understand much better why Clay tends to have the attitude he does.

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6. Clay and his father get into it a bit in the parking lot. Do you think this will be the last time, or will things come to a head again at some point in the future?

Laura: I believe that Clay and Ash will again clash in the future. To what extent, I’m not really sure. Will it be a big blow up where everything comes to a head? Time will tell.

Kris: I think Clay is struggling with the issues between him and his father and may not really be ready to cut him out of his life. I think there will be more to this story to come.

Micha: Oh, I expect to hear and see more about Clay’s complicated relationship with his father. Ash and his book have been mentioned in the past and it was interesting to finally see him in person. His father’s absence clearly affected Clay and I expect we’ll be seeing more of how this has made him become the man he is today.

Andrea: I’m not going to lie, I kind of wanted to see Clay punch him. But I am glad he didn’t as that would have resulted in much more trouble. There is no way we won’t see Ash again. To be honest, I kind of can’t wait. Only because I want to see Clay let loose on him everything he’s clearly been bottling up for years. So yes, things will definitely come to a head again at some point.

Marilyn: I’m sure they will. There is way too much tension and too many unresolved issues for it not to. I really don’t think Clay will be able to reach his full potential as a SEAL until he deals with all of the issues he clearly has with his father.

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7. Did Mandy use her best judgement when it came to Oliver, or did she let his past of being her mentor get in the way of her decision making?

Laura: Mandy’s decision initially was. But throughout the hour when Oliver was stating things that put the team in harms way, that’s when Mandy didn’t use her best judgment. She accepted what Oliver was saying. You don’t expect a “friend” or someone that mentored you to screw you over for accommodations. At least now Mandy does realizes not to trust Oliver, especially when it comes to her Team.

Kris: I could tell she was struggling with her responsibilities and her mentor relationship with Oliver. She learned an important lesson. I like her moxie and I don’t think she will make the same mistake again.

Micha: I think she trusted him too much and she felt duped in the end. She said it herself, calling Oliver out for his lies and for using her. It’s hard not to rely on a mentor’s past experience and trust their judgment though.

Andrea: Yikes. Tough question for a tough situation. I kind of got a bad feeling about it from the beginning, but could understand why she felt she had to do it. When someone who mentored you asks for a favor, you’re going to feel an obligation there. Especially since everything seemed straightforward at first. I think in the end, Mandy made the right decisions.

Marilyn: In the beginning, no. But in the end, yes. Mandy only let her past with Oliver slightly cloud her judgement when he first asked her to head up the mission. But I think she was beginning to get suspicious pretty shortly after that. Mandy certainly made the right call with the man in the end, and they did get a bad guy off the streets. So kind of a win-win I guess.

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Final Verdict: While it’s always great for a plan to be executed perfectly, we do enjoy seeing the team have to think on their feet when a wrench gets thrown in their plans.

The writers definitely know how to get you hooked on this show and keep you there. So far, the team’s missions have been successful and we’ve enjoyed watching every minute of it. This one was successful as well, but still a bit different than the ones before. Not only was it a different style of mission, but it didn’t go according to plan and the team had to regroup. It was still great to see it come together in the end, but the writers throwing in the unpredictability of it all was well played. They’ve also been excellent at giving us a little depth at a time for the characters. We are finding ourselves drawn in more and more each week and we are loving it!

So now that we’ve talked about the great, let’s talk about the not so great. It sucks that Jason can’t be around more because of being a SEAL. Understandable, but still disappointing. But what we didn’t get a chance to see, that would’ve helped with the school story, was seeing how Jason and Alana chose to deal with Michael and the fight at school. Jason and Alana clearly had different ideas on how the situation happened in the first place and talked about it. But we didn’t get to see them come to a decision together, or carry out a discussion with Michael. We love the missions and seeing the team working together, but more of their lives at home are needed too.

SEAL Team returns next Wednesday, October 18th at 9/8c on CBS