When situations get tough, these SEALs get tougher as Jason and the team take on a tense situation at the American Embassy in South Sudan

SEAL Team 1×05, “Collapse”, on CBS had us all feeling a wide range of emotions. If you weren’t upset about Jason (David Boreanaz) and Sonny (AJ Buckley) being given the run around, you were upset about the hounding a reporter was giving to Ray (Neil Brown Jr.). But there were also the heartfelt moments that showed us all how much of a family this team is. Lisa (Toni Trucks) refused to leave the embassy without Ray right behind her. Mandy (Jessica Pare) usually plays behind the scenes, but she showed us she isn’t afraid to stand up for her SEALs. If that doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies, we don’t know what will.

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This episode also succeeded in giving us a little more between Clay (Max Thieriot) and Stella (Alona Tal). When she invites Clay and Brian (Jay Hayden) to a party she’s having, she also shows how important Clay is to her. Especially when things get a little tense and some of Stella’s friends seem less than pleased about her inviting anyone involved in the military. But just as we also begin to see Clay opening up even more to Brian and their bond becoming stronger, we lose Brian for good. We’re not crying, you are.

Before we open up the can of emotions from this week, let’s meet the roundtable!

Linda (@Linda02100287) - Part time Library clerk living in New York and raising two teenagers with her husband.

Verla (@auntieV55) - Worker, reader, writer, and television binge-watcher!

Manuela (@yellowhat3) - Spent four and a half years in the Naval Reserves and watches SEAL Team mostly for David Boreanaz!

Bryna (@Becoming_Bryna) - Artist and wannabe car wrangler and agent!

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

1. Sonny hints to Jason that he already knows Nate had some secrets. So why didn’t Jason just tell him about the woman from the picture?

Linda (@Linda02100287): Jason might have been seeing if Sonny had some information about her that he didn’t know.

Verla (@auntieV55): The fact that Sonny believed the woman to be dead indicates he doesn’t include the woman as one of Nate’s secrets. Jason seemed surprised when Sonny said she was dead. He just wasn’t ready to let Sonny know the woman was still alive and in contact with Nate.

Manuela (@yellowhat3): I believe that they all follow the code of secrecy “need to know” and they have to show they can be discreet so they can all continue to trust each other.

Bryna (Becoming_Bryna): I think he is disturbed by what he found and wants to dig deeper into what is going on. Why did his brother who he trusted with his life have a mysterious woman in his life?

Andrea (@Andrea_Colanni): I get that Jason is trying to handle and figure this out on his own. He let Ray in and he kind of disagreed with Jason looking into the whole thing. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to see what Sonny thinks on the subject too? He’s a straight shooter and wouldn’t hesitate to give Jason his honest opinion on the whole situation.

2. Did Stella have another reason for visiting Clay on base? Didn’t it seem a little strange for her to stop by there and ask him to a party when she could have done it when they were together later?

Linda: That was a bit weird. She could have called him to invite him and Brian to the party. She was checking out his ID and the base.

Verla: I’m definitely starting to have some suspicions regarding Stella. She pursued Clay in earlier episodes and got close really quickly. It would have made more sense for her to text or call him. Who shows up at a guy’s workplace?

Manuela: Honestly, I don’t like Stella and yes, it was very odd. I wonder if she’s a mole or something trying to sabotage Clay’s chances and dreams by putting him in bad situations.

Bryna: That was strange to me. That’s disturbing him at his job. Is she trying to mark her territory? Not sure what she was thinking. Then at the party, her friend was hostile towards them. Made me wonder if they had some kind of discussion or are doing a case study on military personnel, which is not good. I look forward to seeing what’s going on with this gal. If she’s no good for Clay, she needs to step.

Andrea: Something is up with this girl. Stella pursued Clay pretty hard in the beginning, and she hasn’t stopped doing so since. She calls and texts him on a regular basis, so why couldn’t she do that to invite him and Brian to her party? Or even just wait until they saw each other again. Visiting him on base was super weird.

3. More information on the mysterious woman was found in Nate’s cage. Are you surprised Jason didn’t already think to look there? Was he staying away from the cage for a reason?

Linda: Not really. Jason can’t deal with Nate’s death, so he couldn’t bring himself to look in his cage.

Verla: Nate’s death is still too raw for Jason. Going through his cage would be accepting that Nate is never coming back for his stuff. I think he realized that the cage might hold some answers for him when Sonny mentioned it.

Manuela: That scene had my feels doing flips and I’m sure Jason knew how emotionally taxing it would be when he went to check all the stuff in Nate’s cage. He had to go when he was ready.

Bryna: I didn’t even think to look in his cage. Who would think his friend would hide secretive stuff in a place that others could possibly find it? Unless he wanted them to find it if something happened to him.

Andrea: Part of him had to wonder if there was any information in there. Jason is very tactical and there really isn’t much that gets by him. I just don’t think he was ready to take that step yet. Once his cage is cleaned out, that’s it. It really makes everything final, and Jason just wasn’t ready for that yet.

4. There was a little hostility happening at Stella’s party towards Clay and Brian. Does that surprise you? What did you think of how Clay and Stella handled it?

Linda: Hostility goes with the territory, there’s always someone in the mix that will be that way. It was comical how they handled it.

Verla: It doesn’t surprise me that Stella’s friends would have anti-military feelings. College is where a lot of people begin to question ideals they’ve been taught all their lives. Stella and Clay handled the situation in a great way. Humor is an effective way to defuse a tense or awkward situation. They did it in an easy manner and didn’t embarrass anyone.

Manuela: Not surprised about the hostility. Civilians and military do clash sometimes. However I did like how Stella and Clay diffused the situation. I like that kind of sarcastic humour!

Bryna: It did surprise me. It was almost like she invited them as “show and tell”. What is she up to? Clay handled it well. Stella, well she seemed to nip it in the bud, but it shouldn’t have come up. It’s her party and she knew she was inviting the guys over. Hmm.

Andrea: Stella has got me all over the map. She’s kind of hot and cold. It surprised me that her friends would show hostility towards not only friends that she’s invited to a party that she is throwing, but towards her boyfriend as well. That whole thing was strange. Though I did like how Stella and Clay took care of the whole thing quickly and quietly while Brian looked a little nervous.

5. Jason wasn’t giving any chances when he ordered the team while saving the teachers. Do you agree with his methods?

Linda: They did what had to be done to get the teachers to safety.

Verla: I did agree with his method. The situation had gone way past the point where diplomacy was going to work. Jason has to protect his team and the ones they are tasked with rescuing.

Manuela: Jason felt uneasy in the unstructured and undisciplined situation. So I felt like he just had to take command and find a focus. I agree with his method because someone needs to take charge! Hesitation and confusion will end up costing too many lives and he won’t stand by and wait.

Bryna: Yes. I agree with his method.

Andrea: I think the time for entering the building peacefully and tactically had passed. Jason wanted to hit them hard, heavy and fast. That’s what he did and I think it was the best decision they could have made under the circumstances.

6. We’re so used to seeing Jason and Ray taking on missions side by side, but Jason and Sonny seemed to work remarkable well together also. What did you think?

Linda: I actually like how they all have each other’s backs. But I especially like how those two interact with each other.

Verla: I love the Jason and Ray dynamic, but it was great to see Sonny utilized more in a mission with Jason. His sarcastic humor, which I suspect masks some fear on his part, helps to relieve stress and refocus everyone.

Manuela: I’m incredibly biased! I love Ray and Jason together! I think that Davis and Sonny have a great banter and I would love to see more of their chemistry on screen.

Bryna: It was a great flow! Nice to see it! I want more of this combo!

Andrea: I really like the flow of things between Ray and Jason. Very calm, cool, and collected. But if you want the sarcastic humor and witty banter added to the mix, look no further than Jason and Sonny! I thought they were awesome together! I also really liked the dynamic between Lisa and Ray! They also seemed to have some chemistry. Too bad Ray is married.

7. Mandy may operate behind the scenes, but she showed us that doesn’t mean she is afraid to go to bat for her team. What did you think of how she handled the acting ambassador?

Linda: She was a bad ass! That jerk needed to be put in his place. And it always takes a woman to do so!

Verla: Mandy took the perfect approach when she threatened the acting ambassador (a truly creepy character). I am sure he knew when she said she would burn him that he knew she was threatening any chances he had in the future of advancing up the political ladder.

Manuela: I LOVED THAT SCENE! Frankly I think that Jason is looking for more of that side of her to come out when she is giving the orders to the Team as well, so I think we should see more of it! Jess Paré did a fantastic job with the episode!

Bryna: She was awesome! I expected her to hold her own. Great to see her in action!

Andrea: We got to see her hold her own a bit last week, but this was everything! Mandy really proved that she will do whatever it takes to make sure that her entire team makes it home safely. I got kind of excited that she was going to punch that pompous ass’s lights out!

Final Verdict: This team works like a well oiled machine, and they aren’t going to take any nonsense from anyone. Superiors or not.

The writers of this show know how to make us feel things. But not just in the moment, for the entirety of the episode. They are doing an expert job at trying to make us feel what the team is feeling at any given moment. That’s something that is extremely important, and yet forgotten a lot with other television shows. The job these men have is scary and dangerous, even their training. The writers don’t ever let you forget that as they have you on the edge of your seat, wondering who is going to make it or be lost this week. We certainly didn’t see Brian’s death coming.

As always, no show can be perfect, not even one as amazing as this. But it does come pretty close. The only thing we really take issue with is the entirety of the Nate story line. It’s made out to be something major and important, and yet it’s not given a lot of screen time. So we are left wondering if it’s going to just fizzle out or actually become something. If you’re left wondering who this mysterious woman is and what part she is going to play in the show, don’t worry, you are not alone. The few minutes of screen time for the story have us questioning things too.

SEAL Team returns Wednesday, November 22nd at 9/8c on CBS