SEAL Team - Hold What You Got - Review: A New Status Quo?

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We all celebrate and/or mourn the dead then return to a semblance of normal. Bravo Team has their own way of celebrating a lost brother.

They paid a nighttime visit to a golf course, got wasted and tore it up. I kept expecting a security guard to come running out the dark screaming at them to get out. (I can’t help but wonder what the episode did for the sale of glow in the dark golf clubs. Weren’t they cool?)

I couldn’t quite tell if the scene between Ray and Jason was the same night or another night.

Ray asks Jason the dreaded question. What is he going to do about the kids for their next deployment? Jason’s current decision is denial.

Jason is adjusting though. I loved the way he settled the screaming match between Emma and Mikey. Great compromise. Emma would take Mikey to the movies, so none of her friends see her with her little brother. Social suicide averted.

His response to Emma needing a new dress for the Winter Formal was definitely a man’s answer. ‘You have a closet full of dresses.’

When the word came down that they were going to be deployed with no end stated, the family handled it pretty well. The kids set up a Skype schedule and it looks like Jason is going to try to stick to it.

Emma could already see a bright side to the situation. With Jason out of town she has better odds of getting a date for the formal. Saying good-bye to Jason isn’t new to them, but he better not be late calling home.

Sonny and his wingman, Davis, are drinking together again. (Was anyone else surprised to hear that three women raised Sonny?)

I’ve been expecting Sonny and Davis to hook up since before she started dating Danny. It didn’t surprise me that they hooked up.

All I could think of, when they kissed, was how Sonny is going to react when he finds out Davis made it into OCS.

And Stella…Stella dumped Clay just before he got on the plane. We saw it coming. Clay didn’t.

The idea of a loved one dropping major bad news on a soldier just before they deploy has always bugged me. It seems like an awful thing to do to someone you care about. Stella tried to avoid the conversation. This doesn’t bode well.

Mission: Capture Andres Doza

Bravo Team is headed for Mexico to capture Andres Doza, the head of the “most lethal cartel in Mexico.” Bravo Team is told they’ll be in Mexico, working with the Mexican marines, to hunt down and capture this guy.

In his arrogance, Doza murdered a DEA agent. (The body found in the season premiere, I presume.) It may take the rest of the season, but he’s gonna be sorry.

The only thing that clanged bells with me was the idea that everyone is worried whether Jason’s head is in the game.

The series opened with Jason in the middle of a psych evaluation after the loss of a member of Bravo Team. He wasn’t given one after the death of his wife followed so closely by Adam’s death? I find that difficult to believe.

I could understand Captain Harrington checking in with Jason for his evaluation of the team, but it was really weird for Mandy to doubt Jason. It felt more like the writers than the characters to me.

When they reach Mexico, they find a different world. Mandy’s counterpart, Rita Alfaro, doesn’t take it for granted that they can make it to the airport without getting attacked. It seems like the dynamics on this case will be different than the people they fought in Afghanistan.

The first step in finding Doza is to pick up one of his lieutenants, Gonzalez, who lives in a cartel owned town.

One of the Mexican soldiers, Lopez, doesn’t want to go on this mission because his family lives in that town, and, if he’s spotted, they will all be marked for death.

Jason doesn’t trust someone who isn’t going into the field with him. I understand his concern, but there’s a lot of arrogance in Jason’s handling of the situation.

The net result of which is huge pictures of Lopez’ family on the walls outside of their headquarters, marking Lopez’ family for death.

Bravo Team goes in. Not surprisingly, the town is wired for early warning. Lopez loses his mask when he gets debris in his eyes (which is when he’s identified).

The team splits up. Sonny sees their Gonzalez running for the hills. Technically, they would have had time to catch him if Jason had been willing to split up the team. He wasn’t.

When they found six civilians being tortured, Jason prioritized them over Gonzalez.

I wasn’t at all surprised that Mandy would be so focused on getting Gonzalez that she’d be angry that Jason brought back victims instead of her prize.

That moment felt organic. Mandy asking Ray to keep an eye on Jason did not.

Ray, always tuned into the state of the team, sees that something is bugging Clay, but reads it wrong.

I think it’s going to turn out that Clay’s focus is what causes a problem for the team, not Jason worrying about the kids.

Col. Martinez appreciated Jason’s decision. He thanked the team with some good tequila.

Another awesome episode for me. I like the way they’re handling Jason’s new personal paradigm. Wise move leaving the credit card with Naima.

It looks like the new long term mission is going to be fun. What did you think about the episode? What did you think of Stella dumping Clay?

Miscellaneous:

Sonny! Way to Bend & Snap!

Clay’s Nicknames So Far:
Blondie (E1)
Wonder Boy (E1)
Pin-up Girl (E1)
Peter Pan(E2)
Mr. GQ (E2)
Cover Girl (E3)
Bamm Bamm (E4)
Ken Doll (E4)
Goldilocks (E5)
Romeo (E6)