SEAL Team (season 1)
release year: 2017-2018
genre: military drama/action
viewing setting: home streaming 9/22-30/22
synopsis: An elite military unit goes on various counter-terrorism missions around the world.
impressions: This was very much like Six: it did a damn good job of showing what life in the elite SEAL Team Six is like (not that I would personally know, but I'm somewhat of a scholar on the topic.) There are both the missions themselves - in which it's amazing how quickly and efficiently the guys move, shoot, and such - and then the supporting work needed for those missions...intelligence gathering, figuring things out, interrogating captured enemies, and so on. The series also shows the problems that this line of work can cause on the home front, with spouses, girlfriends, families, all those relationships. Most of this first season is unrelated missions which let the viewer get to know the team and how it operates, but near the end there's an over-arching storyline involving the long, grueling process of getting justice for another team that was set up and killed.
acting: There are a lot of characters here; I'll mention the main ones who got my attention. David Boreanaz gives a strong performance as the team leader, who (like many of the others, and like many soldiers in real life, has family problems on the home front.) Max Thieriot is a young but talented member of the team who has to prove himself. Neil Brown is the team's second-in-command. A.J. Buckley is the jovial team member with a southern drawl and a lot of funny lines. Toni Trucks is a tough and competent logistics/support person who's critical to the team's work and success. Jessica Pare is their CIA liaison, another supporting role that's essential to their mission planning and execution. Judd Lormand is the team's CO, who often acts as a go-between with upper military leadership. Alona Tal, Michaela McManus, and Parisa Fakhri are spouses, and all do a good job showing how tough the SEALs' significant others have to be, and the stresses they ensure.
final word: Outstanding. I'm so glad there's a lot more.
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