“‘SEAL Team’ Series Finale Leaves Fans Excited, Teases Potential for Sequel”
With its finale airing on Sunday, October 6, CBS Studios’ military drama SEAL Team comes to an end. The seven-season drama about an elite US Navy SEAL unit on CBS and Paramount+ is one of the few series to bridge the gap between networks and streaming services.
After completing a successful mission in SEAL Team Season 7’s penultimate episode, which resulted in the capture of a fentanyl drug dealer and the elimination of a renegade Green Beret, Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) and Team Bravo return home to Virginia Beach. But the comfort of family as they process the tense events of the season is short-lived, as the unit is deployed to Afghanistan for one final mission.
Throughout the tenth episode, Jason struggles to reconcile with the large amount of blood on his hands, which becomes chaotic as he prepares for his daughter Emma’s (Kerri Medders) wedding. After completing a mission in Afghanistan, Ray Perry (Neil Brown Jr.) and Sonny Quinn (AJ Buckley) accompany Hayes on a side trip to visit the wife of the first man he killed to atone for his sins. However, shortly after, the trio’s car is shot at, throwing their rescue mission into chaos.
As the screen fades to black, a fake scene briefly appears showing a church gathering—maybe a funeral? Viewers are soon relieved that the trio survived the mission, however, as Jason walks his daughter down the aisle as she marries Brad (Brandon Butler). As the festivities begin, it appears that Jason has washed his hands of the past, signaling a new beginning.
So where will the main characters end up? Lisa Davis (Toni Trucks) secured her promotion after Sonny, who admitted to punching Decker before the board of inquiry, turned in his SEAL trident. The two were last seen driving together, holding hands. Meanwhile, Ray turned out to be a Bravo member who was taking over as Chief of Warrior Health at DEVGRU. And while the episode seemed like Jason was also leaving the battlefield, the final scene saw the character return to the helicopter with the younger SEALs, his final words “Easy day!” closing out the show.
“I hope the legacy is that we told an authentic story,” showrunner Spencer Hudnut told TVLine of SEAL Team’s ending. “It’s not a recruitment video, but it’s also not a political view of the military. We tried to tell the true story of our men and women in uniform, and what sacrifice really means.”
With no deaths in the finale and an optimistic ending filled with new possibilities and beginnings, it’s possible that this procedural story could be revisited in the future. As previously noted, a standalone film was announced for 2022, but there hasn’t been much progress. We hear the project isn’t dead yet, though it’s currently in limbo.
