SEAL Team star and executive producer David Boreanaz addresses Jason’s potential death in the upcoming final season of the Paramount+ action drama. Set to premiere in just a few days, SEAL Team season 7 will focus on Boreanaz’s character, Special Warfare Officer Jason Hayes, as he struggles to maintain his sense of self-sacrifice as a single father, and it will continue to show how Jason’s heroic instincts impact those around him.
Ahead of season 7’s premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, August 11, Boreanaz spoke with TVLine about what to expect from the final season. The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bones actor gave candid answers, explaining that he feels like he’s come to the end of the road for Jason Hayes. Furthermore, when asked about envisioning Jason’s life after Bravo as he spends more time with Mikey, Emma, and her boyfriend, the star and executive producer kept returning to the possibility of Jason dying. Read his comments below: I would say that it makes him see a future that he probably still feels a little awkward about. Because what he thinks is effective may not be effective. [Laughs] The ultimate pivot point in this circle for these executives is, “How do they handle their murders?” How does that impact them traumatically both on the job and at home? So having him at home for the first couple of episodes, that’s going to be traumatic, and that’s something that he’s going to have to lean into, to deal with that and let it go and heal himself. But ultimately, he could be taken away by the greatest force of all, which is death. That’s something we have to keep on the table and want to keep on the table. How he returns to the battlefield and what happens to him will be interesting.
SEAL Team season 6 ends with Jason revealing his TBI, detailing how it negatively impacted his work. Considering Jason revealed it during what was supposed to be a Navy Cross ceremony, Jason seems to be in trouble with his superiors. But then Jason’s team comes to his defense, as they all reveal their own injuries. According to the official synopsis listed below, there’s even more to come in the final season: In the final season, Jason Hayes struggles to balance his life as a soldier with his responsibilities as a single father. Ray Perry, his trusted second-in-command, wonders if he can leave the battlefield as he nears retirement. Dedicated doorman Sonny Quinn battles the changing tides as Jason and Ray shift focus, meaning other teammates must shoulder more responsibility. Omar Hamza and Drew Franklin both find throwing themselves into the job an effective way to escape past traumas. Key to the mission’s success is Lieutenant Lisa Davis, a hard-nosed officer who leads the team into a new era of warfare against powerful opponents for supremacy on the world stage. Separated from their loved ones at the drop of a hat for global deployment, Bravo Team remains dedicated to their mission. Even in the face of immense hardship, they know it’s the price they must pay to keep the families they left behind safe.
Despite the tumultuous events that lie ahead for the cast of SEAL Team, including Neil Brown Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks, Raffi Barsoumian, and Beau Knapp, a big question surrounds the fate of Boreanaaz’s main character Jason Hayes. A series-ending death would be neat, perhaps even fitting for the main character’s trajectory, but also predictable and simple.
Perhaps a more interesting ending would be Jason reeling from the deaths he’s caused. It’s not the perfect hero’s ending, where Jason is mourned and celebrated. But it would be a real send-off for showrunner Spencer Hudnut and his fellow writers to end SEAL Team by saying that Jason will live with his problems and also experience joy, and that the two can coexist.
