The end of SEAL Team is finally here, and the series finale is as emotional as anyone predicted. Paramount+’s military drama, created by Benjamin Cavell, premiered in September 2017 and ran for seven seasons before concluding in October 2024. The journey was rough, but in the end, every SEAL Team character got a happy ending (and, surprisingly, no one died despite a close call in Afghanistan).
All season long, Jason Hayes has been struggling with what war has done to him. He essentially believes that he is only a killing machine for the U.S. government, and Jason resides to accept that fate. He thinks that war has the last word. Thankfully, Jason comes to his senses by the hour’s end because of Mandy Ellis’ and Ray Perry’s advice. However, while many expected Jason to die in the SEAL Team series finale or, at the very least, resign from the Navy SEALs, his mission isn’t over and the show closes with David Boreanaz’s character remaining as Bravo 1.
How Jason Finally Forgives Himself & Why He Stays With Bravo
Jason Visits The Family Of The First Person He Ever Killed
After killing the terrorist during the two-part SEAL Team season 7 premiere, Jason grows distant from his family and friends. He is consumed with guilt for what he has done and how many people he has killed as a Navy SEAL. Especially after his run-in with Ross Curtis and seeing what war turned him into (a traitor), Jason is resigned to the fact that he is just like Curtis and can’t be forgiven. However, after talking with Mandy and Ray in episode 10, Jason tries to atone for his sins by visiting the wife of the first man he killed.
While in Afghanistan on a separate mission, Ray and Sonny Quinn accompany Jason to the village where the woman lives. Unfortunately, “The Last Word” doesn’t show Jason’s entire interaction with her, but he describes what happened to Ray and Sonny afterward. Jason tells the two men he feels “humbled” by the conversation.
“Jason continues leading the elite team of Navy SEALs (which still includes Omar Hamza and Drew Franklin) on missions overseas as the SEAL Team season 7 episode fades to black.”
The woman told David Boreanaz’s SEAL Team character that she doesn’t blame him for what happened to her husband because, the way she sees it, if her husband had killed Jason, she wouldn’t want his family to blame him for Jason’s death. His blood would have been on the Taliban’s hands. So, she doesn’t forgive Jason because she doesn’t hold him accountable for her husband’s death, and she believes everyone can be reborn. The interaction between Jason and the Afghan woman seemingly changes his perspective, and he’s finally able to forgive himself.
After his conversation with her, a weight lifts off of Jason’s shoulders. His mood noticeably changes when he’s back in the United States as he has come to terms with his role as a Navy SEAL. As a result, Jason doesn’t leave Bravo. Instead, Jason continues leading the elite team of Navy SEALs (which still includes Omar Hamza and Drew Franklin) on missions overseas as the SEAL Team season 7 episode fades to black.
Does Jason Kill Curtis During The SEAL Team Series Finale?
Jason Says Curtis Isn’t “Worth It”
Before Jason’s penance in the series finale, the episode has to pick up from where SEAL Team season 7, episode 9, left off. Jason and Drew are on a mission to assassinate Curtis for his treason against the United States. Bravo 1 and Bravo 6 find him in a small village, but Jason is unable to pull the trigger. He puts his gun down and starts to walk away before Drew completes their mission and kills Curtis.
“Jason probably didn’t pull the trigger because when he looks at Curtis, he sees his future self.”
Drew follows through because he wants revenge for Curtis’ involvement in trying to kill his brothers and because leaving him alive would have ended Jason’s career. The newest member of the Bravo Team in SEAL Team season 7 is ultimately able to do something Jason isn’t. Jason probably didn’t pull the trigger because when he looks at Curtis, he sees his future self. However, Jason’s feelings about war having the last word fortunately change by the hour’s conclusion.
Bravo’s Final Mission In Afghanistan Explained
Jason, Ray, & Sonny Almost Die
Bravo returns from their mission in Honduras at the beginning of SEAL Team season 7, episode 10, just to get deployed again quickly afterward. Their op involves traveling to Afghanistan to infiltrate a former high-ranking Taliban official, Ahmed Amir, who was exiled for siding with the northern alliance. Bravo is also given $150 million to hand over to Amir to help spread his influence. Essentially, the Navy SEALs are assisting the U.S. in supporting an agency regime change to fracture the Taliban and curve China’s influence in Afghanistan.
| SEAL Team Season 7 Episode # | Episode Title | Director | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Chaos in the Calm” | Christopher Chulack | Spencer Hudnut and Dana Greenblatt | August 11, 2024 |
| 2 | “Chaos in the Calm Pt. 2” | Christopher Chulack | Mark H. Semos and Kinan Copen | August 11, 2024 |
| 3 | “Ships in the Night” | S.J. Main Muñoz | Tom Mularz and Stephen Gasper | August 18, 2024 |
| 4 | “Heroes and Criminals” | Mark H. Semos | Ariel Endacott and Madalyn Lawson | August 25, 2024 |
| 5 | “A Perfect Storm” | Jessica Paré | Dana Greenblatt and Leanne Koch | September 1, 2024 |
| 6 | “Hundred-Year Marathon” | David Boreanaz | Tyler Grey and Maggie Stabile | September 8, 2024 |
| 7 | “Mission Creep” | Lionel Coleman | Tom Mularz | September 15, 2024 |
| 8 | “Appetite for Destruction” | Ruben Garcia | Dana Greenblatt and Brian Beneker | September 22, 2024 |
| 9 | “The Seas and the Hills” | Ruben Garcia | Peter Rudolph and Mac Bundick Jr | September 29, 2024 |
| 10 | “The Last Word” | Christopher Chulack | Spencer Hudnut | October 6, 2024 |
Why Sonny Gives Up His Trident
Sonny Comes Clean About Assaulting Decker
Lisa Davis joined Bravo on their mission in Honduras during SEAL Team season 7, episode 8 to get some of the heat off of her regarding the investigation into who assaulted General Decker. Unfortunately, Davis learns in episode 10 that her time away had little effect. So, Sonny, not wanting the blame to fall on Davis, confesses to punching Decker, effectively giving up his trident for her. Sonny wants Davis to get her dream of working at the Pentagon alongside Admiral Rivas, and this is the only way her dream could become a reality.
Why Ray Becomes The Head Of Warfighter Health, Not Jason
The SEAL Team Series Finale Tricks Viewers Into Thinking Jason Accepts The Position
Towards the end of SEAL Team season 7, episode 10, the finale fools the audience into believing Jason resigned from Bravo and accepted a new job as the Head of Warfighter Health at DEVGRU. In reality, Ray is the one who left and accepted the position. Jason’s time with Bravo isn’t over yet, but Ray’s is as he has been planning on retiring all season.
However, instead of helping Naima run Spenser House, Ray is guiding warfighters through TBI treatment options and other mental health problems. After yelling at Ben and continuing to feel uneasy at the veterans center, Ray steps away from Spenser House. He even tells Naima that Spenser House feels “tainted” for him. So, it just makes sense that Ray would become the Head of Warfighter Health in SEAL Team if Jason declined the job.
Why SEAL Team Is Ending With Season 7
Paramount+ Canceled SEAL Team
“So starting the season it was like, okay, this is the perfect way to wrap that cycle up for [Jason]. For me, I knew that that was the right way and I knew going in before the writers’ strike that I was done. I had expressed my interest not to do the show anymore. I was finished regardless of even if they wanted to do two more seasons, one more season. I was done. So then the writers’ strike hit, and it became six months later and that had already been decided.”
