SEAL Team has one more season left before it ends its 100-plus episode run, and the final season’s trailer divulges a lot of information about the upcoming episodes, including how things changed after Clay Spenser’s death in season 6. The CBS/Paramount+ military drama debuted in 2017 and garnered a sizable audience and impressive ratings. However, like most shows, the drama’s numbers began to trend downward, resulting in CBS moving SEAL Team to Paramount+ in season 5. The series ultimately lasted for one and a half seasons on the streaming service before Paramount+ pulled the plug, making the seventh season its last.
As fans will recall, SEAL Team season 6 was turbulent from beginning to end, with the most notable development coming in episode 8. A security guard killed Clay, played by Max Thieriot, mistaking him for an intruder. Since he was shot in the chest, Clay died quickly with no hope of saving him. Thieriot escaped SEAL Team as he was busy working on his CBS drama series Fire Country, but that didn’t make his character’s death hurt any less. Now, in season 7, the rest of the Bravo Team is still reeling from the tragedy, while also dealing with various other problems.
Jason’s Career Has Changed After Fateful SEAL Team Season 6 Decision
SEAL Team star David Boreanaz’s character, Jason Hayes, suffered a traumatic brain injury in season 5, which was a secret he kept to himself (except for Clay Spenser and Ray Perry) until the season 6 finale. Jason blamed himself for Clay’s death, as Clay joined the op to keep an eye on the team leader. He was worried about other people (aka his superiors) finding out about his impairment, and Jason noted, “Clay Spenser paid the ultimate price for it,” while speaking to the crowd at his Navy Cross ceremony, where Jason came clean about his traumatic brain injury.
Consequently, the command staff tried to relieve Jason of his duty. But the Bravo Team stormed into the meeting room, where they stood in solidarity with their leader and revealed their conditions (e.g. tinnitus, blurry vision, Breacher syndrome, etc.). While Jason hasn’t been stripped of his duty in the Navy, the SEAL Team season 7 trailer insinuates that he is no longer the leader of the Bravo Team. Instead, Jason serves as more of a background figure on the crew. The video also implies that Jason may take on the role of an instructor in the upcoming episodes.
Bravo Team’s New Members Usher In A Shocking New Era For SEAL Team
It wouldn’t be a new season without fresh faces, and following the exit of Max Thieriot as Clay Spenser, two actors joined the cast of SEAL Team season 7 — Beau Knapp as Chief Special Warfare Operator Drew Franklin and Dylan Walsh as Captain Walch, both of whom can be spotted in the trailer. Knapp is a series regular, and (per TVLine) his character is described as a Chief Petty Officer with a checked history who is assigned to the Bravo Team to deal with their “problem child status.” Meanwhile, Walsh is a recurring player, and Captain Walch is the new Commanding Officer of DEVGRU.
With the arrival of new members, the Bravo Team is seemingly forced to undergo several changes. Drew makes it clear in the trailer that he isn’t interested in making friends, while Captain Walch is “by the book” and overly ambitious. As a result, the veteran characters have to adapt to their new circumstances, while also dealing with the threat of war. As mentioned by Lieutenant Lisa Davis in the SEAL Team season 7 trailer, the Bravo Team is given a new assignment, an operation that brings on a “new era of warfare.”
Relationships Are Put to the Test In SEAL Team Season 7
Given that the Bravo Team is under a lot of pressure in SEAL Team season 7, relationships will be tested as they struggle to adapt. In particular, the trailer teases that two couples — Jason Hayes and Mandy Ellis, and Ray and Naima Perry — may experience friction in the final episodes. In the video, Mandy asks Jason, “You’re itching to run back into the fire, why?” Jason (dramatically) responds, “The fire is where I belong.” Meanwhile, Ray told his wife, “I have to look after my guys. Until the end.” Only time will tell if any relationship implodes in season 7, though.
