SEAL Team is finally over, and the series finale is as emotional as everyone predicted. The Paramount+ 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, none died despite narrowly escaping death in Afghanistan).
Throughout the season, Jason Hayes struggled with what war had done to him. He essentially believed that he was just a killing machine for the US government, and Jason accepted that fate. He thought that war had the final say. Fortunately, Jason came to his senses by the end of the episode thanks to advice from Mandy Ellis and Ray Perry. However, while many expected Jason to die in the SEAL Team series finale or at least resign from the Navy SEALs, his mission was not over and the show ended with David Boreanaz’s character still on Bravo 1.
How Jason Finally Forgave Himself and Why He Still Stays with Bravo
After killing the terrorist in the two-part SEAL Team season 7 premiere, Jason became estranged from his family and friends. He was haunted by guilt for what he had done and the number of people he had killed as a Navy SEAL. Especially after his encounter with Ross Curtis and witnessing the war that turned him into a traitor, Jason accepted the fact that he was like Curtis and could not be forgiven. However, after talking to Mandy and Ray in episode 10, Jason attempted 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 the entire conversation between Jason and her, but he describes what happened to Ray and Sonny afterward. Jason tells the two men that he feels “humbled” after the conversation.
The woman tells 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 killed Jason, she wouldn’t want his family to blame him for Jason’s death. His blood would be on the Taliban’s hands. So she doesn’t forgive Jason because she doesn’t hold him responsible for her husband’s death, and she believes that everyone can be reborn. The conversation between Jason and the Afghan woman seems to change his perspective, and he is finally able to forgive himself.
After his conversation with her, a weight was lifted off Jason’s shoulders. His mood changed dramatically when he returned to the United States because he had accepted his role as a Navy SEAL. As a result, Jason did not leave Bravo. Instead, Jason continued to lead the elite Navy SEAL team (still including Omar Hamza and Drew Franklin) on overseas missions as the SEAL Team season 7 episode cut to black.
Did Jason kill Curtis in the SEAL Team series finale?
Before Jason was brought to justice in the series finale, the episode had to continue from the end of SEAL Team season 7, episode 9. Jason and Drew were on a mission to assassinate Curtis for treason against the United States. Bravo 1 and Bravo 6 found him in a small village, but Jason was unable to pull the trigger. He lowered his gun and began to walk away before Drew completed the mission and killed Curtis.
Drew went on the mission because he wanted revenge for Curtis’ involvement in the attempt to kill his brothers and because letting him live would have ended Jason’s career. The newest member of Bravo Team in SEAL Team season 7 was finally able to do what Jason couldn’t. Jason probably didn’t pull the trigger because he saw his future self when he looked at Curtis. However, Jason’s feelings about the war had the last word, which thankfully changed by the end of the episode.
Bravo’s final mission in Afghanistan explained
Bravo returned from their mission in Honduras at the beginning of SEAL Team season 7, episode 10, only to be redeployed shortly thereafter. Their operation involved going to Afghanistan to infiltrate a former high-ranking Taliban official, Ahmed Amir, who had been exiled for siding with the northern alliance. Bravo was also given $150 million to deliver to Amir to help expand his influence. Essentially, the Navy SEALs are assisting the United States in its regime change efforts to divide the Taliban and reduce Chinese influence in Afghanistan.
Why Sonny Gives Up His Trident
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.
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
In November 2023, Paramount announced that SEAL Team season 7 would end the show. Additionally, the previously announced standalone movie was canceled. According to David Boreanaz’s interview with TV Insider, the military drama was canceled partly because the story had run its course (at least, for Jason). Boreanaz explained:
“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.”
Boreanaz would have left SEAL Team after season 7 regardless if it was the last one or not. So, his exit likely influenced Paramount’s decision. Meanwhile, the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes also had a hand in SEAL Team’s cancelation.
