Photo Credit: CBS
I have to admit, this episode got my blood pumping. It was great on several levels, and the acting and directing were superior. Shout out to Director Melanie Mayron as well as David Boreanaz and guest star Sharif Atkins (Sr. Chief Beau Fuller). Both actors were amazingly fiery as well as vulnerable. Max Thieriot did a bang up job with his portrayal of Clay and his having to go back to buddy Brian’s hometown to notify his next of kin of his death. Also, we got to see Dita, “the hair missle” (very briefly), in this episode. More Dita, more Dita, more Dita!
I’m going to start with Max and how well he portrayed Clay here. Clay, the usually confident and cocky operator, finds himself vulnerable and navigating through uncharted waters. Not only did he lose his buddy, but he thought he knew his friend. It turns out he knew nothing at all. Brian’s entire life story had been a fairy tale. I can see Clay’s wheels turning, and I think this is the start of him thinking hard and questioning everything he thinks he knows about HIS entire life.
I loved seeing David Boreanaz stretching his acting legs in in “The Spinning Wheel.” Jason and Beau Fuller have history, and it’s not pretty. Both are highly competitive Team leaders and have a chip on their shoulders, although Sr. Chief Fuller’s is a bit bigger. Like Davis (Toni Trucks) said, “he is a bit of a dick.” (Gotta love Davis). Ray tries to explain to Jason why Beau acts like he acts. He tries to convince Jason that because he and Beau are black, they have had to work much harder to get where they are. Jason doesn’t buy it completely, but he sees his friend’s point. Also, Jason acts like a hard ass in the dining hall when it comes to Clay sulking about Brian. Again, Ray sets him straight. I was happy to see some vulnerability though, when Jason makes eye contact with Clay and he seems to console him. Nice!
One thing I was a bit disappointed with in ‘The Spinning Wheel” was that even though they practiced, practiced, practiced the mission, we didn’t get to see the actual mission. I guess they didn’t have the time. The 43-minute episode, but come on! They concluded with everyone getting on the plane, just to get the word that the op was cancelled. Bummer.
I’m very interested in the Nate story and his interpreter’s wife and how she made it to Virginia. I guess there was a lot Jason really didn’t know about Nate. Hmmm, just like Clay really didn’t know anything about Brian. I think there are some parallels here that we need watch for. Good job to the writing room in creating some depth. I give this one an “A” even tho they cut the ending short.
SEAL Team airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
