SEAL Team’s David Boreanaz on Jason’s Big Decision: ‘I Don’t Know If

He’s Going to Make It’ SEAL Team begins season four the way they intended to end season three (before production was forced to shut down early): Bravo chasing the terrorist who escaped them and making big decisions for three members of the team.

The first is a powerful hour directed by series star David Boreanaz. Jason Hayes (Bravo 1) and his Cerberus are separated from the group, the dog, who has admittedly been recently spooked, is injured, but both return unscathed. Bravo then tracks down and stops Al-Hazred, with Clay Spenser (Max Thieriot) as the shooter.

But after returning from Afghanistan, analyst Mandy Ellis (Jessica Paré) decides she can’t do this job anymore. “That’s not who I want to be,” she tells Jason. “If I don’t leave now, I’ll lose myself forever. And if I stay, you’ll convince me I’m not well.”

And there’s a big twist coming, too: As the team recognizes the signs of PTSD in Cerberus, Jason knows it’s time for this dog to be just a dog.

The final scene is where the biggest shock comes, as Jason declares to the others that “commanding Bravo Team has been the greatest honor of my life, but war has been my refuge for too long, and I’m done. It’s time for Bravo 1 to retire and find a life for Jason Hayes.”

Here, Boreanaz breaks down that shocking decision and previews what’s next for Jason and Bravo.

When exactly did Jason make the decision to step down from active duty? Was it one or two specific moments, or was it a combination of everything?

David Boreanaz: Yeah, for him to know that he’s going after the son of a guy he took down, a major terrorist 13 years ago, it’s like a carousel – he sees the world not stopping and the war not stopping, and it’s like, how can you take on so many operations and missions if you’re trying to make a difference? Now, knowing that he’s making a difference, for him it’s a very conflicted situation; he loves the teams, and he knows and realizes that he’s a better fighter than he’s ever been a father or a husband, so for his character to step down, we’ll see.

I think the decision This comes at a very powerful moment, with Mandy at his favorite restaurant, [where] he always goes after deployment, and when she opens up about how things don’t change, they just keep growing. That could push him over the edge to say he needs to take a step back. How does he survive? I don’t think he will, and we’ll see what happens.

Does he know who he wants to be if he’s not in action? He’s been “always on” for a long time. We see that start in those flashbacks, which is great.

Yeah, for this character and especially for people who actually do it and come home, it’s a real battlefield. “Always on” seems like an easy pivot to “always on” something else, but I don’t know if that’s going to work. Ultimately, we don’t know if he survives it, and when I say doesn’t survive it, I mean he either leaves completely or he actually leaves completely. And not to sugarcoat it, but what are the options when life takes hold of you and you’re not accepted by society? It becomes a very difficult situation for Jason, and we’ll see how he handles it and see what happens to him.

Does he think he’s done for?

In my mind, he could have made that decision. I don’t want to spoil how he deals with it because in Season 4, we’re going to see a lot of characters come and go, including Bravo 1. You never know.

How will Jason’s decision affect the way he interacts with the members of Bravo?

He’ll have a linear interaction with them; He has to do his military service, deal with his boss. There will be direct contact with Bravo outside of the teams. But the most important thing is his mind and his mental stability – how he can get help, learn to ask for help or know how to lean on someone or something. We’ll see how that plays out.
What will Bravo Team look like in the future? You mentioned people coming and going. You’ve got Jason running, Ray (Neil Brown Kr.) going to the warrant officer academy, maybe the replacement for Cerberus… On paper, it looks a lot different, for sure. That’s the most interesting part. How will Thirty Mike fit in there as Bravo 1? How will Sonny’s conflicts determine his fate? Where will Ray go in terms of what could happen?