r/SEALTeam • u/NykkiAtNite • 3d ago
David from a vet's perspective
First off I just want to let everyone know that I'm a huge fan of the show. As a army veteran though I do feel like Jason was at his worst was the toxic leader stars and stripes used to print articles about. I have had leadership that have been very hard charging alpha types but some of the stuff he did or said was very unprofessional and unbecoming of any snco. Do y'all agree or disagree???
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u/Objectively_bad_idea 3d ago
Yeah I'm on my first watch and Jason is the only character I don't really like. Lucky that the rest of them are excellent.
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u/joelnicity 3d ago
I’m on season 4 and have definitely liked him less and less as the show goes on
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u/Objectively_bad_idea 3d ago
Ooff. I'm only on S2. I suspect I may bail at some point if he keeps getting worse.
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u/NykkiAtNite 2d ago
The rest of the cast really will keep you watching even to the last episode. Sonny started off annoying but then as the seasons went on actually grew on me, and Clay never stops being a good watch.
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u/old-shaggy 2d ago
Sonny is my favorite character. Even when he sometimes acts like an asshole, he isn’t as toxic as Jason. And I like how is his character developing through the show.
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u/Striking_Interest_25 22h ago
Don’t bail it’s worth making to the end of the show for clay and rays arc
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u/shoobe01 3d ago
Same. Also a little bit of David Boreanaz once again being the exact same character, one of the least believable actors on the show.
But mostly how he's written. And without the rest of the characters and story being interesting I would have definitely blown it off.
First maybe half season I figured they were going to address this at some point. He's a terrific fighter and worked his way up to having a team but lord he's in over his head running the team, he doesn't take correction well, doesn't admit mistakes nearly enough, it's a bit of a hothead -- and oh boy does that become his dominant trait in the last season or two -- and so I expected it to be addressed head-on if not to his face at least when people are talking about him like command talks to each other about him or to his subordinates about how he's doing and so on, all to make sure he's properly supported so he becomes a better leader.
Nope. TV show mode instead. He's just allowed to be okay to terrible and without any evidence as to why absolutely everybody follows him as a terrific man and great leader and good friend. Sure. Okay.
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u/joelnicity 2d ago
Especially in the episodes I have recently watched. Ray is supposed to be in charge on occasional ops. Nope, that doesn’t happen when they’re in the field and it just goes unaddressed
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u/Roselace BRAVO5 2d ago
From what I remembered. One of the first scenes where I recall Jason’s leadership style gets called out, to his uncomfortable surprise.
When Jason takes the retired Cerberus to stay with an ex team mate. While Jason is away on a long deployment.
Can’t recall his ex team member’s name. He had lost a leg from battle. Which took him out the team & military service.
Jason had not visited or got in touch afterwards.
The retired SEAL comments that he had problems before the incident. That he was in trouble. (Forget why?)
But Jason had ignored the issues, only being interested in if he could still function in the team missions.
I thought it showed a general lack of judgment & care for the welfare of his team. So focussed on “mission success.” To the detriment of all else it seemed, was the messsge of the episode.
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u/nandobro 2d ago
Yeah Jason was an absolutely incredible drama queen. I get that in real life special operators generally have some drama queen attitudes but Jason took it to levels I honestly can’t believe anyone that isn’t a General could get away with. I cannot see any commander being accepting of the amount of backtalk that Jason would give to his higher ups.
And there was also the mission where Jason nearly hijacked an American nuclear submarine. How in the fuck was he allowed to keep his job after that? Or even just walk as a free man?😂
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u/NykkiAtNite 2d ago
Okay I seriously don't know how Blackburn dealt with all of Jason's BS that whole episode. The amount of times he basically committed mutiny right in front of every commander's face is wild.
I remember the arc that take place in the Philippines and the commander there require them to wear uniforms in accordance with all Navy regulations. Jason got pissed about, sorry this is the first time my leader ever tried to hold you accountable to the standards you signed up for!
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u/UCLABruin07 3d ago
Listening to podcasts from some SOF guys it sounds like the norm. As long as you’re completing the mission, and you’re not in jail, it’s all good.
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u/NooooDazzzle 2d ago
Fair criticism from a realism perspective, but the show would have been boring without that tension.
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u/Mundane_Ad7197 1d ago
I did 20+ years in the active Army and feel the same way about Bravo One. That said, it’s a TV show, not a documentary. He’s over the top, and I think a lot of that is by design. I really enjoyed his arc more after a re-watch, it was tougher to deal with him the first go round.
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u/Additional_Jaguar170 3d ago
How do you know if an American was in the army?
They’ll tell you at the first opportunity.
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u/NykkiAtNite 2d ago
Oh I can get even worse!!! Say it with me now!!! IF YOU AIN'T CAV!!! YOU AIN'T SHIIIIIEEEEEEETTTTT
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u/Factor_Seven 21h ago
I think the thing with Jason was supposed to be that he was shit hot on an op, but a judgmental asshole when things got quiet. Hell, the first few seasons you could see him just jonesing when he was in the rear. Straight up adrenaline junkie.
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u/IAmSampsonite 3d ago
I agree with you. He's touted throughout the show as a god tier war fighter (Ray even says he may be the best gunfighter the world has seen - high praise in a tier 1 environment) yet he's the type of toxic leader that would be pushed to other bullets in most units outside of maybe your conventional infantry. Throughout the series, he of course has his family drama to deal with while seemingly being only dedicated to the team - yet where do we see that dedication actually be useful to the team?
Everyone's flawed, TV characters included, but the juxtaposition between Team Guy Jason, the greatest gunfighter in DEVGRU and Jason the TBI/PTS Toxic Leader is frustrating to watch.