Summary

• SEAL Team season 7 must utilize all characters to properly conclude a rushed final season.
• Season 7 could benefit from a time jump to reset the narrative and introduce new conflicts.
• Legacy SEAL Team characters should be the focus over new additions for the final chapter.

Several things must happen in Clay Spenser's (Max Thieriot) shocking death. Plus, the show is working with a small episode order. Back when the show debuted in 2017, seasons spanned 22 episodes, but episode orders have gotten smaller across the board in recent years. With just 10 episodes left, SEAL Team faces an uphill battle to craft a conclusion befitting of the characters.

SEAL Team must utilize all the characters to properly conclude the show in a way it deserves. With so many characters, it would be a miracle if the show could pull off a final season that doesn't feel rushed. How the show will handle tying up loose threads has not been determined, but there is a lot of ground to cover in a short time. This means that various plot points need to reach satisfying conclusions to make it worthwhile, and there are several things SEAL Team season 7 could do to effectively end the series.

7 SEAL Team Season 7 Needs To Begin With A Time Jump

SEAL Team Season 6 Has Enough Closure

SEAL Team season 6 was the perfect ending, so the seventh season needs to reset the canvas considerably to make continuing the series necessary. The only logical way to do that is to begin with a time jump to show the characters moving on with their lives and introduce new conflicts that will be front and center in another season.

The time jump could be anything from a few months to a few years, depending on what the creatives have planned for the characters. SEAL Team season 6 set up some significant changes, so there has to be a payoff to show the emotional implications of Clay's death. A crucial plot point should be Spenser's House, the Veteran's Center named after Clay following his demise.

The ramifications of such a death have to be far-reaching to make the emotional beats deserved. Time jumps are an age-old plot device used to freshen up tired series, but SEAL Team needs one to give the last chapter a purpose. Proceeding with the same conflicts from season 6 could have a detrimental effect on the series' legacy. The series is topical and covers storylines that other series avoid, so it would be wise to continue that through Jason's arc.

6 Bravo Team Has To Be Impacted By Jason’s SEAL Team Season 6 Ending

Jason's Decision Changes Everything

Jason had one of the series' most powerful moments in SEAL Team season 6, episode 10, when he revealed the truth about his health while accepting an award. It set the stage for his career to change because his bosses believed he could no longer be trusted. His colleagues and countless other Navy SEALs arrived to defend him when he faced a reckoning about his public ission.

The last thing the show needs is to cheapen the SEAL Team season 6 cliffhanger by making Jason's return unwarranted.

The impactful scene showcased the team's bond and harkened back to the series' overarching theme of brotherhood. It also kicked the wheels in motion to take the show in a different direction. While it's hard to imagine Bravo Team being permanently disbanded, there must be some meaningful changes to highlight the scene's gravity. The last thing the show needs is to cheapen the SEAL Team season 6 cliffhanger by making Jason's return unwarranted.

A great way forward would be to have Jason work with another team entirely. That would be a simple way to usher in the new characters without them feeling shoehorned into the final chapter. It would also showcase how Bravo Team is holding up amid continued changes that rock the team dynamic. In the past, they have struggled with changes.

5 Jason & Mandy Need To Reach An Emotional Breakthrough

Jason & Mandy's Relationship Has Been On The Rocks

Jessica Pare was an original SEAL Team cast member in the role of Mandy Ellis, but her presence on the show diminished when she departed as a series regular in 2021. Despite her exit, the creatives pressed ahead by having Jason and Mandy give in to temptation, which added some much-needed depth to their dynamic. However, the pair have had several issues they must work out before becoming a functioning couple. Now that Jason is facing up to what happened to him while serving his country, it has given the show an opening to allow him to have a breakthrough with Mandy.

While Mandy has always been around to him, there has been underlying frustration because of Jason's inability to deal with his past. If SEAL Team season 7 wants to succeed, it has to nurture this relationship into something more believable that will stand the test of time. It's easy enough to do that if enough time in the final 10 episodes is devoted to delving further into what they mean to each other. This is assuming Pare is returning because she may have moved on to a new project after such a lengthy hiatus.

4 Legacy Characters Should Take Precedence Over New Additions

New Series Regulars Could Take Away Valuable Screen Time

With SEAL Team's endgame in sight, casting details are trickling out for the final season, including Beau Knapp playing a new series regular. The best option is to keep the focus on the characters the show has established over the last six seasons to drive the final chapter's storylines. For example, Omar was a great addition to the SEAL Team season 6 team and has cemented himself as one of the legacy characters.

Due to this, Omar should continue to be featured in SEAL Team season 7 alongside the likes of Sonny, Davis, and Ray. That's not to say that there can't be new faces. The issue with new additions so late in the game is that there's little screen time to go around, so there's always that risk that some of the more critical characters will fall by the wayside.

Screen time issues have happened to countless shows in the past, but SEAL Team has been such a success over the years because every character is so important to the show due to the strong writing. Thankfully, there are still plenty of directions to take with the returning characters, but it will all come down to how well the new arcs land.

3 SEAL Team Season 7 Needs An Update On Stella & Brian

SEAL Team Season 6 Shouldn't Be The End Of Brian & Stella

There was a meaning behind Clay's SEAL Team death, but it didn't land as well as the creatives expected.

SEAL Team season 6 did the unthinkable by killing off Clay Spenser. The series should have allowed the character to leave town with Stella because it was obvious that SEAL Team rushed his exit due to Thieriot's commitment to Fire Country. There was a meaning behind Clay's SEAL Team death, but it didn't land as well as the creatives expected. Instead of feeling earned, Clay's exit felt like it was used for shock value to bring the other characters together.

The series shouldn't forget about Stella and Brian with Clay no longer alive because they're a link to one of the key elements now missing from the show. Stella was understandably questioning her next moves at the end of SEAL Team season 7, so charting what comes next would be a satisfying next step. The families of fallen Bravo Team have remained immersed in the show's narrative in the past, so it would be strange to stray from that now.

An easy way to bring them back would be as part of Ash's continued cancer battle. Ash didn't have the best relationship with Clay, but perhaps he would be on hand to help his son's family. Stella maintained a neutral relationship with Ash over the years, meaning Clay's death could give them some common ground. Ash is a link to Clay's past, which could lead to some new information about Clay, even if Thieriot is done with the show.

2 Sonny & Davis Need To Get Back Together

Sonny & Davis Have A Spark

Sonny and Davis have had a complicated dynamic since the beginning, but their relationship seemingly ended early in SEAL Team season 6. Thankfully, SEAL Team season 6, episode 10 confirmed there was still a spark between them. Davis had been vocal about not wanting to be with Sonny due to her new job, but a time jump could shake up their dynamic enough to bring them back together.

It would even be interesting if they were back together at the beginning of SEAL Team season 7 because it's never been a matter of if; it's been a matter of when. The series needs to establish their relationship quickly and avoid needless drama in the form of uncertainty. The pair would also function well as a couple if the SEAL Team allows it to happen.

Sonny and Davis work well as friends, but it's hard to imagine them keeping that dynamic going without acting on their feelings again. They're practically being pushed together, so it would be intriguing to see where that goes. Sonny has grown a lot in recent years, so seeing him make good decisions would be a great progression for the character.

1 The Main Characters Need Different Storylines

SEAL Team Season 7 Needs A Revamp

SEAL Team season 6 burned through many storylines at a breakneck pace, but most characters had satisfying arcs that gave the sense that the end was nigh. Unfortunately, many plots could feel stale after so much screen time. As a result, it would be a good idea to peel back the layers to establish what kind of arcs can offer something fresh for both the show and the characters.

Treading the same water won't be useful because it would feel like the series was brought back for another season purely for financial purposes. The only way to make another season worth the effort is to give the characters new things to do, or SEAL Team risks going out with a whimper. Given the success of the first six seasons, it would be a real shame to go out without a bang.

Some possible storylines were planted in the season finale, so seeing how they play out in SEAL Team season 7 should be interesting. With some new additions and prospects for the characters, there is potential for season 7 to be a plausible last hurrah for the Bravo Team. However, it will be difficult to top the perfect SEAL Team season 6 ending.

SEAL Team is expected to return for season 7 in late 2024 on Paramount+.