Spoilers ahead for Season 5, Episode 6 of SEAL Team, called “Man on Fire.”
Military drama SEAL Team has officially transitioned from CBS to Paramount+ with a big three-part arc. The first part aired on CBS and saw Bravo Team spin up to Africa following a terrorist attack. However, the end revealed a shocking twist; that CIA liaison Mandy (Jessica Paré), who left in Season 4, was being held hostage.
Following that cliffhanger, Part 2 was released on Paramount+, with the team trying to rescue their former colleague while also sticking to their original mission. It was a surprise to not only Bravo but to the fans as well, and there couldn’t have been any other way to begin SEAL Team’s move to streaming. So just how did the series wrap up its big Mandy cliffhanger?
After yet another cliffhanger where the Bravo team found their vehicles surrounded by Molotov cocktails, they were able to find the final HVT Boukare and try to figure out where the location of Aziz Sankara. Sankara was very important, as he was in a picture with Mandy, so it was likely he knew where she was.
Thanks to some information Davis pulled, it was discovered that one of Sankara’s gold mines was being used by SGS for weapons assembly. Sure enough, Mandy was there and even saved Jason after a tango tried to stab him. Honestly it was the only way for Mandy to show up for the first time since leaving and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
But does it make sense? Since she left Bravo and the CIA, why would she come back? She explained to the team that a decade ago, she was working undercover in the region as a French national and had helped Sankara move guns. She became close to his younger sister, whom she later learned would be killed by Sankara if she didn’t marry one of his foot soldiers to pledge loyalty.
Long story short, Mandy wanted to intervene but the CIA wouldn’t sanction her reactivation because the region was “too hot.” So she went in alone and ended up getting captured. She kept herself alive by spilling information about Sankara’s trade routes. The team then said their goodbyes to Mandy, since she had to stay back and debrief.
The three-part arc had shocking twist after shocking twist and the surprises wouldn’t stop coming. Aside from Mandy’s rescue, Jason was leaning on Clay more, who was simply trying to watch his boss’ six, knowing exactly what 20 years of combat can do. Meanwhile, Ray was feeling the cold shoulder and Sonny was just missing his daughter.
SEAL Team’s first two Paramount+ episodes also included a few f-bombs and it was everything. It will be interesting to see how the series does on streaming and if there will be any more surprises included. New episodes drop on Sundays on Paramount+!
