The Unit - Season 1

THE UNIT – Season 1

‘The Unit’ is a military action drama that follows the lives of the men of a covert delta force ‘unit’; as well as their wives too.  In essence it is a blend of action and the day-to-day drama, set against a military background.

Col. Ryan (Patrick)

Charles Grey (Irby)

This first season charts the lives of ‘Alpha Team’ led by the resolute and steadfast Jonas ‘Snake Doctor’ Blane (Dennis Haysbert), a resourceful and charismatic individual who leads his team consisting of Mack ‘Dirt Diver’ Gerhardt (Max Martini), Charles ‘Betty Blue’ Grey (Michael Irby), Hector ‘Hammer Head’ Williams (Demore Barnes), and Bob ‘Cool Breeze’ Brown (Scott Foley), on missions set by Col. Thomas ‘Dog  Patch 06’ Ryan (Robert Patrick).  These main characters are also joined by Molly Blane (Regina Taylor), Tiffany Gerhardt (Abby Brammell), and Kim Brown (Audrey Anderson).  And unlike other military shows, the female leads don’t play second fiddle to the men, with each possessing their own character arcs and receiving plenty of screen time and development.  Indeed, it is the balance between the husbands and wives which makes this show excellent, as it feels really well-rounded and constructed.

Hector Williams (Barnes)

Jonas Blane (Haysbert)

As one can see ‘The Unit’, possesses a rather large cast, but deals with this rather well.  Indeed, the Blanes, Gerhardts and Browns, as well as Col. Ryan are really developed throughout this 13 episode first season.  Nonetheless, it would have been nice to see abit more of Grey and William’s characters being explored, as they appear to be quite complex, thanks in a large part to the performance, of Irby and Barnes, respectively.  It is unfair to single out those actors ahead of the rest of the cast though, as they were all excellent in this season, providing much depth, and gravitas.  Indeed credit must be given to the casting team, for not only selecting a talented cast, but also selecting actors who looked ‘right’.  As all the members of ‘Alpha Team’ look like soldiers, rather than male models which some shows cast! Moreover Robert Patrick possesses the exact likeness of an archetypal military commander.

Mack Gerhardt (Martini)

Each episode, generally consists of two components; firstly, a military mission being undertaken by ‘The Unit’, and secondly, a separate plot involving the soldier’s wives on the military base.  Though the military missions are largely independent of multi-episode arcs, the plotlines involving the wives are not which allows the fast-paced action to be complemented by detailed story.

Bob Brown (Foley)

The direction, production and writing seem to be of a very high standard, with the military aspect feeling quite authentic, from the gear worn by the soldiers to the clipped form of commands utilized.  Moreover, Snake Doctor’s lines in particular, are fantastic with Haysbert delivering one-liners with panache.

In the end this first season of ‘The Unit’, represents a superb effort by show runners; David Mamet, and Shawn Ryan, to create a well-rounded military drama.  Instead of just being about guns and explosions and mindless action, the show strives to provide involving drama, which sets it apart and ahead of similar shows.  Infact, ‘The Unit’ can be regarded as the greatest military drama, to be on TV!  Thus, this writer would definitely recommend this show - if you have not yet seen it.

9/10

IMDB: The Unit