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« Roush Dispatch
A Deadly Reality Check for The Unit
Dennis Haysbert, Michael Irby and Demore Barnes by Ron P. Jaffe/CBS
Any TV drama that deals with military heroism must eventually also confront the enormity of tragic loss. With that said, consider this a spoiler alert regarding the next two episodes (tonight and Nov. 13) of CBS’ underrated The Unit, in which this covert Special Forces team takes a fateful, fatal hit.
The network and the show’s production studio have been urgently promoting these episodes (so much for keeping this twist under wraps), and while they’re uneven, they’re very much worth watching. There’s undeniably a bit of a sweeps stunting at play here, but I’m willing to take executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield) at his word when he says, in a cover letter attached to the screeners I received, “For three years, we’ve wanted to tell this story, but couldn’t until now. We needed the audience to know and love our characters for it to have the impact we knew it deserved.” He adds: “In the current war we are fighting, military deaths are reported, but the arrivals of the caskets and the memorial services themselves (rightly or wrongly) are entirely private. These two episodes pull back the curtains for the American public to see the reality of what can go wrong for our Special Forces soldiers in combat and what happens after such a tragedy and how it affects the military community at large.”
Adding to the drama, and the tragedy, is the fact that because this unit’s hush-hush missions are never publicly acknowledged, the memorial tribute to the fallen soldier is itself shrouded in secrecy and subterfuge. Still, there’s great dignity and honor in this character’s passing.
Tonight’s episode is the suspenseful setup, as a rescue mission in Beirut goes awry, forcing the team (including one severely injured member) to take cover in the apartment of a terrified family. Next week’s episode deals with the emotional and ceremonial aftermath of the ensuing events, as shaken colleagues and mourners on the homefront do their duty.
This has been a turbulent season for The Unit, which spent the first few episodes defusing and uncovering a political threat from within the government (the CIA, an easy target) that was trying to take the unit down. And now this tragic setback. At times like this, I usually get asked whether the actor wanted out or why this happened. My answer in this case is an obvious one: The Unit exists in a brutal world, and eventually, there must be casualties if we’re to believe even a little of it.
Still, the show isn’t above pandering. I could have done without the back-home subplot in tonight’s episode, in which Mack’s estranged wife Tiffy (who has turned to exotic dancing to pay the bills) is victimized by a lecherous creep who has her car towed. Payback’s a you-know-what, and Tiffy’s posse of military-wife pals know how to deliver it. But still. Talk about defusing the tension that’s so palpable in the rest of the episode.
And next week’s somber scenario is undercut by Jonas (Dennis Haysbert, a terrific action-hero lead) carrying out the rest of the team’s mission single-handedly in Beirut, a one-man Superman who seems to belie the notion put forth in these episodes that these men are hardly invincible.
I guess even in its darkest hours, The Unit still needs to survive as action-adventure entertainment. Nothing wrong with that, and this show delivers it better than most.
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Nov 6, 2007 11:22 AM
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I can't believe we agree on something. I really like The Unit and usually it does deliver. Can't wait for tonights epi.
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Nov 6, 2007 1:54 PM
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The Unit is an awesome show that I truly look forward to every week. This show has so much more depth than the garbage that is CSI: Miami, or even Criminal Minds.
Thanks Matt for giving others an insight to a show many of us have followed since its inception.
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Nov 6, 2007 2:01 PM
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This is an amazing show. I am so sorry to lose any of the characters though. This is one of only a few programs that I will NOT miss. Creaters, writers and actors are amazing.
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Nov 6, 2007 2:23 PM
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The unit is underrated. It has been a great action packed military show.
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Nov 6, 2007 5:50 PM
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Thank you Matt 
The Unit is best show on CBS !!
It is must see TV for me !!
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Nov 6, 2007 5:59 PM
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While I do not enjoy the Tiffy story per se I do enjoy both Kim and Molly on the show and think the wives are of great importance too ..
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Nov 6, 2007 6:02 PM
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My wife and I have not missed an episode since day one and tonight is just another in the slew of reasons why we both agree that this is the top show on tv for the past two and a half years. Losing Hector was a blow that neither one of us saw coming and really blew us away. Cant wait for next week!!
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Nov 7, 2007 12:42 AM
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I cannot believe Hector is gone. This show does really try to show reality, I know. It is one of the shows i cannot miss ever.
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Nov 7, 2007 12:44 AM
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 Sorry to see Hector go... But life goes on and The Unit is by far the BEST show around!
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Nov 7, 2007 4:20 AM
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I am a big fan of the show. As a vet of both the Army and Marine Corps, I appreciate how they are usually very accurate with their uniforms and equipment.
So I was shocked last night when the Marines showed up wearing Army uniforms driving an Army truck.
Come on! There are 3 major Marine Corps basis within driving distance of Hollywood. Here is what they should have looked like:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MARPAT_Uniform.jpg
Also, the Corps does not use 2.5-ton trucks anymore unless they stole them (always a distinct possibility).
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Nov 7, 2007 8:27 AM
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I know that "death" is real life, but I love Denore Barnes. Why is he off the show?
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Nov 7, 2007 9:03 AM
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What a great episode. While other shows (it pains me to say this because I love most of the Heroes but the show has become so booooring these days) have become disappointing this season, The Unit continues to deliver. I hated seeing Williams go, though. He has that quiet strength. I hope the reason Demore Barnes left is because he has a another starring role gig. He was also incredible at last week's ep - that was some great wordless acting he did when he saw Tiffy and Tom at the hotel.
I also love Noel's, I mean Scott Foley's, moment when he sighed "I know" when the boy said something bad about him.
Lastly, about Tiffy... why couldn't they shoot her instead of Williams? Okay, I'm only (half) kidding. I love the wives, too, but Tiffy's stories have become so ridiculous.
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Nov 7, 2007 9:43 AM
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The Unit's 11/6 episode was weak in some spots, but overall, riveting. The twist at the end was exceptional. I, probably like most viewers, expected Grey to die at the end. It was a complete shock that Hector died instead. Kudos to the writers.
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Nov 7, 2007 10:09 AM
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I think Hector was shot by order of Col. Ryan for the oops, I saw you two, at the hotel last episode.
As far as the show goes, great!
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Nov 7, 2007 10:12 AM
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