...of the military-themed shows out there this season. Sure, Boreanaz was a bit wooden at the series' beginning, and sure, a lot of it is predictable. But Jace's emotions have really started to come through as story has progressed, and the plots are getting tighter as well. Above and beyond all of this, the characters and their interactions have an authenticity that is better than The Brave or even The Unit, to name a couple at random.
(The last paragraph contains a minor spoiler)
I want to address some of the complaints from other reviewers.
First of all, the dialog. It _is_ brisk, it is salted with acronyms and military slang, and all in all has a ring of authenticity that once again outscores other military dramas that come to mind. If you can't hear it, I suggest you improve your TV sound, or it may be time to invest in a hearing aid. If you don't understand it, google-fu is there to help you out.
Politics. You salty dogs who complain about "PC" in this series need to pay more attention. For one thing, PC culture has definitely infiltrated the military, but this show is definitely sending all kinds of signals that are contrary to that. The latest episode, Getaway Day, even made reference to the current administration's changes to the rules of engagement in Afghanistan, and in a subtly favorable way as well. The thing is, the politics in this show are done deftly and in an understated way that in my opinion is more effective than would be the case with too much boo-rah, and it definitely does not have the level of false equivalency and apology for the enemy that you see in, for instance, The Brave. They are much more respectful of the military (well, except for the "cake-eaters"!) than anything else I have seen in a long time, and that certainly includes The Unit with all of its manipulative "conspiracies in high places" and "you can't trust anyone" nonsense.
Realism. Yes, this show gets some details wrong: weapons, uniforms, equipment, ranks and ratings, etc. All of this stuff is way less important than the story, the characters, the dialog, and the acting. And this series does very well in all of those areas, and continues to improve. It is really hard to get info on all of the details stuff that every military-knowledgeable person will agree on - at least partly because so many of us are arrogant SOBs who won't admit when we get it wrong ourselves. Listen, uniforms and equipment do change over time, top-tier SOP guys can often carry what weps they want, and everything is subject to the chaotic circumstances of conflict. At least this show is trying to tell stories about a real military unit, not some fantasies about a bunch of near-freelancers living in a bunker somewhere. In addition we should consider that too much realism in details might not be best for the security of the real operators.
I want to finish with a comment (here's the minor spoiler) on one scene from the last episode that really got to me. The team was on its way to a mission and came upon a set of flag-draped caskets in a hangar. No one said anything, but the looks on the faces, the body postures, said more than enough. This scene was eloquently set up, and then sprung with no warning. A series with even slightly worse writing would have had someone lash out with some cliché phrase about how "we're gonna get the bastards that did this", etc. But the approach taken here was so much more effective. When you see coffins like that, it is deeply affecting, and that is exactly how they played it.
I want to finish with a comment (here's the minor spoiler) on one scene from the last episode that really got to me. The team was on its way to a mission and came upon a set of flag-draped caskets in a hangar. No one said anything, but the looks on the faces, the body postures, said more than enough. This scene was eloquently set up, and then sprung with no warning. A series with even slightly worse writing would have had someone lash out with some cliché phrase about how "we're gonna get the bastards that did this", etc. But the approach taken here was so much more effective. When you see coffins like that, it is deeply affecting, and that is exactly how they played it.