Generally, I like army-related dramas, so I was happy when I heard that there will be three new ones to check out this fall. However, the pilot episode of The Brave didn’t quite capture my attention. Luckily, by episode 3 the show seemed to find its footing a little. Yet, I am still not convinced that the show has a bright future. At least when it comes to me watching it episode after episode.
Side note: Is it just me or this year many of the new shows are embracing the trend of putting “the” in front of their titles? End of side note, back to The Brave.
The things I didn’t like
The thing that most bothered me while watching the first episodes of The Brave was the lack of chemistry between the main characters. Especially since it was established that most of them had been working together for quite some time. For me, the supporting characters, ones behind the computers in Washington, almost seemed more interesting than the ground team. Which obviously isn’t such a good sign, since the ground team is set up to be the main set of characters of The Brave.
On top of that, the backstories that the show was trying to push for the characters seemed too forced. And, while the situations the characters experienced in each episode where interesting enough. By episode 4 I kind of also wanted to see a bit more of the bigger, season-long storyline that shows like this usually have. Because this underlying conspiracy is what usually keeps me coming back to a show episode after episode. Rather than the case to case storylines that tend to be a hit or a miss.
The things I did like
Among the things I did like about The Brave was the fact that they have a woman on the ground team. A capable sniper no less. Which, I think shows a little bit of progress for these types of shows. And I also liked that early on they established the fact that being on this super-secret team isn’t as glamorous as it might seem because the truth is that there is a lot more waiting around than actual missions. It added a nice realness to the show and the situations they are portraying.
My verdict on The Brave
If you like spy or secret mission-type shows, then The Brave might be interesting to you. Because it is possible that the show will become better as it goes on and finds it bearings. But, if you were expecting super military show depicting the everyday life of soldiers then The Brave won’t be your cup of tea. Because it is more covert missions than anything. Which, of course also is a part of the military. However, it is slightly more glorified part.
All in all, I’d say, before you judge the show, watch a couple of the episodes and then decide if it becomes one of you weekly-watch shows. Otherwise, there might be a possibility that you drop The Brave from your list of shows-to-watch.
UPDATE: After watching the whole first season of The Brave, I ended up loving the show. I guess this TV show is one of those examples, where you might not love the pilot episode of the show, but end up in love with the show and its characters by the end of the season.