Post season 1 thoughts on The Brave

They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And in the case of TV shows, that would be that you shouldn’t judge a show by its first episode. However, that is basically what I do in my First Impression articles. I watch the pilot episode (or the first few episodes) of a show and let you know my thoughts on it. And, while most of the time, my opinion on a new show stays the same throughout the season. There are some shows that catch me by surprise and I end up loving them later in the season. That is what happened with The Brave season 1.

I will be the first to admit it that I was quite harsh in my first impression on The Brave. There were things that I did like about the series right from the start. For example, how The Brave features a prominent female character that is just as bad-ass if not more than the guys on the show. And how the series didn’t glamorize the ground team’s day-to-day life. Yet, at the same time, I criticized that not only the characters lacked chemistry. But also that there wasn’t a bigger, season-long conspiracy that is standard for most military shows. But, boy I was wrong in my critique and right in the things I did like about the show.

By the end of The Brave season 1 not only the series explored the bigger mystery that was set up in the pilot episode. And it ended up being one of my favorite episodes of the season. But the character chemistry and comradery also finally showed on the screen. And I was all for it. On top of that Jaz’s character ended up being even more bad-ass than the first few episode depicted her. And the portrayal of the team both during and in-between missions was raw, real and realistic.

So what do I think of The Brave now that I have seen the whole first season of the show?

I think that the show is a super fun exploration of an elite team of the military, without overly romanticizing or embellishing the series. Of course, there is the so-called movie magic, because it is a TV show after all. However, when it comes to The Brave it seems that they are trying really hard to tone the movie magic down a notch. And opting to show real, three-dimensional characters facing all these dangerous situations and how they deal with that. Rather than the glamour and enchantment that often is associated with undercover operatives.

On top of that, I also have to give props to The Brave for not pushing any romance on us. But rather focusing on the team dynamics and the friendships between the characters. Of course, shippers are already hard at work shipping Jalton aka Jaz and Dalton. But I somehow doubt that that will actually be realized on the show since it is more focused on the team’s missions rather than getting its characters together.

Then, I also love the juxtaposition of the team in D.C and Dalton’s ground team. It is great that the show illustrates how truly crucial it is for ground teams to have their people in front of computers telling them what to expect during their missions. And it also creates this interesting dynamic of comradery yet dependency. As well as makes for fun episodes when someone from D.C. shows up to interact with the ground team in person.

And lastly, one of my favorite things about The Brave is how truly global the show is. Usually, TV shows take place in one place or at least one country. But with this series, it seems that there are no boundaries as to where the team’s next mission could take place. And it really does make for an interesting TV show. Because we get to explore different countries. And see the show’s characters doing the same, navigating cultural cues and evading enemies in foreign places.

My verdict on the show after having seen all of The Brave season 1?

You absolutely need to check out this show! No matter if you love action shows, military dramas, or just characters doing fun things or being funny. On The Brave you will find something for you. It might be the action-packed missions that the team executes in each episode. The comradery between the team members. Or the quips and jokes that the characters make episode after episode. But I guarantee, you won’t get bored watching this series. Just look at me. I have seen The Brave season 1 already two times. And both times watching the episodes I found something new to latch onto. Which means that this show even has that binge-watching quality to it.

All that is left to say is that now we have to spread the word about how cool and awesome The Brave is. And hope that NBC hears us because we absolutely need The Brave season 2!