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'SEAL Team' Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Jason Hayes battles inner demons to fight another day

Titled 'Ignore and Override', the second episode of 'SEAL Team' paints a brilliant picture of how the strenuous military lifestyle can take a toll on minds.

The review contains spoilers for 'SEAL Team' Season 3 Episode 2 — 'Ignore and Override'.

The battle on the field becomes a battle within. Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) is struggling to fight the ghosts of his past. The Bravo Team is still in Serbia and they need to finish what they started. However, the demons hovering over the Master Chief's mind is at the back of everyone's mind. From Raymond Perry (Neil Brown Jr.) to Amanda Ellis (Jessica Paré), they all try to understand his psyche but Jason just won't open up to anyone.

"I just ignore and override. Push forward", Jason tells Mandy when they sit in a little town and drink beer. In the next scene, Jason enters his room to see Ray talking to his wife Naima Perry (Parisa Fakhri) on a video call. It makes him sad and he scrolls through his phone to see all the contacts of his "fallen" brothers. His mental state is getting worse. It's night time but he doesn't get a wink of sleep.

The clock ticks, driving him crazy. Suddenly, he wakes up from a horrifying nightmare where he was on a call with Diaz, one of his "dead" teammates. David Boreanaz brings his A-game to his performance as you can feel his fears flowing through your veins. Ray spots him looking at Diaz's number and when he asks him about it, he just walks away. "Right. Ignore and override", Ray mumbles.

Sonny Quinn (AJ Buckley) and Clay Spenser (Max Thieriot) walk the streets and the latter ask him about the "mystery girl" he has been talking to. Later, Sonny catches a moment with Lisa Davis (Toni Trucks) and tells her that he wanted to see her. As the two talk about their fears, Ray spots him caressing Lisa's cheeks and hides behind a door. 

The Bravo Team walks to a plane hanger for their next mission. Even while in the air, Jason sees frightening flashbacks from the bomb blast. After a point-blank shoot out, the team walks over to the chopper and call out, "Open the door!" The team captures a man named Malkin and brings them alive.

Mandy sits across the man for interrogation. "You are in debt," she announces and tells him she plans to tell his associates he is an informant with millions in his bank account to prove it. "This is blackmail", he tells her, to which she replies, "This is me trying to protect innocent people from being killed." Finally, he gives her a name.

Back in their bunks, Ray asks Sonny how long he has been with Lisa but he quashes his questions. Each time Jason closes his eyes, the horror of the bomb blast comes to his mind. He just can't forget it and it is going on forever in his mind. He calls his dad and sends a voice message.

Ray spots him and tries to talk again. Jason finally unzips his lips and says, "Memories. Bad memories. They keep coming back to my mind. I'm hearing footsteps. They're getting louder. Maybe I need to make a change."

The next day, the Bravo team gets set for the next leg of the mission to catch the man Malkin told them about. Trudging through the woods, they make way to a compound where they kill all the security men. They open doors to several bedrooms until they finally spot a sweaty man sitting at a table with a handgun in front of him. Before he picks it up, Jason shoots him down. On their way back, the weight of the world is on his shoulders as he shuts his eyes to take the trauma in.

The team celebrates their victory by raising a toast. Sneaking a moment, Ray tells Jason: "A wolf's only as strong as the pack, right?" Jason replies, "I've got a strong pack." Lieutenant Commander Eric Blackburn (Judd Lormand) announces Jason has signed on for two more years. As he takes his oath again, thunderous applause echoes through the room.

The episode paints a brilliant picture of how the strenuous military lifestyle can take a toll on minds and adds a punch of motivational message to never back down from one's own fears. The next episode titled 'Adapt and Overcome' airs next week on Wednesday, October 16 on CBS at 9 pm EST, and it might show Jason finally getting back on track!