Is there light at the end of the dark tunnel on ‘SEAL Team’? In the fourth episode titled ‘Shockwave’, when Warrant Officer Ray Perry (Neil Brown Jr) went missing following an explosion in Tunisia, his former teammates wrestled with how to help their brother and his family while the Bravo Team is sidelined.

The one-hour drama focused on Operation Find Ray as the Bravo Team came together to bring him back. Now, the one question lingering through minds is: Will Ray return home soon, or will the operation fail?  

Written by Dana Greenblatt and directed by Ruben Garcia, ‘The Carrot or the Stick’ shows how Ray struggles to escape while Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) and the team worry if they can save their brother. The summary reads, “With no leads on Ray’s whereabouts, Jason pushes Bravo team to extreme lengths and considers crossing a dangerous line to help locate their missing brother. Meanwhile, Ray tries to survive captivity.”

The brutal and intense storyline hints that Ray could be tortured while in captivity. A one-minute 14-second clip depicts what will happen as a bloodied and battered Ray says, “It's not about breaking your body. Pounding on the soles of your feet, rippin' at your fingernails, hurts like hell. They wanna break your mind and your spirit. They come randomly. No schedule, it's disorienting. They drive us insane.”

When his young cellmate asks, “How do you stay sane?” Ray tells him, “Focus on what keeps your spirit strong. Faith. Family.”

In another one-minute clip posted on the official handle, we see a sneak peek of his mates trying their best to reach out to him. The Bravo Team enters a hideout and takes a group of terrorists in. When Sonny Quinn (AJ Buckley) gets a little too agitated and aggressive, Clay Spenser (Max Thieriot) stops him by yelling his name. “Hey Sonny, take it easy.” But he is not one to let go. “If these guys are, as Davis says they are, they could be strapped.” Clay argues, “But they aren't. Alright. And they might know something useful. Carrots before sticks.”

Hotheaded and stubborn, Sonny retorts, “You know this desk job of yours has turned you into a real pacifist, Mahatma Blondie.” And Clay snaps back, “Or maybe this guy is just taking the punishment right now because you're mad at yourself for your little fight with Ray.” Sonny replies, “Out. It's got nothing to do with that, alright.”  

And Sonny does it again... another nickname for Clay! Can you keep a count of all the quirky names Sonny has used for Clay in the past — from Crocodile Blondie to Blond Ambition and from Cute Little Clay Pigeon to Obi-Blond Kenobi! Their bittersweet bond is the best thing about ‘SEAL Team’, isn't it? 

Fans have their theories ready. But, the biggest clue was posted by Neil Brown Jr himself, as he captioned an Instagram photo: “Will #Ray escape? Will #Bravo led by @imdboreanaz find and rescue their teammate, will @maxthieriot profess his love and envy for #SonnyQuinn’s beard? played by the handsome @ajbuckley, is @juddlormand ever gonna get everybody to “listen up”?! will @tonitrucks finally come out as a master ninja?! only this episode has those answers!”

Going by the clips, it seems Ray will manage to survive without knocking out dead but the CBS drama will certainly leave another cliffhanger at the end of the episode. What do you think will happen next? Tell us in the comments below.

The guest cast in the upcoming episode includes Tim Chiou as Michael “Thirty Mike” Chen, Ben Youcef as Zied Al-Haqqan, Mo Anouti as Ray’s Guard, Ibrahim Renno as Mr Nasri, Ashwin Gore as Faraz and Omar El Gamal as Eating Guard. 

‘SEAL Team’ picks up on January 13, 2021, with the fifth episode — ‘The Carrot or the Stick’ — from 9 pm ET to 10 pm ET after the winter break. In case you don't have a CBS All Access subscription, you can also watch it on Amazon Prime, Direct TV, Fubo TV, or on YouTube TV by order.