The Unit: The Complete Third Season

Still one of the best dramas on network television
For months it wasn't clear if CBS would bring back The Unit after its third season. It's an atypical show in this era of reality tv and the more popular and esoteric fare like Lost and Heroes. The Unit, after all, when you get right down to it, is a series about war produced in a time of war. And the lack of success films about Iraq and Afghanistan have had (Redacted? Stop-Loss?) on the big screen on some level points to the reluctance of the public to yet engage in depictions about this war. Of course, many of the movies haven't been that good to begin with...Nonetheless, here's The Unit, whose text is ultimately about the war on terror. And yes, one may disagree with its generally pro-war on terror perspective, or at the least question it. That said, when Mamet and company directly address this war, as they do in the back-to-back episodes "5 Brothers" and "Play 16," the end result is two of the most heart-wrenching hours of television to have been broadcast last year. Mamet...

Outstanding
After having been in combat (2 yrs) and later serving in a SWAT team for 7 yrs, I can confidently say that this series rings true with reference to technical and tactical concepts. My wife says that the wives portrayed aren't too far off the mark concerning the "war at home" either.

3'rd Season - not up to the standard
The Unit during the first season was an excellent series. Each episode had two action packed operations going on at a time. Everything looked believable and there was enough personal dynamic included to make the team members human.

The second season was nearly as good. The season end episode had me on the edge of my seat....but at the same time wondering how the series could continue with the corner they had been written into.

The third season opening episode answers the questions of the second season finale and reunites the unit....although one would have to suspend bits of reality to swallow the outcome. The rest of season three seems to play more like a soap opera than a drama about an elite military team. The writing and story lines were much weaker than the first two seasons.

I'm still a fan....but for me to continue to watch the series it will have to return to it's roots of the first and second season.

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