Spoilers ahead for Season 6, Episode 3 of SEAL Team, “Growing Pains.”
Clay went down for the count on SEAL Team following Bravo 6’s emotional and traumatic experience, and the team later expressed concern about getting disbanded. However, they're still together and, on the newest episode of the Paramount+ series, they got a new member in Raffi Barsoumian's Omar. And per the series' showrunner, the new guy will have a "burden" to carry.
Raffi Barsoumian officially joined SEAL Team as a series regular and his character, Omar, is a Senior Chief from the Foxtrot team. His arrival marks a major change for the rest of the group, which is still trying to come to terms with Clay’s recovery and his impending move to Green Team, where he hopes to be an instructor. Showrunner Spencer Hudnut told TV Insider that Omar is going to have a tough path to navigate, seeing as how he has some big shoes to fill:
He has the burden of, unfortunately, even though he’s not literally replacing Clay, [being] the new guy on the team. He has obviously huge shoes to fill, let alone the way Clay left the team was so traumatic for everybody that — not that the guys are holding that against Omar for being there — he has a lot to prove to this tight-knit group.
Bravo Team is definitely like a family as, when one member suffers, they all do. Following the ambush in Mali in the Season 5 finale, the team was left shaken up and that feeling of anxiety only increased after they learned there was a chance they could be disbanded. A new teammate is only going to add to the feeling of change but, based on this week's episode, it seems like Jason and Omar are starting to get on good terms, after getting off to a rough start.
The team is currently stationed in Syria, where a long-term special ops mission is in motion, and this means that they all have to work closely with each other for quite some time. Unsurprisingly, there will be some ups and downs, as Omar attempts to integrate himself within their ranks. Spencer Hudnut went on to say during his interview:
He does have some of the qualities of Clay, but he’s his own man, his own person. There’s gonna be some growing pains with him integrating into the team, as you would expect. The hope is that he’s gonna be able to win over the trust of his Bravo teammate as the season progresses.
With Season 6 only three episodes in, I'm already eager to see how Jason, Ray, Sonny, and the others mesh with Omar. Of course, viewers ideally want to see the group work in harmony, but the "growing pains" that the EP mentioned should make for some solid drama. No one can replace Clay, but I'm definitely willing to give Omar a chance.
Also, let's not forget that fans will still get to see Clay Spenser as time goes on. The show has already done a pretty good job of balancing Bravo-centric storylines with those that solely center on Clay. The actor who plays Spenser, Max Thieriot, is pulling double duty on SEAL Team and the new series Fire Country, which is part of the 2022 TV schedule. With that in mind, I'm grateful that the show is still showing Clay and his recovery. Like other fans of the show, I'll be keeping a close eye on how things progress with Clay and, of course, I'll do the same when it comes to Omar and how he carries the burden of trying to fit into such a tight-knit group.
New episodes of SEAL Team drop on Sundays and can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription!
