(CBS) – Season five of SEAL Team is underway and the tactical military drama is also now a Paramount+ original. In episode one of season five, “Trust But Verify: Part 1,” Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) and Bravo Team underwent a training exercise that turns into a full-blown mission to smuggle a weapons expert out of hostile territory.
CBS’ Matt Weiss spoke to Boreanaz about Jason Hayes mental state, moving to Paramount+ and what’s in store for viewers with “Trust But Verify: Part 2” coming up on Sunday night.
MW- Good to see you again David! SEAL Team season five, episode two comes out this Sunday but before we get into that I want to talk about the big switch to becoming a Paramount+ original. How much does this shift change the way you’re able to create the show?
DB- You know it’s interesting because the show to begin with is so intense, what we do on the network and how we push the envelope and the level of authenticity for it to begin with. Now with moving over to Paramount+ you really get the plus aspect of it. You get to see a little bit more, you get to invest in some deeper subject matters with the characters.
That’s just the way it is today, streaming is the world and we are happy and proud to be part of that platform. Each SEAL Team episode is a thrill ride I say to speak. You get the speed and efficiency of missions and operations and you see the ins and outs of of how these guys operate with weapons and tactical maneuvers and breaching doors.
All that stuff is great but you also get the other half which is the mental component. You have all these compelling characters and how they deal with what’s going on inside the wire AND outside the wire. I’ve always found that that is really the pulse of the show. For my character, Jason Hayes, you see this leader who takes SEAL Team into battle but he’s also got to understand them outside the wire. That really resonates with me and so we’ll see that intensify more on Paramount+.
MW- The show does such a great job of addressing the mental health challenges that these men and women face. That, of course, includes Jason Hayes. It seemed like at the end of season four he was turning a corner for the better but these things don’t just completely flip over night. Where is Jason at right now with those issues?
DB- Well, we’ll see at the end of episode two, a moment where the TBI starts to creep back into his world. It’s a simple kind of test that he gives himself and it doesn’t work out too well for him. That starts a spiral for him. With the people in these situations it’s almost like they don’t want to address what’s going on. They want to continue to operate at full capacity and failure is not an option; even if they’re not operating a 100%.
That’s a big struggle for Jason and that’s hard for him; that’s his life. It’s what he’s known to do and we’ll see that unfold. At the end of episode two we have a sad moment which leads us into three which is the 9/11 episode.
That mental health topic will continue with all the members throughout the season and in particular with Jason we will see him meet his father, he’ll find the root of his trauma and in episode 12 he takes a big ayahuasca journey, which I’m really excited to do. When people think of ayahuasca they thing it’s just to drug out but it’s used today to help mental capacity and mental health.
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Organic Mushrooms, or whatever you may say, is now actually helping to battle depression and fight these mental distress problems. These men and women are suffering and we’ll dive into that and that’s exciting for me to play this character and to do those types of things. The journey is going to lead him down to a path of finding the root of his trauma, trying to understand it and become a better person, a better leader overall.
MW- Episode one of season five was called “Trust Buy Verify: Part 1” and now episode two “Trust But Verify: Part 2.” That phrase really stuck out to me, is that going to be a theme for the whole season?
DB- Yeah, we always kick things off that way with the first episode setting the tone and I think that’s a really great thematic took. I think it helps the viewer saying this is what you have in store for the season.
MW- So what’s in store for part two on Sunday night?
DB- So this mission in North Korea is definitely different It’s not a capture/kill it’s a capture/save operation for Bravo team. What’s unique about that is the intensity is so high that we’re not going to be able to fire a single weapon. We’re not going to be going in there weapons blazing, we have to get in and out as fast as we can.
Going back to the character development, we’ll also see how TBI is going to play a very big role in this episode and onward for the rest of the season.
MW- Well I love the show so I’m excited to see how everything unfolds. Thank you for the time today and all the best David!
DB- Thanks Matt, take care!
MORE NEWS: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/12/02/seal-team-david-boreanaz-season-4-premiere/
SEAL Team airs this Sunday, October 17th at 10:30PM ET/PT on CBS and is also available to stream with Paramount+. Check your local listings for more information.
Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.