“The Unit” focuses on a clandestine group of highly-trained soldiers as they execute military missions all around the world. Those that gave the show a try in its first season might want to take another look. “The Unit” struggled early on to find a balance between the intense and compelling military missions (that made male viewers happy) and the sometimes mundane home-front storylines (that kept the female viewers happy). Over its last two or three seasons, the missions have been its focus, and the series has thrived because of it. Season Four is no different.
The soldiers’ families are still a big part of the season-long storyline, but now those families are peripherally to heavily involved in the soldiers’ actual missions. The season starts off with a bang when someone tries to execute the President, Vice President, President-Elect and Vice President-Elect at the same time. The unit is tasked with investigating this conspiracy and bringing the wrongdoers to justice. Since this mission is executed in country, the soldiers’ wives and families become involved.
While the writers didn’t know until the very end that the show would be canceled, they did a pretty nice job of wrapping up several series-long storylines. For example, in the two-part episode, “Into Hell,” Col. Ryan (Robert Patrick) has to answer for having affair with one of his subordinate’s wives. Also, the team leader, Jonas (Dennis Haysbert), sees his marriage falls apart as he faces his own future (and mortality) with the unit.
Special features include a few deleted scenes and three featurettes. “Into Hell: A Brotherhood Divided” focuses on the aforementioned two-episode finale to the Col. Ryan affair story arc. “Shadow Riders: A Western Come Undone” reveals how the show used the California desert as an Afghanistan-like backdrop. And “Snake Doctor: A Leader Among Us” follows Dennis Haysbert as he directs an episode.
During its last two or three seasons, “The Unit” was one of the best shows on television, and the 22-episode Season Four provides a satisfying ending to the series run.
