The Unit is a television drama that details the daily life of an elite United States Army Special Forces unit from two perspectives, the unit and the home front. The unit, dubbed Alpha Team, is comprised of five Special Forces operatives who go on covert counter-terrorism missions around the world to preserve the sanctity and the freedom of the United States and its people. The catch is no one can know about their missions or what they do. The members of the unit and their wives must keep their true nature of their work a secret, which taxes everyone. To the world, they work as clerks for the 303rd Logistical Studies Unit. For more details about the series, refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one and season two.

From start to finish, The Unit's third season is an intense experience. Fans of the show will not be disappointed with what is in store for them. The only disappointment will come from the short-billed season. Unfortunately, The Unit was one of many television series drastically impacted by the Writer's Guild strike. Season three only has eleven episodes. Nevertheless, they offer nonstop excitement.

The season kicks off with a great two-part episode entitled "Pandemonium". At the close of season two, the unit was facing some hard times. The unit had been shut down and was under investigation for illegal missions, of which included the attempted assassination of a diplomat. Jonas and Charles go on the run to find evidence to clear their names, while Mack and Hector are held as prisoners. Bob is free and has been contracted by another branch of the government to stop Jonas. At the same time, Ryan tries to salvage his career and marriage. As the story unfolds, a lot of intense action and drama occurs. It is a fantastic way to start the season.

After the remarkable season opener, the momentum does not stop. The remaining episodes offer some great storylines. "Five Brothers" is one of the most intense episodes this season. The team goes on a very black op in Beirut to rescue a journalist who has been in captivity for the last four months. The operation does not go smoothly when their helicopter is blown up at the extraction point. Matters are further complicated when Charles is shot. With no way out and an injured soldier, the team has to act fast to avoid capture by the local militia. The episode has a couple other developments, which really take it tolls on the entire the unit. The story is wrapped up in "Play 16", which is the cover up for the operation.

Other good episodes include "Binary Explosion", Charles goes undercover and uses his former association with the Byz-Lats to stop the theft and sale of munitions, and "Side Angle Side", Jonas works with a good friend, who is an MI5 agent under suspect for treason. In addition to exciting operations the unit goes on, there is a lot of drama happening for the cast. Some of the big developments include the fallout from Tiffy's affair -- Mack leaves her, Ryan gets too involved in, Tiffy loses her job and can only find employment as a dancer, Hector falls in love with Tiffy's coworker, and Kim hosts a military talk show while pregnant.

Overall, The Unit's third season is an exciting season. The season starts off very strong and continues with an intense tempo until the season finale. The unfortunate news is that the season is very short with only eleven episodes. Nevertheless, fans will still enjoy every minute of season three. There are a lot of great stories and developments that fans will not want to miss out on.

Episode Guide

1. Pandemonium (1): With the men either arrested or on the run, Bob, Grey and Jonas embark on their own clandestine mission to find who is behind the investigation and probable dismantling of the Unit.
2. Pandemonium (2): A shocking discovery in the middle of the ocean and a violent shootout with the CIA make the men realize the plot against them must originate within the highest levels of government.
3. Always Kiss Them Goodbye: With the Unit finally back in action, Mack and Ryan rebuild the command center, while Jonas, Bob, Grey and Williams race to track down a missing nerve-gas bomb.
4. Every Step You Take: As the team attempts to rescue families from the besieged American embassy in Abidjan, Jonas faces his own crisis at home after his daughter announces she's enlisting in the army.
5. Inside Out: While Jonas, Mack and Williams try to recover a microchip that's been implanted in a man's chest, Bob tries his hand at being a stay-at-home dad while Kim goes to work at the radio station.
6. M.P.s: Jonas, Mack and Grey have their hands full when they escort a pop singer to Iraq to entertain the troops, while back home the wives set up Williams with one of Tiffy's coworkers.
7. Five Brothers: As the wives try to help Tiffy get back her illegally towed car, the men of the Unit suffer a tragic loss when one of their own is wounded in the line of duty.
8. Play 16: While Jonas stays behind in Beirut to avenge the death of Williams, Bob tries to convince the reporter they rescued that it would be best if he kept the true story behind his rescue a secret.
9. Binary Explosion: Grey uses his prior affiliation with a Latin gang to infiltrate a ring of soldiers trafficking in stolen army weapons and explosives, while Tiffy makes a decision about her relationship with Ryan.
10. Gone Missing: The wives uncover a shocking secret when they try to surprise Molly, while Bob, suffering from hallucinations of those he's killed, begins to question the team's deadly missions.
11. Side Angle Side: Jonas is shocked to discover his old friend, an MI5 agent, is suspected of collaborating with the Russians, and Kim misses Bob's promotion party as she tries to help a suicidal army wife.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are moments when the picture suffers noticeable compression artifacts. Overall, the picture is relatively clean and should look good on big screen televisions.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround. There are also dubbed stereo surround sound tracks in Spanish and French. In general, the sound quality is very good and it provides an audible and clean track. The dialogue is usually a little flat while music and sound effects come off rich and vibrant. Additionally the 5.1 track is dynamic and makes good use of the surround sound capability. There are subtitles included in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as support for closed captioning.

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries: are included for episodes "Pandemonium (1)" with Vahan Moosekian, Krishna Rao, and Sharon Lee Watson, "Pandemonium (2)" with Dennis Haysbert, Michael Irby, Todd Kessler, Vahan Moosekian, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Krishna Rao, "Always Kiss Them Goodbye" with Dave Altenau, Abby Brammell, and Shawn Ryan, "Every Step You Take" with Demore Barnes, Lynn Mamet, and Rick Tuber, "Inside Out" with Audrey Marie Anderson, Demore Barnes, Abby Brammell, and Dan Hindmarch, "Five Brothers" with Demore Barnes, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Irby, Max Martini, and Frank Military, "Play 16" with Demore Barnes, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Irby, Max Martini, Robert Patrick, and Daniel Wolf, and "Binary Explosion" with Demore Barnes, Dennis Dion, Dennis Haysbert, Randy Huggins, Michael Irby, and Robert Patrick.
• The Writers' Roundtable (30:45): is a featurette with Shawn Ryan, Sharon Lee Watson, Frank Military, Lynn Mamet, Todd Kessler, and Daniel Voll. They talk about season three and a little about other seasons. The featurette has interview footage with picture-in-picture behind the scenes footage from the filming of the series.
• Deleted Scenes (5:23): are included for episodes "Pandemonium (1)" (1 scene) and "Play 16" (5 scenes).

Final Thoughts:
The Unit is an exciting television action/drama about an elite unit of Army rangers who embark on dangerous missions to combat terrorism. They operate outside of the law, under guidance from the President, and do whatever they need to get the job done. The show focuses on their black ops missions and the drama that surrounds their wives. Like the first two seasons, season three can be a little over-the-top and unrealistic, but the material works and will be appreciated if you enjoy high-paced action and episodic storylines. It comes highly recommended.