The Fourth Season

The Unit's fourth season has an intense season story arc about plot against the United States. The season also introduces several other story arcs, changes, and characters. Overall, fans of the series will really enjoy it. This season also marks the end of the series, as the host network canceled it. Personally, I have enjoyed The Unit since its first episode. However, I was not disappointed to see the series end. There is only so far they can go with its current direction. With that said, season four is a fun viewing experience.

The season begins with the episode "Sacrifice", which setups some pretty intense story arcs. The team is returning from a five month assignment. As they are flying back, an assassination attempt is made on the new administration. The Vice President-elect is killed and the President-elect's life hangs in the balance. The unit goes to the last known whereabouts of the President-elect in hopes to save his life. At their last mission, they meet Warrant Officer Bridget Sullivan (Nicole Steinwedell), who was undercover and becomes an unofficial member of the unit. She performs special duties on Ryan's behalf, but does not actively engage in the combat missions. As the season premiere unfolds, it is clear that a massive plot against the United States is afoot. This story arc becomes the central theme for the season, as the unit tries to uncover the truth of the assassination attempts.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempts, life on the home front is in upheaval. The good guys were able to stop other terrorists from enacting their portion of the attack. Unfortunately, they also found surveillance footage of the unit wives and their children. It also comes to light that the people they are dealing with are targeting the unit's spouses and children. Ryan forces Molly, Kim, and Tiffy into protective custody. The ordeal is hard for them all, especially for Kim who is not permitted to take her children with her.

As the season continues, the unit goes on some pretty intense missions to uncover the truth behind the assassination attempts. They get pretty close to the truth, but they all make sacrifices to get there. The unit wives also continue to deal with their personal drama. Mack comes to term with Tiffy's affair. Kim struggles with her new identity and not knowing when she will be able to see her child again. Molly tries to be strong for everyone else. All the while, the unit wives are put undercover to get close to individuals in the community with suspected ties to the terrorist attacks. For Kim, the situation gets pretty dicey.

Another major change this season is the addition of Sam McBride (Wes Chatham). Sam is young operator, but very skilled at the job. He joins the team midway into the season. His introduction produces a really intense story arc when he turns against his own. Grey's life also changes forever when he meets and falls in love with a woman named Joss (Bre Blair).

The season also has several all-around strong episodes. "Into Hell" is a two-part episode with Jonas' daughter Betsy at the center. While on patrol, Betsy's unit is attacked by insurgents. The survivors are taken hostage. When Jonas and team get wind of the situation, they head over to Iraq to get her back. Unfortunately, the bad guys take Betsy and company across the border into Syria. The military will not let them cross the border because it would signify an act of war. Jonas and team, however, disregard the order and go after her. It is a fantastic episode. There are also "Misled & Misguided", a DOD official sends the unit on an impossible mission, "Switch Blade", returning from the impossible mission, the team is diverted and the team forces the DOD official to join them, "Bad Beat", a fun episode with a slight James Bond feeling, and "Hill 60", terrorist unleash a biological attack on the community that the unit resides.

Overall, The Unit's fourth and final season continues to have high entertainment value with plenty of drama, action, and intensity. There are a couple new characters and they provide a good balance to the existing cast. In addition, the story arcs this season get pretty big and do not fail to be entertaining. However, while the season is strong, I was not disappointed with its cancellation. I have really enjoyed The Unit, but I cannot imagine them going much further with its current direction. I can only foresee the show getting too over-the-top and far from reality. Nevertheless, the show's final season is a blast.

Episode Guide

1. Sacrifice: In an attempt to destabilize the American government, an assassination plot aimed at five of the highest-ranking members of the administration, including the vice president and president-elect, is unleashed just as Jonas and the team return home from a five-month mission overseas.
2. Sudden Flight: In an effort to identify the terrorists behind the Vice President's assassination, Jonas, Bob & Grey pose as regular passengers on a foreign commercial flight to follow a nuclear scientist whom they believe is the next target of the terrorists.
3. Sex Trade: On a mission to rendition a Balkan smuggler of nuclear materials, Jonas discovers that the Unit's local contact and life-line is also a trafficker in sex slaves.
4. The Conduit: In the hunt to kill a drug lord, Bob, Jonas and Grey pose as chemists with a formula for turning cocaine into paint for smuggling. Meanwhile, Mack penetrates the cartel as a human cockfighter, and is forced into a death match.
5. Dancing Lessons: As the condition of Dr. Leon Casteel (who is dying of radiation poisoning) worsens, Tom Ryan makes a discovery. Not only was the Doctor working for the terrorists behind the attempt to destabilize our government, he has constructed a WMD which the terrorists plan to deploy in a major U.S. city.
6. Inquisition: The Unit deceives a terrorist into believing his bomb plot was successful. Jonas and company produce fake evidence of the attack as Bob tries to goad the terrorist into revealing his accomplices before the ruse is exposed and the accomplices flee.
7. Into Hell, Part 1: In the first of our sweeps episodes, we light the fuse on two explosive storylines: the kidnapping of Betsy in Iraq; and the long-awaited brutal consequences Tom Ryan must face for his adultery with Tiffy.
8. Into Hell, Part 2: As the team attempts to rescue Betsy, Tom Ryan and the other U.S. soldiers from their Syrian kidnappers, Mack finally has the opportunity to execute the death sentence placed on Tom Ryan's head.
9. Shadow Riders: An important truce has been brokered between two warring tribes in Afghanistan that involves a marriage. The Unit is tasked with escorting the bridal party through enemy territory to the groom's village, via a mountain route passable only on horseback.
10. Misled & Misguided: Department of Defense official -- nicknamed by us "Dr. Death"-- assigns the Unit with an impossible assault on an Uzbeki lab where anthrax is being weaponized and is days from completion.
11. Switch Blade: Coming off the failed mission of the previous episode, where Special Ops soldiers were killed and Grey wounded, Donald Metz (the cavalier D.O.D. official responsible for the failed mission) is forced to join the team on their next assignment when they are rerouted in the midst of their journey home.
12. Bad Beat: Jonas and the team deploy to a casino in Macau, where their task is to regain the services of a vital CIA asset who's gone over to the Chinese. But the Unit has a more personal stake in the outcome.
13. The Spear of Destiny: Chilean Andes. Jonas and a wounded Mack take refuge in a monastery, where they are protected by benevolent monks. Afterwards, Jonas is conflicted when given an order to steal the monks' prized possession, the Spear of Destiny.
14. The Last Nazi: The President orders The Unit to snatch a Nazi war criminal from hiding and deliver him to The Hague. The Catch: Private bounty hunters have been hired to kill the Nazi.
15. Hero: The Unit initiates new team member Sam McBride through his final training exercise. McBride's loyalty to the Unit is tested throughout the episode.
16. Hill 60: ¬The Unit and their families are scattered around their community when chlorine gas leaks into the water system, poisoning everyone who is outside and cutting off communication with the outside world.
17. Flesh & Blood: The Unit is in South American rescuing a leader expected to lead a coup against the existing fascist governments. The man was trained by Jonas years ago and is badly injured.
18. Best Laid Plans: Jonas and Mack go undercover to lay a trap with Drake in order to get closer to the terrorist plot that killed the Vice President. Things go awry and Bob has to run interference between them and the FBI.
19. Whiplash: After a successful mission in Afghanistan, The Unit winds down in a bar. Sam continues his pursuit of Bridget and she firmly lets him know she's not interested.
20. Chaos Theory: Jonas and Bob are in Hong Kong stealing a piece of technology. It's a carefully planned mission, involving months of preparation.
21. EndGame: Bob has developed a Russian contact who tells him that the Russians have sent a group of shooters to take out all the terrorists so their connection to the recent terrorist activity
22. Unknown Soldier: Sam, working in deep cover with the terrorists, manages to get word to Tom Ryan that three cars, loaded with dirty bombs, are being dispatched to unknown locations.

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. 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, Portuguese, Chinese, and French.

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes: are included for the episode "Shadow Riders" (6 scenes).
• Into Hell: A Brotherhood Divided (11:19): is a behind the scenes featurette with Vahan Moosekian, Dennis Haysbert, Frank Military, Robert Patrick, Angel Wainwright, Krishna Rao, Dennis Dion, Max Martini, Sam Sade, David Mamet, Troy Brown, and Martha Cecilia-Westman. They talk about the episode "Into Hell" and discuss production aspects, fight choreography, and make-up.
• Shadow Riders: A Western Come Undone (8:04): is another behind the scenes featurette with Vahan Moosekian, Brett Dos Santos, Troy Brown, Dennis Dion, Michael Irby, and Max Martini. The focus is the production related aspects of the western-style episode "Shadow Riders".
• Snake Doctor: A Leader Among Us (4:48): is a short interview featurette and behind the scenes look at the episode "Flesh & Blood". This episode was Dennis Haysbert's directorial debut on the series. He stars with Krishna Rao.

Final Thoughts:
The Unit's fourth and final season is another intense experience. Like past seasons, it is high-paced with lots of action and drama. This season has a couple new characters, a fantastic season story arc, and plenty of more exciting storylines. Fans of the series will appreciate the season in its entirety. And while the series was canceled after this season, I thought ending the series here was a good move. The plotlines get pretty intense and borderline over-the-top. I can only imagine further seasons getting out of control in a bad way. In the end, The Unit's fourth season is fun and exciting, and ends the show on a positive note.