Review: The Brave Episode 12 “Close to Home: Part 1”
Editor’s note: This is the first recap/review for The Brave done by a new writer and super fan of the show. While we’ve made some small edits, we left many of her thoughts and feelings “as is” so you’ll get the most from her review. Hope you enjoy Cristina’s review of The Brave.
Deep breathing getting shallow, intermittent breath holding, pulse quickening, muscles tightening (and I mean everywhere), arms flying in the air, hands clenched, feet tapping uncontrollably… What does all this mean exactly?
The Brave is on!
Well, if you’ve been anything like me, these are the things I’ve felt – and more than likely some of the things that you too experience each Monday night when NBC airs The Brave. Like it has done since its premiere on September 25, 2017, tonight’s episode was no exception. If you are one of the addicted… one of my fellow #BandofBravers (as we were dubbed by Creator/Writer/Executive Producer Dean Georgaris,) or you are just tuning into the show as a new viewer we hope you enjoyed it.
It started from Day 1…
So to begin with the title of this episode, “Close To Home” elicited strong feelings in me before it even started. I’ve watched and have been addicted to this show since day one however it wasn’t until early November when I decided to pay attention and join the live tweeting of the show as it flashed on the screen. Needless to say, I was hooked after years of being away from regularly tweeting and was connected with a like-minded group of people over this incredible show that night.
After that night’s episode, I called into (and continue to call) @So_Many_Shows and spoke with the actors and crew of The Brave. I’ve been chatting and connecting with other people about the show, voting in polls, spreading the word and donating in important causes – not to mention learning new things from the many people I’ve been blessed to meet, and joining the fight for NBC to #RENEWTHEBRAVE.
The Brave has shown what it is to be a team and I have watched them transition over the season to a family. These are the things that come to mind as I set the title Sunday night on my TV autotune reminder. The thoughts that we all have felt come through the season so far – the fans, cast and crew, all of us who have become this global family as well, ones that I have often tweeted as my Braver Brothers & Sisters. This show does hit Close to Home when you invest in it the way so many of us have. When the cast and crew are outgoing, willing to answer countless questions, and go out of their way to support our men and women in the military.
It’s not all action
We see something a bit different in the 12th episode than what I felt we have seen in past episodes, but certainly just as pivotal. Some of you may be saying, “well we didn’t see the intense fighting, explosions or higher body-count” we might be used to in all the other episodes… I can see that side of it, but I pose this question back as I felt the same intensity as I have in all the other episodes as this one. So if we only see the continual fighting, explosions, etc., how do we ever learn to grow with the characters and the story? To fully capture your audience you need to have them invested in the characters as we have been drawn in over this season about each person. Tonight we get to see more backstory and just how “Close to Home” we get to Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche).
As it started off we hear Patricia in the DIA briefing her team, which includes Hannah (Sofia Pernas) and Noah (Tate Ellington), about an Ohio Class Nuclear Submarine that was taken offline. When it comes back online after 123 seconds its course had been altered. The hack had been traced back to a 16 year old American girl found in Adana, Turkey. Her father just happens to also be an IT contractor on the Air Base at Incirlik, Turkey where Dalton (Mike Vogel) and his team are located. We see the girl’s father grabbing passports, money and putting them in bags then going to his daughter Verina so they can leave. She tells him how sorry she is and she didn’t mean to let things get so out of hand. Her dad says that it will be okay as they just need to leave for the base to get “things sorted out.”
WIll they escape?
We see Patricia inform everyone that there appeared to be no malicious intent behind it all, but that seeing as this was a “world-class hack” and her capabilities in the wrong hands could be a very grave threat. As our father/daughter duo attempt to flee their apartment building the lights go out in the main corridor, but dad believes it to be old wiring. Until he hears the sound of a door opening ahead, prompting them to backtrack to their apartment for safety. Once inside, the dad tells Verina to go out the window and slide down the drain like she does when she sneaks out to see Esmah. This shocks Verina that her dad has known all along about her doing this, but as he admits it, he says he doesn’t care and kisses her forehead as he sends his daughter off.
It was this very scene when you knew the certain doom the father was most likely going to meet as he sent his little girl off in hopes of giving her a head start. Interestingly, she’s done this serious hack, but seemed more frightened in that small instance that her father had known all along. As Verina runs up the stairs we all watched with intensity as the dad listens at the door only to see it kicked in and go flying back.
Upon entry of the apartment building, Dalton takes McGuire (Noah Mills) and Jaz (Natacha Karam) inside the apartment where they find that the dad’s death was done by a professional and confirm the daughter’s escape. Dalton heads downstairs where he left Preach (Demetrius Grosse) and Amir (Hadi Tabbal) to round up anyone trying to leave as they are all possible suspects now. As they question one possible standout suspect, our attention is drawn to the background where a man covered in a hat and coat is complaining he is sick and was on his way to the doctor as Amir is saying he’s having some kind of episode to Dalton. While this interchange is happening we see Patricia in the DIA looking at the scene through their body cams as well and you see the most intense look cross her face. She marches toward the large screen trying to get a better look at this man – she recognizes his voice. Just as Dalton says he doesn’t want to wait for McGuire to come down to check him out and he tells Amir to turn him loose Patricia yells to him to not do that and she needs to see his face. Needless to say, I was holding a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding in. Patricia informs the team that the man is Alex Hoffman (James Tupper) a decorated field officer gone rogue, dangerous and thought to have died 9 years ago. She tells Dalton to take him and hold him, not letting anyone know they have him as she will be on her way to them immediately.
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