By Kofi Outlaw

The plot of this week’s episode of THE UNIT was fairly straightforward and simple, yet at the same time wholly complex.

The episode picked up moments after Hector was killed by a sniper while on mission in Lebanon. Pissed as hell by the loss of a man, Jonas sent the rest of the Unit home, while he stayed behind in Lebanon to ‘tie up loose ends,’—i.e. find Hector’s killer and kill him. Conveniently enough, Col. Ryan had just located that very man, “the Butcher,” just a few clicks away from Jonas’ position. When ordered to return home, Jonas went AWOL.

Back home the Unit members, their wives and loved ones all tried to deal with their grief. Mack watched Hector’s body be cleaned and dissected, so that he could retrieve the bullet that killed his friend. Bob was ordered to coerce the reporter they had rescued in Lebanon into changing his story, so that no U.S. soldiers were implicated in the mission—deniability had to be maintained, despite Hector’s sacrifice. Tiffy and Hector’s girlfriend Annie drank tequila, while Kim tried to help the base’s Chaplin clean up the chapel so that Hector’s funereal could be proper. Grey lay in the hospital, recovering from his injuries, but still managed to beat up a slimy white house aid that had come to ensure his discretion. In the best scene of the episode, Col. Ryan barked on the white house aid about the Unit members being ‘warriors, who need not be reminded of their code.’ Bonafide badass!


In Lebanon Jonas cut a deal with a rival militia to aid him in storming the Butcher’s fortress. With their help he constructed an armored truck with a battering ram, and then he single-handedly crashed the fortress, killed everybody and captured the Butcher. As soon as the task was done the militia double-crossed Jonas, which was fine—Ol’ “Snake Doctor” just killed them too, then brought the Butcher back alive to face justice. Just as Hector would’ve wanted.

Back home everybody conquered their grief in their own ways, then gathered together to send off Hector with a proper military Funeral. Col. Ryan issued “Play 16,” a cover story designed for each Unit member K.I.A. Though it was unsavory to diminish the heroic acts Hector committed, it was the code the Unit members had chosen. What was eeriest of all was to hear Col. Ryan call each Unit member’s name, only to have a vast silence answer his call of Hector’s name. In the Unit, you’re there everyday up until you’re not there at all. Serious Business, soldier.