NBC’s The Brave continues to show us not only the clearly awesome actions of military members but the global context as well. In yet another display of unashamed pride for service, the latest episode takes on the truly despicable enemy of Islamic terrorism in the West.
The November 6 episode “It’s All Personal” gives us deeper insight into the newest member of the team Amir Al-Raisani (Hadi Tabbal), who previously spent years undercover as a member of ISIS. When the fourteen-year-old son of a terrorist he met on the inside is forced to become a suicide bomber, Amir goes back undercover and the team rushes to prevent an attack on the radicalized areas of…Paris, France. Yes, in a show as bold as The Brave, they aren’t afraid to point out the growing threat of Islamic terrorists in the West, and they certainly aren’t afraid of pointing out who the bad guys are.
Just check out this confrontation between one of the leaders of “the same ISIS cell that’s said to have trained the Charlie Hedbo attackers,” Omar (Naren Weiss), and Amir. When the terrorist cell believes that the boy’s sister Mina (May Calamawy) has betrayed them to the French government, Omar assigns Amir to kill her. As Amir tries to maintain his cover and keep her alive at the same time, his hesitance exposes his real identity as the traitor. Luckily for him, his team is ready to back him up in this awesome scene that sees 4 terrorists dead within seconds.
Jaz: 10 seconds.
Dalton: Copy that. The boss is your target.
Omar: You're the traitor.
Amir: Yes. I'm the traitor. I have devoted my life to bringing down men like you, and I'm not going to sleep until all of you are in the hell you deserve.
Now that Jack Bauer's 24 is long gone, The Brave might be one of the few shows on primetime nowadays willing to feature the satisfying moment an American hero stabs an Islamic terrorist in the gut and twists the knife while telling him to go to hell.
Eventually, the team discovers the cell’s plan to use the boy as a decoy bomber while planting a second bomber to kill incoming paramedics and first responders to the scene. Although the boy claims to be willing, Amir remarks that “[t]his cell uses disaffected kids to do their dirty work,” highlighting the terrorist group preying on vulnerable youth and recognizing the kid’s reluctance. Fortunately, Amir’s instincts are right, and the boy foregoes the bombing while the team apprehends the rest of the cell.
While I wish behavior like that was only fictional, it’s no secret that Islamic terrorist groups like ISIS are purposefully sacrificing children or mowing down innocent people. Even worse, their hold includes places like France which has only just recently ended its 2 year terrorism state of emergency. Despite this depressing outlook, The Brave offers reassurance in characters who boldly and fearlessly defend the innocent and fight off the terrorists.
Though The Brave may not be a perfect reflection of real life, in light of growing political divides, it’s great to see a show that can recognize evil for what it is and exemplify the brave heroes who can stop it.
