In the SEAL Team Season 3 fall finale, Ray didn’t back Davis up with the rest of Bravo Team. It wasn’t the wrong call for him, and here’s why.

Ray made the difficult choice not to back Davis during her disciplinary in the SEAL Team Season 3 fall finale. It was something suggested to him just before, encouraging him to put his career (and his family) first. And this wasn’t a mistake on his part. Hopefully, Davis will see that he wasn’t just thinking of himself but others in his life. It’s not like she needed him there, after all.

When the rest of Bravo Team went to support Davis, Ray stepped back. If he went in there and Davis was court-martialed, it would look bad on him. He could lose the chance of going for Warrant Officer. That’s not just something that he wants, but something that he needs right now. He’s working hard for this promotion, and it’s something that will help to support his family. His wife and children need him to succeed in this career move.

The idea of putting his career at risk for Davis wasn’t an option for his family. Sure, it all worked out for her, as we knew it would, but there was always that doubt. Women are routinely held to higher standards than men. Davis did nothing to defend herself, believing that she was showing humility, but instead, she was showing weakness. She was already on the back foot. Ray couldn’t possibly put his own career at risk for her.

As selfish as it was, sometimes we all have to be selfish. Yes, Bravo Team is family. Davis is a sister-in-arms, but he also has a family at home that he needs to protect and defend. From the very beginning of SEAL Team, we’ve seen that Ray’s wife is the one that keeps that family together. She’s the one that works out the finances to make sure they can afford their house. And with their growing family, they want to get a new house. That means more money is necessary. Ray promised to take some of the weight off her shoulders, and that relies on him getting this promotion.

In a way, his decision wasn’t selfish at all. He wasn’t putting himself first but other people in his life first. He was thinking about his wife and children, doing something that most people would likely do if they were put in the exact same situation.

It’s easy to look at the situation on TV and say we’d stand with Davis. Of course we’d want to, but Ray had everything to lose if Davis was court-martialed for her actions.

While I have a feeling it’s going to cause some animosity for a while on SEAL Team, I do hope that Davis will see that Ray put his family first. It wasn’t a selfish decision but he was caught between two difficult choices and he made what he felt was right at the time.

What did you think about Ray’s decision to put his family first? What would you have done in his position? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

SEAL Team will return with all-new episodes in February or March 2020.