Human Super Soldiers by Prospero E. Pulma Jr.

Human Super Soldiers

By Prospero E. Pulma Jr.

A bare-chested Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, an extremely brawny Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator and Commando, or masked commandos storming terrorists’ lairs are the popular images of the super soldier. But the soldiers of The Unit can pass off as regular army guys even in uniform and not operatives of a clandestine U.S. Army counterterrorism unit. Even their official name, 303rd Logistical Studies Group, conjure images of military clerks laboring to bring supplies to the frontline grunts and not warriors who fight deep in enemy territory. The keen observer might notice that the men of the Unit are unusually buff for logistics troops, and they disappear frequently from their camp, travel abroad a lot, and operate in small groups.

The Unit has a full-fledged colonel as commander, Tom Ryan (Robert Patrick), a clue that the logistics group title is bogus because colonels are supposed to command at least battalions or small but vital units. Sergeant Major Jonas Blaine (Dennis Haysbert) runs the group in the field. Blaine’s team is composed of Sergeants Bob Brown (Scott Foley), Mack Gerhardt (Max Martini), Charles Grey (Michael Irby), and Hector Williams (Demore Barnes). Lumping sergeants in one logistics squad is another indication that the 303rd is not a regular unit.

Following army tradition, Blaine’s wife, Molly (Regina Taylor), is the doyenne of the tightly knit group of army wives who mutually support one another in facing domestic battles. Tiffy (Abby Brammel), Mack’s wife, is entangled in affairs, unknowingly reciprocating her husband’s fling with Crystal Burns (Summer Glau). Kim Brown (Audrey Marie Anderson) is the youngest wife in the unit and Tiffy’s confidant. Charlotte (Rebecca Pidgeon) is the colonel’s aloof wife. Like all married couples, the husbands also share their wives’ troubles.

Formatted as an action-drama series, The Unit’s episodes are equally divided between the battlefield and the home. Even the segments on the men rely on a dose of gunshots, explosions, some display of high-tech weaponry and special operations tactics, and drama, which could disappoint viewers who expect a story that is 90% violence and 10% plot. In The Unit, the men are super soldiers - human super soldiers, not cold fighting machines.