Roundtable Discussion: Valor “Pilot”

The new military series Valor debuted on The CW last night. The series focuses on the boundaries between military discipline and human desire, which are tested on a U.S. Army base that houses an elite unit of helicopter pilots trained to perform clandestine international and domestic missions.

The drama unfolds in the present as well as in flashbacks to a failed mission involving one of the first female pilots in the unit, ultimately uncovering layers of personal and government/military secrets and leading to a season-long plan to rescue a group of MIA soldiers.

Valor stars Matt Barr (Sleepy Hollow), Christina Ochoa (Blood Drive) and Charlie Barnett (Secrets and Lies) [among others].

Join Leah and Rueben as they discuss their thoughts on the debut of this new military series:

Valor was very much a CW show, some overacting and quite a few ridiculously pretty people. Where do you rate it in the slew of military shows this season?

Leah: I’m going to put this under The Brave but before Seal Team. There are some glaring issues for me but the mystery has me intrigued.

Rueben: For me it was well beneath both, and given how much I like The Brave and I’m only partially sold on SEAL Team, that’s saying something. Too many pretty people – Gallo would be reprimanded for that hair, by the way – and too much overacting for me. The mystery of what really happened in Somalia would be the only thing that would compel me to continue to watch.

Prediction on how long before Gallo and Madani break the rules and end up in bed?

Leah: Madani said rules are very important so I give her 2 episodes. It’s a CW show after all.

Rueben: I’m surprised it took them that long into the pilot to have them kiss. It won’t be long at all until they are in bed – fraternization by damned. I am also surprised that Madani and Porter can have a relationship that seems to be known by others in the squad. Too much of a CW show when it comes to this.

What do you think might be at the heart of that American solider being held captive then retrieved by that special team and then treated almost like a war criminal?

Leah: What was interesting to me was the American soldier opted to run off rather than stay with the pilots that saved him and opted not to let that guy kill him. He clearly did not want to be rescued by them. Something is really up with that and I have no idea what.

Rueben: This is the only part of the show that was interesting to me. I have to wonder if that soldier witnessed something illegal being conducted by the OGA (aka the CIA) and they needed to shut him up so they made it look like he was killed in action and kept on “ice” in Somalia for whatever reason.

Do you think the two soldiers being held by the Somalians will be successful at all in the escape plan before the Shadow Raiders can conduct their rescue mission.

Leah: I don’t think they will be successful in their escape but I don’t think the show will kill the guy with the family. He either somehow makes it.

Rueben: Since those two soldiers have no idea what is being planned, they are probably going to go ahead and risk their lives to escape; and to add to the drama of the story it will probably play out with them escaping and something really bad happening to them just as the rescue team arrives to save them.

The next new episode of Valor will air on The CW on Monday, October 16 at 9/8c.