There is certainly a lot of negativity among the reviewing class about the new Amazon Prime “The Terminal List” series starring Chris Pratt.
One intriguing question that arises from it is whether the filmmakers were seeking to communicate an anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate message.
Minor spoiler alert: I’m about to reveal some aspects of the plot, but these are early revelations in the series, so I don’t think I’m giving much away.
Something that is not mentioned in bevy of critical reviews, but is central to the series’ plot is that a team of Navy SEALs was injected with an experimental drug, which Defense Department leaders hoped would prevent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Instead, it caused brain tumors.
Just watched the first episode of #TheTerminalList and it’s awesome!
Typical leftist critics. pic.twitter.com/GDrK8vCwbD
— Jeremy Prime (@DDayCobra) July 3, 2022
In the show, the Food and Drug Administration approved administering the shot based on an emergency use authorization.
However, the SEALs chosen for the experiment did not give their informed consent to take the drug. In fact, they were not told they were being given it at all. Instead the injection was passed off as routine and deployment-related.
Should military members be separated for not taking the COVID-19 vaccine?
“The Terminal List” series is based on the 2018 Jack Carr novel of the same name, which of course pre-dates COVID-19.
However, filming on the series began in March 2021 and continued into the summer of last year, so well into the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
In February 2021, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin strongly encouraged members of the military to get vaccinated. By August, he mandated they do so or face possible separation from service.
The mandate did not come down until after the FDA approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine the previous day.
So on this point, “The Terminal List” plot diverges from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Tens of millions had taken the vaccine at this point and while some had adverse reactions including myocarditis and death, the vast majority appear to have tolerated it well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Interestingly, some Navy SEALs and others in the Naval Special Warfare community sued the Biden administration in November 2021 over the vaccine mandate saying it violated their religious liberty.
The 35 who had requested religious exemptions cited their opposition to the use of aborted fetal cell lines in the development or manufacturing of the vaccines and their belief that “modifying one’s body is an afront to the Creator,” among other issues.
After winning a preliminary injunction in federal district court against enforcement of the mandate in January, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Navy in March restoring the military service’s ability “to consider the vaccination status of 35 of its service members in decisions about where they should be assigned or deployed,” the New York Times reported.
U.S. Naval Institute News reported last month that the Navy is separating members who have not been fully vaccinated.
But, “The Navy cannot currently separate anyone who submitted a religious exemption against the COVID-19 vaccine due to a legal ruling in the Fifth Circuit.”
Does “The Terminal List” contain an anti-vax mandate message?
Well that’s two years in a row that the 4th of July weekend belongs to Amazon @PrimeVideo. Last year, it was #TheTomorrowWar. This year, it’s #TheTerminalList! I’m so grateful for my relationship with @JSalke and everyone at Amazon! pic.twitter.com/lOhXdmVb1H
— Chris Pratt (@prattprattpratt) July 6, 2022
One can certainly view it that way. At the very least, the series says even members of the military have a right to know what’s being injected into their bodies and give their consent.
