‘SIX’ Sneak Peek: When Not to Shoot

If you’ve invested in History’s drama series SIX, tonight’s episode begins the payoff. This third hour delves deeper into Rip Taggart’s backstory with a series of flashbacks, including our sneak peek above as the then SEAL Team Six leader — played by Walton Goggins — has a heart to heart with Caulder (Kyle Schmid) after Caulder nearly makes a mistake similar to the one we watched Rip make in the series premiere. “You know, at first, it’s like a video game —Call of Duty s***. When you realize the Hajjis shoot back, you get even better at pulling that trigger. The hard part is learning when not to shoot. Like that unarmed kid back there,” Rip tells him. “Just be careful of the guys who can’t, or won’t, tell the difference.”

Related: History’s ‘SIX’: 5 Things to Know About the Navy SEAL Drama Starring Walton Goggins

The flashbacks show Rip building his team up — watch for a pool scene in which he instructs Caulder and Barry Sloane’s Bear to pass one air supply back and forth between them while their masks are blacked out (something the actors did themselves) — and how he unraveled. In the present day, where Rip’s now a gun-for-hire held captive by Boko Haram alongside Nigerian schoolgirls and their teacher, Na’omi (Nondumiso Tembe), he’ll begin to find his purpose.

“He needs to rediscover his identity. The way he does that is through the innocence of these schoolgirls and Na’omi,” series co-creator David Broyles told Yahoo TV. “Of course, the irony is that he thinks he’s saving Na’omi and the girls, but really they end up saving him.”

Related: ‘SIX’ Review: Trying to Do SEAL Team 6 Proud

The episode, “Tour of Duty,” is written by Bruce C. McKenna (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) and directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry, Stop-Loss).

SIX airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on History.