| Charles Lewis Grey | |
|---|---|
| The Unit character | |
SFC Charles Grey |
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| First appearance | First Responders |
| Last appearance | Unknown soldier |
| Portrayed by | Michael Irby |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Betty Blue/Carlito |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | U.S. Army Special Forces |
| Title | Sergeant First Class |
| Spouse(s) | Joss Grey |
Sergeant First Class Charles Lewis Grey (United States Army, callsign Betty Blue) is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Unit. He is portrayed by Michael Irby.
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According to an interview with actor Michael Irby, Grey is qualified as Green Beret and Ranger Grey has been an operator with the Alpha Team of the 1st Special Actions Group (official cover as the "303rd Logistical Studies Group") for roughly six years, and is single. He is also something of a womanizer, as well as a bit of a hothead; during Season 1, Episode 7, SERE, upon learning that Alpha Team had been "captured" and were prisoners of war, Grey rushed and struck the guard, an action he repeated later in the episode. Also in Season 2, Episode 23 "Paradise Lost" when The Unit was stopped at the compound by armed M.P.(s), he was quoted as saying, "Don't point that thing unless you plan on using it". In 'Force Majeure' he lies to the rest of the team, compromising the mission by rescuing some hospital patients and leaving the dictator they were sent to rescue to die. He customarily uses a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, the same weapon as Hector. His fighting style is based on the Israeli martial art of Krav Magav, a trait based on actor Michael Irby who is a student of it in real life. As a hobby Grey writes poetry.
Grey's appearance makes him ideal for undercover operations, particularly in the Middle East and in Latin America. He can speak conversational Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, and Korean, in addition to English. Like all Unit members, he is HAHO/HALO qualified, and is qualified in submarine lock in/lock out procedures. He is the team's primary engineer/demolition specialist, indicating that he was probably a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant (18C) prior to joining the Unit. He is also cross-trained as a medic.
During Season 1, Grey participated in an operation in the fictional town of Wyndham, Idaho, to recover hostages taken by Islamic terrorists. The action incurred the wrath of the FBI, as the Alpha Team LSU members had violated the Posse Comitatus Act. However, Grey and the remainder of Alpha Team were cleared of any wrong-doing.
Grey, in conjunction with Alpha Team, was also responsible for the recovery of a radioactive component of a Chinese satellite, rescuing the drug minister of Mexico, the assassination of a terrorist financier in Spain, the recovery of seven Stinger missiles from Brazilian arms dealers, and the apprehension of a Serbian war criminal in The Balkans.
Grey is also a demolitions expert-during Episode 1x12, Morale, Recreation, and Welfare, wherein Grey, Blane, and Williams were sent to Atlanta, Georgia, to advise the FBI on a bomb threat, possibly a nuclear bomb. Grey did most of the bomb inspections, and was the one who determined that the bomb was not nuclear-the bomb maker had sprinkled plutonium around the bomb in order to set off the Geiger counter.
While in the Balkans, the aforementioned war criminal got a good look at team leader Jonas Blane. When the criminal escaped from UN custody, he tracked Blane back to Fort Griffith, the Alpha Team's headquarters. When Alpha Team went off post to celebrate the marriage of Unit commander Colonel Tom Ryan, the war criminal struck, killing a few workers and injuring Mrs. Ryan and Sergeant Major Blane.
During Season 2, Grey helped prevent the spread of weaponized smallpox throughout the world by members of al-Qaeda. He was also responsible for helping Sergeant Major Blane's wife, Molly, train a young Unit support staffer in offensive driving in order to qualify him for a job with Blackthorne Security, a private military company. Along with Williams, he instructed a SWAT unit in advanced closed quarters battle tactics, and designed the deliberate assault plan for the Braydon School takedown in "In Loco Parentis". He, along with Mack Gerhardt, served as a spotter for Bob Brown and Williams, who were snipers, when they engaged vehicles and personnel at 2320 m during the "Dark of the Moon" episode.
When the Unit was on lockdown pending an Article 32 hearing, Grey decided to escape Federal uniform and civilian custody by going AWOL. His whereabouts were unknown until the Season 3 premiere, which revealed he had linked up with Jonas in Panama City, Panama.
In Season 3, Episode 7 Five Brothers, Grey was severely wounded but survived until the team was extracted by Marines. Though he survived, his best friend Hector Williams was killed when trying to aid him. The team eventually hunt down Hector's killer in the Philipines and kill him, Mack and Grey visiting Hector's grave and bring him a gift of whiskey, Grey admitting that Hector thought him 'cheap'..
In Season 3, Episode 9 Binary Explosion, it was revealed that Grey had past history with the Hispanic gang "Byz-Lats" and that his late mother had been the last of his only real family.
In Season 4, he meets Joss Morgan and falls in love with her. Though it becomes hard for the two of them to marry because of her Russian relations, he and Joss do get married in the series finale. According to the writers in the provisional storyline for season 5 Grey's marriage to Joss Morgan would cause difficulties as she is an independent woman and not prepared to submit to the normal restrictions of a Unit member's wife. With Jonas' retirement and Mack leaving the Unit for a training post Grey is promoted to team leader at the end of the season and trains up new recruits in order to bring the squad up to full strength.
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