S04.E06: Hopeless Sinner

[thewhiteowl]

Chris brings the team into her personal mission to save a teenage girl from a predatory religious leader. Hondo receives troubling news.

[Danielg342]

"In a Very Special SWAT..."

Sometimes, episodes are more than just the sum of their parts. Sometimes, it's the little things that make the episode special.

Sometimes...episodes just work.

Tonight...it just worked.

I could go through the litany of storytelling faults this episode went through, like Hondo reminding Chris "we're not detectives" and then proceeding to act like detectives or the smorgasboard of cult cliches that dotted the early part of the episode.

As well as the pointless story that was Tan's wedding issues. I guess I'm glad that's settled?

*shrug*

Still, sterling performances from Sean Patrick Thomas (Bishop Miller), Mika Abdalla (Zoey/Abby) and Graham Patrick Martin (Dylan), as well as Lina Esco bringing her A-game really brought the emotion and the urgency out in this episode. Things like that really make a difference, because the whole theme of this episode was the personal elements, and for that you need your actors to show how the events of the episode affects them.

Sometimes...you just need your actors to sell your story...and sell it they did.

As for the episode's other storyline...the Leroy vs. Hondo slow burn is really enjoyable. You get the sense that Hondo is a better father for Darryl than Leroy is, but...Leroy is Darryl's actual father. Michael Beach, Deshae Frost and Shemar Moore are all playing the beats of this story wonderfully, and there's so many layers to the story that you can't pick a side. It's enough to make me wonder where it's going, but in a good way.

[mommalib]

Sean Patrick Thomas was really good especially considering this isn't the type of role you normally see him in. 

I'm still trying to figure out if Leroy is a bad guy or something in between. I really hope he's not gonna screw up his kids life just to spite Hondo.

[Danielg342]

7 hours ago, mommalib said:

I'm still trying to figure out if Leroy is a bad guy or something in between. I really hope he's not gonna screw up his kids life just to spite Hondo.

My guess is that this story will culminate with Leroy being key to a case. My hope is that Leroy uses that opportunity to prove to Hondo that he's a changed man and isn't the bad guy Hondo thinks he is. I'd prefer that Darryl and Leroy have a relationship because that's family, and that Leroy and Hondo can begin to have a friendship again.

I mean, I suppose I'll see how the story is told but another version of "Hondo knows best" is irritating, to say the least. They risk making Hondo a little too righteous and this would help tone it down.

[Raja]

As an Angeleno watching the S.W.A.T. version of pandemic times puts me in the bizarro world and is taking me out of episodes.

I would have liked to see the large wedding with a news helicopter overhead reporting on the officer's of the law party.

[DanaK]

On 12/16/2020 at 11:37 PM, Danielg342 said:

Sometimes...episodes just work.

Tonight...it just worked.

Yeah, I agree, it was a good, engaging episode. I ended up hating the “bishop”. He was such a smarmy guy. Also, I’m not sure that true believer couple should be taking in those two girls. I’d be concerned about them becoming cult leaders themselves

In the real world, I don’t see Chris being allowed to take that shot at the “bishop” since she got personally involved

They are keeping us guessing about Leroy

Tam needs to find his backbone and push back against pushy relatives about wedding plans, plus communicate with his fiancée 

Not liking the sometimes masked, mostly not portrayals

[mommalib]

19 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

My guess is that this story will culminate with Leroy being key to a case. My hope is that Leroy uses that opportunity to prove to Hondo that he's a changed man and isn't the bad guy Hondo thinks he is. I'd prefer that Darryl and Leroy have a relationship because that's family, and that Leroy and Hondo can begin to have a friendship again.

I mean, I suppose I'll see how the story is told but another version of "Hondo knows best" is irritating, to say the least. They risk making Hondo a little too righteous and this would help tone it down.

I love seeing a righteous brotha on tv, not enough as it is. 

[Danielg342]

3 hours ago, mommalib said:

I love seeing a righteous brotha on tv, not enough as it is. 

I'm not complaining about the fact Hondo has his life together. That's great stuff, I agree.

The issue I have is that Hondo is the kind of person who believes he knows someone better than they know themselves. It's not necessarily a bad trait, especially since Hondo got things right with his own father and with Darryl.

I just think, as with any character trait, you need to strike the right balance. Sometimes, Hondo has to be wrong.

With Leroy, I hope he is. The writers have done a wonderful job telling a story of Hondo being skeptical of Leroy and wondering if Leroy really has changed, all while Leroy has insisted that he has. It would be great if Leroy actually got to show Hondo that he really is a reformed man. Not just to proverbially "stick it" to Hondo but also because it would help mend relationships between father and son and between friends. It would be a message of positivity that people can change and change for the better.

[thewhiteowl]

Hondo is not wrong about Leroy. Hondo may think Leroy is a friend but he isn't, a friend may ask Hondo to speak up for him but would understand why he wouldn't or couldn't. A reformed man wouldn't endanger his son just to stick it to his supposed friend. 

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, thewhiteowl said:

Hondo is not wrong about Leroy. Hondo may think Leroy is a friend but he isn't, a friend may ask Hondo to speak up for him but would understand why he wouldn't or couldn't. A reformed man wouldn't endanger his son just to stick it to his supposed friend. 

I understand Leroy's side in this. Yes, I would expect him to understand why Hondo did what he did, but I wouldn't expect him to like it. It is a slight, no matter how you look at it, and since Leroy values Hondo's opinion, it must sting a little that Hondo doesn't fully believe in him.

To his credit, Leroy's actions have been measured. He's voiced his displeasure but he didn't send his thugs to rough up Hondo and/or Darryl or Hondo's family. He's also adjusted his behaviour to accommodate what Darryl needs. Hondo told him to lay low and Leroy responded by going for tacos through drive-thru instead of eating in the restaurant. Not a perfect adjustment, but an adjustment.

It feels to me that Leroy, Hondo and Darryl are doing their best to navigate some tricky waters, and Leroy wants to prove that he's a better man. I say that, ultimately, I hope the storyline bears that out.

[Sweet Tooth]

I'm going to wallow into the shallow end here and ask who I have to thank for the Hondo and Deac shirt change at the beginning of the show.

On 12/18/2020 at 11:31 PM, Danielg342 said:

he issue I have is that Hondo is the kind of person who believes he knows someone better than they know themselves. It's not necessarily a bad trait, especially since Hondo got things right with his own father and with Darryl.

I just think, as with any character trait, you need to strike the right balance. Sometimes, Hondo has to be wrong.

The key to good storytelling and good character development is to give your characters weaknesses. If they're right all of the time, they become unrelatable, and worse, incredibly boring.

The only way for a character to grow is for them to make mistakes, like he did with Nichelle, etc. As long as he learns from them, which it appears he has, then it's great.

A backslide is fine, as long as it doesn't seem like they've forgotten their important life lesson every third episode.

I think at first they were intentionally making Leroy menacing and trying to undermine Darryl's growth. I also want to see where they're going with him. I think he just feels betrayed and hurt by Hondo. If he doesn't intentionally mess up Darryl's growth, then it should be fine. Right now Hondo's just coming off like an over-concerned parent who doesn't have control over a situation he perceives as dangerous. I'm hoping they do strike a balance at some point.

Chris was really great in this episode. And to be fair about the "detective" comment, Chris immediately called BS on it and how often they've gone out on a limb for people they cared about, and Hondo shut up.

Zoe's boyfriend was cast really well. He wasn't hysterical, and you could tell he was desperately trying to contain himself with a situation that was so far out of his hands and his power. It shocked me that he was dead. Holy crap! That was awful!

I liked that the brainwashed couple realized right away that the situation with the wedding was messed up.