S05.E03: 27 David

[Danielg342]

Via The Futon Critic:

Quote

David DeSantos Debuts in a Recurring Role as New Team Leader Rodrigo Sanchez

"When a robbery crew holds up the iconic downtown Los Angeles library, the team discovers that stolen architectural drawings could lead to a major threat against the city. Also, the squad is surprised by the arrival of a new leader, longtime LAPD veteran and former S.W.A.T. member Rodrigo Sanchez"

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Danielg342

[Danielg342]

The problem with the Rodrigo Sanchez storyline was laid bare right there in the final scene.

I mean, does anyone really think that Hondo's job is in peril? On a darker show, and one that's more about Hondo than the team, it just may be.

On this show there's not even a slight chance of that happening. We all know that Sanchez is going to be exposed and, through some machinations, Hondo gets to be team leader again.

I'll even repeat that and put it in bold because I'm sure that's how the story will play out.

We all know that Sanchez is going to be exposed and, through some machinations, Hondo gets to be team leader again.

Now, maybe this show has a swerve up its sleeve and Sanchez reveals himself to actually be a good guy in all of this.

It still doesn't take away from the predictability and the recycled nature of this storyline.

Really, Sanchez, the chore will be having to slog through this storyline to reach its inevitable conclusion.

That's just the first problem I have with the Sanchez storyline. The second problem is that I doubt Sanchez is really believable as a long-time SWAT member.

Sanchez is described as a "me-first" kind of guy who will put his own interests ahead of the team. He obviously does not work well with others, which is the complete antithesis of what it means to work with any team, let alone one as dangerous as SWAT.

Perhaps someone like Sanchez can fake his way as a team player for quite some time, but there will eventually be that point where his self-centredness gets exposed and he'll be off the team.

There's absolutely no way that a guy like Sanchez would move up the ranks of the LAPD, let alone be in a position to rank high enough to become SWAT leader.

Self-centred egotists don't make good leaders. Period.

I'm also not sure that bringing in Sanchez would be the best play for the Mayor. Demoting Hondo right off SWAT entirely would be the easier play with the ploy much easier to cover up.

Of course, that would likely involve needing to strong-arm Hicks into agreeing into the plan, which might compromise him in the eyes of some viewers.

Then again, conflict between team members has been conspicuously absent from this show for quite some time (the last time I think we saw team members butt heads was when Hondo fired Street at the end of S1), and, truth be told, natural, organic tension between main characters is just more interesting than seeing main characters- who have plot armour- butt heads with some throwaway recurring character.

Wouldn't it be a much better story to see Hondo confront Hicks about compromising his integrity by playing politics only for Hicks to counter that he had no other choice?

Yeah, perhaps a storyline where Hondo investigates what the Mayor has hanging over Hicks' head is also a tired trope. However, one, this gives something for Hondo to do after being the guy who's always the first to the scene at any SWAT operation and two, it gives Hicks' character some added depth and development, something his character badly needs.

Plus- and this is more important- after five seasons and getting to really know these characters, I have far more of an investment in these characters than some character I've never met before. Seeing how they navigate their conflicts and eventually come to some kind of peace is a far more satisfying, fulfilling and just plain meatier story because not only is the conclusion not inevitable it gives the characters something to do as they explore their conflict, it also informs those characters and allows them to grow and develop as they navigate that struggle.

Besides, ultimately, a conflict between two characters I care about is easy to get behind and has more meaning. Since main characters have to stick around, any conflict between the two can't have a clear "winner" and "loser"- they have to resolve with the two characters finding a common understanding. Which I'll grant is not easy to write, but once it's accomplished it's not just more satisfying, the characters can develop a history together that can be used to inform more stories down the road.

The team storming to victory over some character who is nothing more than a plot point? What's so satisfying in that? You resolve the conflict and all you do is go back to the status quo- there's no growth, no development and you're stuck fishing for more ideas to get you out of your storywriting rut.

Which is the last thing this show needs.

I'm going to close by saying that, instead of creating Sanchez, I would rather have Deacon become team leader and see how Hondo adjusts to being an underling to someone he already knows. The team could still operate as it used to because Deacon and Hondo trust each other and Hondo could still "lead" in a sense because Deacon would more readily accept and implement his advice. Where things would get interesting is that now Deacon has the chance to overrule Hondo and implement the strategy of his choice, not Hondo's, and seeing how the characters navigate that would be interesting (especially if Deacon's overruling turns out to be correct). I'd also like to see how Deacon would handle Hondo going rogue every now and then- it's easy for Hondo to that when he's team leader but when he's taking commands...not so much. Plus, how would Deacon wrestle with having to reprimand a man he has a lot of respect for?

Lots of stuff already in play and we haven't scratched the surface yet.

I suppose the only sticking point there is "how do you get Deacon to step aside for Hondo?" but perhaps you resolve this by playing to Deacon's more rigid side (causing the team to prefer the more laid back Hondo) or by Deacon realizing he'd rather be an underling and Hondo's a better leader. Or by having Deacon and Hondo butt heads so much because of the changed dynamic that Hicks sees no choice but to change it back.

That's all hypothetical. The real point is that Hondo vs. Hicks or Hondo vs. Deacon would be a far better story to start off S5 with than this 20-Squad vs. Sanchez storyline where we already know how it will end- by bringing the show back to square one to where it needs something else to get it out of the writing rut it's been in for at least a season and a half.

[BooksRule]

Did I miss something?  The description said that robbers hold up the 'iconic downtown public library'.  Wasn't this just a warehouse space with that woman's father's personal belongings, which included those architectural drawings?  I was disappointed, because as a librarian, I was looking forward to see what they got right and what they got wrong about libraries and how they operate in real life. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Sanchez to Tan:

”Nice work Tan! But next time, I don’t need the whole journey. Just get me the destination.”

A**hole leader! 🙄

Since both Hondo and Luca knew Sanchez’s real agenda, I can’t wait to see how are they going to play him out until he is caught up in his own game. Will they give the heads-up to Deacon as well?

Hondo’s gloomy face throughout the episode, arghh! 🙁

[Sweet Tooth]

On 10/15/2021 at 7:28 PM, Danielg342 said:

We all know that Sanchez is going to be exposed and, through some machinations, Hondo gets to be team leader again.

Could not agree more. This is exactly the way it has to happen. There is no other solution.

We weren't supposed to like Sanchez right off the bat. He has the kind of artificial charm that just oozes insincerity.

I'm really glad they didn't just put Luca as the boy who cried wolf and that we don't have to guess what Sanchez is up to.

But I just knew that there was no way Deac would accept command without talking to Hondo first. It's absolutely not his style. Glad to see I was correct ant that he wouldn't feel right getting the job this way. 

I really liked that Hondo is getting some positive feedback for what he did. 

On 10/15/2021 at 7:28 PM, Danielg342 said:

There's absolutely no way that a guy like Sanchez would move up the ranks of the LAPD, let alone be in a position to rank high enough to become SWAT leader.

It sounds like they just want him to play the role of SWAT leader and not actually be one. As the woman said, his sole purpose is to get Hondo to quit. He wasn't hired for his ability to be a team player.

He is a brown-noser, and it seems the higher ups aren't interested in someone who plays nice with others. They want someone who will toe the line and not cause trouble, and Sanchez obviously does that well. He takes his orders and follows them up. He doesn't even hesitate to take down a former team member. He wasn't hired by Hicks. He was put there by the very people trying to get Hondo removed.

 

[Danielg342]

On 10/18/2021 at 5:42 AM, Sweet Tooth said:

Could not agree more. This is exactly the way it has to happen. There is no other solution.

We weren't supposed to like Sanchez right off the bat. He has the kind of artificial charm that just oozes insincerity.

I'm really glad they didn't just put Luca as the boy who cried wolf and that we don't have to guess what Sanchez is up to.

I get that. I'm just tired of these one-time characters whose only job on the show is to get their comeuppance and do little else. I've lost my interest in these kinds of characters.

I'd rather have Deacon be in charge of 20-Squad and see how he deals with Hondo because I know and care about both characters as opposed to having to slog through watching a character whose essentially a plot device I couldn't care less about.

On 10/18/2021 at 5:42 AM, Sweet Tooth said:

It sounds like they just want him to play the role of SWAT leader and not actually be one. As the woman said, his sole purpose is to get Hondo to quit. He wasn't hired for his ability to be a team player.

He is a brown-noser, and it seems the higher ups aren't interested in someone who plays nice with others. They want someone who will toe the line and not cause trouble, and Sanchez obviously does that well. He takes his orders and follows them up. He doesn't even hesitate to take down a former team member. He wasn't hired by Hicks. He was put there by the very people trying to get Hondo removed.

I get that companies hire "moles" all the time. One of my workplaces had one of those types. He only lasted a day but he was there.

I just don't know how realistic Sanchez's career trajectory is. He went from SWAT, a team position, to the Mayor's detail, which, I presume, is another team position. He was also a long time police officer, another team position. How long can someone who is not a team player be in team positions, especially one where the concept is as crucial as it is on SWAT?

Sanchez might have worked better if he was hired in Cortez's old position and had a career where he managed security companies, perhaps even one that the Mayor used. I'm not sure I would have liked the character any better, though.

[Sweet Tooth]

2 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I get that. I'm just tired of these one-time characters whose only job on the show is to get their comeuppance and do little else. I've lost my interest in these kinds of characters.

I'd rather have Deacon be in charge of 20-Squad and see how he deals with Hondo because I know and care about both characters as opposed to having to slog through watching a character whose essentially a plot device I couldn't care less about.

Sorry if it didn't seem that way, but like I said, I totally agreed with your assessment.

He is a plot device. If he has some long-lasting impact, like the team becoming more cohesive, then maybe he will have served his purpose. I guess they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, because Deac just isn't the guy who would take Hondo's position under those circumstances, especially since he feels that Hondo stuck his neck out, while he ran back for safety. It was a tricky hole to fall into.

Perhaps this will lead to an entire shakeup of the LAPD hierarchy.

5 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I get that companies hire "moles" all the time. One of my workplaces had one of those types. He only lasted a day but he was there.

I just don't know how realistic Sanchez's career trajectory is. He went from SWAT, a team position, to the Mayor's detail, which, I presume, is another team position. He was also a long time police officer, another team position. How long can someone who is not a team player be in team positions, especially one where the concept is as crucial as it is on SWAT?

Sanchez might have worked better if he was hired in Cortez's old position and had a career where he managed security companies, perhaps even one that the Mayor used. I'm not sure I would have liked the character any better, though.

Again, I don't think they hired Sanchez for his "team player" skills but rather his ability to brown nose himself up the food chain. If they valued team players and admired those whose team looked up to him, they would have brushed aside what Hondo did. But I think what they're trying to say is that they value someone who is a good little soldier and will follow orders no matter what. That's what they want. 

Kiss-ups can last quite a while. I've seen it happen. Like I said, he has an artificial charm. They can send him out to shmooze and talk to the public and know  he'll toe the party line and lie if he has to, in order to make the department look good.

I think the higher-ups are making  it quite clear they'd rather have one Sanchez than a hundred Hondos. 

They definitely did not want the audience to like him. He seemed opportunistic even before we knew what he was up to. He was condescending to the guys who just have to take it at this point. 

Perhaps the problem is that he's a mustache-twirling villain. Maybe if he'd been an old member of the gang who was well-respected and actually did a good job, that might have created some conflict as well. 

But I presume the show decided to go in this direction so that this blows up into something much bigger, like I said, where people at the top come tumbling down. This will probably be how Hondo gets his job back. A change at the top of the food chain.

[Danielg342]

28 minutes ago, Sweet Tooth said:

Sorry if it didn't seem that way, but like I said, I totally agreed with your assessment.

He is a plot device. If he has some long-lasting impact, like the team becoming more cohesive, then maybe he will have served his purpose. I guess they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, because Deac just isn't the guy who would take Hondo's position under those circumstances, especially since he feels that Hondo stuck his neck out, while he ran back for safety. It was a tricky hole to fall into.

Perhaps this will lead to an entire shakeup of the LAPD hierarchy.

I guess that's the real quandary- how do you eventually get Hondo to replace Deacon as team leader without compromising either character? I do contend that it could have been done, and done well if these writers put in the effort to do so, but I do see why the writers eventually settled on a new character.

I'll agree this will be worth it if it involves shaking up the LAPD, if not City Council. Of course, in that case, I'd like it if the show cast some characters to play the Mayor and other power brokers whom Hondo will take down. It'll be no fun taking down the Empire if we don't see the Emperor fall from grace.

[Sweet Tooth]

10 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I'll agree this will be worth it if it involves shaking up the LAPD, if not City Council. Of course, in that case, I'd like it if the show cast some characters to play the Mayor and other power brokers whom Hondo will take down. It'll be no fun taking down the Empire if we don't see the Emperor fall from grace.

That is true. I hadn't thought of it that way. 

Yes, the mayor, etc., are just this faceless, evil blob, orchestrating things behind the scenes.

I know sometimes people talk about the monster before you see it, to sort of drum them up, but he's literally just "the mayor." He might even be Mayor McCheese. We don't know!