S05.E09: Survive

[thewhiteowl]

When Deacon enlists Chris’ help on an off-duty private security detail, they struggle to survive when they’re attacked by a drug cartel looking to kidnap their wealthy VIP client.

[Danielg342]

Forgive me if this is not up to my normal standards...it's been a rough go of it lately for me in the past few weeks, for many personal reasons that I need not get into.

Anyway, I almost completely forgot about the new time and wound up missing the first half an hour...which would normally obviate the ability to review the episode, but the experience was an eye-opener. I didn't feel like I missed any part of the story, and the action being condensed down to a half hour run time made the story feel smoother and tighter. Considering that this was a simple, straightforward story without much need for a lot of different threads, a shorter run time would have served it much better because you're not filling the episode with, well, "filler".

Which may be the show's issue- there's just too much padding because the stories are not well-developed enough. If I can miss half an episode and not feel like I missed anything, there's a problem with the storytelling.

The story itself was not a bad one. It was great seeing Deacon out in his "other" job, and Christina had a pretty intense fight scene towards the end (though that was a nasty leg crack). What detracts from it was the story needing the fallen cop to keep the plot moving- if the police officer didn't show up, how else were SWAT going to find Deacon and Christina?

Not bad. Next week, hopefully I'll get around to watching the whole thing.

[Netfoot]

Tho! Female SWAT offither geth pummeled and hath to be thaved by the maleth?!??

Patriarchy! Gender Thterertypeth!

Dethpicalable! 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Netfoot

[Danielg342]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Tho! Female SWAT offither geth pummeled and hath to be thaved by the maleth?!??

Patriarchy! Gender Thterertypeth!

Dethpicalable! 

I appreciate that aspect of Christina's narrative. It's more realistic. She can't win all of her fights. No one does (though I can't recall a time Hondo actually lost one). She's at least won a few to show she's competent at it and here she held her own before finally succumbing. For all her other faults in her narrative, not making her an "invincible badass" was the right choice.

[Netfoot]

The Woody Woodpecker voice should have been your first clue that this was in jest!

[Danielg342]

22 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

The Woody Woodpecker voice should have been your first clue that this was in jest!

Of course I know it was in jest. I was just making the comment that how the show has portrayed Christina in battle makes her a far better- and stronger- female character than many other so-called "strong female characters".

[nittany cougar]

I am not thrilled about the move to Sundays.  I had to watch this on the Paramount App since I missed it at 10 pm.

This was an entertaining episode.  I thought it was nice that Deacon and Chris resolved their conflict and tried to understand each other. 

The acting and the action were great, and there was a lot of suspense.  Jay Harrington brought the tough guy energy.  I'd give this one extra points for Deac looking so hot while shooting up the cartel guys.  Lina Esco was great with the action and the back story about Chris's family.  The actor who played the cartel accountant/client was excellent.  

Deacon's side business sure is risky.  After this, I would expect that Mrs. Deacon will have something to say about his private security business.  I would expect more fighting between those two.  Maybe Deacon should investigate his clients more thoroughly.

This is the second time that Chris has been beat up in one month. I am calling BS if she is not on medical leave or in counseling in the next episode.

Edited January 4, 2022 by nittany cougar

[Snazzy Daisy]

Deacon-centric episode, WITHOUT Annie. Thank you show! Love it. Love it. Love it. 😍

[yourmomiseasy]

On 1/3/2022 at 3:45 PM, Danielg342 said:

I appreciate that aspect of Christina's narrative. It's more realistic. She can't win all of her fights. No one does (though I can't recall a time Hondo actually lost one). She's at least won a few to show she's competent at it and here she held her own before finally succumbing. For all her other faults in her narrative, not making her an "invincible badass" was the right choice.

I agree, the fight was great for showing she's believably badass.  There's no way she could have won without shooting the guy, but she's tough af and held her own.  Her size disadvantage was huge (and they did a really good job of showing that too).  She was also cunning setting all the traps and showed a lot of grit throughout the episode.  I haven't always been a Chris fan, but I thought she was awesome.  They've also done a lot to show how much harder she has to work and how determined she is so it feels believable that she is so hardcore and her not winning the fight doesn't feel like a failure.  Really, it's a lot more complicated and layered than I expect from a show like this.

[Danielg342]

On 1/5/2022 at 4:29 PM, yourmomiseasy said:

I agree, the fight was great for showing she's believably badass.  There's no way she could have won without shooting the guy, but she's tough af and held her own.  Her size disadvantage was huge (and they did a really good job of showing that too).  She was also cunning setting all the traps and showed a lot of grit throughout the episode.  I haven't always been a Chris fan, but I thought she was awesome.  They've also done a lot to show how much harder she has to work and how determined she is so it feels believable that she is so hardcore and her not winning the fight doesn't feel like a failure.  Really, it's a lot more complicated and layered than I expect from a show like this.

Her narrative is an illustration of one way to create a truly sympathetic character. It's a hard balance to achieve and it can be very easy to break, but as it stands right now, Christina Alonso is that perfect mix of courage, ability and vulnerability. She won't quit, so she's inspiring, she has the skills and smarts to be one tough fight but there's also an upper limit to who she is capable of fighting. Laid bare, you know immediately what her strengths and weaknesses are as well as why you should care about the character.

Yeah, maybe it's not a lot...but, creating great characters doesn't always need to be elaborate. I'm sure most writers fail because they're not keeping things simple.

It's part and parcel to what made this show great from the beginning- they took the time to actually develop the characters who, for the most part, have stayed relatively consistent. I'm not sure I'd call what this show has done award-winning characterization because the show still has its faults in this area (I'm still not giving the show a pass for the character of Christina Alonso not having a focus beyond being a woefully under-developed, Hollywood-style stereotypical feminist), but I would agree S.W.A.T. has gone above and beyond what most procedurals tend to do with their characters.

[Raja]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:29 PM, yourmomiseasy said:

I agree, the fight was great for showing she's believably badass.  There's no way she could have won without shooting the guy, but she's tough af and held her own.  Her size disadvantage was huge (and they did a really good job of showing that too).  She was also cunning setting all the traps and showed a lot of grit throughout the episode.  I haven't always been a Chris fan, but I thought she was awesome.  They've also done a lot to show how much harder she has to work and how determined she is so it feels believable that she is so hardcore and her not winning the fight doesn't feel like a failure.  Really, it's a lot more complicated and layered than I expect from a show like this.

This show has portrayed Chris like that since the beginning. With none of the power moves her peers. some even smaller than her  have pulled off on other shows. Before the movie did anybody in America ever use the term sicario?

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, Raja said:

This show has portrayed Chris like that since the beginning. With none of the power moves her peers. some even smaller than her  have pulled off on other shows. Before the movie did anybody in America ever use the term sicario?

I find it refreshing. Christina is far more compelling and interesting the way S.W.A.T. has portrayed her than every other show that has went way over the top in creating contrived "strong female characters" (like JJ on Criminal Minds from S7-S10). I wish more Hollywood writers would understand that a female character- like any character- isn't made into a strong character because they don't lose. They become strong because they lose.

[Sweet Tooth]

So, I was away from home for a lot of January, and I didn't realize I'd missed some episodes.

This was awesome. Another fantastic resolution to a feud any other show would drag out forever. They talked like adults. Deacon got off his high horse and was willing to see things Chris's way for a minute and talked about the amazing legacy she's leaving behind. 

I think if Hondo's great lesson has been "open up," Deacon's big lesson has been, "loosen up." 

I think it's great he's around people who've lived such different lives and is now open to listening to them and getting an entirely different point of view. It's always good to get out of your own bubble.

The episode was exciting, with the only dumb move being made by the accountant who stuck his head out the window.

I like that he looked like an accountant and that it wasn't some mask for a really bad guy. He looked like who he was, a mild-mannered family man. But really, Deacon, you might want to do a bit of a background check on people before you get in a car with them and drive them across the desert.

On 1/9/2022 at 7:14 PM, Danielg342 said:

I find it refreshing. Christina is far more compelling and interesting the way S.W.A.T. has portrayed her than every other show that has went way over the top in creating contrived "strong female characters" (like JJ on Criminal Minds from S7-S10). I wish more Hollywood writers would understand that a female character- like any character- isn't made into a strong character because they don't lose. They become strong because they lose.

OMG. S7-10 JJ was so OTT crazy. They made her Superwoman.

Yes, I want my characters with some flaws who don't always win.

They built these guys up as the best of the best, so if she'd easily beaten him, it would have really cheapened the whole point.

On 1/3/2022 at 8:54 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Deacon-centric episode, WITHOUT Annie. Thank you show! Love it. Love it. Love it. 😍

Mmmmm...yeah. 

 

[Danielg342]

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

OMG. S7-10 JJ was so OTT crazy. They made her Superwoman.

Probably one of TV's worst characters. I'm sure Shemar Moore learned the lessons of JJ and made sure JJ's character issues were not repeated on S.W.A.T. Besides, I can only imagine playing a woman like Christina Alonso is just far more satisfying...digging in to her faults and having to contend with her struggles gives an actress far more to sink her teeth into than someone who is hyper-competent. We tend to only think of how bad it is to watch Mary Sues...I can't imagine it's much of a thrill to play a flat character like a Mary Sue because there is very little to draw from.

[Sweet Tooth]

19 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Probably one of TV's worst characters. I'm sure Shemar Moore learned the lessons of JJ and made sure JJ's character issues were not repeated on S.W.A.T. Besides, I can only imagine playing a woman like Christina Alonso is just far more satisfying...digging in to her faults and having to contend with her struggles gives an actress far more to sink her teeth into than someone who is hyper-competent. We tend to only think of how bad it is to watch Mary Sues...I can't imagine it's much of a thrill to play a flat character like a Mary Sue because there is very little to draw from.

Yes. Unlike with Chris, they tried to make JJ interesting a little too late in the form of her BIG ADMISSION near the end of the series. But it was too little, too late.

And I like that even though the mourning of her friend's death was tedious to get through, I'm glad at least it's paid off with her learning some lessons and growing from it. 

She's no fragile flower, but she's not a bad-ass in leather pants either. The guys don't treat her any different than the other members of the team. 

Mary Sues and their Marty counterparts are boring. And yes, Shemar 's character growth is proof he understands about a character having faults and having to overcome their difficulties rather than everyone praising them constantly for being the best of the best.

Also, in that vein, there's something I forgot to mention. Deacon opening up about his fear to Chris was amazing. Again, most of the time when a show has a dude with a g*n in his hand, ready to face down the bad guys, they're all macho about it. Him telling Chris he was scared was a great moment between them and went a long way in healing their short-lived feud.