S06.E11: Atonement

[thewhiteowl]

The SWAT team participates in a joint task force with the FBI when a car bombing has ties to a terrorist group planning an attack in Los Angeles. Also, a tragedy from Deacon’s past gives insight into the origins of his faith, and Luca and his brother, Terry, battle over a new family revelation.

[Danielg342]

Is this show in a rut or are we at the point where it is simply running out of gas?

I had my hopes in S1 that we'd get to a S5 or a S6. It was fresh, it was tightly written, it didn't always follow the regular conventions of the genre, it was well-acted and the characters all left an impact.

It's continued success was very well-deserved.

The question is, is there still room for this show to grow or have we hit the end of the line?

Tonight wasn't exactly a bad episode...it was just "there". Aside from some intriguing moments like finding out how the Russian terrorists infiltrated Ukrainian refugee camps in order to attack them as well as finding out how Deacon became Christian, the episode really just went through the motions.

Everything felt forced and stunted, and the beats just didn't hit the way they should.

I also bemoan how "soapy" this show is getting. Terry acted like a child- though he owned up to it- and may have chased Eva away for good.

Perhaps- hopefully- it's not the end of the story but this segment felt over the top.

Like how a lot of things have gone on this show lately. There was a time when S.W.A.T. hit all the right tones and struck the right notes, but now it's off. Can they get back on track or is this the start of the end of the line?

[jabRI]

I'm getting tired of Deac's religion being shoved down our throat every episode lately. i am not anti-religion, so dont' get me wrong, I just don't find it contributes much to the story or the team.

Edited January 22, 2023 by jabRI

[Snazzy Daisy]

Ehh, where’s Street?

It’s so good to see Rocker and Terry again. I want more Rocker! 🤗

I thought SWAT ended things quite badly with Vasquez??! I can’t really remember the episode details.

Deacon’s story about him finding god & controlling his anger fell flat to me. Same goes to the COTW, uninteresting.

[Danielg342]

On 1/23/2023 at 12:39 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Ehh, where’s Street?

No Nischelle either.

On 1/23/2023 at 12:39 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Deacon’s story about him finding god & controlling his anger fell flat to me.

I agree. The "born again" story line is a bit of a Hollywood cliche at this point. I was hoping he had been a Christian his entire life...that would have been a far more interesting character as it's a perspective Hollywood does not explore enough.

[JH Lipton]

Why would anyone bet against Hondo at this point?  Surely by now, everyone knows #HondoAlwaysWins!

[Sweet Tooth]

Okay, so I'm also not so hot on religion being shoved down my throat, either. However, there are two things that kept this from being too preachy.

1. Deacon doesn't proselytize. He's continued to say that this is what brings him peace.  I've always said I don't mind if someone's religion comforts them, as long as they don't tell me I can't do/say something, because it goes against THEIR beliefs...or writing laws based on their religion. 

2. I actually think his "angry young man" story is more in conjunction with a lot of people who turned to religion for comfort. Many alcoholics/addicts have done the same. It's quite common. Many people I know who grew up in super religious families usually turn away from it, kind of like what Nichelle talked about last episode, where she said religion was forced down her throat, so now she isn't too keen on it.

The whole thing was presented as something that shaped Deacon. He doesn't judge people or think they're not as "good" as he is. He walks the walk, so at least he's not a hypocrite.

However, I would also like to see other religions represented.