S06.E19: Bunkies

[thewhiteowl]

The team races to uncover the identities of kidnappers holding a prison guard’s family hostage before it’s too late. Also, Tan is faced with a difficult personal decision.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Sneak peek! 👀

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Danielg342]

Let me just start with a note about the game of Casting Musical Chairs this show has been running this season.

Yes, it's likely a result of cost-cutting, since the studio likely forced the producers to ensure to cut the amount of episodes the main cast appears in because this means they have to pay those actors less given they are appearing less.

So it's something that I have come to accept about this season- and, if we get a next season, that one too and any subsequent season after that. Which means I usually won't spill too much ink (or should that be "create too many pixels"?) about it since cast absences are largely beyond the writers' control.

Even then, though, the writers still need to deal with it or else the credibility of their show suffers.

Fine, with all due respect to Rochelle Aytes, the absence of Nichelle doesn't hurt too much.

However, Jay Harrington- Sargent Deacon- was also not present, and you would think the absence of an experienced team member like Deacon would have an impact on how well the team can conduct its raids.

Just like you would think the absence of Luca- who drives Black Betty- should have a similar effect when he's not present.

Or any other member of the team, because tactics- usually- are drawn up with the team composed with a specific amount of bodies available.

...and certain bodies too.

You can't use the same tactics if some of the personnel is missing, especially with delicate operations like SWAT.

Yet all season, characters go missing and the team never misses a beat. In fact, the team's operations are so seamless, you wonder why the LAPD hired all those SWAT regulars in the first place.

In real life, if SWAT members are unavailable, the team would have to alter their tactics and their operations to compensate. They might not still miss a beat, but they'd have to actually put in some effort to make sure they don't.

Which is something the writers could easily account for in their writing, and they should have.

They could have began the season with Hicks talking about budget cuts, which would explain why some SWAT members might not appear all the time because the LAPD is reducing their hours.

There could have also been a few lines about tactical and operational tweaks to compensate for SWAT members who are not present. Surely who drives Black Betty would be up there in terms of necessary operational adjustments.

The producers could have also used the guest cast to create one-time members of SWAT that could have filled in when regulars are not present.

Lastly- and most importantly- the show could have crafted a few stories about SWAT needing to compensate for team members not being available.

For starters, how someone else drives Black Betty might be fun to explore. Especially if there's a scene in the next episode where Luca hugs Betty, glad to have her back and promises to make up for "whatever that idiot did to you".

Or something like that.

Secondly, it's a usual tactic for Hondo to split the team in two and have Deacon lead one half of the squad and Hondo leads the other half. An episode of how the team deals with altering that dynamic when Deacon is unavailable would be fun.

I mention all this before talking about the episode specifically because, watching this episode, it feels like the show is far too deep in its formulaic rut and the writers need to start doing things to freshen things up.

Putting twists in that formula would be a great way to start.

It's not that, necessarily, the episode was terrible. I just feel like I could written this episode in my sleep with the amount of predictability it had.

Most notably, look at the clock.

• "It's 8:15. Of course no one will be talking and the team will hit roadblocks...because we need to pad out the hour."
• "Oh, it's only 8:30? Guess those kids the team found will not be the kids they're looking for".
• "It's 8:45...of course Powell's crazy idea is going to work, because the episode needs it to work because of the time."

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

I could also mention the show falling into the cliche of female characters developing their mean streak because they got raped and /or domestically abused since, as realistic as that may be, Hollywood goes down that well too many times. It's beyond predictable at this stage.

I suppose the one silver lining is that we did have a case where the criminals actually had a reasonable rationale for what they were doing and one that was somewhat sympathetic, one where the SWAT team wondered if the criminals were really so bad after all.

Still, it came within a predictable mess of an episode, one where all the beats they played I've seen them get played a million times before- and a million times better before.

...but hey, at least Luca has a new roommate in Tan, and Street has a place with Christina Alonso, who I miss oh so, so, so, so much.

On to the next show, which will be in two weeks.

[Snazzy Daisy]

No Deacon in this week’s episode. Yawn. 🥱

What’s the excuse? Cost cutting? Busy doing some preps to direct the next episode (E20)?

Despite some new reveals on Zoe Powell’s personal life, still not interested in her character.

STRIS fans must be really happy on them moving in together.

Bonnie deserves to be kicked to the curb. Great call, Tan! 👍🏻