All Episodes Talk: S.W.A.T.

[Danielg342]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

So few shows woulkd have two men talk openly about their feelings like Hondo and Deacon did in the locker room. For such a "macho" show, it completely avoids "toxic masculinity". I really liked that Deacon felt a certain way, but didn't like that he did.  It's easy to get caught up in jealousy even if you know it's wrong.

Very true. It seems to be a common occurrence- Chris also sought out Luca in this episode to apologize for her actions, and I seem to remember a moment with Street and Deacon. Hondo certainly isn't averse to apologizing himself- this isn't his first time- and it's refreshing for a show to be so in tune with its emotions.

I wish all workplaces could be like this. :(

One other thing- I appreciated that the show found the appropriate venue for Deacon to bring out his frustrations instead of shoehorning it lazily and awkwardly into a case. The show knew they had to address Deac's feelings but they made sure it could be framed the right way, so good on them.

Shemar Moore doesn't get the credit for the producer he is, it seems.

[jhlipton]

16 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Shemar Moore doesn't get the credit for the producer he is, it seems.

Agreed.

[mythoughtis]

Deacon didn’t do anything wrong. He’s treated Hondo with respect and support the entire time. He was passed over due to someone’s personal preference that didn’t have to do with his qualifications.  Something people get upset about a lot.  His feelings are valid and he doesn’t have to feel guilty about having them. Now if he had been acting on those feelings, it would be different. 

Hondo is the one who brought up the issue in this episode anyway. Deacon pointed out that he knew how to survive on the woods better than Hondo so he should take point. Hondo went ballistic because how dare Deacon not genuflect at his feet in the woods. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by mythoughtis

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Hondo went ballistic because how dare Deacon not genuflect at his feet in the woods. 

I wouldn't say that Hondo "went ballistic" nor did he expect Deacon to "genuflect at his feet".  He still saw it as a SWAT operation, which meant he was the boss; and he also thought that his experience as a Marine overrode Deacon's experience "camping" (which actually sounds like Deacon was taught survival skills on those trips, something Hondo had no way of knowing).  It being a SWAT operation in his mind, he was surprised and frustrated that Deacon wouldn't take his orders as usual.

Hondo guessed that Deacon was being contrary, not because of better training for the situation at hand -- which at the time, he had no way of knowing -- but because of resentment.  And he was at least partly right, as Deacon admitted.  A good part of the problem was that Deacon was coy about what he really learned on the trips out with his dad (referring to them at first only as "camping" trips).

[Danielg342]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Deacon ever referred to the one time he did lead the team, when Hondo was suspended ("Blindspots", I think). It's more a nitpick than anything but it's a surprising omission nonetheless.

[jhlipton]

On 5/15/2018 at 11:15 AM, Danielg342 said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Deacon ever referred to the one time he did lead the team, when Hondo was suspended ("Blindspots", I think). It's more a nitpick than anything but it's a surprising omission nonetheless.

I think they made the decision to leave that out because it would have derailed the main thrust of their argument.  I mean, how do you fit that in without deflating the conversation?

[Danielg342]

Well, that was a bombshell with Street. Tough decision to make and certainly not an easy one...but the right one. Street needs to be honest and not mess around...and now he's back in a patrol unit.

Chances are in Episode 2.01 Street will work his way back into SWAT, but the message was still delivered with aplomb.

The case itself was an end around of the Pilot, where black communities are actually targeted and Hondo needs to actually save them. I'll say this- navigating the race issue was tricky, but S.W.A.T., as it always does, found a way to pull it off. Hondo may just have to learn that no matter how much good he does, "black vs. blue" is always going to be a thing.

I wonder if Papa Harrelson not introducing Hondo to his lady friend but introducing her to Hondo's sister was deliberate and sought to reinforce the point- "you may be blood, Hondo, but you wearin' blue means you ain't on my side."

Then there's Annie...Luca's right, you can't pull anything on her. That's some way to announce a pregnancy.

Overall, this was a great season. Full of action but, better yet, full of great characters that I got to know and root for. I hope Street is back, for what it's worth.

[Raja]

What the hell they flash back to 1987 to say things were wrong and immediately use a Daryl Gates special battering ram to knock down a wall in 2018.

[Netfoot]

They drove the SWAT-Buggy through a container-truck packed with explosives...  and not only were they not even scratched, but the SWAT-Buggy was fine too?  What's it made of, Unobtainium and bullshit?!??

Hondo is the biggest, strongest, smartest, most compassionate, man alive.  He can never make a mistake, and nobody can ever be better than he is.  He can detect a lie by sense of smell.  His life is so fraught with serious, weighty matters, his face is stuck in the permanent scowl/frown of amazingness.  Or maybe it's the smell of bullshit in his nose that has him with that permanent expression?

Honest to god, I can't watch this shit any more.

[Xantar]

I know Street is going to be back, and I'm ok with that. He is an interesting character and has shown growth. However, his mom and her constant drama have got to go.

I'm not going to lie. I cracked up when the motorcycle guy tipped over and exploded. That was even more hilarious than the time a single gunshot blew up an entire airplane.

[mojoween]

Jessica won’t be happy with the politician.  She and Hondo are good together.

The FBI guy has to get in trouble right?  I mean, the outcome was positive that they found the guy but you can’t do that.

[mccartygirl]

On 5/17/2018 at 11:14 PM, Danielg342 said:

Then there's Annie...Luca's right, you can't pull anything on her. That's some way to announce a pregnancy.

 

I have to admit I was scared that Deacon was going to be gone a whole season with his "vacation"! He's become the pretty that makes this show even better for me. 

This was a good episode, but I'm tired of Street's mom. She is a POS. And was that DB Sweeney playing his uncle? Toe pick!

[Danielg342]

12 hours ago, mccartygirl said:

I have to admit I was scared that Deacon was going to be gone a whole season with his "vacation"! He's become the pretty that makes this show even better for me. 

I was more worried that more drama was coming Annie's way...I thought, "not again". Then came the pregnancy announcement...I still shed tears of joy thinking about that.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Danielg342

[mythoughtis]

12 hours ago, mccartygirl said:

I have to admit I was scared that Deacon was going to be gone a whole season with his "vacation"! He's become the pretty that makes this show even better for me. 

This was a good episode, but I'm tired of Street's mom. She is a POS. And was that DB Sweeney playing his uncle? Toe pick!

Deacon is one of my favorite characters - much more so than Street or Hondo. I like Shemar, but I prefer his Derek character to Hondo.  Another case of me preferring the supporting cast to the leads. 

Ive already grown tired of Streets Mom.  If we never see another scene with or about her,  it would be ok with me. 

[mccartygirl]

2 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Deacon is one of my favorite characters - much more so than Street or Hondo. I like Shemar, but I prefer his Derek character to Hondo.  Another case of me preferring the supporting cast to the leads. 

Ive already grown tired of Streets Mom.  If we never see another scene with or about her,  it would be ok with me. 

I can't stand this character at all! Street's mom is so shady it isn't even funny. I'd like to hear more from the brother-in-law/uncle. Did she instigate fights with his dad so that Street thought he was more abusive than she was? She is so manipulative.  

[mojoween]

I for sure thought the episode was going to end with either Annie or Deacon dead because the show was dropping anvils all over the place.  I’m still not convinced that they are going to have another baby and live happily ever after.

[Danielg342]

15 minutes ago, SweetTooth said:

I do hope they don't kill her off, because the MANPAIN may put me off the show for a while. I love Deac, but watching him just devastated would not be must-see TV for me. So many of these shows stress how the job makes relationships impossible, and seeing these two people so much in love with a solid relationship, is a breath of fresh air to the usual trope of them teetering on the edge of divorce.

I agree. At least if we're going to go the route of killing off Annie, do it in S4 or S5 or something, so we can at least get to know her.

Personally, I'd rather have Annie become a character in her own right (maybe as the team's unofficial counsellor) than what the show is doing now where it literally feels like a clock is ticking and you just know Annie will die at some point. Bre Blair is a great actress and this show has been good at actually developing the side characters (Hicks, Plank, Mumford, Rocker, Hondo's dad, Street's mother, Buck, etc.) that Annie deserves to be more than just a plot device.

Besides, the way Annie looks at Deacon with the sparkle in her eyes...man, I wish she was doing that to me. :P

15 minutes ago, SweetTooth said:

I'm curious to see where this one step forward, two steps back approach to Street goes and the level his mom will have to devastate him for him to realize everything she's done to ruin his life.

I believe the show is trying to sell us that Street is blind to her mom's manipulations because she's "family" and the jury's out on whether or not it works. I think Alex Russell is doing a great job selling it, but I think the writing of the storyline needs more nuance and depth than what we've been getting.

[mythoughtis]

17 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I had predicted that Street's mom would get him thrown off the team. She's the most annoying, manipulative human being on the planet. There's not one thing redeeming/watchable about her. Street's utter blindness to her blatant displays is disheartening, but I have to keep reminding myself that he feels guilty she wound up in jail in the first place.  The only thing that saved her a little bit was that I was sure she was making up the stuff about the uncle being there.

I had thought earlier in the season  that Street had started to see his mom more objectively- but the minute she was released, he seemed back in la-la-land.

[Joe Hellandback]

The Good; 

The bad-shoot is very realistic, I think everyone thought he was firing on the gunman and would have done the same in his position, the Sgt wasn't some cavalier screw up he just had to make a tough judgment call and unfortunately guessed wrong.   

I like the Captain wanting to put their relationship in writing, not wanting to put her career on the line. She doesn't love him THAT much. Very shrewd of her, not an issue for most people but if she were ever to become unpopular with the brass they could make it an issue. She's also right about him not visiting the wounded kid in hospital which could be construed as witness interference.  

Sgt fired as a sacrificial lamb to appease the media, oh so true!

African American officer promoted over more qualified white counterpart as a publicity stunt creating tension between them, oh you bet! 

Personal life interrupted by a call at the worst possible moment, yep, very realistic.

The Bad;

So SWAT are able to get to the pinned down cops before the regular street units? I don't think so (something that always annoyed me about Flashpoint, they always got there so impossibly fast), this would have been much more realistic if SWAT had been mounting a raid that went wrong. Equally do the bad guys always have to be loaded for bear in these situations, couldn't they just have had pistols? Also for a bunch of military combat veterans the bad guys seem to spray and pray a lot?

So we've been in this massive firefight and killed several suspects (never wound any?) and we're going to head to our clubhouse to hang out rather than sit around doing statements and being interviewed by the Internal Affairs for ten hours? And we should all have surrendered our weapons, not just the Sgt. Plus when someone is shot like that put pressure on to stop the bleeding and raise their damn legs so they don't go into shock. 

Why do we take our helmets off when storming the house? Hollywood reason, so we can tell each character apart. Also when we're storming the house we should shout POLICE POLICE POLICE all the time so people don't think/can't claim they opened up on us thinking we were the rival drug gang coming to rip them off. 

We don't just have a quick look around and shout 'CLEAR!', we look in every conceivable place the suspects could be hiding. When we shoot someone we don't assume that's them down, we don't lower our guard until we have them in cuffs AND frisked.  

The Mixed;

 In real life of course SWAT don't handle the investigative side but I guess we have to forgive that so that they simply don't interact with the public at the point of a gun.

 The 'Other Team' of rivals, I hope they don't become the villains of the piece who are there just to make our heroes look better, just rivals whose help the heroes occasionally need and vice versa. It would be nice if Shemar's team had to help rebuild theirs after the ambush.

 It was interesting to see the different approaches in investigation, on one side grabbing people on outstanding warrants and shaking them down for info, on the other softly, softly catchee monkey. Hard to say which is better but the other team didn't have Shemar's local contacts so it probably wasn't an option for them?

 The young buck PC on the motorcycle, not that unrealistic, just depends on the sort of mentality of the pursuing officers. Hopefully he's not going to be the stereotype? I did like the scene where Shemar reminded him that SWAT was a life-saving unit not a combat unit.   

What I'd like to see?

The series not turn into Flashpoint where the team is always right and everyone else incompetent.

The Team to keep screwing up, they should be flawed and make occasional mistakes which they should be called to account for.  

 Shouldn't just be the Shemar Moore show, the other characters should develop too. And have private lives outside the police.   

Edited July 8, 2018 by Joe Hellandback
Helmets

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎17‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 8:04 AM, Annber03 said:

I'm kinda curious about this whole thing with the mom. I'm still not fully sold on her son as a character yet, but the idea of the team having a potential thorn in their side as the season goes on could make for some good storylines.

I liked the exchange between Hondo, that guy, and Robert's wife:

"Is my husband in trouble?"

"Well, we want to ask him about murder, heroin, and human trafficking."

"So, maybe."

I liked the fact that she comes across as a stereotypical Asian mail order bride but actually she's the brains behind the whole thing. It would have been a nice touch if he'd been innocent.  

On ‎17‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 8:30 PM, Xantar said:

That little airplane must have been loaded up with an extra tank of fuel because that was a BIG explosion!

And as Mythbusters proved that wouldn't happen, even with tracers. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎19‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:07 AM, Danielg342 said:

As for the case itself- lots of action, lots of gunfire, lots of running around. Women in bikinis (hey, it's LA) and a bit of a surprise reveal that it wasn't just the staffing firm's chief who was the ringleader 

Oh and minor quibble- why do the bad guys have this habit of leaving their cover to shoot at the SWAT guys? Do they have a death wish? Or is the writer- or rather, the director- trying to expedite the shooting scenes by making the mooks foolish?

When we had the sunbathing bikini bimbos I thought 'Okay, here we go, some badge bunny hero worship', it was a nice touch that they were interested in the Christina instead. But didn't they hear the shots from the raid?

 Yes, the bad guy at the airport reloads whilst hiding behind an airplane door, neither cover from fire nor cover from view! 

On ‎23‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 6:12 PM, Raja said:

The regular LAPD doesn't have any resources left since they all go to SWAT headquarters and helicopters.  Somehow SWAT got a tip about a heroin distribution hub and I was wondering where was the rest of the department or the narcotics detectives when they went in.  I remember the docudrama based on the North Hollywood bank shootout with the armored assault rifled duo. The SWAT team got stuck in traffic trying to reach the scene. Like all over CBS shows from Criminal Minds to NCIS and famously the Miami helicopter chasing the crime lab Humvee in CSI Miami our guys get there first, even if the airport is out in the suburbs.

The briefing room is chic enough but oh my god did you see the Captain's office? Good enough for a CEO!

At the North Hollywood bank shootout the SWAT team did eventually arrive and take out the second gunman. But yeah, much like Flashpoint it annoys me how they seem to get there before the street officers. 

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 5:46 AM, jhlipton said:

As late as 1987, SWAT was hardly used at all, much to the consternation of Howard Hunter (he would have been sooooo happy to see SWAT run the LAPD!)

They took things more seriously after Nakatomi Plaza. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎27‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 7:04 PM, transitfan said:

Wow!  I didn't watch Twin Peaks, but I know of Sherilyn from the film "Two Moon Junction", I didn't recognize her at all.  Granted, TMJ was almost 30 years ago...

Check her out in Meridian/Phantoms! She's sure changed but not everyone can be Lynda Carter. I'd love her to be recurring. 

[Joe Hellandback]

1. Oh my god how obvious did they look waiting for the drug dealer to come home? They might as well have had a big flashing sign saying 'POLICE'. 

2. Nice twist with Street's mother's motivations, didn't see that coming.

3. We pronounce the house 'Clear' before we stumble across a dozen drug mules hiding in a closet?

4. Good lord, a police officer who isn't part of the SWAT team who is actually useful to them and good at their job?

5.  I actually liked the sofa surfer officer mooching off the rest of the team, realistic touch. 

[Chas411]

The pilot was awful.

[CooperTV]

Quote

The SWAT team engages in a standoff with human traffickers holding child hostages when a major earthquake hits Los Angeles during their operation and compromises the takedown. Also, while Hondo forms an unexpected personal connection with Deputy District Attorney Nia Wells, Jim Street has trouble adjusting to his new life as a patrol officer.

Promos

Edited September 5, 2018 by thewhiteowl
Removed date because formatting

[Danielg342]

The magic seems to be gone. I don't know if the show can ever get it back.

Then again, last season had a wonky start too before it found its footing...so all may not be lost.

The early returns are less than encouraging.

I can already see where the narrative is headed- Jim Street, not really comfortable as a patrolman, eventually decides that the only way out of his rut is by returning to SWAT.

Only that, when Street actually summons the courage to ask, he's shut out.

Why?

Because the department doesn't have the money to rehire him on SWAT.

How did this happen?

Because the show went down the tired and overused trope of "budget cuts" coupled with an absolutely uncompromising boss who absolutely insists that the cuts take place.

Really, show?

I could also find fault with the fact this boss- who replaces the very white Michael Plank- is an Asian woman, which points to another overused trope: the "boss person who does nothing but bark orders being non-white just so the show can claim it's 'diverse' ", something this show doesn't need to do because it already has a non-white person as not just the lead character, but the lead female character as well.

I did appreciate that the new boss didn't fall for the old trick, "we rescued your daughter, now be nice to us", but with her being so uncompromising, she's risking becoming a very flat character, which is a letdown considering how nuanced Michael Plank turned out to be.

However, the real fault is this "budget cut" storyline- it's overdone, it's overused and it's rather cheap drama. It's also rather disappointing because SWAT has shown it can do much better than cookie-cutter storylines. While I hope that will be the case here, it's not a good sign.

What's worse is that the cuts will likely tie to Street, keeping off SWAT longer than he probably should.

How long should Street be out for? I would have thought two episodes, maybe three or four tops. His re-entry being an arc isn't necessarily bad- in fact, Street having to earn his way back to SWAT is a welcome storyline- and Street is well developed enough that you could write stories about him without him needing to be in the main crew. You could also use Street as the "first responder" and someone who will assist in investigations, because that's what you'd use a police officer for.

So the show's hands aren't too tied...but this is far from ideal.

Final points:

• I do think this show gets action sequences and their buildup better than most programming does. The pacing is just right, and you never feel like an explosion is "random".
• That scene where Luca was hanging off the helicopter literally had my stomach churning. Well done, show.
• Poor Hondo meeting an interesting woman only for that woman to go back to her ex. Does this mean we're in for another love triangle? Should the show go this way? I'm iffy here.
• Jimmy-Jean Louis did very well as the Haitian hoodwinked into participating in the human trafficking program. The character wasn't particularly written well-rounded but Louis did well to give him depth.

[thewhiteowl]

It was decent. Watchable. I don't have much sympathy for Street, he deserves to learn some humility. I'd be fine with him staying in patrol for the season. The sympathetic girl is losing me as well. Street screwed up in a pretty big way and she tried to cover it up, she's lucky she didn't go to patrol. Enough with the puppy dog eyes.

[smalltimediva]

The introduction of the love interest prosecutor was a little off target. Cool character idea but felt like too much info right off the bat. Maybe she's not meant to stick around long, but if she is, less dialogue from her initially would have been more intriguing.

4 minutes ago, thewhiteowl said:

The sympathetic girl is losing me as well. Street screwed up in a pretty big way and she tried to cover it up, she's lucky she didn't go to patrol. Enough with the puppy dog eyes.

^^^This lol She is quite meddlesome. She should focus on keeping her nose clean and not throwing weight around over Street.

Surprised that I'm liking Street as a character, flaws, choices, etc. Even the mother storyline. He and Deacon (resident eye candy) are my favorite parts of the show.

And who else has yet-to-be-discovered language skills? Is Hondo able to interpret any lost Native American dialects? Staying tuned to find out -_____-

[CooperTV]

Quote

The SWAT team works together with their former member Jim Street to find a woman and her son who are running from an international drug cartel. Also, Hondo makes a distressing discovery about his incarcerated friend’s teen son, and Luca mulls over a government program that allows officers to buy homes in the at-risk neighborhoods they police.

Promos

 

Thursday, Oct. 4

[Annber03]

11 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

How long should Street be out for? I would have thought two episodes, maybe three or four tops. His re-entry being an arc isn't necessarily bad- in fact, Street having to earn his way back to SWAT is a welcome storyline- and Street is well developed enough that you could write stories about him without him needing to be in the main crew. You could also use Street as the "first responder" and someone who will assist in investigations, because that's what you'd use a police officer for.

So the show's hands aren't too tied...but this is far from ideal.

Final points:

• I do think this show gets action sequences and their buildup better than most programming does. The pacing is just right, and you never feel like an explosion is "random".
• That scene where Luca was hanging off the helicopter literally had my stomach churning. Well done, show.
• Jimmy-Jean Louis did very well as the Haitian hoodwinked into participating in the human trafficking program. The character wasn't particularly written well-rounded but Louis did well to give him depth.

I agree with these aspects of your post in particular (oh, god, the helicopter scene...my hands were getting all twitchy just watching that guy trying to cling on). 

You also make some valid points regarding the stuff with the budget cuts and the new boss. There's a way to make a boss tough yet fair-minded and give them some shades and balance, so I hope they can figure that out with her going forward. 

[Raja]

Yes there was an earthquake but the LAPD has two helicopters up 24/7 and SWAT even has their own army Blackhawk.  A child abduction demands that resource with the news helicopters doing search and rescue spotting for the leaning tower that the 9-1-1 crew dealt with..

 

What was strange was even after minor earthquakes, not bigger sized medium  ones people poor out onto the street yet we had this empty set where the Haitian children were until the carjack victim drove into it.

[jhlipton]

That must have been a HUGE quake to travel from Fox (9-1-1) to here!

On 9/29/2018 at 3:29 PM, Danielg342 said:

Poor Hondo meeting an interesting woman only for that woman to go back to her ex. Does this mean we're in for another love triangle? Should the show go this way? I'm iffy here.

I think she was a one episode fling. Hondo's not the guy who will do anything with a married woman, so she'll have to have the divorce papers signed and on hand before he sees her again.

[Raja]

After that strange opening with Street not being a Paul Walker Fast and Furious undercover and conning the racers he became the best part of the episode as a patrol cop.. The big sister/partner Chris part was really off. I didn't notice Peter Onorati as the other Team Sergeant, was he retired? And still no legacy T.J McCabe character shows up. I wonder if James C. Lawrence hit some sort of blacklist.

[Danielg342]

Despite the fact there were fifty different things going on this week, tonight was a better effort than the premiere and was actually a coherent effort. S.W.A.T. just has this ability to make things work.

I appreciated that today's gang came from Turkey instead of the usual Mexico/Colombia/Korean gang a lot of other L.A. depictions use, although it seemed obvious from the writing that the only city in Turkey that the writer knew was Constantinople Istanbul. I also liked their military-grade weaponry and tactics, as well as a plausible reason to have them- that Omega was trained by the Drug Enforcement Agency. It does make me think villains this good should be used for more than one episode, and I'm not sure we'll get that.

The base storyline- that of a custody battle- felt derivative, and the acting from the Turkish side of things was pretty flat, so that took something out of the story.

Still, Jim bonding with Ela and trying to use Google Translate was fun to watch. Usually, when TV cops try to show their "sensitive" side it's awkward and forced, but for Alex Russell it just comes so natural, which gives Jim Street his depth. If Russell can keep this up, Street may just need his own show.

Other things:

• "It must be tough being a Catholic". Doesn't Deacon know it.
• So I guess "Nindo" is back on after Nia Wells said the divorce was still on. We'll see how that goes.
• Thought Wells would assist Hondo with Daryl but that didn't happen. It likely will in a future episode.
• Luca's got himself a real fixer-upper, but he seems to relish the challenge. I just love Kenny Johnson's unbridled enthusiasm- makes Luca a real joy to watch.
• Thought the Hondo/Daryl story was very balanced. On the one hand, you have Hondo begging Daryl to stay out of trouble, and Hondo is right about that. On the other hand is Daryl's father, Leroy, who seems to have a better grasp on reality than Hondo does- and that reality is that Daryl likely can't help but live the life of crime. It's this kind of "rock and a hard place", "no one really wins" mentality that drives the best drama, and the tools are there for this storyline.

[Misslindsey]

I was just excited that Lin-Manuel Miranda's dad was appearing in the episode. I am fairly easy to please that way.

[Netfoot]

Interpol is an international association of governments whose mission is to assist and coordinate law enforcement efforts among its members. It has no agents who are able to make arrests. They don't carry guns. Interpol itself has no police powers.

[CooperTV]

Quote

The SWAT team is enlisted by Hondo’s new romantic interest, Deputy District Attorney Nia Wells, to protect the jurors of a high-profile bribery trial, after some of them are targeted by organized crime in a series of fire-bombings.

[Kelda Feegle]

I hate sloppy timelines - so Daryl came back for a week and in that time got his girlfriend pregnant (ok) and also discovered she was pregnant? within the same week? yeah, no.

[mythoughtis]

2 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

I hate sloppy timelines - so Daryl came back for a week and in that time got his girlfriend pregnant (ok) and also discovered she was pregnant? within the same week? yeah, no.

No, he came back for a week. Then later found out she was pregnant and came back for good. 

Was it just me or was some of the dialogue stilted and badly acted?  Particularly between Cortez and the Interpol agent, and surprisingly, some of Hondo’s lines. Shemar never had that problem as Morgan.  

[Kelda Feegle]

10 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

No, he came back for a week. Then later found out she was pregnant and came back for good. 

 

Ahhhhh thanks, I must have missed that bit of dialogue. 

[mojoween]

I hope Chris lays off because she was getting really annoying with her meddling. 

I hope there is not some foreshadowing with something bad happening to Luka in that neighborhood because I love him.  

Are the actors playing Daryl and his dad related in real life?  Because they certainly look like they could be.

Omega 1 was shot in the back but he was fine?  And Jessica shot Turkey lady...somewhere...and she was fine too?  That was odd. 

I hope Tony the cop becomes a regular.  He is very charming.

Edited October 8, 2018 by mojoween

[Danielg342]

The magic is back. Hopefully the viewers can come back too.

Tonight's episode was hot- literally- as SWAT is forced to look for arsonists trying to affect a bribery case. There's also some business concerning Tan and possible reassignment ("I hate politics"- understatement of the year), and Hondo Sr. and his car, stolen by a bail bondsman. Oh, and Street still wants to come back to SWAT but can't man up and admit to his own mistakes.

Anyhow, overall, tonight was a lot of fun. The pace was just right, but, more importantly, the characters all rang true tonight. The case was pretty straightforward, but it was effective, as the focus was on Nia Wells and Peter Melkonian, whose wife was torched to set off the episode's events. Nikivia Dionne and Hrach Titizian did very well as Wells and Melkonian, respectively, wonderfully expressing the stress of the case and all its twists and turns. I thought Melkonian was going to either kill the Armenian mob or die in a blaze of glory, so I'm happy neither happened- though I gotta feel for the character, since while he may have survived and his wife's killer is now in jail, he gets to go back home without his wife.

That's not much to live for. Good thing Deacon recognized that- wonder if he'll call him up later in the season.

The real star tonight was Hondo Sr. I always thought Obba Babatunde did a decent job as Hondo's father, but tonight he took it to the next level. He was hilarious getting his activist schtick on, freaking out the mild-mannered Deacon in the process, all while Hondo can just look on and roll his eyes because he's heard his father's ramblings before. I also loved the scene where Senior tells Junior that his life started in the back of the car- "I am doing everything I can to not hear this story!"

LOL.

All I can say is, glad he got his car back. What a shifty bondsman, but not surprising, I guess.

I guess I should mention Tan and Street before I close. I don't know how much I can say since their stories don't have much to them at the moment, but I wonder if Tan and Street will be stuck on patrol for the season. They were on patrol together last season on, ahem, "Patrol", so there's precedent. I would miss Street's current partner, Tony Larmen- he was actually engaging tonight- but there's only space for so many people. All I'll have to say is that I hope by mid-season at least SWAT is whole again- the show shouldn't mess around with its characters too much.

Overall, great effort.

[UNOSEZ]

What exactly is Chris' deal??  Why is she so gung-ho to get street back on the team when damn near everyone else can see he isn't ready to own his mistakes... Why is she so attached to him compared to say Tan or Kenny Johnson's character... I prefer they leave street where he is.. Bring back the female candidate from last year or someone else... Or keep using that Latino guy who's name I never caught and have the main team slender more time talking to each other

[Kelda Feegle]

Street annoys the beejeepers out of me, he never learns. I wish Chris would quit with the pro active energy on his behalf.

[threebluestars]

I'm expecting an "I had a younger brother who got killed/died" storyline from Chris, because it seems like a lot of projection from her.

I'm also expecting Tan on patrol with Street and his new partner and they end up in some terrible situation that was partially caused by budget cuts and  new partner is killed and Tan and Street have to save everyone causing the budget to be increased because they saved the day.

[CooperTV]

Quote

Hondo suspects an ulterior motive when Eric Wells, a U.S. marshal who is the estranged husband of his romantic interest, Deputy District Attorney Nia Wells, requests the S.W.A.T. team’s help with apprehending a fugitive who is robbing drug cargo shipments. Also, Jessica is forced to implement departmental budget cuts, and Street makes a heartbreaking discovery about his mother, Karen.

Thursday, Oct. 18

[Netfoot]

So, you're tasked to guard the family home of an important juror.  And the first car that passes by and drives away suspiciously fast, you abandon your post, and give chase!

How lucky that the writers are on your side, to ensure that your thoughtless actions and stupid behaviour end up making you look good, instead of incompetent.

[UNOSEZ]

43 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

So, you're tasked to guard the family home of an important juror.  And the first car that passes by and drives away suspiciously fast, you abandon your post, and give chase!

How lucky that the writers are on your side, to ensure that your thoughtless actions and stupid behaviour end up making you look good, instead of incompetent.

Well in that situation the patrol cops were monitoring the house with swat just checking in.. Just luckily TV magic allowed the bad guys to drive by just then

[jhlipton]

On 10/4/2018 at 9:12 PM, Misslindsey said:

I was just excited that Lin-Manuel Miranda's dad was appearing in the episode. I am fairly easy to please that way.

Finding that he was trhe neighbor who was painting over the graffiti took some doing.

On 10/7/2018 at 6:42 PM, mojoween said:

Omega 1 was shot in the back but he was fine?  And Jessica shot Turkey lady...somewhere...and she was fine too?  That was odd.

That was very odd.  Omega 1 was shot in the middle of his back, right in the spine.  no way he would be OK after that.  Karine from Interpol was shot in the head or the chest.  It's possible she was wearing a vest (since she was meeting with the Omegas, but they should have showed that.

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I love that this show isn't all macho BS, and that it's not always the woman who empathizes. They managed to have Deacon realize what's going on without anybody saying to him, "DO YOU HAVE KIDS?" which is a trope that's been around since cop shows were invented and still hasn't gone away.

That's one thing I like about this show too- the characters feel and can empathize without any of it being forced. Even the show's most macho character, Street, has a sensitive side, and, arguably, Street's bravado is what holds him back.

I also like how this show has never used the "do you have kids" line. FBI used it in its first episode and it turned me right off.