SWAT Episode 13
Lets Quentin Tarantino this $*#@%. Street’s in deep with Commander Hicks and every immigrant everywhere. A gang recruiter terrorizes the city of Los Angeles. Jess and Hondo call it quits.
This week’s episode “Fences” was all about overcoming obstacles, being resilient, and mostly revolved around Jess and Commissioner Plank’s proposal. Many issues throughout the episode had a lot of ironies attached. In order for police, especially good police, to do their job, they have to make tough choices. Compromise your trust within the communities doing your job by the book or bend the rules to prove your commitment to the people. Difficult to please everyone and uphold the law at the same time.
Cold as ICE
The episode starts off with recruited members of the L-2D’s gang searching a city block for a target to kill in order to prove their loyalty. Shortly following the gang initiation, S.W.A.T. is called in to assist the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an apartment building raid to find the recruiter of the gang, Toro Ochoa. During the raid, one of the handcuffed members causes a distraction allowing the detained suspects to flee the scene. Lucky for the Fed’s, Hondo and the team are nearby securing the perimeter. A couple of strays end up getting the jump on Hondo, but not for long. Street tackles and handcuffs the other running suspect, Carlos, whom he believes is involved with Ochoa. Thinking he’s affiliated with the gang, Street hands Carlos’ wallet over to ICE. Street thinking he’s doing his job ultimately gets ripped apart by the media, and Commander Hicks, because LA is a sanctuary city. Following the law but going against the City’s policy. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
Lucy, you’ve got some splainin’ to do
The regulation proposal Jess and Commissioner Plank are trying to push ends up getting leaked to the media. Turns out the proposal is causing more friction than her or Commissioner Plank ever imagined. Someone, possibly another officer, vandalized her car to send a message. Hondo, the knight in shining S.W.A.T. armor, goes to help Jess and be her rock. Amidst a loving embrace, Commissioner Plank pulls up in front of Jess’ apartment to talk about the proposal leak, dun dun DUUN! That’s when he catches them and he’s PISSED. Ultimately he confronts Jess on her relationship with Hondo. Commissioner Plank is angry at her for trying to implement tougher rules on cops to hold them more accountable but yet here she is sleeping with a subordinate AND didn’t even disclose it to the department. He’s annoyed but gives her an ultimatum, Hondo or the policy changes.
Olly Olly Oxen Free
After some good intel, Hondo and Deacon play good cop, better cop in order to coax Toro’s flavor of the week into giving up his hiding spot. During a building search, the team finds two armed men where Ochoa was supposed to be. They identify themselves as Promise Guards who band together and hunt undocumented immigrants. Hondo and Deacon decide to play nice with the Batman wannabe’s and gain some useful information on where Ochoa might be.
“He says I can’t be trying to reform the department at the same time as I’ve been ignoring a police regulation, and he’s right.” – Jess
Jess confronts Hondo and informs him that the Commissioner knows about their relationship. Frustrated with department policy, Hondo doesn’t believe they should have to disclose what they choose to do in their private lives. This is a situation so many find themselves in. Work life ultimately takes a toll on your private life, especially officers. Long hours, stressful situations, and just trying to stay alive under the toughest conditions start to affect spouses, family, and friends. How do you know when and where to draw the line?
#CuteBadCop
Jess tries to defuse the protest situation by explaining her personal immigration story to Carlos’ sister. The plan works and Jess sits Arianna and Street down to discuss their side of things. Street begins by explaining what happened during the raid and that they’re to help the city, not hurt them. We know Street’s story and past with his mom in prison. Arianna has a similar history and that’s when Street realizes that they’re not so different after all.
“Easy to have a problem with a cop until you need one.” – Street
Arianna swears Carlos is innocent and has nothing to do with Ochoa. Little does she know, her brother isn’t who he appears to be. Hondo presents screenshots of a video where Carlos was speaking with Ochoa. Arianna appears just as shocked as the rest of the SWAT team. After heading down to where Carlos is being held, he informs Street and Hondo of an underground where undocumented immigrants hideout. He tells them his contact and that he believes Ochoa may be waiting out the police.
Mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns.
After a surprise raid at the house of Carlos’ contact and a few swift moves from Hondo, the team successfully captures Toro Ochoa. Despite getting a dangerous criminal off the streets, SWAT’s job isn’t done yet. The protesters moved to a nearby park in order to gain more numbers in hopes of making a change. Even though Jess continues to get backlash from Mumford, she instructs SWAT to have their teams ready in case they need to head into the park. Commissioner Plank heads in to try to further help defuse the rally situation. Hondo addresses Plank and wants to talk.
Green with envy.
Plank and Hondo step into a room to discuss the elephant in the room. That’s when the Commissioner reveals his jealousy. Envious of their jobs as cops knowing the difference between the good and bad guys stating that politics is much uglier than that. Hondo then shows his hand when he accuses the Commissioner of being the source of the proposal leak to the media. Plank admits that it was something he had to do in order to keep them afloat. He’s not only trying to protect his work with Jess but also her future. He knows how easy it is for the media to destroy a woman’s career even though a man in her same position would be commended for the work he’s trying to accomplish. He questions Hondo on how much he really cares about Jess and her career.
“If you cared about Jessica at all, you’d want to protect her.” – Plank
One problem at a time
One of the Clark brothers alerts Deacon of what the other Promise Guards in the area plan to do. They intend to send a message by taking Arianna hostage and throwing her over the border. Naturally, SWAT steps in to stop them and protect Arianna at all costs. Both teams get to the park just in time to save her. Street takes down her assailant as she’s knocked to the ground. After apprehending him, Street helps Arianna up from the ground showing her, and everyone else protesting, that the police really are there to protect the people of Los Angeles. Despite all of their efforts, Carlos is ultimately deported but Arianna is determined to bring him back. Street continues to show how sorry he is, doing anything he can to support her efforts.
He’s her lobster
Hondo takes care of one problem, only to deal with another in the only way he knows how. He tells Jess that there is a lot of work to be done to bring police and communities together and that she is the one to do it. When unstoppable force meets an immovable object, something’s gotta give. Hondo decides it’s best for Jess, and her future, for him to step out of the way. They reluctantly agree to end things but before he leaves the room she tells him she loves him and he says the same. Okay fine, I cried, but only a little bit.
Final thoughts…
With Jondo on hold, the department getting closer to the communities is at the forefront. It’s clear that police and the people they protect don’t always see eye to eye. Times are tough and this episode hits close to home for a lot of people. Immigration laws, police doing their jobs, communities coming together for either side of the argument.
This show does a great job touching on current subjects while at the same time presenting both views. Those of cops and those of the ones that hate them. This episode can be considered eye-opening for most and I appreciate the writers trying to confront major issues in their own way. I’m always for bringing awareness where it’s needed but I would absolutely love more action scenes. What do you think the future holds for the show and Jondo? Tweet me your thoughts!
Come back following next week’s eyebrow-raising episode where Luca might be in a sticky situation. Following his emotions instead of trusting his instincts.
SWAT airs on CBS every Thursday 10/9 central.
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Featured Photo Cr: CBS