As soon as the synopsis for S.W.A.T. Exiles came out, there were concerns about how it would work. S.W.A.T. season 8 ended on a high, with Hondo clearly not ready to retire and not interested in working with any other team.
There also needs to be a reason for the LAPD to call on Hondo rather than someone like Deacon or Tan to train the newer members. That will mean neither of them can be with the LAPD anymore, and there’s only one devastating option to create that storyline. It’s not going to make anyone happy to watch the series.
Killing Off 20-Squad Justifies Hondo’s Unexplained Forced Retirement In S.W.A.T. Exiles
There Is Only One Reason Not To Turn To Deacon To Train Recruits
Deacon and Tan both have history with training new recruits, with Deacon having the most experience. It would make more sense for S.W.A.T. Exiles to focus on him taking over the job of running a new team full of inexperienced law enforcement officers. The S.W.A.T. spinoff needs to explain why this isn’t happening.
On top of that, it needs to explain Hondo being forced into retirement, as that means he either made a mistake or someone wanted him out. However, there is one devastating way to explain both of these storylines, and that is to write in an incident that took the lives of everyone on 20-Squad.
He couldn’t see himself working with anyone else other than this group of people, so it would make sense for him to walk away from the job, especially if he felt guilty for the loss of his team.
This would also honor the S.W.A.T. season 8 finale, as Hondo made it clear that he considered 20-Squad as his family. He couldn’t see himself working with anyone else other than this group of people, so it would make sense for him to walk away from the job, especially if he felt guilty for the loss of his team.
Hondo’s Major Loss Offers An Emotional Hook For S.W.A.T. Exiles But It Could Backfire
This Could Kill The Dream Of The S.W.A.T. Spinoff
There is a major issue with doing something like this, and that’s the way we all love the current members of the team. A major loss like this would ruin any idea of the team returning, except via heartbreaking flashbacks, and that’s not going to encourage people to watch.
Sony rushed its plans for the S.W.A.T. spinoff, and it’s showing in the confusing arc for Hondo, especially after the events of the season 8 finale.
The series has already been met with controversy and anger for not including any members of the original S.W.A.T. cast. While it would be a great way to manage Hondo’s storyline, it would feel manipulative and disingenuous, leading to more backlash and anger.
Deaths used as plot devices for one particular character’s emotional journey are not usually appreciated. However, S.W.A.T. Exiles seems to have written itself into a corner that could require this plot device to make Hondo’s retirement story make sense, putting them in a Catch-22 situation.
