While Hondo and the rest of 20-Squad’s members were the stars of the show on SWAT, Exiles won’t be framed around the other members of the team. Even so, with the new series being a spin-off of the original, SWAT Exiles will be able to answer some burning questions about the characters who SWAT left behind after the show’s somewhat abrupt end.
Though SWAT gave Hondo, David “Deacon” Kay (Jay Harrington), Victor Tan (David Lim), and the rest of the squad an action-packed farewell with personal goodbyes, the finale left a lot of threads dangling, which viewers picked up on in the show’s aftermath. With abrupt exits, injuries, and relationships that were never entirely paid off, SWAT viewers have been looking for answers.
SWAT Exiles may be able to move through answers to lingering questions about some of the past SWAT cast members, which would allow for a fresh start with the new group on the spin-off. While it’s unlikely viewers will see flashbacks that will resolve plots from the original series, there are ways that SWAT Exiles can finally answer some of the unresolved questions viewers have.
6What Led To Hondo’s 20-Squad Retirement?
While SWAT’s series finale brought the 20-Squad team into a fascinating, high-stakes situation where HQ was left under attack. With Devin Gamble (Annie Ilonzeh) nearly losing her life while saving Hondo’s, his personal safety wasn’t in question. Still, there were many unknowns left up in the air surrounding the team leader when the series so abruptly came to a close.
Though Hondo’s retirement has been cited to be forced, it could’ve come from injury, as well. Many have been curious if there was an incident that led to his retirement, if it was forced in the way early seasons of SWAT made it seem like it could be, or some other outside factor led to his exit from 20-Squad.
5What Happened With Deacon & Annie After SWAT’s Stalker Storyline?
For years, it seemed as though Deacon was on the brink of retirement, which was spurred on by his wife Annie returning to work after years away to raise their many children. Deacon, who thought he was in line to lead up 20-Squad, fell in line when Hondo took over at the beginning of the series. Even so, it seemed like Deacon was ready to leave.
After not being mentioned in the SWAT series finale, an update on Deacon, Annie, and their family would be helpful during SWAT Exiles. Establishing what happened to the family as a whole would be a great way to explain why Deacon’s back working with Hondo’s recruits, and would resolve lingering questions about the pair’s relationship.
4Did Gamble’s Family Ever Find A Way To Forgive Her?
Gamble’s family was one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle surrounding her character during SWAT season 8. While it was clear that she was dealing with some difficulties, especially when it came to her twin brother Leon Gamble (Nick Creegan). Gamble’s father murdered an LA sheriff, which made it tough for her to earn her place on 20-Squad at all, let alone fit in.
SWAT Exiles would be smart to touch on Gamble’s journey, as it was such a fraught, difficult piece of the show’s final season. Seeing Gamble finally making moves to fit in with 20-Squad felt like it was eventually squandered away by the show’s end. Knowing what happened with her story would be something viewers are looking for.
3What Happened To Luca After His Forced Retirement?
While SWAT Exiles may not wind up revisiting Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson), his story is something that the series still hasn’t fully wrapped up. Luca, who suffered permanent damage after being shot, was a legacy member of SWAT and had to deal with the ramifications of losing his life’s ambition in an instant. Fan-favorite Luca left after SWAT season 7.
Unfortunately, Luca’s departure was difficult for the team and viewers alike, and left a lot of SWAT fans confused on how the show chose to handle him leaving. Luca chose to retire from the LAPD rather than taking a desk job, which made sense, but his lack of involvement entirely after his retirement was concerning for SWAT viewers, who had spent years with Luca.
2Did Chris & Street Get Married?
Though Chris Alonso (Lina Esco) and Jim Street (Alex Russell) spent the better part of their time working on 20-Squad together dancing around a romance, their relationship was finally cemented during SWAT season 5. The pair were flirtatious from the start, but their slow-burn was full of denials, confessions, and brushes with death that brought them closer and pushed them apart.
SWAT saw Chris leave 20-Squad in order to run a safe house for immigrant girls, which aligned with many of the cases she took on as a part of the team. While Chris’ departure came just episodes after she and Street finally got together, their relationship continued to be referenced on screen, as Street stuck with 20-Squad for another season.
Before his own departure, Street shared that he was planning to propose to Chris, leading SWAT fans to believe they were engaged after he left the series and returned to Long Beach. While the pair may not return for SWAT Exiles, any update on their relationship would be enjoyable for fans, who had a great time watching their relationship form.
1What Happened With Tan’s Mayoral Liaison Job?
SWAT’s finale saw a lot of action, but not as much change for the characters aside from a big move from Tan, who was offered the role of Mayoral Liaison for the city. Tan, who was working with 20-Squad for years and took on new recruits in recent seasons, had been dealing with complications in his relationship because of his work.
In the past, Tan’s partners had struggled to accept his work as a part of their life together. SWAT wasn’t easy on Tan or his relationships, which is part of why becoming Mayoral Liaison was such an interesting opportunity for him. While there were no details on his job transition on the show, Tan moving into a different space could’ve complicated things further.
Though there may not be much to discuss considering Tan is set to return for at least an episode of SWAT Exiles, it’s clear that there’s something to resolve when it comes to what happened after SWAT’s end.
