S.W.A.T.

Previously on S.W.A.T.

I got an emergency.

Hell you do, what am I supposed to tell Hondo?

Hondo, I gotta make a quick detour.

I didn't mean to ruin your day at work,

I know how important work is for you.

Where the hell is he Chris?

I think there's some kind of drama going on with his Mom.

You probably already know, but I lied.

You're off SWAT. You report to patrol duty tomorrow.

Hondo, this is not how this ends. You don't kick people out of a family.

You wanna stop being a cop, you keep pushing it.

I don't need you or anybody else.

- Come on, baby! - Come on!

Winner!

$2,000. Yeah.

What's up.

Anyone else want a piece?

Still the king.

I'll take a shot at that crown.

Careful, man!

You don't want it, buddy!

How much you want to put up?

Much as you want.

- Two racks. - Make it three.

Done.

You almost had him.

Yeah, I was there.

What's this? Where's the rest?

I only got 200. Truth is, I really thought I was going to win.

Strip his bike!

Thanks, guys. Bright and early.

Thanks, Nia.

Can I settle up, please? Room 1901.

Business, or pleasure?

Sorry?

Just want to make sure the fella sitting alone

with a strap on his right hip isn't working for anyone

connected to the case that I'm prosecuting.

Just a cop taking a break, watching the game.

Well then. My apologies, officer.

That's one hell of an eye you got there though, spotting my piece.

Blessing and a curse.

You're a prosecutor?

- Deputy DA. - That's a tough gig.

Says the brother in blue.

Nia Wells.

Daniel Harrelson. They call me Hondo, though.

Hondo? How is it we've never met before?

Maybe we have.

No, we haven't. Your TV at home busted?

No, no. I, just in the neighborhood.

It's a good spot to be alone among strangers.

Sometimes it's nice to be anonymous. What's this case you're working on?

Embezzlement and bribery.

Guy funneling money to City Council members to get his way with zoning.

Yeah, I heard about that. That's a big trial.

Big enough for the city to have me and my team up here for the next month.

How's it coming?

Probably get fired if I lose.

That, plus the stress of a divorce...

I'd put my life on pause just to breathe for a minute, if I could.

So pause.

Watch the game. I'll buy you a drink.

I don't want to interrupt your brooding.

I wasn't aware that I was, brooding.

You hide it well, most people wouldn't notice...

Why not? I owe myself a little down time.

What are you having?

Double soda on the rocks.

Morning Raid. I gotta stay sharp.

Well, I'm gonna need something a little stronger.

Whatever you like.

How bad is it?

You know, embrace the pain, right?

Damn, they stripped like ten grand in gear. How much you owe them?

- More than I had... - You that hard up for cash?

Not till I lost.

Then what the hell are you doing here?

I thought it was easy money. It's not a big deal.

When are you gonna learn how to check that ego?

Getting kicked off of SWAT wasn't enough?

Please! Please, can we not go there?

No, no. You hauled me out of bed to come help your sorry ass,

you really gonna tell me what I can or cannot talk about?

Okay. You know, I really appreciate this.

You need to make things right with Hondo

before he finds someone permanent.

Talking with Hondo's not gonna change anything.

You know how he is with me.

And, honestly? I'm in a good place.

Yeah. I can tell.

- Hey. - Hey.

My crew downstairs, but I figured you could use a cup.

Guessed no cream, no sugar. Nailed it, didn't I?

Actually, you did. I appreciate that.

Won't fix all your problems, but a cup of Joe and great sex

might knock a bit of that edge off.

Where I come from knockin' that edge off goes both ways..

I wonder. What time do you free up tonight?

As much as I like the sound of that,

I'm already juggling a divorce and the biggest case of my career.

Not sure a SWAT hotshot with baggage is a smart choice for me right now.

Wait a minute. Baggage?

You really are a prosecutor, aren't you?

I'm sorry. Maybe I'm projecting.

But, you spend a night like we just had and you pick up on a few tells.

Couple that with six years married to a Marshal.

Your ex is a Marshal?

Still a couple pen-strokes from being my ex, unfortunately.

But he's already got a new girlfriend,...

bleach-blonde Barbie, all boobs, no ass

Then I think maybe he's the one with baggage.

Don't all cops have some?

You keep pushing that rock, it keeps rolling back down.

Add to that being a black man in this America?

At some point, you start shutting down inside

'cause the truth gets too hard to face.

Start freezing people out.

Freezing people out?

Okay, I think you just used a bunch of fancy words

to call me an angry black man.

Is that all you got from that?

No, no, I heard you. It's my turn.

Who am I looking at standing in front of me?

Let me see.

An overachiever

who probably calculates her conviction rate down to the decimal point,

insists on staying an hour longer than anyone else

and never leaves the courtroom

without asking herself what she could have done better.

And that right there, is probably the first of what?

Six cups of coffee you'll probably have today?

Am I in the zone?

See, this is why two folks good at reading other people

should never hook up.

You just think you can read me. I'm not hiding any baggage.

Right...

I got to go.

This case is gonna be kicking my ass for the next month or more.

And thanks for helping me press pause.

See ya.

You say it's coming from under the kitchen area?

Yes, that's right.

Ought to do it. Scared him good.

For how long do you think?

Shouldn't be back for five, six months, at least.

Thank you, thank you.

You're so lucky to have this man as your partner,

he's the best cop in the city.

So I'm learning.

About ten years back, some tweaker busts into her RV and assaults her.

We arrive and my partner had to take him out right in the living room.

I can see how that'd rattle her.

Ever since, she's convinced the guy's ghost is out to get her.

So you been scaring off the same ghost for ten years?

It might not be as sexy as hanging out of helicopter

and scaling buildings,

but real policing gets done with your gun in your holster.

You all right?

Yeah, I'm just sore from a workout.

Thought you SWAT boys were tougher than that?

This isn't personal, it's city-wide.

I need to trim 200 million off LAPD's budget.

You saying that money should come out of every department except yours?

We're the city's last line of defense.

When other cops are in trouble, we're the ones they call.

I'm not looking to change that.

But I come from corporate America.

And I've seen how companies find ways to be more efficient when forced to.

Look, I get how studying line-items and bar-graphs,

you might think there's fat to trim here,

but we're running as lean as we can without risking lives.

And I get how you think that's true, but my experience says different.

You say this isn't personal, but I can't help

feeling like we're being targeted by the new commissioner.

You're not being targeted, you're just not being favored anymore.

You were the darlings under Michael Plank, now it's a level field.

We need more because we do more.

It's unpleasant. But things change.

And you need to change with 'em, by 15%.

Number five today. You haul his ass in,

we're halfway through "Metro's Most Wanted."

Well, there's a reason today's target has been so tough to grab.

Dude's smart and crafty as hell.

Yeah, nothing's gonna beat number two.

The little guy with the Gatling?

Yeah, that gun was as big as he was.

He shot the hell out of it though.

Hey Beni, I appreciate you riding with us while we're a man down.

Hey, as long as Metro's crazy enough to give you a team,

I'll pinch hit any time.

Street says hello.

Yeah? How's he doing?

About how you'd expect. You should ask him yourself if you're curious.

Let's roll, people.

Our primary target is Mack Drummond.

Chances are he'll have a Haitian wingman named Sal Desir with him.

He's the guy who brings the kids over before they auction them off.

After he buys them off their parents.