S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 6 Review: Checkmate

What happens when one of the squad’s own is taken?

On S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 6, the team tries to take down Saint once and for all while also trying to save a detective that was abducted due to Saint’s shady business.

Meanwhile, Luca worries about Hicks’ odd behavior as of late, but what could that mean?

The stakes are always much higher when the case involves a fellow cop.

This one was even more interesting when it involved someone Hondo had been trying to take down for a while.

While it’s always a hit or miss when someone you know is involved in a case, the situation becomes that much more dire.

The thing that is always interesting about these types of missions is seeing how the team reacts.

Due to it being involved with Saint, someone that Hondo had been trying to take down with his multiple stash houses, it wasn’t surprising to see that he was taking it especially hard.

Hondo blamed himself for what happened to Detective Rios since he roped him into the whole situation.

It’s what motivated him to finally catch Saint once and for all, among other reasons.

He may have gone a bit too far at points, like basically threatening him in front of a politician, but you can’t expect anything less from Hondo.

Even though it would have been nice to have them build up to Saint’s takedown in previous episodes rather than have an episode here and an episode there.

Knowing that Saint and his operations have been shut down, I can breathe a sigh of relief.

You ain’t no saint.

Hondo

What comes after may be a bit hard, however.

Saint was known as a literal saint because of everything he did.

Seeing the aftermath of that and how it could possibly come back to bite Hondo and S.W.A.T. in the butt should be interesting to see.

Since it took a while to prove to Raymont and Marcus how bad of a guy Saint is, I have a feeling that the rest of the people he’s helped will feel the same way.

Nichelle: Maybe you just need a little reminder.
Hondo: Oh, yeah? Of what?
Nichelle: That no matter what people say, what you did today, what you do every day, makes the world safer for everyone in it. And everyone to come.

It’s nothing that Hondo and the others won’t be able to handle, however.

Luckily, Nichelle, as always, had some wise words to say to her baby daddy, and that included making the world a safer place for their little girl.

How that perspective changes once Baby Harrelson arrives will be something to look forward to.

One storyline that did actually continue over from S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 5 was Street and Powell.

After Powell went against orders in the field, Hondo volunteered Street to be her mentor, and Street, bless his heart, was trying but not necessarily succeeding.

She’s not you.

Deacon

I cannot stress enough how revitalizing it is to see his character development come full circle.

He tried to use the same techniques on Powell that Hondo and Deacon used on him, but it didn’t quite work out.

By using his children as examples, Deacon gave Street advice that might help along the way.

Street isn’t used to being a mentor, but it’s why he’s going to be so good at it.

He’s been in the same position as Powell way back when; he knows what it feels like.

The advice from Deacon about letting his guard down will likely help with Powell letting her own guard down.

I see a lot of myself in you.

Street

It’s no secret that Street has gone through a lot since initially joining 20-Squad, which means he has a lot to open up about.

It may take a while for them both to really open up, but Street had some very wise mentors himself, so Powell’s in good hands.

Someone else that had to do some worrying was Luca, and it was over Hicks.

There aren’t too many storylines about Commander HIcks, but when there are, you know it’s going to be a good one.

Luca found himself concerned over his boss after noticing some strange changes in his behavior.

He tried to confront him about it and even talked to Tan about it, but he didn’t know exactly how to word it.

It really hit close to home for Luca since he saw the same thing happen to his dad after he suffered a heart attack.

Hicks may be everyone’s boss, but he is also their friend.

Luca was concerned for Hicks because he cares about him, and he was worried that what happened to his dad may have happened to him.

We know something’s going on.

Luca

Thankfully that wasn’t the case.

When Hicks told Luca that he was merely talking to his matchmaker and getting ready for his first date in 30 years, Luca’s worry turned to relief in a matter of seconds.

He also may have looked a little proud of his boss as well.

After Luca found out it was just for a date, he immediately wanted to help him get ready.

It would have been great to see a montage of the two of them preparing for Hicks’ date, but just seeing Luca express interest in helping was enough.

I’m hoping that this storyline keeps going because Hicks definitely deserves some free time.

We don’t usually see him outside of HQ, so to finally see his personal life, and one that includes a love interest, would be refreshing.

There aren’t many episodes left for the year, which means that the series could be building up to something big.

Since Saint has already been taken down, what else is there?

Street seems to be handling Powell pretty well, so it’s unlikely it has something to do with her.

Nichelle, meanwhile, looks ready to pop at any moment.

Could the midseason finale end with her and Hondo becoming parents?

How do you think the aftermath of Saint’s takedown will be? With so many people admiring him, will that change after everything about him comes out? Or will they keep blaming the LAPD for what happened?

Do you think Street will let his guard down around Powell and get her to open up more? He definitely knows what it’s like to be a rookie rebel on the team, but is it enough?

How do you think the upcoming midseason finale will end? Cliffhanger or no cliffhanger?

Share your thoughts below, Fanatics, and make sure to watch S.W.A.T. online any time via TV Fanatic!

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Megan Behnke is a staff writer for TV Fanatic, who you can follow on Twitter.

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