S.W.A.T. 1×01 + 1×02 Review: All The Basic Elements

A MODERNIZED BUT STILL CHEESY TAKE ON THE 1975 TV SERIES OF THE SAME NAME

It was nice to see a series based specifically in the Los Angeles area after so many other TV shows centered around New York, Miami, or an unspecified rural town in the middle of the United States. After watching Peaky Blinders, I was feeling after something quintessentially American and since S.W.A.T. was on Netflix, I thought, why not?

It’s not a mind-blowing series premiere, but there are enough elements and likeable characters to keep watching and see where this series goes.

Warning: Spoilers below!

THE GROUNDWORK

This new series uses plenty of elements from the previous TV series from 1975 as well as the film from 2003 starring Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, and Michelle Rodriguez. We’re immediately introduced to a SWAT unit of the LAPD in the middle of action. It’s a diverse cast, albeit one in danger of tokenism: one Latina woman in Chris Alonso (Lina Esco), one Asian man in Victor Tan (David Lim) who has almost no lines so far, the black main character “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore), and three older white dudes, one of whom leads this SWAT unit. They show their skills and flaws, but a near-fatal mistake during this mission becomes the catalyst for change that probably lays the groundwork of conflict for the rest of the season.

First off, the team leader is fired after he accidentally shoots an unarmed, innocent black teenager, and he is replaced by newcomer Jim Street (Alex Russell), a stereotypical hothead newbie guy from Long Beach (shoutout to LBC) who needs to learn about the power of friendship teamwork. There’s the main romantic relationship between Captain Jessica Cortez (Stephanie Sigman) and Hondo, which is abruptly interrupted by Hondo’s promotion to leader to ease the tense race relations between the black community and the police. This promotion also causes friction in the team since one of the other more senior white members, Deacon Kay (Jay Harrington) was passed over for promotion in light of all this hullabaloo.

In the midst of these season-spanning themes, there’s the “baddie of the week” as well; the first episode used a surprising twist, making the audience believe that there have been attacks in the public that seem to be connected to black-white racial tensions, but turn out to be red herrings for political motivations. The fact that a mainstream TV show even addresses these issues to any degree at all is a pleasantly surprising one to be fair, using the audience’s stereotypes against them and bringing to light the place that minority populations have in our American communities.

The second episode is more classic fare, with a murderous escaped convict that has personal vendettas against one of the main cast. This episode highlights disparities in police priorities when it comes to protecting the public and the measures that it sometimes takes for civilians to protect themselves and their communities, including everyday heroism. Although this episode was much more predictable than the first, it had its fair share of fun action sequences, including a sniper shot from a helicopter!

Though the series is mostly for cheesy action fun, in the end it is the inclusion of themes like racial tensions and police relations that makes the series feel modern despite the otherwise predictable, cheesy plotlines.