Hondo returns from vacation with Daryl only to find his father has been house-sitting for him. While concerned about the kind of role model his father is to Darryl, S.W.A.T. works with Lt. Piper Lynch of Hollywood Division to catch a serial bomber using drones to carry out attacks.
Tropes:
- Bribing the Homeless: The team finds out that their suspect, an ex-military personnel, paid a homeless man to buy the drones that had been used as detonation devices.
- Collateral Damage: The episode's villain has no qualms about killing innocent civilians along with the targets of his drone attacks, largely to make a point about the U.S. military's seeming indifference to civilian casualties in its military operations overseas.
- Love Makes You Evil: The episode's villain is a former soldier who was trying to get his Yemeni fiancée American citizenship when she was killed in a drone strike due to faulty intel that the American military swept under the rug due to the high number of civilian casualties.Nate: You know what it's like to love someone who means nothing to the country you were ready to die for!? She was the best person I ever knew and they won't even admit she existed, or that they killed her!
- Old Friend: Tan recognises and sings the praises of Lt. Lynch to the rest of 20 Squad, having worked with her before in Hollywood Division.
- Recruiting the Criminal: Lynch has got a long list of reformed crooks on her payroll to help feed her information.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The episode's villain is going after those he holds responsible for the death of his fiancée in a drone strike: the engineers who built it, the drone pilots and the military official who authorised the attack.Deacon: The army he served killed the woman he loved. Now he's out for revenge.
- Side Bet: 20 Squad had one going through the episode: namely, each squad member picks a certain mannerism of Hondo's and if he does it, they're safe from having to pay towards the cost of his welcome home party. Deacon ends up the one paying.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The episode's villain is using modified drones packed with C-4 to carry out his attacks.
- Threat Backfire: A domestic abuser tries to threaten Street. Given his past, he doesn't take it lying down.Suspect: If you weren't wearing a badge-Street: I'd still kick your ass, so back off!
- What the Hell, Hero?: Hondo gives a more light-hearted one to the rest of 20 Squad about leaving Deacon to foot the cost of his welcome home party for losing their Side Bet.Hondo: What's wrong with you? You all are gonna let the guy with four kids and a mortgage foot the bill?
- Would Hit a Girl: The bomber's first victim is a female engineer who designed the military drone that killed his fiancée.
