When a quartet of prisoners escape from an LA courthouse, including Cuchillo, a murderous psychopath due to be sentenced to life in prison, Hondo and his team must find a way to round up the escapees before the body count rises. At the same time, Hondo is aware some at S.W.A.T. are questioning his leadership, and is struggling with how to rein in Street's hot-headed tendencies to get him to integrate with the team.
Tropes
- Boom, Headshot!: How Hondo kills Cuchillo. While hanging from the side of a helicopter.
- Break the Haughty: A less severe example than most; Hondo assigns Street to protective detail with Chris in hopes of breaking his lone wolf tendencies and teaching him the value of working as a team.
- Cowboy Cop: The team's initial view of Street; he's an exemplary cop on the street but has a lot of citations suggesting he has a problem with authority.
- Declaration of Protection: Hondo assures the terrified woman who testified against Cuchillo that LAPD will not abandon her.Hondo: You stood up for what was right, and now the LAPD will stand with you.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The son of one of Cuchillo's victims mentions to Hondo that Cuchillo mutilated his father simply for accidentally scratching Cuchillo's car.
- It's Personal: Cuchillo's plans after escaping prison are killing the woman whose testimony would have sent him to prison, and abducting the teenage girl he was obsessed with, regardless of her family's thoughts on the matter.
- Real Men Cook: Hondo. Cortez complements him on his cooking talents, and he knocks together some food to take to Chris and Street while on protective duty.
- Red Herring: While on protective detail, Chris and Street see an Hispanic kid circling the building. They initially assume he's a scout for Cuchillo, but when Hondo investigates, it turns out the kid is the son of another victim of Cuchillo who wants revenge.
- Running Gag: Mumford and Rocker constantly pranking Street about keeping his head on a swivel. They get him twice before he catches on the third time.
- Pet the Dog: Street proves to be surprisingly good with the son of the woman he and Chris have been assigned as protective detail to; he assures the boy they won't let his family come to harm and teaches him a way to cope with panic attacks.
- That Wasn't a Request: As part of a request by Hondo to try and integrate Street into the team, Chris invites him to dinner with her family. Street tries to demur, as he claims to have a date, but Chris insists she wasn't asking.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: One of the escapees with Cuchillo is an exotic animal smuggler. When 20-Squad catches him, he's got a Burmese python around his neck that clearly rattles Hondo.Hondo: Luca, get that thing off him!Luca: Why me?Hondo: I don't mess with snakes.
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TheWoobie: The team conclude this of Street after reading his file: his father was an abusive drunk who his mother eventually killed, ending up with a murder sentence, and Street bounced around the foster care system through his later childhood until Buck took him under his wing. - Would Hurt a Child: Cuchillo carved the word "Rata" (Spanish for "rat") into the back of a little boy to threaten his mother, a witness to one of his murders, with the consequences of going to the police.
