Black Betty has been a member of S.W.A.T. forever, so what happens when she's taken?
On S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 3, Black Betty, S.W.A.T.'s armored vehicle, is taken so it can be used in a potential terrorist attack.
The squad teams up with FBI Agent Vasquez, who was denied a spot on S.W.A.T. back in the day, to try to stop it all from happening, and it's a lot.
I'm always surprised at myself for how emotional or attached I can become to inanimate objects, and Black Betty is definitely one of those cases.
S.W.A.T.'s armored vehicle is a mainstay on this series, and I couldn't imagine the show without the team pulling up to a case with her.
So when you base an episode all around said vehicle being taken, it's definitely one for the books.
And this episode really shines a spotlight on how much this vehicle means to the team, especially Luca.
Luca: Look, if I’m honest, with Betty gone, I’m not sure what to do.
🔗 permalink: Look, if I’m honest, with Betty gone, I’m not sure what to do.
Luca has been driving Black Betty for what seems like forever, and frankly, she's his baby.
Even Tan admitted that when Luca was in Germany, and he was driving Betty, Luca would call constantly to check up on him. Only Luca wasn't worried about Tan. He was worried about Betty.
Obviously, there are a number of shows and movies that have a very noticeable car, and it's what makes the show. For S.W.A.T., it's Betty.
It's definitely a different storyline, but it really works well.
You wouldn't expect anything to happen to Black Betty since she is an armored vehicle, but because she is an armored vehicle, it's exactly why something would happen to her.
And then Luca blaming himself was heartbreaking to hear, even though we know that it wasn't his fault.
Hondo: Betty is gone. We lost her.
🔗 permalink: Betty is gone. We lost her.
We also find out the story behind his taking such an interest in driving Betty, and we learn a little more about his backstory and what it's like for him to be in a family of S.W.A.T. officers.
Hearing his reasoning makes sense, and it definitely hurt to see him blame himself for something that was totally out of his control.
This episode also brought in someone from Hondo's past, and we got to hear more about his time before S.W.A.T., which was also something really interesting.
Meanwhile, on top of all of this, Hondo and Nichelle had to deal with their gender reveal party, and we finally got the gender.
Although it was supposed to be a traditional cake, thanks to Betty being stolen, Deacon had to come up with a different method, which still worked beautifully. And honestly, it fits for 20-Squad.
Hondo: Betty is secure.
🔗 permalink: Betty is secure.
In the midst of everything that went down with Black Betty, it was so nice to get something light throughout the episode.
And not only Betty had a happy ending, but Hondo and Nichelle did, too.
Of course, I have to talk about the actual gender reveal.
Hondo and Nichelle are having a baby girl, and I couldn't be happier for them!
Nichelle: You’re gonna have a little baby daughter. How does that make you feel?
Hondo: I don’t know. Uh… overwhelmed. I know that I love you so much.
🔗 permalink: I don’t know. Uh… overwhelmed. I know that I love you so much.
Seeing Hondo as a #GirlDad will be something to look forward to, and I just know he is going to protect that little girl like his life depends on it.
I'm also excited to see him and Nichelle as parents after everything they've been through to get to this point.
There will probably be some interesting storylines revolving around Hondo and how dangerous S.W.A.T. is now that he's almost a dad, and while it's going to be hard to watch, it's going to be necessary.
I also very much enjoyed Street and Deacon's dynamic in the episode.
We don't usually get scenes with just the two of them, and seeing them deal with the gender reveal was hilarious.
Between the center, losing the envelope, and finding out the gender, they were definitely the more comedic parts of this episode.
Street: All that matters is that Hondo and Nichelle are surprised.
🔗 permalink: All that matters is that Hondo and Nichelle are surprised.
And another thing to mention: we are three episodes in, and although we have gotten more Chris mentions, we still don't know what's been going on with her.
I would love it if Street updated the team about her and how their relationship is going, but one can only hope.
Another thing that I love about this episode is that it gave us subtle information on two characters' backstories: Hondo and Luca.
Reiterating what I said for S.W.A.T. Season 6 Episode 1, I would love it if we could get more information on everyone's past.
We got to learn a bit about Hondo's time in the Hollywood Division when he was a patrol cop, and we got to learn what Luca really feels about being in his dad and his grandfather's shadows.
I would just love it if the series was able to focus more on the backstories for more than a few minutes in an episode.
But it's also fun learning new tidbits about the characters every once in a while.
Going off of Hondo's backstory, we got to meet Agent Vasquez of the FBI, played by Jessica Camacho.
She was such a great character and really showed how S.W.A.T. was like before it really started accepting females, and like Street said, before Chris broke those barriers.
She got closure from Hicks, she got closure from Hondo, and I really hope this isn't the last we see of her.
Hicks: If I had a chance to do it again, I’d like to believe I’d do it differently.
🔗 permalink: If I had a chance to do it again, I’d like to believe I’d do it differently.
Even though it's unlikely, I really hope that this isn't the last time we see Vasquez on the show.
She may have done things a little differently to get Betty back, but at the end, they were able to get her back, and isn't that all that matters?
Her dynamic with Hondo would also be interesting to get more of and hear some of those patrol stories.
Again, if they were to dig into Hondo's backstory, that would also be a great time to bring her in.
But it's always hard to tell where a storyline will go, but since she and Hondo ended on a good note, it's definitely possible.
At least things are better now between them than before.
So, now that Hondo and Nichelle are expecting a little girl, could we expect some scenes of them decorating the nursery and buying some cute baby clothes? Maybe Deacon will give him some pointers on raising a daughter since he definitely knows a thing or two about it.
Will Luca be more protective over Black Betty moving forward? Will he open up more about his dad and grandfather's times on S.W.A.T.? Will we ever get more concrete backstories on 20-Squad?
What do you think will happen next? What are your thoughts, Fanatics?
Share your thoughts in the comments and be sure to watch S.W.A.T. online any time via TV Fanatic!