It was a development that Powell actor Anna Enger Ritch and Gamble actor Annie Ilonzeh had been waiting for for some time. S.W.A.T. has long found ways to give new opportunities to its characters (as seen in this S.W.A.T. season 8 episode 12 clip), but this particular development had been a long time coming. Although the larger team did swoop in to support Gamble and Powell, the episode very much centered on the two women.
S.W.A.T. season 8 will not see Nichelle Carmichael returning, despite hopes that the fan-favorite character would return to the beloved franchise.
ScreenRant’s Rachel Foertsch interviewed Anna Enger Ritch and Annie Ilonzeh about their work on S.W.A.T. season 8 episode 13. Ritch and Ilonzeh discussed finally getting to spend an episode on the relationship between their two characters and what developments in the story were most game-changing. The pair also joked about their hopes for S.W.A.T. season 9.
Anna Enger Ritch & Annie Ilonzeh Talk S.W.A.T. Season 8’s First Women-Centered Storyline
“We Happen To Have Two Women … Who Haven’t Been Paired Up Together”
ScreenRant: When you were first reading through the script, I’m curious what moment surprised you each most.
Anna Enger Ritch: Opening it up and seeing Powell and Gamble go on a hiking trip together.
Annie Ilonzeh. Yeah. We were like, “Finally.” You don’t have a lot of women in S.W.A.T. in the real world, and then we happen to have two women on the same team who haven’t been paired up together in this S.W.A.T.-verse. We kept telling [the] writers and producers, whoever would listen, “Gamble and Powell have to talk. [They] actually have to be connected. That’s what two women would legit do if they found themselves on a team, especially in a male-dominated world.”
Anna Enger Ritch: [They’d] be hanging out–all of that.
Annie Ilonzeh: So they listened. They said, “There’s something coming up in the pipeline.” And they didn’t spoil anything, so when we finally opened the page and saw it from the jump, we were like, “Oh my God, yes.” And then it just continued to spiral into more excitement as we read on.
This episode was such a great female-centered story. Your characters are outnumbered, but they take on the cartel to save this group of women. How did it feel to be a part of that, in that respect?
Anna Enger Ritch: It was empowering. It showcases women in strong and capable and strategic environments and high-pressure situations where we didn’t have our resources that we normally would when we’re on the job with our 20-Squad team. It really just shows how capable women can be.
Annie Ilonzeh: We really turned some heads, and it started from the top. Our director was Gary Brown. He is such a great director and he really let us take charge. He’s super collaborative, [and] he really respected our approach and our voice and the way that we saw everything. From there I started seeing the crew really turn heads and go, “Oh, this is really different.”
Typically you see Hondo take charge and he’s the one spearheading, “How are we going to get through this case? How are we going to handle this mission?” and [this time] it was Gamble and Powell. As Annie and Anna too, they saw that we took on this responsibility [when] we hadn’t been in those positions before. I really saw people turning heads, and it felt really good.
Anna Enger Ritch: We hope that translates onto the screen and inspires young women who are interested in law enforcement or any other male-dominated profession that normally would be discouraged because they don’t feel as strong or as capable or empowered. Ideally, that’s what our characters are doing on the show because art imitates life and has such a huge impact if we let it.
“Family Is Actually Real”: Ilonzeh & Ritch Share How The Episode Changed Their Characters’ Perceptions
Much Of The Episode Centers On Gamble’s Refusal To Accept Care
Going into the storyline, Annie, Gamble is in a tough spot following these accusations. I’m curious if you can give some more insight into why she’s initially willing to leave the team rather than defend herself.
Annie Ilonzeh: I think it finally boils over and she’s had enough and there is that pessimistic approach [where] family just can’t really be family, [like] “I don’t believe it.” Having not grown up with a level of loyalty and support and maybe a functioning family… that’s different for her. It is very foreign. So, when 20-Squad repeatedly says, “We’ve got your back. We’re here for you,” It’s almost like they’re speaking a different language and it’s really hard to believe.
I’d say that the flight hits a little bit and she puts on her shoes and runs. Then, towards the end of this episode, she’s checked pretty hard by one of her really good friends and coworkers, and it sinks in. It sinks in when Powell really gets across to her, without mincing those words, “We got you, girl, come on, get back over here.”
Anna Enger Ritch: I was in the same position when [Powell] first started on 20-Squad. Street was that mentor to her, and metaphorically beat her over the head with it that family isn’t just blood–that when you buy into this team and this 20-Squad, it’s the real deal. It’s a blessing to be part of a team that has your back in a way that, a lot of times, family wouldn’t.
That fight that they have in the middle of the episode really was a big breakthrough for them. Anna, do you think that Powell was at all affected by anything Gamble said about her being codependent, or [did] she just kind of let it roll off her shoulders?
Anna Enger Ritch: There were moments, even just as Anna, an actor, and Annie, an actor, playing in that scene where I couldn’t help but be personally affected by the words that she was saying. There was some truth to it–in a lot of ways she was being a little codependent. There was a moment on top of the hill when Powell was like, “We need to get down the hill, we need to call for backup, and we need to do this…” and Gamble’s like, “Powell, we are the help.”
So, yes, she did take that personally, but also what we’re a part of as a team is so much stronger than just the individual aspect, and Powell has come to understand that throughout her experience with 20-Squad. That’s affected her in a way that she’s attempting to get through to Gamble also.
The team comes through, thankfully, after the radio call. What impact do you feel like that had on each of your characters? I felt like there was a little bit of a different reaction from both of them.
Annie Ilonzeh: Well, Powell was right. Gamble had this complete idea of tactically how [they were] going to approach this, and it just goes to show that yes, 20-Squad is your team, but it’s also your family, and they are going to come through. It really is jarring for Gamble. It’s that cosign that everything that all of them have preached to Gamble is really true.
Anna Enger Ritch: I know exactly what you’re talking about. Now that I think about it, Gamble still had that hesitation, and for Powell it was like, “Of course.” You’ll continue to see Gamble’s journey throughout the series with that push-pull situation.
Annie, do you think it was that moment specifically that really made Gamble realize, “I want to do whatever it takes to get reinstated and be a part of this family?”
Annie Ilonzeh: I think when Powell and Gamble were on their own in the woods needing to not only save themselves, [but also save the] dozen other women that were also in danger, it slowly starts to creep in that 20-Squad is the place to be, but it really is that moment where they show up and the chopper is swirling ahead and she looks up and is like, “Oh my God, that’s them.” What seals the deal is Powell going straight for the jugular when we get back to headquarters and not apologizing.
There’s also a really great scene between Gamble and Hondo where he tells her he has her back, and she says, “[That] means more than you know.” Can you share her thoughts in that moment?
Annie Ilonzeh: Family is actually real and family can be dependable and reliable. She hasn’t experienced that [because] her dad let her down as much as he did–and her brother too, [who] let her down and sided with the father here and there. And the cousins too. They know that she’s S.W.A.T. Even though she wasn’t on 20-Squad yet, she was S.W.A.T. for 10 years in Oakland, and for [them] to still be involved in criminal activity and continue to tarnish her relationship… family isn’t reliable.
[To her,] family doesn’t mean functioning or loyalty. It means dysfunction and tattered and shattered. And when [Hondo] says, “We got you” on top of Powell already hitting her hard with that, it means so much to her. It brings everything around full circle. It’s like that warm blanket around you when you’re freezing cold. It gives her so much comfort.
The S.W.A.T. Season 8 Finale Will Have “Everything That The Audience Wants”
Plus, We Will See More Of Powell’s & Gamble’s Personal Lives Before Season 8 Is Over
Now that you two finally got this episode together, how do you feel this will strengthen their bond going forward?
Anna Enger Ritch: It’s already there. We have each other’s backs and there’s just no doubt. But I would like to see, as an audience member and a fan of the show, how they continue to navigate as women in this male-dominated world, juggling personal life with career and navigating their friendship and their interpersonal relationships. I look forward to seeing how that carries through.
Annie Ilonzeh: I want to see Gamble and Powell go to brunch with bottomless mimosas. Sunday Funday.
Anna Enger Ritch: In Vegas.
Annie Ilonzeh: I think after this episode, people are going to see Gamble and Powell in a different light and want to see more. That’s what we really hope for. And there’s so much more to come with season eight that hopefully continues to put people at the edge of their seat to go, “We need season nine, and we need to see Gamble and Powell having bottomless mimosas.”
Lastly, I am curious if there is an upcoming episode for each of your characters that you are excited for fans to see. I’m not sure how much you’ve filmed yet.
Anna Enger Ritch: We are getting ready to start the last two episodes next week. So, next week we’ll start [episode] 21. For Powell, in the most recent episodes we shot, you dive into her personal life, and you’ll see her in a really vulnerable position dealing with her personal relationships. And with Gamble…
Annie Ilonzeh: Episode 19 is a fun one. Dad comes back into play, along with brother. Those conversations are very heated. Anyone that’s attached to not just 20-Squad, but Gamble in particular, [is] going to love episode 19 for sure. Then, when we get to 22 (the finale), that is a massive… it’s got everything that the audience wants and then it leaves you wanting more. It leaves you going, “Oh my gosh, what is happening in season nine episode one? We’ve got to get here now.”
You have me excited. Worried, but excited.
Annie Ilonzeh: Yeah. There’s got to be a tinge of worry–more than a tinge. There’s got to be gallons of worry. That’s what 20-Squad does. We put you on your toes, we put you on the edge of your seat.
About S.W.A.T.
This action-packed series follows a specialized tactical unit in the Los Angeles Police Department, led by Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson. The team tackles high-stakes crimes in the city while addressing issues of race, loyalty, and justice. The series is notable for its intense action sequences and the personal dramas of its members.
