Warning: This article contains significant spoilers for the S.W.A.T. Season 7 premiere, “The Promise.”
S.W.A.T. has left fans on edge, hinting that a beloved character might have met their end in the final season premiere.
In “The Promise,” Hondo (Shemar Moore), Hicks (Patrick St. Esprit), and Powell (Anna Enger Ritch) travel to Mexico City to capture a fugitive who escaped Hondo’s custody a decade earlier. This fugitive, responsible for a witness’s murder, has gone rogue and is involved in selling stolen military-grade weapons, including a devastating thermobaric bomb. While the fugitive is ultimately killed in a gunfight, the bomb is nowhere to be found.
As the episode concludes, Powell prepares for dinner with local cop Gabriel Bautista (Rick Mancia). However, she soon discovers that he has taken the bomb. In a shocking turn, he attacks her, leaving her seemingly lifeless by the end of the episode. However, since Ritch has been promoted to series regular, it’s clear that Powell will return.
Moore acknowledges the dramatic tension this creates, stating, “It makes for some drama. Powell is a much more intricate part of the show and the team. Anna’s a sweetheart, and we’re enjoying having her. She brings a fresh, new dynamic.”
This season promises to challenge the team’s unity and resilience, with Hondo, Deacon (Jay Harrington), and the rest grappling with these new developments. “You’re going to see them struggle to keep all the pieces together while still saving the day,” Moore explains.
Despite Powell’s apparent fate, the team is motivated to track down Bautista, whom Moore refers to as “this punk.” With a bomb in his possession, the stakes are high, and the team must band together for an action-packed response.
Interestingly, Hicks was outside Powell’s hotel room during her attack, having intended to talk to her after discussing her relationship with Gabriel. This situation might leave him feeling guilty, an issue that Hondo will address in the upcoming episode.
“He doesn’t really have to deal with it,” Moore adds. “He becomes like a Dr. Phil to Hicks, encouraging him to trust his instincts and mend things with Powell.”
For now, the team has bigger problems to tackle—like that bomb!
