Luca Experienced An Early Farewell Before The Final Episode
At the end of S.W.A.T. season 7, episode 6, “Escape”, Luca takes Kelly for ice cream, only for a casual drive to end in disaster. A sudden attack leaves Luca with multiple gunshot wounds and irreversible nerve damage. Unable to receive proper approval for field work, Luca has the choice of working a desk job or moving on from S.W.A.T. forever. Because he always viewed himself as more than a desk worker, Luca elects to say goodbye. He retires after an emotional ceremony and leaves the show forever.
The decision to say goodbye to Kenny Johnson so early is surprising. Luca has been a part of S.W.A.T. since the first season, and his role on the show has been relatively consistent. Forcing an exit before the final episode also led to Luca’s downgrade to a recurring character. In addition to forcing Luca to leave behind his life’s work, its ends his role in a family legacy of S.W.A.T. team members. It was a tragic ending for him and leaves him with a truly bittersweet future, even if Hondo tries to reassure him about his fate.
The decision to have Luca exit early, however, allowed for a proper goodbye for the character.After S.W.A.T. was canceled, the renewal gave the show a chance to offer individual honors for each of its characters. As the central character, Hondo is likely to dominate the final episode, so having Luca leave episodes before the ending gave him the spotlight for an episode. As tragic as Luca’s ending is, it gave S.W.A.T. a chance at a proper sendoff for his character before the series finale.
