[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for S.W.A.T. Season 7 Episode 10 “SNAFU.”]
Deacon (Jay Harrington) can’t really be retiring … can he? Well, the latest S.W.A.T. episode certainly seems to reveal if that’s the case.
He begins the episode offering tips to potential future S.W.A.T. officers at the shooting range. He has Tan (David Lim) meet him there—to reveal he wants him to take over S.W.A.T. Academy for him. “I’m honored. It means a lot,” Tan says, “but I’m going to need some time to mull it over, if that’s okay.” Deacon knows it’s a big commitment, “but believe me, you’re the right man for the job.”
But when Deacon checks in with Tan a bit later, the other man tells him, “I’m going to have to pass, man, I can’t do it” and explains, “Look, you know better than anybody that running S.W.A.T. Academy isn’t just selecting the best of the best. It’s shepherding the future of S.W.A.T. These recruits need someone at your level, not at mine.” But as Deacon sees it, Tan is a “model S.W.A.T. officer.” Still, Tan can’t forget his bar fight. “I just think you’d be better off choosing somebody with more experience,” he says and even has suggestions. “If I thought they were better options, I would’ve offered them the position. If you really don’t want it, it’s your choice, I just think you’re selling yourself short,” Deacon insists.
And after the episode proves that Tan is definitely the right person for the position, he finds Deacon and admits, “Ever since I joined S.W.A.T., you and Hondo have set the standard here. From day 1, I’ve been measuring myself to you guys. I guess I’ve been doing that for so long, I have trouble seeing myself as…” “Our equal?” Deacon asks. He gets it since, “I used to think the same way about Buck and Mumford, but whether you’re in Year 1 or Year 15, it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come. You’ve come a long way.” Tan accepts his offer and then confirms he’ll see him at the shooting range later. Deacon then looks around S.W.A.T. and…
He doesn’t join Tan and the recruits at the shooting range. Then, Hondo (Shemar Moore) seems surprised to find that Deacon has cleared out his locker and left his badge behind. He slams his fist into the locker, upset, then sits down, holding Deacon’s badge. He clearly thought he had more time.
However, the logline for the May 10 episode (the 12th of the season) suggests Deacon’s time with S.W.A.T. may not be over and confirms this isn’t the last time we see Harrington: “When a crew of violent eco-terrorists abducts the teenage son of an energy company executive, SWAT must untangle the kidnappers’ twisted motives before carrying out a high-stakes rescue mission. Meanwhile, Hondo’s involvement in a shooting draws outrage from the very community he’s dedicated his career to protecting. And, as Deacon is called on to help with the escalating crisis, he’s forced to confront nagging doubts about his retirement.”
And with S.W.A.T. now no longer ending and it impossible for us to imagine Hondo without Deacon as his second-in-command for an entire season, we can’t help but think that the penultimate episode or the finale—which Moore told us wasn’t changed at all after the uncancellation—might include a return to 20-Squad for Deacon.
Do you think Deacon will be back at S.W.A.T. when the season ends? Let us know in the comments section, below.
S.W.A.T., Sundays, 8/7c, CBS
