Warning: Spoilers for S.W.A.T. season 8, episode 16
As we come to the end of S.W.A.T., we know that character-centric episodes aren’t going to happen as often anymore. S.W.A.T. season 8, episode 16 may have delivered the last Miko-centric storyline, and it was a lot of fun to see him solve a problem. However, it fell short in just one way, and now I need another episode to see that he can grow before S.W.A.T. comes to an end.
Miko (Niko Pepaj) came into the series in S.W.A.T. season 6 and quickly made an impression. During the seventh season, he joined 20-Squad on a number of cases, leading to him becoming a permanent member of the team by the start of S.W.A.T. season 8. His character has often been used for comedic relief as he is young and has a lot of room to grow, and the series has done a great job is allowing that growth to happen. However, more is needed, and without S.W.A.T. season 9, it doesn't look like that will happen.
Miko Could Have Fixes His S.W.A.T. Season 8, Episode 16 Issue On His Own
Devin Shouldn’t Have Come In With The Win For Miko’s Problem
The episode starts with Miko asking Deacon (Jay Harrington) to switch plans from Sunday to Saturday, and he is even willing to use a contact to get tickets to a major performance to allow that to happen. Miko goes on to explain that Nicole (Tory Trowbridge), who is Deacon’s sister and babysitter, has a friend coming to town she wants Miko to meet. Miko can’t make Saturday work because it’s his mom’s birthday, and he has never missed a birthday.
Rather than explaining the situation to Nicole and finding another way to make things work, Miko goes on a mission to figure out how to reorganize his weekend without disappointing the two women in his life. While he is open to Devin about it, he can’t be open with Nicole, and while this leads to some comedic relief throughout the episode, it shows his continued lack of maturity in a committed relationship.
In the end, Devin came in with a rescue option, and she doesn’t want anything in return from Miko. She can see how much Nicole and his mom mean to him, and she just wants him to be happy. Arguably, this prevented some growth in Miko’s situation, as he continues to allow others to fix his situation.
How Disappointing Nicole Could Have Been Better For Miko And Their Relationship
Miko Proves He Isn’t Afraid Of Commitment
Nobody wants to disappoint the people that they love, but Miko opening up to Nicole at the risk of disappointing her could have strengthened their relationship to end S.W.A.T. Devin even pointed out in the episode that it would look good for Miko to just be honest. Not only is honestly a sign of maturity, but the reason behind Miko not being able to make Saturday work was beautiful and genuine.
Miko’s relationship with his mom is important. He doesn’t want to be like all the men in her life who have let her down, and this would show Nicole the type of boyfriend and partner in life Miko wants to be. By making this commitment to his mom on one day of the year, he shows that he puts the people he cares about first. He is likely to step up and put Nicole first on her birthday or on other special days, and when he makes a plan, he sticks with it.
S.W.A.T. had an excellent opportunity to show Miko’s maturity in the episode, but it failed. Hopefully, there will be one more Miko-centric episode to fix this problem, so he can solve a situation with full honesty.
