Previously on SWAT… You passed.
Two cadres in two months?
He's making the TLI competition a real contest.
Just heard you're going for master gunner.
I am not mad at you and Tan for entering
the competition. Just treating you guys
like what you are, for the moment anyway.
You're the ones that I need to beat.
Didn't you tell me, if I want things to change, be the change?
What have we seen change, son?
This generational wound that just keeps
getting picked at
every few decades, because we refuse
to learn the lesson.
Maybe we learn the lesson this time.
I saw Watts burn.
You saw it in '92.
What's this boy gonna see?
I think this one's yours.
Ended up on my belt by mistake.
Toss it here?
Sounds expensive.
Maybe this one never made it on truck.
Thanks, buddy.
All right.
7.31 seconds.
That's a new personal best, right?
Let's go again, please. Come on. It might be good
to end on a high.
I need to get it below 7.3.
You will get there on game day, what with the adrenaline
and, you know, the use of your eyes.
The last five master gunners only won
by a couple tenths of a second. Yeah, but
you're beating yourself up over a couple hundredths.
There's no choice.
A month from now, Hicks is gonna choose the TLI liaison.
Tan just qualified for another cadre,
Street's had a gold star
by his name ever since
his undercover work last year.
I got to step it up. There's only one
master gunner in all of SWAT.
Winning tomorrow would give me that edge.
Okay, all right.
Let's go again.
Look, I-I appreciate you helping me,
but I know I dragged you here early. If you want
to grab a nap before our next shift, I...
I won't take it personally.
Chris, I wouldn't even be on SWAT if it wasn't for you.
I'm not going anywhere. Let's go again.
But when you win this thing,
you and I are gonna have a beer
and talk about your work-life balance.
Only if I'm buying. You're damn right you're buying.
All right, let's go.
What's going on, fellas?
What's up? Hey.
I was just telling Street that Deac and Becker and I just
finished setting up the master gunner shoot course last night.
And we did a couple run-throughs.
What's the word? Chris, I ain't gonna lie.
Luca has made the hardest one
since taking over design from Buck.
Says it was his parting gift before leaving for Berlin.
Trust me, you, Tan and Street got your work cut out for you.
My girl here
has got it locked up.
You are looking at the first P-III
to win master gunner in SWAT history. Ooh.
Definitely got room for improvement.
Master gunners is all about transition and reload times,
and Tan's got the fastest hands on SWAT.
Not sure I'll catch him tomorrow.
We'll see how it goes. Listen.
I expect to see each of your names at the top of that list.
But don't sleep on Sergeant Stevens.
He's won master gunner three years running,
and he ain't about to give up that crown easily.
Stevens is yesterday's news. Yeah, okay, Street.
Okay, look, look, I'm not one to brag...
Since when? But...
I was practicing with Stevens last week,
and I smoked him, just in case you're wondering
who you're chasing. Okay, that's real big talk, Street,
but just know it's been eight years
since anyone from 20-Squad has held the title.
One of you needs to make that happen.
Oh, hey, Chris, by the way,
I was practicing my HK assembly a couple nights back,
and I found a little trick,
shaves off about three-tenths of a second,
if you're interested. I'm good.
Thanks, though. Come on.
Look, on the off chance that I don't win tomorrow,
I'd want it to be you or Tan bringing it home for 20-Squad.
Truth is, uh, training hasn't been going that well,
and I'm not gonna lose any more sleep
practicing for something Stevens probably has locked up.
Well, let me know if you change your mind.
What was that about? If Tan and Street know how hard I'm going,
they're gonna go that much harder.
Underpromise, overdeliver. Nice.
Now I just need to overdeliver.
Lieutenant?
You asked to see me?
Actually, the mayor asked me to see you.
Step in here?
It's a sensitive subject, and I'd like
to ask you respectfully.
Okay.
You remember after the '92 riots, the LAPD tried
to improve relations with the Black community,
made a big push to recruit more Black officers?
I remember that it was a PR stunt that didn't do much
to improve the gap between Black and blue.
And there's a reason that Black recruitment
fell back down after that initial push.
'Cause people didn't see any real change
in how the LAPD approached the community.
No arguments here.
In any case, turns out, if you hire all at once...
They retire all at once.
The number of Black officers
will drop 50% in the next five years.
And considering recent events, that's not a good look.
Or good policing. So now the mayor wants my help.
She'd like you to be the face
of an outreach campaign to rehabilitate the LAPD's
reputation in the African-American community.
Do some interviews, pose for some photos,
show people the positive change they can make with a career
at the LAPD. She wants me to be a mascot.
Lieutenant, you talk about change, but yet here we are,
dealing with the same damn problems from 28 years ago
with the same weak-ass temporary solutions.
The irony isn't lost on me.
But until we find something more permanent, it's a stop-gap.
Do you have any other solutions?
Yours is a Band-Aid on a knife wound.
You can't really think that a couple of quotes in a profile
or a billboard with my face on Normandie and Florence
is gonna convince some Black kid to sign up,
especially after everything that just went down in May.
Well, this is, hopefully, just step one
of a multi-pronged approach.
Right, right, and step two is wondering
what the hell went wrong with step one.
We're on the same side, Hondo.
Your voice, your image could go a long way.
And this isn't just about optics.
The mayor and I really do want to make things better.
We're going to need help from people like you to do it.
I'm glad we're recruiting, I am.
But pandering to the community ain't the answer, Lieutenant.
You tell the mayor--
respectfully--
I ain't about to be her poster boy.
Hey, hey, Izzy.
Hey. Good weekend?
I can't complain. You?
Son had a bad dream last night.
Barely slept, which means I barely slept.
Been there before. See you tomorrow.
Have a good one.
Morning, Mr. Gates. Gates Realty Group.
Mm-hmm.
How bad is it?
It's two dead, four injured.
Looks like it was a package bomb delivered to Gates Realty Group.
Any motive? Not yet.
Still waiting to talk to the owner, Jeff Gates.
That's him right there, right?
He wrote that Timesop-ed a few months ago
supporting reparations. Pretty public move for one of L.A.'s
most prominent realtors. Yeah, well, he was lucky
he wasn't in the room when the device went off.
Still caught some shrapnel through the wall, though. Hey,
Davis? Davis? This is Tim Davis with the bomb squad.
Davis, Commander Hicks,
Sergeant Harrelson. This ain't our first rodeo together.
Good to see you again, Tim.
Good to see you, Hondo.
Wish it didn't always have to be around explosives.
Walk 'em through what you found.
My team's still collecting fragments,
but first impressions-- we're dealing with a pipe bomb rigged
to blow as soon as the victim opened up the package.
Judging by the volume of the shrapnel,
it was chock-full of nails.
The bomber wanted to cause maximum carnage.
How sophisticated a bomb are we talking?
You think the bomber had prior experience with explosives?
It's unlikely. Pretty crude setup, homemade.
Unfortunately, step-by-step guides for these package bombs
are a dime a dozen in the darker corners of the Internet.
What do you got?
Tell me RHD has a warrant and a door for SWAT to kick down.
No suspects yet. The package was delivered by
a TransSend driver on his usual route.
Tracking number shows
that it was shipped two days ago
from a TransSend store in University Park,
near USC's campus.
Good news is, the parking lot has a security camera.
You find a name... You'll be the first to know.
That was Lynch.
FBI's waiting to brief us on the bombing.
The Feds? Yeah.
Day just keeps getting more interesting.
For the last few months, I've been working with Agent Carr
and the FBI's Counterterrorism Division
to monitor a new crop
of white supremacist groups popping up in L.A.
Hate crimes have been on the upswing the last few years.
We're trying to get ahead of their darker urges.
You think the bombing this morning was a hate crime?
It's a working theory. You can imagine the garbage
these groups spewed online about Jeff Gates
after his reparations op-ed came out.
But it's still a big step fora bunch of keyboard gangsters
to mail an actual pipe bomb. I mean, who would take that leap?
There's one group that keeps me up at night. Fairly new.
Branches all over Southern California.
A more radical, more militant offshoot of the KKK.
They call themselves "the Imperial Dukes."
This thread was created on their forum
moments after the news of the Gates bombing broke.
We're still working to verify its legitimacy.
"Gates got what was his. I've done my part
"to protect what's rightfully ours.
Who has the courage to join me?"
Let's hope nobody.
RHD sent a name? Security camera
at the TransSend parking lot caught a suspect
exiting his vehicle with the package in hand.
They ran the plates. Car's registered
to Ronald Coogan from Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ron's son, Harry, is an engineering student at USC.
Address? RHD's still working.
Scratch that. Just came in.
He rents a house in University Park
about a half mile from the TransSend store.
All right, I'll tell Hicks and Hondo.
You two grab Chris and Stevens.
Let's be ready when that warrant comes in.
LAPD! Don't move! LAPD! Two, two, two, two!
Clear! Hands on your head! Clear right!
Closet only, clear. What's-what's going on?
Deac.
Look.
Doesn't really scream
Klan member, does it? Klan member?
Does this have something to do with Shawna?
Can somebody please tell me what's going on?
Upstairs is clear.
Roommates aren't home. No sign of explosives.
Same. Rest of the house is clean.
Where'd you stash the explosives, Harry?
Ex-Explosives? LAPD has you
on camera delivering a package bomb
to Gates Realty Group. You want to explain? Package bomb?
Oh, no, no, no. Easy.
I work for Choreable-- the app--
doing odd jobs and errands.
Two nights ago I got a gig.
I met up with this weird guy.
He was rambling, he was panicked.
He paid me a hundred dollars just to drop off some packages,
no questions asked.
I-I figured they were just drugs...
Hold on, hold on. Packages?
There was more than one?
The Choreable customer instructed Harry
to drop off the second package to a separate TransSend store.
Luckily, he kept the receipt with the tracking number.
The package was delivered this morning
to the office of a defense attorney,
Megan Brown.
We tried calling her office, but the machine picked up.
The rest of the team is en route with Davis and the bomb squad.
Patrol will meet you there.
Tan, work with them to set up a perimeter
while Hondo finds the package.
Meanwhile, we'll track down Megan Brown's cell number
and try to reach her.
Just get there quick. Roger that!
Mom, you got something.
Oh, probably those new business cards I ordered.
Finally. You mind opening it for me?
Just need to grab those papers,
and then we can grab some dinner.
Howlin' Ray's?
You got it, kiddo.
We're closed.
Set the perimeter. Start clearing civilians. On it!
Hey, little man. I'm a police officer.
I'm not gonna hurt you.
I need you to be extremely careful
with that box in your hands.
Jack, are you talking to somebody?
Ma'am, ma'am, stay right there.
I'm LAPD.
Jack.
Listen to me, all right?
That box you're holding
is very dangerous, and I need you to put it down.
Jack, listen to the officer.
No. No, no, slowly, Jack, Jack, slowly.
Slowly.
Okay, watch my hand. I'm gonna lower my hand
And I want you to match my speed, okay?
Let's do it together.
Slowly, Jack.
Slowly. Really slow, really slow. Slow, slow.
Keep going, keep going.
Slow. There you go.
Almost there. Come on.
Slow, slow, slow.
There you go.
Good job.
Is anyone else in there?
Uh, just the cleaning crew. Okay, grab them,
head out the back entrance.
I'll send someone for you. Go! Okay.
Package is secure,
with robot moving to containment vessel.
Package delivered.
Three,
two, one-- fire in the hole!
Code 4.
Bomb successfully neutralized.
Davis and the bomb squad are pulling an all-nighter,
piecing together as much of the bomb as they can
to see what they can find.
Commander, why does it feel
like this has nothing to do with guys in white hoods?
Maybe 'cause it doesn't.
Lynch and the FBI traced the comments this morning
to an IP address in Pushkin.
It's nothing more than Russian trolls
trying to incite violence. All right, so if it's not
the Imperial Dukes, who is behind these bombs?
What about college stoner dude?
He dealt with the bomber directly.
RHD get anything from him?
A description. But it looks like
the suspect used a fake name and a Visa gift card
for his Choreable account.
Meanwhile, Burrows is looking
into any connection
between the intended victims: Jeff Gates, Megan Brown.
Nothing so far.
A tech just pulled this voice mail
off Gates' destroyed office phone.
The call was made last week from a pay phone.
I know what you're doing.
I see right through you.
Your-your "friend" on the radio. The woman on the bus.
What did she tell you about me?
You only sent them because...
I knew what you did with my phone.
Following me.
Always following me!
But I know, you-you and Brown
and the others, I know exactly what you're doing.
Either you stop it, or I will.
Guy's off his nut.
"You, Brown and the others."
Sounds like he's far from finished.
Stoner dude said the guy who hired him
to deliver the package was rambling, paranoid.
It could be mental illness. Disorganized speech.
Persecutory delusions. It all tracks
with schizophrenia.
If he targeted Gates and Brown
based on delusion, that means his next target
could be absolutely anybody.
Officer Alonso, ready?
Welcome to the 38th annual master gunner competition.
This is a time trial.
Fastest time wins.
Each target is either a suspect,
a suspect holding a hostage, or a civilian.
Assess the threats.
Eliminate the suspects.
There are 14 suspects on this course.
Use your primary for the first six,
reloading after three.
Switch to your secondary.
Dominant hand after six. Reload.
Nondominant for the last two.
You will receive time penalties
for any of the following:
reloading too early,
reloading too late,
hitting targets outside critical zones,
and improper technique.
You hit a civilian
or a hostage, automatic DQ.
You got it? Time starts on the buzzer and ends
when you hit the last target.
Good luck.
And remember... smooth is fast.
In three,
two, one.
7.14 seconds.
Not bad.
On to the course.
Weapon ready at the start line.
Course complete.
Nice job, Chris.
49.55 seconds.
That's the fastest time so far.
I probably shouldn't have told you that.
Wha-What about Tan
and Street and Stevens? Well, I can't say much.
Stevens and Tan, they went this morning,
and Street's up in the evening group.
But that was damn near perfect,
and it's gonna be tough for anyone to beat that time.
You good?
Master gunner?
Listen, don't beat yourself up about it.
Luca designed a beast of a course.
I was off my game. Couldn't sleep last night.
This have anything to do with the voice mail from the bomber?
Hondo mentioned you seemed a little rattled by it.
Yeah, it brought back some old memories.
My dad...
got diagnosed with schizophrenia just after I was born.
Oh, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know that.
That must have been really tough. It was under control
most of the time; other times, it wasn't.
And hearing that guy on the call, his anger,
his paranoia, reminded me of some of those other times.
I don't mean to dump this on you.
No, no, it's all good. And if you want to talk
about it more, I'm around. I appreciate it.
I just want to get my mind off it.
Listen, while we're waiting for the location
of that mail bomber, I was, uh...
gonna go pound a bag. If you think it'll help,
I could use a sparring partner.
Yeah. I'll meet you in the ring.
All right.
Hey, Hondo, you got a sec?
I want to pick your brain about something.
Sure. What's up? I just had a really interesting talk
with Lieutenant Lynch about a recruitment campaign
to try and pull in more Black cops.
I was hoping to get your opinion about whether I should do it.
Wow. What?
She already asked you, didn't she?
Yeah, and it looks like she's going down the list.
: Which is not very long.
Why'd you say no?
Honestly?
Because I'm exhausted.
Where were you in '92 when things popped off?
Um, we were still living in Houston.
I'd just turned six.
Hmm.
I remember my parents were glued
to the TV that whole week.
Well, I was right here in South L.A.
And I didn't have to turn on my TV,
'cause I could watch it all from my backyard.
And this summer it was like I was watching a rerun.
Watts and Rodney King,
and now George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor.
It's the same old show, and it doesn't stop.
And the gap between Black
and blue is even wider now.
Erika, I turned down Lynch
because I don't know how I can look a Black kid in the eye
and tell them they can make things change
by joining the LAPD.
Because it's not true.
What is the truth, then?
That your friends might stop talking to you.
Even your own father might be ashamed of what you do.
Or there could be days when you don't feel like wearing
this uniform because it's the same color
that some bastard wore in Louisville and Minneapolis.
Before I joined SWAT,
I read this article.
It was a profile about Raymont Harris.
It talked about how his life was spiraling out of control
until a SWAT sergeant named Daniel Harrelson
pulled him out of it
and got him back on the right track.
Where's Raymont now?
He's a junior at UCLA.
Chemical engineering major.
See, I remember reading that article and thinking,
"That is the kind of cop that I want to be."
And I get it. You've been fighting all of this
a lot longer than I have. But what is the alternative?
We just throw up our hands?
Let the number of Black cops drop to zero?
What does the world look like then?
Who's there for the next Raymont?
Looks like RHD has a lead on our bomber.
I got to run. Yeah, go get him.
Davis
and the bomb squad managed to piece together
enough bomb fragments to pull a partial print.
Charles Pierce. We rushed a subpoena
for his medical records from L.A. Regional Hospital. Well, Tan was on the money.
Pierce has been in and out of treatment
for schizophrenia for several years.
A whole host of paranoid delusions,
but no priors, no history of violence.
Well, then, what triggered him to mail a bunch of pipe bombs?
He was living with his brother,
Leo, and Leo's wife, Brenda.
Seems like the only family that he had.
Leo Pierce died six months ago.
Up until two months ago, he was
still living in their garage, and then he just vanished.
Brenda Pierce filed a missing persons report,
but still no sign of him. Let's pay
the sister-in-law a visit.
See if she knows anything. No need.
She's already on her way over.
When Leo and I got married,
Charlie was such a happy guy.
He was, like, carefree.
But I guess he hasn't been that Charlie in a long time.
When did you notice something off? Just after
his 24th birthday. We couldn't reach him for three days.
And it turned out Charlie had...
um, destroyed the battery in his phone.
He swore the mailman was using it
to gather evidence against him. Evidence of what?
Nothing. He never did anything wrong.
He was... He was hearing voices.
He was seeing things that weren't there.
But he absolutely refused
to see someone. Well, asking for help,
that can be the hardest part.
Yeah, I mean, I wish that were true for Charlie.
Eventually, he missed so much work
that he lost his job, so Leo let him move in
to the garage on the condition that he see a doctor,
so he finally agreed.
The diagnosis was schizophrenia.
And the doctor put him on medication,
and a-actually, it helped for a little while.
Eventually, he would go off the meds,
and then we'd repeat the whole cycle.
And that's been our lives for the last seven years.
And then Leo got sick.
How did Charlie react to your husband's death?
He was devastated.
But, I mean, he seemed to be holding it together.
He was even making some money through an app.
He was shopping for people,
and, you know, he was running errands.
That kind of thing.
Choreable. Yeah.
The whole thing started again. The delusions,
the paranoia.
Um...
I-I promised Leo that I would look after Charlie,
but, um...
It just wore me to the bone. Mrs. Pierce,
is there anywhere that you can think of that Charlie might be?
Or anyone that he might have reached out to for help?
I have no clue.
After he disappeared, I put all of his things in boxes.
There's... They're in the back of my truck.
Maybe you'll find something there.
She sounded like she's had a rough go of it.
For some time now.
This thing can tear families apart.
Almost destroyed mine.
Dad had trouble holding down a job.
Mom was working three gigs just to make ends meet.
Lot of times, it was up to me and my brother, Jacob,
to look after him. Towards the end, it was just me.
How old were you? When he passed? 16.
Jacob was 20. He was at college.
Visited Dad three times in two years.
Found any excuse to avoid seeing him.
My father and I have got our issues,
but I can't imagine cutting him out like that.
Yeah, I never held my dad's worst days against him.
He was just sick.
But Jacob would never look past it.
It's a big reason we don't talk anymore.
It's crazy to think that's the same person
that we heard on that voice mail last night.
It's like a switch just flipped.
Here we go.
A burner phone.
Probably thought his cell was being tracked again.
Yeah, well, the number's
still listed on the SIM card.
Burrows. Hey, it's Deacon.
Hey, listen, I think I know how we can find Charlie.
Just finished going through the patient information
in Charlie's medical history. Unfortunately,
it sounds like the one person who might have
gotten through to him died six months ago.
His brother, Leo. If we do find him,
how do we resolve this non lethally?
Excuse me. Yeah?
I mean, I guess we try
to convince Charlie it's all in his head, right?
No, that's only gonna aggravate him more.
Charlie might be hearing things, seeing things,
but in his mind,
those things are as real to him as you and me.
For whatever reason, he's convinced that Jeff Gates,
Megan Brown and the others are out to get him.
Best way to buy his trust?
We make him feel safe.
That was Burrows. RHD's been camping on that phone number
we found from Charlie's burner. He briefly turned it on.
They tracked it to an apartment in North Hollywood. Bad news.
He used it to contact Choreable.
He's gonna mail another bomb.
LAPD! LAPD!
Police! Give me two! Give me two!
Kitchen clear!
Bathroom clear. Give me two! 26-David
to Command. No movement on the fire escape. Bedroom clear!
Perimeter's clear.20-David to Command. It looks like Charlie already left
to drop off the package to the Choreable worker.
Anything in here to tell us where he went?
Hold on a second.
Guys, check this out.
24-David to 20-David.
Patrol just found something at the bus stop down the block
you might want to look at. Sending photos now.
That's why Charlie thought he was being watched.
So, Megan Brown is staring at him through his window.
Jeff Gates is at his bus stop.
All right, split up.
Collect any images, any ads,
anything Charlie would see on a daily basis
that could point us to his next target.
Command to 20-David.
Burrows just got off the phone
with the Choreable worker who met up with Charlie.
When he saw a suspicious-looking package,
he tried to stall, call police.
Charlie must have realized. He ran off with the bomb.
Charlie might be looking to deliver the package himself. Did the worker
mention where Charlie wanted him to mail the package? Negative.
But he did give us a description of Charlie's clothing.
Sending it over now. Roger that.
Hey. Found something.
This was in the trash.
Valdez Brothers Auto Repair. I think
I saw a stack of these by the mailboxes when we entered.
Hey, Tan! Let's roll!
This is 20-David to Command.
We might've found Charlie's next target.
24-David. Just got to the repair shop.
Cleared out civilians. Hold up. You see this guy?
Clothes match
the description Hicks sent us.
I can't see his face,
but he's holding something. 25-David.
Possible eyes on our suspect at the shopping plaza
on Alamo.
That's Charlie. He's got the package.
25-David. Confirmed sighting of suspect at our location.
He make us?
26-David. We got a rabbit. Let's go.
LAPD!
Check it out.
Whoa.
Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa.
Is he back there?
All right. Get out of here, man. Get out. Go, go, go.
LAPD.
Hey. You need to leave now. No, my coworker Sophie's down there.
We'll get her out. Go, go, go.
Stop! I got a bomb!
You come one step closer,
I'll open the box, and we all get blown to hell.
And the girl, too.
Charlie's got himself barricaded in the service hallway,
and he's got a woman trapped with him.
He's threatening to open the box if we come any closer.
Spoke to the manager of the shopping plaza.
There's a staircase that can get us close
to where Charlie's barricaded himself.
Said we can access it from the roof.
Hey, won't he see you coming?
Not if he ain't looking our way.
Even if we can get down those stairs
without him noticing, he's got eyes 15 feet in every direction.
You got any idea how to diffuse a bomb from that far?
Yeah, the Disruptor Jet. It'll shoot a bolt of water,
soak the explosives in an instant,
neutralize the bomb if I can get close enough.
Hey, hey, hey. Slow your roll, tough guy.
Ain't nobody getting close but us.
Can you teach me? Yeah.
It's basically a Super Soaker on steroids.
Set.
Roger that. Just made entry.
Charlie. Stop!
Leave me alone.
Please, just leave me alone.
We're not here to hurt you.
You're lying!
I promise.
Okay? I'm just here to listen.
I didn't want to do this.
I swear I didn't,
but they wouldn't leave me alone.
They wouldn't stop staring.
I told them to stop.
Tan, we need him to lower the package.
Hondo needs a clear shot.
I get it, Charlie. It must be scary.
I'd be scared, too.
You know what I do when I'm scared?
I listen to music.
Charlie, it calms me right down.
You play guitar, right?
Yeah.
I saw a picture of you and Leo playing together.
You looked real happy.
Charlie, what would you play?
Clapton.
He loved... Clapton.
Clapton.
He's good.
Which song was his favorite, huh?
: I miss him so much.
You lied! Stop!
On your stomach! Give me your hands!
Give me your hands, now!
Lieutenant?
Are you busy, or do you have a minute?
Sure thing.
It's about our conversation yesterday.
Any chance you've changed your mind?
No, not even a little bit.
But you asked me if I had another solution.
I think I might.
Hit me.
A series of recruitment meetings throughout the county--
South L.A., Inglewood, Ladera Heights
and other Black communities,
hosted by Black officers, where we can speak openly
and honestly about the challenges of being a Black cop.
Lieutenant, the people who come out to these meetings--
they're taking a big first step.
They want to make a difference,
but they want to hear us be honest
about the mistakes we've made,
and if we're committed to really doing it better.
And if all we do is give them a glossy pony show,
then we've lost yet another generation
of potentially good cops because they know it ain't real.
They want the truth. And what's the truth?
It's tough being a Black cop.
Real tough. And some days, it feels impossible.
But then, there's other days, you win these little victories,
and you actually get to make a difference.
Those little victories-- they mean something.
Let me run it up the flagpole,
see if I can't pull together some funding for you.
All right, and I'll put together a list
of potential venues and officers.
You'll have it first thing in the morning.
You know, Hondo?
Sometimes I think you're underutilized
as just a SWAT sergeant.
I'll take that as a compliment.
It was meant to be.
Good night.
All right, bring it in. Let's go! Bring it in.
Just finished the last run on the course.
Final results are in.
The 38th annual master gunner is...
Come on, Deac. Hurry it up.
All right, all right. With an official time
of 49.37 seconds,
Jim Street!
Oh!
Suck it, Stevens.
Get you next year, wiseass.
Hey, what's up?
Hey.
Hope you're not still beating yourself up.
You did good today. With Charlie.
How'd you know he'd let go of that package?
I didn't.
But it's something that worked with my dad.
One time, I found him in the kitchen holding a knife,
threatening to hurt himself.
Refused to put it down till I started talking about cameras.
He loved photography.
I figured if we could get Charlie
thinking about what made him feel safest,
about music, about his brother...
He wouldn't think about the bomb in his hand. That's smart.
Actually, it's a... trick I picked up from Jacob.
So I guess your brother wasn't all bad, huh?
Well, me and Jacob, uh-- we were only kids.
Maybe he was scared, didn't know how to deal with it,
but, uh...
I don't know.
I was scared, too.
I never once left my dad's side, though.
Yeah, but you're a SWAT officer.
And he makes money sitting behind a desk.
You don't run when things get dicey.
Not everybody's built that way.
Look, maybe it's not my place, but before, you said
that you never held your dad's worst days against him.
Well, maybe you ought to think
about extending that same benefit to your brother.
Everybody can use a little forgiveness in their lives.
Jacob.
Hey, it's me.
It's just been a while since we talked.
Sorry it didn't work out.
It's good.
I'm happy for him.
Chris...
.18 seconds.
That's it. That was the difference.
Mm. Going over it in my head now,
and-and I... I should have beat him. Just...
I am happy for him.
But?
But...
when I first met Street, he was the guy
with the crazy mom who then got kicked out of SWAT
and barely made it back.
And now, he's got it all figured out.
With SWAT, with Molly.
And I'm in my 30s and still living in my uncle's garage.
Feels like
we swapped places somehow, and...
he left me behind.
Were you two ever a thing?
No. Of course not.
Really? 'Cause it seems like Street has a special way
of getting under your skin.
There were feelings once.
Ah, called it. Going which way?
It was mutual. We're on the same team.
We shut it down.
Well, look, I don't know how to help you with him, but
as far as living in your uncle's garage, I've been looking around
for a new place.
Might be able to lock down something swanky with a roommate
to shares costs. I thought you were living with your sister.
Yeah. She's an EMT, she works nights, which worked great
when I was on late shift, but now that I'm on Rocker's team,
we are at each other's throats.
So, what do you say?
Are you kidding? Hell yeah!
All right. I'll send over some listings.
Hey, um, thanks for everything.
I don't think I would have done half as well
as I did today without your help.
Any time.
Last year, Lila started gymnastics,
and, uh, I went to one of her meets,
and there were these older girls on the balance beam.
It's funny. It's-it's such a narrow beam,
and they're just launching themselves
three, four feet in the air.
And for a split second, you're not sure
if they're gonna land on it or... fall off.
I mean, they may not even know themselves.
This Charlie guy,
he was...
he was managing, you know?
And then... his brother died.
Something completely out of his control.
What Charlie's been going through
and what you've gone through
are completely different.
No, I know. I know. It's...
It's just that...
Not that long ago, I was in a really dark place.
What if something comes along and launches me off the beam,
and-and I don't stick the landing? I'd be lying
if I said you're never gonna go back to that place.
But that's why we do these sessions.
If you do fall off that beam,
you're gonna have the confidence to jump right back on.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
So what'd you decide?
About Lynch's offer? Mm-hmm.
Well, I was about to take her up on it,
but then she mentioned your idea for the recruitment meetings,
and I told her I'd rather help out with that.
Erika, I don't know if it's gonna fix the problem,
but I'm not ready to throw my hands up.
But if you're serious about helping out,
planning starts tomorrow morning.
Yeah, tell me when and where. Okay, good.
'Cause if we don't fix the problem, who will?
At least that's what some young fool told me.
Thank you.
Thanks for waking me back up.
No, Hondo. Thank you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Good night.
Corrected by == Flatto (subscene.com) ==