Spoilers ahead for S.W.A.T. Season 7, Episode 5 ("End of the Road")
S.W.A.T. said goodbye to one of its own in the latest episode. With the CBS procedural in its seventh and final season, the series is beginning to wrap up stories, as there's only so much to do when there's only 13 episodes to close it out. While most of the cast did return as series regulars, two S.W.A.T. stars were demoted to recurring: Alex Russell and Kenny Johnson. In the second episode of Season 7, it was explained that Russell's Jim Street was training with Long Beach S.W.A.T. while Johnson's Dominique Luca was in London for counter-terrorism training.
On S.W.A.T. Season 7, Episode 5, appropriately titled "End of the Road," saw Street's long-awaited return when he brought a case to LAPD S.W.A.T. while with Long Beach S.W.A.T. He discovered that a biker gang had stolen a cache of armor-piercing bullets, and they got an LAPD officer. It wasn't so easy, however. While Street had a great time rolling with 20-Squad again for the case, his former boss and his Long Beach S.W.A.T. squad leader got caught in the crossfire.
With a member of the squad wanting revenge on every biker gang, Street had to be the one to take the lead and get them all back on track. With wise words from Deacon and Hondo about leadership and how it comes naturally to him, the used-to-be reckless rookie stepped up. Street led 30-Company to end the biker club before they had a chance to rob the LAPD, even if the team didn't necessarily trust him. After a shootout and just two guys remaining, they fled the scene in their truck, with Street literally running behind. He managed to take down the guy behind it all and earn the trust of 30-Company.
Unfortunately, 30-Company's sergeant died. Knowing that the squad needed someone to hold them together during this difficult time, Street decided to stay in Long Beach. After talking to Hondo, Street began to leave, only to be stopped by Tan, and the two best friends share a sweet moment. Before riding off and leaving HQ one last time, Street lets it slip that he's inviting Tan over in a few weeks for the engagement party, noting that he hasn't even told Chris yet.
While it is unfortunate that Alex Russell is seemingly only in this one episode and Street's farewell is permanent, he did have a very satisfying ending. Not only did his story come full circle with him going back to Long Beach, but fans also got one last update on Stris and a possible engagement. It is sad that viewers very likely won't be seeing that on-screen, as Lina Esco hasn't returned since she departed in Season 5, it has been nice still getting the occasional update.
Tune in on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS to see what else these final episodes of S.W.A.T. will bring and how everyone's stories will come to an end.
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