Survive

**Survive** is the ninth episode of the fifth season in the remake version of *S.W.A.T.*, and the ninety-third episode overall, which was aired on January 2, 2022.

## Summary

When Deacon enlists Chris' help on an off-duty private security detail, they struggle to survive when they’re attacked by a drug cartel looking to kidnap their wealthy VIP client.

## Recap

Deacon has a second job. He’s works private security to help with the bills. He has four children and a wife who chose the difficult task of being a stay-at-home mom. Their youngest has health issues. He understands why his wife chose the path she did. He doesn’t resent her for it. He just knows that he has to supplement their income and he does that with private security. Deacon had needed hands on a new job and he enlisted Chris. The two of them still weren’t seeing eye to eye on the whole Mama Pena issue. But they’re friends and Deacon wanted someone he could trust on the job. It was their task to escort a wealthy man to Las Vegas.

They were going to be driving there from LA. It was a simple task. It was only going to be the three of them and they liked the client. They liked Miguel Velez. He was hardworking. He was funny and he wanted to visit a little town out of the way because he heard that they filmed cowboy movies there. He grew up on cowboy movies. He wanted to visit the town and they had driven off the main road to do so when they were attacked. They were run off the road. The people in the other car then left their car and started firing at the trio. They demanded Velez.

They said that the others could go as long as they get Velez. Velez didn’t know why. He said it could be a kidnapping plot because he’s been threatened with it before and so both Deacon and Chris had to take out the two armed kidnappers. They were able to do so. They didn’t have a car to escape and unfortunately the bad guys know about them. The two that Deacon and Chris killed had been contacted by a man named Rafa. They answered the call and identified themselves as LAPD. They also tried to warn this Rafa that he should cut ties and run while he still can. And he said he wasn’t going to do that without Velez.

Velez pretended to be a man who helped small businesses, but the truth is that he’s an accountant for a notorious cartel and he’s trying to run away from them. Velez and the others went to the deserted town to take cover. While they were there, Velez dug up a bag. He never wanted to visit the sleepy town to sightsee. He wanted to go there to collect his loot and his passport along with the data he collected on the cartel. The data was supposed to be his insurance policy. It was going to get the cartel to back off but he couldn’t use it if he was dead and the cartel showed up looking for him.

Luckily, they weren’t the only ones looking. The team became concerned when they didn’t hear back from Deacon and Chris and so they checked the hotel. They saw that they never signed in. They also checked footage of them leaving LA and they saw that their friends were being followed. Hondo therefore ordered his team to look for their friends. They were even checking back roads because in their last conversation with the two – they said that they were making a detour. SWAT went looking for the trio. The cartel went looking for the trio and the cartel found them first.

They wanted back their accountant. The cartel followed the trio to the abandoned house. Rafa went along with the crew. They all tried to shoot their way to a resolution and unfortunately the good guys were losing. Chris was captured. Rafa used her as leverage as he demanded that Deacon turn over Velez. Velez didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. He turned himself over and he asked that the others be let go. But Rafa changed the deal. He wanted the information that Velez gathered on him and he wanted it now or else he was going to shoot Chris. And so Velez was about to break when the rest of SWAT showed up to save the day.

The bad guys were taken down. Velez’s family was contacted in Las Vegas and they were being brought to LA to meet up with him. Velez still has his getaway money along with the passports. He and his family can start over somewhere new.

## Cast

### Main

* Shemar Moore - Daniel Harrelson
* Alex Russell - Jim Street
* Lina Esco - Christina Alonso
* Kenny Johnson - Dominic Luca
* David Lim - Victor Tan
* Patrick St. Esprit - Robert Hicks
* Jay Harrington - David Kay

### Guest

* Benito Martinez - Miguel Velez
* Tiago Roberts - Fontes
* Philip Anthony-Rodriguez - Rafael "Rafa"
* Neiko Neal - Officer Balfour

## Trivia

* This is also the first Sunday episode, after moving from Friday night.
* Benito Martinez made his guest appearance in this episode, then he appeared in *Criminal Minds* with Shemar Moore and also appeared in *Sons of Anarchy* and *Saving Grace* with Kenny Johnson.

### Notes

* Street and Alonso went on walkthrough training and both Hondo and Deacon went on a driving test.
* Deacon and Alonso is picking up Miguel at the hotel, but the car has been flipped and it's on fire.
* Dubious tactical decisions for SWAT officers: Why didn't they take the truck of the dead sicario's and get out of Dodge? When they chose to defend from the town, why didn't they take the grenades and other weapons from the first pair to use on the next wave?
* Wouldn't the SUV of a SWAT officer providing first-rate private security have a GPS, or better, tracking system so the team and company could have tracked where they were when the trouble started? Even if its device was disabled in the rollover, they still should have access to the last operative location.