Short Fuse

**Short Fuse** is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season in the remake version of *S.W.A.T.*, and the ninety-seventh episode overall, which was aired on March 13, 2022.

## Summary

When a terminally ill inmate escapes from a hospital determined to settle old scores before he dies, SWAT must team up with a longtime rival of Hicks to protect the fugitive's targets. Also, Nichelle faces a life-changing event that affects her relationship with Hondo.

## Recap

Hondo put in motion the C.O.P.E program. It was a program where civilians take mental health calls. This frees up the police. They save time as well as resources and it will lead to less shootings because in all honesty the police aren’t equipped to handle mental health calls. They aren’t trained to deescalate. But Hondo as a police officer recognizes that.

Its why he came up with the COPE program and its why Nichelle is involved. Nichelle was holding the first meeting for the program at her community center. She was later running a meeting when she got a call from the adoption agency and so she had to go because the birth mother went into labor. And so Hondo was running the meeting until he too was called away.

Hondo and his team were called in after a prisoner managed to escape his detail at a hospital. The prisoner was Joey Barratta. Barratta is dying of a brain tumor and so his guards knew this. They therefore thought his fake medical episode was the end.

They took him to the hospital to get treatment and unfortunately that’s where his accomplice was waiting. The accomplice gave Rocker what he needed to wake up. He also pulled a gun on the doctor and they created a bomb to go off after they left the room. And so the two of them got away after everyone was recovering from the explosion.

The team knew that Barratta probably had several stash houses from before he went to prison. They had no idea about his resources and so they contacted ATF because it was ATF that captured him the first time. The team was later joined by ATF Special Agent Ray Kaminski, but Kaminski had history with Hicks and the two men hated each other.

It was very difficult for them to even work together. To be fair to Kaminksi, it was more Hicks that was the problem. He and Hicks went to the Academy together and back then Kaminksi dated Hicks’s wife Barb. It was actually Hicks who stole Barb away.

Years later, after they hit a rough patch, Kaminski used that chance to try his shot again with Barb. Nothing happened. Barb stayed with Hicks and later she died. It all blew up at Barb’s wake. Hicks has never forgiven Kaminksi for going after his wife when he did. Yet, both men now had to work this case together.

They later learned that Barratta’s accomplice was someone he met in prison. They also knew what car the two men were using. The car was later seen leaving a law office’s parking lot and so the team went there. They found the lawyer they needed before the man could die from a car bomb.

But one thing stood out. The defense attorney that was almost killed hadn’t been Barratta’s attorney. The only connection he had to Barratta was Barratta’s friend Allen. Allen was in prison. He was facing extradition charges to Texas for murder and there they’ll put him on death row.

Allen was fighting the extradition. He got a lawyer who failed him. He got a judge about to sign off and so the team realized Allen enlisted Barratta in eliminating his enemies. He was probably paying Barratta to do it. The team had talked to Barratta’s ex-girlfriend. She had two sons by Barratta and he wasn’t going to be leaving them much. His stash houses all evaporated after prison.

So, Barratta was trying to make things right by his kids. He was earning money from Allen by killing people for the man and he was about to kill the judge signing off on the extradition when SWAT stopped him. Hondo’s team got the judge as well as her daughter out of the car safely.

They later spotted Barratta at the scene. They chased him down. They managed to get another bomb away from him and they were able to arrest him. They had told him “its over”. He replied that it wasn’t. It turns out that Barratta had planted one last bomb. The bomb was under Kaminski’s car seat. He realized when he sat on it and heard the click.

The bomb was weight pressurized. It would go off if Kaminski tried to stand up. It was also going to go off anyways because it had a timer set for six minutes and so the only way out was to diffuse it. Kaminski was the expert, but he couldn’t see the bomb from his seat and they didn’t have time to wait for bomb squad and so Hicks decided to do it.

Hicks asked Kaminski every step of the way what he should do and the other man talked him through it. Together, they were able to stop the bomb. Kaminski was safe and his relationship with Hicks is the best its been for years. They both apologized for the things they said and did and they were ready to move on.

But Nichelle heard back from the birth mother. She changed her mind about giving up her baby and so Nichelle wasn’t going to be a parent. At least not yet. She and Hondo talked about it and he said he wanted a baby with her. Neither of them were young but they wanted to start trying naturally to have a baby.

## 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

* Michael McGrady - Agent Ray Kaminski
* Terri Hoyos - "Mama Pina" Mrs. Sosa
* Michael McGlone - Joey Baratta
* Beth Fraser - Judge Mary Grant
* Josie Nivar - Marta Valdez
* Chris Boudreaux - Nick Russo
* Sorika Wolf - Dr. Reed
* John O'Brien - Weber
* Tarina Pouncy - Debra
* Alveraz Ricardez - Cesar
* Jennifer Christopher - Tori
* Josh Archer - Sheriff Deputy Lee
* Yuri Brown - Mrs. Wilson
* Angela Landis - Secretary
* Maggie E. Anderson - Paige
* Tom Virtue - Surgeon

## Trivia

### Notes

* Hondo is putting in motion the C.O.P.E program.
* Jim and Chris wants to buy the cheeseburger at the Paul's Cheeseburger.
* Deacon grabs Baratta's attorney and the car has been exploded.
* LAPD has captured Baratta and defuse the bomb inside the van.
* Bob defuse the bomb to cut the orange wire inside Agent Kaminski's car.

### Goofs

* At around 8:17 there is an on-screen shot of a car on fire explained as a car bomb in L.A. The car shown is an Austin Maestro (1982-1984) that was never officially exported to USA. Highly unlikely one would be used as a car bomb in L.A.

## Quotes

**Robert Hicks**: I know I can't do this alone. That's why you're gonna walk me through it.