SWAT season 7 episode 9 recap: Squad 20 goes after a "honey trap" crew

SWAT season 7, episode 9, "Honeytrap," found the team getting a request for help from FBI Agent Jackie Vasquez, who was facing a difficult case and wasn’t receiving help from her partner, Agent Chad Hettinger. They were working on trying to find a group of robbers who "honey trap" their victims. Plus, Hondo had to deal with looking for new team members for Squad 20.

The case for this week involved a group of women who would rob rich men before making off with their valuables and cash. However, when multiple individuals were killed, Vasquez called in SWAT for help, much to her partner Agent Hettinger’s chagrin. He has been trying to take over the case so he could get credit for it.

When the team was able to capture one of the women involved, they tried to find out who she was working for. However, despite getting the name Augie, Hettinger interrupted the interview and they were unable to talk to her further.

The rest of the honey trap crew, in the meantime, went to see Augie and found out that he was planning a bigger heist, but wasn’t going to give them the cut. They killed him and planned to go and rob a warehouse where cash was being stored. When the team discovered his body, Vasquez was upset since Hettinger interrupting the interrogation kept them from finding Augie sooner.

Luckily, the team was able to track down the storage spaces that the women were likely heading towards. They made their way to stop them just as Hettinger was trying to stop them himself. Vasquez and Hondo were able to save his life in time with Hondo soon informing him that he needed to be a better partner to Vasquez and work with her.

It was great to see Vasquez again since she had once wanted to work for Squad 20 and works well with them. Since Hondo was trying to find a new team to replace Street and Luca, she could be a contender. We also loved seeing the return of Donovan Rocker (Lou Ferrigno Jr.), who came to help Squad 20 when they needed assistance.

Another arc in the episode involved Commander Hicks and his girlfriend, Maggie. He noticed she had been distant lately and was worried about what was happening in their relationship. She eventually told him she had been diagnosed with ALS and didn't want him to have to watch her die like he did with his late wife.

Even though Hicks, at first, respected her wishes, he decided to go and see her. He wanted her to know that even though things had been hard when he lost his wife, it meant a lot to him to learn more about her before she passed. He wants to continue to be with Maggie to support her.

It’s sad to see them going through this, but it is also so powerful to see that Hicks is willing to continue to be with her during this difficult time. It’s always important to have someone you can turn to in times like this.

Overall, this was a good episode and we got to see into Hondo’s head some more when it came to trying to build a new team from the beginning again. Plus, Nichelle also reminded him not to forget about his family, something he took to heart. We’re looking forward to seeing more of the family dynamics in the show.

SWAT airs Fridays on CBS at 8/7c. Catch up the next day on Paramount+.