‘S.W.A.T.’ ending explained: Hondo and company gear up one last time

This article contains spoilers for S.W.A.T. season 8, episodes 21 and 22, “Ride or Die” and “Return to Base.”

After multiple cancellations and resurrections, the CBS action series S.W.A.T. has locked and loaded for the last time.

Based on the 1975 series of the same name, S.W.A.T. was developed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, with Shemar Moore‘s Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson Jr. leading a Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the LAPD comprised of savvy, combat-experienced misfits like Jay Harrington‘s David “Deacon” Kay and David Lim‘s Victor Tan.

While several of the show’s initial leads had moved on, season 8 offered an opportunity to deepen the stories of its newer recruits, including Zoe Powell (Anna Enger Ritch), Miko Alfaro (Niko Pepaj), and especially Devin Gamble (Annie Ilonzeh), a key figure in the series’ two-part finale.

Throughout season 8, Gamble had struggled to reconcile her duties as an officer with her family’s deep criminal history — her father’s legacy as the murderer of an L.A. sheriff didn’t do her any favors on the force. During the final episodes, her past comes back to haunt her when her twin brother, Leon (Nick Creegan), gets mixed up in a violent carjacking ring wreaking havoc on the city.

The final episodes also resolve the story of Deacon’s stalker, Heather (Yael Grobglas), and deliver a balls-to-the-wall firefight with a Russian mercenary group that nearly reduces SWAT’s headquarters to rubble.

Below, we break down the S.W.A.T. ending, from Gamble’s family woes to the team’s future fighting the worst the City of Angels has to offer.

What happens with Deacon’s stalker?

Several episodes back, Deacon saved a sports agent named Heather who went on to make a move on him. Being married, he turned her down, but she persisted. In “Ride or Die,” she becomes a real threat, approaching his daughter at the playground and breaking into his house.

After looking into her past, Deacon learns that she ruined the marriage of a previous obsession by sneaking into his house while his family was traveling, taking provocative photos in his clothing, and sending them to his wife. With Deacon’s wife and children out of the house, he worries she’ll do the same to him.

And, yep, that’s exactly what she’s doing. He catches her in one of his dress shirts taking photos on his bed. “I wanted to surprise you,” she says. “You want this just as much as I do.”

She’s furious when more LAPD officers arrive to help Deacon. “You were supposed to save me,” she says before threatening to tell his wife. But he’s got nothing to worry about, as he did nothing wrong.

What were the carjackers after?

Led by greasy psychopath Torque Vaughn (Ryan Donowho), the hijackers of “Ride or Die” are on a mission to steal the luxury cars of fentanyl kingpin Rico Castro, who recently fled the country due to authorities closing in on his operation. Torque is after one car in particular, as it contains a supercomputer filled with his smuggling routes, contacts, and stash house locations. It’s that info he hopes to sell to the highest bidder.

Torque is described as a true monster, a talented and elusive hijacker and murderer who faked his own death a decade prior. Hondo is particularly incensed by Torque’s return — after Torque killed a teenage girl years ago, it was Hondo who had to inform the family. He’s devastated at the thought of the parents finding out that Torque is still alive.

How does SWAT take down the hijackers?

Along with some old-fashioned police work, the team is able to learn of Torque’s plan by convincing his girlfriend that he was setting her up to take the fall — just as he’d done with previous paramours. After crashing an exchange with a local drug dealer — $10 million for Castro’s contacts — and chasing Torque through the back alleys of L.A., Hondo puts a bullet between Torque’s eyes.

How was Gamble’s brother involved with Torque?

When SWAT finds Leon, Gamble’s brother, at a garage where Torque was hiding out, they suspect him of being involved with the carjacking operation. He denies any involvement — and is upset when his sister fails to defend him — but it’s later revealed that he helped secure some hijacking supplies for Torque and his crew. As payment for his services, Torque gifted Leon a Lamborghini they stole from Castro.

This is a devastating revelation for Gamble, who believed in her brother’s innocence and was working on repairing her relationship with him. After finding the Lamborghini, she tries to arrest Leon, pulling her gun on him. But Leon won’t submit. “You can’t rat out your own brother,” he says. She can’t carry through with it, and he escapes.

What’s the deal with the Russian mercenaries?

S.W.A.T.‘s final episode, “Return to Base,” centers on the Red Sword, a group of masked, rifle-wielding Russian terrorists who use advanced drone technology to plant hundreds of land mines in parks and playgrounds throughout Los Angeles. They’ll deactivate the mines in exchange for the release of Dmitri Rykov (Alexander Sokovikov), a Russian mercenary in CIA custody.

The CIA refuses to give him up, as they plan to exchange him for 10 innocent American hostages in Russia. As Hondo tries to get close to Rykov to learn what he can about Red Sword, he comes to realize that the group doesn’t want to save Rykov — they want to kill him.

Why? It’s a bit complex. Basically, Rykov, who was previously exiled from Russia, wants to get back in the good graces of the Kremlin by sharing the intel that Red Sword is responsible for burning down the house of Russia’s Minister of Defense. While the minister was away at the time, both of his sons died in the attack. Red Sword wants to ensure that information never reaches the ears of the Kremlin, lest they be wiped off the map. As such, they want to ensure that Rykov never makes it back to Russia.

What happens to Rykov?

After an attack on a CIA convoy, Hondo brings Rykov back to a SWAT interrogation room. This brings the wrath of Red Sword on their headquarters, with the mercenaries using makeshift drone missiles to bomb the building. This leads to a standoff with SWAT and Red Sword, during which Rykov manages to escape Hondo’s custody. After SWAT wipes out Red Sword and Hondo defeats Rykov in hand-to-hand combat, Rykov is returned to CIA custody and exchanged for the hostages.

Does Gamble leave the SWAT team?

“Ride or Die” ends with Gamble admitting to Hondo that she let her brother get away after learning of his association with Torque. “As long as I’m here, I can’t be a good sister or a good cop,” she says, telling him that she plans to leave the team and move back to Oakland. “Maybe that’s for the best,” Hondo says, furious.

While Hondo is fine with Gamble’s departure, the rest of the team isn’t. When Tan asserts to Hondo that she’s family, Hondo replies, “No, her family is her family. She made that perfectly clear.”

He changes his tune, though, after Gamble saves his life during the Red Sword raid. She happens to be in the office to gather her belongings when the mercenaries storm SWAT headquarters, and immediately leaps into action, saving Hondo and Rykov from an encroaching soldier.

In the aftermath of the firefight, Hondo admits to being a poor leader and asks Gamble to stay on the team. “This job asks a lot from all of us. Every day. But what it asked of you just isn’t fair,” he says. “You shouldn’t have to choose between this job and your own blood, and I shouldn’t have put that on you, not the way I did. This team couldn’t have made it through the year without you. You are the missing piece. We can’t lose you. L.A. is your home, Devin. It’s where you belong.”

How does S.W.A.T. end?

S.W.A.T.‘s eight-season run ends with Deacon gathering the team to give them a present. He recently fell into a great deal of money when his private security firm was contracted by a local developer, and he wants to spend some of it on the people he loves.

He gives Hondo, Tan, Gamble, Zoe, and Miko each a watch. “Recently, a wise man reminded me that SWAT officers are always running on borrowed time,” he says. “I hope this will always be a reminder of every minute spent together on this team. It’s the greatest gift of all.”

As construction crews work to rebuild their headquarters, a call comes in about an armed robbery with officers under fire. “What are we waiting for?” asks Hondo. “Gear up. Let’s go save this city.”

As they leave the building, they each place a hand against the SWAT logo on the wall.

Where can I watch S.W.A.T.?

S.W.A.T. is streaming on Paramount+.

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