S.W.A.T. Season 8 premiered its first episode on October 18, 2024. Titled Vanished, this episode follows a mission with personal ties to Hondo.
In this episode, the team races to locate a group of missing students and their bus driver, who happens to be Hondo's former high school football coach.
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Moreover, this episode also sees Hick’s dilemma regarding Hondo hiring Gambler as their new team member since Gambler’s father had killed a cop once.
Let us now explore the happenings of the first episode of S.W.A.T. Season 8.
Disclaimer: The following article contains major spoilers for episode 1 of S.W.A.T. Season 8. Reader disclaimer is advised.
What happens in S.W.A.T. Season 8 Episode 1
The first episode of the 8th season of S.W.A.T. sees a bunch of masked kidnappers hijacking a bus full of school children along with the driver, Howie.
As the members of the S.W.A.T. team are busy nailing down a few pawn shoplifters by the beach, they get the news of this kidnapping and start working to find the abducted children with their coach, who was only driving the bus.
When Hondo learns that the driver on that bus is Howie, his high school football coach, the case becomes personal for him. He reveals to Deacon that Howie gave him shelter for two months when his mom kicked him out for misbehaving.
While the team tries to understand the motive behind the kidnapping, they get the ransom message from the kidnappers, demanding money that they claim will be used to finance L.A.’s homeless problem.
However, since most of the kids come from a relatively disadvantaged economic background, the team tries to understand the motive behind picking this particular group of children for abduction.
They soon realize that the mother of one of the abducted kids, Xander, is an I.T. analyst who develops software for high-profile clients, including government agencies. The team calls her in, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she reveals that the kidnappers had contacted her to get access to her office hard drive, which she had given them to ensure her child's safety.
On the other hand, one of the members of the kidnapping gang, Denis Girad, is shot by the S.W.A.T. team. Then it is revealed that he is an ex-French foreign legion, and their whole team comprises ex-French military who are now doing the dirty work of some overthrown Yemeni prince.
With this information, their motive behind asking Xander’s mother for her office hard drive becomes clear. The S.W.A.T. team realizes they are about to rob a bank where their previous employer’s gold bars are kept.
As they close in on the bank, they successfully kill the kidnappers and stop the gold from being stolen. Then, from one of their phones, they come to know that the children and Howie have been held hostage at some mine.
The team successfully finds the mine. However, one of the kidnappers gets hold of Howie, who has been repeatedly trying to escape with the children. As the S.W.A.T. team closes in on that one kidnapper, he takes Howie hostage and threatens to shoot him if he is not released.
However, with his efficiency, Hondo not only shoots down the kidnapper but also successfully rescues the kids.
The episode ends with Hicks praising the kids for their bravery and the team members sharing emotional and joyful moments among them.
S.W.A.T. can be streamed on Paramount Plus.
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