The mole storyline is one of the most overdone plotlines ever. I admittedly groaned when I found out SWAT Exiles would do it.
Did we really need yet another show to create tension in such a basic way?
Couldn’t the writers find another way to add a serialized element, like questions about why Hondo was getting called back and why this team was put together in the first place?
But I went into the show with an open mind, and I’m glad I did, because the end of the SWAT Exiles series premiere showed that this series was going to do something different.
The Audience Knows Who the Mole Is
Most shows take us on a ride with the main characters. Each episode, we spend time getting to know the characters and figuring out who the mole could be.
CIA recently did it that way.
Over 12 episodes, we got to know the characters and got a few red herrings to guess at.
It didn’t work. Part of that was because it felt like the mole arc had been forgotten, but it was too obvious.
Granted, the mole wasn’t all that obvious, but we knew who the mole couldn’t be.
Spending week after week with theories that it was any of the main characters was ludicrous.
SWAT Exiles has done it completely differently.
Instead of taking us on the journey with Hondo, we learn who the mole is.
Revealing it at the end of the first hour made me sit up, because it raised plenty of questions.
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As Malik was revealed as someone who apparently hates Hondo, I went back through the episode to see if there were signs of this.
After all, he seemed like the one who respected Hondo’s past decisions.
He just seemed annoyed that Hondo wasn’t training them the way he wanted, so he walked away.
Now I want to know whether he was always there to ruffle feathers and get information, or whether it happened at a certain point in the episode.
The initial thought is to dislike Malik. After all, he’s there for an ulterior motive, and he’s going up against Hondo.
Yet, SWAT Exiles has made it clear that Hondo isn’t perfect. He’s realizing that the old way of training his squad members isn’t the way he can do it now.
If he can realize that things need to change, is it possible that we can too? Is there a genuine reason Malik would already turn on his squad?
Technically, he’s not even turning on the squad. He’s not sharing state secrets with some international organization.
This makes it look like he’s sharing secrets with the LAPD. Someone in the Top Brass wants to pull Hondo down.
It’s personal, and now, I’m left wanting to know more.
Now We Get to Know the Characters
On top of that, SWAT Exiles Season 1 takes the pressure off liking the wrong person.
We already know Malik is the one to watch out for, so that frees it up for me to get to know Sammy, Cassidy, Ethan, and Jude.
They each have backstories, and it’s best to know them without the shadow of the big question about the mole.
When they do something sneaky, it’s for a more personal reason. When they make a mistake, it’s because they have genuinely messed up because they’re human.
As elements of their past come up, I’m not spending my time looking out for signs that they’re trying to hide their attempts to sabotage Hondo.
Right now, Ethan is my favorite, but when I first watched the SWAT Exiles premiere, I worried he would be doing something nefarious on the side.
Now I know it’s not him; I can relax into his odd ways and understand him better.
Jude clearly has a checkered past, and at first I couldn’t help but wonder if he was feeding information to the wrong people.
With the Malik reveal, I can focus on the more personal secret he’s holding back from his past without worrying that Jude will hurt Hondo and the whole team.
I don’t want to start liking a character only to find out they’re the villain and will be written out within the season.
Revealing the mole was a risky move, as it took some of the suspense and mystery away, but it added a different kind of mystery while bringing relief.
Now, it’s your turn to share!
We love chatting about our favorite TV shows with fellow fans, and we know you have thoughts. Sound off in the comments about the SWAT Exiles mole reveal and what it means for you going through this season.
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