A S.W.A.T. Season 7 Tease Is Giving Chris & Street Fans Hope - But Will It Crash?
"S.W.A.T." Season 7, Episode 6 ends in a dramatic way when Officer Dominique Luca (Kenny Johnson) takes a bullet to the chest, leaving it unclear whether he survives the injury. Johnson's reduced Season 7 role as Luca has already been noticed, and with just seven more episodes to go, the endgame is close enough that fans are no doubt waiting with bated breath to see what happens to the character ... especially since "S.W.A.T." has featured unexpected deaths before.
However, there's another reason some fans are paying extra attention to the storyline. They suspect that the show will use the Luca situation to bring back two major players from the original team. Lina Esco left "S.W.A.T." before Season 6 to explore other opportunities, but that doesn't mean fans have forgotten her character, Chris Alonso. Some viewers hope that the Episode 6 ending is a cliffhanger custom-designed to bring back Chris and her colleague-turned-significant other, Alex Russell's Jim Street.
"With the shots fired at Luka, episode 7 could mean that we could Chris for a final episode, visiting Luka at the hospital, and of course, Street making his way back from Long Beach to pay a visit too. This could mean that for episode 7, we could see the old crew for one more final episode," u/PatientAd1470 speculated on Reddit. "I was thinking the same thing coz it would make absolutely no sense if chris and street was not there, those 2 were the closest to him," u/Insidious09 concurred. However, they also noted that whether the show can actually bring Esco back is by no means certain. "Only prob is I'm starting to believe lina has given up acting she has done nothing since leaving swat."
Other fans aren't optimistic about Lina Esco's return
Lina Esco's most recent appearance on "S.W.A.T." is the aptly titled Season 5, Episode 22, "Farewell." The 2022 episode is also her most recent screen credit, and apart from her joining the picket for the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, there has been precious little information about her acting-related endeavors since then. As such, some fans aren't buying the theory about her potential return. "I don't think Chris is coming back," u/icecubepal wrote. For u/j7801, Alex Russell's comeback seems equally unlikely, since Jim Street has also essentially wrapped up his "S.W.A.T." story. "If they didn't bring Chris back for streets goodbye i doubt they would bring her back for Lucas," they wrote. "And i also don't think street is coming back as they already did a farewell for him and some of the actors posted goodbyes for him on IG."
Street and Chris both get relatively happy endings, as they get together and advance in their respective careers — Street has his new team on Long Island, and Chris begins a new chapter managing a safe house for immigrants. Since they're both still alive, there's always a chance that they could revisit the show before it concludes ... but until "S.W.A.T." Season 7, Episode 7 arrives on April 5, it may be wise to maintain a healthy skepticism. After all, it's always nicer to get a welcome surprise than it is to have your high hopes deflated.