As SWAT gears up for its final two episodes of the series, the CBS show has also been making sure to wrap up storylines involving the core characters, including some characters who had a more supporting role, such as Donovan Rocker.
Played by Lou Ferrigno Jr., Rocker has often been seen working alongside Squad 20 or being in silly competitions with the rest of the SWAT officers. His popularity also saw a resurgence due to Ferrigno Jr.’s time on 911, where he played Tommy Kinard, the love interest of one of their main characters, Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark). Now with SWAT going into the final episodes, we got to see Rocker once again.
In season eight, episode 20, Commander Hicks discovered his daughter, Molly (Laura James), was dating Rocker. He thought Rocker was still married, plus he didn’t like any of his officers seeing his daughter. Molly had previously dated Squad 20 member Jim Street before he began seeing his fiancee, Chris Alonso.
The episode showed how the different members of SWAT handled their day off, with some working like Deacon and Hondo, while others, like Alfaro, had personal matters to deal with. For Rocker, his day mostly consisted of battling Hicks over dating Molly.
SWAT has started rounding out character arcs
Hicks tried to get him to stop seeing her, but Rocker refused. Tan later backed him up, telling Hicks that Rocker’s wife had left him and that recently he began to be doing a lot better since seeing Molly.
Despite Hicks having a hard time coming to terms with Rocker and Molly dating, he got to see his officer had done things for Molly around her apartment, such as fixing a leaky faucet. Molly told her dad that the Rocker she knew was kind and generous, and he made her laugh.
Even though Hicks said he found Rocker annoying, the fact that this was the only complaint he could think of just means that there really is nothing wrong with him. In fact, Rocker came to the apartment after searching two different stores for Molly’s favorite ice cream. While Hicks joined them for lunch, it would seem an olive branch has been put in place.
While it is disappointing we won’t get to follow their romantic journey, we’re looking forward to seeing how SWAT completes the final arcs for the characters. So far, we’ve seen Zoe Powell get to know her son alongside his biological father, Jace, and they seem to be working towards their own reconciliation.
The final two episodes of SWAT are set to air back-to-back on Friday, May 16 starting at 9/8c. The first hour will feature the episode “Ride or Die,” followed by “Return to Base.”
As we prepare to say goodbye to SWAT for good, make sure to follow One Chicago Center for more updates.