Crime Dynamic Duos: Bull (Bull / Marissa) vs. SWAT (Hondo / Jessica)

Welcome to CarterMatt’s Crime Dynamic Duos 2018! This is the third year in which we’re doing this tournament, which is a way to honor some of the best crime-solvers in all of TV. This tournament runs throughout the month of August, and over the course of it we describe what makes certain pairs the perfect crime-fighting duo while also allowing you to share some of your thoughts on the competition! Each article is accompanied with a description and a poll; the winning duo will advance to the next round leading up to the winner being announced on September 1!

What are the rules of the tournament? Basically, all eligible shows have to still be in the midst of their run on TV as of August 1, and at least one character involved needs to be involved in solving crimes in some capacity. They can be a cop, a private investigator, a federal agent, a lawyer or a high-ranking officer. What matters is that they put plenty of bad people away.

Voting Rules – Vote however often you like! Voting for Round 1 is open until Friday, August 10 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. Round 2 will begin the following day; the image at the top of the article should explain everything.

In this article, we’re looking at two different CBS shows in Bull and SWAT and, to go along with it, two different pairs in Bull / Marissa and Hondo / Jessica who have brought a lot to their shows in a fairly-limited amount of time. There are just three seasons worth of content between them at present!

Bull and Marissa, Bull (#3 seed) – Bull and Marissa aren’t your typical crime-fighters, given that neither one of them are cops and Benny is technically the lawyer at the TAC who is responsible for representing clients. Yet, the work that these two do often impacts whether or not a given client goes to prison and has their life completely ruined. They often fight for the underdog, and beyond just that they have a really fun rapport. Regardless of whether or not you ‘ship the two of them or just think of them as a really great friendship, it’s hard to imagine the TAC operating effectively without them working in tandem. They care about each other and trust one another in a way few other pairs do. Also, Bull’s going to need her going into season 3 following his heart attack.

Hondo and Jessica, SWAT (#6 seed) – What makes this relationship so compelling is just how complicated it is. There are very deep feelings here between the two of them, but also extensive issues that stem just from working together and being involved in a personal relationship. They have many difficult waters still to navigate moving into season 2, but beyond all of that, we don’t want to take away from how powerful of a force that they can be on the job. They are smart, effective, and more so than anything, they have each other’s backs when the chips are down. They know that they can rely on each other through just about any crisis where lives are on the line.

Your take

Let us know which duo you want to see advance in the comments below! Meanwhile, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook for other updates on SWAT, Bull, or other series.

I can’t see the poll; what do I do? – If you are on mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page and click to view the non-AMP version. If that does not work, give the poll a moment to load! On some mobile browsers, it may take a moment.

How can I vote more than once? – If you are having trouble casting multiple votes, try switching your browser, your device, or visiting the page under private browsing or incognito mode. There should be many handy guides online explaining how to do so if interested.