S.W.A.T. Exiles Boss Shares A 'Running Joke' About The Show's New Couple — Plus, What's Up With Jude's Tattoo?

Well, that didn't take long. We're only a few weeks into the first season of "S.W.A.T. Exiles" and two of Hondo's new recruits are already going on private missions — and by that, we mean they're doing it.

After a particularly stressful day in Episode 3, Jude (Ronen Rubinstein) and Sammy (Lucy Barrett) return to Ethan's (Freddy Miyares) apartment, where they're both currently crashing. Even if you'd never seen a second of this show before, you could guess where this is headed: one drink leads to another, which leads to a kiss, which leads to Jude and Sammy having sex right there in the middle of Ethan's apartment. On his couch, no less! 

"It's kind of a running joke because it's an open-air apartment, and they're both somewhat living there, cohabitating," showrunner Jason Ning tells TVLine. "And how disgusting is that couch? Are they cleaning it? Are we Febreezing it? What's going on? But the bigger joke is that it's open-air, guys. Can't we find a room?"

But as long as Ethan refuses to reveal what's in his secret room, it's unlikely that Jude and Sammy will be getting any privacy anytime soon. And that's a good thing, according to Ning, at least for the sake of story.

"There are some fun jokes we play later, because [Jude and Sammy] are initially keeping it a secret, more because of professional reasons than just personal reasons, as the team is starting to learn their dynamics within each other," Ning says.

Because Jude and Sammy's adventures in Episode 3 are clothing-optional, we get a glimpse at Jude without his shirt on, revealing a curious (not to mention enormous) tattoo on his back. The way the camera lingers on Jude's ink of a skull and cross feels ominous, like it's meant to make us wonder what kind of a man Jude really is.

"Jude spent years undercover inside a white supremacist organization, and he ultimately had to shoot another police officer to preserve his cover," Ning says. "He was cleared, but there are still people in the department wondering whether he got too close and whether he ever fully came back. Did he fall too deep undercover? His story really explodes in the sixth episode, which is one of my favorites, and I think it'll be one that's tough."

Are you enjoying "S.W.A.T. Exiles" thus far? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the "S.W.A.T." spin-off below.