Southland 2.03 "U-Boat"

[inmyriadbits]

Wow, that was some damn good television.

First, to get it out of my system: OMG THAT LAST SCENE OMG I LOVED IT SOOOOO MUCH! I really fucking love Cooper and Sherman. I just, I think I can't possibly like them any more, and then they do something like call in a favor from the fire department to get that poor kid's shoes down. You can't save everyone, and they get smacked in the face with that every day, but they still do everything they can. I just. *hands*

Regarding other plotlines, I'm really liking the development of Lydia and Cordero's partnership. And they brought back Briana! I loved her! :D Poor Russ. I love that things are so awkward between all of them; they're all in limbo, and it's not comfortable for anybody.

One thing I wasn't entirely sure about was the Chickie storyline. It felt a little out of the blue, but I suppose that's half the point; everyone was so focused on Dewey's problems and presence that Chickie's performance fell by the wayside – even for her. Cooper made that very point to her rather brutally, in his inimitable style, but I think she definitely got the message.

And to bring it back around to my first point, I'm a fan of the "let's separate the partners to show how great their partnership really is!" tactic already, but this episode played it really excellently. It was done in such a way that it highlighted the value of Cooper and Sherman's partnership, but it did so without feeling contrived or melodramatic, or dragging it out, or making it bigger than it needed to be. Goddamn that writing goes down sweet.

To end on a completely shallow note, how awesome is Cooper's car? Also, Michael Cudlitz's arms. And Ben McKenzie's, for that matter. (Did anyone else catch the way that Cooper and Sherman are both standing with their hands on their hips in the exact same way in that last scene? It goes by utterly without comment, but dammit, that's a great acting note for two people who have been spending all their time together.)

In conclusion: SOUTHLAND YAY! ♥

Comments

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

Also, Michael Cudlitz's arms. And Ben McKenzie's, for that matter. (Did anyone else catch the way that Cooper and Sherman are both standing with their hands on their hips in the exact same way in that last scene?

Yes! And yes and YES! That was totally awesome.

I really loved Cooper in this episode. I loved how he was a condescending jerk to Chickie (because he really was, at a couple points) but, as you say, he got his point across to her; and then when he was talking to Ben in the parking lot, that speech about knowing what your capable of totally won me over. That was yet another dimension to his character that you just don't see in cops on television often enough and I LOVED IT.

...I am beginning to think that John Cooper is the closest thing to Frank Pembleton there has been on TV since, well, Frank Pembleton.

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

The last scene just kills me on so many levels. I would've been pretty happy just with the arms, but no, we get an entire freakin' layer cake of excellence. :D

It really was hard to see him be a jerk to Chickie. I've been thinking about why that was so hard to watch, and why it felt unfair at the time but doesn't now, and I think I've figured it out: they made it in such a way that we, the audience, are in the same position as Chickie. We go in thinking, yeah, she's being picked on, she's totally a badass cop, why the hell is Cooper being such a jerk? And then things happen. And then something else happens. And suddenly we're being shown that Cooper was right, because he/the show are shoving it unflinchingly right in our faces, and we end up having the same revelation that Chickie does. I am so envious of the writing on this show.

I love the range that Cooper covers. Sometimes you can tell how long he's been training, because he has a different method for every moment and person and situation, and he gets the fucking information across come hell or high water. And you can tell how long he's been a cop, because he's earned that expertise. You can see it in everything he does. (Cudlitz's performance in this regard [and, oh, every other]? SO GOOD.)

Let's see: Cooper doesn't hold with bullshit, has brutal honesty down to an art form, and knows the job inside and out. He's for damn sure not afraid to tell other people when they're wrong, and he does so extremely well.

...yeah, I don't see a Frank Pembleton resemblance there at all. ;D

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

It really was hard to see him be a jerk to Chickie. I've been thinking about why that was so hard to watch, and why it felt unfair at the time but doesn't now, and I think I've figured it out: they made it in such a way that we, the audience, are in the same position as Chickie. We go in thinking, yeah, she's being picked on, she's totally a badass cop, why the hell is Cooper being such a jerk? And then things happen.

Yes, this is exactly it! And we still manage to feel *for* Chickie, and empathize with her, because Cooper may have been right, but nobody *enjoys* being talked to that way, even when you know it's for your own good.

Also, I kind of want to push Ben Sherman up against a wall, and then cuddle him for a while.

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

*makes heart-filled googly-eyes at the writers*

Also, I kind of want to push Ben Sherman up against a wall, and then cuddle him for a while.

Amen, sister. :D

[divanoir.livejournal.com]

Heh. I totally caught the similar stance in the final scene. I assume Lydia altering the pictures on Cordero's desk is an example of how cops prank each other, and I thought it was a nice touch.

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

Lydia certainly seems the type to knock someone's ego down a peg if they need it. :D