Southland: Integrity Check – A Review And Recap
“The average street cop in Los Angeles makes $75,000 a year. It’s not enough.”
Ben is standing in a place that’s all too familiar to veteran cops all across the country. He’s on top of the world—at the very tip of the peak—and he’s balancing on the big toe of one foot. Seasoned officers, officers who’ve been on the job for many years, have been there and done that. They’ve all gone through the “I-just-finished-my-training-and-I-know-more-than-every-other-cop-in-the-world stage.
Sherman thinks he’s the hotshot cop who can save the world from everything and anything. And he’s got Badge Bunnies hopping around him like he’s a human carrot in uniform. But he’s got a lot to learn…a lot. Like discovering what it actually means to be a police officer, and how to truly become a partner to the guy who’s standing beside you while facing a dozen angry, armed gang members. Your partner, the guy who has your back through both the good and the bad.
Nope, being a cop isn’t all running fast, looking cool in uniform, and dodging bullets. First and foremost, of course, it’s about protecting the public, putting their lives before yours. And it’s about trusting your partner and knowing your partner trusts you. Without earning that confidence, well, you may as well start scanning Craigslist for job openings, because you’ll never be a real cop. Never.
And Ben absolutely must realize that the way to earn the trust of the public is not by engaging in a menage-a-jump-out-the-second-story-window-trois with Ima Killu’s wife and her friend. But Ben’s in that “stage.” He’ll learn. They all do. But it takes time, a few hard knocks, and plenty of hurt feelings, and maybe even a couple of official reprimands. And, he’ll probably be on the receiving end of a nasty bite from a rabid bunny before it’s all over.
Officer Sherman has reached the first critical crossroads in what could be a long career. Will he choose the right direction? Well, that’s up to the writers, and so far they’ve done a fantastic job of taking us on the journey. And Ben is allowing us to see that trip through his eyes. A really great job by both the actor and the folks who put this on paper.
Lydia’s on a personal journey of her own. A journey that’s experienced by many female officers. A journey that male officers will probably never fully understand. She’s torn between a career she absolutely loves and the little one inside that she isn’t sure she should even want, at this point. She knows that once she tells the department, they’ll surely put her on some wacky desk job, like filing papers in evidence, or answering phones at the department’s “I’m Calling Because I’m Stupid” hotline. And you know what…wearing a uniform after working in plainclothes for any period of time almost seems like a demotion, even if it’s not. And, those things are hot and uncomfortable!
Lydia demonstrates just how uncomfortable a uniform can be when we see her slide out from behind the wheel for the first time back in uniform.
Sgt. Adams unhooks her seatbelt and leans to her left, getting out of the patrol car. Did you happen to notice the grimace when she made the move to step out? Now that brought back memories. Do you see the space between her belt line and the bottom of her vest? Well, picture a wide and thick gun belt attached to her regular belt, at the top of her pants. Then, imagine as you lean to the side that space between the belt and the vest narrowing until it finally closes…with the soft flesh of your side pinched tightly between! Yes, that’s the cause of the wince. It hurts. Yeah, I know, being pregnant didn’t help any.
Lydia’s next move was to grab the top of the vest that had pushed upward toward her throat. She pulled it out and away from her body, an effort to relieve the irritating claustrophobic choking sensation. Now this is something that you get used to (the vest choke) but officers still do “the grab and pull” all the time, all day long. First, to stop the choke, and second, to allow the oven-like heat that’s trapped between the vest and your skin to escape and be replaced by a bit of fresh, cooler air.
– Cooper and Tang are stuck with a camera crew riding along, capturing their every move and word. That’s a scenario that cops are generally not fond of. They don’t trust the media because the media sometimes paints officers in a bad light, especially when any kind of force is used to subdue suspects.
I have many friends who work in various aspects of the media and it’s always an eye-opener for them when we invite them to attend police training so they can get a feel for why cops do what they do. The absolute biggest opinion-changing eye-opener is when they go through FATS training (firearms training simulator) where they’re faced with actual shoot/don’t shoot scenarios that happen in real time. Their reactions are most often of disbelief, horror that things escalate so quickly, and they’d have been killed if they’d hesitated to use deadly force, which many do…the first time.
Anyway, Cooper and Tang are called to a bakery where there’s a dispute between the owner and a customer. Coop and Tang separate the two (good technique) and then make the customer leave. In the meantime, they work with the man’s wife and the owner to reach a solution. Of course, all this takes place with the man’s young child in the thick of it all. And that, I’m afraid, is often the norm. Children suffer because daddy or mommy can’t control themselves or their actions.
– Sammy attempts to talk to a man whose son was killed in retaliation because he helped the police (Sammy) identify a criminal suspect. The man punches Sammy, blaming him for his son’s death, a death Sammy also feels responsible for causing. Sammy doesn’t fight back out of guilt.
– Ben and Sammy respond to an officer needs assistance call. The officers who needed the help were an oddly-matched pair—a male officer who was rather large and extremely out of shape, and a female officer who, as Sammy described, was, “Five foot and 99lbs soaking wet.” He resented having to come to aid because of their physical limitations.
Now, male or female. each officer should be able to hold their own and not have to call for assistance on calls that shouldn’t require assistance. I feel Sammy’s pain. When you’re trying to arrest a combative suspect and you spend most of your energy protecting someone who could barely lift a 5lb bag of sugar, well, that person is a liability on the street. They could easily get hurt and, their partners will surely be hurt trying to protect them.
I once worked on a shift with a person who was 4’11, weighed 91 lbs, had to sit on a pillow to see over a patrol car steering wheel, and couldn’t pull the trigger on a standard, department-issued weapon because his/her fingers were too short. Now, I ask you, would you feel confident wading into a bar fight among motorcycle gang members with that person as your backup? I’ve done it, and it wasn’t a good feeling. Sammy was right. Some people shouldn’t be cops.
– Ben and Sammy roll up on a group of guys who immediately set their beer bottles and cans on the ground. That’s exactly how it happens in real life. Good scene. And Ben’s searching technique was spot on—have the suspect clasp his hands behind his head, officer grabs the fingers of both hands and slightly leans the guy backward, off balance. Then he starts the pat down with using his free hand, Patting every (I mean EVERY) area of the body, searching for weapons and other contraband.
– When Ben and Sammy first started their shift Ben began a search of their patrol car, looking under the seats, etc. This is done every day, between every shift, by both oncoming officers and those leaving for the day. The purpose of the vehicle search is to locate any contraband that may have been stashed there by suspects who’d been transported in the back seat area/cage. The search is supposed to be conducted after each transport as well. Then, oncoming officers know that anything they find belonged to the last suspect who rode in the car.
Ben thinks Sammy planted/conveniently found a crack pipe in their patrol so he could frame the guy he believed killed a witness to an earlier crime. He accuses Sammy of the illegal and immoral act only to learn later that the pipe was already inside their car, left there from the previous shift. The officers had neglected to search at the end of their watch. Ben attempts to apologize but a lot of damage has been done. He didn’t trust his partner. He didn’t back him…stand by him. Didn’t believe in him. Unlike Sammy who stood by Ben when he punched the girl. Remember?
It will be interesting to see how the tension between the two partners works out. If it works out. That sort of incident makes it extremely difficult to trust your life to someone you’re not sure will be there for you when you need him.
– Cooper and Tang are behind a car. The driver’s nervous and, like many drivers across the country, he starts doing all sorts of dumb things. Black and White Fever is the cop’s name for what happens to drivers who suddenly realize a police car is behind them. They start swerving, braking too often, stopping in odd places, run red lights, and more. So Cooper nailed this one on the head, stating that drivers forget how to drive when a cop car shows up in their rear-view mirror.
_ Lydia earns a spot in the ER when she’s struck in the belly. But the physician assures her that the baby is fine. Lydia, though, is not. And a lone tear rolled down her cheek to let us know that she’s hurting from far deeper pain than the punch in the gut.
Now, regarding Lydia. It was great to see her in uniform and in action last night. Did you notice how the show seemed to fly by from opening credits until the screen went dark at the end? That’s because there were none of those “driving and thinking” scenes to slow us down. No walking around a crime scene talking about feeling sick and sad. Nope. None of that. And I certainly hope the writers remain on this track, because action, realistic action, is what makes this show stand out from all the other cop shows.
Southland is all about the day-to-day action that patrol officers face during their shifts. And that’s the stuff that drives the show’s fan crazy with excitement and enthusiasm.
And talking about realistic action…
How about Tang and knife-wielding woman? Great scene, and she and Cooper were right. They should have shot the woman when she first lunged at Dewey with the knife. But deep inside you never want to do that. You just don’t. So Tang tackled her, hoping to end the situation in the best possible way. It wasn’t her fault the lady was injured.
Then comes Cooper’s fight-for-his life fight scene. Now that was how to insert tension into a TV show. It was real. Very real. If I could’ve crawled into my set to help Coop I would have. And that brings up my final point for the week. These actors take their roles so seriously that their characters come across as real people. And I, for one, am glad that these guys are out there to protect us, even if it’s only for one night each week.
I don’t know where (possibly on a site where someone didn’t know what they were talking about) but I’d read that it wasn’t considered safe for patrol officers to be on duty with a visible sign of injury — indicating to bad guys that they’re in a weakened state.
Sure, Audrey, why not? A cast, no, but I’d think the bandage would be fine. Nothing worse, I don’t think, could happen to him if someone attacked that spot.
Would Coop be allowed on patrol with his neck in a very visible bandage like he’s wearing this week?
How far along is Lydia supposed to be? And while the technology of obstetrics may be inaccurate (BTW, I too took issue with elements of the miscarriage/likelihood of pregnancy discussion when she was first diagnosed), I really like the way they’re telling this story. You see Lydia struggle with what her choice will mean for her, even after she’s made it, and that’s very, very common whether or not you’re a cop.
I feel like we’re seeing her come closer and closer emotionally to the choice she’s already made intellectually–which is why I saw that single tear differently: relief, and surprise at that relief. When she reached over to touch the monitor? That wasn’t pain.
Davina – Different takes on the earlier and later series I guess. I didn’t like the first set because they were plagiarizing Joe Wambaugh’s books and I thought the scenarios were trite. They LOOKED like they were being written by a civilian. Even in the newer series there are some scenes that are a little too touchy-feely for me, but they’re not as distasteful so I can live with them. It’s nice to have a fast moving program, but even LAPD doesn’t always run into THAT much action in one shift. Nevertheless, I still think it’s the best police program I’ve ever seen on television.
Samantha – THAT’S the point. Police officers aren’t cruel hateful people who take pleasure in the pain of others, but there are situations where the need to act quickly may sometimes look pretty bad to anyone not used to seeing violence (Take Rodney King for example. Did you know that After his conviction in the federal trial, Sergeant Stacey Koon served over two years in federal prison. Shortly before his parole in December of 1995, an unsuccessful attempt was made on his life. A black male suspect had been stalking him with the intent to shoot him. The Riverside, California county sheriff’s department (I was on the P.D.) responded to a suspicious man call and confronted him. The suspect made the fatal mistake of drawing his weapon and was shot and killed. Koon had already left his parole officer’s office). During my time on the P.D. we lost 6 officers killed and three more since I retired, so yes, you do need to worry about dying every day. The Newhall CHP shooting is probably the best example I can think of as to how bad things can get in a very short time.
I see what you’re saying. And yes, Sammy backed him up when there was no way to defend his actions. Hopefully they can fix their relationship fast. I have seen the videos or heard the real stories for some of the Stories they are using on the show, it’s incredible how stupid people can be, and how things can go bad so quickly. I like that SouthLAnd is showing how cops don’t mess up just out of laziness or because they’re cruel, things happen really fast and you’ve got about 2 seconds to decide how to react before you’re attacked. People don’t understand that cops have to worry about dieing every day.
I’m with Shell. This season has been very disappointing. I used to look forward to a new episode now I wait until the weekend to watch. I don’t like the pairing of Sammy and Ben. I much preferred Sammy as a detective. I know he wanted to go back to the streets to make a difference but he’s made more mistakes and done more dumb things than a rookie. Coop and Tang are good together but their story lines seem to be filler. I wish I could feel more positive about this season but I can’t. I’m sure what I am saying will anger the Southies but I am speaking my opinion and if it’s not liked, I can’t help that. I do enjoy the reviews, they are very well written, just wish the show was better.
Samantha – It’s hard to know how long they’ve been together, but judging from the way they exchange personal information, combined with Sammy’s many attempts to help Ben move, it would appear that Ben should know Sammy well enough to know better than to suggest such a thing. I’m not suggesting that he should back him if he did something illegal such as planting evidence. That’s just wrong, but it went further than just questioning him. The attitude was totally accusatory. Sometimes there is a fine line between right and wrong depending on how it is viewed. Ben was wrong to clock the girl that spit on him (that scene, incidentally, was also taken from an actual occurrence, also somewhere in the mid-west, captured on a cell phone camera) But Sammy backed him all the way and handled him pretty gently after the fact. Sammy may get over it, but there’s going to be a need to rebuild the trust. I think they’re setting it up for a pretty dramatic occurrence down the road.
Ron- So are you saying Ben should have known Sammy better than that, or that he should back him when he does something wrong/illegal?? He really thought Sammy planted evidence, shouldn’t their relationship be strong enough for Ben to question him? Sammy has every right to be angry, and Ben screwed up, but how angry should Sammy be? I think this is a set of questions we will be visiting next week, judging by the previews.
Maka – I think that’s probably the overriding fear. Yes, the beanbag shotgun would have taken far too long. Remember the scene was very fluid and highly mobile. People can move astonishly fast and the officers are always compensating. Remove one officer element from the action for even a few seconds and the whole game plan changes.
Bob – GREAT catch on Tueller. I purposelly didn’t name the protocol to see if anyone was familiar with it. Kudos, old son. As for the ASP, baton, or any other similar device, it’s kind of like a sword fight. You still have to get entirely too close to a nasty, nasty weapon. I think she really didn’t warrant a taser until she got out of the car and by then the whole scenario had escalated 10 fold at warp speed.
I had a similar choice once when a maniac tried to outrun our guys. We eventually wound up in the county where he rammed a sheriff’s unit and then started toward me. I had a choice to shoot him, certainly justified, but as he got closer (Time slows down under these circumstances) I had to process the shooting protocol and weigh whether or not his passengers might be accomplices or innocent hitchhikers. If I missed him and hit them…Well…At the last possible second I pulled my sight picture from his head to his left front tire and put four rounds into it. It worked, but if it hadn’t, who knows?
One thing I always tried to live by was the 2 second rule. That is, try to stay 2 seconds ahead of the situation in which you find yourself. With practice it becomes as ingrained as counting the rounds you fire. For instance, at 60 MPH you will travel roughly 90 feet per second. The textbooks tell us it takes 3/4 to 1.5 seconds to even hit the brake on your car. In reality it’s actually more like 2 seconds. So you travel 180 feet before you hit the brakes. How much damage can you do in that distance (Go out and measure 180 feet and you will be amazed. Figure stopping distance as speed squared and you will see the length of a football field occur very quickly). Therefore drive 2 seconds ahead of your anticipated reaction time. An armed suspect can close on you in less than 2 seconds. If you are already anticipating that, you have a little more of an edge.
Those of us who have lived in this world try very hard not to monday morning quarterback the actions of the night before. What we are trying to do here is critique Hollywood’s version of real life as opposed to what YOU might be putting in your next novel. Personally I love the questions and observations. It’s a great venue to correct mistakes in writing BEFORE they’re made.
You know, a knife-wielding suspect who’s that close to an officer (Dewey) and is making stabbing/slashing/furtive movements, well, I’m sorry but that’s not the time to trot back to the car for a gun that fires bean bags. Nor is it the time to go for the Taser.
If there was ever a time for deadly force, this was it. The woman should’ve been on the receiving end of a round or two from each officer there. However, there was crossfire problem when Tang began to approach from the rear. So that’s a factor that needed consideration.
Tang opted to try to subdue the woman, though, and that’s what she thought was the best course of action at the time. Remember, she had a split second to act. We learn from Monday morning quarterbacking sessions, but it’s often after an officer has been killed that we make the necessary changes to our standards and procedures.
I was once in a similar situation and went the Tang route, and I’ve got a nice scar on my head from the first stab wound. And there’s another that runs across my right hand (palm side) from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger. Yep, I should’ve shot the guy instead of opting to try and disarm him.
I did get the knife from in the end, but I lost a little motion and feeling in my hand. And, he could’ve easily killed me.
Of course, though, he and I had a nice little “discussion” once I took and secured the weapon.
I also disagree with the use of the bean bag round the last time I saw it used on the show.
You know, after hearing Dewey ramble on and on like a crazy man…well, I’m thinking maybe he needed a quick blast from a bean bag to reset his play button.
I’m going to assume that Tang didn’t want the infamy of having shot a mentally ill woman on live camera. Would having one of them go back into a trunk for their bean bag gun taken too long?
Thanks, Ron. I’m an ex-cop (many years ago, and only briefly), and familiar with the Tueller drill/distance. “Edged Weapons” was required viewing in my academy – I’m probably dating myself there.
I was basically curious as to why the writers didn’t go to the LTL round, Taser, or even ASP, since we saw ASPs deployed twice in that episode. We’ve seen beanbag rounds used twice (including once that was clearly outside protocol). Tasers at least twice that I can think of, both probably under proper guidelines.
I agree that Tang was lucky, and that it was probably a bad call. Seems a little out of character for Tang too, given her history (the roadside beating). I’m really surprised that she chose to grapple with a knife. I think if I were to close that much, I’d have been bringing an ASP strike on the knife hand.
For that matter, I’m wondering why they didn’t try a Taser shot while she was in the car.
I’m wondering if Tang will face any disciplinary action over this. She and Cooper are going to tangle over something next week.
And I found Dewey’s partner. He was restraining the husband.
Samantha – I think Dewey is there for the aggravation effect. He has always been an embarrassment. Here’s my take on the found pipe. Yes the back seat needs to be checked before and after each watch. It also needs to be checked after each arrest, which is what Sammy did.
Radio car partners who work together on a permanent basis develop a relationship that, in many ways, is closer than what they have with their wives. It’s literally a life or death trust and bond. For the basis of the story Ben crossed the line when he questioned that trust. Sammy now has to rethink his relationship with Ben. He could even go so far as to ask for a new partner. I don’t think Sammy went over the edge. It was Ben who jumped to conclusions. If Ben HAD turned him in on that suspicion, it would have been the kiss of death. He might as well have filled out that application for McDonalds. NO one would want to work with him. Does that make sense? You kinda have to have been there to fully understand that kind of a relationship.
Bob – I’ll try to answer your questions. I mentioned the COPS program where the woman fell on the knife she was brandishing at responding officers. It was a good insert to use in Southland. As for alternate methods of force, you have to consider the weapons available.
1. Tasers are not 100% reliable, in spite of the sensational videos of same. In order for the taser to work properly there has to be a completed circuit with electricity flowing through a wide section of muscle mass. The failure of the taser to effectively work can happen if only one probe hits the suspect, or the probes land too close together, or there is a faulty battery, or thick clothes do not allow the probes to get close to the skin. Also, most taser cartridges are good to a maximum of 21 to 25 feet (Keep that figure in mind for a moment.)
2. Beanbag shotguns are carried in the trunks of the units. It will take some time to open the trunk, retrieve the shotgun, return to the location of need, and employ the weapon accurately. Will this take more than 1.5 seconds? (Keep that figure in mind for a moment.)
3. An officer could likely draw and fire his weapon in 1.5 seconds. Will that round be a fatal shot? If it is will it stop the attack instantly?
Now, let’s readdress the time and distance previously noted. Studies have shown that in an edged weapon attack, the suspect can cover 21 feet in 1.5 seconds and seriously or fatally stab an officer in approximately the same amount of time it takes him to draw his weapon and fire…IF! he is anticipating the attack and IF! he is prepared for it. This also presupposes that the round is a fatal one and will stop the attacker in their tracks. Doesn’t happen except in the movies. Further, the suspect is not thrown back into the air from the impact of the fired round. He can, and in many cases, WILL continue his attack, perhaps not even realizing he has been shot until he bleeds out.
So, Cooper’s comment about she should have shot the woman was pretty much the best solution. Tang was lucky, but more likely than not it was a bad call on her part.
Good episode. Lydia’s radio mic coming off during the foot chase – happens often. Sammy’s came loose as he was dealing with the guy on the wall (parole violator scene), but his magically reappeared in place when he turned back around.
A few Monday-morning-quarterbacking thoughts and questions about the distraught woman scene. Call it a Review Board. 🙂
I read that it was based on a COPS episode that I haven’t seen. I’m wondering about Tang jumping the woman when she had a knife. At least one of the responding cars should have had a beanbag gun available, and we saw it used a couple of seasons ago against a knife (back when Russell and Lydia were still partners). That situation was a little different: the bad guy was cornered with no escape, and there was no way for officers to approach him from the side or rear. But would a beanbag round have been a better choice?
Would Taser use have been against guidelines, as it was a lethal force situation? But with 3 (4? Where was Dewey’s partner?) officers, Tang could have tased her while Cooper and Dewey remained ready with firearms.
Discuss. 🙂
I am also sick of Dewey. I love Tommy, but they need to dial Dewey back several notches. I also miss Chicky, but I know that this is a TV show and we can’t always follow the stories the way they want to.
I was also surprised that they had Lydia hooked up to a monitor and that you could hear the beeping.
I like where the stories are going, I just wish they would hurry up with Ben’s transition. He’s a good cop and I hate seeing him make such bad mistakes. I think he was right to talk to Sammy about the pipe though, you can’t have your partner doing crap like that. He didn’t turn him in, so I don’t see how that is so bad? It really looked as though Sammy went over the edge, your partner is supposed to keep you in check, right? Too bad he didn’t check the backseat thoroughly. I’m glad to know they do that, I didn’t know it was required that they do that after and before each shift.
I’m with Shell – I miss Chickie.
Ah guys, I noticed at the beginning of the episode Lydia’s supervisor mentioned something about Lydia being the only D2 cross-trained as a Sergeant. could probably be why she was sent out.
The cop procedure stuff may be accurate, but they’re not doing well at all with how they’re handling Lydia’s pregnancy, which is a huge disappointment. From the BS the doctor said at the visit a few episodes ago (a single miscarriage does *not* mean you’re at high risk for another, and just because Lydia’s over 35 and in good shape doesn’t mean she would necessarily have a difficult time getting pregnant) to the ridiculousness of how she was hooked up to a fetal monitor in this week’s, I’m really fed up.
Someone who’s in as early a stage of pregnancy as Lydia is wouldn’t be hooked up to a monitor like that, and also the monitor was showing regular contractions every couple of minutes like someone who’s in active labor, which a) would mean she’d never be released, because she’d be ready to deliver soon, preterm, and b) you couldn’t even measure in someone as early in pregnancy as she’s supposed to be (she was only “3 months” or around 12 weeks a couple weeks ago, which means you can barely feel the uterus over the top of the pubic bone, if you’re lucky, and there’s no way the pressure transducer could be placed to pick up contractions). Plus of course it’s television (and John Wells, which, don’t even get me started on how ER handled pregnancy), so we can’t possibly have a pregnancy that goes normally or without major complications.
To tell the truth, I’m very disappointed by this season in general. I feel like the characters have become more broad and simplistic from the more complex ones they were in the first couple seasons, and I really miss Arija Bareikis as Chickie (I sure wish we had her still instead of Dewey, who’s even more of an annoyance than he used to be).
Great reveiw and wonderful, exciting show this week.
Lee, Regina King was on The Chew yesterday promoting Southland. She wants to be a judge on Iron Chef. I thought you’d get a kick out of that since you have recipes on your blog.
It’ll take a while to phase them all out. But it’s a done deal. The Vics are no longer being manufactured.
Great description of a cops real life.
Hey Lee,
On a different not, just got back from an interview at Albany Ford. They are just down the way from the police station. Complete with a small army of shinny Crown Vics parked in front ;D
I agree, Ron. Cuffs first, then search. But the technique used is still taught.
David. I took the “sergeant” references to be a little playful, sarcastic jabs because everyone knows how badly plainclothes detectives hate to go back in uniform.
The writers are apparently taking clues from real life situations that occur all over the country. The woman who falls on her knife really happened in some mid-west department whose name escapes me at the moment. It was highlighted on “COPS”. Great scene though. Cooper was right. Shoot them. Most of us don’t because we KNOW how review boards pre-judge. We always saw, “ad-hoc” review boards as having to appear before a tribunal of angry, agenda-driven people, wearing black hoods and who reside in a dank, dark stone room back lit by burning torches hanging from the walls, while the screams of the damned reverberate in the background.
Dewey’s BIG mistake was trusting the journalist mentality to be fair when it’s really all about a story. His on-tape rendition may well come back to bite him. You only need to be fanged one time to learn THAT lesson.
Sherman’s search of “F-Stop” was fine. We went directly to cuffs and THEN searched. There are pros and cons about that technique, but you have absolute control and he isn’t able to break away and run.
As for the mini-cop wannabes, we had one female who was too small to fire the standard issue 870 Wingmaster police shotgun. her forearm was too short to reach the trigger. She didn’t pass probation…Go figure.
Great program, well done with much improved technical advice.
Cooper’s fight for his life at the end was very real, very visceral and very scary. It shows how life can change direction on a dime for a cop…or anyone for that matter.
Dewey was incredibly cringe-worthy throughout.
Technical note: Everyone knows Lydia is a detective (Detective II, actually); she was referred to as ‘sergeant’ by the uniformed officers several times while she was acting as a field supervisor. She was a ‘small s’ sergeant though, that’s not her actual rank. The diamond below the 3 stripes on her sleeve signified Detective II rank….equivalent to a sergeant, and a supervisor, but not actually a sergeant per se.
I may have been mentioned this last year, but the LAPD introduced rank stripes for detectives after the Rodney King riots so officers in the field would be able to recognize a uniformed detective as a senior officer or supervisor at a glance. -D
I have no words for how good this show is, I don’t know how you come up with your amazing recaps. The acting continues to blow me away. The look on Ben’s face when Sammy stormed off – he realizes there is going to be a huge fallout. Their relationship will never be the same. And Cooper at the end – he looked like he was about to die. They better not have him be hurt badly!
Oh, Lydia, Lydia. I really feel for her and I can’t wait to see what happens.
Great review Lee! It’s great to hear your own insights/anecdotes along with the recap! Keep up the great work!
Bravo once again an excellent review of an excellent episode. But i still say nobody hurts my coop. Nobody!!!!