I felt this scene in last night's Southland was missing something

Long story short: Sammy Bryant accidentally shot a dog in the leg in last night's ep.

So naturally, he had to take his white tee off in order to make a tourniquet. Of course he did. Medical science being what it is and whatnot. But I feel, though the scene spoke to me as a person who likes medical science, as well as strong, stocky, well-built men who save animals in danger, like the scene was missing a few other things to appeal to me, y'know, as a woman...

There. That's better. And you're welcome, ladies.

Southland 3x10, "Graduation Day"

John and Ben:
In the interest of disclosing embarrassing stuff up front: I cried during last night's episode, and not, like, cool perfect-double-tears-like-Demi-Moore-in-Ghost crying, but more like making-high-pitched-Stan Laurel-noises crying.*

I wish my usually reliable video source had posted so I could make screencaps--a million millions screencaps of Ben and John, particularly of Ben looking over across the rooftops to John. But I can't...
 ETA Thanks, TNT promotional department:

...so I'll just say that even though I am a seasoned tv veteran and know in my logical "This is how TV shows work" way that Ben and John will be partners again in the fourth season that will totally happen very, very soon, part of my 8th-grade soap-opera watching past self is wringing my hands and worrying while loving the drama, the conflict, and the gentleness of their resolution. I never want them to be split up; as much as I love Sammy, I think we're all supposed to know that his bluster is simply a shadow of John Cooper.

Cudlitz rocked it, especially in that closing scene when the camera mercilessly closed in on John and he listed all the medications he'd been taking, then replied to the narcotics question with "I'm a cop." He's never sounded more unsure of that ever in the history of the show, and it was shattering. What a hard tieback to John's angry disbelief at Dewey's admissions of being on the job bombed out of his mind on liquor. I feel like this storyline couldn't have resolved better or more realistically for the two characters. I believed Ben's fury (I like how much of the dialogue as Ben began shouting down John was repeated from the last episode, like how a lot of people sound when they've rehearsed speeches over and over in their head) and I believed the collapse of John's bravado and his (Stan Laurel Stan Laurel don't be Stan Laurel) "Thank you" to his boot, the man who likely saved his life and his job.

*Said crying started when Ben and John pulled up in front of the hospital, and John matter-of-factly asked Ben to bring him a change of clothes in a few days after the withdrawal had subsided.

Lydia and Josie:
I suppose I should think of it as a sort of reflection of Russell's betrayal of Lydia--how lies of omission can sometimes be the hardest to dig yourself out of and how easy it is to explain away selfish behavior--but it's hard to do since pretty much everyone in the mess is guilty of something: Josie was overreacting as only a mother can (calling Lydia a child molester while they were investigating a child molester case was a nice bit of irony); Roderigo was showing his immaturity by refusing to tell his mother, then being a big ol' boner, horndogging all over Lydia in bed while she was trying to take Josie's phone call (as charming as the character is otherwise, I found that pretty gross); and Lydia, not exactly stepping up and taking control of the situation, which you think she'd know better.

Anyway, I will be interested to see where it all goes in the fourth season (which is totally, totally going to happen REALLY soon). It feels like they're leaving the door open to have Josie remain Lydia's partner With Issues, or potentially partner Lydia off with Sammy (who kept one foot in the detective door, but in Gangs, so maybe I'm wishfully thinking).

Dewey and Chickie:
 I thought the little bit with Dewey and the drug-addicted prostitute was surprisingly touching. C. Thomas Howell is pretty for-real. I love how he can continue to be the obnoxious loudmouth and transition into little moments like the last scene at the park bench and not make it seem like it's out of character.

I hope that Chickie and the thing about Metro isn't the show's way of potentially writing her out. I like Chickie a lot. I'd actually be a little disappointed if the show returned for its fourth season, starting tomorrow, and she and Dewey weren't still partners.

I also liked Chickie's high-five with Ben. Mostly because super, super cute.

Sammy:
Speaking of a million, million screencaps...his expression of trepidation in the delivery room and the way that changed to vulnerable, gentle wonder and love capped by the hesitant kiss on Nathanial's forehead was amazing. Some forum poster over at TWoP--I KNOW I KNOW--said something about being unimpressed by Hatosy, and I had a mild metaphoric nosebleed for a moment or two.

Anyway, I liked how everything wrapped with Nate's (alleged? but really, he did it, right? go back and watch it) killer, how Sammy vacillated between a desire for the guy to stay alive and the uncontrollable fury of wanting him dead. And it was interesting to see him step into John Cooper's shoes; again, I think the show was going for the point that those really aren't Sammy's shoes at all, no matter how much his heart really wants to be back "out there."

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to write a bunch of fictional nonsense about how Sammy and Lydia met up at the hospital and stuff.

In closing: Southland season 4! Get ready, because it's happening in five minutes hooray!

(I will probably post a million screencaps.)

Southland 3x09, "Failure Drill"

John and Ben:

The saddest, most disappointed apostrophe eyes of them all.

 
"John, you have a problem."









Ben finally says the words, but it takes John riding around an entire day with his throwback Oakleys on, uncharacteristically sluggish, barely stirring from the car (you know, except the one time where he smashes in an elderly man's passenger window) to get it done. I thought Ben McKenzie did a great (and cute, of course) job of showing the teakettle-whistle build-up of Ben's frustration.

The camera work in this scene was boss; I love how between Ben addressing John as "Sir" and the angle of the shot, it made John look like he'd been pulled over for a traffic stop

I read a few commentaries/recaps here and there at the beginning of the series that mentioned that John's addiction to painkillers felt like a go-nowhere storyline. The more I thought about it last night, the more I disagree. I think Southland has succeeded the way a lot of tv dramas don't in showing the seesaw effect of addiction, particularly in an individual like John, who is stubborn and self-reliant and smart and should "know better" but fails and fails and rights himself, then fails again. Sometimes it's a bumpy ride to rock bottom, and after seeing tonight's episode, where John basically ends the day as he would any other--well, this time with silence instead of his standard in-your-face bit of lecture and wisdom--I admire the show for sticking to what other (lazy asses) may see as a mundane or repetitive path. I think this has been a deliberate choice, one that defines itself against Dewey's spectacular flame-out from season 2: sometimes the worst collapse is slow and quiet and agonizing:

I also like how this arc has shown Ben building strength and confidence not just as a police officer, but as a person. He tried speaking to John as a friend and an equal and when that failed, he pulled out that booming command-and-control voice. He worked it too.


Lydia/Ochoa:

So gorgeous, and so funny when she's on the spot and being charmed

I was totally loving the Lydia/Ochoa storyline. I thought it was great how it started with Lydia's flirting with the gun range guy, how the attraction was sort of an everyday exchange with that little spark of something more, and I liked how Lydia and Ochoa went through their day--with the back-biting and snarking about "Tweedledee and Tweedledum"; the fairly straightforward murder case with the heartstring-tugging kids; the gun range guy asking Lydia out; Lydia and Ochoa wrapping up and heading back to follow up on the employment leads and Lydia shyly admitting she has a date to her partner (and Ochoa's hilarious--and iiiiiironic--delight); the "failure drill" coming back around in the workplace massacre...

...and then it turns out handsome, charming guy is Ochoa's son? Boo!  BOO! I wish that hadn't happened. It was promising how Lydia shut it down and how he was still persistently charming but not in a "we're going to be in the sack by the next ep" way. But still: can't Lydia date someone nice and charming without it having a huge TVish complicating factor? I was really looking forward to her having a fun office romance, and now it's all dramatical.

I'll mimic the show and transition from Lydia to...

Sammy:
Not a whole lot on Sammy's end this ep--looks like they're saving that for the finale, what with the reappearance of the hole-digging tattooed guy (who I SWEAR is the guilty party when I did a mini-rewatch)--but I liked what we got to see. Mostly I think his new high-and-tight haircut is super adorable. And I like the way he wears his shield:

It was interesting how the camera floated over to Sammy's temporary partner as the pastor expressed his concern that he hadn't seen Sammy recently. After being so up close and personal with Sammy's process, it was almost like the show was giving Sammy a little breathing room. By the time we rejoined Sammy and the pastor, it was clear that the genuine and straightforward concern was almost a little too much for him (you can see the glint of moisture in his eyes when he looks at the floor):

I have to admit I'm a little amused by how dialed back pregnancy/the writers have made Tammi. Beyond her showing up at the scene when Sammy is about to make an arrest in the church incident, she's not the getting-high, acting-out idiot I grew to hate so much by the end of season 2.*  Nice and promising to see Sammy with the paint and the swingset and the awkward-but-ultimately-uneventful interaction with Tammi's live-in lover. He's trying.

*This does not mean I want them to get back together. Please, please, please no.

Southland 3x08, "Fixing a Hole": Picture Edition

Southland 3x08, "Fixing a Hole"