For the past two weeks, I have been watching all five seasons of SOUTHLAND - a series that ran from 2009-2013; a psychologically incisive cop show on HBO, focusing on policing in a run-down gang-infested area of Los Angeles. We are shown the raw, often brutish nature of being an officer and the magnitude of quick-fire decisions that are made by men and women in uniform fraught with crushing apprehension that can result in taking a life or losing your own. Racism, hate, and negligence in moments of crisis are critically exposed revealing who you really are. Know thyself is tested when you confront life’s desperate moments.
This show does not romanticize law enforcement but is a fairly realistic portrayal of the humanity or lack of in the daily tensions and dangerous interactions the police have with the populace - those who they are sworn to "protect" and how each character is altered by on-the-street experiences deeply affecting their internal values. We are privy to the "boots" (new recruits) starting out with an innocent idealism that slowly becomes ossified and eroded by fear, enmity,S and occasionally the beauty of an embrace of tenderness.
The acting is superb with Regina King as one of the Detectives who ambivalently grapples with motherhood. She is excellent as Lydia Adams - the most empathetic person in SOUTHLAND with a fierce desire to shelter victims of heinous crimes, particularly women and children. Another performance is by Michael Cudlitz as Officer John Cooper - a stoic, gay - not “out” to his comrades but “in” and accepting of himself - a proud man who has been on the force for over 20 years and is highly respected by his peers. His training of the younger up-and-coming recruits slowly unmasks his wrenching inner struggles and his decency. Officer John Cooper rarely smiles, but his expressive face affirms a devotion to his profession as well as the cynicism that accompanies it and cannot be escaped. Another one of my favorite actors was Shawn Hatosy who plays Officer Sammy Bryant - a hot-tempered, yet shy and awkward cop - one who uses his physicality to excess - but his delicacy and fragility are palpable.
There are some serious omissions to SOUTHLAND - we do not get any insight into the victims’ and perpetrators’ lives as we move on to the next episode. This is a series that unapologetically spotlights the Hollywood police department in Southland - a nickname for the greater Los Angeles area. I definitely recommend it so we too can condemn and praise those who devote their lives and collect pensions to “protect” we the people.
