SOUTHLAND: GRADUATION DAY {THIRD SEASON FINALE} (TV)
Summary
One in this gritty, realistic drama series about the officers and detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department. In this episode, Cooper wakes up in obvious distress, suffering the effects of his pill addiction. Lydia and Rodrigo chat in bed, debating about telling Josie, his mother and Lydia’s partner, about their relationship. At the station house, the “boots” are reminded that it is graduation day, and the older cops tease the rookies, including Ben. Out on the street, Ben struggles to contain an insane man in a motorized wheelchair as Cooper looks on passively. They are then summoned to the home of a man who gave his young son a crude tattoo, much to the ire of the boy’s mother, and they arrest the man for child endangerment. The boy pretends to “shoot” Cooper, but he seems unfazed. Sammy arrives at work and learns that there is a warrant out for “Leprechaun,” the criminal who killed Nate, and Sammy is frustrated that he is being sought for a lesser crime. Gil advises him not to interfere with the search for Leprechaun, and Sammy is distracted by a phone call from his estranged ex Tammi, who is in labor with his child. Dewey rags Chickie about her impending graduation, and they are called to handle a dispute between an angry store owner and a hot-headed prostitute, Denise, who is working outside the man’s shop. Dewey, who knows the woman, hauls her away roughly and threatens her with arrest.
Cooper and Ben then pursue a speeding van, which is t-boned by another car. The driver of the van escapes, and they find a bound and gagged teenage girl in the back. Josie, who has been unknowingly asking Lydia about her love life, arrives and learns that the girl was likely kidnapped and assaulted by a man doing construction work on her street, and the girl is sent to the hospital. Josie answers Lydia’s phone when she is out of the car, and is stunned to recognize her son’s voice. She bluntly confronts Lydia about it, pointing out their age difference. In the car, Gil cautions Sammy against watching the childbirth, and they go to question some of Leprechaun’s former associates, who refuse to give them any information. They are called away when they receive word of an officer down, and when they arrive on the scene, they realize that Leprechaun is the perpetrator. He is soon shot by the police, and Sammy coldly reminds him of Nate as he dies. Later, he admits to Gil that he misses being in uniform. Ben asks about Cooper’s obvious affliction, but he does not elaborate, and Ben is asked to pose for a picture with a tourist boy aspiring to be a cop, which he does happily.
Lydia and Josie learn that the van driver and kidnapper, who is still missing, is a drug dealer called Tomas. When Ben and Cooper locate him, he flees, and they chase him on foot. Ben pursues him to a rooftop, where they have a violent tussle, but Cooper is far behind, unable to catch up because of his health. Ben is nearly killed by Tomas, but he escapes his grip, and when Tomas attempts to jump to another building, he falls to his death. Ben then catches Cooper “collecting evidence” from the drug dealer’s body and confronts him furiously, saying that he was not there to back him up and that he is an addict and a “menace” who cannot be allowed to be responsible for another “boot.” He tells him that he must either go to rehab or do a drug test for his superiors. Elsewhere, Sammy is present as his son is born, as is Tammi’s boyfriend. He then jubilantly shows photos to Salinger, telling him that the boy’s name is Nathaniel. He then requests to be an officer again, saying that the feels he can make a difference. Dewey locates Denise again, despite Chickie’s protests, but when he sees her pitiful state, he softens and does not arrest her. Josie and Lydia check on Tomas’ young victim, and Lydia asks if they can still work together despite her relationship with Rodrigo, but Josie says tersely that she is not sure. Ben takes Cooper to the hospital and Cooper thanks him, and then checks himself in for medical detox. Three weeks later, Sammy is back in uniform training younger officers, one of whom is Ben. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: March 8, 2011 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:41:52
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 105865
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Los Angeles
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 2009; TNT - TV series, 2010-2013
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ann Biderman … Executive Producer, Created by
- Jonathan Lisco … Co-Executive Producer
- Andrew Stearn … Co-Executive Producer
- John Paré … Producer
- Cheo Hodari Coker … Co-Producer
- Will Rokos … Co-Producer
- Michael Haro … Associate Producer
- Chic Daniel … Associate Producer
- John Wells … Writer
- Heather Zuhlke … Writer
- Chitra Elizabeth Sampath … Writer
- Christopher Chulack … Director
- Martin Davich … Theme Music by
- Arija Bareikis … Cast, Officer Chickie Brown
- Michael Cudlitz … Cast, Officer John Cooper
- Shawn Hatosy … Cast, Detective Sammy Bryant
- Regina King … Cast, Detective Lydia Adams
- Michael McGrady … Cast, Detective Daniel Salinger
- Ben McKenzie … Cast, Officer Ben Sherman
- Jenny Gago … Cast, Detective Josie Ochoa
- Emily Bergl … Cast, Tammi Bryant
- C. Thomas Howell … Cast, Officer Dewey Dudek
- Laz Alonso … Cast, Detective Gil Puente
- Maurice Compte … Cast, Officer Rodrigo Morales
- Jamie McShane … Cast, Sergeant Hill
- Tara Buck … Cast, Denise
- Victor Alfieri … Cast, Victor Cifuentes
- Mike Alonzo … Cast, Black Jimmy
- Jon Jon Briones … Cast, Rama
- Richard Cabral … Cast, Leprechaun
- Ricardo J. Cachon … Cast, Anderson
- Tonita Castro … Cast, Teresa
- Carmen Corral … Cast, Sienna
- Juan Gomez … Cast, Indio
- Stacy Hall … Cast, Johnson
- Ren Hanami … Cast, Nurse
- Tracy Howe … Cast, Denise's John
- Hans Marrero … Cast, Martinez
- Richard Hoyt Miller … Cast, Mid-Western Dad
- Danny Ortiz … Cast, Camry Driver
- Jade-Lianna Peters … Cast, Erin
- Courtney Gains … Cast