“You think you’re a cop? I’m the cop… I’m a cop.” – Chickie
They’ve been setting it up for a long time: you knew that John Cooper’s (Michael Cudlitz) back was going to become an issue at some point. After multiple episodes of watching this otherwise stoic supercop buying pills at bars he doesn’t want to be seen in, we see him here charming (for John) a friendly nurse for pills, as well as lifting a car to save a trapped victim in the initial “flash forward.”
Ben Sherman (Ben MacKenzie), no dummy even though he’s a rookie, has know about what’s been going with John for a while, and when he and Chickie (Arija Bareikis) have to help John back to his house after the flipped car incident, the trio all know that each other “knows” (John, in urgent pain, refuses to see a doctor).
The dynamic is juxtaposed against John reaming Chickie for letting Officer Billy Dewey’s (C. Thomas Howell, whom I wish we would have seen more of this season) alcohol addiction go unchecked for so many years. And the even deeper/darker level is that John has been absolutely brutal to Chickie in telling her it’s time for her to ride a desk in the communications division – and we’ve seen evidence to lead us to believe he’s right – while she maintains that she’s always been a beat cop and that’s where she wishes to remain.
At the end of the episode, bringing perhaps the biggest resolution to any storyline we’ve seen during this short second season, Chickie makes her move on the on the Canyon Rapist suspect while off duty. Her initial pursuit makes you think she’s going to get killed or at least extremely messed up, though after a fairly nasty struggle she subdues him.
“You think you’re a cop? I’m the cop… I’m a cop,” Chickie pants. She’s talking to her suspect and John and herself there.
Meanwhile, Russ (Tom Everett Scott) is out of the hospital finally! I guess that explains the (seemingly) strange removal of Rene Cordero (Amaury Nolasco) from being Lydia’s (Regina King) partner last week. However, he announces that he’s through with being a cop at the end of the episode. It will be interesting to see if they bring him back… maybe as a romantic interest for Lydia? They were quite cozy at the end there, and we’ve seen Russ and his wife be kind of vicious to each other at times.
After two short seasons, I feel like Southland is just starting to crank things up. I’m looking forward to more.
More thoughts on “Maximum Deployment”:
* I’m not sure what the deal was with John’s ex-wife alternatively being one of his drug suppliers and also asking him to father her child. He eventually says no… because he knows he’s in no shape to handle that kind of responsibility in his condition, perhaps?
* “Maximum deployment… nothing but a handjob for the press.” — John Cooper.
* There’s “maximum deployment” due to the Canyon Rapist. Five times the normal amount of cops on the streets, as Chickie notes. They know that he’s dressed as a cop but don’t know who he is… whoosh, that’s creepy / scary.
* It’s cool to see Ben at the point where he advises John on the right move to make (as in cutting a loose an ordinary john, so to speak, who doesn’t check out as the suspected rapist).
* Another nice scene: Salinger (Michael McGrady) grabbing a drunken lout by the tie and tossing him out of classy bar/restaurant while off the clock. The patrons’ applause post-toss gives you some hope for humanity and for the gritty world conjured by Southland.
* Salinger’s daughter Kim (Annamarie Kenoyer) getting stranded in “the hills” and then macing some random guy who seemingly wanted to help make you want to a) never have kids or b) stick a fork in one’s eye or c) both.
* Kim later blurts out that Salinger is “screwing that news reporter” in front of her mother… whoops.
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.