Episode Title: 'Identity'
Writer: Sara Gran
Director: Nelson McCormick
Story:
Detective Adams (Regina King) chases a young girl down an alley way. When she catches up with her, the girl strikes Adams with a knife and drives off in a pick-up truck as a patrol car pulls up.
Eight hours earlier, Adams' mother tells her daughter that she knows she's pregnant and that she will support whatever decision she makes about the baby. Elsewhere, off-duty Officer Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) breaks up a fight between a man and woman. After the man runs, the girl recognizes Sherman as her apartment complex neighbor. When a cop car pulls up, she complains about the police and asks Sherman if he saw the video of the cop hitting a teenager girl.
Later that day, Officers Bryant (Shawn Hatosy) and Sherman find a local elderly woman dead in an apparent gang attack. Meanwhile, Robinson (Dorian Missick)and Adams investigate the murder of a real estate developer named Brian in his own building. They learn that the man allowed several homeless girls to stay there. The mother of a girl living there named Nicole, confesses to killing the man during a fight.
Officers Tang (Lucy Liu) and Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) deal with a complaint about a homeless man next to a commercial property. Tang learns that the man is a former Marine and offers to help him get a new ID so he can check into a shelter. She begins the process of dealing with endless bureaucracy in order to get the veteran a new piece of identification.
While chasing down a thief, Bryant hears noises from inside a dumpster. He pulls his gun and shoots only to learn that a dog was inside. Bryant makes a deal with a fellow officer to take the dog to a vet in exchange for Lakers tickets.
Nicole's mother, Melanie tells Adams that Brian was sleeping with her daughter, who has severe psychological issues. Later, when Adams leaves for a doctor's appointment, Nicole escapes just as Robinson comes across evidence suggesting she, not her mother, killed Brian.
At the vet's office, Bryant agrees to pay for the dog's expensive surgery. Meanwhile, Adams' doctor suggests that she take a leave of absence if she intends to carry the baby to term.
Sherman and Bryant apprehend one of the gang members involved with the old woman's murder. He gives up a name when Bryant threatens to arrest him. Later, they respond to a call about a fight at a pool. Inside, the officers break up the fight between a man and a woman. Sherman then dives into the pool to rescue a young girl and saves her life by performing CPR.
When questioned by Cooper, Tang reveals that her father was a Marine and thus she feels compelled to help the homeless man. Cooper and Tang take the man's picture and then head over to a fake ID shop.
Adams and Robinson find Nicole but she gives chase. When Adams catches up with her, the girl swipes her with a knife and then attempts to flee in a truck. However, she crashes into an arriving patrol car and is taken to the hospital. There, Adams comforts the girl and has a talk with Melanie, who tells her she has no regrets about raising her troubled daughter.
At the vet's office, Bryant learns that the dog's owners, a little girl and her grandfather have arrived to claim him. The vet still insists that Bryant pay the bill.
As Adams drives one of the girls from Brian's building home, she asks the girl about her family situation. The girl, in turn, asks Adams if she has any kids. Adams tells her that she will soon and the girl tells Adams her kids will be lucky.
Breakdown:
They say no good deed goes unpunished and that's especially true in "Southland." An old woman who gave back to her community is killed by wannabe gangbangers while a twenty-year vet lives on the street. Poor Bryant gets soft after shooting a dog only to have his owners arrive after he's footed the bill. And let's not forget Sherman, who saves his neighbor from her abusive ex-boyfriend only to get an earful about his own infamous YouTube video.
"Southland" can be as painful as it is enjoyable to watch. Episodes often leave me feeling like I just took a kick to the stomach while stiffening up to take another. Few things are ever fair and justice has 20/20 eyesight as it glares down at those with the best intentions.
This hour brought into question the "Identity' of a number of players. Sherman is holding out on his hipster LA digs while Bryant urges him to move to a cop neighborhood in the desert. Tang remembers where she came from when a homeless vet needs her help. But it was Adams who faced the biggest challenge in deciding if she wants to be a mother or a detective.
Adams and Cooper are two of the most complex characters on "Southland's" force. While Cooper's personal woes have taken a backseat this season, Adams has come to a crossroads that could put her entire career on the line. There's no hiding a pregnancy when you're surrounded by cops and detectives. By episode's end, the career woman made her choice, but where it will lead her remains to be seen.
There's nothing pretty or sentimental about "Southland." And as we saw in "Identity," motherhood can be as much of a grind as policing the L.A. streets. Like so many in this episode, Adams is going with her heart and we've seen where that can take you. For her sake, I hope the detective is the exception to "Southland's" harsh rule.
Crave Online Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
