U-Boat

'U-Boat' is "Southland"'s best to date, and not at all easy to watch. Partially for the way Chickie's been handled. She's suddenly the squad pariah because of not turning Dewey in years earlier, but because her cop skills have been on the decline. I have a problem with this because it feels contrived, something shoved in without any prior foundation-laying, although it flows well with the rest of the episode.

This is ultimately about two officers finding out who they are. For Chickie, it's a tall mountain because she's ostracized. For Sherman - who graduates to his own patrol unit - it's a different challenge. He's this show's closest thing to a boy scout, reckless but incredibly big-hearted. His day consists of dealing with an emotionally abusive parent, locating a lost child and answering the pleas of a woman who's being stalked. He finds the child unharmed - which is just the win we need because the other calls yield bitter losses.

To me, this is where the show excels: focused on a couple of character relationships and showing what it means to be out there on the streets. A huge part of that is knowing you can't save everyone, and that turns out to be a painful lesson.

10/10