Agh, that final scene was awful. The image of a devastated Lydia cradling her infant as the paramedics wheel away her only support network. I'll say this for the writers, at least they don't resort to these kinds of gut-punch endings to prop up lesser episodes.
It's a shame about Steele (Derek Ray), but he wasn't going to last. Although the irony of his name is sweet (when the bullets start flying . . . ). And I dunno what happened to Drucker, but the new lady Sarge is a nice change. She doesn't get much, but it's nice to see another strong female presence.
What's really notable about 'Heat' are its comments about the LAPD. There's an episode-stealing scene in which Cooper lays into a judgmental ice cream vendor about how deserving of a break police really are. It's an impassioned (and effective) speech and goes a long way towards engendering goodwill. And on the other hand, there's about burnout cop (Chad Michael Murray) railing against the department for not standing behind officers when the chips are down (under the bus" gets through a lot this season). This isn't a political show, but what it says abut life behind the badge is no laughing matter.
8/10
