U-Boat 

Ben winds up in a patrol unit alone for the first time. Over in the Gangs Unit, Gil Puente leads a task force to catch a gangster – but Sal and Sammy find it hard to work with him.

Director:

Christopher Chulack

Writers:

Ann Biderman (creator), Ann Biderman

Stars:

Kevin Alejandro, Arija Bareikis, Michael Cudlitz

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Alejandro	...	Detective Nate Moretta (credit only)
Arija Bareikis	...	Officer Chickie Brown
Michael Cudlitz	...	Officer John Cooper
Shawn Hatosy	...	Detective Sammy Bryant (credit only)
Regina King	...	Detective Lydia Adams
Michael McGrady	...	Detective Daniel Salinger (credit only)
Ben McKenzie	...	Officer Ben Sherman
Tom Everett Scott	...	Detective Russell Clarke
Amaury Nolasco	...	Detective Rene Cordero
Chris Gartin	...	Tom Sorenson
Lily Holleman	...	Brianna Smith
Brett Rickaby	...	Dad
Maite Schwartz	...	Stella Holmes (as Maité Schwartz)
Emily Swallow	...	Dina Clarke
Tom Virtue	...	Russell's Doctor

Storyline

Ben Sherman finally gets to drive his own patrol car when mentor Cooper acts instead as partner for a female colleague, whose shocking incompetence he demonstrates and scolds mercilessly. Ben is shocked but powerless when he sees a bully father 'punish' his gentle son for being a 'sissy victim' of street rabble by imposing front garden chores in female underwear. Ben smartly questions a Korean couple and their young son Matthew whose sister is missing and learns enough to find her. Cordero told Lydia not to be allover recovering Russell, but she only believes it when his cold reception and other visitor make it obvious.

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Plot Keywords:

chore | bully | undressing | father son relationship | public humiliation | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Quotes

Officer Ben Sherman: Every one's congratulating me like I did something great. I hit that guy hard. He had cuffs on.
Officer John Cooper: You've got a lot of power out there. If you can't get control of it, maybe you shouldn't be here.
Officer Ben Sherman: I don't know where the lines are...
Officer John Cooper: Now you know what you're capable of. Everyone- When they get out of the Academy- they think it's all black and white, but it's not. We live in the gray. We live there.

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Connections

References Serpico (1973)

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Soundtracks

Hooray for Hollywood
(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

User Reviews

"Now we know what you're capable of."

'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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1