Ep 5. Legacy

In the fifth episode of Southland's fourth season, titled "Legacy," the show delves deeper into the personal lives of the central characters while also exploring issues of police brutality and race relations.

The episode opens with Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) training a new officer, Jessica Tang (Lucy Liu), who is getting her first taste of the gritty reality of working the streets of Los Angeles. Tang proves to be a competent and tough cop, impressing Cooper and her fellow officers with her ability to quickly defuse a volatile situation involving a mentally unstable man.

Meanwhile, Officer Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie) is dealing with the aftermath of a recent shooting in which a young African American man was killed by police. Sherman is deeply troubled by the incident and questions the actions of his fellow officers, who he believes may have used excessive force.

As the investigation into the shooting continues, Sherman begins to feel increasingly isolated from his colleagues, who view him as a potential liability due to his willingness to scrutinize their actions. This tension comes to a head when Sherman clashes with a fellow officer, Cooper, during a high-speed chase that ends with a suspect being fatally shot.

Through it all, Southland maintains its trademark intense, intimate style, offering a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the lives of the men and women who patrol the streets of one of America's most complex and challenging cities. With "Legacy," the show continues to explore the complicated and often fraught relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve, offering a nuanced and thought-provoking portrait of life on the front lines of the justice system.