MovieChat Forums > Southland (2009) Discussion > Southland lost its spark when... (SPOILE...

Southland lost its spark when... (SPOILERS)

posted 11 years ago by jorge_december
5 replies | jump to latest

Nate Moretta was killed and half of the main cast disappeared almost without a trace. I felt that killing Nate off was a great mistake. Yeah yeah, Kevin Alejandro had other commitments...but I still think that this was one of the main reasons why the story lines changed so much. Sammy went on a rampage, then became Ben's partner and so and on. His dynamics with Ben were interesting, but not as good as the one with Nate. They really had chemistry, to the point where it could become an unforgettable bromance. It had so much potential.

Meanwhile, what the hell happened to Chickie? and how did they just got rid of Sal's story line that easy? And shooting Russell at the end of Season 1 was also a mistake. He had great chemistry with Lydia too. This show was cursed from the beginning and it is a miracle it really got as far as it did. It is a gem, and while the patrol officer's stories are the soul of the show, the detectives' stories were the driving force that made me want to tune in.

What do you think?

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] gsps311 11 years ago

This show was just ok. I said early on, characters were here one day gone the next. I agree with the Nate angle, the show lost its edge after that. I watched because I was already involved with the show. I am not sad that its over. It's tough to watch after watching The Shield.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] MortalFrailty 11 years ago

Agreed.

It's common knowledge that with SouthLAnd's cancellation right after the 1st season (then getting picked up by TNT) and budget cuts after low viewership compared to the cost of each episode with the real location filming & ensemble cast, they cut out the ensemble cast (mostly detectives) after Season 2 & write out some more in Season 3.

Chickie's departure was explained- she applied for Metro & got it and that reflects real life with officers transferring or going to other departments. She wanted to move (mainly because of Dewey) and she did.

The detectives leaving stunk, but the focus on the main characters was still entertaining.
Russell's departure made sense given what happened to him in S1 & was written perfectly to fit his situation after that- even bringing him back in S5 to see what he'd been up to & gave his character & Lydia's a good send-off.

Take care, God bless.

[–] Zerose 11 years ago

Meanwhile, what the hell happened to Chickie?

She was transferred to Metro.

She mentioned in a conversation with John Cooper (next to their cars) that she had applied for a transfer to Metro. In a later episode, Dewey confirmed to Cooper (in the porn shop) Chickie was working at Metro.

Remember in the first episode, Dewey mocked Chickie for wanting to join SWAT? That was her ultimate ambition, so to qualify for SWAT, she would have to work in Metro for a while. We can assume that from thereon, she will be hoping to work as a SWAT officer.