Southland (TV Series) Punching Water (2011) User Reviews

Southland-Bigotry Hasn't Been Better than This ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 12 January 2011]

As Martin Luther King day approaches, south central L.A. is hit by a series of gang-related murders. No one seems to be immune to the violence including a gang member's young wife and their 4 year old son.

Some of the worst police racism is shown in this episode. There are some terrible comments made by our former alcoholic officer. This guy really requires anger management.

As we see, the murders stem from a tragic mistake made. Isn't all violence essentially this?

We had some comic relief where the officers stop a car with 11 musicians inside. Even our alcoholic cop sings along with the members.

Regina King shows her mettle for her refusal to listen to police bigotry. Her partner is excellent as well.

Weekend disharmony

[Mr-Fusion · 9/10 · 23 January 2017]

'Punching Water' lures you into a false sense of security; for a while, Between Sherman's dalliance with the infamous badge bunny Sally, and Dewey's intolerable new-agey shtick (Cooper: "If I have to hear more about AA, I'll bring back the Daryl Gates choke-hold myself!"). Even when there's a gang war breaking out, the balance between light and dark is maintained. But the MLK weekend turns bloody, racial tensions (even among the police) come to a head, and the intensity is heightened yet again.

Eventually, the right people go to jail, time cards are punched and it's just one more day on the streets. And like clockwork, Tammi's there at the very end to get under our skin.

9/10