I was a little disappointed by this week’s Southland. 

Can you blame me? I was so rocked by Nate’s death that I was anticipating an emotionally powerful episode dedicated to the aftermath.  When we only got a couple of mentions about the funeral and no scenes with Sammy, I felt jipped.

Still, “The Winds” was entertaining in other areas.  Lydia and Josie continue to bicker through their cases.  Their debate over how to handle a rape victim was thought provoking.  Lydia was willing to back off the victim when she was reluctant to testify, but Josie pushed for her to make an ID.  I understand why Josie did so.  At least with an ID they’d know if they’re looking at the right suspect.

Unfortunately, an ID doesn’t help when your witness is lying. 

When the wrong man is arrested and then injured, Lydia is furious with both Josie and herself.  I find Josie and Lydia’s contentious relationship captivating.  They generally both have valid points, but come at issues from completely different directions.

On other fronts, Officer John Cooper has been on a downward spiral since last season. I love how his suffering just kept building this week.  First was his realization that the therapy for his back pain wasn’t working.  Then, his irritation with Ben. 

Add to it the abandoned kid who looks to John for more than he can give and top it off with John speaking at his father’s parole hearing and actually saying the words, “My father should stay in here until the day he dies."

Watching John claw through the dirt, desperate to find his pills, I could only hope that he had finally hit bottom.  But this is Southland, so I’m not sure what to expect.

Thankfully, we had a couple of lighter moments, too. The incident between the dog and the snake had me squirming.  Large snakes are incredibly strong.  I was impressed when John dove under the deck to save the dog.  My question: why wasn’t the owner under there, too?  I’m surprised John didn’t yell at him to get his butt under there and help.

And then there was the kid who called the police to have his mom arrested for child abuse because she smacked his bottom three times when he cut school.  Although I’ll admit the mention of the belt made me nervous, I enjoyed John’s response.  Perhaps it wasn’t politically correct, but it was certainly effective.

Do you think Southland was just letting us catch our breath after last week’s explosive climax?  Did you find the absence of follow up to Nate’s death as surprising as I did or are you just more anxious to see where they take this story in the future?

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.