When the LAPD's dispatch system went down for several hours, "Babel" was what happened in the aftermath. 

And as the narrator said at the start of the episode in this Southland quote…

The LAPD serves 4 million people speaking over 100 different languages. Sometimes things get lost in translation. | permalink

Speaking of needing translation, Sammy and Ben's puppet show could have used one. They were awful. You'd think Sammy would be better at this considering he has a kid. But leave it to Sherman to hit the important points. He managed to get hit on by the hot grade school teacher.

But I suppose Sammy had other things on his mind, like Tammy no-showing on their assigned custody swap. The problem was that Sammy's a good guy and Tammy knew exactly how to push his buttons. Plus, she was more than willing to play dirty to get what she wanted. 

Money's tight but Sammy should invest in a private investigator to get some dirt on Tammy. A week's worth of photos of Tammy getting high around her kid could definitely help his custody case.

Cooper's had enough of dealing with kids…or should I say, boots. Steele was the last straw. So instead he took on a new veteran partner in Hank. 

This will undoubtedly take some adjustment. Cooper's grown used to calling all the shots and Hank didn't look like he was going to put up with that kind of crap. That said, another experienced cop might be just what Cooper needs right now. 

Cooper came down on the kid selling lemonade kind of hard. I could be wrong but I honestly believed him when he said he thought the flowers were simply garnishment.  Too bad they were also a hallucinogen. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be an entrepreneur.  

I was almost hoping that Cooper would get partnered with Dewey, but if that were the case he might end up begging for a new boot before the shift ended.

I had to feel sorry for Dewey's partner. She literally got clothes lined by a clothes line. Those things are dangerous.

Not nearly as dangerous as sitting in an English as a second language class apparently. That was insane. If Sherman had stepped one foot into that doorway he would have been dead. I only wish we would have seen the aftermath when the guy came back for more. 

Lydia and Rueben's case was truly horrific. Not that they don't witness those types of shootings frequently, but that a mother could lose all three of her sons to the streets. The fact that she seemed to believe it was all inevitable was sad beyond words.

Lydia was struggling with her own son. So much for getting help from Aunt Haddie. I felt sorry for the poor child when I saw the way the old woman practically tossed him at Lydia and walked out the door.

Although Lydia obviously needed help, at least she's not involved with Terrell anymore. Apparently the old saying was true. Once a cheat, always a cheat. It looked as though Yvette's learning that one the hard way.

Did you like Cooper's new partner? What should Lydia do now and is there anything Sammy can do to combat Tammy's craziness? What's your take on this week's Southland?

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