By Davina Gantz aka @gingercara

Raw. Gritty. Emotional. Intense. Edge of my seat. Non-stop action. Those are just some of the words I can use to describe the most recent episode of SouthLAnd. I was on the edge of my seat from the moment the episode started until it ended. Starting off with the gang shooting at the club where Nate’s daughter is witness to two gang members being killed to Sammy arresting Casper at the end. It is very obvious that Sal and Gil don’t get along as they discuss the killing at the nightclub.

Tammy. What can I say about Tammy, brilliantly played by actress Emily Bergl. She is out taking pictures all over town. Picture of a skateboarding teen that is carrying pot, to a gang member that Sammy and his team are investigating. She brings home the pot carrying teen and gets high with him despite being pregnant. She passes out, the teen takes her laptop and very expensive camera. She is flighty, ditzy, self-centered, wrapped up in her photography which may or may not become a career. It could be a passing phase like so many other things she gets into. Her relationship with Sammy is definitely strained. Should they still be together? Why are they together? I guess it’s true about opposites attract. Should they be having kids? Is Sammy trying to get her pregnant because he is feeling pressure from Gil and Nate?

The scene with Sherman and Cooper at the mall was hysterical. Sherman spotting a guy using a video camera to look up a lady’s skirt. Cooper taking the camera from the guy and destroying it. Giving the guy his business card to get the iPod replaced. From what I’ve seen most of the scene was ad libbed by Michael Cudlitz. Just goes to show what an excellent actor he is. Sherman trying to keep a straight face at the end of the scene was priceless. How he didn’t just burst out laughing I will never know.

Sammy gets himself in trouble by taking his work home. By meeting Casper’s mother to taking him to a movie and lunch gives the relationship a personal touch which clouds Sammy’s judgment. When a kid is killed and Sammy finds out it was Casper that killed him he sobs while holding Casper. The emotion was so raw and real. I was crying with Sammy. All three times I watched the episode. Incredible acting by Shawn Hatosy. If he isn’t nominated for some kind of award I will be shocked.

Mercedes calling Nate “Daddy”, Cooper and Sherman discovering the money and guns, Sal and Gil finally bonding, Nate and Gil finding the head in the box, Sherman and Michelle hooking up, Sammy discovering that Tammy is still smoking pot and not pregnant after all. Her lack of concern for his emotionally tough day while she goes on about her problems.

I could go on for paragraphs about how awesome this episode is but I won’t. Everyone that viewed it realizes how awesome it was, maybe even the best episode yet. The brilliant writing, the brilliant acting. This is a show most deserving of renewal.