Thinky Thoughts Provoked by Southland's 3x04 "Code 4"
So, several years ago I took a film class in college. I took it because it filled one of my stupid GE requirements and seemed like the least boring to me of all the proffered courses. The professor had selected various films, a lot of them foreign language and/or from the 1940s or 1950s to teach us about the progression of film making, and particularly how American film making was influenced/did influence the type of film making we see currently.
The class was one day a week, three hours a day, so for the most part we watched a movie, and then came back the next week to discuss it for an hour or so (after we'd done some homework on the various type of film) and then we'd watch another film. I remember during one discussion, though I don't remember what film it was that we were talking about, that something came up about film influencing the way we see the world, and what our beliefs are. I can remember sitting there scoffing just a bit, and then raising my hand to say something like: Well, I love movies, and certainly I am touched and/or moved by them, educated in some ways, entertained in others, but my fundamental beliefs do not come from things I've watched in movies.
This is still true. I'm a deeply religious person. My fundamental beliefs come from the scriptures. That's not to say that film and television both haven't influenced me. However, at the time, I remember my professor, and several of my classmates, looking at me like there was something wrong with me. I never really got to the bottom of what exactly made them look like that, but I still stand by my assertion that if anything, films and television may have illustrated a point or further solidified a belief I already had, but I truly do not think anything I believe has ever been based upon something I've seen in the media in that regard.
Okay, this is a really long-winded intro into saying that last night's episode of Southland has been provoking my mind for about 13 straight hours. I went to bed thinking about it, and woke up thinking about it, and thanks to the Internet I've been able to read a bunch of stuff about it.
I went to the Facebook page [thanks for the tip ninasis] and there are literally pages and pages of responses with regard to Nate Moretto's murder from last night's episode. Many responses were of the "Atta Boy" variety, praising the show for being what it is: real, gritty, and sometimes painful to watch. A lot of other people were upset and complaining about the fact that Nate, and his portrayer Kevin Alejandro, are now gone from the show. Seems he wasn't just my favorite character, but a lot of people's favorite. It's a tragedy of epic proportions. As I read the various remarks, I began to cry. Legit tears coming from my eyes. Now this isn't particularly odd for me to cry over a fictional character, but it struck me that it wasn't NATE per se that I was mourning for. It was for the real police officers, men and women, who risk their lives every day. The writers of this show even responded to some of the postings on FB, explaining that they had killed Nate because he was someone that everyone loved--the other characters on the show love him, and the viewers love him. Through his fictional death, they brought into our living rooms what families all over the U.S. and the world go through when their loved ones go down in the line of duty.
Now, again, my fundamental beliefs didn't change with this, but my AWARENESS did. I ended up posting on FB as well and pointing out that if everyone was as outraged by the real police who get killed this way, then maybe TPTB on a television show wouldn't have to kill off a beloved character to illustrate the point--to teach us--to make us aware.
See, because Nate Moretto's dead, but Kevin Alejandro is not. He'll go off and play a gay witch guy on True Blood and when that's over, he'll pop up on NCIS or Grey's Anatomy or, maybe if I'm super lucky, The Vampire Diaries. But every day, the policemen and women leave their houses not knowing for sure that they'll come back. And we cut spending so there are fewer of them to protect each other [Oakland, I'm looking at you], and we prosecute them for aggressive action when a knife-wielding perp gets shot because he won't put down his weapon [this happened in my city], and we, as a society, have to learn our lessons through art instead of reality.
Now, I'm not saying there aren't dirty cops, or irresponsible cops, or plain and simple bad cops out there. But for the most part--I suspect the ones who give their lives, who work in scary, dangerous places, who do it because some part of them is called into it, like a holy ordination--those people are symbolized by Nate Moretto.
So as much as it pissed me off that my favorite character died, I think I get it better today--I feel silly for missing the point, and it seemed important to say that out loud to the ether. For what it's worth.
The class was one day a week, three hours a day, so for the most part we watched a movie, and then came back the next week to discuss it for an hour or so (after we'd done some homework on the various type of film) and then we'd watch another film. I remember during one discussion, though I don't remember what film it was that we were talking about, that something came up about film influencing the way we see the world, and what our beliefs are. I can remember sitting there scoffing just a bit, and then raising my hand to say something like: Well, I love movies, and certainly I am touched and/or moved by them, educated in some ways, entertained in others, but my fundamental beliefs do not come from things I've watched in movies.
This is still true. I'm a deeply religious person. My fundamental beliefs come from the scriptures. That's not to say that film and television both haven't influenced me. However, at the time, I remember my professor, and several of my classmates, looking at me like there was something wrong with me. I never really got to the bottom of what exactly made them look like that, but I still stand by my assertion that if anything, films and television may have illustrated a point or further solidified a belief I already had, but I truly do not think anything I believe has ever been based upon something I've seen in the media in that regard.
Okay, this is a really long-winded intro into saying that last night's episode of Southland has been provoking my mind for about 13 straight hours. I went to bed thinking about it, and woke up thinking about it, and thanks to the Internet I've been able to read a bunch of stuff about it.
I went to the Facebook page [thanks for the tip ninasis] and there are literally pages and pages of responses with regard to Nate Moretto's murder from last night's episode. Many responses were of the "Atta Boy" variety, praising the show for being what it is: real, gritty, and sometimes painful to watch. A lot of other people were upset and complaining about the fact that Nate, and his portrayer Kevin Alejandro, are now gone from the show. Seems he wasn't just my favorite character, but a lot of people's favorite. It's a tragedy of epic proportions. As I read the various remarks, I began to cry. Legit tears coming from my eyes. Now this isn't particularly odd for me to cry over a fictional character, but it struck me that it wasn't NATE per se that I was mourning for. It was for the real police officers, men and women, who risk their lives every day. The writers of this show even responded to some of the postings on FB, explaining that they had killed Nate because he was someone that everyone loved--the other characters on the show love him, and the viewers love him. Through his fictional death, they brought into our living rooms what families all over the U.S. and the world go through when their loved ones go down in the line of duty.
Now, again, my fundamental beliefs didn't change with this, but my AWARENESS did. I ended up posting on FB as well and pointing out that if everyone was as outraged by the real police who get killed this way, then maybe TPTB on a television show wouldn't have to kill off a beloved character to illustrate the point--to teach us--to make us aware.
See, because Nate Moretto's dead, but Kevin Alejandro is not. He'll go off and play a gay witch guy on True Blood and when that's over, he'll pop up on NCIS or Grey's Anatomy or, maybe if I'm super lucky, The Vampire Diaries. But every day, the policemen and women leave their houses not knowing for sure that they'll come back. And we cut spending so there are fewer of them to protect each other [Oakland, I'm looking at you], and we prosecute them for aggressive action when a knife-wielding perp gets shot because he won't put down his weapon [this happened in my city], and we, as a society, have to learn our lessons through art instead of reality.
Now, I'm not saying there aren't dirty cops, or irresponsible cops, or plain and simple bad cops out there. But for the most part--I suspect the ones who give their lives, who work in scary, dangerous places, who do it because some part of them is called into it, like a holy ordination--those people are symbolized by Nate Moretto.
So as much as it pissed me off that my favorite character died, I think I get it better today--I feel silly for missing the point, and it seemed important to say that out loud to the ether. For what it's worth.