Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop
 

One of the summer's best programs is The Closer. Revolving around an eccentric female police chief whose job it is to close her cases at any cost, it features a memorable set of characters and many moments of surprising empathy. This season is one of the best in terms of development and experiencing "real life" in Brenda's world.

When a woman and her children are found murdered execution-style in their home, Deputy Police Chief Brenda Lee Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) and her squad undertake discerning the reason why. Newly returned from an overseas honeymoon with FBI agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney), Brenda is ready to get back into the swing of things. Comprised of some of the smartest minds (and mouths) in the business, her team of investigators wastes no time in revealing the shocking motive behind the murder and a horrible case of mistaken identity. Much has changed since her two-week vacation overseas. Provenza ( G.W. Bailey) is sporting brand new ties and a grin that implies he may be working up to wife number six (or is it seven?). Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) is still smarting from his tempestuous break-up with a coworker. And worst of all, Brenda's cat is feeling under the weather and Fritz suggests they have her put to sleep.

Each episode is stand-alone but all of them contribute to an overall flow when it comes to character development and following up on things. What makes this television series so special is that it never recovers from week to week. If someone breaks up, we see their sadness through several episodes rather than having it be a one-time deal. The storyline surrounding Brenda's cat entangles at least four or five episodes and the audience experiences grief through all its stages right along with the heroine. We cry when she asks the vet to come over and put the animal to sleep, and says farewell to Kitty on the couch. At the end of the next episode, our affection for Fritz grows when he agrees to watch a bird movie in remembrance of Kitty, and we feel a little pang when another episode later, Brenda packs up the cat's things to give away.

It would be very easy to make Brenda a hard woman -- but she isn't. She can sit there, stone-faced, and interrogate a serial killer about each of his crimes -- but when she steps out of the interrogation room, physical and mental repercussions kick in and sometimes even tears. More than once she brought me to tears this season -- and that is a testament not only to the strength of how Brenda is written but also the exquisite, mind-blowing performance by Kyra Sedgwick. She has already bagged at least one Emmy for this series and continues to earn nominations in each subsequent season. Most of the rest of the cast is overshadowed when it comes to awards programs but they shouldn't be, because all of them are stellar. There are also some terrific guest appearances, namely this season from sci-fi veteran Mary McDonnell as a hard-nosed internal investigation officer who frequently locks horns with Brenda.

Because of occasionally adult themes and some gruesome crime scenes, The Closer is best suited for more mature audiences. Even though cable television allows for almost any sort of content, I am pleased to say that for the most part the season remains clean. On occasion there is some mild innuendo or the detectives bantering about their love lives, but this season was free of too much problematic content in that regard. One episode features homosexual partners and one turns up missing; another brings in a former detective who has had a sex change operation in order to become a woman. The second to last episode includes a rape victim, and some discussion of the crime. Language is present but limited (there is one use of the term bull**** and general profanities). Violence and the repercussions of it are frequent. Detectives chase down, tackle, and occasionally beat up criminals attempting to flee custody. On several occasions they allow criminals to abuse one another so as to have an excuse to use "excessive force" in the form of tazors. We witness gruesome crime scenes with lots of blood spatters, trails, and footprints, along with occasional recreations of crimes and discussion about how someone was killed. The "harshest" episode is the finale, about a serial killer who targets young women and leaves them in a pool of blood to die.

One of the better things this season is the appearance of Brenda's niece (played beautifully by Kyra's daughter, Sosie Bacon), who shakes things up in their household. The repercussions and yes, blessings that come from having a child in the house reflect in Brenda and Fritz, and Charlie also makes positive changes in her life. (The journey there includes getting her aunt high on marijuana-laced brownies, and Fritz being furious about it.) There are two episodes that feature Brenda's parents and as always, they bring in some cute humor. There are two things, however, that bear mentioning. One is that Brenda can sometimes even get on my nerves, particularly when it comes to how she treats her husband. Frequently undermining and dismissing him, Brenda can hardly be held up as a good example of wifely behavior -- and it is a testament to Fritz that he doesn't leave. The other is that the episodes this season seemed fairly easy to figure out. Only one or two of them had a twist at the end that I did not foresee. It doesn't mean I enjoyed them any less, just that the murderer was a little too obvious.