Reviewer: Charity Bishop
     

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" has become a catchphrase among fans of The Closer, TNT's Emmy-award winning murder mystery drama revolving around a Georgia police chief transplanted in L.A. Back for a highly successful fourth season stocked with murder, mayhem, humor, and multiple appearances of Brenda's famous Southern charm, this time around wedding nuptials are impending, Fritz wants to move into a different house, and a flame-happy arsonist serial killer is back in their lives...

It's a beautiful night apart from the flames licking through Griffith Park. It is clearly a case of arson but the reason why doesn't become known until a body is discovered in the burn zone. Deputy Police Chief Brenda Lee Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) and her team of crack investigators now have a murder on their hands. To complicate matters, a local investigative reporter named Ricardo simply will not leave them alone and his determination to exploit whether or not the Major Case Squad is showing preferential treatment to some victims makes Chief Pope (J.K. Simmons) eager to have him involved in the process. If matters were not strained enough at work, there's also the fact that Brenda and her FBI agent boyfriend Fritz (Jon Tenney) are moving into a new house, and return home one evening to find an unwanted visitor... a man from her professional past known for his tendency to be a "fire bug."

Brenda now has a suspect but cannot be sure if Croelick is guilty or intended to be an asset. And when she is finished with this case, there are other homicides to investigate ranging from kidnappings to terrorism and even a police bust that goes horribly wrong when the evidence is stolen. Everything you love about previous seasons is back in full force, with the antics of the squad providing many laughs throughout their investigations. The show's quirky sense of humor sets it apart from other series in the genre, and that ongoing sense of delightful absurdity is showcased particularly well in "Dial M For Provenza," a mid-season episode in which the bumbling Provenza and Flynn deal with a particularly stupid criminal who by pure chance nearly gets away with attempted murder. The chemistry between the two actors, depicting characters who at one time loathed each other and are now the best of friends, is terrific and only further enhanced by a great cast. Sedgwick has become iconic as Brenda, a woman never too far from a candy bar, constantly preoccupied, and whip-smart, although regularly underestimated by arrogant, chauvinistic perpetrators.

Some of the cases touch on serious emotional issues -- "Sudden Death" features the murder of the brother of one of the members of the squad, and at long last Raymund Cruz (Lt. Sanchez) is allowed to show his acting chops. He knocks it out of the ball park cinematically speaking and the first time truly stands out among his peers, a performance that remains solid throughout the rest of the season. For the most part, the cases retain the same amount of problematic material that one would expect from a crime drama. Violence is infrequent but crime scenes are often bloody. In one emotionally-charged episode, the squad take on a shooter who strikes in a mall -- we see people being taken down by bullets, with bloody results; one of the team members is almost fatally wounded. Bad language is not often put to use but does include occasional crudities and profanities (including bull****). Sexual content is limited to Brenda and Fritz being affectionate with one another, conversations about dating and chasing women, etc. One episode ("Problem Child") opens with Brenda and Fritz showering together, and exchanging dialogue loaded with double meanings. (It usually turns out to be innocent, but the audience suspects otherwise.)

Rape and molestation are issues in certain episodes -- the hardest one to watch is "Cherry Bomb," in which we hear certain details pertaining to forced sex among underage girls, and discover a group of high school boys are making a game out of seducing or raping their peers. (Their names then turn up online, as part of "boasting" rights.) "Power of Attorney" involves a serial rapist; discussion revolves around his crimes, which include murder. (It also has a chilling twist toward the end.) Sanchez is horrified to find out he has unknowingly locked lips (shown) with a transvestite in "Junk in the Trunk." Religion is touched on in "Good Faith," in which Brenda suspects a Catholic minister is keeping secrets from the police. (The faith itself is never called into question or made fun of.) Fritz's sister believes she has become a psychic and insists on helping them solve a crime -- it is never explained, but either she is a good guesser or right about her newfound "powers," since she does put them on the right track. (At the same time, the script kind of pokes fun at the profession of using psychics on investigations.)

Probably the greatest moment for fans this season comes at the end, when at long last Brenda and Fritz the the proverbial knot and get married. How they wind up working separate cases during the reception you will have to find out for yourself!