reviewed by Charity Bishop
         

The first season of The Closer made history by being the highest-rated cable show on television. The second season, storylines were tighter, plots ran thicker, and complications abounded in the lives of everyone's favorite female cop. In short, The Closer took a page from Dick Wolf's long-standing successful format.

When a policeman is found shot to death in an abandoned warehouse, Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) is brought in to investigate. Heading up a talented group of detectives with the Priority Homicide squad, she races against a ticking clock to find the murderer and unearth potential dark secrets within the police force before higher authorities demand a closing of the investigation. Juggling her relationship with Agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney) of the FBI, and a potential visit from her Southern "Mama" on the side, Brenda must fight to get to the truth, no matter whose toes get stepped on in the meantime. Her partner and driver, Sgt. Gabriel (Corey Reynolds), warns her that she might anger the police department with her findings, but her ultimate goal is to close the case, not to pamper the egos of the LA PD.

In the meantime, her boss Police Chief Will Pope (J.K. Simmons) is heading into a nasty divorce, in which he needs her to act as a character witness so he can gain custody of his kids. But appearing for him in court unearths her former relationship with him, a fact that threatens the respect of her coworkers and her place in the department. And then there is no end to murders, from a juror in a mafia trial to body parts winding up in dumpsters all over the city, to a shocking shooting in the squad room. The Closer really came into its stride in the second season, building off the quirks of the first year and throwing some unexpected twists into Brenda's career.

One of the high points for me is the humor involved. The love-hate relationship between the squad's two grouchiest detectives, Flynn (Anthony John Denison) and Provenza (G.W. Bailey), in particular are a gem, whether they are piling coffee cups on one another's desks, arguing about whose car they should take to the ball game, or quipping about ex-wives. Another cute plot line involves Brenda's mother coming for a visit, complete with a charming Southern "Thank you so much!" and ever-present camera, which comes in handy later on when Brenda's cat goes missing and she has to ask mom for a picture of the kitty to use on lost posters. I also really like Fritz. He puts up with Brenda's peculiar shenanigans with amazing tolerance. And then there's the fact that for the first half of the season, Brenda is determined to give up sugar, leading to Lt. Tao (Michael Paul Chan) begging her to eat some chocolate, for all their sakes.

Like the season before it, there are some content concerns but most of them have to do with case revelations and criminal activities. Fritz does discuss moving in with Brenda, and eventually brings over all of his stuff, a fact she tries to conceal from her mother in fear of disapproval. Several of the cases discuss sexual crimes. In "Aftertaste," we learn a woman has been sleeping her way to success. "Out of Focus" reveals a secret homosexual relationship. "Head Over Heels" is the worst, since it involves the death of a porn star. Brenda stumbles into a porn shoot; a man's privates are barely covered as he gets up. We overhear sexual sounds as the squad briefly watches a porn tape to identify the victim. Innuendo is present in their responses. There is a lot of discussion about unprotected sexual activity and the spreading of the HIV virus. It's implied the victim was bisexual. "To Protect & to Serve" has a woman's body found wearing only her underwear, and later, Brenda is accused of carrying on with Pope by his embittered ex-wife.

There is also some gore: bloody crime scenes, shootings, physical assaults, blackened eyes, and a gruesome autopsy video in "Heroic Measures." There is some general profanity and occasional use of the term "b**ch." It's a good show in the sense that it is never predictable and is more about the characters than the crimes. Brenda and her associates are all so likable that the audience cannot help identifying with them, whether they are trying to get out of a tight spot or figure out how to get a murderer to confess. It's solid filmmaking all around and by in large, a fantastic show for crime drama fans. My mom and I got through the entire series in three days, proving that it's addictive... and well worth watching.