(S02E07) Is it me, or is this show getting better and better? There was a lot of humor in this episode. From Det. Sanchez's knowledge of porn stars to Brenda's frustration with the inter-office romance to the master-of-the-obvious coroner, there were a lot of little quirks that made this episode particularly enjoyable.
This episode didn't waste any time getting into the case, did it? Sgt. Gabriel admits to his relationship with Det. Daniels and we get right to the severed head and feet in the garbage can. Det. Sanchez recognizes the head as porn star Buck Shot, AKA Chris Mundy (and the whole team confirms his identity by watching porn together). It turns out that Chris may have been concealing the fact that he has AIDS and has possibly infected 238 women in the porn industry.
It's the fact that Chris has AIDS that takes the investigation in several directions. It leads Brenda to suspect Chris' wife for helping him cover up his illness, but she really doesn't know about the AIDS. She also has 238 suspects-- all the women he had sex with in movies for the last year and a half. But that gets her nowhere. It turns out, the mother and son who own the porn industry are guilty of the murder. The mother gives up the son, who admits to the murder, but gives up his mother to an even worse crime. The mother hired some cheap talent from Brazil without ever testing the girls for AIDS. When she found out Mundy was positive, she paid off the guy at the lab to replace Mundy's blood with his boyfriend's blood. Mundy unknowingly passed on AIDS to at least 13 women, including his wife.
The other storyline this week was about the possibility that Brenda is pregnant. She's throwing up at crime scenes and doesn't eat shellfish or drink wine because she's worried that she's with child. She can't bring herself to either tell Fritz or take a pregnancy test so she just lets the stress eat her up inside. She even tries to talk to Chief Pope about her possible pregnancy but he gets all weird and says he can't have that conversation with her. He also reveals the answer to last week's cliffhanger: yes, Brenda accepted his offer to eat dinner but she took the opportunity to tell him to back off. Brenda discovers she's not pregnant and is ecstatic, but Fritz isn't. He obviously wants to have kids but Brenda tells him that marriage has to come first. I think we'll be seeing a diamond ring by the end of this season.
Did anyone else notice inside Brenda's desk drawer is the still-wrapped birthday gift from Chief Pope?
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-25-2006 @ 3:32AM
Keith L. Dick said...
Well since I have had no TV for about 3-years, that Pic of Keira or whoever it is looks like the "Worst Headache any Human could ever have"...
I'd even buy her some Aspirin if she needed it...
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 9:08AM
sharonlee said...
I love everything about this show all the characters are great. Story lines contain just the right amount of romance, mystery etc to keep you watching.
Whats not to like. Thank yew
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 10:13AM
Gordy said...
I did notice the unopened box. While it's interesting that it is not opened, what's more interesting is that it's still there. Could that be a bit of a metaphor for Pope's role in her life? Is she keeping him around "just in case"?
Typical.
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 1:18PM
Jimmy said...
Yeah, what the heck is up with the drawer? It's Brenda's little repository of all things interesting.
I loved the humor of this episode. Brenda is becoming more and more like the mother of this group; in fact, she’s acting more and more like her own mother. The chemistry among cast is just top notch. Not a one of them seems out of place. Another thing this show does is balance the humor with the drama. Even though there were times I was laughing out loud, when Brenda goes all serious after the HIV discover it's a startling change in tone. I'm wondering is the writers are going somewhere with Brenda's attitude. It's seem like every episode shows Brenda getting more emotional with the case and next week looks like to be a real heart-wrencher. This really is one of the best drams on television these days. Kyra Sedgwick deserves the Emmy this year.
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 1:55PM
ann said...
best line of the show:
Sgt Gabriel says, "A mini-van? How many porn stars live here?"
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 5:26PM
Jason said...
It is interesting how uncomfortable she is in her relationship with Fritz and it is maybe very telling that Pope said that he knows that she doesn't quite understand "friendship." It is very curious that she didn't talk to Fritz first about the situation.
She also seemed to be outright lying to him at the end of the episode when she blamed her not being interested in kids "right now" on them not being married.
Methinks all that she sees at work has soured her on bringing children into the world.
I think the only character they have yet to really flesh out is Captain Taylor. They still haven't quite redeemed him from his villainy last season nor have they returned him to such nefarious heights this season. He just seems more like a boob than anything.
Great episode, though. I love the way they portray Los Angeles. It feels about right.
Reply
7-25-2006 @ 5:41PM
Margaret said...
This show is getting better and better by the week. I agree that the cast members all seem to be in sync with their characters and with each other as an ensemble. The writing is fantastic. There certainly need to be some Emmy awards tossed their way. I'm so thrilled to see Kyra having this kind of fortune. I think she's been underrated for too long. I find myself looking forward to the show each week. The mixture of drama and comedy is great. I also like the mix of the story line each week - the case they're working combined with the unfolding of their personal lives.
Reply
8-02-2006 @ 2:09PM
G.E. Beck said...
Sure did notice the unwrapped birthday gift from Pope in the desk drawer. That is where she keeps her chocolate - another thing she really wants, but knows isn't good for her.
Reply
9-07-2006 @ 5:16PM
Caitlin said...
Until I saw the previews of this episode I didn't watch the CLOSER. My family did, but I just thought it was another boring cop show like CSI (no offense to CSI fans) but when I saw the previews for this episode I had to watch it. Even though I wish Brenda had been pregnant it was still a great episode, and I am totally in love with this show. This is my new favorite show!
Reply