TVSquad

Anna, I didn't see the Closer, but the shower scene you decribed sounds like a scene from Wild Things... a movie in which Kevin Bacon was in the shower, behind a frosted glass (i think) but with Kevin we saw full nudity, frontal included.

Reply

Best. Closer. Ever!

I realize I said the same thing last week but honestly, this episode was even better! Anna I feel exactly the same way, that this season is the best one yet. Writing is top notch, there is a perfect balance of humor and serious subject matter in each episode. I couldn't stop laughing this week as Brenda trudged through the case whether Chief Pope wanted her to be there or not. Her Mom and Dad are priceless additions. It would be so easy for them to be "tacked on" characters but both of them add so much to the show. I loved how her mother got the SWAT guy to spill the beans on what had happened at the shooting. It is easy to see where Brenda gets her personality from!

How about at the end when Brenda just blurts out that she and Fritz are engaged? How classic was THAT whole scene? Poor Fritz doesn't know what to think about things and Brenda doesn't make it any easier for him. I simply LOVED the expression on her dad's face when he chastised Fritz for not asking him for permission. You could easily understand how angry he might be at that. Thankfully, Fritz is a great guy and Brenda has terrific parents. The exchange at the very end about the cat not being his and the dad saying it was now was priceless. So much said with so few words. A perfect example of how top notch the writing is on this show.

Also great was when the commander (who SEEMS to be warming up to Brenda's style) comes in and warns everyone they shouldn't be there in the station when Pope comes in. Everyone gets up to leave but when the commander exits the room they just sit right back down again and go back to work.

The other thing I appreciated was Brenda spilling how mean she had been treating Sgt Gabriel. I will be glad to see this friendship mended. Their early friendship is one of the things that endeared this show to me in the beginning and I didn't enjoy all the friction between them this season.

Lastly, how priceless was the whole "witness" interview process where Flynn was stuck interviewing Brenda and Provenza sat down with Gabriel? Gosh, sooooo much to that whole scene... Brenda distinctly counting five shots and Gabriel saying (rather dazed) that the shots went on forever, Provenza slowly prying the fact that Gabriel is dating inside the office, that whole scene was just perfect.

Only three shows left... are they trying to kill us??? This needs desperately to be a full season long show, not a mid summer replacement. This season went by WAY too fast...

Reply

Wow. I love this show! The way Sgt. Gabriel was bossing her around (based on his orders from Pope), her persistence in trying to get him to go to the crime scene-what a great opening! I was frutrated right along with Brenda that she wasn't allowed to take part in the investigation and I felt cheated.

It seemed obvious from the start that there was some kind of set up since the reporter had those specific addresses. That was fishy.

Provenza in charge--what a hoot! Tao wasn't sure he would talk to Brenda about the car since he is a play-by-the-rules guy, but I loved how everyone else was on board with following her orders and keeping her in the loop.

I, too, am glad that she made up with Sgt. Gabriel. And I loved the way he spotted her on the elevator and knew to go to the security desk to watch. He truly is her partner, as she said to the perp. (and her friend--loved that!)

It seems to me that her wardrobe was different--more classy--in this episode.

Were those two SWAT guys dumb or what? I found that funny, but a little unbelievable.

Fritz is such a good sport to go pick up her parents for her. Doesn't he have a work schedule too? I though the cat lines were great!

Can we work out a deal with Kyra and Kevin to just work on this show year round? I don't want the season to end!

Reply

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how the crime-scene video busted Chief Pope on his feelings for Brenda, showing him literally doubled over in relief when he heard she was uninjured in the shooting.

Oh! And "we're gonna need a bigger board." Ha!

Reply

I jumped when the gunfire started--I just did not see it coming. The humor in this show is so well done. Combining Brenda's parents and the (slightly dim) security detail was a hoot. I hope we see more of Brenda's parents. Brenda also seemed intrigued by Pope's reaction to the shooting. Hmm.

Best season ever--keep coming back Kevin Bacon!

Reply

There will be an additional double length episode in December, just like last year.

Reply

I too completely agree with what everyone has already said; I just could not stop laughing in this episode. From Provenza nudging Tao into being okay with the "witness" being at the scene, to Provenza in just about every scene, including the coin toss, to the scene in Brenda's office when the commander comes in and goes out, and everyone sits back down again, to Brenda's mother nudging the information out of Roy, to Chad and Roy getting cozy with Brenda, Fritzie and her parents, to the whiteboard scene, "did you check with D.C.? There were a lot of people that hated her there too!" So ironic that Will doesn't seem to "hate" her at all....

And the elevator scene, to me, was golden. I love how Pope and Gabriel just let her do her thing, and how funny were the moments when Pope negated the lies Brenda was feeding the suspect: in response to "we have a voice recognition lab?" Pope: "no, we don't." In response to iodine being the only answer to gunshot residue staying on your hands for 5 days, "no, it doesn't." I really love how neurotic Brenda is, but everyone still loves her anyways. And I love Provenza-in-charge.

I voted this season the best, because as Anna said, they've found a way to make us and Brenda's team believe and care about Brenda, even if the rest of the sane world might not be so inclined (in season 1, they were still so skeptical of her), and in season 1, the writers handled the cases very well, but did not do as much with behind-the-scenes Brenda, while this season, they play excellently on Brenda's interactions with her team, fiance and parents, and they found a balance between confounding cases, serious cases ("Ruby") and sort of straightforward, but fun! cases. Gina #1, you've got to see this show.

I am sad that this season went fast, but I am glad they keep us wanting more, instead of tiring us out. I hope they keep this juice up til the end. I wish I could pay these writers to keep doing just what they've been doing - ie pure gold TV.

Reply

Beth, I jumped right out of my chair when the shooting started - and I saw a preview of this episode last week! It is a huge plus for this show (and a change from other cop shows) that the shooting was not telegraphed to the viewers. The parental advisory before the show should have tipped me off, yet I was still shocked. (The Kevin Bacon direction led to the cinematic style of that scene, so much more powerful than usually seen on TV.)

The second bomb, for me, was Pope's reaction on the crime scene videotape and the look he got from Brenda when she saw it. I love it when actors are allowed to act.

Reply

Well, I had a couple of problems with the episode. Major: it was obvious from the evidence that the target of the shooting was the reporter, but it took half a dozen of LAPD's best detectives 20 min of episode time to figure that out? Didn't even consider that an investigative reporter might have enemies? Just as in the episode where Brenda leaves interrogation so Gabriel can beat up the suspect, the writers have smart people doing uncharacteristically stupid things in the service of the plot.

Minor: the famous shower scene. From viewers' POV, Brenda is behind a glass shower door. From Brenda's POV, Fritz appeared to be pulling back a shower curtain. Does the shower have both, or is this a continuity error?

Reply

Wow -- excellent episode.

I watched both broadcasts last night and watched the tape again this morning.

The Closer has become my top "must watch" series. The ensemble cast is perfect, the serie's story arcs are superb, and the attention to detail is top notch.

Morjana

Reply

@BC
I took the door with the bubbly glass to be the door of the master bath, not the shower door. Upon review of the scene, you can see the glass from Fritz's view when he pulls back the curtain, meaning that the shower has a glass wall. Kinda weird, but not a continuity issue.

As for figuring out the real target, there's several things that pointed in that direction. Police officers are often targets, they were all riding in a police car, gang activity had been mentioned (by the reporter, but it was enough to plant the idea into the investigation), and the squad knew and cared about their own more than strangers (a common psychological concept that fuels assumptions). All of those factors contributed to the team pursuing the idea of Brenda as the target before really considering the possibility of the reporter being targeted. Still, we as viewers could figure this out more easily than other puzzles in this episode. I believe the team's mistake is plausible for these reasons, but not as satisfying as if they had figured things out a little sooner. It have been cool if one of the other team members put things together a little sooner, just to show that Brenda is rubbing off on them.

@ various others
I don't think the SWAT guy was dumb, he just wasn't an investigative officer. I but he could go into a dangerous situation with a violent suspect like none other, and strategy and "battle readiness" is not for the dumb. I'm actually kind of glad the show acknowledges that police officers aren't jacks-of-all-trades -- letting different characters have their own expertise and weaknesses makes them much more realistic.

Reply

Re: Emily

I took the door with the bubbly glass to be the door of the master bath, not the shower door. Upon review of the scene, you can see the glass from Fritz's view when he pulls back the curtain, meaning that the shower has a glass wall. Kinda weird, but not a continuity issue.

Lets not forget that Brenda and Fritzie's home was owned by a whore. I'm guessing that if not a bordello of sorts, the home was certainly a destination for the john. Afterall-- that bedroom light fixture and paint scheme lead credence to the theory. I think a delightful glass wall would certainly be something an in-call prostitute might have installed. Yay for hookers!

Reply

I missed the last episode "Blindsided" -- anyone know when it will repeat?

thanks,
ann

Reply

It is amazing how much is happening in a single scene. I find that I need to watch some of them several times just to catch all that is happening between the action and the reaction of the characters. I am so grateful to slow motion. The shooting scene was so fast it took several viewings just to see what actually happened.

Reply

Great episode. I thought it was painfully obvious that the reporter was the target, but otherwise it was great.

It's so rare that today's TV shows let something completely unexpected happen... I was already for a lighthearted comedy episode with Brenda arguing with the reporter the whole time, and then... BANG.

Reply

I'm glad that they have gone out the box with the whole 'closer' paradigm. Getting the cofession on the elevator camera...priceless.

Reply

Ann, The Closer is on TNT OnDemand, if that service is available to you. If not, I'm sure a 'The Closer' marathon will run Labor Day weekend. I'm as sure of that as I am of a 'Monk' marathon running on USA.

Reply

I loved so much about this episode. But the single most touching thing to me was Gabriel throwing himself over Brenda's body to protect her during the shootout. I've loved their relationship since the very first episode where he started driving her around. The tension of her having to reprimand him has been so sad. But then when she hugged him tight and apologized for being so mean to him, I just wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. There are so many great characters on this show, but I love this "couple" as much as any romances or other relationships she with which she is paired.

Reply