TVSquad

(S05E04) After an intense, heavy-duty The Closer last week, it was probably a wise move to roll out a lighter episode. That's what this show was, a change of pace with some insight into the delicate dance that makes Fritz and Brenda's relationship work.

The decision to not work together since they're not married was news to me. But Fritz had an ulterior motive in getting Major Crimes into the case of missing person Austin Blair. The motive was not just to distract Brenda Leigh from her grief of losing Kitty, but at first that seemed to be his intent.

The sight of the cat's ashes in a baggie was too much for Brenda. Putting Kitty's remains in Tupperware was more to Brenda's liking, so much so that she took the container with her in her purse.

That bit of dark comedy might seem cold, but it was balanced out when Fritz and Brenda found the right way to honor Kitty at the end with a candle, an urn and a babysitting video. In between, and in much the same oddly comic tone, Brenda figured out who Austin Blair really was, why Fritz put her on the case -- temporarily recruiting her squad into the FBI for 48 hours -- and discovered that he'd been murdered.

The workings of the LAPD vs. the FBI, state and county vs. the feds were fascinating. And frustrating. Brenda doesn't work and play well with others in general, but when she's constrained by rules that get in the way of her usual modus operandi, she's impossible. Fritz apparently was counting on that, knowing she'd jump through hoops to take over the investigation and uncover the truth. As Brenda so brilliantly explained it, "When suspects lie to us, we have to lie back. For Heaven's sake, Fritizie, if we all stopped lying to each other, how would we ever get to the truth?"

While most of the interplay in the show fun, there was unfortunately an anti-gay undercurrent in the episode that was distasteful. It started with indifferent-bordering-on-insolent attitude of the cops to the fact that a gay man was a missing person. Then the treatment of Travis, Austin's lover, was insensitive. Thank goodness for the coroner who educated Brenda about gay culture 101, in particular Hell A, a drug/dance party that involved GHB dealing. Walking back from that event led to Austin's father and Peter Benjamin, the true bad guys in the story.

Brenda wasn't immune to the anti-gay sentiment; although I think her grilling of Travis was in keeping with Chief Johnson's go for the throat style of interrogation more than an anti-homosexual attack. But the ending in which she gave Travis the money from evidence seemed motivated a bit by guilt.

The subtext, of course, was Travis was in mourning for Austin like Brenda was for Kitty. Travis didn't want the money. He wanted Austin. Brenda could relate. Life without Kitty is not the same for her.

Finally, the funniest turn in the episode was seeing Provenza's new lady friend, Lauren, and her getting a tour of the office. It looked like Flynn was actually jealous, but was that because he liked Lauren or was missing Provenza's company? Still, the country gentleman look was very natty, and I'm hoping for more of Provenza's love life.