The Closer – But I don’t wanna be Chief!

Really, Brenda? Really? You don’t want to be Chief of Police of one of the largest and highest-profile police departments in the country? Perhaps that’s something you should have made known before you put in your application, or perhaps before Chief Pope, who’s wanted the job since he was born, got knocked out of the running. The point is, her trying to get out of her interview with the mayor, while not out of  character, was extremely annoying. So much so, that my favorite part of the episode is when everybody went after her for being a jerk.

Usually Brenda’s tunnel-vision as it relates to her job only affects her relationship with the much put-upon Fritz. However, this time, as Raydor and Pope made abundantly clear, her deciding mid-stream that the Chief position is not of interest to her, would have an impact that extends far past her personal life.

So we end the episode with Brenda trading in her giant bag for a hideous tiny little purse that looks like something bought from Claire’s in 1998, and heading across the street to interview with the mayor. I’m still not entirely convinced she’s actually going to get the job, but the show’s creator, James Duff, told Twitter that next week’s finale is certainly going to be significant. He said, “Next week the Mayor selects his new Chief-of-Police. The Closer changes forever!”

That doesn’t necessarily say that Brenda gets the job, but it would be weird if he says that, and then she doesn’t get the job, making things simply return to normal. I’m just saying, that sounds like a really boring season finale. Although, if someone else was going to become Chief, don’t you think we would know at least a few other members of the short list? If I remember correctly, there are only five candidates as of now, so it would stand to reason that we would meet them in order to set up whatever storyline is coming next.

As far as the case of the week goes, it was really enjoyable. Mainly because Monica Keena, on of the most under-used stars of Undeclared, played the creepy fiancee who totally looked like the killer. I love Undeclared, and I especially like it when I can see the female stars (to whom Judd Apatow doesn’t give lead roles in his films) still getting work.

I knew the whole “multiple visits from the cable company” thing was going to be significant, and her creepy man-child building manager was a terribly obvious suspect, But The Closer did an excellent job at obfuscating the actual motives and facts. Plus, they did so without being heavy-handed, which is a feat for a procedural.

We have one episode left this summer, so you have one more chance to answer: is Brenda going to be Chief of Police? Place your bets now.

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Sep 07, 2010 @ 20:47 EST5EDT