The Closer – Did that feel like a season finale?

We may have a scheduling problem at TNT. All season, The Closer has been more serialized than ever, with the first half containing the arc of whether or not Brenda was going to be Chief of Police, and the second half dealing with the aftermath of Brenda not getting the job. Last week, we ended a really compelling two-parter that focused on the case of the week, but also worked in the overarching storyline. It even had Brenda’s parents and Captain Raydor. Every possible Closer storyline was in effect. Then this week: nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m saying this week’s episode was bad, it was just … oddly placed. There was only the briefest mention of Chief Delks and Pope’s lame-duck status. Captain Raydor, who has provided some of the most interesting scenes all season as Brenda’s foil, was MIA. Instead, we had a crackhead kidnapper/murderer on whom all of the attention was focused.

What I did like about the episode was how Brenda floundered when put on a different side of the crime: she’s used to coming in afterward and cleaning everything up. This time, she had a victim who was still alive, which doesn’t happen every day for a homicide detective. Unfortunately for the missing girl, Brenda had a difficult time switching gears and putting the proper emphasis on her safe return.

Sgt. Gabriel has always been Brenda’s right hand. When she first arrived at the LAPD, he was one of the only friendly faces in the department. So for him to go over her head and call Chief Pope in was a major turning point. It all worked out for the best, of course. The girl was found and Brenda didn’t seem to be too upset about what could have been perceived as a betrayal, but I hope that this is something that we explore a little bit more in the next season. Is Gabriel losing faith in Brenda? What does that mean for the show’s last season?

My favorite part of the episode though, was the end. Brenda has always kept her head in the sand regarding Fritz’s drinking problem. She somewhat acknowledges its existence, but seems to view it as something that is in his past, and not something that is a part of his daily life. I’m not saying that you can’t or shouldn’t drink in front of alcoholics, I’m sure some find it perfectly okay. However, Brenda’s frequent wine with dinner at home doesn’t seem to be a decision that they reached together. It’s always struck me as Brenda being oblivious. It was nice to see her finally acknowledge the problem and sit down with Fritz to try and understand it.

At the end of the day, I expected a lot more from this episode. They spent an entire season on the whole “who will be chief” question and didn’t even bother to mention it in the finale. Chief Pope is still hanging out in the wind, Brenda may or may not be up for his job, and Chief Raydor is an intriguing X-factor. However absolutely none of this was addressed. Instead we got a decent episode that could have been episode three just as easily and would have had the overall season make more sense.

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Jan 04, 2011 @ 10:25 EST5EDT