I have a feeling that Rebecca Black-inspired characters are going to be showing up on just about every cop show on the air. It’s a story that’s rife with potential for downfall. In The Closer‘s version, the dad who gave up everything to make his daughter a star ends up murdered during a publicity-stunt-gone-wrong. It’s weird to say, but some murders on this show are definitely lighter than others. This is one of the light ones. Instead of being horrified by what happened, we’re horrified by the pitch-perfect media manipulation displayed by the “grieving” family. The way Missy looked into the cameras at the end and said, “I love my daddy,” a sentiment both sincere and completely cynical, was amazing.
However, my favorite part of the entire Case of the Week storyline was Gavin’s campy fascination with it. I’m really sad to see the civil case winding down, because he has become one of my favorite characters. I love how he went from not wanting to breathe without billing for it to hanging around the station for free, just so he can watch Missy’s mom confess. He’s fun to have around and totally makes up for how much I loathed Jacob.
Luckily for Brenda, in addition to being a pop culture aficionado, Gavin’s also a damn good lawyer. He keeps her from signing that ridiculous document that absolves the city of responsibility, while having Brenda admit, in writing, that she was professionally responsible for Turrell’s death. It’s funny how Brenda, who uses similar tactics all the time, didn’t realize that the tables had turned on her. It took Gavin seeing her work to realize that as soon as she signed that document, the Baylor family would have everything they need to completely ruin her, both professionally and financially.
This week’s episode also clearly denotes the shift in who’s in Brenda’s corner and who’s not. Chief Pope is still being outwardly supportive of Brenda, but it’s clear that he’s no longer her advocate. His priorities are clearly with the department, and more specifically, his own job. If Brenda makes it out alive that’s fine, but if she doesn’t, he doesn’t seem like he’ll be losing too much sleep over it.
Captain Raydor, on the other hand, is becoming more and more Team Brenda with each passing week. She also seems to agree that Pope is certainly a strong candidate for the leak, as she flat out tells him that she doesn’t trust him when it comes to this case. Raydor, being an outsider, can see what Brenda can’t: that Pope is no longer on her side.
So the case marches on to the Summer finale next week. We can only assume that the episode will revolve around Brenda getting her day in court, or at least the first of many days in court. The question is, where will she end up, and who will be there with her at the end?
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on Sep 05, 2011 @ 22:25 EST5EDT
It might be red herrings to make us suspect Pope of the leak, but the way he was so pushy and anxious for Brenda to sign the paper was pretty obvious. I’m loving Gavin as well.
I think maybe Gavin will try to have the comment thrown out as “hearsay,” or something similar (too many lawyer shows in my collection!). But him saying the hearing is soon and the finale being next week, they will probably leave us with a “the case is going to keep going” summer finale cliffhanger.