By LillyKat
PTR Staff Writer
“The Kennedy case had less holes in it …”
“The LAPD overreacted …”
Ah, the media.
But alas, Brenda Leigh Johnson does get her man in the end.
And woman, too.
Have to hand it to the good folks over at The Closer: they sure know how to give us fabulous humdingers for season finales.
We remember last week (Part 1 of “’Til Death Do Us Part”) had ol’ Brenda stuck in whole mess of somethin’ that got her a whole lotta nothin’. Her lack of physical evidence and inability to get a confession out of a cocky ophthalmologist (a rarity for BJ) had it seeming as if Mr. Eye Doc was going to get away with murdering his wife’s high-powered, celebrity-client-prone divorce lawyer.
Turns out ol’ eye doc had a $12 million marijuana farm conveniently disguised as second “clinic” in a nice posh pad on the Westside of Los Angeles. Divorce lawyer found out about it, placed a lien on the house so that Mrs. Eye Doc would get what she deserved in a divorce settlement, and decided to go after Mr. Eye Doc with a vengeance.
Alas, Divorce Lawyer becomes Doc Family Enemy #1 seeing as he’s going to essentially screw over the doc’s main source of income – divorced or otherwise. (Guess the eye doc business isn’t nearly as good as the drug dealing business, eh?)
Needless to say, Mr. Eye Doc wasn’t too happy about Divorce Lawyer’s intention. Neither was Mrs. Eye Doc, who decided to reconcile with hubby anyways.
Murder scheme, anyone?
Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Closed.
But aside from the very intricate and detail-specific case, it was Brenda’s personal storyline that was once again brilliantly interwoven throughout the episode.
If we needed any more proof (which we don’t) as to why this show is genius for its handling of Brenda’s personal life, it was delivered in this finale. It reminds me so much of how well the NYPD Blue folks did in giving us Detective Andy Sipowicz outside the precinct – especially once he had his son, Theo. You were treated to a totally different side of Andy, one that allowed you to see him more balanced, more centered, trying to grow through struggles, yet without sacrificing any of his abilities to be a top cop or the overall case-driven plot lines of the show.
The Closer consistently does the same thing.
I am amazed at how normal and real of a life this show creates for Brenda outside the murder room, without sacrificing her in the murder room. I usually compare this to Cold Case’s Lilly Rush, and frankly, I stand by the fact writers of that show should take note of this one. The dynamic between Fritz and Brenda is so real, so tangible, so normal. And in what seemed to be a hugely dividing factor this week – with BJ confronting Fritz about his DUIs and Fritz confessing to his alcoholic past – you just love their dynamic even more.
Absolutely perfect chemistry once again between Jon Tenney and Kyra Sedgwick. The scene where they finally spill it all out on the table – she calling him out for his deception, him battling back with the litany of lies he has watched her tell, she pushing him away in aggravation, him standing his ground and reminding her how patient he’s been with her not to mention absorbing all of her flaws ...
So. Well. Written.
The fact that Fritz remained honorable even when having to apologize for something that was from a long time ago whilst Brenda was reduced to tears after he yells through what he feels is his only explanation without wavering on his feelings for her … this is as real of a relationship as it gets. This is how it is for couples - especially for couples who want to make it work. You fight. You make-up. You struggle. You grow. You do it together.
So. Well. Done.
I cannot compliment the writers of this show enough for how they continually evolve this relationship, and subsequently, both Brenda and Fritz in the process. (Again, can we not clone Fritz and send him over to Lil’ at Cold Case? Or can we just send Lil' to Los Angeles to help BJ on a case?)
All in all, a fabulous end to season three. We had a healthy dose of just about everything this summer. So what awaits us? Another special two-part episode will air in December.
Until then, TNT will run an encore presentation of season three Mondays at 9 p.m.
Hail to the chief!
PTR Staff Writer
“The Kennedy case had less holes in it …”
“The LAPD overreacted …”
Ah, the media.
But alas, Brenda Leigh Johnson does get her man in the end.
And woman, too.
Have to hand it to the good folks over at The Closer: they sure know how to give us fabulous humdingers for season finales.
We remember last week (Part 1 of “’Til Death Do Us Part”) had ol’ Brenda stuck in whole mess of somethin’ that got her a whole lotta nothin’. Her lack of physical evidence and inability to get a confession out of a cocky ophthalmologist (a rarity for BJ) had it seeming as if Mr. Eye Doc was going to get away with murdering his wife’s high-powered, celebrity-client-prone divorce lawyer.
Turns out ol’ eye doc had a $12 million marijuana farm conveniently disguised as second “clinic” in a nice posh pad on the Westside of Los Angeles. Divorce lawyer found out about it, placed a lien on the house so that Mrs. Eye Doc would get what she deserved in a divorce settlement, and decided to go after Mr. Eye Doc with a vengeance.
Alas, Divorce Lawyer becomes Doc Family Enemy #1 seeing as he’s going to essentially screw over the doc’s main source of income – divorced or otherwise. (Guess the eye doc business isn’t nearly as good as the drug dealing business, eh?)
Needless to say, Mr. Eye Doc wasn’t too happy about Divorce Lawyer’s intention. Neither was Mrs. Eye Doc, who decided to reconcile with hubby anyways.
Murder scheme, anyone?
Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Closed.
But aside from the very intricate and detail-specific case, it was Brenda’s personal storyline that was once again brilliantly interwoven throughout the episode.
If we needed any more proof (which we don’t) as to why this show is genius for its handling of Brenda’s personal life, it was delivered in this finale. It reminds me so much of how well the NYPD Blue folks did in giving us Detective Andy Sipowicz outside the precinct – especially once he had his son, Theo. You were treated to a totally different side of Andy, one that allowed you to see him more balanced, more centered, trying to grow through struggles, yet without sacrificing any of his abilities to be a top cop or the overall case-driven plot lines of the show.
The Closer consistently does the same thing.
I am amazed at how normal and real of a life this show creates for Brenda outside the murder room, without sacrificing her in the murder room. I usually compare this to Cold Case’s Lilly Rush, and frankly, I stand by the fact writers of that show should take note of this one. The dynamic between Fritz and Brenda is so real, so tangible, so normal. And in what seemed to be a hugely dividing factor this week – with BJ confronting Fritz about his DUIs and Fritz confessing to his alcoholic past – you just love their dynamic even more.
Absolutely perfect chemistry once again between Jon Tenney and Kyra Sedgwick. The scene where they finally spill it all out on the table – she calling him out for his deception, him battling back with the litany of lies he has watched her tell, she pushing him away in aggravation, him standing his ground and reminding her how patient he’s been with her not to mention absorbing all of her flaws ...
So. Well. Written.
The fact that Fritz remained honorable even when having to apologize for something that was from a long time ago whilst Brenda was reduced to tears after he yells through what he feels is his only explanation without wavering on his feelings for her … this is as real of a relationship as it gets. This is how it is for couples - especially for couples who want to make it work. You fight. You make-up. You struggle. You grow. You do it together.
So. Well. Done.
I cannot compliment the writers of this show enough for how they continually evolve this relationship, and subsequently, both Brenda and Fritz in the process. (Again, can we not clone Fritz and send him over to Lil’ at Cold Case? Or can we just send Lil' to Los Angeles to help BJ on a case?)
All in all, a fabulous end to season three. We had a healthy dose of just about everything this summer. So what awaits us? Another special two-part episode will air in December.
Until then, TNT will run an encore presentation of season three Mondays at 9 p.m.
Hail to the chief!
2 comments:
I was getting really worried towards the end of BJ and Fritz's fight that Brenda was going to blow it. But, alas, she came through. I couldn't take it if those two broke off their engagement. As you so eloquently put it, they are the quintessential couple. I really enjoyed your review this week. Can't wait for the two-parter this winter. Thanks for the heads up on that.
Bravo to The Closer for another stellar season. Last night's finale was the icing on the cake. Like you, I LOVED the personal stuff. It was so real, raw, emotional and well done. Excellent writing and acting.
Post a Comment