Roundup: 'Closer's' Final Word; 'Bar's' World of Gray

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

The Final Touch

Two words: Kevin Bacon.

For three seasons, he's directed at least one episode of The Closer.

For three seasons, he's never disappointed.

This past week's ep was the first time we've seen him direct a finale, and I can still say there's something amazingly perfect about his episodes.

For me, he has a way of creating a certain kinetic energy with the camera. It's constantly moving, constantly generating curiosity, suspense, action and perfect-pitch pauses of reflection all at once. He doesn't show you everything; he lets you guess at what's coming, then delivers it in a way that makes you think for a moment.

Or two.

Or three.

Whether it was the truck pursuit sequence (THAT was fun to watch); or, the chilling confession Brenda gets from the serial killer (listening in punctuated silence nearly sick to her stomach, the underscore mimicking a girl's feint scream, placing each victim's personal item on the map to indicate where the murder took place ... GENIUS!); or, the tender stillness between BJ and Charlie when she has to force Charlie to return to Atlanta even though BJ does (at least IMHO) seem to want her to stay ... all of these moments lead me to continue to say that a Kevin Bacon-helmed episodes consistently stand out. The way he chooses to set-up his shots, what he gets from the actors, how it packages it together doesn't seem procedural.

It's original.

Different.

Clever.

HOWEVER ... I must say that out of all The Closer finales, this seemed the weakest. It didn't really have that cliffhanger-omfg-now-what-when-does-the-series-come-back feel - whether that was with story or character. And while Brenda's "giveback" of the suspect to the Texas detective so that he could be put on death row AND actually be executed for the crimes he committed WAS out of character for her, I didn't find the case, on the whole, to be finale-worthy.

Compelling, chilly, creepy, interesting to watch: yes.

Leaving me wanting the December crop of episodes to get here soon: not so much

Then again, if this is the ONLY season where I can say that, the show is still a pleasure to watch.

Can we have KB direct MORE than one ep a season? Please?

New episodes of The Closer return in December. To catch up on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Do We Have..?

I'm not exactly sure what to say about the summer finale of Raising the Bar ... other than to once again ask, "Do we have judges like this? And prosecutors?"

One thing I've learned by watching the show this season is that the law is one big gray area.

And that includes EVERYONE playing practicing it.

On both sides of the aisle. On both sides of the bench.

In our finale this week, Kessler and Ernhardt - essentially - conspire to keep a pregnant dope addict mom incarcerated for a minor infraction just so that she can a) have the baby in jail and/or b) have it taken from her given she is, according to team Judge and Prosecutor, unfit to be a mother and/or the baby deserves better.

While I might agree with that assessment, there's Public Defender extraordinaire Jerry defending her right to BE a mother AND be free despite the obvious circumstances stacked against her.

So who is right? Who is wrong?

I'm not sure there was a clear answer in this episode.

Or this particular case.

Or even with Roz's case, whereby a horse cabby goes on trial for assaulting a police officer when said police officer tried to interfere with the horse cabby's efforts to save his dying horse from colic by beating it violently - which is, actually, what one has to do so that the horse doesn't suffocate itself to death. The police officer thought the cabby was just cruelly beating the horse.

Should the cabby have stopped to calmly explain what he was doing? Maybe, but he was short on time to save the horse.

Should the police officer have interfered? Probably, since he didn't know what said cabby was doing.

And that is, IMHO, what RTB does best: it doesn't give you the black/white answer. It makes you uncomfortable with the nuances of the law, the way it can be manipulated, how it can be interpreted and who ultimately benefits - or suffers - from it.

The show is an interesting study in the "system."

Yes, it's a TV show.

Yes, there's creative license.

But on this show, the good guy doesn't always win. And the bad guy doesn't always get punished. Sometimes the bad guy gets to go free, and the good guy gets busted - which is, actually, the way of the world.

Right isn't always right, and wrong isn't always wrong.

When this plays out on screen, it makes for interesting television.

As it did this week.

To catch up on Raising the Bar head on over to the show's official site.

Roundup: 'Closer's' Softer Side; 'Bar's' New Girl on the Block

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Keep the Kleenex

It's not often we get to see the softer side of Brenda Leigh Johnson.

The weaker side.

The maybe-I-made-a-mistake-side.

But we did this week.

Not only did we see her get emotionally attached to her victim - outright tears of sadness when he passed away after severe gunshot wounds to the abdomen. But, we also saw that the checking of her emotional sensibility at the door as she once again chose to close her case over all else stung her more than usual.

Crime solved: good

Emotional cost: high.

After she plunked Charlie at the hospital, assigning her to keep an eye on said victim given BJ was called to the scene WHILST transporting Charlie somewhere over the rainbow, Charlie befriends the victim in a pretty darn clever way to cover her being ... well, dumped in the hospital. But BJ's deliberate attempt to keep Charlie at bay when she knew he was on his last breaths, thus, interrogating him on his last breaths as to who might've been the shooter (disgruntled brother of his girlfriend, who chose to lie to her family and say she was raped as opposed to simply saying she got herself pregnant) got BJ in a whole lot of hot water at the end of the ep.

Especially having to deliver the news to Charlie that her newfound friend had died.

And having prevented her from saying goodbye.

Not the first time BJ had gotten into trouble by her relentless pursuit of closing her case.

Not the last time.

And that's a good thing.

It makes for good episode viewing given we rarely see Brenda be wrong. She always manages to hold the upper hand - even when her methods are questionable. And yet with this ep, I'm not sure choice was wrong even if it was somewhat painful to those closest to her.

In a way, it was almost an ironic form of payback.

And yet, I can't fault her for staying until the very end with the boy - not simply coming in, getting what she needed and bailing. She filled in in a mother-like way (given real mom was a flight attendant on her way to Hanoi and couldn't get back home in time before), nor managing to nail the brother for the shooting.

Painful justice.

But justice nonetheless.

The summer finale of The Closer airs next Monday at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



NGKOTB

I know an Ashley.

Seriously.

I do.

She's all-knowing. Self-righteous. Talks a million miles a minute. Can quote random facts for no apparent reason.

But she isn't a Public Defender for New York City.

Then again, you know what they say: everyone has a twin - even if it is fictional.

I like the new girl - even if she is ... well, annoying.

Reason I like her most: Rich gets to be her mentor.

Yay!

And how happy am I Bobbi and Jerry finally did the deed?

Double yay!

As for the major case focus this week, Jerry defends a young man who stabbed a fellow inmate even though he should never have been in jail in the first place. His stabbing of an inmate was done out of desperation to escape the grips of the gang inside prison who were torturing the young man.

Stab the guy, we won't bug you anymore. As in, won't beat the crap out of you. Torture you. Make your life a living hell.

Naturally, Jerry doesn't win. And the poor guy has got to go back to prison.

And again I think: does our justice system ever work, or is it all just a total joke?

How PDs ever put up with it is beyond me.

Go Jerry and Bobbi!

The summer finale of Raising the Bar airs next Monday at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' Mails It In; 'Bar' Cops a Bad Feel

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Check, Please

So can we just start with Charlie almost being shipped back to Atlanta after ONE week ...?

Sorry, but did I miss something ...?

I did predict the innocent-goody-two-shoes-misundertsood-teen routine could possibly go out the window this week (and it did). And I also get that a "scenario" needed to be set-up so that BJ and Fritzy would find the compelling reason to keep her.

Still, the timing seemed ... well, weird.

And I'm not sure I could really get past it. Her baking marijuana into brownies (which BJ sniffs out like a bloodhound and, naturally, becomes higher than a kite) is bad - really bad. But IMHO, there didn't seem to be enough getting-to-know-her episodes as yet to justify that kind of an abrupt change in behavior. And having BJ's mom "talk" about how bad Charlie is back home isn't the same as seeing it play out over the course of episodes.

Then again, this is TV. And sometimes they just have to cram it in.

Oh well.

As for the case ... hmmm ... a dead body gets mailed in an ice chest to Major Crimes, which leads BJ and Co. to encounter quite the interesting variety of suspects: a scripture-thumping stepfather, a disgruntled ex-girfriend, a buddy who was constantly being hit up for money and a landlord who simply hated the victim’s guts. Meanwhile, Gabriel is studying for the detective exam, so BJ uses the case as a teaching tool.

'kay. Funny. Weird. Unique.

And yet, I'm still feeling a little underwhelmed with this season's offerings of The Closer.

Dunno.

Maybe I've just watched too long that I can start to piece together aspects of the episode quicker than I have in the past. And when that happens, shows tend to lose a little bit of umph for me.

Still love BJ and Co., though.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

Yay!

Evil-creepy-arsehole-bad-guy-cop Tim is gone.

Definitely hated this guy.

And the sad part is we know there are cops out there in the ol' real world who are even WORSE than his character portrayed.

Ouch.

But can I just ask how blind, deaf and dumb was Michelle Ernhardt over this guy?

Seriously?

For a woman portrayed as doing anything to get the upper-hand in her job, I get her fraternizing with the cop to get what she wants. BUT, she is also fiercely protective of her job, so getting involved with someone who seemed so slimey just out of character for her.

And yet, we all have flaws, eh?

And Ernhardt is by no means perfect.

So it worked.

In an annoying sort of way.

But I think what struck me most about this episode was: 1) Bobbi is becoming my second favorite character; and 2) Nick Balco can actually do something good for a change.

The expression on his face once he realizes how fraked up the case was after Tim had tampered with jury, fabricated evidence AND slept with Ernhardt was priceless. And, his stepping in to clean up the mess whilst still seeming sympathetic to Michelle was a nice twist on his hardline character.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' Family Affair; 'Bar' Gets Petty

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

The Apple Didn't Fall Far From the Tree

So let's just skip to the good stuff in this week's episode of The Closer - which just so happens to be the personal, not the professional.

At least for me.

BJ's niece Charlene (make that Charley), played by none other than Kyra Sedgwick's real-life daughter, Sosie Bacon, which began the first of a four-episode arc for the Charley character.

Can I just say: AWESOME.

And this is coming from someone NOT generally a fan of the whole I'm-related-to-my-costar thing.

But the personal has, is and always will be one of my favorite things about this show. For five seasons, they've managed NOT to sacrifice personal character storylines for the procedure of crime solving. They balance the two, mix it together and deliver forward progress to us, the viewer, right at that pitch-perfect moment.

And they did so again this week. I absolutely dug the fact that Charley responded to her aunt's hands-off, yet still controlled, approach to keeping tabs on her. This reminded me quite a bit of my own favorite aunt who, usually against the advice of just about everyone except my own mom, treated me like an adult and didn't necessarily punish me for being a teenager when she couldn't figure out all the nuances of teen life. I SO loved her for that. Moreover, I SO respected her for that. It helped shaped who I am today as compared to the rule-with-an-iron-fist approach of ... wait for it ... my grandparents.

Admittedly, I wasn't a troublemaker.

And from the looks of things, neither is Charley. Sure, she's a teen. But that in and of itself doesn't constitute life in grandparent jail without the possibility of parole.

I also enjoyed watching BJ still manage to escape the when-are-we-going-to-have-our-own-kids discussion with Fritzy once again. Even if she doesn't necessarily want kids and doubts her own ability to have Charley stay with her for the remaining part of the summer, she seemed awfully apt handling her own niece.

Now, it could all blow up in the next set of episodes. Charley could completely violate Brenda's choice in treating her more like an adult than a teen. But can I just say I'd love for Charley to end up being some sort of Clay-like character (from Saving Grace), where she becomes an extension of the squad, and more importantly, serves as an important rock and/or anchor-like character for Brenda just as Clay does for Grace.

Crossover ep, anyone?

Kidding.

And note to self: Kevin Bacon is back directing one of the next three episodes. Yay! We just love it when KB helms an ep.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Petty is as Petty Does

File this week's episode of Raising the Bar under: ultimate pissing contest.

Between Judge Kessler and Judge Farnsworth.

Yowza, folks.

Seriously.

And Farnsworth punishes one of Jerry's clients for no other reason than to make his point with Kessler? Do we really have judges like this?!?!?!?

Deep breath.

Again, what I've learned of our legal system in the last two years watching this show is starting to scare me - even WITH a healthy dose of creative license.

But let's talk about Currie Graham's Nick Balco for a moment.

The man is a slime ball. Creepy. True misogynist.

And yet, I have to say some of that womanizing/wandering eye/inappropriate behavior has been toned down a bit this season. His relationship with star prosecutor Michelle Ernhardt has gotten to be almost ... well, dare I say mentor-ish?

But all good things must come to an end.

And this week we got a hybrid version of Nick - seeming to want to give Michelle a fantastic professional opportunity, but really just used her to finish off a stall of a case gone bad for him several years back whereby he got one-upped by the defense attorney who ... let's just say had certain ways of persusasion Nick is not capable of resisting.

And still isn't.

Kinda interesting.

Except for his grudge.

And using Michelle.

And banging the defense attorney.

Then again, this is Nick Balco.

Note to Charlie: 100 points for your loyalty to Kessler, but seriously ... GO WORK FOR FARNSWORTH. He clearly showed he was the better man this week - especially with his apology.

Note to producers: Please keep John Michael Higgins around in a recurring role. He.Is.Too.Good

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' Sets Us Up; 'Bar's' Genuinely Good Guy

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

BJ vs. Stroh - Forthcoming Round 2

THUD!

That is the sound of being hit over the head by this week's episode of The Closer.

More than once.

As in, it was one big set up.

As in, BJ vs. Philip Stroh - Round 2 - is forthcoming.

I predicted this would happen after he became the one-that-got-away at the end of last season - particularly given he was more evil and creepy than George Marks ever was over on Cold Case.

Lilly Rush had her second chance.

I now have no doubt that BJ is going to get one, too.

Especially after having this week's case center on a dying detective's (played by the fantastic Tom Skerritt) personal quest (er, let's make that vendetta) to go after the ONE guy that got away and/or close the ONE case he couldn't close back in the day before he is delivered to St. Peter (read: he ends up killing - er, make that torturing THEN killing - the suspect AFTER he made said suspect tell him where he had buried the bodies of the two missing girls said detective couldn't find back in the day).

THUD!

I think we should just start the countdown now.

Stroh's picture was everywhere - on her desk, in her drawer, on the files.

She's having Gabriel pull every case he's been a part of (we remember is IS an attorney)

She's having nightmares about him breaking into her house.

She's taking files home to study at night, à la Lilly and her I-see-dead-people-in-my-files-on-my-nightstand thing.

Seriously? Could we be more obvious, Closer gang?

THUD!

That's not to say I don't like the idea - and if you're paying attention our Best Episodes Countdown, you'll know why. Stroh WAS a great nemesis. As was Billy Burke's performance.

That said, the obvious connection to BJ's own "vendetta" to get Stroh seemed to overshadow this episode for me. It made me want to just skip to the end.

THUD!

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



We Can't Save Everybody

Rich Woolsley: Best.Guy.Ever.

Seriously.

I don't care if this statement makes me biased.

And I don't know how you could walk away from this week's Raising the Bar and NOT think this true.

For me, this week's episode was all about Rich's unbelievably selfless act to donate the first payout installment of his Woolsely Fortune Trust (okay, so that's my name for it) - all $3 million of it - to fund a full-fledged civil suit department in the Public Defender's office.

This came about after a) getting berated by his father for having just dumped the money into his checking account and NOT instantly moved it into some supercalifragilisticexpialidocious money making fund account; b) after he goes to the wall to get a big shot law firm to lay off his client about pursuing her to pay nominal $1500 fee that would've essentially gotten her thrown out on the street had the firm continued to come after her; and, c) because he wants to do good by the people who need it most - and he has the money to do it.

Go.Rich.

It is true what Teddy sears told us: Rich is one of the good guys. Genuinely decent. Truly honorable.

Episode after episode, we get to see this play out in subtle ways.

But this episode, it was on full display.

And how proud was I?

Very.

In other news ... as much as Michelle Ernhardt annoys me, she IS really good at what she does. And strangely, she even got an attagirl from Balco this week for winning her case. Now THAT is a rarity.

Bobbi v. Jerry: So, he was trying to help her with the case, giving her a new angle to go on with the make-it-up-as-I-go-along defendant (seriously, I wasn't even believing this guy's story - all 14 versions), and she's irked. Okay, so he went behind her back. Okay, so we know Jerry can be a little self-rightous. Okay, so Jerry does need to be taken down a few pegs now and then.

Newsflash Bobbi: you need him, whether you want to admit or not. (Again, loving Natalia Cigliuti's increased screen time!)

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' Gets Emotional - Again; 'Bar' Sticks Up for the Little Guy - And Loses

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Raydor vs. BJ - Round 2

I happened to be a day late (though hopefully not a dollar short) on my recap of The Closer this week. And yet, as if by some divine intervention, said lateness afforded me to the opportunity to catch a Touched By An Angel re-run LAST night that featured the one and only Captain Raydor (Mary McDonnell) before she was ... well, Captain Raydor. Since MM was again another major player in BJ and Co's face - er, I mean department - this week in the wonderful world of LAPD's Major Crimes, I found the TBAA viewing ironically timely because I.Just.Love.Captain.Raydor.

Can we just make Mary McDonnell a regular? Like, now? Better yet, can we just schedule giving her a guest Emmy nom for next year?

Seriously.

Not only do I like watching the characters go toe-to-toe with what each other's priorities - Raydor trying to prevent the LAPD from being sued/wrongly accused/unfairly blamed when a civilian is killed, BJ not giving a rip who does what as long as she solves her murder - the actresses seem to have created this perfect-pitch antagonistic chemistry that remains brimming with irritation, controlled with restraint, and tersely respectful.

The case this week was a tough one. They usually are when they involve the death of fellow officers. The show has delved into this realm before, and I think they once again did a pretty bang up job showcasing just how intense it gets when one of their own is killed. When it turns out that Neo-Nazi's who have a thing for killing cops are to blame, can't say I fully object to the rather confrontational nature Major Crimes adopted in bringing down said subjects. Sometimes, the little black rule book doesn't apply.

BJ never consults it.

Raydor lives by it.

Great conflict.

Strong episode.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



We Can't Save Everybody

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: watching Raising the Bar has given me a newfound respect for Public Defenders (PDs).

This, of course, is not surprising given co-creator David Feige WAS a New York City PD. And, any time he writes an episode, there is usually a very intimate and personal look at how PDs have to struggle with the clients they represent.

As in, some of the client's stories are fairly gut-wrenching yet they are not guaranteed a happy ending.

Case in point this week where one of Rich's clients is busted for not paying his court fine. Okay, sounds simple enough ... except for the laundry list of hardships that make it nearly impossible for the poor guy to scrape together $235 to pay the fine. For people like Kathryn Morris, this is lunch money or possibly 1/3 payment for some Christian Louboutin shoes; to those living on public assistance and/or bringing home $30 a day when they HAD a job, this is practically life savings.

And Kessler, true to form, had no sympathy.

And even though Rich does pay his guy's fees after losing the hearing to Kessler, he still kinda-sorta gets in trouble with Roz (in the nicest way) given that PDs can't bail out their clients - no matter how gut-wrenching the story.

Bummer.

Or how about Jerry's client, who gets to go free for four seconds only to be rearrested outside the courtroom on an old charge for violating his parole when he tried to disarm a kid on the street. He held the gun for maybe two seconds, yet because he "handled" a firearm he was busted for violating parole - and sentenced to serve ANOTHER 24 months after JUST getting out serving the same amount of time for the crime in which he was just acquitted. Double jeopardy does not apply nor does his previous time served.

Seriously, I don't think I could be a PD. My heart couldn't take it.

In other news ... Kessler is now signed up with a hoity toity dating service. Too bad she's ... uh, a snore to be with, yet can't admit this to Charlie, and thus, tells him said blind date asked her out again (not). Something tells me Kessler is going to remain pretty lonely for a while.

And Bobbi ... what is up with this girl? I am loving Natalia Cigliuti's increased screen time AND her back-and-forth with Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Jerry. But, I feel like I want to slap the character. Now we're blaming Jerry for the divorce - that she left dearly demented doc because she just so "wanted" Jerry. Uh, 'kay. I thought it was because doc was a nutball? addicted to drugs? abusive? I know the suicide thing is a shocker, but seriously, Bobbi ... blaming Jerry for your issues isn't fair.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: Comic 'Closer'; 'Bar' Blames the Victim - And it Works

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Comic Genius

Whew! That's over.

"That" being the underwhelmed malaise in which I found myself after watching last week's episode of The Closer. (Seriously, I don't like it when my shows go off their mark; and, contrary to what one might think, I really DON'T like having to bag on them to get back on track).

Nonetheless, we returned to fine form with this week's offering.

Why?

Comic genius.

Even after five seasons, the comedy-heavy episodes this show still comes up with prove to be some of the most entertaining. From the get-go, the writers have consistently struck that precise balance in not being TOO funny whilst trying to solve a murder. In fact, I think they're right up there with the good folks over at Bones, who also have this knack for capitalizing on the strength of their cast's chemistry, which in turn allows for genius timing and dialogue delivery.

And when it's all working like a charm, it's the best stuff on the tube.

And, it doesn't get much better than a mentally unstable guy (which puts it lightly) posing as a Detective Richard (make that Dick) Tracy investigating the death of a reality show numnut called Intrigue who just so happened to specialize in showing men how to pick up women in a bar, bang the lights out of them, then leave them the next morning (seriously, Sanchez? You want to be like THIS with women?) only to have his producer turn on him given the show was SO bad she was going to lose her career over it.

Obviously, Mark Burnett passed on THAT show, eh? (Love ya', Mark!)

Seriously, the whole spin on just how ridiculous the reality show genre has gotten cracked me up. And the producer getting in over her head with a host who ended up being a complete jackarse was a nice swipe at nearly every reality show contestant who ends being WAY too much to handle once they actually get on camera. Add the producer's screaming former assistant, and I found myself just laughing right out loud.

But credit must be given to the whole routine with wanna-be Detective Dick Tracy. Totally.stupidly.funny.brilliant.

Sure, maybe farfetched, but hey, it's television. People have impersonated police officers in real life in a less convincing fashion - and done far WORSE things in the process. I thought the initial fooling of Pope, Provenza and Flynn at the crime scene was awfully good - seeing as they all seemed to be sleepwalking through their day anyways. Tracy's interaction with BJ and Co. had this knat-flying-in-your-face feel; you wanted to swat at it but couldn't quite get it. I loved they had to pretend to treat him LIKE a detective so they could get the case solved.

Eps like this prove this show has so much more left to give.

No more undewhelmed malaise in them here parts.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



The Good and Bad About Lawyers

Over and over again, we hear people say, "I hate lawyers." Or, "I'd never want to be a lawyer."

Raising the Bar manages to show us why this is true BUT ALSO why some lawyers are good.

And necessary.

Especially to fight for those of us who may not know any better.

Take this week's example: a guy taken to the cleaners (and I do mean cleaners, folks) by his lawyer, who managed to bill out so much of his time in "expenses" and "prep" that he ended up taking 99% of his client's settlement against a hospital's negligence for treatment of said client's wife that it left said client with a mere 1% of the settlement.

So make that: Lawyer gets $370,000; client gets $3,700.

Ouch.

The fact said lawyer had a history of taking his other clients to the cleaners makes for a double-ouch.

I confess I took a small amount of pride in Jerry managing to win this case. His hands were tied from nearly every angle - including the fact said client ran down lawyer with his taxi cab (given lawyer wouldn't return calls and/or even TALK to said client after running away with the settlement). But in a sign of the ever developing maturity of the character, Jerry kept his cool (yes, really), made his case to the jury and WON.

Notch one back for the good lawyers in the world.

Which Jerry is.

In other news ... sooooo, Bobbi is now divorced (yay!), and she's about to get cozy with Jerry (double yay!) only to find her now ex-husband having hanged himself in the living room of her apartment after signing the divorce papers (bummer). Actually, not really a bummer. Truth be told, Gavin was getting to be Evan Lawson-esque in annoyingness - sans all the chatter. Perhaps they should've hung out?

In Teddy Sears news ... my bud Rich Woolsley actually took the easy way out with a client this week. WTF? He didn't even ask the client why he had broken into the medical lab (which was, in fact, to steal back his wife's tainted urine sample so she wouldn't lose her job as a result of random drug testing that would've busted her for ONE try of a joint). He ASSUMED the client was there to steal medical equipment to sell on the black market. Rich, Rich, Rich ... what happened, buddy? Thank you, Marcus for agreeing to a do-over.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

TNT: They Know Giveaways ... and We've Got One!

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Anyone up for The Closer, Raising the Bar and HawthoRNe swag?

Our good friends over at Turner have given us the opportunity here at PTR to give away a pretty darn cool prize pack that includes a variety of items from a sampling of their shows. The prize pack will include:

From The Closer

- Chocolates (though not straight from Brenda's desk drawer)
- Season 4 DVD Set

From Raising the Bar

- Season 1 DVD set
- Raising the Bar T-shirt.

From HawthoRNe

- Signed poster by star and executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith

(**NOTE: The folks at TNT need to disclose this particular poster has a slight hole on its side BUT they assure us that if it were framed, it would not be noticeable; a picture of the poster is unfortunately NOT available

We here at PTR need to disclose that the pics listed over to the right are stock images of the cover art for the DVD sets; the HawthoRNe picture is just promotional and is NOT necessarily the poster you'll receive.)

To enter to win PTR's TNT: They Know Giveaways swag:

- Send an e-mail to: lilly_of_philly(at)hotmail.com with the following:

** Subject line: TNT Giveaway
** Message Body: MUST contain your FULL NAME.

- Entry rules are as follows:

** Entries must be received by July 31, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be drawn at random on or after August 1, 2009.
** The winner(s) will be notified by e-mail
** You must be a U.S. resident to enter and over the age of 18.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. New episodes of HawthoRNe air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on TNT.

Roundup: So-So Goes 'The Closer'; Mean Looking 'Bar'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Going Astray

Confession: I was a little underwhelmed by this week's episode of The Closer.

Not in the I-don't-like-the-show-anymore kind of way; more like the not-really-sure-what-I-want-to-say kind of way.

The case was so-so. It boiled down to a carjacking gone wrong. Carjack-ee ends up threatening carjack-ers with a gun; and, in shooting a couple of warning shots at said carjack-ers, one of the bullets ends up killing an innocent bystander two blocks away.

Now that is what you call one stray bullet.

True, there was a nice Abbott and Costello kind of interrogation by BJ of said carjack-ers, which essentially finds them stumbling over themselves and confessing to a crime they didn't even know they committed and/or that the law covers; and, there was some comical laser tag/beam me up Scotty moments with Detective Tao figuring out the path of the stray bullet. Buzz also got approved for a $70,000+ grant to upgrade the surveillance equipment so that everyone can now watch interrogations in a) 18 different letterbox formats and b) wirelessly at their desk. And, since the stray bullet managed to kill the victim on the grounds of Father Jack's church (who, we recall, has been featured in a previous episode and isn't exactly one of BJ and Co's biggest fans), it made for some interesting moments with Detective Sanchez running THROUGH the church to get up to a higher vantage point whilst making sure he took a moment to kneel at the altar.

But aside from that, there wasn't a whole lot to report in Major Crimes this week.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Mean People Suck

We all know this bumper sticker, right?

If not, you do now.

And it was the perfect way to describe this week's episode of Raising the Bar.

Let's just say I wanted to slap a stick over Detective Port-a-Prick's desk (or maybe that should've been forehead?) for, essentially, letting one of Jerry's clients DIE whilst in custody just to: a) get back at Jerry; b) get back the woman, who had committed NO crime but of whom one might say had a thing against 5-0 for constantly harassing her and/or thinking she's selling drugs.

Okay, so maybe her adversarial approach in talking to every NYPD cop with an attitude and a load of F-bombs didn't help her reputation much. And she probably wasn't ever going to get invited to any NYPD Christmas parites given she continually refused to knark on those selling drugs in her neighborhood. Still, bouncing her around from precinct to precinct so she wouldn't show up in Central Booking and/or Jerry couldn't get to her wasn't cool. But continuing to do it WHILST she was suffering from a burst appendix and screaming for medical attention - to which she WAS entitled - means one big humongo civil lawsuit coming against this NYPD detective, who also happens to be banging Michelle Ernhardt.

In other news ... how about Judge Farnsworth making the move to potentially steal Charlie from the claws of Judge Kessler?

Go Farnsworth!

(Like Kessler is going to let that happen. Farnsworth: "This is my courtroom." Kessler: "This is my courthouse. Stay away from Charlie ..").

Me thinks this has all the makings for some good tit-for-tat between two really great actors.

And note to Bobbi: Glad to see you are finally growing a pair given that whacked out soon-to-be-ex-husband of yours is just a little too ... well, whacked. Can we please stop the innocent-OMG-what-am-I-going-to-do routine and have more of the confrontational, don'f f**k with me routine from this week's ep? kthanxbye.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' Chemistry Magic; 'Bar' Tackles the Dark Corners of the Web

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Fritz is Still Da' Man

The good folks over at The Closer must've read my mind. That, or by episode three of this fifth season, they, too, were thinking perhaps it was NOT a good idea to make Jon Tenney's Special Agent Fritz Howard a wallflower.

One of the highlights of this show (for me, anyways) has always been the Brenda and Fritz relationship dynamic, and how well the show continues to pay attention to developing the personal whilst maintaining its obligations to being a crime drama. I don't think another show on the air at the moment does it any better, or manages to keep it all so well-balanced (though In Plain Sight is now a close runner-up). And with last night's ep, we were reminded once again how well the show succeeds along these lines as Fritz cleverly outsmarts Brenda to get her help on a case involving a major drug distribution ring (can we call it that?), thus breaking their keep-work-separate-from-personal rule.

I believe Fritz IS the only one who can truly go toe to toe with Brenda to get what he wants. He never lets her get too far out in front without knowing how and when to reel her in. True, he gives her a lot of ... let's call it grazing room to be her usual domineering, controlling, my-way-or-the-highway self. But somehow Fritz has managed to figure out a way to keep her in HIS line.

Not to mention watching Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Tenney work their chemistry magic is a true pleasure. I know first hand how hard the actors work to create that true sense of realness - good and bad - to their relationship. And they never seem to skip a beat.

In other news ... so Lieutenant Provenza is dating some hottie menswear buyer for a fancy department store chain who is half his age? Go Provenza.

The sense of humor in this ep was spot on - complete with Kitty's ashes being carted around in a pseudo-Tupperwear jar until BJ could figure out how to cope with ... uh, the lost was classic (though I do confess I'm glad she settled on an urn over the fireplace in the end, complete with candle memorial and private viewing of an animal-mating-ritual-something-or-other DVD).

When this show can give me Brenda and Fritzy at their best alongside humorous writing at its best, I'm reminded why I'm still watching this show five seasons in.

And enjoying it so much.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



The Dark Corners of the Internet

I couldn't help but think of the Staples Office Store commercial tag line, "That Was Easy," when watching last night's ep of Raising the Bar ... and wanting to add an 'nt to it.

Yowza. Did the ep make you want to run out and close down your Facebook page?

Maybe not.

Suffice it to say this ep was quite powerful, and it could be a candidate for next year's PTR Best Episode countdown as it explored the dangers of what happens when people's personal information - posted to their own Web site - ends up in the wrong hands through no fault of their own.

As in, there is no such thing as "personal" or "private" on the Web. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can get your stuff. And that includes pictures of children - taken by parents, with the most innocent of intentions to share via whatever personal family URL or social networking site, only to then have them end up in unscrupulous hands.

Like on a child pornography site, as was the case last night.

Living and breathing the Web on a daily basis, this doesn't shock me. But there are still so many people out there - even members of my own family - who just don't understand how dark the corners are of this thing called the Internet. Our stuff IS accessible to the people and sites who make a living in those dark corners - whether we want it to be or not; whether the methods with which they acquire our info are legal or not.

That, to me, is the worst drawback of the advent of the Internet. As much as its done to unite and inform, it's also given way to an infinite supply of unregulated, untraceable, unrecognizable rings of ... well, let's just say not-so-good people who do not-so-good stuff. Seriously. You can look up how to build a bomb and blow up buildings. Murder people. Torture someone. Rape someone. You can join any given group, chat or networking what 'cha ma call it to participate in whatever twisted thing one can imagine. The anonymity of it all is what makes it so difficult to police, track or hold said not-so-good people accountable - especially when they are in some other country.

Even innocent people get caught in the middle.

As the case last night highlighted.

The show should be commended for taking a long, hard look at just how gray of an area "policing" the Internet actually is - even in the United States. A father's life can be turned upside down because he took a picture of his kid getting out of the bath tub (like the umpteen pictures my mom took of me, taking a bath in a bucket when I was one-year old - and could FIT in a bucket); his own personal Web habits then used against him to paint an unflattering picture of his parenting skills so as to suggest he deliberately turned over the picture of his son to a child porn site as opposed to having it unlawfully stolen.

And did we mention the jury could NOT decide if he was innocent or guilty?

Yowza.

The moral of this story: protect your personal info, folks - especially as it pertains to your kids. It's a good rule of thumb to think that most anything you post on the Web can be seen by everyone and their brother - whether you want them to or not. It's a bummer, but that is the reality. If our own government's systems can be hacked, pulling pics down from your supposedly "personal" or "private" site isn't a big stretch - no matter what Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/WhomeverSpace's security and privacy policy says.

Okay, deep breath.

In other (and far more lighter) news ... rock on Roz! Thank you for putting somewhat of an end to Bobbi's maniacal ex-husband, who was about to take her for everything she owns (including the apartment she purchased with her grandmother's inheritance and of which is the only thing she has left of her grandmother). Seriously, that guy needed to get taken down a peg or two. Who'd have thought it'd be Roz? I love those quiet, silent, uber-powerful characters who show us their strong side when we least expect it.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Week's Roundup: The Closer; Raising the Bar; Deadliest Catch; Saving Grace; Royal Pains

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Since I've been completely bowled over by real life this week, I'm dreadfully behind on recapping. Sooo, in the interest of time, space and the final frontier, I'm going to wrap it all up in this post ... and borrow a page from Editor-in-Chief TVFan's "The Good" / "The Bad" Bones write-ups.

---------------


The Closer

The Good: Brenda Leigh Johnson has a history of protecting Sergeant David Gabriel. She also has a history of not taking lightly to other departments butting into her business - whether they have the right to or not. In this week's episode we got both. When Gabriel found himself in an odd mess of wrong place, wrong time, thought-I-saw-a-one-armed-man scenario, she clicked into her protective mode once again. And when Mary McDonnell's Capt. Sharon Raydor, head of the Force Investigation Division (FID), begins investigating Gabriel ... well, that went over like a lead balloon making for some FANTASTIC antagonistic chemistry between the two in-charge female characters. That said, I've always felt BJ's relationship dynamic with Gabriel was one of the show's strongest - there were a couple of eps las season ("Ruby") where Gabriel lost it, and it was only BJ who could really square him away. His botched relationship with Detective Daniels was also something BJ warned against, tried to steer him in the right direction. And yet, that leads us to ...

The Not-So-Good: ... not liking "repeat" kind of storylines whereby it feels as if I've seen it before. Unfortunately, this whole thing with BJ protecting Gabriel has a been there, done that kind of vibe to it. Now, using it as a way to introduce the Mary McDonnell character WAS good; I'm definitely looking forward to how that plays out given the talent contained therein. However, I didn't feel wowed. And ... can I just ask why Jon Tenney's Fritz Howard seems to have been reduced to being a house husband and cat babysitter? I guess that is going to change with next week's ep, but I find myself being a little less-than-impressed with his reduced screen time. Then again, that's just MHO.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.


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Raising the Bar

The Good: The case, which involved determining whether an attack by a group of African Americans on a gay man constituted a hate crime - even when said gay man had somewhat of a history provoking people into confrontation. I have to say I really wasn't sure how this was going to go; and, the fact that one African American man from the group WAS convicted even though he was not the one who actually assaulted the gay man had me thinking about our legal system in a way I normally don't. Then again, this show makes me do that quite a bit - which is a good thing. And ... can I just say Judge Farnsworth rocks? He's so neurotically brilliant that I forget there even is a Judge Trudy Kessler. I have to say his interactions with Jerry are far more interesting to watch - almost like a chess match vs. a bullying contest (which seems to be Kessler's MO). Button anyone?

The Not-So-Good: None.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

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Deadliest Catch



Good Juju: The Wizard's Captain Keith finally caught a break this week, stumbling upon some serious crab and getting back to doing what he does best: fishing. Given the last two weeks of PTSD, it seemed he was due for some good juju. How long it will last will be anyone's guess. However, note to Keith: don't ever do that tarp nonsense again.

Bad Juju: Last week, I wondered what the odds were for the Cornelia Marie to actually make it into St. Paul before being frozen in place by the fast approaching ice pack. Turns out they DID make it, but not before Captain Phil blows an engine ramming the ship THROUGH the ice pack TO make it so as not to spoil his entire load of crab. After five days of being frozen into the docks AND $67,000 in repairs, that circulation pipe leak from last week seems like child's play now, eh? I'm not sure this is the Cornelia Marie's year, and I kinda agree with Phil that it seems the ship is being held together by band aids and crazy glue. Just me?

Did You See My Gear?: The Northwestern's Captain Sig finally lost his gamble fishing so close to the ice pack. As in, it moved in quicker than expected and almost swallowed his gear. I don't even know how they managed to salvage the pots - when the buoys are barely visible, dragged three miles from position. Not to mention having to make sure the hook line doesn't snag on the ice when they DO retrieve the pots. Seriously, these guys pull off what seem to be the most miraculous things to us, the average viewer, but of which for them is just a normal day at the office.

New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Discovery Channel. Visit the official Deadliest Catch Web site for the latest on the captains and crews of the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie, Time Bandit, Wizard, Early Dawn and North American and the new boat, the Incentive. You can also catch up with Deadliest Catch folks on Twitter: fvnw_erin / CaptPhilHarris / northwesternpat / NorthwesternPR / captjohnathan / northwesternsig / DeadliestCatch (which is actually the Cornelia Marie) / DiscoveryChPR.


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Saving Grace



The Good: Grace seemed to pull a Brenda Leigh Johnson this week in that she kind of went pseudo-undercover in an alcoholics anonymous group (irony?) to find the killer of one of the group members seeing as no members talk about each other or what is discussed in group OUTSIDE of group. Soooo, she befriends one gal, a former sponsor, does a pretty good impression of being a fall down drunk (not a stretch for Grace), and manages to fool said woman into confessing who did what. She also seemed to have no qualms about letting the woman GET DRUNK to tell her this. Hmmmm. I kind of thought it was genius, but probably bordering on unethical. Like, something BJ would do. And ... how about Rhetta? Awww. So bummed she's got to sell her farm. Still one of the best relationship dynamics on the show is Grace and Rhetta, not to mention the ever blossoming partnership between Earl and Grace.

The Not-So-Good: Ham's obsession - make that addiction - to Grace, which thankfully is only being spoken about and NOT acted upon of late given Grace has got other things on her mind. Seriously. Get a life, Ham. Sitting, staring at your phone, hoping she's going to call makes you look like a goob. And this is Grace Hanadarko - she isn't going to be settling down with you any time soon. I've really come to kind of loathe this relationship (gee, you couldn't tell, right?), especially as Grace seems to have turned such a big corner in accepting her role alongside Earl. Ham seems like yesterday's news, and I'm afraid Kenny Johnson is playing it too much on one note for me. Half the time I think the character is drunk, when in fact, he's just slurring his speech around as if he WERE drunk. And the smothering/stalking thing has got.to.go. They need to write in another girlfriend for him or something.

New episodes of Saving Grace air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on TNT. You can watch full episodes of the show anytime over on the show’s official Web site. You can also visit EmbraceYourGrace.com to share your stories of how you embrace your inner-Grace.


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Royal Pains



The Good: Let's just call it everything. Again. I am consistently enjoying nearly every aspect of this show. And can I just get another Amen to the aerials?!?!?!?! The shots are just spectacular. Anyhoooo, it was good to get to see Divya get out on her own (as it were) and handle some things without Hank's supervision. Seriously, she is the BEST thing to happen to him. And she can tell Evan to stick it where the sun don't shine (thank.God.). So can Boris (let's get an Amen for Campbell Scott who is just so quietly powerful in his role). The main patient this week was interesting, having what I'll call and almost-stroke where she lost her memory and had to be administered to in a short period of time to avoid permanent damage. Again, Hank to the rescue, which for me, doesn't play overly cheesy. I even liked the throw back to the fact that he was having to deal with the fact his now defunct wedding date arrived. He confessed to Jill - who seems to have had her own failed engagement.

The Not-So-Good: Evan. Seriously, shut.the.frak.up. This is no disrespect to Paulo Costanzo, but I'm starting to have Trust Me flashbacks whereby Tom Cavnagh's Conner would just ramble on ridiculously - bordering on mumbling - to the point of overkill. We get Evan is supposed to be annoying, pushy, press Hank's buttons, possibly get everyone in trouble by his cockiness. But every other scene? It's starting to detract from the other characters, who for me, have become far more interesting. Evan seems almost like a cartoon at times. My advice would be to dial it down.

New episodes of Royal Pains air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on USA Network. You can join other fans on Facebook; follow Royal Pains on Twitter, or visit the official Royal Pains Web site for the scoop on the series!

Roundup: 'The Closer' Seems Different; 'Bar' Tries to Wow

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I am going to continue with the combo roundup format that I started last week for The Closer and Raising the Bar.

Wait, is this Harper's Island?

Look to the sky!

It's a kidnapping!

It's a murder!

It's a kidnapping and a murder!

Isn't it ...?

I confess last night's episode of The Closer felt ... different.

Almost as if they experimented with their storytelling format. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about how they raced against the clock (which they've done before, but not quite in this pay-the-ransom-or-victim-dies manner). Or maybe it was BJ not really being able to interrogate people as she normally would (given it seemed likely the kidnapped victim would be killed if the kidnapper knew the police were involved). Or perhaps it was this whole bringing in of a new detective (which has me a bit weary given we all know how successful THAT was over on Cold Case). And with the lack of the usual whiz bang pop interaction of the squad (aside from some longing glances at the new detective, and Lieutenant Provenza seeming to have taken a serious dose of Viagra), dare I say it all felt like ... a procedural.

Did I just say that? About my favorite show?

I want to believe this is only a one-time thing. The whole reason I watch BJ and Co. is because it's NOT the 4,898th incarnation of CSI.

Aside from BJ carting the kidneys-are-failing Kitty around, and Lieutenant Provenza's the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music goofball demeanor, I felt like something was missing. Worse, I didn't care all that much for the case. It was essentially a mini-Enron, with a swindling CEO stealing money from his own people, screwing them out of life and limb only to have an outraged employee seek revenge.

Arthur Frobisher, anyone?

Seriously, I can't really blame the employee. And I didn't care whether they found the kidnapped CEO or not.

Now, there were some highlights: the ending sequence, where the squad ambushed the employee in ... well, let's just call it an intentional car accident. W.O.W. And BJ is clearly NOT herself with Kitty being so sick. The fact she doesn't want to leave her (him) at the vet and chooses to cart her (him) around, administering her (his) two shot injection twice a day ... awww.

But on the whole, nada mucho entertained me in this ep. And that, I'm afraid, is an all too rare occurrence when it comes to The Closer

Better luck next week as Sergeant Gabriel gets in some serious trouble. And when things get heated between BJ and Gabriel, it.gets.good.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.


What Episode is This?

TNT moved the cheese.

Which they are more than entitled to do.

But I confess it does mess me up a bit.

The good folks at TNT sent me screeners for what were originally the first two episodes of this season's Raising the Bar - "Hair Apparent" (premiere episode, aired last week); and, "The Curious Case of Kellerman's Button" (which was supposed to air LAST night, but suddenly went missing and looks to air NEXT week).

Seeing as I have taken to the task to DVR seasons 5-9 of Touched By An Angel (hello? Paramount? CBS? Can you release them officially on DVD, please?), whereby production numbers do NOT match up with air date numbers, this swapping of episodes really shouldn't surprise me.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact the premiere ep of RTB didn't do too well. Compared to last year's premiere, which drew 7.7 million viewers and was a record for basic cable, this year's second season opener delivered just 3.6 million - a 53% decline (source: Los Angeles Times Showtracker).

Ouch.

And just when I decided to bring it on over to PTR, too. Maybe I jinxed it?

My guess - and it IS just that, a guess - is last night's ep was bumped up to try and scoop up more of an audience. And yet, I'm puzzled where in the world the RTB audience went in the first place - especially with The Closer as the lead in this year. Then again, ratings are bizarre. And there is no rhyme or reason as to why perfectly good shows suddenly lose their audience.

In any event, given a good portion of last night's ep focused on a Rich Woolsley case, hey, it was good by me. The more Teddy Sears, the better. And was that not a Catskills Comics routine or what? The two old guys getting caught for cashing the check of their now deceased roommate. Seriously, can you blame them - at 80-something-years-old? Totally something Sophia would've thought to do on Golden Girls. Besides, all they needed was the rent check, and it's not as if the government is doing them any favors.

Now the whole case with Jerry and Michelle ... this, again, is why Michelle Ernhardt unnerves the daylights out of me - but also why it makes her so effective as a character. You love to hate her, y'know? She'll do whatever she can to get what she wants - including, as it would seem, bang a cop who is essentially trying to stick it to one of Jerry's clients (no pun intended).

In short LK Legalease: Cop is deliberately misidentifying Jerry's client, a guy who isn't responsible for the crime. However, if busted, it will send a message to the really bad group of people that said client hangs with and of whom the cop has it out for.

You'd think Michelle would notice she was ... uh, being used in this case BY the cop. Like, duh. The cop just happens to put the moves on Michelle conveniently before he's got to take the stand to try and nail the guy, using the "I've seen you around the courthouse" line. And you went to law school, Michelle?

I have to say, I'm liking more mature, crafty Jerry. He's not so soap boxy, but hasn't lost his persistence or dedication.

And is Judge Farnsworth not the best? John Michael Higgins is pitch-perfect as even more of a stickler than Judge Kessler, who suddenly looks a bit vanilla (though not entirely because, hey, it IS Jane Kaczmarek). If you think the Wild Bill Hickok routine was good, wait until he takes issue with Jerry's missing shirt button in next week's ep.

That is, of course, unless TNT moves the cheese, again.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

Roundup: 'Closer' on Edge; Buying Into the 'Bar'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

I interrupt my normally scheduled posting of individual show recaps to do a combo roundup this week for The Closer and Raising the Bar. Hey, whatever works, right? LOL!

Midol, Anyone?

I normally like to start out with a BJ-is-Back type comment when The Closer returns to our screens in the summer. After all, it just doesn't quite feel like summer without Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson and her Major Crimes Division of the LAPD. Yet this year, I'm tempted to say not only is BJ back, but everyone around her is awfully grouchy.

At least that was the vibe of the fifth season premiere ("Products of Discovery").

Seriously, I kept going, "Why is everyone so grouchy? On edge? Bitchy? Irritable?"

It was as if a bad case of PMS had taken over Major Crimes. Now, I don't know exactly how that factors into Creator James Duff's theme of change for this year, but I can honestly say the previous four seasons worth of premieres didn't find me wanting to give the entire squad a bottle of Midol.

That said, the case might've put everyone in a bad mood considering a whole family was murdered by the pregnant girlfriend of a suspected drug trafficker - and that included a 9-year-old and a 16-year-old. BJ usually gets her dander up when children are victims (as Kyra Sedgwick recently told us). And seeing as said girlfriend (named Dina) wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and went to the wrong house, thus, killing the WRONG people ... well, it seemed even worse than usual.

But can I get a W-O-W for the closing confrontation between BJ and Dina? Another CCC: Classic Closer Crescendo of an interrogation, which I have to say, this show does incredibly well. Five seasons in and I still cannot predict all of Brenda's tendencies. And like I said, when kids are victims, she seems especially fired up.

And potent in nailing her suspect.

And poor Kitty ... things are not looking too good, are they?

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site.



Hey, Did You Cut Your Hair?

This year, we welcome Raising the Bar to PTR's summer line-up.

True, we included it last year as part of a TNT summer promo tour, but I stopped short of recapping each week because ... well, as Mark-Paul Gosselaar says, I wasn't sure where it was all going to end up. I kind of wanted to test drive the show.

This year, I'm buying.

And since I did watch season one in its entirety, I pick it up knowing exactly where things left off.

Jerry Kellerman is getting cleaned up a bit.

Starting with a haircut.

Mark-Paul already told us this was going to happen, but seeing it in the context of the second season premiere really does show how the character has matured between the first and second seasons. He may be the best public defender (PD) in NYC, but if nobody can take him seriously because of his locks, then I guess he might want to wise up and play the game.

But Jerry doesn't like to always play by the rules, so we'll see if he really does get better at it this season. You know what they say: you get more with honey than you do with vinegar (does Jerry know this?).

Let me state right now that my fave character is Rich Woolsley. (and based on my interview with Teddy Sears, you couldn't tell that, right?) His interaction with Roz Whitman is just so wonderfully understated. Now, I'm alluding to some nice confessions of affection between the two characters that rounded out last season, and I'm hopeful we get to see more of that this season. In the meantime, Roz steps back into the courtroom as an actual PD as opposed to just running the Office of PDs. We didn't see any of that last year, and given what we saw in the premiere, it's easy to understand why she is so well-liked on both sides of the aisle.

All that said, it should come as no real surprise I tend to be firmly in the PD camp for far more entertaining characterizations; not to mention there is something about how Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Natalia Cigliuti, Teddy Sears and Gloria Reuben all gel together.

Wish list for season two: Bobbi (Natalia), goes through with the divorce of her drug-induced-doctor of a husband; Jerry (Mark-Paul) gets together with Bobbi (can we say chemistry?); Rich (Teddy) and Roz (Gloria) become a pair because ... aww, that just needs to happen.

On the flip side, the District Attorneys (DAs) finish second on my list.

Michelle Ernhardt annoys me. But that is, after all, how her character rolls (and hey, more power to her). Marcus McGrath I like for passion, but he gets a little too aggro sometimes. Nick Balco makes me feel like I need to take a shower every time he interacts with a woman.

And Judge Trudy Kessler reminds of that most feared school teacher who, no matter how good you were, would mange to find a way to put you in the dunce corner.

The fact that all these actors - Melissa Sagemiller, J. August Richards, Currie Graham and Jane Kaczmarek - can evoke this kind of reaction in me is a good thing.

Oh, and did we mention this is a Steven Bochco show?

'nuff said.

New episodes of Raising the Bar air Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT. For the scoop on the series, head on over to the show's official site

'The Closer's' Kyra Sedgwick: Five Seasons and Counting

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Ah, summer.

Time for BBQs, beach goings, picnics, fireworks and vacations.

And another round of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, Major Crimes, Los Angeles Police Department.

YAY!

The Closer begins its fifth season Monday, June 8th at 9 p.m. on TNT. When we last left our favorite homicide detective (actually, still tied-for-first since Cold Case's Lilly Rush escaped the cancellation guillotine for next season), BJ was finally married to fabulous FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard. Some of us thought she might not make it to the alter but ... she did!

So, when I recently had the chance to join in on a conference call with none other than BJ herself, the lovely Kyra Sedgwick, I wanted to ask what we might expect on the Brenda/Fritz front this season given that is one of things we here at PTR enjoy the most about the show - the attention given to developing the interpersonal relationships mixed in and balanced against the semi-procedural crime-solving.

(And lest we should forget that fabulous chemistry between Kyra and Fritzy's alter-ego, Jon Tenney).

"I think the inevitable next step to marriage is the idea of having children, and I think that’s a struggle for the two of them," says Kyra. "I think it's hard for Brenda, who doesn't see the world as a benevolent, loving place. She sees a lot of the darkness of the human soul, and a lot of people who behave badly and a lot of things that seem random. It's hard for someone like that to believe the world is a loving, safe place to bring a child into, so I think that is a struggle for her and for him."

I was also interested in where Kyra continues to her draw her inspirations from in portraying Brenda - particularly now that the show is in its fifth season.

"I think the scripts always give me inspiration," says Kyra. "I think the writers are constantly bringing in great stuff and great cases and interesting conflicts for her. I also get a lot of inspiration from one of our writers on the show who is a 25 year veteran of the LAPD – Mike Berchem. [He] keeps me grounded in the reality of it [all], and I can always go to him for good stories [and] good back stories. I've always been a big research person, and it's a really good connection for me to have him there all the time."

Other highlights from the call (**POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING**):


On getting into the persona of Brenda - putting on the "Brenda suit" - and the benefits of playing a character for an extended period of time: "I'm always putting on a Brenda suit. I think we continue to have vast differences between the two of us. But, I can tell you that playing a character for this long, it just gets deeper and more multi-layered for me. And as an actor, I really enjoy that. It's been an inspiring process - one that I never would have thought would happen. If you had told me I was going to play the same character for five years, and I was still going to find her fascinating, still find new things about her, I'd have told you were probably crazy. It was such a leap of faith [to take on this role]. I think it always is whenever you take on a creative project, but I think this one especially because it was such a long commitment. But it's been a great journey. It's been one of the most - if not the most - creatively fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had. I love the fact that I get to play someone who’s so multifaceted and also that [the show] can flip from being an intense drama to sort of a slap-sticky type comedy. The audience goes with us, and I love we continue to grow our audience every year. That's something that is incredibly fulfilling for me - especially since I have to be away from my family for that time, and it is such a huge commitment. So, it's all been really great."

On whether the comedic element of the show contributes to the show’s success "I think it does. It surprised me in the beginning. I remember the first season, when we did this real like slap sticky kind of thing with [Lieutenants] Provenza and Flynn, I thought 'Oh gosh, I don't know how this is going to fly.' But, I was so excited and happy that the audience loved it. It was actually one of our highest rated shows. It really says a lot about our show [in that] we are able to be thoughtful enough to do both mediums. The writing, the characters, and also the audience that we have, they will go along with the ride and still feel grounded in the characters."

On whether she prefers the comedy to the drama: "I am so grateful that I get both within one show. I think I like the comedy better. I mean, it's harder in a lot of ways. But it’s fun, and you laugh between takes whereas sometimes it can get very, very sad. There are some sad things that happen in the first couple of episodes this year, and I don't like going to those dark places and staying in them too long. I think, as I get older, I want less and less to go to those dark places."

On the theme for the fifth season: "This year's theme is change. I think the most obvious change is Brenda being married, and there’s been some shifts in the squad. In the first few episodes, the cat is unwell, and I think that's a change she doesn't want to have to deal with - the idea of life without her cat, who in some ways is sort of her independent self. The cat is the thing that she had before she got married. I remember Kevin's dog [that is, husband Kevin Bacon]. When I first met him, he had a dog [named] Jane, [and she] was with us for years and years. When she finally passed, it was a very big deal because it was sort of the thing he had before I came along - the thing that defined him before marriage and children. That's a very big deal. So, she's got to deal with some issues that come up this year that she didn't have to deal with before. And, I don’t think she likes it too much. I think change is hard for everybody."

On whether Brenda and Fritz's working together will give more insight into their relationship: "I do – I definitely think that their working together gives you more insight into their relationship. There is actually a whole episode where Fritz kind of brilliantly manipulates Brenda – what he knows to be true about Brenda, which is her tenacity and her inability to let go of a case even when she’s asked to let go of it."

On how the show continues to excel at keeping its "realness": "The way [writer and 25 year LAPD veteran Mike Bertram] talks about crime is always from the victim’s point of view. This is a vision that’s shared with [creator] James Duff, which is that Brenda is the advocate for the victim and the victim's family. [She] is sometimes the only living breathing person who is advocating for the victim. That is somewhat of a mission statement of the show - to really be the advocate of the victim, and to show what murder is really like, how it really affects people and the horror of it. We really do emotionally involve people in each specific crime and in each specific character."

On what makes people come back to watch each season: "There’s a lot of [emotional] accessibility to the characters and to what they are going through. And because [the show is not strictly a] procedural, it's got a lot of character-driven moments. I think that's really what makes people come back. It's the personal moments - the characters, getting to know them from the inside, getting to see their vulnerabilities and their struggles. I think that’s really what makes people come back."

Count us in that group, Kyra.

We at PTR extend our great thanks to Kyra Sedgwick for taking the time to chat all-things Brenda. We also thank our friends and Turner publicity for inviting us once again to confess … er, I mean report. The fifth season of The Closer gets underway Monday, June 8th at 9 p.m. on TNT.

'The Closer' Finally Says I Do ... Sigh

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

She did it.

In only the way BJ could.

Er, perhaps I should say in only the way The Closer folks could.

That is, they gave us a wedding ceremony between Brenda and Fritz that seemed as if it was being done in the supermarket - in the express lane, for the people with less than 10 items.

Yet, that was the genius of it.

When Fritz's sister started the ceremony, I couldn't help but think it was going to become one big melodramatic proclamation of BJ and Fritzy's love for one another.

Cue: "Let's do it."

Cut to: a mixture of photo collage snapshots to show us the fact the ceremony took place, everything went fine, and now let's get back to work.

Or at least to the reception.

Genius.

And was it not completely perfect to have both Brenda AND Fritz trying to squeeze in the wedding in between working a case?

And yet ... I must confess this "finale" is the first of The Closer's that didn't particularly wow me. I actually feel guilty for admitting this given the show rarely misfires for me. Perhaps it's because I've gotten so used to having humdingers that leave me breathless (we've had three in a row).

This one did not.

As such, I feel like last night was a mid-season episode. The "summer" finale shootout wielded far more of a punch, and our recent legendary episode, "Power of Attorney," gave us more of that cliffhanger/breathless episode on which to leave us die-hards wondering, hoping, waiting and anticipating the show's return in June.

And even yet to the yet ... this whole season was leading up to this moment between BJ and Fritzy, particularly as it pertains to the further development of both characters. And given I still credit The Closer as one of the best show's on television at being able to develop the personal side of its characters WITHOUT sacrificing the professional, it was almost as if they HAD to end the season this way. And if I look at the finale in the context of the individual characters, the show certainly gave us much to feel satisfied about - right up until the last confession of BJ to Fritz in the hallway (whereby she struggles with how much he unconditionally loves her, and that she only hopes she can equal it return now that they are married), to the resurrected breakdown between Detective Daniels and Sergeant Gabriel.

Soooo, I find it hard to knock the finale but feel I must confess it didn't wow me.

That said, I must also confess I didn't pay attention to the case.

Oops.

Call it BJ/Fritz wedding anxiety.

It was something about a woman married to an out of work war veteran. She took a job with three different stripper-escort agencies to make money for both of them, but then decided to get in cahoots with her hubby to rob said agencies on the days that she worked those agencies even though hubby wasn't supposed to really know she was working at those agencies.

Um, yeah. Okay. Again, not a humdinger by any stretch of the imagination.

And that's fine.

You know I will be back in June.

The Closer returns in June for its fifth season. If you missed any of this seasons ep, visit The Closer official Web site for the scoop on all-things BJ and Co.

Intuition Cometh on 'The Closer'

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Funny! Funny! Funny! Funny! Funny! Funny!

Amy Sedaris needs to become a regular fixture on The Closer.

And James Duff needs to direct every episode Kevin Bacon is not directing ('cause we already know how good the KB eps are).

This, of course, is unlikely given a) James, as creator and executive producer of the show, has a whole buncha things on his plate; and, b) it wouldn't be fair to all the other fabulous directors who helm The Closer eps.

Still, I haven't laughed this hard in a while.

Flipping. Hysterical. Episode.

Love you, James Duff!


The Case

Kinda straightforward lover's triangle gone bad, with beefcake Hollywood stuntman off-ing the husband of the girl with whom he was ... ahem, "just friends."

Not.

Turns out"husband" was a high-profile horror film producer to which beefcake stuntman worked a number of films.

Why is it these guys get duped into killing off husbands for the women who leave them faster than you can say Friday the 13th AFTER the deed is done?

Guys ... seriously ... when a woman has got you planning to kill her husband so you can run off together, ya' might want to be a little wary.

Or have her sign some Pre-Murder-tial Agreement.


The Psychic - No Wait, Make That Intuitionist

OMG.

And she's Fritzy's sister, too?

Who da' thunk?

Much like we have come to love BJ's parents (played fantastically by Barry Corbin and Frances Sternhagen), who provide us with never ending material OUTSIDE of the murder room and give us a different look at the character of Brenda Leigh Johnson, Amy Sedaris' Claire is, as far as I'm concerned, an instant hit.

Now, she might seem over the top, or just so annoying you can't stand her. But not for me. What I found most interesting is the fact that she put Brenda in a very secondary kind of position - that is, BJ had to sort of play second fiddle to a personality that seemed larger than her own, smiling politely and letting someone else take center stage.

That is something we don't see too often.

As silly and ridiculous as Claire might have been, it was a nice shift watching BJ let her just ... well, be - especially since she is usually falling all over herself to take care of her parents, or skee-doodle around with Fritz.

And hey, she sorta-kinda-almost-maybe-might-have-possibly helped with the case!


The Lingering

Did we notice BJ had NOT erased the white board with the info from LAST week's case and/or that she has evil-incarnate-attorney Strow's DMV pic up on her computer screen?

Stalk much, BJ?

We have definitely not seen the last of this ... and she WILL get him.


The Scene of the Ep

Claire, after giving her rundown of Who, What, Where, When, Why and How in the murder room, says she'll be right back.

Plops down.

Goes into a deep sleep trance.

Like a terminator being powered down to re-boot.

Thank you for you cooperation.


The Wedding Cometh

Season four wraps up next week, and we're going to get to see whether BJ and Fritzy indeed say "I do."

Anyone placing odds on whether the wedding WILL happen?


The season finale of The Closer air next Monday at 9 p.m. on TNT. Visit The Closer official Web site for the scoop on all-things BJ and Co.

'The Closer' Gives Us A Legend

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

We interrupt our usual recap of The Closer episodes from this fourth season to just say ...

W.O.W.

File last night's episode ("Power of Attorney") as a prime candidate to be included in the Top 5 of our PTR Best Episode countdown for 2009.

And did we mention it reminded me of the legendary Cold Case episode, "Mind Hunter"?

More on that in a minute.

W.O.W.

We know The Closer always manages to give us compelling cases each season, with a memorable bad guy (or two). Someone who gives Brenda Leigh Johnson a run for her money, someone who really gets to her and forces her hand. It can, at times, be a rarity given she is so good closing cases.

But we crossed into legendary territory last night for the one she could NOT get.

And we were once again shown that the show is still churning out some of its best work to date - four (almost five) seasons in.

Billy Burke's portrayal of the sex offender defense attorney was just insanely-creepily-disturbingly-engrossingly good, second (or perhaps tied with) Jason O'Mara's Bill Croelick character. And given how long PTR has followed Cold Case (and how much we WISH the show was still doing what it did in that amazing second season), it's not a stretch to compare Burke to John Billingsley's portrayal of serial killer George Marks who was, essentially, Detective Lilly Rush's one true nemesis.

The one that got under the skin.

The one that made you want to scream at the screen.

The one that made you seethe in anger right alongside the squad.

The one that got away.

W.O.W.

I will never forget watching George Marks walk right out of the interrogation room when Rush couldn't nail him for murder. And I will never forget watching BJ see attorney Strowe stroll out of her murder room a free man, unable to pin six rapes and one murder on the slime that just seemed to drip off this guy.

Both detectives - so poised, in control and on their game in always getting their suspects - reduced to powerless bystanders.

Both actresses - Kathryn Morris and Kyra Sedgwick - delivering one of their best performances.

How about when BJ looked at Strowe through the window of the interrogation room door, realizing she had been one upped into giving away her evidence only so that he could be sure they had NOTHING on him, and he could fool her into making a worthless deal with the so-called "partner" that would given them even more than less than nothing?

I felt as if I couldn't believe what I was seeing and/or hearing right alongside her.

That moment of revelation of on Kyra Sedgwick's face: genius.

Like when Morris told Billingsley's Marks: "I'll be watching you."

Or when both legendary bad guys told each detective: "It's over."

W.O.W.

All I can say is bring on the sequel.

'Cause you know there will be one.

One.Amazing.Episode.

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. Visit The Closer official Web site for the scoop on all-things BJ and Co.

'The Closer's' Humor Remains One of a Kind

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Ah, The Closer's humor.

Nothing quite like it.

Creator James Duff told us to expect more of it in these last set of episodes for season four.

And we got our first taste of it last night (and yet another reason why meeting people online isn't necessarily eHarmony-ish in nature).


The Case

There should be a law that says when we post our pictures on MySpace or Facebook or whatever, they have to be a SOMEWHAT realistic picture of ourselves. That, or it's avatars only. Cripes, how many times do we have to have the 65-year-old posting her high school photo?

Now, that's not as bad as the case last night, but that whole don't-look-like-my-photo thing certainly didn't do victim Phil Adams any good. He was stalked by Spiceboy 85, a.k.a. Keith Reyes, a.k.a a cross-dressing lethal Lolita who gets poor Phil to steal millions in diamonds from his OWN store, then get himself stuffed in the back of a trunk of his car.

Turns out Spiceboy made a habit of this sort of thing, having offed another guy in Arizona under similar circumstances.

Hmmm ... intent to murder, anyone?


The Interviews

BJ vs. Spiceboy.

Was he not just so remorseless and sinister that you actually wanted BJ to rip his eyeballs out?

I was completely fooled. I actually thought she might not have this case and/or this kid was actually NOT the murderer given she could not tie him to Phil's murder.

And yet, this IS Brenda Leigh Johnson we are talking about - failure to get her suspect is NOT an option.

Thankfully, Fritzy saves the day, bringing BJ the connection to the Arizona case so that she may prove intent.

Do we love Fritz or do we love Fritz?


The Departing of the Parents

Sooo, last week I thought Mom and Dad were going to be staying for a month. This week, we're back to trying to make up what's left of that cruise to Hawaii.

The wedding dress is now nicely tailored, though (thanks, Mamma).

And the odds of BJ actually getting married are just in: 8 billion to 1.

KID-ding.

I think.


The Humor

Pick your scenario.

Mine happens to be Big Phil being squished into oblivion as the abandoned car to which he is found accidentally rolls down the street and into an electric pole BEHIND Lieutenant Flynn, who is on the phone with BJ (n a personal day) calmly trying to explain the different scenarios in which Big Phil could've been killed - all of which happen in a period of less than 30 seconds - while the entire squad runs down the hill (behind Flynn) after the runaway car.

Tony Denison's delivery made that entire sequence work like a charm.

As they say:

One beat-up old car: $2500

Stolen diamonds: $3 million

Runaway car that rolls down hill, smashes into electric pole and turns murder victim into sludge: Priceless.

For everything else, there is ... The Closer

New episodes of The Closer air Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT. Visit The Closer official Web site for the scoop on all-things BJ and Co.