Update: The Closer

BY CRIME WATCHER

All right, so we’ve had four episodes so far of Brenda and The Boyz (Daniels got promoted out, more on that in a sec…) - so what’s been going on? If you don’t expect spoilers to follow, you haven’t been paying attention…

For one thing,we got a four-episode Kitty arc. Episode one, Kitty seems sick, episode 2, Brenda struggles to help Kitty stay alive even though it’s sort of clear what’s next, episode 3 ends with her agreeing to let Kitty be put down and episode four gives us Brenda carrying around Kitty’s ashes in tupperware, to work, to crime scenes, wherever, as she tries to figure out where to spread the ashes. It was a sad story - especially since the cat who “played” Kitty was actually dying (apparently, that’s why they killed Kitty off….). I’m not personally a big fan of some of Brenda’s more eccentric tics, like carrying around the ashes, sometimes, and the “this is her softspot” thing was maybe not something we needed four episodes about, but, people do go through this kind of thing, so, there it is.

Yeah, so, less attention has been paid to the absence of Daniels. We hear eventually from Gabriel that she transferred or was promoted to a higher level job and won’t take his letters. It doesn’t seem like she’ll be back. I hope that gung-ho woman they had in one episode isn’t her replacement - a little over the top and she seemed taller than everyone which was weird. I have to say Daniels was the one squad member who never came alive. I remember when I saw the first season I thought there were too many supporting players and a weird ultra-diversity. Now, I like all the characters, they pop as individuals, and each has something to do - except Daniels. Yes, there were her forensic accounting abilities and her relationship with Gabriel– which sometimes seemed to substitute for her having personality traits - she had very little to do. Some episodes, it seemed like she didnt even talk. Buzz had more lines than she did most of the time. I think they held onto her for as long as they could, but it was probably best to cut her out if they werent going to put in some serious work developing the character.

But while Brenda lost her one female subordinate, she also gained a new female adversary in Mary McDonnell’s new inspector character - a woman who came in and made Gabriel’s life miserable when he was accused of shooting someone without cause. I have a feeling she’ll be back.

As for the crimes this season, we’re getting a look at how well the “keep the professional and personal separate” thing Brenda and new husband Fritz is working out. I’d say it isn’t. In the last episode, in a somewhat convuluted plot- he recruited her and the whole squad to help finding a missing person who showed up dead - and they had to become deputized FBI for it. The funny part was Flynn saying “I solemnly swear to be as stupid as possible.” In another Madoff-themed episode, written before Madoff broke, I guess, Brenda gets a good idea from Fritz about how to cross a line Pope told her not to cross. She crossed the heck out of it.

Maybe the harshest episode so far this season has been the first - wherein two kids, their mom, and their grandmother are executued. Good part in this ep for a still-reeling Sanchez, whether he’s reeling from his brother’s death or his near-death by shooting, I don’t know, but this character continues to grow in depth.

Comic relief abounds in the love-arc of Provenza. That doesnt sound right. Provenza was in the dumps, then in the clouds, and in the last episode we met the reason why - Lauren a much-younger suit buyer who Provenza is dating. Flynn doesn’t approve, seems to suspect the worst. I don’t know if he thinks she’s forcing Provenza to buy clothes or what. Kudos to the show for making Lauren in her 30s not her 20s and a professional rather than a bimbo. This storyline could get pretty good.

The Closer airs Mondays on TNT