Air Date: Monday, September 12, 2011, 9/8c on TNT
Gavin working his magic in the courtroom
The opening of “Fresh Pursuit” has me on guard. Hearing a judge (Ron Canada) reciting case numbers and other legal jargon can’t be good. Especially with Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) sitting in the defense chair in the courtroom. Which begs the question: why is she the face of this lawsuit?
The case of the week revolves around a car pursuit and subsequent murder of a deputy sheriff in the line of duty. TNT/The Closer certainly didn’t spare any expense for the season finale with the flashy cars in this episode—Mazarati, Aston Martin. My focus doesn’t remain on the cars though; I’m worried Brenda being on trial will create problems during this new investigation. Already she’s been off her game a bit and I don’t think it’s going to get any better until she can finally put the lawsuit behind her. How tense a moment is it when Brenda heads back to the interrogation room unknowingly about to walk in on her suspect Kyle Hayes (Aaron Perilo) holding a loaded gun? I didn’t think she was going to be shot, but I held my breath with each step she took toward the room. I’m sure I’m not the only one with questions about this scenario. First off, how did Hayes manage to get it past the officers in the building? Do they not pat down suspects? I can’t believe he wasn’t thoroughly searched, no matter how or where he had the gun taped to his body. While the answer to that last question is given, it’s just one more strike against Brenda she doesn’t need. What else is going to be dumped on her?
How much more can Brenda take?
Damn! It would seem the things that make Brenda the fantastic police officer she is violates the civil rights of quite a few criminals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t like Peter Goldman (Curtis Armstrong). To see Brenda trembling as he pulls file after file of suspects who’ve ended up dead while in her custody, gave me the chills. I’m worried she won’t see through Goldman’s ploy and realize he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I think he’s trying to shake her up (and doing a great job of it, too), and make her second guess herself so she watches her step from here on out. I’ve never had any issues with her methods, so what does that mean about anyone who agrees with how she operates? She has to be sneaky and sometimes dishonest when trying to get a confession. Hell, you can’t expect criminals to be honest, now can you?
Observations:
I wish Gavin Q. Baker, III (Mark Pellegrino) would have been introduced sooner. Like last season, maybe. He’s hilarious and doesn’t disappoint when it comes to doing his job. But is he really as good as he says (thinks) he is? That remains to be seen.
Everyone is on edge after the Kyle Hayes suicide, while in custody. But Brenda carries the brunt of the responsibility for screw-ups like this one on her shoulders. She is the Deputy Chief, not omniscient. People under her command make mistakes. It’s bound to happen. She can’t honestly feel guilty about everything that goes wrong when she isn’t personally responsible. But I do understand the concept of chain of command. I only hope Fritz (Jon Tenney) can work his magic and talk some sense into her.
I always knew Capt. Raydor (Mary McDonnell) was on Brenda’s side and I have to give McDonnell high accolades for how well she portrays Capt. Raydor with apparent nonchalance while subduing her true feelings. She seems like a hard ass but I think she needs to be. She’s a woman in a testosterone-filled building and can’t let her emotions get in the way of doing her job. But, I think that’s part of Brenda’s problem. I’ve never seen her cry as much as she has this season.
Capt. Raydor gathering evidence to support Brenda
Funny line:
Gavin Baker to Brenda about her racking up more lawsuits: “You know, if you could afford it I could drop everyone else in my law firm and defend you for a living.”
**
While not a heavy duty cliffhanger, the ending of “Fresh Pursuit” leaves me thinking Brenda is in more trouble than she’s ever been. I don’t know what tricks Gavin will have up his sleeve to get her out of this one. This isn’t the best season finale I’ve seen, but it isn’t the worst. Yes, I thought “Fresh Pursuit” would blow my mind. I also thought we’d get some resolution to Brenda’s lawsuit woes, yet it seems we have only seen the tip of the iceberg and it is a doozy. And we still don’t know who the leak is in the division. I am looking forward to the rest of the season, which airs in the fall. I know Gavin won’t let Goldman get away with his sleazy tricks. Someone needs to put him in his place.
The Closer returns in November with five new episodes. For more on the show, visit http://www.tnt.tv/series/closer/.
All pictures ©Karen Neal/TNT Entertainment.
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