Air Date: Monday, July 25, 2011, 9/8c
Flynn, Provenza and Buzz panicking
Gunfire, a dead body and a crushed car roof. What a way to start a show. The Closer never disappoints when it comes to shocking opening sequences. Of course, when Provenza (G. W. Bailey) and Flynn (Tony Denison) are involved, you know it won’t go well. I love these two together. They always ensure there will be laughter when they show up on screen. And the chemistry between them is amazing. They play off one another like two people who have worked together forever. They even have similar hair colors. It doesn’t get any more perfect than that.
So, why are Flynn and Provenza so hard up for $4,000? I’m not sure, but they can’t seem to escape the lure of the money or the trouble it brings. Unbeknownst to them, the subpoena they serve on Steven Hershbaum (Adam Arkin), is actually his double who ends up murdered—on top of Buzz’s (Phillip Keene) car. I feel so bad for Buzz because he is trying to be helpful to Flynn and Provenza. Not only does he have to drive around in his damaged car, he worries about even more damage being done to it as the day goes along. Who am I kidding? It’s hilarious because he has to duck his head down in order to drive the thing.
Brenda taking charge as usual
I laugh every time Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) yells at Flynn and Provenza and then has them do police work incognito, or congratulates them on a job well done. She knows how to work both sides. I don’t think she’s able to pull off the bad cop role but she convincingly comes across as a tough woman who knows how to get the job done. How anyone—including Flynn and Provenza—would think they could get away with hiding anything from Brenda is beyond me. Sedgwick handles her role of playing all sides with aplomb. It makes me sad this is the final season.
As an aside, I hate Brenda’s grey dress. The exposed zipper on the back is hideous. It takes my attention away from the show because I’m wondering who in the world puts black zippers on dresses so they stand out. I know, I’m being picky but it can’t be helped. And it really is distracting.
Funny lines:
Flynn: “Anything that begins with you whispering always ends with other people shouting.”
Andrea (Katie Lowes) to stepmother, Shannon (Amy Gumenick): “I’m not calling you mom, Shannon. You sat behind me in eighth grade French.”
Hershbaum to Flynn and Provenza: “Oh, it’s an uncatered kidnapping.”
Provenza: “We have Hershbaum and are five minutes from killing ourselves.”
Observations:
I see the writers are finally pulling characters who are seen but not heard and putting them in the spotlight. While Buzz usually makes some funny comment during interrogations, I was pleasantly surprised by his interactions with Flynn and Provenza.
Flynn and Provena "serving" a subpoena
The FBI is becoming more involved in the cases lately. I’m assuming it’s to allow Fritz (Jon Tenney) to have screen time. I mean really, we usually only see him with Brenda at home. I like seeing them on the job, working as a team, and sometimes butting heads. They are so cute together and Fritz seems to be the one person who knows her well enough to talk her down from the ledge.
“To Serve With Love” is full of hilarity. The title alone makes me chuckle. From Flynn and Provenza’s scheme steadily spiraling out of their control to Brenda’s reaction to their hijinks, I laugh often enough to consider The Closer a comedy as well as a drama. We never see her lose her cool to the point where her voice goes up an octave with each question. Her face gives away her incredulity and Flynn and Provenza didn’t know what to expect. I did ask for more of the dynamic duo and I was not disappointed.
Tune in to The Closer, Mondays at 9/8c on TNT. For more on the show, visit http://www.tnt.tv/series/closer/.
All pictures ©Karen Neal/TNT Entertainment.
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