Air Date: Monday, July 11, 2011, 9/8c
The very stylish Brenda with her big bag of crazy
Wow! What a way to premiere a new season! A music video with a catchy beat (that I’ll be singing for the rest of the week), seven executed persons sprawled throughout a huge house, and Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) walking through the carnage in slow motion coming to save the day. Slowing scenes down does something for the effect the director tries to get across. Things have really gotten high tech for the team. It draws your attention to details you might miss during a swifter run through. This week, the major crimes division is faced with finding the murderer of a rapper and his entourage. Everyone seems to think the murders are gang related, and in some way, they are. But not in the way you might think.
Does rap music always connect to gangs and drugs? I don’t necessarily think so. I think rappers want to have more street cred than they actually do, but wanting to appear like a gangster and being a gangster are two different things. Keeping along that train of thought, I notice how the words of the song playing throughout the episode feeds into the case. Brenda notices too and it plays a small part in helping her solve the case.
I appreciate Sgt. Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) putting forth the notion that not all black males from a certain neighborhood are gang members. I hate those generalized stereotypes. A few bad apples always spoil the bunch. But Gabriel has proof to back up his assertions which makes him feel some modicum of respect is owed him. I doubt he’ll hear anyone tell him he was right, but he can hope.
It seems we can no longer call Chief Pope (J.K. Simmons) chief. He’ll be a captain, of traffic. What the heck happened between last season and this season? And good ole Commander Taylor (Robert Gossett) has been promoted to Assistant Chief? Well, well… someone has been busy moving up in their career. I’m looking forward to seeing what good he does in his new position. And of course, how much sulking Pope will do with his demotion.
The team at the "gang related" murder scene
I’m beginning to sense a pattern here. With Chief Delk (Courtney B. Vance) comes trouble. No, the lawsuit brought about from the actions of the team in season six’s finale “An Ugly Game,” is not Delk’s fault, but does he have to be so smug about it? I truly enjoy the addition of Vance to the show. One episode he makes me like Delk, the next, I hate his guts. But he’s not there to make friends. He’s there to do his job. Remember, he’s ousted Pope and beat out Brenda for the position. I didn’t expect he would make many allies.
This show is always so exciting. There are shots fired, a man strangling a woman, and another guy drowning a man in the toilet all in one scene. Talk about suspense. I blink and it seems all hell breaks loose. What I don’t like about this is how Brenda set things up that would lead to a perp. She could have knowingly gotten someone killed. That’s unlike her.
How this case comes to an end is actually surprising. I’ve never seen a suspect blow up like this one does, confessing on the spot. It doesn’t take much work on Brenda’s part to get Deandre (Page Kennedy) to lose his temper either. It’s realistic though under the circumstances. You have to wonder if the something that’s been thrown in your face for so long is once again brought to your attention, wouldn’t it make you angry? Furious, even?
Observations:
Lt. Tao (Michael Paul Chan) has what appears to be an iPad for checking things out and taking notes. I like it.
Brenda still has her drawer of chocolate. I’m not sure what little morsel she was munching on, but now I want chocolate. It’s good to see that some things haven’t changed.
No one realizes Commander Taylor has been promoted. Why the delay in telling the team?
What will Fritz’s (Jon Tenney) role be now? Is he going to protect Brenda when he can or try to diffuse situations before they explode since he has no other role on the show?
The happy couple working together, sort of
An outstanding opener for the seventh and final season of The Closer. I did expect at least one or two funny lines from my boys Provenza (G. W. Bailey) and Flynn (Tony Denison). They were very subdued this episode and kind of in the background. I hope to see more from them in the season. They’re one of the main reasons I continue to tune in Monday nights. And did you catch that ending? Talk about unexpected and speaking too soon.
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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