The Closer is an American police drama starring Kyra Sedgwick, who plays a Deputy Chief of Police at the LAPD. Sedgwick plays Brenda Leigh Johnson, an ex-CIA interrogator. She is a southern belle and her easy going charm has surprised more than one criminal during an interrogation. She always gets the bad guys. She was put in charge of the Priority Homicide division of the LAPD.
She’s had to deal with conflict from Commander Taylor, chief of detectives, since she was promoted over him from the outside to her current position. Her team are seasoned veterans, some close to retiring like Lt Provenza, others like Sgt Gabriel just a few years into their police careers.
Her personal life wasn’t always as stable as it is right now. She’s currently engaged to an FBI Agent named Fritz Howard, who helps her from time to time on some cases. They’ve just sold Brenda’s bungalow and moved into a temporary space as they search for a new house to buy.
Brenda is a severe workaholic, to the sacrifice of her personal relationships. She tends to micro-manage her investigations and take a close look at details. She loves junk food and sweets but is currently trying to lay off them. She usually hides all types of junk food in drawers, purses, and other places. She is also known to be a “bit of a slob”, commenting that she does not often get around to housework every day in one episode, and in another, during a small argument between her and Fritz over where her mail was, Fritz comments that “if she looked at her mail daily instead of once a week, she would know where they keep it”.
The Closer is one of the best police dramas on television right now and is in its fourth season on TNT. Each summer sees 13 episodes. A feature length episode is shown over the holidays. For this season, the episode format has changed. The show has returned for five more episodes in 2009.
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The chief has to investigate a suicide that might be a murder. Sanchez is still on light duty after recovering from his shooting in the last episode. Meanwhile she has some trouble at the home front. The wedding is coming up quickly and she doesn’t want to face the fact that she has to prepare for it. Her parents are in town.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
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Brenda is trying on some dresses for her wedding. Her mom is there. Felix arrives. They are getting married in a month’s time. She is trying on Willy Rae’s dress, as well as her sister’s and aunt’s dresses. Brenda gets a call from Lt Flynn. Brenda hasn’t picked out a cake yet. She brings them in to work. Julio Sanchez is back. She wants him back on the squad.
Some officers reported a suicide. The coroner said it was a murder. Commander Taylor wants the Major Case Squad to investigate. The victim’s name is Jeffrey Crawford. A pastor named Hicks found the body. His ex-wife is suing for alimony. He just got out of rehab for a cocaine addiction. He owed some money to his brother, with whom he owned the contracting business. The coroner says that it was physically impossible for him to kill himself with a gun because of his fused fingers. In order to stop the coroner from going over their heads, they need to take this seriously.
The brother Ed is the sole beneficiary for Jeff life insurance. It’s worth $2 million. Pope isn’t happy that they are investigating a suicide. Jeff was killed using Ed’s gun. The chief poses as a bumbling fool once again. Provenza and Flynn easily play along.
They go back to the crime scene and use blown-up pictures to mimic the way it was supposed to look at the time of the death. Beth was Jeff’s girlfriend. She was diagnosed with cancer. She can’t understand that Jeff committed suicide. Beth refused his marriage proposal. They started dating after she learned she had cancer. He gave her a 2-carat ring. Jeff was living in an apartment provided by the church. Jeff had found God. There isn’t enough room to pull the trigger. Someone moved the body in order to get out. She knows it’s a murder, but wants everyone to continue to investigate this suicide.
The church has set up shop in a skating rink. The pastor is an old real estate agent. He used his business acumen to buy property for the church. They own the apartment building where Jeff was staying. Chief Johnson’s parents are there to check out this place. The pastor knew about Jeff’s past. Jeff raised money for the church’s building fund. He put together web pages for Beth to garner money for her treatments. The pastor says that he moved the body. He tried to help him. All of his belongings were taken away, as well as his car. The pastor says that the ex-wife is probably responsible. Dana Crawford is her name.
She sends her family to check out some more places. She has to continue the investigation. She doesn’t seem to take things seriously. The Chief interviews Dana Crawford. She gave his computer to her son. The Chief says that she had no right to remove his belongings. The Chief wants to find the engagement ring. Dana says that she didn’t find any ring. She says that Jeff stole from everyone around him. He felt guilty then he killed himself. The Chief wants to send someone with her get Jeff’s car and belongings. She doesn’t want to comply, she arrests her. The Chief threatens to call CPS on her. She finally complies.
Jeff was asking for drugs at a doctor’s office. Provenza still hasn’t come through with Sanchez’ papers. Hicks has come by as the Chief has asked. She asks him to go over some papers. Jeff returned the ring and took the money to the church. The Chief wants to investigate the church.
When you’re a hammer, everything around you looks like a nail.
Pope on Johnson
Provenza phones and tells the Chief that her parents have been waiting in her office for an hour and a half with Flynn. Her father isn’t happy. He doesn’t think that Brenda is going to see this through. Her parents go home. Clay has got some problems. They call an ambulance. It looks like a heart attack. Willy Rae tells Brenda that he had his first heart attack two years ago. Brenda didn’t know. He’s fine. The way Clay talks about the medical bill he’ll receive, Brenda wants to examine the chemo bill from Beth’s treatment again. They bring in Beth for questioning. The Chief puts her gun among Jeff’s things to see if Beth recognizes the gun. The Chief wants to go over Beth’s medical bill. The drugs that she is taking aren’t mentioned on the bill. Jeff stormed in to see her oncologist. It turns out that Beth wasn’t a patient there. Her biopsy results came back negative. She forged the bill. They arrest her.
He confronted her about this when he came back. He forgave her and said that she had to confess to everyone what she had done. Each donation that she got from her website is a charge of wire fraud. Each of them is culpable for 3 years in prison. She confesses that Jeff wasn’t willing to give her time. They arrest her finally for murder.
Pope tells Johnson that the physical therapists have signed off for Sanchez. He is fit to return to full duty. The psych guys don’t agree. Provenza is trying to find a way to get Julio back to duty. Pope tells Johnson to give Provenza a chance. He’ll find a way.
Clay has been released. Willy Rae says that Brenda should have a small ceremony with her dad and Frizti’s sister as witnesses.
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memoirs on a rainy day 
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