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« The Closer
Episode Recap: "Next of Kin Part 1; Next of Kin Part 2"
For starters, this mid-hiatus special, I thought, surpassed last year's, which had all that CIA nonsense. No, this two-hour block had a great blend of heart and hardness, at times deftly weaving together Brenda's family and work. That scene in the church yard, when Willie Rae took Wesley's hand? Misty eyes over here.
What else was great was how everyone got something to do, with Flynn and Provenza high-tailing it to Atlanta (though perhaps not quite as quickly as they could, free flight vouchers and all). Even Sanchez, who really got the shaft this season (aside from the occasional leer/inapporpiate remark), was handed a meaty scene, when he made clear to Grady just what the stakes were.
But what were the stakes? I was hoping for a bit more illumination into the bandits' history, their motivation, why they were so ruthless. After all, Wes had to think they could have killed his brother, right?
Speaking of the Big Lie, if only Brenda hadn't gone the extra mile to fake the murder scene, she could have gotten away with it. Lots of questionable tactics this episode, but as Daddy Johnson said, his daughter has a tough job.
A few bullets, and then my flight to L.A. takes off:
• French Stewart, most-annoyuing guest star ever?
• "For $20,000 over asking, I'd part with you."
• "I don't even notice my accent." Really?!
• The whole "Freeze... unfreeze" when Pope thought he was speaking to BL's voicemail.
• Borubon and Coke "doesn't seem right."
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Dec 4, 2007 8:54 AM
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It was a fine episode and I like "Gary who doesn't lie".
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Dec 4, 2007 9:32 AM
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Kinda disappointed. Seemed like the writers were trying too hard to cover all the bases and never concentrated on either making it lighthearted or deadly serious. My thinking is that the plot line should have been less "murderous" and let the interaction of the colorful characters take precedence. Maybe that's just me, but how often will you get a chance to have these guys cooped up in an RV for 4 days? Could have been hilarious.
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Dec 4, 2007 9:50 AM
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I did enjoy the Sanchez scene and thought that the dark lighting was very appropriate for his stormy and menacing look/anger. A couple of things I thought were unresolved and hopefully will be picked up on next season - Provenza's discomfort about Brenda's tactic of lying to Wesley and Fritz's reaction to the Johnson's giving a recovering addict Wesley alcohol. That was the one thing which really bothered me - was Brenda giving Wesley multiple drinks.
Still I have to say that I was really impressed by the casting of the actors who played Wesley and Grady. Both did an excellent job.
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Dec 4, 2007 10:08 AM
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I was disappointed in this episode. There were too many questionable tactics that were not consistent with the show or characters. Brenda does not lie that is what makes her such a good interrogator so the fact that she lied about the brother being dead was inconsistent. Also, she knows that Fritz is a recovering alcoholic so why would she prime another alcoholic with jack daniels right in front of her future husband. She is inconsiderate of Fritz but that was overboard even for her. Food acting and decent story line but the writers wrote Brenda why out of the box.
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Dec 4, 2007 10:14 AM
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I loved this episode. Brenda and Fritz were up to their old ways when dealing with selling the house. I love French Stewert as the smarmy Real-Estate agent!
Brenda does not lie that is what makes her such a good interrogator
Brenda Lee DOES lie in her interrogations, just not to the degree that she did in this episode!
How great were Brenda's parents? I absolutely loved them!
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Dec 4, 2007 11:08 AM
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i have mixed feelings...even a not so great episode is great...loved the decorations...i live in the south and there are truly houses that look like that and we all wear christmas sweaters like her mom...wish we could have seen more of the other characters...hardly saw some at all...i prefer the usual outline of solving cases and being creative in figuring them out...but nice to have it on this time of year
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Dec 4, 2007 11:22 AM
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Brenda lies all the time. Not just in interrogations, but in her personal life as well. She lied to her parents about why she was coming to Atlanta. I don't know why she involved them at all. She and Fritz could have stayed in a hotel and handled their business, and her parents could have gone on their trip to see the rest of the family. She was a bad daughter. Bad, bad daughter.
I might have dozed off, but I didn't understand why Wesley wanted to kill his cohorts even after he realized that Grady was still alive. Was it because they had killed his fellow guards? Seemed a bit of a stretch.
I didn't see enough of Gabriel, and where was Daniels? I don't remember her in this episode. I guess it was better than nothing, but it wasn't as good as last year's mid-hiatus special.
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Dec 4, 2007 11:58 AM
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I usually love this show, but for some reason I found this episode less appealing. I guess I found it annoying how Brenda was son outside reality with bailing out a fugitive, taking him across state lines with a warrant, etc. (I realize we need to suspend belief but this was a little much). I thought they rushed the end, too. I mean, the bank robbers were sitting in a car at the entrance to the bank while Wesley was under a nearby car? Wouldn't the police think to look inside all the cars parked at the bank as well as underneath them? They made a point of mentioning that no civilians were to be left unaccounted for so what about the two guys sitting in a car with automatic weapons outside of the bank (it was clear they were already there as the car was already parked, it didn't drive in after the armored car). I understand that the whole thing was just a set up for Wesley getting killed, but they could have fleshed it out a little better. Won't stop me from coming back in the summer, though!
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Dec 4, 2007 12:02 PM
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Wesley wanted to kill his cohorts, because he knew that they would know Grady had identified them and that they would really try to kill him. He was doing it to protect his brother.
I personally loved the episode. Laughed, cried, everything.
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Dec 4, 2007 12:16 PM
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I love this show but this was not my favorite episode.....still better than anything else on TV. Provenza and Flynn are great and their giving up their seats to get free tickets was so typical of them. Brenda's interaction with her parents is realistic, but as much as I love this show, I really think 'Fritzie' is too tolerant of Brenda. What makes her a great detective are the same traits that would make living with her very difficult. Can't wait for new episodes of Closer and Burn....my two favorite shows.
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Dec 4, 2007 12:42 PM
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Yet again, I was pleased with another new episode. It was almost painful seeing the "darker" side of Brenda and just how dedicated she is to justice. We all knew she had flaws and quirks but we've been laughing at them. I was uncomfortable with my feelings towards Brenda after she told THE LIE, because I couldn't enjoy this one as I have others. However, it was good to see that ruthless determination of hers played out so brutally with the lie. Here is another aspect of her character, like it or not, that makes her seem so much more like a real person.
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Dec 4, 2007 3:41 PM
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I was so happy to see The Closer again and boy did I miss Brenda Lee and her co-horts. The eposide was good, not the greatest. For some reason the writer's felt it neccessary to start using real swear words this time? I get it is on Cable and all that, but still it went a bit far with the swearing.(IMP) How funny was it to see Provenza having an allergic recation to all the garland-"He's allergic to Christmas!" Says Flynn-Too Funny. But I agree the whole ride could of been filled with lots of funnies with those two in tow along with everyone else.
So, next time we see The Closer will we see Daddy Johnson raising a son and will the kid, Grady, ever get closer on his brother, Wesley? Just some random thoughts? Where will Fritiz and Brenda Lee live if they took that deal-did we find out if they took the deal-I don't recall. I hope this writer's strike gets over soon so we can watch more of The Closer all though this was a nice filler until next year. Thanks Matt for doing a nice write up
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Dec 4, 2007 4:29 PM
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I, like others, had mixed feelings about the episode (was worried I was going to be alone there).
Loved:
-the opening with Brenda "helping" Fritz make their home more "festive" for the potential buyer, and then them coming back in when she needed her gun for the crime scene.
-any time Provenza and Flynn can get in over their head, either in Wesley's 1st attempt at transportation to CA or the ride with Brenda, Fritz and family to CA
-the fake voice mail message to Brenda with Tao and Pope scene
Not so sure about:
-Irene Daniels was noticeably missing (did I miss a mention of her absence in dialogue?)
-I felt as uncomfortable as Provenza did about her lie (not sure about the extent to which she took it, esp. concerning the graphic crime scene recreation)
-the use of alcohol to ply the confession, esp. right in front of Fritz, with no scene of her and him dealing with that when it seemed their engagement might have fallen apart based on his ommission of his alcoholism/DUI situation from earlier on
-the pace of show felt uneven; there were times I wondered if I should have just watched Chuck instead
Don't kill me, posters, cause I know you all jump on people for saying something that turns out to be the opposite, but did Brenda ever apologize for ruining her parent's Christmas? All I remember is Brenda tearily asking her father to not be mad at her, but I don't recall her ever actually saying she was sorry for dragging her family, fiancee and colleagues through this mess.
I think Brenda is one of the more interesting characters on tv, female or male, but there are times when I wonder if the ends justify her means. She seems to get a free pass most of the time (esp. when it comes to Pope and his insistence on wrapping cases up quickly and neatly), but I wonder if her callousness with her relationships, both personal and professional, will ultimately affect her ability to do her job and force her to move on.
Feel free to pummel me with my errors!! 
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Dec 4, 2007 4:49 PM
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I, too, had moments of discomfort over the whole "big lie," but I really liked that they portrayed that Brenda had some moments of doubt about it, too. Even though she stayed completely committed to it, she didn't like it. She just felt it was the only way to get what they needed from him. I also liked that this guy actually broke through into her humanity. Even though he was a criminal and she didn't trust him or like/justify what he had done, she couldn't help but feel terrible when everything went down like it did. The whole scene with her mom confronting her about it and her showing her mom the photos of the men he was partially responsible for killing was truly powerful.
Now, onto the lighter side of things...I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Brenda's whole, "You keep quiet with your Yankee accent. I understand these people," speech. The reaction of the sherriff to her sugary sweet introduction and request, and her subsequent almost coming over the counter at him was priceless Brenda Leigh! LOVED it!!
Two questions...
What's with the open hostility between Gabriel and Taylor? I don't remember them being so blatantly at odds before, but last night I thought they were going to come to blows a time or two.
Just how many brothers and sisters-in-law does Brenda have? When do we meet some of them? I foresee some good times ahead if she interacts with them as well as she does her parents!
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Dec 4, 2007 6:16 PM
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