The questions are all good, but I think one of the main things the writers did correctly was to pit Brenda -- the irresistable force -- up against a pathological liar -- an immovable object.
Her experience tells her something is off about this guy, but for confessions she needs them to actually tell her things.
And this guy was guarded. And humanly, she knew that in this situation, if the guy hadn't done anything wrong, he might burst into an unstoppable stream of absolutely everything that's every happened to him in his entire life ... or he might react in exactly the way he was reacting.
It was hard to know. She was dealing with a Brit. Concerning a potentially valid Japanese murder-suicide ritual. Brenda had cultural filters to negotiate from across two oceans.
So she treaded carefully. She burned rubber getting the vics' identities confirmed while instictively trusting that she knew what was going on and holding the husband. Knowing that she couldn't be treading dangerous ground if indeed it [i]wasn't[/i] him, she was appropriately circumspect as to what stage of the investigation she was at at every given turn. She never revealed too much. She never violated his rights. She remembered every piece of evidence all the way through and ultimately he'd given her enough embroidery to ferret out the cloth of his lies buried beneath.
This was a pathological liar who had murdered at least three people and it didn't [i]matter[/i] to him. The enormity of his actions didn't affect him in the slightest.
And that's why she was reserving her rage all the way through. The murder of two women was one thing -- she's proven again and again that she can at least understand motivations behind some murders. But the murder of a four-year-old girl -- in cold blood -- his freeqin' [i]daughter[/i] besides -- that she could never understand or forgive.
Kyra is a fantastic actress. So is Brenda. When faced with this sociopath, she asked glancing questions and let him spin his web. His asserted belief that his wife and daughter were still alive led him to share information her team could track down. And it was always true, but there was always just enough off about it that she kept digging.
And she maintained good policework. Her belief that they'd returned and had been picked up was key to Sanchez tracking down that tape, tracking it to the owner and tracking down the forensic evidence.
And her conversation with Fritz ...
She was so upset that he could get a deal. That she'd needed to compromise her investigation enough in securing the confession that this animal could go free was offesnive to her. At least two bowls of ice cream offensive. It was nice to include Fritz in her epiphany, but she'd probably have figured it out herself. She'd worked so hard in turning an apparent murder-suicide into first-degree murder that she'd gotten too close, and the detail of his full-circle pattern -- disposing of them where he'd married them -- had slipped out of place.
One night of sleep would've probably done it.
The team was perfect as usual, and the case extremely interesting throughout. The killer was charming and believeable.
Every so often they throw her a cuveball -- a charismatic, all-but-unnailable perp -- and I love it. She's just so damn' [i]good[/i].
Did she catch some breaks? Of course. The guy keeping the boxes unopened was a real find. That he used the same knots for that purpose as to bind a body was another break.
But the work itself was incredibly good work, and all the actors pulled it off.
I liked this one. Motive remained unclear because if she'd had a motive she'd be jumping up and down on it. Yumi's audacity in leaving him could easily have been enough -- I don't think this was a well character, nor do I thing he was meant to be. It was psychological, twisted and came down to how she could catch the bad guy even in the face of the long period of uncertainty as to whether he was the right guy in the first place.
But he was. And she did.
Well done.
P.S. -- Fritz seems to be nearing a breaking point with her, which is sad, because her solve and conviction rate must be through the roof. Professionally, she's at her peak. She really is as amazing as she seems and it's sad that life with her seems to be wearing on him as much as it seems to be.
It feels like he's building up to say something out loud, and I get the sense that it's gonna devastate her.
Man, I hope I'm wrong. :|moreless
Rated: TV-14-LV
When the drowned bodies of a mother and daughter are found by fishermen, Brenda and the team must determine if the apparent suicides are more than that. Following a strange coil of discoveries, the most surprising revelation that surfaces is one about the killer.
 Kyra Sedgwick |
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson |
 J.K. Simmons |
Assistant Police Chief Will Pope |
 Corey Reynolds |
Sgt. David Gabriel |
 Robert Gossett |
Commander Russell Taylor |
 G.W. Bailey |
Detective Lt. Louis Provenza |
 Tony Denison |
Detective Lt. Andy Flynn |
 Saemi Nakamura |
Keiko |
Guest Star |
 Ivan Shaw |
Donny |
Guest Star |
 James Frain |
Paul Andrews |
Special Guest Star |
 Phillip P. Keene |
Buzz Watson |
Recurring Role |
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (3)
ADD TRIVIA-
Paul tells Brenda he and his second wife were married at Ports O' Call. Ports O' Call Village is a shopping and dining area located in San Pedro, and is part of the Port of Los Angeles. San Pedro is one of many unincorporated communities in the City of Los Angeles.
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The team learns Paul and his first wife were married at the Gloria Arboretum, a fictional location. The Los Angeles area has two arboreta, both operated by the County of Los Angeles, neither of which is located within the City of Los Angeles.
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In this episode, we learn that while Lt. Tao is Chinese, his wife is Japanese.
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QUOTES (1)
ADD QUOTES-
Paul: Do I really seem like such a monster to you?
Brenda: You look human enough.
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NOTES (6)
ADD NOTES-
Original International Air Dates:
Czech Republic: May 29, 2007 on Prima -
The Port of Los Angeles is located 20 miles south of downtown LA, on San Pedro Bay, adjoining the Port of Long Beach. It encompasses 43 miles of waterfront, and includes the World Cruise Center and 26 cargo terminals, making it one of the largest container ports in the world. The Port of Los Angeles has its own police department which enforces federal, state and local public safety ordinances within the Port area, and has special dive team, cargo theft and drug trafficking units. The port also has four fire stations and a fleet of five fire boats that includes the Warner Lawrence, the world's most powerful.
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In this episode, Brenda's team works in cooperation with the LAPD Harbor Division. Because of the LAPD's size and emphasis on community policing, much of its administration, routine policing and investigation is decentralized into 19 Divisions. The Harbor Division covers the Port of Los Angeles area, including San Pedro, Terminal Island, and Wilmington.
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This episode of The Closer carried an advisory warning due to subject matter.
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James Frain is listed as a 'Special Guest Star' in the opening credits.
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This is the second time that James Frain had played a character named Paul. On 24, he played a character named Paul Raines.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
ADD ALLUSIONS- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.
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7x21 - "The Last Word"
08/21/126
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What will become of Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson in the last episode
08/13/1210
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Question: When did Buzz get a badge (similar to a sworn officer)
08/09/121
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7x20 - "Armed Response"
08/07/123
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The Leak - who do you think?
08/06/1242
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Series Finale: The Last Word
S 7 : Ep 21
Aired 8/13/12
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Armed Response
S 7 : Ep 20
Aired 8/6/12
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Last Rites
S 7 : Ep 19
Aired 7/30/12
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Drug Fiend
S 7 : Ep 18
Aired 7/23/12
Season 2 Episodes
See AllEp 15
Serving the King (Part II)
Ep 14
Serving the King (Part I)
Ep 13
Overkill
Ep 12
No Good Deed
Ep 11
Borderline
Ep 10
The Other Woman
Ep 9
Heroic Measures
Ep 8
Critical Missing
Ep 7
Head Over Heels
Ep 6
Out of Focus
Ep 5
To Protect & To Serve
Ep 4
Aftertaste
Ep 3
Slippin'
Ep 2
Mom Duty
Ep 1
Blue Blood
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