"THE CLOSER: KYRA’S PICKS"
iTunes Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Kyra Sedgwick as BRENDA JOHNSON J.K. Simmons as WILL POPE Corey Reynolds as DAVID GABRIEL Robert Gossett as COMMANDER TAYLOR G.W. Bailey as LIEUTENANT PROVENZA Jon Tenney as FRITZ HOWARD Not Rated Available on Download on iTunes Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
This week, to coincide with the new episodes of the sixth season of “The Closer” on TNT, Warner Bros. has arranged for star Kyra Sedgwick to pick her favorite episodes of the series... so far, at least. I had a chance to watch her top five picks, which included the episodes “Pilot,” “Fantasy Date,” “Slippin’,” “Critical Missing” and “Homewrecker,” all from the first three seasons of the series.
All fifteen of Sedgwick’s picks are available for download on iTunes, in both HD and standard format. Be sure your system requirements can handle the HD before picking that one to watch.
These top five were nice to watch, especially since I came to the series in season four. They filled in some of the plot holes I missed by not watching the earlier seasons. The key elements to these shows include spotlight performances by Sedgwick (e.g., “Fantasy Date”) as well as some bizarre murder twists to the sometimes formulaic show (e.g., “Critical Missing” and “Homewrecker”).
“Pilot” – This opening of the series features the Major Crimes department’s introduction to Brenda Lee Johnson and her unique management style. Featuring the most tension between the new chief and her workforce, this shows the challenges she has to face to win them over. It also has a pretty cool murder twist, making it a great way to start the series.
“Fantasy Date” – It’s clear that Sedgwick picked this episode becasue it gave her plenty to work with as an actor. While investigating a rape and murder, Johnson herself is attacked and narrowly escapes becoming a rape victim herself. The story gets a little goofy in the end, but it features some fine acting by Sedgwick and some heavier drama than even the series is known for.
“Slippin’” – When two squeaky-clean USC students are gunned down in a drive-by shooting, Johnson steps out of her bounds to help Commander Taylor solve the crime because he personally knows the one of the victim’s families. Out of the five episodes, this has the most basic storyline you’d expect to find in “The Closer” and highlights the level of gang activity the Major Crimes task force deals with.
“Critical Missing” – This episode is a clear spotlight on the character of Brenda Lee Johnson, not so much in her expertise in getting a confession but rather in going head-to-head with a suspect that just won’t give her what she wants. The murder – a ritualistic killing of a Japanese woman and her daughter – takes somewhat of a back seat as Johnson is challenged by the accused to prove him wrong.
“Homewrecker” – While the plot of this episode has some of the most bizarre twists and turns in the bunch since the pilot episode, the real interesting elements of this is the use of Buzz’s camera POV to tell part of the story. But even more than the murder that drives the story, this episode features a key turning point in Johnson’s relatinoship with Fritz, which serves as a resolution.
All in all, these are five excellent episodes of the series, with ten more in Sedgwick’s queue of her favorites. Check out these avialabel for download on iTunes here.
