DVD Reviews

The Closer: The Complete Fifth Season - DVD Review

By Patrick Luce Jul 19, 2010, 21:58 GMT

At work, L.A. Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson is a woman in charge. Got a suspect to grill, a case to crack, a murderer about to walk? Call Brenda in and watch the fireworks. But at home...well, that’s another story. Kyra Sedgwick headlines a sizzling 4-disc, 15-episode Season 5 of the series that combines heart, humor and homicide into a show that’s equally compelling as a police procedural and a personal ...more

The Closer is a great show with an ensemble cast of supporting characters that are just as important to the series as its star Kyra Sedgwick. With that said, Season Five arrives on DVD feeling a tad too formulaic and a far cry for how outstanding it was at the beginning.

The shows’ creators try to mix things up a bit with the addition of Brenda’s niece for a few episodes and a quasi-foe for Brenda to bump heads with, but it is not enough to save the show from feeling like it is starting to get tired with the same old formula in place for Brenda to solve a case with her crazy methods that don’t seem to be working until the final minutes of the episode.

Even with the formulaic feel, The Closer is still a great series thanks to the talent of its cast – which includes Sedgwick, the great J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, G.W. Bailey (who remains my personal favorite character on the show), Jon Tenney, Anthony John Denison, Phillip P. Keene, Michael Paul Chan, and Raymond Cruz.

This season sees Brenda still doing things her way, and her squad trying to clean up in her wake. She also has to continue to adjust to married life, losing her precious kitty, the arrival of her rebellious niece Charlene (played by Sedgwick’s daughter Sosie Bacon), and a new quasi-villain to lock horns with in the arrival of the Mary McDonnell – who leaves Battlestar Galactica behind for the role of Captain Sharon Raydor.

Raydor is the head of an internal affairs unit that is responsible for investigating any officer-involved shooting. She clashes with Brenda early in the season when Sgt. David Gabriel (Reynolds) shoots a suspect while he is off-duty and had been drinking. Brenda wants to handle the entire case, and is forced to share the scene and not interfere with Raydor’s investigation.

Although a bewildered Chief Pope (Simmons) instructs Brenda not to cross Raydor, the overzealous squad leader does her best to not only solve her case, but clear Gabriel’s name – even at the cost of making Raydor look a tad foolish.

Raydor pops up later in the season when a cop is killed in the line of duty and again crosses Brenda thanks to her belief in red tape and following the law to the letter. The two characters come to somewhat of a peaceful working relationship towards the end of the season when Brenda investigates one of Raydor’s squad members.

Along with each episode’s murder/crime of the week, viewers get treated to some of the best ensemble acting on television thanks to the chemistry of Brenda’s squad. Once again, this season was saved for me thanks mostly to duo of Bailey’s Detective Lt. Provenza and Denison's Lieutenant Andy Flynn.

These two characters are like The Odd Couple of the LAPD, and the two actors are easily the best reason to watch the show. They earn the majority of the laughs each episode, and I would even be willing to watch them in a spin-off.

This season Provenza gets a somewhat younger girlfriend – which in turn gives him a much happier lease on life and a better wardrobe. It also drives Flynn up the wall, and causes a bit of a mystery in the squad for a few episodes while they try to discover the source of Provenza’s changes. You have to love when Provenza’s old partner shows up and is no longer a man.

The Closer is not a show that grounds each episode in a reality-based cop drama, and instead is a lighter look at law enforcement. It doesn’t strive to be Law and Order or NYPD Blue, and it shouldn’t. This show continues to entertain based on its crisp dialogue between the ensemble cast, its likeable characters, and the tremendous charisma of Kyra Sedgwick.

Some of Sedgwick’s mannerisms and oddities are getting a tad stale with the character, but it doesn’t stop me from watching the series or looking forward to its arrival on DVD. If you are a fan of the series, this is another fun season, and I highly recommend it.