Genres

Visitors Review

Anniesmb 2013-06-14 01:18:07

The Closer: Help

Can you help me? I need the answer to these questions for a Closercontest. What is Brenda's favorite wine? Where does Brenda come from?What government agency did she work for before she went to California?I think I know this answer: What is her cat's name. It's KITTY, right?Thanks! Please e-mail me with answers! I really feel silly that I don'tknow these answers because I watch the show ALL the time!I love KyraSedgwick and all the men in her department. They always look at herwith awe when she figures out the murderer, and as a female this givesme great pleasure. I also love how she tries to refrain from eatingcandy! Haven't we all tried to eat just ONE cookie?

2013-06-13 17:00:47

As a professional woman, I *love* this show

And as a professional woman, why was I surprised by the nasty commentsabout the lead character? One poster missed the point entirely when hewrote that all of the detectives working for her submitted theirresignations after the first meeting because she was a real bitch. Theysubmitted their requests for transfer BEFORE EVEN MEETING HER. Underthe circumstances, her behavior was pretty restrained. How I wish Icould think up some of the responses she comes up with -- and had theguts to utter them!And what's with the comments on her clothing? If Sipowicz had shown up,would you have questioned his credibility as a leader because hedoesn't look like he walked off the pages of GQ? Few men in myworkplace look like they spend a lot of time thinking about theirwardrobe (to their credit, imo); why do you hold women to such aridiculous standard? I love the junk food theme. When was the last time you saw a freshgreen salad in a police department? Oh to be starving and to see onlydonuts (forbidden food) lying around!She's human -- a little bedraggled sometimes, a little neurotic aboutwhat she eats, not a paragon of organization... why can't you find thatlikable? If she were the stereotypical cold blue-suited automaton youseem to expect, you'd hate her even more, wouldn't you?Wait... maybe all you hostile posters are just constructing anelaborate parody of how some men treat professional women. My bad;you're brilliant!

kayaker36 2013-06-03 19:07:06

HOW does she do it?

At just about 45 minutes into each episode, Brenda Leigh suddenly andbrilliantly solves the case, the murderer being always the least likelysuspect. The culprit is soon blurting out his, or rarely herconfession, by then either stammering some pathetic self-justificationto the Dep. Chief's stern and unforgiving gaze or simply reduced totears.Deputy Chief Johnson leads a team of hand-picked detectives at thePriority Homicide Squad yet not one of them is capable of solving ahomicide. Brenda Lee does the detecting -- all of it. After all, she'sthe boss lady and on this show all men are doofuses -- the white ones,at least--capable at best of following her precise orders, at worst ofcharging out and arresting the obvious suspect (invariably innocent) orof making hormone-driven jackasses of themselves in predictable ways.No surprise that often the biggest jerk of all is her middle-aged, baldheaded boss. For some strange reason the creator of the show inserted aback story in which these two had a romantic relationship before Brendacame to the L.A.P.D. Perhaps this is to explain the odd reversal ofroles. It is generally she who orders him around.Nor are the criminals on this show very bright. Unlike real life, fewever exercise their right to remain silent. Fewer yet ask to speak to alawyer, or if they have one they ignore his advise and talk themselvesinto a jail cell, which is the better part of the Dep. Chief's "genius"interrogation technique. Often, the suspect will ask **her** if heneeds an attorney!Different from light-hearted crime shows like "The Mentalist" on CBS orthe cable-produced "Monk", "The Closer" often explicitly depictsviolence and murder, or at least its aftermath. There is little humorhere. Add to this the jerky hand-held camera that is often used (tolower production costs), and you get the entirely false impression thatthis is how real police operate.

mspeed44 2013-06-03 08:18:44

Watching with a cringe

I have watched every episode of this show. It is a well-written crimeshow with a little comedy thrown in. However, after all this time, Ifeel I must complain about this woman's "southern" accent!! Living inthe deep south, I can assure every watcher that we do NOT speak likeshe does. I'm not sure who does!! Certainly no one from Atlanta--whichis the true melting pot of the English language. Not sure who heraccent coach is, but I'm willing to bet the farm that person has notlived within 500 miles of Atlanta in years. I am almost to the point ofwatching the show in closed-caption so I will not have to hear how Kyrapronounces certain words! I can not figure out why the show andKyra/Brenda continue to be nominated for Emmy awards. Maybe because itcomes on in the summer when everything else is a rerun? It is good, butcertainly not terrific. Some times I think I am watching a modern dayversion of Simon and Simon! (And one of those guys is from the south!!)A true southern accent can be heard when 'Bobby' speaks on CSI (he'sthe one who is the gun guy).

Luvjoy1948-1 2013-06-01 02:08:51

The Closer

The Closer is one of the best new shows on television today. KyraSedgwick does an outstanding job. She shows that women can handlethemselves in the law enforcement industry. She has a tough timefitting in with the male members of her team because she is so muchbrighter and more insightful then they are. I also feel they are ratherintimidated by her actions. She is able to get more information fromthe law breakers then the men can. I believe she makes the show what itis. She is an amazing actress. I am also a fan of all the Law and Ordershows. I feel this one is up to the same standards as those as are theCSI shows. I think this show should continue and will rank close withthe other law and order shows. Give this show a chance and it willsurprise you. I am glad the network took the chance with this new showbecause it shows that they looked beyond the negativity that someviewers might have with shows like this one.

2013-05-31 09:00:45

How Do I find out about Brenda/Kyra's Eyewear?

Does anyone out there know the brand and style of the eye glassesKyra/Brenda wears in the show? Or does anyone know how I can findout?They are really fantastic looking and so suit her character.I wouldgreatly appreciate any information I can get. It has beenfrustrating,as I can't find anything out about them anywhere. Doesanyone have any suggestions as to how I might go about finding out someother way? If so, please respond to that as well.Any information orideas will be sincerely appreciated. I love everything about TheCloser. All the characters, All the plots, but I especially LOVE theway her character deals with all the conflicts and egos around her.Thanks

peace63 2013-05-27 20:44:07

Great Supporting Cast on awful show

The Closer has an amazing supporting cast. J.K. Simmons plays the roleof the Chief of Police, and his name is "Will Pop." That seems like aparticularly uninspired choice for a name. Kyra Sedgwick plays the LeadDetective, and she has a face that could sour milk. Her "Sybil"character seems to alternate from motherly and compassionate when sheis trying to get a criminal to confess; to abrasive and obnoxious whenshe is around everyone else.The supporting actors all seem to be there to contrast against thestyle of Kyra Sedgwick. They don't like her, but she believes that"once they see how good she is at her work" they will love her. So thepilot story builds up her brilliant detective skills and by the end ofthe episode all the cops that wanted to quit are seen gaping in awe ather every move, as if she was the second coming of Sherlock Holmes. After her first meeting with the other detectives, the entire squadtenders their resignations from the Unit and request transfers becauseshe is so abrasive and demeaning. Later they kiss the ground she walkson. That seemed like a bit much, especially since their complaint abouther as Deputy Chief is that she is rude and she was constantlybelittling everyone that she worked with. The story tries to makeSedgwick bigger than life, and in the Police Drama field, that goesagainst the gritty realism that is the current trend. This show shootsfor the gritty CSI style but it also wants to have a Crossing Jordantype of super-woman. I think the show could be more believable ifSedgwick was not portrayed as being so much smarter than everyone elseon her squad. Sedgwick's character seems to be trying too hard to be a femaleColombo. She dresses in a frumpy manner, she is disorganized, anddisgusting. She carries her files in a shopping bag, along withtwinkies and other snack foods. I can only imagine how sticky and nastythose files would be if it were "real" life. Her office is full ofhalf-eaten donuts and moonpies. When her boss, Will Pop drops by shespends several boring seconds tossing all her leftovers from the top ofher desk into the shopping bag which has all her case files. What madeColombo so great was that he never tried to be Colombo. It was natural.Sedgwick on the other hand might as well wear a hat that says "Tryingto be Colombo."Sedgwick plays a southern woman from Atlanta. Sedgwick plays hersouthern character as some kind of yahoo. The thick southern accentborders on comical. I have never heard anyone speak like that unlessthey had been living on a farm their entire lives. I was wondering whenSedgwick would pull out the tobacco chaw and spitting cup. All theother weird personality traits just make Sedgwick very unbelievable asa master detective. Her extremely dull phone calls with her mother areanother minus.Sedgwick spends the entire show bullying everyone, and then she changesinto super-sensitive woman when the suspect is brought in for aninterview. That is the scene where the other detectives are all sittinglined-up like little kids looking through the two-way mirror atSedgwick interviewing the suspect. This scene plays like a classroomscene from the ancient "Little Rascals" TV show as the detectives allgasp with their mouths open and make funny faces which are intended toconvey their astonishment at the unbelievable interrogation skills ofSedgwick (Miss Crabtree?). I was wondering when the Ice Cream truckwould drive by playing the traditional music so the detectives couldrun out and get ice cream bars and make more funny faces.Of course, during interrogations Sedgwick is the princess of sweet, andshe gets the suspect to confess her crime, and thus the State isassured an easy conviction (according to Will Pop). All this show needsis an Applause Track, so that every time Sedgwick performs an amazingDetective trick the Applause will come on to supplement the looks ofwonder on the faces of her staff.

sydboy007 2013-05-27 15:21:55

Just gets better every season

I have to say I've enjoyed just about every episode of the closer overit's 7 seasons.I especially like the way the initial hostility of the other detectiveseventually turns into respect and finally into a willingness to do whatit takes to help BLJ in some of her times of need.I also like that there's been a few episodes that are tongue in cheek -who can forget Provenza popping his little blue pill only to find adead body in the bath tub, or the recent ep with Santa drinking his eggnog.Maybe things get sewn up a little too well at times, but she's also hada few cases get away from her. The psychological aspect is what givesthe show it's edge I think.I also like that it doesn't resort to over the top violence.I'll be very sad when the show ends this season.

sjb_can 2013-05-26 21:21:00

Crime Drama With Heart

Chief Deputy Brenda Lee Johnson, along with her co-workers, family,victims and suspects are combined in story lines dramatically differentfrom the popular CSI, Law and Order and copycats. Personally, I'mover-saturated with stories "ripped from the headlines", grislyautopsies and cool cool cinematography. The Closer entertains. Whilethe plots may not always be completely believable, the characters actlike real people. If you like character driven stories, this is a showworth exploring. I've read complaints that there's not much mystery inthe show. I agree, but it doesn't matter. That's not the intent. Therewas very little mystery in Columbo either and it was the mostentertaining show of its time. And there's complaints about BrendaLee's messy personal life. For me, it makes her fully dimensional andcomplex. She has a lot of foibles and she is definitely "impossible" asshe readily admits, but her work is brilliant, inspired and she's afierce force of justice. Her over the top southern accent adds asweetness that is endearing once one grows accustomed to it. Herproblems with her fiancé and parents may be a bit exaggerated andcontrived at times, but Kyra Sedgwick carries Brenda Lee's life intothe viewer's heart in such a way that any flaws are easily overlooked.The supporting cast is superb. I wouldn't change a thing.

GGwasMYfirstLOVE 2013-05-26 18:11:44

My Grandma got me into this show!!!

well this was definitely a show i wouldn't normally think that I wouldlike in fact my grandma got me into it and now i love, now it may be alittle different from my usual favorite shows of Gilmore girls andGrey's anatomy but i still love and enjoy the show very much. This showhas the greatness of a crime show put in with a mix of drama andfeminism.Now the main character, the women (who's name i do not remember at themoment) pisses me off slightly and gets on my nerves but it is still anenjoyable show and I must admit I have gotten plenty of laughs from theshow itself. I'm very excited that they're continuing on with the showthis June and will be waiting to watch.

nickgamer20 2013-05-24 00:44:53

Thankew, Thankew So Much

Well, I saw this show when my Aunt came from Colorado and she broughtthe first season with her on DVD. I have to say this show is just toogreat to miss. This show is kind of like a CSI: type show, so it dealswith murders and investigations and stuff like that.The real funny thing is that Brendan Johnson has the most hilariouscountry accent in the world. Another funny thing is that Brenda's lifeproblems are always getting in the way of cases. In one episode, itstarts out with Brenda kissing a guy in a car and their about to get iton, but all of a sudden, her phone rings, and she has a case she has togo to.A bad thing about this is that in a bunch of episodes people confessabout murdering people. But in real life, people don't do that. But Iknow in one episode, he wanted to confess so he could go to jail,because he knew he was going to be killed by the Russian mafia if heshowed his face again, but Brenda wouldn't let him, and the next day,he was found dead.Overall, this is a truly great show, and you shouldn't miss it.

mozli 2013-05-23 16:58:14

A cop show for genteel ladies

I'll say first of all that this is another well assembled ensemble ofactors who have made waves in other films and television shows. Theshow goes to great pains to show crime fighting from a very feminineand unglamorous perspective. That's not to say Kyra isn't gorgeous butshe's really fighting against an Angie Dickinson image of female cop.That she is a chief and is dealing with so much machismo makes forinteresting and humorous conflicts. The writers construct herinterrogations with a lot plausibility as to why the accused give herthe confessions needed. I have to say that going through the firstseason no one episode has touched me deeply. As a whole the show hashad a well deserved renewal. The really great thing is that she loses afew times. That also is a clear reflection of what goes on for realpolice. I wonder what this show would be like on HBO or one of the bigcommercial networks. Would it stay as genteel as it is now?

MacLovesMoon 2013-05-20 21:48:26

2005's Newest and BEST drama

Sure, this could fall into the category with the other Law and Ordersand CSI's but something about this show really stands out probablybecause its aired on TNT and you'd expect there to be some cheesy movieof the week quality about it. Like Law and Order the show puts morefocus on the cases themselves rather than the personal lives of thecharacters, but The Closer opens the door a little more. Kyra is reallywhat draws in people to this show, it's something about her character'scharm despite the fact the character is from the often ridiculed south.The writers were also keen to make Brenda Johnson a real person, notsome super-hero who always wins and always knows the every move of thebad guy; sometimes Brenda makes mistakes and pays for them andsometimes she is insecure about her looks or being freshly relocated tothe big city of Los Angelos. The show just started this summer and Iwish it the best of luck, I hope it can become as acclaimed as all theother crime dramas we've got on the airwaves today

divrdwn41 2013-05-20 03:13:00

Show has its flaws, but give it a chance

It is frustrating to see the people who seem to feel a new show, inparticular it's pilot, should be able to stand up the the 4 and 5 yearold shows that have had their opportunity to develop during their firstseason and then become among the top ten programs of the week.We have read comments about the character Kyra is portraying, and setaside the fact that we(at least I don't) don't need another charactersuch as we see each week in Law & Order, CSI, etc. The writers are developing a character which Kyra is doing a fine jobof portraying. She has several characteristics which don't belong amongthose of a leader. But I have always found leaders over the years havefound varied ways of leading. There are no set guidelines and rules tobe followed. One of the comparisons I read was one that I had, after watching onlytwo episodes. To me, she is the female Columbo. And look at the successthat program had after Peter Falk had the chance to develop hischaracter. She exhibits the seemingly forgetfulness at times and theinnocent entrapping approach in some of her encounters with citizencharacters. The comments eluding to her eating habits should take intoconsideration, again this is a character developing. Referring to her seemingly bad southern accent needs to be subjected tothe real south. Not the large metropolitan areas where the southernaccent is no longer existent, since it has been diluted by all themigration of the non-crackers. As I first was subjected to the southwhen relocating from Indiana, I found at times I couldn't evenunderstand some of the conversations. Yes, Toto there are still areaswhere "Hey, ya all" is still a much used term. I agree that the scene with the "Sue me" response was outstanding andcaused more laughter on my part than anything has for some time. This is only my second comment to any TV show, and I find it insultingthat someone would be suspicious of me due to the fact I have not madea number of comments yet. I wonder if that commenter's initial reviewswere also suspect. I have only done two since this has been my initialentry into this field in response to IMDb's effort to direct peoplehere from it's homepage. I would tend to believe that could be thereason many others are making their first review. I don't sluff off thefact that there are undoubtedly corporate people who attempt to weightthe reviews, but give the masses their due respect and you may get yourrespect.

hsapir-1 2013-05-17 01:08:40

that was some bull****!

Let me start by saying that I love cop shows. One of the unfortunatethings that has happened to this genre in the last few years has beenthe barrage of Law & order spin-offs. This show is like one of thosewith the added annoyance of Kyra Sedgwick and her crappy southernaccent. I am assuming that is bull**** too. Bad cop cliché quips,criminals that roll over "in the box", and lets throw in somegratuitous "kinda nudity" just so we can have that exciting parentaldiscretion warning before the show. Please. If you want a gritty copdrama, leave the beauty queen out. While Ms. Sedgwick is a decentactor, she is much better in the sorta indie roles. Tough she 'aint!Okay I'm done.

nlbrunson 2013-05-16 08:55:45

Excellent Show, but would like less music in the background.

I love the show, but dislike the background music. Though it is not asbad as some shows, it is still distracting. I find that it aggravatesthe problem of understanding the dialog, which is sometimes difficultto begin with. Could you please get them to stop having any backgroundmusic? Also, it is difficult to understand Dep. Chief Johnson when shespeaks in a low voice or with her head turned away from the viewer.Most of the others, Chief Pope, the other detectives, etc., are prettyeasy to understand (except Det. Sanchez, who is sometimes hard tounderstand, even above the music, but it is sometimes difficult. Theplots are good and I like the closing scenes in the Interrogation Roomwhere the final "twist" is usually delivered, but it is quite importantto catch every word of dialog in the opening scenes in order tounderstand the progression of the story line.

A_Swearengen 2013-05-11 19:03:55

Kyra Sedgwick is brilliant!

Kyra Sedgwick just may have what it takes to pull this off. She isbrilliant in this new series on TNT! Did anyone else bother with it? Itwas put on commercial-free thanks to Audi, and I said "Wow"! This ismainstream cable? Maybe TNT is taking a lesson from HBO in somerespects and beefing up the writing & acting a bit. Who knows? This wasone of those hours like 'Deadwood' where the time just passes in amoment.Now I'll admit that tonight was kind of a cross between Law and Orderand CSI:, but either way the result was much mystery-food for the mind.Superb writing. Superb direction. Superb acting on Kyra's part.Having G. W. Bailey on there did nothing but detract from the show. Mylast remark due to his type-cast "typical-hate-filled-sexist-pig" he'sso famous for playing in everything we see him in. Why did he have toruin this casting? I'll tell 'ya, I enjoyed this show much better than I have the secondseason of The 4400 so far, and plan on scheduling the DVR for the wholeseries.It might be worth your time to check out a so-called southern *itchshowing the LA crowd "how it's done". It really has a satisfying twistto it.

kazaadude2000 2013-05-11 03:49:02

Characters and relationship dynamics are the focus ....

The crime aspect of this show is pretty good, but not extraordinary.This should NOT be the reason to watch the show. If you're looking forthat, look somewhere else.Watch the show for the charming character portrayed by Kyra Sedgewick,who looks like she's in over her head and a mess, but never really is.You won't like her much at first, then she'll start to grow on you andyou can't wait for the next episodes. Watch it for the old Lt.Provenza, who you probably wouldn't mind punching in the face ... thenepisodes later, he's one of your favorite characters on the show. Thecharacters is what makes this show good, and the crimes only furtherbring out their own .. uh .. character. The script dialog is also verywitty. And the acting is very, very good.If that's what you're looking for, then great. If you're looking forCSI, watch CSI. :)

valerielael 2013-05-07 12:36:04

wonderful show

I have not enjoyed a show more!Alas...I really hope TV guide neversee's this comment-because each time I LOVE a show...they remove itfrom their line up.Please keep The Closer!It shows that women can usebrains and sly woman-isms to beguile a bad guy/girl,into admitting atruth,She is ruthless in her attempt to find the real truth-and thelast show of this past season was awesome.Ms. K puts women in a leadrole.Without over powering male counter parts.Her attitude is real.Heracting wonderful.Her accent adorable.Horrah for Ms. K.I cannot sayenough about this great show.If I were to pick the Emmys.This would bethe one show that would win,"hands down".

bunnylew 2013-05-06 20:35:27

Great new exciting show.

I am loving this series and it is the only show on TV right now that Ireally hate to miss. Brenda Lee Johnson is such a refreshing character.She has some slight skeletons in her closet, but has moved on to hernew job and is getting it done with intense efforts, despite somemembers of her team being less than welcoming. Her love interest is hotand I certainly hope this continues and heats up during this secondseason. Fritz, I hope, will have a stronger part in this season andtheir relationship will heat up. He is very caring and thoughtful andhopefully Brenda will appreciate him and not mess this up. I would loveto see their relationship be portrayed as healthy and happy--not likeall the other junk on TV. I bought the First Season DVD set and haven'tgotten tired of watching them. All of the plots have been suspensefuland interesting--the twists are super. Good writing--hope it lasts.