"The Closer" Pilot (2005)

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Michael M. Robin

Writers:

James Duff (creator)
James Duff (written by)

TV Series:

"The Closer" (2005)

Original Air Date:

13 June 2005 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Brenda Johnson arrives in L.A. where she faces resentment from her peers and squad during her first investigation involving a woman beaten to death whose suspected murderer has disappeared, along with all evidence of his existence. |

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kyra Sedgwick	...	Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson
J.K. Simmons	...	Asst. Police Chief Will Pope
Corey Reynolds	...	Sgt. David Gabriel
Robert Gossett	...	Commander Taylor
G.W. Bailey	...	Lieutenant Provenza
Jon Tenney	...	FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard
Allison Smith	...	Ellen
Raymond Cruz	...	Detective Julio Sanchez
Gina Ravera	...	Det. Irene Daniels
Michael Paul Chan	...	Lieutenant Mike Tao
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Dr. Tanaka
John Livingston	...	Det. Garth
Julius Tennon	...	Det. Waters
John Rubinstein	...	Dr. Brown
John Prosky	...	Banks

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14 | Netherlands:12

Company:

Shephard/Robin Company, The

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Brenda Leigh Johnson: If I liked being called a bitch to my face I'd still be married.

Mean Colombo?

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I watched the pilot for The Closer and I thought this show was horrible. It has an amazing supporting cast. J.K. Simmons plays the role of the Chief of Police, and his name is "Will Pop." That seems like a particularly uninspired choice for a name.

Kyra Sedgwick plays the Lead Detective, and she has a really miserable face that could sour milk. Her "Sybil" character seems to alternate from motherly and compassionate when she is trying to get a criminal to confess; to abrasive and obnoxious when she is around everyone else. It seems to me that The Closer is just the female version of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The police officer who gets every murderer to confess using psychological tricks is really getting old.

The supporting actors all seem to be there to contrast against the style of Kyra Sedgwick. Her co-workers don't like her because she is rude and nasty, but she believes that "once they see how good she is at her work" they will love her. So the pilot story builds up her brilliant detective skills and by the end of the episode all the cops that resigned are seen gaping in awe at her every move, as if she was the second coming of Sherlock Holmes.

After her first meeting with the other detectives, the entire squad tenders their resignations from the Unit and request transfers because she is so abrasive, degrading, and verbally abusive. Kyra Sedgwick is constantly belittling everyone and talking down to them in spite of her own glaring flaws. Talk about a toxic work environment. Kyra Sedwick is the queen bee and everyone has to kiss her butt. If a man were playing her role it would be a throwback to a bad James Cagney mobster movie. I guess it is a case of reverse stereo-typing and it is alright for women to act like pigs?

Additionally, Sedgwick is trying too hard to be a female Colombo. She dresses in a frumpy manner, she is disorganized and disgusting. She carries her files in a shopping bag, along with twinkies and other snack foods. I can only imagine how sticky and nasty those files would be if it were "real" life. Her office is full of half-eaten donuts and moonpies. When her boss, Will Pop drops by she spends several boring seconds tossing all her leftovers from the top of her desk into the shopping bag which has all her case files. What made Colombo 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 "Trying to be Colombo." Sedgwick plays a southern woman from Atlanta. Sedgwick plays her southern character as some kind of yahoo. The thick southern accent borders on comical. I was wondering when Sedgwick would pull out the tobacco chaw and spitting cup. All the other weird personality traits just make Sedgwick very unbelievable. Her extremely dull phone calls with her mother are another minus.

Sedgwick spends the entire show bullying everyone, and then she changes into super-sensitive woman when the suspect is brought in for an interview. That is the scene where the other detectives are all sitting lined-up like little kids looking through the two-way mirror at Sedgwick interviewing the suspect. This scene plays like a classroom scene from the ancient "Little Rascals" TV show as the detectives all gasp with their mouths open and make funny faces which are intended to convey their astonishment at the unbelievable interrogation skills of Sedgwick.

Of course, during interrogations Sedgwick is the princess of sweet, and she gets the suspect to confess her crime, and thus the State is assured an easy conviction (according to Will Pop). I am not revealing any spoilers here, since every episode ends the same as Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Just like that show, there is always a confession scene with the lead detective getting psychological on the suspect. Not very original. The Closer rips off Colombo for personality, Law and Order Criminal Intent for plots, and Barney Miller for a squad of loser cops that bring their lunch box to the desk. I wonder if they have a bug problem? All this show needs is an Applause Track, so that every time Sedgwick performs an amazing Detective trick the Applause will come on to supplement the looks of wonder on the faces of her staff.