Cherry Bomb (28 Jul. 2008)

Brenda does battle with a Sheriff's commander when his son is implicated in the suicide of a girl he was accused of raping.

Director:

Rick Wallace

Writers:

James Duff (creator), Michael Alaimo

Stars:

Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, Corey Reynolds

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
J.K. Simmons	...	Assistant Chief Will Pope
Corey Reynolds	...	Sgt. David Gabriel
Robert Gossett	...	Commander Taylor
G.W. Bailey	...	Lt. Louie Provenza
Tony Denison	...	Lt. Andy Flynn
Michael Paul Chan	...	Lt. Mike Tao
Raymond Cruz	...	Detective Julio Sanchez
Gina Ravera	...	Detective Irene Daniels
Phillip P. Keene	...	Buzz Watson
Jon Tenney	...	Agent Fritz Howard
Daniel Baldwin	...	Mark Yates
Andrea Bowen	...	Michelle Clark
Jonathan Del Arco	...	Dr. Morales
Michael William Freeman	...	Darren Yates

Storyline

Brenda and her team investigate the apparent rape and subsequent suicide of a young woman. The rape had been violent and Brenda is not convinced that the girl took her own life. Her major challenge is that her prime suspect Darren Yates, one of the dead girl's high school classmates, is the son of Commander Mike Yates of the County Sheriff's Department. The elder Yates has a forceful personality and is not only protective of his son but demanding special treatment as a fellow police officer. As the case progresses, Brenda learns that Darren and several of his friends had a disturbing bet and that the dead girl may not have been the only rape victim. She has to use all of her interviewing skills not only to get a confession but also to keep Mike Yates at bay.

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Plot Keywords:

african american woman | african american female detective

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 2008 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shephard/Robin Company, The, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

A momentous turning point in Brenda's relationship with Commander Taylor

In the overall series arc of the relationship between Commander Taylor (Robert Gossett) and Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), "Cherry Bomb" is the episode/case that marks the most dramatic turning point. From the time Brenda first joined the LAPD, Commander Taylor seemed to be the greatest obstacle to everything she wanted to do. He's spent his entire career playing the toady, but when Brenda arrives, he begins to realize how much he's wasted his talents trying to be no more than a "good ol' boy." Finally, he drops the ball on an investigation into the rape of a teenage girl by the son of a powerful LA County sheriff's deputy. When the victim commits suicide a week later, Taylor swallows his pride and begs Brenda to help rectify the mess he's made of the case. As Taylor and Brenda work together to expose the sordid conspiracy concocted by a group of sleazy high-school boys, they must also deal with the volatile temper of the primary suspect's abusive father (Daniel Baldwin).

Besides enjoying the satisfying denouement in this episode, loyal "Closer" fans will note a remarkable turnaround in Commander Taylor's attitude toward Brenda. From this point on in the series, observant viewers will notice numerous instances in which Taylor eagerly does whatever he can to help Brenda in her quest to bring evil doers to justice.