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The Closer: Saving Face

by Anna Johns, posted Jul 3rd 2007 12:03PM
the closer
(S03E03) Does anybody else really, really want cake? The scene near the end of this episode where the entire team was eating an angry bride's wedding cake made that cake look so damn good. Yeah, it was a good episode. But, what stuck with me was the cake.

I love when the writers pull out episodes like this one. Sure, there's a dead person and an investigation, but the entire episode still manages to be light-hearted. It all started with Lt. Provenza dropping a coffin down a flight of stairs, then proceeded to a fight between an angry bride and Brenda, and to the entire homicide team eating the bride's $30,000 catering (including that damn cake).

There were a lot of great scenes in this episode involving Brenda (the bride fight was pretty great), but my favorite was in the plastic surgeon's office where the surgeon made Brenda speechless. He tried to guess what she was in for and started saying very rude (but true!) things about how she slathers her red lipstick on, making her mouth look huge. So, she's suffering from self consciousness as she attempts to solve a murder. And it only gets worse when she looks to Det. Daniels for advice on new lipstick and Daniels takes her down another notch by bashing her wardrobe. Brenda's wardrobe, incidentally, is probably my favorite quirk of her very quirky character. The woman constantly pairs contrasting patterns and looks as if she shops the sales at JC Penney.

Lts. Flynn and Provenza got some good play in this episode as naughty little boys. It was like a playground dynamic between them and Brenda and Lt. Tau, who had to run and tell Brenda about the murder the minute the victim was discovered.

There wasn't really much controversy to this episode and we didn't get a whole lot of overall plot advancement, but that's perfectly fine with me. I was entertained. We got a little of the Brenda/Fritz relationship where she's under pressure to go look at houses, but the Brenda/Sgt. Gabriel riff didn't come up this episode. Best to let that simmer, I say.

Was anybody else a little uncomfortable with the blackmail practiced by Johnson and Pope at the end of the episode? I guess the justice system is full of this type of blackmail-- if you do this, we won't charge you with that-- but it seemed a bit unethical, don't ya think?

A couple of great one-liners:

"Not a wet eye in the house." - Lt. Provenza to Lt. Flynn after his eulogy

"Nothing tastes better than someone else's wedding cake. Mine tasted like prison food." - Lt. Provenza

"Oh, well. We're hateful people." - Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson

"Does this case have anything to do with the LAPD?" - Chief Pope
"No." - Lt. Provenza
"Then give me a big piece (of cake) from the corner." - Chief Pope

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joanna pressfield

this was the best episode ever of "the closer". the script was so smart and everything worked perfectly. i loved brenda finally asking buzz to cut her a wedge of cake-- with a flower. i loved brenda sampling the icing and provenza shoving cake into his mouth without benefit of a fork. bridzilla and her daddy were terrific, too. thank god for tnt on demand. i watched this episode twice and caught every word.

July 19 2007 at 3:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sepha

This show continues to be an absolute delight!

July 07 2007 at 6:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Margaret Calvert

I can only echo the other comments. Just when you think this show can't get any better, it does. This had to be one of the best episodes of The Closer ever. The cast is priceless and the humor continues to be one of the strongest parts of the writing. I'd like to see Kyra win another award (Emmy or Golden Globe - anything). When you see her on talk shows, you realize how different she is from Brenda, which in turn lets you know what a terrific (and under rated) talent Kyra really is. The Closer is definitely on my "Don't Miss" list. People who don't watch it have no idea what they're missing!

July 05 2007 at 1:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
trachein

Its Brenda Leigh, not "Lee"

July 04 2007 at 4:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Toby OB

Another good line from Provenza, when looking at the extra dead body (who was obviously gorgeous in life): I guess you can take it with you.

July 04 2007 at 4:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Moncur

Yes, the funeral director's line (and the cops' reaction to it) was the best...

"At Sheffield and Eckert, I'm what is known as The Closer."

July 04 2007 at 3:35 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael

Totally agree, this was the best ep yet of this fine series - and that is saying something! One of my co-workers commented she didn't ever get into this show because of Brenda's "fake" accent. I quickly responded that her accent (and the Southern belle behind it) is actually one of the BEST things about this show. Hopefully she caught last nights ep and saw Brenda Lee at her finest.

I can't believe no one's made a comment about the funeral home owner and his nickname. The look on Brenda & Gabriel's faces when he said he's "The Closer" was priceless!

http://www.myspace.com/scoobarama

July 03 2007 at 11:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
La-Di-Dah

This episode was the perfect. These are definitely my favorite (quirkiest) group of detectives. I think the writers AND actors (even the one-eppy actors) have upped their ante, most definitely, this season. The guest star I loved the best was the dead detective's wife (bitchslapping) Flynn. Ah ah.

July 03 2007 at 11:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tammy

This was one of those Closer episodes you just love. It reminded me a little of the first season when Brenda was self conscious about how LA women looked and got suckered into buying all those lotions and creams. Plus it played on her trying not to eat so much sugar and finally caving over the cake's icing. Yes, that cake looked and sounded good.

I love this show. I love Brenda Lee and her "Thank You, Thank You Very Much!" This was the perfect light hearted episode after the last two rather serious ones.

July 03 2007 at 9:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Beth

I love this series, and this epsiode was the best ever. The blackmail part bothered me for about 10 seconds--it made me laugh to see psycho-bride and her whipped daddy slink out of Pope's office.

Maybe in an upcoming segment, this daddy and daughter duo will make a return appearance--as murder victims.

July 03 2007 at 3:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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