There was a great scene in 'The Closer' in the season finale last December, in which Mary McDonnell made a guest appearance as Captain Sharon Raydor. It was all about how much their two characters disliked each other.

From the TV Squad review, we wrote: "They may be on the same LAPD, but they are not sisters in blue. Pope would be wise not to keep throwing them together, although Commander Taylor and Johnson eventually worked out their differences and now are best buddies. Still, the scene with Mary McDonnell and Kyra Sedgwick explaining how they dislike each other was very good."

Well, Mary and Kyra will get a chance to rekindle that antipathy. In the upcoming season, Mary McDonnell is coming back to 'The Closer,'

(S05E06) There's an old show biz line that goes, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." Well, sometimes when dramas try a comic episode, it can be a little like death warmed over. Or a show can completely succumb to humor and forget the original genre entirely (you know that I'm talking about you, Mr. Monk). Fortunately, when The Closer chooses to take a walk on the funny side, it usually hits the mark. This episode was a bull's eye.

It was also great to see The Closer shine a light on J.K. Simmons. As Assistant Chief Will Pope, Simmons is great as Brenda's boss and the face of the L.A. cops in many tense situations, political and otherwise. A consummate character actor -- Juno, Burn After Reading, Spider-Man -- Simmons always brings a lot to the show. This episode was prime Simmons, with Pope the butt of the jokes and off his game, if you will. How else could a faux police detective named Dick Tracy dupe the chief?