Beau Bridges' upcoming guest spot on 'The Closer,' airing Mon., Dec. 14, 9PM on TNT, will fascinate fans of the longtime actor. He plays Det. George Andrews, former partner of G.W. Bailey's crusty and hard-edged Lt. Provenza. About a decade has gone by since they last saw each other and much has changed -- including Det. Andrews' sex change.

The context for the episode involves the Major Crimes Unit reopening an old case in which Det. Andrews figured in prominently. That means Provenza isn't just dealing with Andrews' news but doing so publicly -- to the delight, maybe, of Kyra Sedgwick's Brenda, who is only too happy to forget her own low-simmer turmoil with Jon Tenney's Fritz.

(S04E04) Nobody would ever doubt that Chief Brenda Johnson is a smart woman, but how smart was it of her to use Fritz the way she did? That's the question I came away with after seeing this episode. Is closing a case so important for the closer that she'd mess up her personal relationship?

Fritz was rightfully incensed by Brenda's tactics, and yet I could see it from her point of view, too. I guess that's why The Closer remains such a good drama -- the conflicts are real and there are no easy answers.