It’s almost time for The Closer’s December 21 fifth-season finale “Dead Man’s Hand,” so continue reading for a brief advance review, courtesy of the advance copy of the episode that TNT was kind enough to send me a while ago.
As noted previously, the finale features the return of Battlestar Galactica alumna and two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell (pictured above at left), who plays Captain Sharon Raydor. Moreover, the episode was directed by none other than series creator James Duff.
Team Brenda’s assistance is requested on a sensitive case involving possible spousal abuse. The catch is that the victim is a female police officer who happens to be a member of Raydor’s team. That fact, coupled with the always delicate nature of domestic violence, means that everyone working on the case needs to be as careful as possible not to cause waves.
That’s the goal, of course, but as situations tend to unfold on crime shows, something goes wrong, and Brenda receives the full brunt of Chief Pope’s wrath as a result. TNT could have actually titled the episode “Pope Is Pissed,” and it would have been just as accurate. The case eventually wraps with an intense morgue showdown that definitely delivers a good-sized dose of drama.
While Brenda is dealing with the unusual investigation, she’s also forced to cope with her husband Fritz, who seems pretty pissed himself for a fair amount of time. He has a very good reason for his irritation, too, so the question remains will he and Brenda work it out? Or will the tension provide the juice for a huge season-ending cliffhanger? Watch to learn the answer.
All in all, “Dead Man’s Hand” isn’t the best episode of The Closer I’ve ever watched, but it’s still pretty darn enjoyable. Now all we have to do is wait patiently for Season Six.
The Closer airs Mondays on TNT at 9pm ET.