What I’m Watching: The Closer

The Closer: Season 5, Episode 5 “Half Load” (B+)

There’s a reason I watch “The Closer” over all of the crime procedurals like “CSI” and “Law & Order” on the air. The characters are all just so terrific, and watching them react to different situations just makes the episodes so much more enjoyable, even if the case itself isn’t terribly exciting. Tau’s easy amusement and Provenza’s quick jump to annoyance with the new video camera system is a lot of fun, and that’s not even case-relevant. Having Sanchez as the member of the crew most familiar and relatable to the gang world works extraordinarily well for the series, especially when he really understands what the victims are going through. Brenda’s no-nonsense approach to dealing with the reporter, the priest, and the suspects is at this point the norm, and it’s great to have her pushing ahead strongly while the rest of her team suggests that perhaps she hold back. The absence of Lieutenant Daniels hasn’t really hurt the show, but it would be nice to have a new cop, especially a woman, in the mix if only to see how the existent members would deal with her. Sergeant Gabriel is still Brenda’s right-hand man, even if Sanchez accompanied her for most of this episode, mainly due to the gang-related nature of the episode. Brenda’s dead cat storyline hasn’t gotten entirely stale yet, but it’s in danger of getting close. And even though he didn’t feature very much in this installment, I’m always in favor of having recurring guest stars, and seeing Mark Rolston again, reprising his role from a season 3 episode as the priest, was good.