What I’m Watching: The Closer

The Closer: Season 6, Episode 8 “War Zone” (B+)

When I first read the title of this episode, I wondered if it would be something related to the military or whether the “war zone” in question was the potentially damaged relationship between Brenda and Will. The answer, as it turns out, is sort of both, although Will’s avoidance of Brenda wasn’t nearly as severe and came to an end with his surprising and heartfelt apology. It’s also interesting that he seems to want her to be chief, though that may only be because he can exert some sort of authority and presumably maintain his position if such a close friend like her is in the most coveted position of power. This week’s token guest star was the always great Gary Cole, most recently seen as Christine Baranski’s recurring love interest and noted ballistics expert on “The Good Wife,” as the military liaison intent on investigating the possibility of a terrorist attack on these three soldiers. His presence created a fantastic use of Fritz’s new role as FBI liaison when Cole’s character picked the wrong guy to complain to and, in more of a cringe-worthy moment, suggest that Brenda needed to get laid to be less obnoxious. The turn of events in this episode were far more serious, of course, and it was distressing to think that this killer would go free simply because he got immunity before confessing to anything (it made me think of a certain penultimate series episode that aired on cable a few years back that absolutely wowed me). Brenda leaving him in the neighborhood as he was about to get killed, calling Sgt. Gabriel by first name, was really intense, and felt like something that hasn’t quite happened before in this show, in a rather chilling way.