I was just done watching the final episode and much like how the series started and carried its weight in (cable) TV world all these seasons, the finale had little funfare, publicity and drama. Brenda said her goodbyes with tears. But there really was nothing to cry about.
Anyone following the show knows that The Closer is being "repacked" and the rest of Brenda's team remains, minus Chief Brenda. The show's title has also been changed to Major Crimes with the new captain, Sharon Raydor (Battlestar Gallactica's Mary McDonnell) leading the old team.
Kyra Sedgwick (Brenda Leigh Johnson) said in an interview that she thought for a year before deciding not to renewwith the series and that her leaving was a creative decision. She says she's ready to do other things. Maybe one of her "new roles" is to sit by the sidelines this time, when her husband (Kevin Bacon) starts his own TV series this Fall, when Bacon's much-buzzed pilot of The Following will air on Fox.
I started watching The Closer two years ago, after Kyra Sedgwick's big win for Emmy Best Actress (Drama) for the show's fifth season, its series peak. A friend is a huge fan and her enthusiasm for it rubbed off on me.
The Closer is easy to enjoy because, while it is a crime show, the writing is very light, humorous and entertaining. Kyra's Brenda has weird tendencies, but she's also sharp and smart, which makes her an endearing heroine to root for. Viewers and fans will miss Brenda, no doubt, because compared to the new girl, her personality was really as colorful as her clothes on the show.
Speaking of Brenda's dresses and shoes (and that iconic black purse!)...
Perhaps one of the reasons why the show ending affects me to a lesser degree --- I mean, compared to saying goodbye to series like Lost, The Shield and Friends, where bawling was a necessary catharsis! --- is because I still have four more seasons of The Closer to devour. I only finished Season 1, 6 and 7 and I am looking forward to following Brenda (and all her pretty dresses) some more.
Last night, while watching half-way through The Closer Season 5, Brenda came to work (dealing with a cadaver in her office, at that!) dressed in this:
Pretty red open-toe flats to match a lovely flowing, red patterned dress. So uncharacteristic of a police chief!
To honor Brenda Leigh Johnson's departure, Entertainment Weekly did a Top 10 list of Brenda's most fabulous clothes on the show the other day:
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| Read more: The Closer's Brenda's Top 10 Outfits |
And this article from 2007 sums up why, other than the show's storylines and Brenda's fierceness, watching her in her all clothes is such an eye-candy for me.
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| From a 2007 article on this site. |
Some said it was a good call on her part, because she left while The Closer was still in top form.
Have you been following The Closer? If you haven't, try sampling just one: Season 5, Episode 6: Tapped Out. I think that it is the episode that best describes what I've just written about the show.
