The Closer

For seven years television audiences have been following along with Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson’s tough tactics and case-solving abilities of The Closer which has earned Kyra Sedgwick numerous awards including both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. The series comes to its conclusion on Monday, August 13 with “The Last Word.”

The format of the series finale remains unchanged. Once again, Deputy Chief Johnson must put together the clues of another grisly murder case and put those responsible behind bars. There’s been another rape/murder, bringing the victim total to a haunting five now. What separates this from the others is that there’s a witness, a young “street treat” boy who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once again, Brenda’s archnemesis Phillip Stroh is at the forefront of her suspect list.

“The Last Word” acts as a swan song for Kyra Sedgwick’s character. Brenda is given one more chance to go after Stroh, her only case that hasn’t been closed. Pair that with the pending lawsuit against her, and she’s definitely got a lot on her plate; not to mention the recent death of her mother is still heavy on her mind. Still, it’s not like that’s going to stop the determined will of Sedgwick. She started the series strong all those years ago and ends it just as strong.

With Sedgwick moving slowly out of the picture, Captain Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell) is creeping in to pick up where things leave off. While The Closer may have closed its last case, it makes room for spin-off series Major Crimes. The episode clearly shows Captain Raydor taking a more dominant role at the precinct. It’ll be interesting to see how Major Crimes will function without Sedgwick, though.