Some of our more recent acquaintances were back to play this week. Captain Raydor (Mary McDonnell) was once again causing all manner of headaches for Brenda and the team. And the team was getting an assist from our new pal Mikki Mendoza (Paola Turbay). One of those characters had a whole lot more to do than the other. I think the title of the post gives that answer away. As uneven as those parts were, it all worked out rather well. Captain Raydor is annoying, and a distraction to the team, but her machinations are not without their own purpose. That’s something they did a much better job exploring in the second go round.
It really was the story of the show, so let’s begin with Brenda and Raydor. I find the good Captain very interesting, because she works on two distinct levels. First, she gets under Brenda’s skin in ways that few people can. And a frazzled Brenda is an interesting Brenda. From her actions to try and mitigate Raydor’s involvement, right down to her reactions at even seeing her. It really does set the stage for a very good story.
More importantly though, Raydor serves as a check for Brenda, in a way that Pope tries to, but often falls short of actually doing. And that’s something that Brenda really needs. She’s brilliant at her job, but far from perfect. Her glaring weakness is a lack of respect for the letter of the law, and that makes for a dangerous game. It’s worth noting that McDonnell plays Raydor brilliantly. She’s so cold, and such a bitch, that it automatically draws you to Brenda’s side. The perfect setup for the big reveal at the end when she gives the speech that actually justifies and gives real answers to the questions about what she represents. The viewer, much like Brenda, is left taken aback. Not defeated, and not with our minds necessarily changed, but the point has been proven. And it offers another interesting angle to the Raydor character’s place in all of this.
Moving on, I just wanted to tell all of you about how cool my phone is. I carry a G1. You might have heard of it. Perhaps it would ring a bell if I made the G1 logo super bold and huge… Of course, we need to talk about product integration again. It’s kind of a weird deal. I think of bad product integration like pornography. I can’t define it, but like Justice Stewart, “I know it when I see it.” And this was really bad product integration.
Now, The Closer has long had a relationship with T-Mobile, and that’s fine. Folks have to use cell phones. And actually, I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with Tao showing off the features of his new phone, because that’s the reality. I’ve been known to dial up street view and hand the phone to someone so they can spin around in circles. It’s fun. But here, it was both ham-handed, and as far as the story was concerned, stupid. They found the address thanks to Tao’s new phone? They all have computers, with nice big screens, and Google Maps works just fine on them. And that whole bit about emailing it to Brenda’s computer? I cringed a little bit for the writer that had to shoehorn that in there. But the worst offense was the mondo-sized sticker package on the back of the phone. It was all just headshakingly bad, and a scary portent of what is to come.
Getting back to the case… I thought it was good, with a few notable highlights. The opening with the helicopter looking down on the scene was outstanding. It really set the mood and dropped us right into what was obviously going to be a very tough situation. I was also excited to see Mikki return. The Closer can get so stand-alone on occasion that I’m always anxious for anything that offers more continuity. Her part was awfully small, but the hope is that it’s setting us up for a bigger Mikki story. The character has potential.
Remember back when Fritz and Brenda decided to keep their personal and professional lives separate, and none of us believed they could do it? How right were we? Granted, this was the murder of two officers, so all bets are off, but still, that ship was sunk before it left the harbor. And finally, another hint that Stroh is coming back sooner, rather than later. Did you catch that Brenda has a picture of him on the side of her monitor? I’m really looking forward to getting back to that story. All things considered, another good episode, with one very ill-conceived extra commercial.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Jul 22, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
Called it: https://twitter.com/Dorv/status/2749631335
I like Radnor, but too much of her would be overkill. I don’t want to see her back this season.
I had forgotten about Stroh, so much so that I had to look him up. Its good that they are hinting at a return.
Raydor returning would still be preferable to anything more from Ramos. Man, I just don’t get their fascination with that guy.
Someone can’t spell and his name is Dorv.
Yeah, the logo made the phone look dorky. Big mistake.
I liked Raydor, I thought she was a good antithesis to Brenda, and could bring her back down to earth a little. She’s starting to get on my nerves.