Warner Home Video
Release date: June 29th, 2010
MSRP: $39.98

Kyra Sedgwick returns, as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, for a fifth season of THE CLOSER and I could not be happier. It is not uncommon for shows to start sliding after three or four seasons, but THE CLOSER has managed to stay fresh while keeping all of aspects that make it so compelling.

Season five sees Gina Ravera (Detective Irene Daniels) leave the series and Kyra’s daughter, Sosie Bacon, appear as Brenda’s teenage niece. Being a teenager, she is temperamental and Brenda, being Brenda, is hard-headed. The result is entertaining fireworks on more than one occasion. Sosie does a fine job, but I wonder if she would have been as good were it not her mother she was playing opposite?

Mary McDonnell also comes on board for three episodes. McDonnell plays a captain from Internal Affairs. While these were ok, I think they dropped the ball on Mary’s character. They should have made her more nuanced, but instead simply used her as a nemesis.

What makes The Closer such a great show, in my eyes, is that they manage to present strong, compelling crimes and still develop the characters. Yes, it is a crime drama, but the fact that I am interested in the characters makes it all the more engaging.

Extras:
 
The extras are similar to what has appeared on the last couple of sets.  Unfortunately there are still no commentary tracks.  There are a few deleted scenes that accompany five episodes, a brief gag reel, and a series of comments by the producer about each episode.  This last featurette is presented as a map, and by highlighting various locations viewers can access the comments.  Unfortunately there isn’t a ‘play all’ button for this. 

Extras: There are some deleted scenes, a gag reel and some comments from the producer. Why no commentary tracks? Nothing bad, but nothing of note ether. A show this good deserves better.

Order season five of THE CLOSER.

Jeremy Lynch