This is my favorite show on the air. I love Kyra Sedgwick so much and have been so excited for the new season to start. I haven't started watching it yet and now am not even sure I want to. It's very disappointing to discover that they've tainted the character of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson. Do you still recommend watching it? Has the dialogue and group dynamic gone downhill as well, or is it still worth watching for that?

Perhaps the Suddenly Unstable Brenda and Half Naked Brenda are perimenopausal. 

the show is still awesome, and kyra sedgewick is incredibly talented, but i get where you're coming from. as much as i love the personal storylines, brenda is best when she keeps her emotions in check. looking forward to the season, though...

and I was a little surprised, since, as you pointed out, she rarely took her clothes off in the prior seasons.  I kind of felt like her co-workers at the scene of the hit-and-run... confused by giddy Brenda.  I still don't know what to make of it.

personally, i think that the closer is trying to keep up with saving grace, which is why Kyra Sedgwick has a little less to wear in this season.

I've seen both episodes of this season's Closer, and I disagree—with the exception of the butt-wagging scene, which did seem over the top (or bottom) to me.

While the opening of "Speed Bumps" reminded me more of a toned-down Saving Grace than the first seasons of The Closer, I think the rest of the episode did more to develop the Fritz/Brenda relationship than most previous episodes. Think about the ending.

And think about this. "Speed Bumps," like "Controlled Burn," also developed Fritz's point of view as well as the shifting dynamics of his and Brenda's relationship. In "Controlled Burn," maybe Brenda was riled—but hardly shrewish, in my opinon—because her city was buring, a serial arsonist seemed to be after her, and because she had finally relinquished sovereign authority and control over her personal life (by giving up her house and moving into a rented duplex with Fritz). At the end of the episode, it's Fritz who has unpacked, and it's Fritz who has taken charge—in his mostly mild, Fritz-like way—of making their new house a home. And this puts Brenda in new territory. Literally.

In "Speed Bumps" we get a bit more of their relationship and, with Fritz, we get a bit more of Brenda. Now, the show itself might not have chosen (or figured out) the best ways to show Fritz's p.o.v., but(t) there it is. And like it or not, well-executed or not, his perspective and new perspectives on Brenda are both important to the ever-changing power dynamics among characters on the show. And this is, if you watch some of the interviews with cast and crew, a season devoted to power.

OK, granted, power has always been an issue on The Closer. Put a woman in charge of anything, and you are, to a degree, lifting the veil on the nature and structure of power. In season one, we watched Brenda gain power (or really authority) in her new department, and in seasons two and three, we saw various people and situations test Brenda's power and authority, both personally and professionally. Throughout it all, other characters never got as much power or authority, not even characters who outranked the Chief. This season, though, everyone seems to be more aware—and more protective—of his or her power *and* authority. And that's a tough situation. It puts people on edge. It makes them defensive. It creates an atmosphere not unlike a forest the instant before it starts to burn.

And that's the season, at least so far. Has there been tension? Yes. Has there been yelling? Yes. Has Brenda Lee lost control over some little things? Yes. Is the hard line she draws between personal and professional breaking down a bit more? You bet. Does that make her shrewish? I really don't think so. It's not always comfortable to watch characters hit the speed bumps that writers create for them. But I do think it's still a pleasure to watch Kyra Sedgwick and the rest of the cast driving this luxury recreational vehicle. If you haven't yet seen any of the new season, I recommend you give it a chance.

Sarah, I see what you are saying, but the changes could be part of a bigger picture...and with each show, they will just give us one piece of the puzzle...instead of addressing it all at once.

What is starting to bug me about the show this season is that so far, I know who did it about 20 minutes into the eppie. With both eppies, it has been the very recognizable actor from his or her television work...who has the smallest guest role...considering his or her stature.

 

 

Good comments Dame.  I would point out though that Brenda had to have some ovarian surgery late last season to help with a problem of early onset menopause.  That can mean a medical reason for her actions.  Yes I know, they do pick on women's hormones, but it is based on fact.  As for her scanty clothing.  I did notice it but it could be a progression of her relationship with Fritz as others have mentioned.  I personally (bad me) don't mind seeing Brenda less dressed but I do agree it does change the timbre of the show and the authority that she has developed.  Who knows where the writers are going?  I still do love the show and will keep watching.

I am holding my breath and hoping that  Brenda will reappear, since while I love to watch Kyra, and I really enjoy the show I have to agree with Sarah. The surgery last season explained what was beginning to appear as if Brenda was morphing into Bea Arthur, but this season's bitchiness is overdone - and it undermines the role of authority that had been established previously.

The instability is far more annoying to me, since the sex kitten piece is just the normal TV knee jerk reaction to a strong female role- 'let's show the viewers that she really IS a woman'........ Yechhhh

Come back Brenda Lee, wherever you are!!