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'The Closer' considers nature vs. nurture
The Closer muses about nature, nurture and the perils of foreign adoptions this week when a 13-year-old boy goes missing. Juicy stuff, huh? Then why does the episode feel so flat? Also, Fritz apparently has short-term memory loss, Pope is easily cowed, Brenda is an interrogational bad-ass, and everyone else was pretty much just along for the ride.
This spoiler worries about the commute from Calabasas.
Sergei Monroe is nowhere to be found, and because he's not yet 14, the case is classified as a Critical Missing. His parents are nonplussed -- he 's run away before, this is probably nothing! Fritz, who's along for the ride, thinks the parents are in denial. And it is weird -- people seem strangely unconcerned with the fate of a terrified 13-year-old kid who may have been snatched by Very Bad People bent on Very Bad Things.
That's because Sergei himself, according to his sister Theresa, qualifies as a Very Bad Person. By her account, he's well on his way to psychodom -- he kills small animals, terrorizes her by chopping off her hair in the middle of the night, antagonized the neighbors until they're nearly apoplectic with rage. Oh, and he's not her brother, she insists. He's some kind her folks adopted from Russia five years ago, nothing to do with her at all.
Looking at Sergei's room, the detectives think Theresa might be onto something -- there's some seriously angry, scary graffiti all over the walls. Apparently, the room gets repainted often, but that doesn't stop Sergei from redecorating again and again. (Note to Mr. and Mrs. Monroe -- perhaps white walls aren't the way to go, hmmm?)
The teams goes to check out a neighbor's house -- he and Sergei had fought the night before. Looking over the fence, they see what looks like a new grave. It is -- for Taft's dog. Sergei thought it would be fun to run the dog down with Theresa's car. With that new bit of info, plus the lack of concern on the part of the parents, Pope asks if this is really still a Critical Missing. Isn't it more likely this bad-seed kid is hiding out until people are less mad about the dog-killing? Fritz is against taking resources off, but Brenda reluctantly agrees that while her team will keep on the case, the extra patrol cars and such can be pulled off.
Then Sergei turns up dead -- beaten with a blunt-ish object and dumped. Pope feels awful, Brenda feels like crap and Fritz is kind of smug. The first suspect is Sergei's friend Jason, who Mr. Monroe identifies as a bad influence. Jason is nowhere to be found, and both he and his mom have a record, so that seems like a good bet. But when Brenda finally interrogates him, she learns that Jason is terrified of Sergei -- Sergei manipulated Jason into a sexual situation, then threatened to tell everyone if he didn't become Sergei's minion.
Next suspect: Theresa, who left messages saying she was going to kill Sergei for messing up her car, and also was last seen in the garage with Sergei as he was pounding out the dog-shaped dents with a hammer -- a hammer that matches the wounds on Sergei's skull. When Brenda confronts Theresa with this evidence, her father spits out that the messages were left after Sergei was dead. Ok, but how did he know that? Turns out after five years of raising a kid who threatened to become the next Jeffrey Dahmer, the parents snapped. The first blow was in the heat of passion, but the second? That came when Mr. Monroe realized that hey, Sergei isn't his flesh and blood, so why the hell not finish him off? Mrs. Monroe seemed to approve.
The home front
Fritz is apparently completely over his problem with Brenda from two episodes ago -- he's snuggling up with her in the shower, showing her house listings. As the house he's touting is practically in Nevada (yes, I know I'm exaggerating and it's the wrong direction -- please don't protest, Calabasas residents!), Brenda isn't thrilled. She tries to make it up to him later, but Fritz tells her the house already sold. Besides, the only reason to live there would be the great school districts... Brenda tells him they really shouldn't take school districts into consideration. This is apparently what constitutes an open and honest discussion about the future in the Fritz/Brenda household.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
- I have to say, i was underwhelmed. I feel like I should have been a lot more moved by this story than I was, but something was off. Perhaps it was the promo trumpeting "you won't believe where this case ends," thus telegraphing to everyone who has ever watched a crime show that the parents did it.
- Even though there didn't seem to be much tension in the episode, a few bits were heartbreaking. The end, where Mrs. Monroe talks about all the trouble they had with Sergei, how they obviously got caught with a defective kid, culminates in her saying "We even tried to return him to Russia, but they wouldn't take him back!" Good lord, lady -- you know how the SPCA has all the commercials reminding us a puppy is for life? That applies to adoptions, too.
- At the same time, I can sympathize with the Monroes, who were obviously completely out of their depth and utterly unprepared for Sergei. They adopted him when he was about 8 years old, meaning he'd had plenty of time to go through hell and be scarred for life before they got him. They had no idea. Still no excuse for murder, or course, but I bet a good lawyer and a sympathetic jury would get them an incredibly light sentence.
- And now, I suppose we're supposed to be having the "nature vs. nurture" debate -- was Sergei born bad? Did his early life turn him into a psycho? Were the Monroes somehow to blame? And that's another problem with the episode, to me -- it felt like it was trying to provoke debate, instead of debate just naturally growing out of a compelling storyline.
- Brenda taking the skin sample with the hammer pattern embedded into it? Hardcore. Also, gross.
- I know Brenda got the parents to sign releases, but you can't possibly convince me that they knew what they were doing. Again, a decent lawyer could argue they weren't really read their rights.
- OK, Fritz already knows that Brenda went through early menopause, right? He was there and all. That means the whole subtle-as-a-sledgehammer bit about school districts was way out of line, in my opinion. And Fritz is a master of timing, isn't he? It's possible you shouldn't raise the adoption issue when Brenda's investigating the case of an adopted sociopath.
- Also, a couple of weeks ago you were saying Brenda did something unforgivable, and now you're looking at houses again and talking about school districts? Fritz, did you suffer a blow to the head that made the events of two weeks ago disapear?
- One nice bit -- the Calabasas house flyer has the "Gary doesn't lie!" emblem on it.
“OK, Fritz already knows that Brenda went through early menopause, right?”
Actually, Brenda didn’t go through early menopause. She had polycystic ovarian syndrome which were benign growths on her ovaries, that were causing the peri-menopausal symptoms. The Doctor told Brenda she believed the problem was related to insulin resistance so the first step was to cut out all sweets and candy. I’m sure most people remember those episodes.
She had a procedure known as “ovarian drilling”, which stopped the symptoms until they would normally appear.
As far as how Fritz is acting, you need to remember that the fight episode was shown out of order. It was suppose to air before “Cherry Bomb” So if you go back and watch that one, it looks like he was sleeping on the sofa, but warmed back up to Brenda because of the rape case she was working on.
SG -- For some reason, I thought that the cysts triggered menopause itself, not just the symptoms. And I blocked out "ovarian drilling" because it freaked me out so, so very much.
I understand that they've changed the order of the eps, but I still find it jarring. A reshoot or two wouldn't have been amiss.
Sarah | Aug 19, 2008 8:01:56 AM | #Sarah,
I went back and double checked to see what they said about the menopause thing cause it was bugging me. Cause I thought they had said it wasn't really menopause but wasn't sure. You weren't the only one who I heard say that. So I had to see which was which. It was funny, they played it out for some many episodes about her health and just kind of skimmed over the results.
I totally agree you about them reshooting something with Fritz and Brenda. Cause that was such a big fight and one of the few times he didn't give in. I do wish someone anyone would address it in some way, shape or form.
I agree with you too on this episode being flat. For some reason too, I'm finding Brenda to be much colder this season and seeming to care only about closing the case and not always looking at the bigger picture.
SG | Aug 19, 2008 9:03:58 AM | #Major pet peeve-people misusing words. I think you meant the parents were nonchalant or indifferent. Nonplussed means to render utterly perplexed; puzzle completely.
grammarian | Aug 19, 2008 9:35:17 AM | #Loved the scene when all the detectives were trying to look over the fence into the neighbor's yard, with "Fritzie" giving Brenda a hand up, when Provenza just goes over to the gate, opens it up and walks into the yard - too funny! Also liked how bitter Sanchez was about having to chase the neighbor kid for 5 blocks after it was revealed he was hiding under the bed...I don't know - those little touches make me chuckle!
Ginni | Aug 19, 2008 9:41:15 AM | #Underwhelmed might be a bit strong for a reaction. I think it's just typical of a now-long-running show like this that some episodes are going to be less effective than others. Hell, Gunsmoke was on for 20 seasons, and I doubt every single hour of drama was prime beef. Most of the time, writers on well-developed shows do a bang-up job of putting out great stories, but even the best writers on the planet sometimes put out the clunkers (Stephen King, for example, with Pet Semetary and Dreamcatcher--godawful books that should have been buried by the publishers like the compost they were). Such it is with The Closer: there will be some weeks where the crime is so easy to solve that they might as well not even show it. This one I had pegged as soon as they introduced the parents, who were just a little bit too clueless to be believed. I'd have given a nod to the sister, too, if it weren't for the whole Goth thing; the gals and guys I've known who are or were into Goth are just fascinated with death, not likely ready to get up close and personal with it. Since there were too few introduced suspects, the case was a gimme, at least to me. Maybe if the family had a butler...
Dark Disciple | Aug 19, 2008 11:54:04 AM | #Not one of the best this season but, for season 4 of any tv series, overall they are doing excellently. I think the critic at Entertainment Weekly is jealous of the show and so I ignore him.
jfms777 | Aug 19, 2008 1:28:54 PM | #Once again I find myself agreeing with Dark Disciple!
I was watching with my sister and told her, right away, that the sister didn't do it, 'cause she was Goth!
Maybe not the strongest episode, but I loved the "Gotcha Moment" and the giggles as ponted out by Ginni.
I know that not every episode of a longish-running series will be brilliant, but hey, I've got to watch them all, so I can only give that argument so much attention. I'm not saying this is the sort of ep to make me stop watching the show -- I still think a bad episode of The Closer is better than a hell of a lot of the "good" episodes of much of the rest of the shows on TV -- but I've got to call it when I think something doesn't work. This one didn't work.
Ginni -- I did like those little Provenza and Sanchez moments, too. I kind of wish there were more moments like that this episode, because it felt like we barely saw the team this time out.
Oh, and grammarian, I did mean nonplussed -- nonplussed by all the attention the case got. You could see them wondering what the hell was going on with the massive police presence, media everywhere, etc.
sarah | Aug 19, 2008 5:13:55 PM | #I thought Brenda went through a surgical procedure so they could have kids (as well as to stop the early menopause symptoms). If that's the case, it isn't likely that they've been doing anything to prevent conception.
My prediction is that school districts may well become a consideration before the end of this season. Say, perhaps a breakup, followed by a realization of pregnancy. A tad soap opera-ish, but hey...
Maureen | Aug 19, 2008 6:50:58 PM | #I was horrified by this episode.
I adopted a 13 year old girl from Russia 4 years ago, and a 10 year old boy from Kazakhstan last year. They are amazine, sweet kids. We've had issues but nothing huge. The Closer is irresponsible for feeding on people's fears about older child adoption. Out of the thousands of kids adopted each year, only a tiny percentage have huge issues.
I'd like to see an episode where Brenda adopts an older child and there's a happy outcome. I wish the writers would read my blog, since it's a more realistic picture...
Dee Thompson | Aug 20, 2008 6:14:08 AM | #Sure, we could have watched a sweet, googly-eyed version of The Closer where the adopted Russian child was Jesus reincarnated, but that wouldn't have been much good for drama. Yeah, we all know that the vast majority of foreign adoptions end with the children coming to this or other countries and simply thriving. Others just become typical, spoiled brats that has nothing to do with their place of birth. These are all great stories, and more power to the people who choose to adopt children from other countries. However, this episode was not meant to pander to the politically correct amongst us; it was meant to demonstrate that the whole nature-vs-nurture debate is still ongoing, and it is not always clear if even the best upbringing on the planet will help a child who was born without a conscience, as was evidently true with Sergei. To be blunt, this episode is one of the few in my memory where an adopted child from another country turned out to be a burgeoning psychopath. The reason why that has not become a stereotype on TV is that it is not one in real life. It is rare, and so in a number of ways, this episode's "bad guy" (although one might question who was the real villain in this particular case), who just happened to be an adopted child from Russia, was rather unique. Now if every drama and procedural this season has an episode where the same thing occurs, Dee, I'll be right with you in complaining. I don't see that happening, though.
And just to add a personal note, when I worked in child care, one of the girls in our 3-4 year-old group was also an adopted child from Russia. She was just adorable, but she was also so rambunctious that we called her The Little Terminator (she had a thing for destroying her socks, for whatever reason). Unfortunately, I didn't keep in touch with my former co-workers, so I have no idea how young Natalia turned out. My bet is that she's a thriving young women in her twenties who can knock out men who try to mess with her with one well-placed punch. :)
Dark Disciple | Aug 20, 2008 12:53:38 PM | #Don't think anyone has mentioned, the best friend was played by the boy from Spy Kids, Daryl something! I thought he was pretty good in a so-so episode.
Cath | Aug 20, 2008 3:45:22 PM | #Hi again - thought I would weigh in on the adoption angle in a small way. Dark Disciple wrote: "To be blunt, this episode is one of the few in my memory where an adopted child from another country turned out to be a burgeoning psychopath."
Going back in time, I remember an episode of LA Law where a couple who had adopted a slightly older boy, maybe in the 5 - 7 age range, actually overturned the adoption because the boy was making their life a living hell. I'm not exactly sure of all the details but I think there was at least one other child in the house who was in physical danger from the adopted boy so the parents returned the little boy. No, he wasn't on the same scale as the boy on The Closer and not from another country but as mentioned, one of the few times this issue of such a bad seed has been shown on TV. The last scenes on LA Law were completely gut-wrenching as the little boy was being led away from his parents in the courthouse...he was screaming that he would be good and that he loved them. Both he and the parents were crying hysterically - it was very disturbing and tough to watch, but it has stayed in my mind all these years.
Ginni | Aug 21, 2008 11:21:07 AM | #Ginni, I remember that episode now. I'm naturally emotional (I'd like to blame it on Latino heritage, like Antonio Banderas does in Spy Kids--referencing the guest starring role by the red-haired boy that Cath mentioned above--but, alas, I can't, as I'm German, not Spanish), and I was a basket case by the end of the L.A. Law episode. Whoever the young actor was did an outstanding job, as do many who have to play such incredibly tense and difficult roles. I don't know where children get that kind of emotion from if such things haven't happened to them in real life. I guess some are just born with that gift. Too bad I don't have it: I'd have gotten out of more speeding tickets. :P
Dark Disciple | Aug 21, 2008 12:30:30 PM | #I felt a personal connection to this episode, knowing a family in my past with a similar problem with an adopted older child who was finally institutionalized (probably for life, in a lock-down facility) after killing several small and large farm animals. My parents were neighbors of this family and saw first hand the trials they went thorough for YEARS before the kid at age 15 finally got caught in the act of mutilating a mare and killing her newborn foal. I was only 10 at the time so I knew nothing first hand (except for seeing the police activity down the street when they caught him), only learning details about what happened that night from my parents much later. As far as I know, 50 years later, this guy is still confined. After seeing this episode, once again, I wish I did not have this memory...
xyzzy.plugh | Aug 21, 2008 10:37:30 PM | #Dark Disciple: I cry at SO many tv shows and movies, and also when I read some books -even if I've seen or read them before! "Love Story" and "West Side Story" are two examples that come to mind. My sisters used to wait for me to cry if they knew something was said, then they would laugh at me...
Ginni | Aug 22, 2008 10:52:41 AM | #I don't understand crying over Love Story, which was just an awful, awful movie (never read the book, so can't say about that). Others I get. Too much death in my family, so some scenes where a child or grandfather dies might make me teary. I don't sob over books, though. I read so fast that I don't have time to reflect on sad stuff, cause I'm usually on the next chapter before it sinks in.
I didn't think this episode was flat, the way the reviewer calls it, but I think the shows this season haven't been up to the better episodes of past seasons. Probably getting tired of the whole thing, some of them. Maybe they just need some new blood to liven things up.
Revenant | Aug 22, 2008 1:42:27 PM | #Does anyone know the name of the actor who played the father?
Lorakeet | Aug 25, 2008 12:32:59 PM | #I looked up the name of the episode on Wikipedia, and found the full cast at tv.com. Looks like the father was played by Jamie McShane. Is that the one you meant?
http://www.tv.com/the-closer/problem-child/episode/1209508/summary.html
Jane | Aug 25, 2008 1:38:23 PM | #THE CLOSER - CREDITS
They changed how the credits are displayed last year I think. Do they make anyone else crazy? I'm trying to pay attention to the plot and the screen goes black w/ one name. The plot continues and bam, another one. This goes on and on.
I love actors to get their due, but this interferes badly with my enjoyment of the show. If they want to showcase each actor individually it would make more sense if they had a picture to go along with the name like they do at the end of some movies! As it is, it's just really jarring to me.
Jane | Aug 25, 2008 1:44:35 PM | #
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