Sergei, the adopted Russian son of an American family, is missing, but he's far from being an angel. Before long, Deputy Chief Johnson is faced with the truth -- that there may be a lot of people very close to home that want the child dead.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
This is a great example of the moral and psychological complexity that has made this series so brilliant from the beginning. Sedgwick, as Brenda Leigh Johnson, is at her usual best on the job and her disorganized and distracted worst in her personal life.
One of the best parts of this episode is the overwhelming sense of dread that underlies every scene with the cops as they try to deal with the nightmare of a missing child. The dialogue hasn't altered, but everyone is subdued and cautious, a superb decision made either by the director or actors, or written into the script, or some combination.
But the point is that by the dialogue steering away from "on the nose" lines that force the actors to say exactly what they're thinking, they are allowed the freedom to bring something more complex to the scenes than just to push the action forward or deliver information.
This can only happen when the writer is entirely conscious of the moral and emotional arcs of each of the characters and of the greater social and society implications of the actions.
The Closer is a complicated and realistic layering of personal and professional motivations, a great study for anyone who wants to raise the bar on the procedural drama.
