The Closer Season 1

Season 1

Season 1 opens with the LAPD's new Priority Murder Squad (PMS), soon renamed the Priority Homicide Division (PHD), under the direction of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson investigates the murder of a technological genius. Brenda has recently joined LAPD after a long career in law enforcement, including with the Atlanta and Washington, D.C., Police Departments. We soon learn Brenda is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, was CIA-trained, and was recruited by her former married lover, Assistant Chief Will Pope. Brenda is resented as an outsider by much of the LAPD and seen as an adversary by Robbery-Homicide's Captain Taylor, who initially persuades her squad to request transfers en masse in an unsuccessful effort to force Brenda's resignation. Brenda soon wins over her assistant, Sgt. David Gabriel, and the grudging admiration of the team when she shows them why she is called a closer; but her battle is far from over. As the season progresses, we see Brenda struggle to establish her authority and earn the respect of her squad, despite the efforts of Taylor and Detective Lt. Andy Flynn to both undermine her authority and hamper her investigations. Slowly, one-by-one, Brenda wins over her team; and, by season's end, she has earned the loyalty of them all, even the hard-boiled Det. Flynn, as they stand united against Capt. Taylor's final attempt to remove Brenda from the squad.

Air date: 2005-06-13

Episodes: 13

Episodes

E1: Pilot

A seemingly routine murder investigation by the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division is interrupted by the arrival of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, the new head of the LAPD’s Priority Murder Squad. An outsider from Atlanta in her first week of service, Brenda has already begun to face the resistance of long-time high-ranking officers and only her assistant, Sgt. Gabriel, seems willing to try to work with her.

Air date: 2005-06-13 • ★ 8.5

E2: About Face

Brenda and the team must investigate the murder of high-profile model Heather Kingsley, who dies as a result of nicotine poisoning. As Brenda investigates, she is drawn into the world of celebrity beauty, where illusion is everything, and the standard high.

Air date: 2005-06-20 • ★ 8.4

E3: The Big Picture

Brenda must fight for justice for two Russian prostitutes murdered by the illegitimate son of a Russian mafia figure. As she does, she confronts her own prejudices, and discovers the justice for these women is scarce in a world dominated by men.

Air date: 2005-06-27 • ★ 7.6

E4: Show Yourself

Brenda and the Priority Homicide Team investigate a sniper who is killing gang members in and around MacArthur Park. Offering assistance is an ex-Army colonel who believes the sniper to be his son. As an all-out gang war looms, Brenda tentatively accepts his assistance.

Air date: 2005-07-04 • ★ 8.7

E5: Flashpoint

Brenda enters the high-stakes world of pharmaceutical research, when a drug trial for new anti-addiction medication lead to the death of one of the principal investigators. Nothing is quite as it seems as she investigates the high-powered president of the drug company sponsoring the trial, the seemingly easy-going psychiatrist and the teenaged participants in the study.

Air date: 2005-07-11 • ★ 8.4

E6: Fantasy Date

Brenda finds herself the unexpected victim of violence against women when she investigates the murder of a congresswoman's daughter. At first, it appears the victim was engaged in sexual activity online that included an invitation to violence.

Air date: 2005-07-18 • ★ 9

E7: You Are Here

A judge is murdered in Griffith Park and Brenda's investigation takes an unexpected twist when her best witness, or perhaps her prime suspect, is his teenage son with autism. Challenged by the boy's behaviors, but convinced he has the clue to unraveling the case, Brenda must try to understand him in order to learn what he knows.

Air date: 2005-07-25 • ★ 7.9

E8: Batter Up

When a gay man is murdered, seemingly the latest victim of a string of hate crimes, Brenda must confront prejudices inside and out of the LAPD. Meanwhile, Flynn and Taylor step up their efforts to undermine Brenda once again, but with unexpected effects, as the team begins to rally around Brenda.

Air date: 2005-08-01 • ★ 8

E9: Good Housekeeping

The murder of an adolescent girl from Mexico, found dead in the Los Angeles River, proves difficult and painful for Brenda and her team. At first, a known sex-offender seems the likely candidate, but questions arise about why the girl and her mother were brought to the US, leading the investigation in another direction.

Air date: 2005-08-08 • ★ 8.9

E10: The Butler Did It

Three wealthy, spoiled and unruly children become the target of Brenda's investigation when their stepmother is murdered and the family butler seemingly commits suicide shortly thereafter. Riding heard on the trio is their family attorney, who cleans up their messes and provides them with alibis.

Air date: 2005-08-15 • ★ 8.9

E11: L.A. Woman

Brenda finds herself at odds with the FBI in a struggle to gain control of the murder investigation of a well-known businessman. Deciding to work in tandem, Brenda finds herself working directly with Fritz, who was assigned to the case.

Air date: 2005-08-22 • ★ 8.4

E12: Fatal Retraction

Brenda and her team must find not only a killer, but also identify the killer's victim when a deranged, homicidal madman is set free due to mistaken identity. While trying to make sense of an array of complexities in this unusual matter, the case takes an even darker turn when Brenda becomes the center of the psychopathic killer's attention.

Air date: 2005-08-29 • ★ 9.3

E13: Standards and Practices

An unnamed source files a grievance against Brenda in the midst of a high-profile investigation of a murdered L.A. filmmaker. With her career on the line, Brenda is skeptical of Chief Pope's intentions when he volunteers to help. In classic Brenda style, she spurns the accusation and the PHD team comes together to act in unison, sending shock waves through the entire department.

Air date: 2005-09-05 • ★ 9.1