TV Jots

Captain Raydor Rides Again

You’d think TNT crime drama The Closer couldn’t get any better after five seasons, but somehow the Kyra Sedgwick series is managing to do just that during the early part of its current sixth season. Case in point: the brand-new July 19 episode called “Help Wanted.”

The episode features a new stylistic method, a little more drama and edge than usual, and terrific guest stars, starting with returning recurring actress Mary McDonnell, who reprises her Season Five yin-yang role as Captain Sharon Raydor of the Force Investigation Division, Brenda Johnson’s fellow LAPD crime fighter and workplace nemesis. The other noteworthy visitors include Titus Welliver (Lost, Sons of Anarchy, Deadwood) and Catherine Dent (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Shield) as Gregory and Melissa Disken, a well-off married couple who happen to be friends with the mayor.

Of course, clout like that translates to quick action when something suspicious happens, such as a disappearing nanny. Raydor tags along in her typical grating fashion as Team Brenda investigates what happened to the domestic worker, a pretty and competent Latina named Adriana Gomez. However, hard as it is to believe, Raydor is interested in much more than just irritating Brenda during her latest case, as the episode’s surprise ending — which was not included in advance review copies — presumably reveals. If that final segment is even half as captivating as the majority of the episode, viewers will not be disappointed.

The investigation itself contains several truly perplexing twists and turns that throw the members of Team Brenda off before leading to one more shocking discovery after the next. Yet, the clincher is a dramatic encounter with the perpetrator, which gets my vote as one of the best standoff scenes ever on a television show.

The drama and tension during “Help Wanted” also builds especially steadily and effectively without detracting from the show’s usual humor, this time focused on Raydor’s by-now familiar annoying ways. In addition, Brenda’s FBI agent husband Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney, Brothers & Sisters) and Detective Julio Sanchez (Raymond Cruz, Breaking Bad), who are mainly peripheral characters, both get some majorly memorable scenes.

Part of that screen time helps introduce a new stylistic color technique for the series as Sanchez and the team retrace the victim’s habits and activities. Sanchez is also emotionally invested and royally pissed off throughout much of the episode, a dependable hint that things are heading in an explosive direction, which is exactly where they end up eventually. “Help Wanted” is definitely a standout, must-see installment of The Closer.

Sneak a peek at several scenes from the episode in the following preview before the 9pm ET premiere of “Help Wanted.”