LEADERSHIP TRAITS & BEHAVIORS

IN

THE CLOSER, S01E01, PILOT

Show Summary
Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) has been brought to LA from Atlanta by L.A. by Assistant Police Chief Will Pope (J.K. Simmons) to lead up a new special murder investigation task force. In the TV world as in real life, the LAPD has taken it on the chin by blowing some high profile murder cases, and the bad publicity has lead to the creation of this new unit. They wanted an outsider to be at the head, and Pope has selected Johnson because of her uncanny ability to 'close' a case; often by obtaining confessions that nearly guarantee a conviction. The problem that Brenda faces is that all of her fellow officers resent that fact that she's leading the special unit because she's an outsider, but also because she's a woman. Her abrasive personality, she's more concerned with solving a crime than being nice, doesn't help the situation and neither does the fact that she's very good at her job. This last bit really galls Capt. Taylor (Robert Gossett), head of robbery and homicide. He set up the unit Johnson is now heading under the assumption that he would be leading it. To add insult to injury, she outranks him. The focus of the show is on the cases that the unit is handed, but they show enough of Brenda's life to make her a very realistic three dimensional character. That's the show's first strong point. Brenda is very disorganized, can't seem to learn her way around Los Angeles, and her southern accent becomes more pronounces and sugary when she's really mad. (Whenever she insults someone, she always seems to be smiling.) She also has a complex relationship with food. Though she tries awfully hard, Brenda has to struggle to resist junk food, especially when she's under stress. Which is all the time. This last aspect really hits close to home and made me instantly like her. The cases that she solves often have a twist or unexpected development in them, which makes them enjoyable, but the show's really not about who did it. There were several episodes where the identity of the murderer was telegraphed long before it was revealed, and these episodes are just as good as the ones you don't figure out. The plot really revolves around is how Brenda is going to get a confession out of the murderer, especially when even the worst public defender will council their client not to say anything. (And California has the death penalty.) That's always the climax of the show, when Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson reads the suspect his rights, then convinces them to waive their right to a lawyer, and then obtains a confession. The amazing thing about the show is that this part of it is believable and really rings true. If I have one complaint about the show, it's that during some of the investigations coincidence plays too much of a role. In one show Brenda is in a victim's house alone
1 Starling D. Hunter III 2012 | starling@qatar.cmu.edu| Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar | http://qatar.cmu.edu

for pretty much no real reason (with the door unlocked), when someone waltzes in, mistakes Brenda for the victim (whom they have never met), and gives her some key evidence that she would have never discovered otherwise. Though this doesn't happen often there are a few instances that made me roll my eyes. She also calls in a few too many favors from her hunky-yet-sensitive FBI agent boyfriend (Fritz Howard played by Jon Tenney), but that's mainly an excuse for him to make an appearance. The ending of the shows are so strong though, that it's easy to overlook these minor flaws. Another aspect of this season that works really well is that there's an overall story arc that plays out over these thirteen episodes. When Brenda comes into the department at the beginning, every one of the officers under her direct command puts in for a transfer to another department before they even meet her. As the series progresses she slowly tries to win over these very skeptical men (and one woman.) Not by being nice to them though, but by working them hard and being very good at her job. There's some symmetry between the first episode and the last, and though I usually dislike this overused technique in movies, it did work well in this show.i

Cast of Charactersii
Name Brenda Leigh Johnson Will Pope David Gabriel Provenza Russell Taylor Andy Flynn Michael Tao Julio Sanchez Irene Daniels Buzz Watson Fritz Howard Portrayed by Kyra Sedgwick J. K. Simmons Corey Reynolds G. W. Bailey Robert Gossett Tony Denison Occupation/Status LAPD Deputy Chief LAPD Assistant Chief LAPD Detective Sergeant LAPD Detective Lieutenant LAPD Commander LAPD Detective Lieutenant

Michael Paul Chan LAPD Detective Lieutenant Raymond Cruz Gina Ravera Phillip P. Keene Jon Tenney LAPD Detective LAPD Detective LAPD Civilian Surveillance Coordinator FBI Special Agent

Episode Recap
The episode begins when Brenda arrives at a murder investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department Murder Squad. When the squad is notified that she is the new Deputy Chief, Brenda faces huge resistance from the team. Captain Taylor, in particular, feels that it is unfair that Brenda, who has just transferred from the Atlanta Police Department, gets the job that he was waited twenty-years for in the LA Department. Throughout the episode, Captain Taylor argues with A.C. Pope regarding Brendas hiring, while A.C. Pope tries to convince him with her great abilities and that she is Deputy Chief in name only.
2 Starling D. Hunter III 2012 | starling@qatar.cmu.edu| Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar | http://qatar.cmu.edu

Brenda is faced by hostility from her own team members. Being uncooperative and slowing down work, the whole squad hope that Brenda fails and in fact hand in transfer requests, which Brenda refuses. Brenda, on the hand, wants to prove to the squad that she deserves being head of the department. Carrying out the whole investigation almost by herself, in which the victim was a woman killed in the home of a technology genius, Brenda puts all her effort in the investigation. With her great interrogation skills, she was indeed able to overwhelm the whole squad and find out who the very unexpected murderer was, proving to the squad that she is indeed a case closer.

Discussion Questions
1. Is Brenda an effective leader? Why or why not? 2. Which leadership traits does Brenda possess? Which does she lack? 3. Which leadership behaviors does Brenda demonstrate? Which does she not?

Solutions
Write to starling@qatar.cmu.edu for to obtain a copy of the solution to this case.
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http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/21758/closer-the-complete-first-season-the/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Closer_characters

Starling D. Hunter III 2012 | starling@qatar.cmu.edu| Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar | http://qatar.cmu.edu