The Worst Episodes of The Closer
Every episode of The Closer ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Closer!
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "The Closer" is "Show Yourself", rated 7.7/10 from 522 user votes. It was directed by Michael M. Robin and written by Wendy West. "Show Yourself" aired on 7/4/2005 and is rated 0.0 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "L.A. Woman".
7.7/10 522 votes#1 - Show Yourself
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 7/4/2005
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, but as her investigation progresses, Brenda's doubts about the Colonel's motives grow. With Fritz' assistance, she realizes the Colonel is not there to help, but to help his son escape. The two face off in the dark on a Los Angeles rooftop, leading to an unexpected outcome. Elsewhere in the story, Sanchez' prior service with the Rampart Division CRASH gang squad allows him to play a pivotal role in the investigation as he briefs the squad on gang activity in the area, goes undercover as a gang member and assists with interrogations. Brenda's tense relationship with Taylor seems to relax, then abruptly grows tenser when a stake-out goes wrong. Gabriel becomes increasingly loyal to her, but Flynn and Provenza continue to resist her methods, dubbing her "Miss Scarlett."
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: Wendy West
7.7/10 607 votes#2 - L.A. Woman
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 8/22/2005
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. After discovering that the FBI has ulterior motives in the investigation, Brenda's relationship with Fritz is put under further strain.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
7.7/10 440 votes#3 - Four to Eight
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 7/30/2007
When two Catorce gang members are shot to death, Brenda and her squad must solve the murders before a gang war erupts. Meanwhile, Brenda has her own personal health scare when she finally visits the doctor.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: Ken Martin
7.7/10 342 votes#4 - Good Faith
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 1/26/2009
Brenda and the team investigate an apparent suicide that the medical examiner believes was actually a murder; Brenda's parents are staying with Fritz and Brenda for a few days.
Director: Elodie Keene
Writer: Adam Belanoff
7.7/10 341 votes#5 - Blood Money
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 6/15/2009
Brenda and the team are called in to investigate the questionable disappearance of a shady financial investor. The team is a mess with Daniels now in another division, Gabriel doing double duty, and Provenza with behavior more curious than usual. In the meantime, Brenda and Fritz deal with a sick Kitty.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: Steven Kane
7.8/10 492 votes#6 - You Are Here
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 7/25/2005
When a judge is murdered in Griffith Park, Brenda's investigation takes an unexpected twist. Her best witness, or perhaps her prime suspect, is his teenaged son with autism. Challenged by the boy's behaviors, but convinced he has the clue to unraveling the case, Brenda must try to understand his disability, and thereby learn what he knows. Meanwhile, she must keep his mother, and the child protective system from taking custody of the boy, limiting her access to him, and the killer.
Director: Gloria Muzio
Writer: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
7.8/10 494 votes#7 - Batter Up
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 8/1/2005
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. But when the perpetrator of the crimes turns out to be something quite different than expected, and has an alibi for the latest murder, Brenda must dig deeper to discover if this crime is part of the string, or a crime of passion disguised as a hate crime. 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. Provenza's quirks begin to emerge, and we meet Terrence Hynes, a County Coroner's Forensics Support worker with an odd sense of humor. On the home front, Brenda finds herself with some new charges when her (male) Kitty has kittens.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: James Duff
7.8/10 450 votes#8 - Aftertaste
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 7/3/2006
Brenda and the PHD investigate a high-profile case when a woman is brutally murdered at L.A.'s trendiest restaurant. On the home front, Brenda tries to keep a low profile as she closes in on her 40th birthday.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: Steven Kane
7.8/10 418 votes#9 - Culture Shock
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 8/20/2007
When a Chinese business woman is found dead on the tour bus she and her husband operate, Brenda and the squad must dig deep to investigate her past life. Meanwhile, Brenda’s parents reveal to the squad that Brenda and Fritz are engaged.
Director: Elodie Keene
Writer: Adam Belanoff
7.8/10 404 votes#10 - Lover's Leap
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 8/27/2007
A car belonging to a Department of Homeland Security employee is found wrecked at the bottom of Mulholland Drive. Priority Homicide is brought in to uncover the details surrounding the driver’s death, but the investigation leads Brenda a lot closer to home then she expected.
Director: Jesse Bochco
Writer: Steven Kane
7.8/10 379 votes#11 - Live Wire
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 8/4/2008
A man wearing a surveillance wire is shot to death at point blank range in downtown Los Angeles; interpersonal relationships on the squad force Brenda into a corner.
Director: Elodie Keene
Writer: Steven Kane
7.8/10 383 votes#12 - Fate Line
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 2/16/2009
Fritz's sister agrees to use her psychic powers to help the Priority Homicide Division resolve one of their cases, and while her abilities appear to help her understand how Brenda works, they don't seem to stop her from offering misguided advice.
Director: James Duff
Writer: Steven Kane
7.8/10 338 votes#13 - Walking Back the Cat
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 6/29/2009
Once again working with Fritz and the FBI, the team helps get to the bottom of a murder which occurred amidst a drug ring investigation. Also again, Brenda finds FBI feathers ruffled by her unorthodox methods.
Director: Steve Robin
Writer: Leo Geter
7.8/10 382 votes#14 - You Have the Right to Remain Jolly
Season 7 Episode 12 - Aired 12/5/2011
Fred Willard (Modern Family) guest stars as Santa Jack, the owner of a Christmas village who believes he could be the real Father Christmas.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: James Duff, Michael Alaimo
7.9/10 512 votes#15 - Flashpoint
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 7/11/2005
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. Too soon, one of the teenagers falls victim to manipulation of the medication, and Brenda untangles a web of exploitation of the young victims leading to an unlikely criminal. Meanwhile, Flynn ratchets up his efforts to undermine Brenda's authority, first by going over her head to Pope, and then, when that fails, by unearthing a groundless ethics investigation Brenda faced in Atlanta. On the personal front, Brenda's relationship with Fritz heats up, much to Provenza's delight!
Director: Craig Zisk
Writer: Rick Kellard
7.9/10 496 votes#16 - The Butler Did It
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 8/15/2005
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. Convinced the butler was actually murdered, Brenda sets out to discover which of the children committed the murders, and finds the real killer was someone altogether different!
Director: Tawnia McKiernan
Writer: Rick Kellard
7.9/10 461 votes#17 - Blue Blood
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 6/12/2006
Things don't add up when an LA cop turns up dead. Brenda and her team race against the clock to get to the truth, while tension increases between the Priority Homicide Division and the Robbery-Homicide Division. In the meantime, Brenda's relationship with Fritz elevates to a whole new level.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: Mike Berchem, James Duff
7.9/10 462 votes#18 - Mom Duty
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 6/19/2006
When a juror in the trial of an infamous mobster is found dead, Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division find that their involvement in solving the case may be affecting the jury's final decision. Complicating her personal life, Brenda faces another new challenge: a surprise visit from her mother.
Director: Gloria Muzio
Writer: Wendy West
7.9/10 430 votes#19 - Out of Focus
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 7/17/2006
Brenda and the team find themselves wading through a long list of suspects when a celebrity photographer takes a fatal fall from his hotel room balcony. Once the cause of death is determined, the motive points to a big time actor with something to hide. In the meantime, Brenda starts to feel like Fritz is behaving strangely, making her realize that superstars may not be the only ones who have secrets to keep.
Director: Michael M. Robin
Writer: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
7.9/10 435 votes#20 - The Other Woman
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 8/14/2006
The PHD must deal with a case of mistaken identity in order to get to the bottom of an investigation. While they're busy with the case, Brenda is involved in a different case: Pope's divorce. After being called to testify, Brenda finds that both her career and reputation are on the line.
Director: Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer: Steven Kane
7.9/10 429 votes#21 - Borderline
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 8/21/2006
Leaving the scene of an accident to get to a multiple homicide scene, Brenda finds herself unable to drive the streets of L.A. which she worked so hard to learn. Once she gets to the crime scene, she and the PHD are faced with another challenge: the murdered bodies are nowhere to be found. In order to solve this case, they must first search for the victims before they can hunt for the killer.
Director: Rick Wallace
Writer: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
7.9/10 403 votes#22 - Next of Kin (1)
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 12/3/2007
Brenda finds an opportunity to visit home when she attempts to track down a witness who disappears to Atlanta. Unfortunately, once she finds the witness, her holidays with family take on a whole new meaning.
Director: Roger Young, Scott Ellis
Writer: Mike Berchem
7.9/10 390 votes#23 - Speed Bump
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 7/21/2008
Brenda and the team must determine if a murder was revenge or mere coincidence when a recently released murderer turns up dead, the victim of a hit-and-run. As usual, Brenda's personal life isn't much better: she must deal with a recently incapacitated Fritz.
Director: Arvin Brown
Writer: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
7.9/10 393 votes#24 - Problem Child
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 8/18/2008
When a 12-year-old disappears, Brenda must decide whether to treat him as a runaway or a missing person.
Director: Scott Ellis
Writer: Duppy Demetrius
7.9/10 387 votes#25 - Split Ends
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 9/1/2008
Brenda and the squad investigate the murder of a hair stylist; Brenda's parents stop in for a visit on their way to Alaska; Brenda's father wants to know when she and Fritz are going to tie the knot.
Director: Roxann Dawson
Writer: Mike Berchem, Ken Martin