The Closer

Episode 1 - Homewrecker 6/18/2007 Edit details In the third-season opener, Brenda and the team investigate the grisly slaying of a family, and the only survivor is the drug-addled teen son. Meanwhile, a financial crisis rocks the LAPD, bringing about budget cuts, numerous changes --- and possibly Provenza’s early retirement. And Fritz hopes to move into a new house with Brenda.

Episode 2 - Grave Doubts 6/25/2007 Edit details The body of a long-dead murder victim is uncovered along with Lt. Provenza’s business card, setting off the squad’s search for his identity and killer. When the bullet is traced to a gang weapon that had been turned into the LAPD 15 years prior, Deputy Chief Johnson is forced to contend with political activist Father Jack.

Episode 3 - Saving Face 7/2/2007 Edit details At a retired cop’s funeral, Lt Provenza and Lt. Flynn discover something quite unexpected along with the corpse.

Episode 4 - Ruby 7/9/2007 Edit details A recently released sex offender is accused of kidnapping a child, and with time running out, Det. Gabriel beats a confession out of him. Deputy Chief Johnson must deal with Gabriel and also get the pedophile to re-confess.

Episode 5 - The Round File 7/16/2007 Edit details An old man’s confession to seven murders leads Deputy Chief Johnson to investigate the sudden and unnatural deaths at his nursing home.

Episode 6 - Dumb Luck 7/23/2007 Edit details Brenda and the PHD investigate the murder of a personal trainer who was involved with the wife of a possessive husband with a temper. Complicating the investigation: their only witness is the man's frightened valet, who also has OCD. Brenda must also solve the murder while sharing her squad with Homeland Security.

Episode 7 - Four to Eight 7/30/2007 Edit details 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.

Episode 8 - Manhunt 8/6/2007 Edit details It looks to be the return of a serial killer when two bodies turn up dead. With the knowledge that he kills in sets of three, Chief Pope charges Brenda and her squad to hunt down the killer before the third victim is taken.

Episode 9 - Blindsided 8/13/2007 Edit details In an effort to get good PR for the department, Deputy Chief Johnson takes a journalist on a ride-along, but when the Crown Vic is targeted and shot at, Brenda is forced to live under 24-hour police protection, while being the key witness in the case she must solve.

Episode 10 - Culture Shock 8/20/2007 Edit details 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.

Episode 11 - Lovers Leap 8/27/2007 Edit details 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.

Episode 12 - Til Death Do Us Part: Part I 9/3/2007 Edit details Deputy Chief Johnson’s investigation into a famous Hollywood divorce attorney found floating in his swimming pool is under heavy scrutiny. Meanwhile, Fritz and Brenda are trying to consolidate their bills, but when Brenda discovers a secret Fritz has been keeping will she keep to the plan?

Episode 13 - Til Death Do Us Part: Part II 9/10/2007 Edit details Under intense pressure, Brenda has forty-eight hours to break a new witness’ alibi and get her case back on track. Meanwhile, Brenda’s relationship with Fritz is in danger as secrets loom.

Episode 14 - Next of Kin: Part 1 12/3/2007 Edit details 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.

Episode 15 - Next of Kin: Part 2 12/3/2007 Edit details Returning to L.A. proves to be a challenge when Brenda's witness remains hesitant, causing her to be creative. The fallout leaves Brenda's parents picking up the pieces while Fritz becomes buried underneath all the stress.

Episode 1 - Blue Blood 6/12/2006 Edit details A gruesome murder scene is nothing new to the Priority Homicide Division, but when one of the vics is a police detective, the pressure is on to close the case. Brenda and her team take heat from top police brass as their investigation turns away from a known drug dealer and toward one of their own. Likewise, tempers flare when Sergeant Gabriel asks that Detective Daniels be excused from the case due to her previous romantic liaison with the victim. With members of the L.A.P.D. ready to take justice into their own hands, the team has to work fast to bring in the real killer. While struggling to match DNA samples that could provide hard evidence, Brenda discovers that Gabriel and Daniels’ relationship to the victim is the key to unraveling the case. Meanwhile, Fritz pushes Brenda to take the next step in their relationship. But when her former lover and boss, Chief Pope, finds himself suddenly single, Brenda must question her own feelings to find a different type of closure.

Episode 2 - Mom Duty 6/19/2006 Edit details When a juror drops dead during the deliberation of an important murder trial that promises to put away a vicious Armenian mobster, the Priority Homicide Division is brought in to investigate. Once again Brenda must abandon her visiting mother, this time to the care of Lt. Provenza who seems all too happy to show Willie Ray a side of her daughter she has never seen. As Brenda uncovers evidence that causes a mistrial, members of the L.A.P.D., including one of her own team, question her motives. When Brenda focuses on the victim's personal life, the identity of the true killer is revealed in an interrogation that leaves even Brenda's mom speechless. But Brenda has another surprise for Willie Ray as she finally comes clean about her relationship with Fritz.

Episode 3 - Slippin' 6/26/2006 Edit details When a college student and his girlfriend are found shot to death in known gang territory, is it a case of gang retaliation, or were they simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Under pressure from Brenda's rival, Commander Taylor, the Priority Homicide Division is brought in to investigate the murders. At first it looks like an open-and-shut case, but when Brenda and Sgt. Gabriel interview the parents of the young man who was killed, they discover that things might not be as they seem. Suspecting that the parents are covering for their son, Brenda digs deeper and reveals some shocking evidence related to their alibis. Meanwhile, Brenda's mother, Willie Ray, comes to L.A. for an unexpected visit and Fritz finds himself entertaining her while Brenda works. With their impending move-in on hold, Fritz uses his charm - and his FBI training - to keep their secret from Brenda's suspicious mom.

Episode 4 - Aftertaste 7/3/2006 Edit details The L.A. restaurant scene is a competitive world where one bad review can make or break a business. When the wife and business partner of a top chef is found murdered in their swanky bistro's kitchen, Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division lean on her hot-head husband as a chief suspect. But when it's discovered that the victim was having an affair with a sleazy investor with a checkered past, the list of potential killers grows. It takes a closer look at the victim's own motives and character to determine the identity of the real killer. Meanwhile, Brenda struggles to conceal an important major milestone and tries not to let her personal life get in the way of solving the case. As well, Chief Pope's newly divorced status makes Brenda think twice about his intentions.

Episode 5 - To Protect & to Serve 7/10/2006 Edit details On a day off, Provenza and Flynn have skybox tickets for the big Dodgers Giants game, but when they discover a dead woman in Provenza's garage they ignore official duty and decide to wait until after the game to call in the crime. However, when they return to the crime scene, they get the shock of their lives: the body has disappeared! After learning Robbery/Homicide has found this mystery dead woman in a vacant lot, they take over the crime scene pretending they have orders from Chief Johnson. Their actions land Brenda in hot water and she chooses to go to bat for her team. While Brenda conducts a covert investigation to find the killer and delicately side steps Captain Taylor's efforts, she seeks favors from Fritz to help cover the detectives' lapse in judgment.

Episode 6 - Out of Focus 7/17/2006 Edit details An ambitious photographer stakes out an A-list actor for the photo-op of a lifetime. But when the photographer is found dead, Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division must sort out the sordid details surrounding the photographer's life and death to determine if he committed suicide or was he killed. When Brenda discovers that the subject of the latest photographs was an A-list actor's secret love life more questions are raised. Was the photographer murdered by the enraged celebrity trying to keep his private life a secret? Or was he killed for the valuable photos inside his camera? As Brenda and her team sift through the evidence to determine the identity of the killer, Brenda finds herself trying to I.D. a mysterious woman who is looking for Fritz. But when she and Fritz argue, will Brenda find solace in the arms of Pope, her boss and former lover?

Episode 7 - Head Over Heels 7/24/2006 Edit details Putting together the pieces of a crime is all in a days work for the Priority Homicide Division, but when the head and feet of a murdered porn star are found in a dumpster, the facts surrounding his murder leave Brenda puzzled. When test results reveal that the actor had AIDS, Brenda's team must sift through a growing list of suspects - all of whom had motive to kill. As the case draws the team into L.A.'s seedy porn industry, Brenda seems unusually uncomfortable with the details surrounding the murder. But soon it becomes apparent that there's more at stake here than her old-fashioned Southern upbringing. Could Brenda be ready for yet another life change?

Episode 8 - Critical Missing 7/31/2006 Edit details After fisherman discover the badly decomposed bodies of a mother and daughter in the L.A. harbor, evidence points to ritualistic suicide. But Brenda's instincts tell her there's more to these untimely deaths. As the case takes one bizarre turn after another, Brenda realizes a shocking truth about the killer.

Episode 9 - Heroic Measures 8/7/2006 Edit details A bereaved mother draws Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division into the investigation of her son's death, accusing his doctors of murder. Brenda sympathizes with the woman and opens an investigation despite her initial misgivings. With both Taylor and Pope questioning her rationale for pursuing the case, Brenda finds herself facing the one case she might not be able to close.

Episode 10 - The Other Woman 8/14/2006 Edit details When Brenda is asked to speak on behalf of her ex-lover/boss Chief Will Pope, their past affair threatens to jeopardize her credibility and her career. Meanwhile, a case of mistaken identity produces deadly results and the Priority Homicide Division must sort through the bizarre evidence to find the killer.

Episode 11 - Borderline 8/21/2006 Edit details While on her way to investigate a crime scene, Brenda has a run-in that could cost her her badge. Although there is plenty of evidence of the murders, there is just one thing missing: the bodies. Now Brenda and the Priority Homicide Division must first find the victims in order to bring the killer to justice.

Episode 12 - No Good Deed 8/28/2006 Edit details When the star witness in a death-row inmate's appeal case is gunned down, Brenda and her team discover that there is more than one suspect with a motive. Meanwhile, Brenda's secrets are aired in front of her team by Chief Pope's vengeful ex-wife and Fritz begins to question Brenda's feelings for Pope.

Episode 13 - Overkill 9/4/2006 Edit details When an FBI agent and the wife of a mob informant are murdered, Brenda and Fritz find themselves at odds over who should handle the case. With the chief witness in the murders slated to testify against a major mob boss, Brenda and her team are under the gun to solve the murder. But when the identity of the killer is revealed, Brenda's team comes under fire -- and someone is going down.

Episode 14 - Serving the King: Part 1 12/4/2006 Edit details On administrative leave after the shoot-out in her murder room, Brenda is called upon by an old friend to help solve the murder of an Arab teenager with ties to a terrorist cell. Working covertly, can Brenda find the killer before her team is completely dismantled by Commander Taylor?

Episode 15 - Serving the King: Part 2 12/4/2006 Edit details After reuniting with her team, Brenda must make good her promise to find a member of the Army of Allah who the CIA desperately wants to interrogate regarding a shipment of missing plutonium. But when it becomes apparent that the CIA has given her misleading information, has Brenda been set up? With the future of the Priority Homicide Division hanging in the balance, Brenda must figure out who she can trust before she becomes the next victim.

Episode 1 - Pilot 6/13/2005 Edit details An unidentified woman is found brutally murdered in the Hollywood home of a successful hi-tech millionaire and LAPD's newly head of the Priority Murder Squad, Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson is tasked to handle her case. She soon discovers that there are certain individuals who resent her appointment, but she shows off her skills to the skeptical team nonetheless. In fact, she uses her background as a CIA trained interrogator to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. She soon discovers that the accused killer and the victim have so much in common that it a little twist in the story shocks everyone.

Episode 2 - About Face 6/20/2005 Edit details Former model Heather McCarty led a glamorous life. She had it all, including a movie-star husband, a huge Hollywood mansion and anything else money could buy. However, she is soon found dead and Chief Deputy Brenda Johnson concludes that there was foul play involved. The first suspect to rise is the victim's philandering husband. Brenda soon tries to trace Heather's last living days and uncovers some disturbing secrets about Heather's marriage. As they investigate, Brenda realizes that the killer's motive has hit too close to home.

Episode 3 - The Big Picture 6/27/2005 Edit details A Russian call girl is found murdered, and the Priority Homicide Division investigate clients, including Los Angeles' most high-profile VIPs. As Brenda looks into some Russian mobsters and a customs agent, she meets with opposition from the devious Assistant Police Chief Pope. With all the pressure, Brenda tries to close this case.

Episode 4 - Show Yourself 7/4/2005 Edit details Three members of a notorious Latino gang are shot in MacArthur Park, and the Priority Homicide Division is tasked to investigate. While there is little gang politics involved, Brenda discovers that the highly skilled military sniper who is hungry for revenge may be behind the killings. As more men get killed and the gang tension escalates, Brenda finds a good witness in the alleged killer’s father, who says he wants his son to stop his murderous acts. The question still lies if Brenda can capture the killer or is she just another pawn in the game of the mastermind?

Episode 5 - Flashpoint 7/11/2005 Edit details A prominent doctor is murdered in his office while administering an important drug test on a new anti-depressant to help addictive teenagers stay clean. To make matters worse, the billion-dollar drug company refuses to cooperate and the list of suspects is getting longer. After Brenda and a member of her team get into a conflict about how to run the investigation, she finds that her past is coming back to haunt her. As soon as allegations of her prior misconduct rise to the surface, she discovers that one of the suspects also has a dirty little secret of his own.

Episode 6 - Fantasy Date 7/18/2005 Edit details The daughter of a prominent Congresswoman is raped and murdered in her own home and evidence points out that the victim had prior sexual predilections. Brenda and the team explore the world of S&M as the case soon takes a surprising turn. Chief Pope pressures her for the conviction of the high-profile case and she soon discovers that she might as well be the next victim.

Episode 7 - You Are Here 7/25/2005 Edit details Brenda’s love life is put on hold when she is tasked to investigate an execution-style murder and carjacking of a California state judge, who has several enemies. The only witness to the crime is the judge’s autistic son. To close the case, she needs to get into the mind of the young boy and finally identify the killer.

Episode 8 - Batter Up 8/1/2005 Edit details Chief Pope experiences a lot of political pressure when a string of hate crimes targeting the gay community proliferates in the city. Determined to end it, he hires Brenda and her team to finish off the case. However, when a team member secretly provides Taylor a hint on the criminal, Brenda must sift through internal and external politics to get to the bottom of the crimes.

Episode 9 - Good Housekeeping 8/8/2005 Edit details A daughter of a maid in an affluent LA household is raped and murdered, and the Priority Homicide Division is tasked to solve the case. Leads point out that a registered sex offender is responsible for the crime, but when a shocking turn takes place, the team finds themselves back to square one. When Brenda uncovers the truth, she is forced to compromise a conviction to bring the real criminal to justice.

Episode 10 - The Butler Did It 8/15/2005 Edit details A young widow is suddenly found dead and the subsequent death of her butler draws suspicion from the team. All of the members of the dysfunctional family are then brought in for questioning, and the team must sift through their accusations on who committed the crime.

Episode 11 - L.A. Woman 8/22/2005 Edit details A prominent Iranian businessman is shot in Hollywood and Brenda gets into a conflict with the FBI on who will take the case. Reluctantly agreeing to work together, the FBI assigns Brenda’s boyfriend Agent Fritz Howard to the case. When they realize that the FBI have other plans, will their relationship handle the pressure?

Episode 12 - Fatal Retraction 8/29/2005 Edit details A case of mistaken identity leads to the release of a convicted psycho-killer. Brenda and her team investigate to find the real identity of the killer. Moreover, she discovers that a member of her team may have tampered with the evidence. More problems arise as the recently released killer gets fixated on her.

Episode 13 - Standards and Practices 9/5/2005 Edit details The team is busy investigating the murder of a Hollywood producer and an anonymous complaint is filed against Brenda, thus threatening to jeopardize her career. When Captain Pope steps up to help her, she becomes skeptical. When she refuses to compromise, her team conspires behind her back and come up with a plan that will surprise Brenda.