Provenza Provides the Laughs

The Closer has it all, from high drama to big laughs.  Monday’s episode allowed Lt. Provenza to shine, to great comedic effect.  The episode, clumsily entitled “Dial M for Provenza,” focused on the lieutenant’s bumbling attempt to build a murder-for-hire case against a woman whose husband is eventually killed.  Provenza poses as a hitman and manages to establish a rock solid case against the woman, only to lose the evidence by having it stolen right from under his nose.  I don’t know what was funnier: watching Provenza try to charm the woman into letting her guard down, or seeing him chase after the stolen evidence.  He does redeem himself by the end of the episode by taking a page from Brenda’s “by any means necessary” interrogation playbook.  It’s hilarious to watch him try to be smooth, because he looks more like a high school principal than Dirty Harry.

Monday’s episode was like a sitcom, in many respects.  The same basic plot could have been depicted much more seriously, but I found the comedic angle be a refreshing spin on the standard way most cop-n-lowlife storylines play out.  With each successive episode we see another aspect of Brenda’s personality, and this most recent installment showed the begrudging affinity she holds for Provenza, who is a valuable asset to the unit – in spite of his obvious shortcomings.  Even though Brenda can be a little bitchy, she sticks up for her detectives and has confidence in them.  The unit is like a one big happy dysfunctional family, all under the watchful eye of its hard-nosed matriarch.  I think Brenda has a soft side beneath her rough exterior, and I look forward to watching all the characters continue to evolve this season.  I can’t think of another show that is able to effectively incorporate aspects of different genres so fluidly, and I dig the way the writers mix it up.  Another solid episode in a very good series.