I knew it! When the new season premiered, my take on the Kitty shenanigans looked like this: “My guess is that this is all a prelude to revisiting the talk of children from earlier in their engagement.” Now here we are at episode five, “Half Load,” and that’s just what we find. Away from the idea of a little Brenda or Fritz, we were reacquainted with Father Jack (Mark Rolston) as the team faced a particularly sensitive case.
Starting with the case, it was something quite different from the norm. There was no motive, and it ended up being more of a mystery than a typical murder investigation. That’s not a negative. There were a number of things I really liked about how it all played out. First, the take-charge Sanchez. He’s been in a bit of a weird spot since his shooting, but I’m taking this as him turning the corner. As is to be expected, the whole team came together to solve the case, but Sanchez is the one that really broke it figuring out how the two scenes were linked.
While this story could have certainly been done without bringing back Father Jack, last seen in “Grave Doubts,” I’m glad they did. It makes for great continuity, and rewards fans that have been playing along the whole time. His relationship with the department, and Brenda particularly, is very interesting to watch. It also sends up a flag that there may be another returning character. Did you catch the pictures of Stroh in Brenda’s unsolved cases room? I’m guessing we’ll be revisiting that story before the end of the season.
Finally, the whole idea of hope, and imagining something better. At first, it felt like typical Brenda, shamelessly lifting Fritz’s honest sentiment to manipulate a witness. It didn’t finish that way though. The moment shared at the community center, after Father Jack explained what the meaning of the death really was, was very nice. And Brenda looking up to reflect on it all tied right back in to that conversation with Fritz.
I don’t know that it’s a done deal, but it looks like the topic is certainly on the table. The possibilities seem a little crazy. Can you imagine Brenda with hormonal issues brought on by pregnancy? It might be fun to watch the chaos, but the idea, and Brenda’s previous medical issues, leads me to the possibility that they could be in the market to adopt. That would also offer up the possibility of bringing in the kid earlier. My thinking is that, in true Closer style, the topic will be ignored next week. But then it will be a recurring thing, and we’ll be left at the end of this season wondering if she is pregnant, or if the adoption will go through. It really could go either way, but they have me curious.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Jul 08, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
Worst episode of the season. Nothing made sense. Not the 70k they got for new equipment, not luring the gang members into “confessing”, not the priest finding his peace with Brenda Lee. It was all weird and if I had the time I’d try to find out if this was a script by somebody new.
I really hope this wasn’t a sign for where the show is going.
From what I’ve read, all these plotlines about Kitty came about because Kitty was sick in real life. They had to keep the cat stationary on a pillow in most of its final scenes. The poor Kitty died less than a week after filming. :(
I’m impressed that the writers were able to make such a meaningful arc out of such a sad situation.
I so hope that Brenda and Fitz DON’T have a child. Just one time I would like to see a woman who is competent and happy and doesn’t want to have a child. It does happen, and frankly Brenda has made it clear she doesn’t want a child and that should be ok. So I root for no baby.
Thank you LindaH! I agree 100% I thought last season Brenda pretty much stated she was not interested in having children.
I knew this would happen…Kitty dying leading to “lets have a baby” plot line. Really? Isnt there something better to do with the non-work life of Brenda? Wow writers are out of ideas. I would prefer it that there is a real difficult and emotional case and a stray cat appears on the crime scene and Brenda adopts it.
Oh of course they are going to “try” to have one so we will have these cutesy scenes to find the right “time” to pro-create, with visits to a fertility clinic. And when they have given up they find out at the season finale she is pregnant by “accident”. We can have a hilarious show about her going into labor with her whole team coaching her on while Fritz is on the way to meet her. After a few episodes with baby (of course she cant stay on maternity leave, she has to be on the case!) then the baby wont get mentioned and Fritz becomes Mr. Mom. Or they go down the adoption route (again remember the house buying where Brenda was distracted) but it takes them NO time at all to be approved and get a newborn baby where in real life its not that easy. And then a “miracle” pregnancy. Really irresponsible of the writers to promote this stigma.
Oh and this means Brenda’s parents will be back (who I love the actors and their characters, but they are WAY overused) for many episodes to “help” out. Ugh! I hate these types of plot lines.
I really hope they do something different with the whole baby thing. For example, I can’t see them with a baby, but I would like to see them perhaps be foster parents. Or, maybe a situation comes up where they can adopt a troubled kid of 10-14 yrs old.
If not, I hope they get another cat or a dog.