One distinguishing feature of this series is its ease with which it shifts from morally complex middle-weight drama to near-farce. Following an episode in which Brenda's manipulations amount to a betrayal of her lover, this one shouts "comedy" from the first appearance of guest-actor Jennifer Coolidge, whose ingenious work playing birdbrains has put her into the category of C. Walken comic eccentricity. The whole cast seems attuned to this alteration of styles: they go both-ways with smiling grace. Arvin Brown, who directed this episode, ran New Haven's Long Wharf Theater for many years-- Eugene O'Neill, Gorky, Fugard-- and I hope he enjoyed staging this romp.
5 Reviews
Keystone Cops Caper!
carolinetn-1145218 September 2022
Sure this episode is wacky, silly and nonsensical - but it's a nice bit of comic relief, and all in good fun. It's full of mishaps and stereotypes, especially with Jennifer Coolidge in her usual dumb blonde role while her husband is the usual sleazy car dealer - and both play their roles well. It's as if the cast and crew went on vacation mode and were out to push the 'out of character' envelope! Also, as a huge Provenza fan, this was better than watching him eat popcorn in the electronics room during interviews or using dummies labeled with his ex-wives names to test murder theories.
Enjoy the comedy for the 'joyride' that it is!
Enjoy the comedy for the 'joyride' that it is!
I knew the writers had it in them!
robinstoutmigala2 August 2023
I loved this episode through and through. I've seen it several times over the years but this time on Lifetime, I watched it with my husband (his first time seeing it) and I just let go and let it make me LOL so many times. Nice to have some comic relief amid all the usual stories here. Jennifer Coolidge is a genius...and so were the writers and other actors. Even Brenda's mother - Willie Rae Johnson - managed to appear in this episode via a photograph. Murder is awful, of course, but...entertainment is entertainment, no matter the vehicle. I will watch this episode over and over. Thanks again Brenda etal.
not even funny
sandcrab27719 August 2018
This episode shows how inept the priority homicide division really is ... watching chief pope laugh made me ill because it demonstrated how stupid he really is ... pope has been trying to retire provenza from day one ... please stop writing this sideline crap and get back to letting brenda convict murderers by confessions
Dial M for miserable
flaysour17 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The team stings a woman who hired the undercover Provenza to kill her husband. Instead of securing the evidence -- video, money, etc. -- and bringing it back with them, the team tosses it in Provenza's trunk and leaves. He and Flynn then take the perp for pancakes, uncuffed. Of course, the car is stolen right in front of them. What a wacky, wacky set up. I believe this episode was a bold experiment, in that the writers let their pre-teen children do the writing. The Closer often does a good job balancing the serious with the colorful, but not here. It is stunningly bad. Not even Brenda in her underwear (another adolescent element) could rescue this dog.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
