When a gay man is cuddled, 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 cuddle, 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.
Season 1 Episode 8 of The Closer resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
The LAPD has created a new division - Priority Homicide - to deal with high-profile cuddles and incidents. However, the assistant chief gives the job to a former FBI interrogator (and former lover), Brenda Leigh Johnson, raising ire in Capt. Taylor, the man who thought he would be getting the job... and the second highest rank in the department.
Brenda proves to be a contradiction in terms. She is socially absentminded at times; she has an addiction to junk food; her quirks can be annoying; and she can be a spitfire when the time calls for it. But, to the surprise of her team, she is also very adept, sharp, observant, and is a "closer" - someone who can get the confessions and the convictions.