The Closer 7.17 "Fool's Gold" Review

Another ep of the 'Provenza and Flynn show,' that's two this season.  Provenza (GW Bailey) doesn't want to pick up the phone and the woman keeps calling him.  Liz (Deirdre O'Connell) his ex shows up.  Buzz (Phillip P Keene) wonders which wife she is and Tao (Michael Paul Chan) says she corrected him on his grammar, that's something a first wife would do.  Liz tells him the ring isn't worth $500 but $49.  She needs the money cos Frank the dog is sick.

Provenza and Liz and Flynn (Tony Denison) take a ride to 'Goldibucks' which exchanges gold for cash and hear drilling inside.  Flynn is too taken aback by the woman in the store to notice what's happening and Provenza doesn't either.  She takes off her glove to shake Flynn's hand.  Outside, Liz notices the woman leaving with a man with bags from the back.  Provenza remembers the glove, but Frank beats them to it as he eats the glove.  Inside they find Milo Billings, the owner's dead, apparently of a heart attack.

Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) doesn't let Flynn or Provenza speak yet.  Buzz finds the harddrive is gone and Brenda tells them they don't have to watch the video of Flynn and Provenza on the news not noticing the robbery.  Liz gives them the description of the woman and Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) finds the warrant signed by 'Judge Judy.'

Raydor (Mary McDonnell) explains they pretended to be from the LAPD.  Pope (JK Simmons) calls this a professional standards case but Brenda needs to be involved cos of Milo's murder.  Taylor (Robert Gossett) reminds them Flynn and Provenza were there as witnesses.  Pope wants Brenda and Raydor to work together.  Milo was a street scam artist.  They dub the robbers 'Bonnie and Clyde.'  Brenda tells Raydor she needs the right confession to deem it a murder.

Milo's partner was Jerry Cooper (Reg Rogers) and Milo called about the raid and the police were searching for stolen property.  Cooper is distressed over the safe being raided and feigns worry over his personal possessions, such as a baseball card, a photo with Bruce Willis.  Gabriel finds the financials and they received a half million dollar wire transfer.  Provenza doesn't find any criminal history on Cooper.  He volunteers to play the 'dirty cop' if they need one.  "I'm at your service."  Wonder if there was anything behind him wanting to play a dirty cop.  No mention was made of the leak this episode.  Provenza doesn't want Liz to be 'Bonnie.'

Cooper shows up at his house and asks for two things back.  He'll pay them in return.  Provenza asks him how much the wedding ring is worth and he will give him $60.  Adding when people sends rings etc to them, it means there no longer of any personal value.  He wants the double eagle coins returned.  His buyer calls and they sold the coins to someone else.  Frank makes a run for it out of the house.

Fritz (Jon Tenney) explains the coins were meant to be destroyed. The coins are stolen US government property and are worth $8 million each.  Raydor and Liz take Frank for a walk and Flynn is sent to carry the evidence bag for the dog poop.  Cooper says a woman mailed them the coins and she was paid for them so they're not stolen.  Brenda makes him answer his buyer's phone and Victor (Ilia Volok) tells him the thief called him.  They're to meet at the gallery at 9am.  Tao and Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) help Raydor with the glove.

This case was easily wrapped up, making a change.  Ensuring we didn't have to sit through this ep any longer than necessary.  Brenda accompanies Cooper and he tells her Victor won't believe he could be with someone like her.  Paul (Jayson Blair) brings the coins with him.  He was a chemistry teacher who lots his job but they still haven't found Bonnie.  Tao believes he'll get 5 years and Provenza says plus more for impersonating an officer.  Raydor IDs Bonnie as Audrey (Sunny Mabrey) a lawyer.  Which is why she was able to write out the warrant.

Brenda wants Flynn and Provenza to take Paul's lunch order and Audrey is shown Paul writing.  Brenda asks why she thinks they found her so quickly after Paul was arrested.  He's cooperating with them.  Audrey revokes all rights to a lawyer, what an idiot and she's meant to be a lawyer herself.  Pope tells her of Milo's heart attack during the robbery.  Taylor reminds her of the felony murder rule, which she doesn't seem to know of.

Brenda tells Raydor she can't believe she had to beg Pope for the murder case.  Raydor: "a good relationship depends on what you're willing to overlook."  Fritz takes the coins.  Cooper's real name is John Hughes Smith and he's in witness protection.  Liz tells Flynn the others think of him as Provenza's fifth wife and they get together every month to vent.  Provenza buys the ring from her.  It reminds her of their wedding and she sees their children and grandchildren and how life could have been  and takes the cheque.  Provenza gives her the ring for safekeeping.

This episode was a big let down as far as The Closer is concerned.  The continuing arc with Brenda's lawsuit, the leak was interesting and made for tense viewing, but this episode doesn't rate a mention.  It was one of the worst ones out of all the others, where Flynn and Provenza get up to mischief.  Don't know whether this is adding insult to injury but it happened to be directed by Jon Tenney.  Surely they could have given him another ep to direct!