Thought this one was great!!
Brenda and the Major Case squad look into the case of a headless DB found in an alley and come across a missing boy, murder and illegal organ harvesting.
Detective Mikki Mendoza (Paolo Turbay) who hasn't been seen in a while, no she's just brought back to blab, contacts Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and Major Crimes when parts of a DB are found, headless. Brenda wants the head found before some dog is running around with it in its mouth. The killing portrayed the same MO as Mexican drug cartels. Commander Taylor (Robert Gossett) doesn't think it's a case for Major Crimes and he should have been able to make that decision, but Brenda tells him there have been other DBs found in a similar manner. Mendoza lets slip that Brenda is running for the position of Chief, which Taylor says Brenda should have told him about first and the rest of the team are surprised.
Assistant Chief Pope (JK Simmons) tells Taylor he agreed to Brenda running as she'll only be one of many in the running for the position and currently seems more concerned about the effect on his reputation, once the media get hold of this case. Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) has brought Reuben in to work again. He hasn't made any progress in finding his mother yet. That was apparent from the outset that Sanchez wouldn't want to let Reuben go. Provenza (GW Bailey) tells Flynn (Tony Denison) that Brenda going for Chief is only politics and they shouldn't be concerned with it.
Dr Morales (Jonathan Del Arco) discovers that one of the DBs, upon close examination, had a small pin in his ankle; such treatment is only available in the US. Thus Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) believes the Vic isn't Mexican. At home Brenda discusses the case with Fritz (Jon Tenney) as well as wanting him to help locate Reuben's mother, she doesn't want to be involved with it though. Fritz notices a missing boy in one of the files has a scar on his ankle, Pedro Moto. Sanchez has located Pedro's mother, Mrs Moto (Anna Khaja) and Provenza can't help but comment that she's one mother he didn't have any trouble finding. Mrs Moto was only interested in the welfare money Pedro brought in and inadvertently mentions he was bleeding and she had to take him to the clinic.
Gabriel and Brenda accompany Mrs Moto to the clinic , but the doctor who treated Pedro isn't in and she speaks with Dr Luis Navarro (Bruno Campos). He's very helpful and gives Brenda Pedro's records, as well as suggesting his dental records would be of more help, which aren't necessary since he was headless and Gabriel almost gives this away too, though Navarro already knows this. Since there weren't that many suspects in this episode, it's obvious Navarro has something to do with Pedro being missing his head and turning up dead.
Dr Morales informs Brenda that upon further examination the DBs were missing vital organs, leading Brenda to believe they were killed for their organs. Thus the only logical suspect being Navarro. A DNA match on the second Vic reveals he's an armed robber so Flynn thinks the gangs have taken to selling organs, but that'd be too complicated for them to even contemplate, as Sanchez explains, they don't have the knowledge for that. Gabriel finds every organ harvested must first reach the domain of the Organ Procurement organization. Ms Reed (Merrin Dungey) who represents the organization is angry that the organs of homicide Vics aren't donated, meaning many miss out on this vital resource. The organs are used as evidence. Brenda asks for a waiting list of the patients requiring organs. and one is a boy who was a match to Pedro's kidney. [Merrin was in Alias as Francie and MS Reed was Lauren Reed in the show, played by Melissa George.]
Oscar claims his kidney was donated by his Mexican cousin, but they don't know him. His father gets defensive upon finding out they are the police. There is no such cousin. Reuben states he would donate one of his kidneys to Sanchez and this sets Brenda's mind in motion as she thinks the organs would need to be matched before being used. Tao ( Michael Paul Chan) examines the charts from the surgery and finds a CT angiogram scan was carried out. This is a medical assessment to determine the size and suitability of the organs for transplant. A check on the chart also reveals this was done by Dr Navarro and he works at the hospital.
At the hospital, Flynn distracts the nurse whilst Brenda reads the charts and finds a Mary Witten is scheduled to undergo a heart transplant. At the clinic, Brenda, Gabriel and Flynn catch Navarro working on another boy to retrieve his heart for Mary. It's difficult to know what to call the boy, a Vic, a donor or a criminal who deserved what he got. Unable to get into the room, or break the glass, Brenda gets them to film everything on their phones as she pulls out her trusty tape recorder. Brenda threatens to shoot but he replies, "shoot at my head - I'm an organ donor."
What follows turns out to be one of the best scenes in the Closer, thus far, okay in opinion it is. Navarro tells her about a 12 year old girl he had to work on who was repeatedly gang raped by Pedro and others. Pedro came into the clinic, one of the boys who took part in her brutal rape. Under the anaesthetic Pedro gave him the names of all his accomplices. Navarro tried to find DNA on the girl, he looked everywhere but there was nothing. Navarro agrees to give her his files and to confess if she lets Mary have the heart. Or will she just let it go to waste as evidence.
Gabriel asks how many others there were and he replies five. There are two boys left and he tells Brenda if she gave him a year he'd have this neighbourhood cleaned out. Brenda tells him he didn't know if the boys were actually guilty or not, but he just told her Pedro gave them up.
Brenda: "Where's the line for you doctor? You start by cutting up people you think committed rape, who's next, drug dealers, thieves, people who cross against the light? Who gave you the right to play God?"
Navarro: "Position was vacant so I took it!"
At the hospital they wait to see if the transplant was a success and on how the heart would be stuck in evidence. Flynn comments, they "...made lots of decisions weren't ours to make."
Fritz finds Ruben's mother, Maria. Sanchez asks if she's seeing anyone and asks them to dinner. Probably he wants to to see Reuben and more likely he wants to ensure she's a good mother to him, cos in past episodes he had doubts about the integrity of his mother abandoning him like that.
Have to say, one of my fave episodes this season delving into the area of organ transplanting and harvesting, something which always borders on the legal, moral and ethical. How ethical is it to take the organs of criminals and kill them in the process, not only playing god as Brenda says, but judge, jury and executioner too. Lots of moral issues too, such as where does one draw the line on choosing who should receive an organ when a transplant is needed. Hospital committees are just as guilty of "playing god" when they decide who lives and dies on the list. It's an interesting area full of dilemmas and close to my heart, no pun, as one of my legal dissertations was on the ethics of organ donation and transplantation. Hey Navarro had operated on five Vics and he had two left, which would have made seven, a biblical number.
Bruno Campos gave an excellent and convincing performance as the doctor wanting to 'clean up the neighbourhood' and save lives in the process, doing their job for them. Navarro didn't see it as wrong, it's a fitting punishment for their crimes. The question of playing God - well doctors make those decisions everyday, as well as other professionals. Bruno has played many a doctor on TV shows and many bad guy roles from Cold Case to Castle to Closer, but this role was different in that was Navarro really all bad or all good in what he did? Finally the show had some eye candy in Bruno, ha. He's got totally gorgeous blue eyes. Bruno is taking a break from acting and is currently in his second year at the University of Michigan Law School.
1 comment:
Nice write-up, thanks!
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