http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/08/21/THE-CLOSER----Culture-Shock.aspx You know, I hate to say it, but I wasn’t feeling the love for this week’s installment of THE CLOSER. There are a couple of reasons why, but essentially, I felt like the writers passed up an interesting story to stay with what felt safe. A good show—and THE CLOSER is one of those, even on an off week—shouldn’t be afraid to stray off the beaten track when a story goes there, and maybe the gang got a little gun-shy for this one. Let me explain in a little more detail.     The basic crime for Chief Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) and her merry folks to resolve is the murder of a successful businesswoman, who owned a fleet of tour buses that tended to cater to Chinese tourists. What makes this a little more interesting than usual is that virtually all the major players that get pulled into the investigation—victim, suspect, various people with something to hide—are Chinese nationals, and are thus steeped in a very different culture. Even Lt. Tao (Michael Paul Chan) is somewhat at a loss, being fourth-generation American and thus is just a little less of an outsider than his colleagues. There are hints of international intrigue, as some of the victim’s tour guests were Chinese government officials, but nothing really comes of this. In the end, as Chief Johnson so capably discovers with Lt. Tao’s help, what it comes down to is the dark side of mixing business and family, especially when business requires you to get in bed with the devil as it were. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/08/21/THE-CLOSER----Culture-Shock.aspx 77 60