“I think we created a significant and seminal character; Brenda was a creature that we haven’t really seen before. She is someone who is fierce and powerful and fragile and delicate and broken and flawed and relatable and super-heroic… and not law-abiding in some ways. She is someone who’s incredibly passionate about what she does. It’s sort of hard for me to really say — it’s something that you could write about instead of having me toot my horn about! — but I think she was a phenomenon in a lot of ways. She’s a fascinating character that we really haven’t seen before in the body of a woman.” —

Kyra Sedgwick on the end of The Closer (via myfriendamy)

“fierce and powerful and fragile and delicate and broken and flawed”

You know what? I like this show and all, but no. No. Nope. This is less awesome than you think. And yeah, I had seen it before Brenda Leigh came on my TV.

Sometimes I feel as is every. single. female. character. that is supposed to be a lead character or a strong character is supposed to be all these things. Is supposed to be a hot mess and a badass and sensitive and inept and kind and hard and- just, supposed to be everything. All things to all people. I am getting kind of fucking sick of it. “The only worthwhile women are all of the things on the this laundry list of characteristics required for a person to be flawlessly flawed” is not really all that superior to “all women are one-note fragile flowers.” In some ways, I think female characters that try to be all these things at once become quite dull in their own way; trying to encompass too much of human experience in a single person feels disingenuous. It becomes inane and cartoonish- which is what began happening around the third or fourth season of The Closer. At a certain point, it stops being exciting to watch, and becomes kind of exhausting.

And that’s not even touching the fact that “flawed” is becoming an increasingly meaningless adjective that, when used to describe a character as if it automatically indicated a good, interesting, well-written character, makes me want to throw up in my own mouth. Ditto “broken.” JFC, sometimes, especially on Tumblr, I feel like there’s this weird idea that any character is compelling if they’re “flawed” and “broken” enough, whatever the fuck that means, and look I am bleeding from own face where I’ve ripped off chunks of flesh in a fit of frustration and rage.

(via claro3)

I will think of you often, just plain Brenda. And hope to see you not at all.

The best part of this episode is that she leaves the candles on the table.

Tells Fritz they’re from a friend.

And lights them.

All of that.

declanmacrae:

weatherthestormtogether:

“I always felt from the get-go that he loves her, loves her in the way that you can’t put into words, that’s a deep feeling he has and that goes a long, long way to forgiving betrayals, forgiving a lot of … which is really bad.”

—

Jon Tenney in TNT vids (not so bad after all, just shows what a strong character he is and he needs to be if he wants to make it work with Brenda)

wow what a gr8 and insightful quote u sure got one that rly captured their beautiful relationship well done

Oh yeah Brenda is just such a vile person all around. He’s like the greatest most saintly person, what with the not murdering her and all, considering how awful she is.

Is it nice and cool over there in the shade?

waterfights:

Take a good long look at the third gif and tell me again that Fritz Howard is the perfect man.  That Charlie’s insolence was worthy of violence in the home.  That a sixteen year old girl should have to feel scared like that ever.  That anyone should have to live in a household they don’t feel safe in.  

I’m not saying she didn’t deserve to be shouted at.  She brought weed into his home and inadvertently drugged his wife.  Of course she deserved to be shouted at.  What she didn’t deserve was to feel the threat of physical harm when he smashed that plate.  An action that was the result of her calling him an alcoholic, not because she had brought weed in the house.  That is not the action of a ‘perfect man’.

That is, quite frankly, someone I’d always be wary of and avoid at all costs.

The fact he never gets called on that lack of self-control and obvious aggressive streak leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.  Duff dun goofed.

This show is still one of the most interesting cop shows I’ve ever seen, and Brenda of the first season especially is still one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever watched, but there are a few episodes, like “Unknown Trouble,” that leave me wanting to headdesk myself into oblivion.

And then there’s Fritz Howard. Good Lord, Fritz Howard. Everything Waterfights said is 110% correct.

Let’s repeat this for emphasis: he loses his shit and gets violent because she calls him an alcoholic. Which he is. Which he reminds people of, constantly, when it makes him look like a better person than they are to admit it, when it allows him to manipulate a situation to his own advantage. Which, in the scene, isn’t even played as that much of an insult. It’s a goddamn statement of fact. She’s doing what teenagers do: evening the playing field while being attacked by pointing out the actual flaws of the adult who is reprimanding her. Teenagers aren’t known for their ability to react graciously to criticism. When you point out the worst in them, they tend to point out the worst in you. And they’re often right. And he handled it in almost the worst way possible. Literally the only thing he could have done that would have been worse would have been to actually hit her.

If he weren’t presented as Brenda’s Perfect Flawless One True Love Who Corrects All Her Horrible Problems, it wouldn’t bother me so much. If he called on his shit for stuff like this, it wouldn’t bother me so much. Hell, if so much of the fandom didn’t drool over him, it wouldn’t bother me so much.

But he is, he doesn’t, and they do.

And I loathe this character with the violent passion of a thousand suns.

Poor Jon Tenney. I still love his acting.

raveras:

waterfights:

• In the story of Adam and Eve the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself.
• Secular art also well made use of the apple as symbol of love and sexuality. It is often an attribute associated with Venus who is shown holding it.
• In psychoanalysis apples are generally considered a typical sexual symbol.

#tell me my ship isn’t canon #go on #i dare you

Honestly, every time I see that “X object is a symbol for [sex or something sex-related] in PSYCHOANALYSIS,” my first thought is always “what isn’t a symbol for sex in psychoanalysis?”

shecapsthat:

FLYNN: So there is a hell.
BRENDA: You’re not there yet Lieutenant

THE CLOSER: 6.11 Old Money

Brenda: Is this enough proof for you that Kevin wasn’t just a victim?
Sharon: No.
Brenda: Bitch. 

raveras:

GRACEY: My dad’s gonna be so mad. He didn’t want me to ride the bike.
ANDY: Tell me your name. What’s your name?
GRACEY: Gracey.
ANDY: Okay Gracey, did you see the driver of the car that hit you?
GRACEY: All I saw were headlights. I think I’m okay. I’m good. I don’t feel anything, just help me up.
ANDY: No, you just lie there, okay? An ambulance is on the way.
GRACEY: So sorry to cause you all this trouble. I really think I’m okay.
ANDY: Listen sweetheart, it’s no trouble at all. You were in an accident. Hey, you’re a champ, Gracey. You’re a champ. Yeah, you’re doing good. You’re doing good, sweetheart. Gracey, you’re doing…

WILL: Jay may be stepping down, but let’s not kid ourselves. Arresting a police commissioner’s wife is not gonna make us heroes around here.
BRENDA: How much worse can it get? I mean, really.
WILL: I guess we’ll see.