When last we tuned into TNT’s The Closer (Mondays at 9/8c), Raydor came to suspect that someone within the department had told the plaintiff in the “Shootin’ Newton” lawsuit of a very incriminating exchange between Brenda and Gabriel — the smoking gun, if you will. Since select few people knew that Brenda had rebuffed Gabriel’s suggestion that they stick around to postpone a rather inevitable gang murder, could it have been Gabriel himself, acting from a place of duty, who leaked the info?
TVLine spoke with Closer vet Corey Reynolds about this latest twist in what he calls the very beginning of the procedural’s “grand finale.”
TVLINE | It appears that we now have a mole hunt underway….
We do have a mole hunt. I believe we might have a leak.
TVLINE | The Closer is kind of due for one. It’s a crime drama, there’s a close-knit group of cops…. At some point a mole has to be sussed out.
That’s right, and one really interesting thing the writers are doing this year is you’re getting to see a more clear picture of how Brenda’s decision-making really has a tremendous impact on everyone else. We’ve all kind of been thrown into this [wrongful death lawsuit] mess, for various different associations… and we will see Brenda take an introspective look at what she did to make all of our lives more complicated. For seven seasons now, we’ve seen her make her decisions and push thinking in her direction, and the pieces fall where they lie. Now, because there’s a level of closeness that’s moved into the family realm when it comes to the squad, she’s starting to reevaluate her role in how it’s had an impact on our careers.
TVLINE | I want to say that Gabriel is above reproach, but if this leak stems from something he said to her privately…. I imagine all eyes will be on him.
Yeah, yeah. And to be honest, at this point we don’t know who the mole is. The creative staff is being very coy about where things are going. I mean, I have my suspicions, but it’s still up in the air.
TVLINE | So this will be going on for a number of episodes, and won’t be resolved in a week or two?
Oh, no, this isn’t going to be resolved in a week or two. This is going to be the grand finale. The maestro is tapping the music stand, the whole symphony just sat up in their seats, and we’re about to play this thing out, man. For those who have been following the show closely and have been paying attention to the “yellow brick road” we’ve been building on the way to see the Wizard here, you’re going to have a lot of things come back sand smack you in the face. I…. I’m so stuck between what I know and what I can divulge. [Laughs] What I know I can share is that Brenda’s decision-making is really going to be the focus of this final season.
TVLINE | Which I think is kind of cool, that it’s not the same ol’ same ol’ for the show’s final run. Instead, Brenda is facing this crucible for her swan song. It wraps up her arc — this is who she was, this is who she became…
… and this is the effect the city had on her. Ever since we began production on this show, we’ve seen what effect Brenda has had on Los Angeles. What we’re seeing now is also a lot of the impact Los Angeles has had on her. She’s not the same person she was when she came in.
TVLINE | But damn it, she gets the job done.
That’s right, and that’s going to be a very interesting dynamic for the viewers to watch play out. The best thing I can tell you is: “Expect the unexpected!”
TVLINE | Will Brenda or Raydor make a beeline for Gabriel, since he’s one of the few who knew what was said that day?
That would seem to be Stop A, but it’s almost like playing a game of Clue. Did the Colonel do it in the library with the candlestick? The writers have been very smart about breadcrumbs, and if you’ve been paying attention, they lead you to where things are going.
TVLINE | In this week’s episode, it looks like Brenda’s attorney will get in the face of the Major Crimes guys.
Yeah, he’s got to find out what we know and what type of group we are, and find out who the potential leak is, if there is a leak.
TVLINE | It’s interesting what Mark Pellegrino is doing with his character, Gavin Q. Baker. He’s a little affected.
He is a little affected. I think if you spend enough time out here in Los Angeles and you interact with enough people who have clout, power, money, prestige and reputation, you can see the effect Los Angeles has had on Gavin as well. He’s very affected, but he’s also very effective.
TVLINE | Throughout all of this, would you say Gabriel is the most protective of Brenda?
I would say so. If you go back to the pilot, instantly he saw something in her that was very admirable. That’s what has been the apex of their relationship. Despite disagreeing with her at times over some of her methods, he trusts her implicitly. He believes in her and in her desire to do the right thing. I think the thing he’s discovered from her the most is that there is a grey area. You sometimes have to bend the rules to get to where you need to go. But what he’s also discovered is that bending the rules has consequences.
TVLINE | Is it hard to field questions about The Closer‘s “final season!” when you must be like, “There is is much more ahead.” I mean, you’re going to be running episodes through next summer.
[Laughs] Yeah. And as much as I am sad to see this experience as is come to an end, I’m very grateful for everything that we’ve been able to do here. This was the first pilot I ever booked, so to have it be something that’s been such a defining chapter of my life, professionally and personally, is a gift. The most important thing to all of us right now is, “How can we bring this ship into port in a way that is going to be up to the standards of the people who have stood by us all these years?” I called [series creator] James Duff over the weekend and had a conversation about some of the threads I had seen on message boards, and the guy is a mini genius. What he is doing is going to really blow the minds of everyone watching this show. I have my desire to be a show creator at some point in my career, and what he has done with this arc is very impressive. He is the first one to say, “I can’t take all the credit,” and he won’t, but everything starts from somewhere, and for us, that somewhere is with James. How he has set things up… seriously, you guys are going to be blown away.
TVLINE | Give us one last tease about what’s ahead for Gabriel.
The best little tidbit I can give about Gabriel is that he may not be the person we think he is.
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Link to the original article:Did The Closer's Gabriel Snitch on Brenda? Corey Reynolds Teases 'Grande Finale' Arc - TVLine
