History YMMV / TheCloser

* CompleteMonster: Phillip Stroh is a truly AmoralAttorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a SerialRapist. In season 4's "Power of Attorney," he has his client Chris Dunlap find him victims to rape; one of them fights back and is killed. Upon returning in season 7's "Hostile Witness," he goes on to become even more brutal, [[SerialKiller strangling his victims]] with a chain, and trying to kill a man who witnessed the crimes. When arrested in the same season’s "The Last Word," he offers his services to a fellow inmate in exchange for sending letters, ordering several murders and threatening the witness.

* CompleteMonster
** Judd Whaley from season 3's "The Round File" was a manager of the Summerview Senior Living Center. He had a Medicaid occupant die on him, and received a bonus for having a low occupancy rate as well as for having a paying resident replace him. [[{{greed}} Realizing the profit potential]], Whaley would poison Medicaid Residents with no friends and visitors, and [[FrameUp tries to frame a resident]] who gets suspicious. He expressed nothing but contempt for his victims with his "Who cares" speech, and even has the gall to try to bribe the police to drop the charges and let the witness investigating him stay at Summerview free of charge.
** Phillip Stroh is a truly AmoralAttorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a SerialRapist. In season 4's "Power of Attorney," he has his client Chris Dunlap find him victims to rape; one of them fights back and is killed. Upon returning in season 7's "Hostile Witness," he goes on to become even more brutal, [[SerialKiller strangling his victims]] with a chain, and trying to kill a man who witnessed the crimes. When arrested in the same season’s "The Last Word," he offers his services to a fellow inmate in exchange for sending letters, ordering several murders and threatening the witness.

** [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Roger Stimple]] from season 3's "Ruby" is a [[WouldHurtAChild child molesting]] landscaper who lures prepubescent black girls into his van to [[SerialRapist rape]] and [[SerialKiller kill]], before burying them in the park he works at.

** Phillip Stroh is a truly AmoralAttorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a SerialRapist. In Season 4's "Power of Attorney," he has his client Chris Dunlap find him victims to rape; one of them fights back and is killed. Upon returning in Season 7's "Hostile Witness," he goes on to become even more brutal, [[SerialKiller strangling his victims]] with a chain, and trying to kill a man who witnessed the crimes. When arrested in the same season’s "The Last Word," he offers his services to a fellow inmate in exchange for sending letters, ordering several murders and threatening the witness.

** Phillip Stroh from Season 4's "Power of Attorney," as well as Season 7's "Hostile Witness" and "The Last Word'' is a truly AmoralAttorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a {{serial rapist}}. He has his client Chris Dunlap find him victims to rape, one of them fights back and is killed. When Dunlap is arrested he goes onto become even more brutal, [[SerialKiller strangling his victims]] with a chain, and trying to kill a man who witnessed the crimes. When arrested he offers his services to a fellow inmate in exchange for sendind letters, ordering several murders and threatening the witness.

** Phillip Stroh from Season 4's "Power of Attorney," as well as Season 7's "Hostile Witness" and "The Last Word'' is a truly Amoral Attorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a {{serial rapist}}. He has his client Chris Dunlap find him victims to rape, one of them fights back and is killed. When Dunlap is arrested he goes onto become even more brutal, [[SerialKiller strangling his victims]] with a chain, and trying to kill a man who witnessed the crimes. When arrested he offers his services to a fellow inmate in exchange for sendind letters, ordering several murders and threatening the witness.

** Philip Stroh is a truly AmoralAttorney who defends sex offenders, but who also happens to be a serial rapist who used one of his clients as a stalking horse. He is notably one of the few criminals that Major Crimes hasn't nailed, managing to beat Brenda at her own game. For Brenda, he's ThatOneCase.
** Roger Stimple, a child molester who loves to rape and kill prepubescent black girls. You feel NO sympathy when Sgt. Gabriel beats the everlasting shit out of him, or when Commander Taylor throws him into Central Booking and lets slip he's a child molester (whereupon Stimple gets an impressive beatdown from the other inmates).
** The manager of the Summerview rest home, Mr. Wayley, had been killing old people without loved ones just so he can get a bonus. He not only expressed nothing but contempt for his victims (his "Who cares" speech), he even has the gall to try to bribe the police to drop the charges and let the witness investigating him stay at Summerview free of charge.

** Season 6 has [[spoiler:Joe Myers, an immigration agent who rapes and tortures immigrant nannies, then threatens them with deportation if they report him. And when one of them turns out to be a legal citizen, he just beats her to death.]]

** Season 6 has [[spoiler:Myers, an immigration agent who rapes and tortures immigrant nannies, then threatens them with deportation if they report him. And when one of them turns out to be a legal citizen, he just beats her to death.]]

** The manager of the Summerview rest home, Mr. Wayley, had been killing old people without loved ones just so he can get a bonus. He not only expressed nothing but contempt for his victims (his "Who cares" speech), he even has the gall to try to bribe the police to drop the charges and let the witness investigating him stay at Summerview free of charge.

Brenda's adulterous affair with Pope. Even though she has since married Fritz, he's not above mentioning her affair with Pope when he feels that she is putting her ex-lover before their marriage or her own career.

* NeverLiveItDown - Brenda's adulterous affair with Pope. Even though she has since married Fritz, he's not above mentioning her affair with Pope when he feels that she is putting her ex-lover before their marriage or her own career.

** Roger Stimple, a child molester who loves to rape and kill prepubescent black girls. You feel NO sympathy when Sgt. Gabriel beats the everlasting shit out of him.

* LesYay: Is it LesYay if it's one openly lesbian character flirting with one openly straight character?
** Milder example, but now that they've (reluctantly) admitted admiration for each other, Brenda and Captain Raydor have been having moments. Especially in "Last Woman Standing", with Raydor giving Brenda pep talks and fashion hints (ItMakesSenseInContext). This only gets turned UpToEleven during the seventh season, as Brenda and Raydor go from {{Worthy Opponent}}s to unlikely but extremely effective allies - and, possibly, even friends. Suffice it to say the 2011 summer finale "Fresh Pursuit" left Brenda/Sharon fans hoarse from the {{squee}}.

* CompleteMonster - A lot obviously, but to this troper the one who takes the cake is the manager of the Summerview rest home, Mr. Wayley, who had been killing old people without loved ones just so he can get a bonus. He not only expressed nothing but contempt for his victims (his "Who cares" speech), he even has the gall to try to bribe the police to drop the charges and let the witness investigating him stay at Summerview free of charge.

* MoralEventHorizon: For many viewers, Brenda crosses it in the third episode, "The Big Picture." It's the first of many times when she [[VigilanteExecution arranges for a suspect to be killed]], and it's arguably the worst, since she can't even claim the justification that he'd have gotten away with his crimes otherwise: he's literally ''begging'' to confess, but she has him hauled bodily from the interrogation room and dumped out on the street, where his throat is slit by the gangsters he was ratting out. She ''does'' [[TheAtoner regret it later on]], though, and not just because [[spoiler:it helps bring a massive lawsuit down on her head]].

* BreakoutCharacter: Captain Sharon Raydor (MaryMcDonnell) started out as a walk-on role in 2009. In 2012, Sharon Raydor took over as the head of the Major Case Squad when Sedgwick (and Brenda) left the show and ''The Closer'' [[AfterShow became]] ''MajorCrimes''. Apparently Mary [=McDonnell=] is just that good.

* MoralEventHorizon: Brenda crosses it in the third episode, "The Big Picture." It's the first of many times when she [[VigilanteExecution arranges for a suspect to be killed]], and it's arguably the worst, since she can't even claim the justification that he'd have gotten away with his crimes otherwise: he's literally ''begging'' to confess, but she has him hauled bodily from the interrogation room and dumped out on the street, where his throat is slit by the gangsters he was ratting out.

* BelligerentSexualTension: So gloriously averted. Fritz and Brenda's relationship is begins with ''liking each other and enjoying each others' company.'' It's a shocking concept for television, no? (The LesYay between Raydor and Brenda falls squarely into this trope, on the other hand, but the likelihood of that particular couple becoming canon is approximately zero.)
* ManipulativeBitch: Brenda, Brenda, Brenda...we know you want to close the case, but sometimes you go just far enough to be almost too far.

* LesYay: Is it LesYay if it's one openly lesbian character flirting with one openly straight character?
** Milder example, but now that they've (reluctantly) admitted admiration for each other, Brenda and Captain Raydor have been having moments. Especially in "Last Woman Standing", with Raydor giving Brenda pep talks and fashion hints (ItMakesSenseInContext). This only gets turned UpToEleven during the seventh season, as Brenda and Raydor go from {{Worthy Opponent}}s to unlikely but extremely effective allies - and, possibly, even friends. Suffice it to say the 2011 summer finale "Fresh Pursuit" left Brenda/Sharon fans hoarse from the {{squee}}.

* TearJerker: "Maternal Instincts."

* BelligerentSexualTension: So gloriously averted. Fritz and Brenda's relationship is begins with ''liking each other and enjoying each others' company.'' It's a shocking concept for television, no?

* TearJerker: "Maternal Instincts."