"The Closer" Heroic Measures (TV Episode 2006) Poster

(TV Series)

(2006)

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8/10
Dr. Woods thought he was God
biorngm24 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The final dialogue is from the mother of the child dead on the operating table after doctors performed surgery. The words are should be a much easier case for you to prosecute Miss Johnson, you know I think Dr. Woods thought he was God, doubt he was wrong. The mother is Melissa Langner, screaming in the hospital corridor after her son had been declared dead after an unsuccessful procedure. She goes to extraordinary measures to prove the surgeons errored causing her son's death.

Brenda's team looks no further than the actual doctors performing the operation, but there is no proof of a crime, let alone murder. Brenda believes the mother certainly did not cause her son's death linking the numerous trips to the hospital with the youngster; he was not an entirely healthy youth but there was no reason to think his life was endangered.

The antagonists include the Deputy District Attorney not going to try the doctors for lack of tangible proof to win the case; he said he does not try cases he can't win. Other people in the mix were the in-laws issuing their opinions against the daughter-in-law. Brenda grills the doctors in the typical interview learning Dr. Woods made the decision to allow the boy to die rather than take preventive measures to save him but knowing he likely would be damaged permanently assuming he survived.

The tension is prevalent throughout the story between the mother and the hospital. Detective Daniels shares the scenes with Brenda obviously distraught at the outcome from the doctors' interview; Brenda apologizes to her in the garage prior to the climatic close.

The episode is certainly worth a look in order to enjoy excellent acting from the dominant cast members and indeed an ending providing twisted revengeful justice.
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10/10
Terrific Ending
dougraybassett6 February 2007
This is my favorite episode of a series that I really enjoy. As you watch Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson interview the various characters, you are struck with how very strange the mother acts and how reasonable the other people present themselves. You are left wondering; "Why is the mother so odd?". Chief Johnson gets nothing but obstruction from the hospital director and condescension from the doctors. Even the LAPD Chief pulls her off the case and re-assigns her people to other priorities. But, in the end you find out that the mother is the only one who sees the truth and pushes for it to come out. Powerful ending that you will not soon forget. Well done.
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Beautifully Done
This-Name-Kills24 December 2007
I was having a few doubts of the episodes I've seen so far. But this was a unforgettable episode, that is just a masterpiece in so many ways. The scenario start-up was handled very well, but as the scenario got into play - I could sense this was going to be a roughly casted ending, (that's why a star was knocked off), but it wasn't, it was a brilliantly charged resolution that CSI can never manage properly.

This episode devolves into many social aspects and flaws into the current system of Law and Hospice Service, that it'll make you have a incredible judgement. As well as putting very good storytelling elements, shocks and twists.

On the normal character front, Kyra Sedgwick handled one of her best Closer performances yet, J.K. Simmons showed a little more depth to his character and it was nice to see Detective Daniels put more in the spotlight and show some personality.

Overall, this is a episode, that the writers should be praised for, and the lead actors/actresses that played their parts. And the scenario's characters too were equally commendable: Deirdre Lovejoy and Paul Hipp bravo, an absolute exception, the rest were near-perfect as well. Making the whole experience a pleasure to watch, the vote score should really be a ten, but I'm picky...Enjoy the episode!
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10/10
Harrowing up close study of ambiguities of medical ethics
dgabbard9 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is prauseworthy as a rare story giving Daniels a spotlight to distinguish her from the rest of the squad. Her tenacity in the face of the uncooperative hospital management and the doubts of her peers brings shading to a character who mostly exists to serve the mechanics of the plot.

The medical establishment's closing of ranks and resistance to scrutiny is highlighted in a way rare for episodic television versus the usual stereotype of heroic doctors. The mother collides into a wall of hubris and the legal system in the end offers no justice for doctors playing god and engaging in deliberate concealment. The resolution is deeply unsettling. not a flattering portrait of the American health care system.

This episode contains the single most disturbing scene of the series with a mother doing an autopsy on her own son. I know when I first saw it I squirmed at something so unsettling, even done under desperate duress. One finishes viewing without a final simplistic impression of right and wrong but real-world shades of gray.
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10/10
I did not like how this turned out
degaswilson16 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I mean the episode was good as usual. But, you cannot tell me these doctors did not kill this kid and played God. Okay, malpractice. But they should of been charged and the stupid ADA was really wrong on this part. These 2 doctors did not do their jobs checking on test before going in and killing this child.

If this would of been in the real world, these doctors would be in prison period.

They admitted what they had done.

There were talking as if they were God themselves and decides who lives and who dies.

That's not their jobs.

The ending was justified and should not have happened, but it did. She had no choice.
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6/10
Not bad for a haircut
dennis-f-heffernan4 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This episode wasn't bad for what it was, which was a thinly-veiled copy of A Few Good Men. It was compressed, of course, and some characters had to do double duty, but the similarities are there: a young man accidentally killed by having something shoved down his throat, a mother demanding an investigation, and at the root of the problem an arrogant man putting his own judgment first. Dr. Woods' speech is essentially the same as Col. Jessep's famous "you can't handle the truth!" rant.

It is interesting that the previous reviews seem to say that the boy's death should have been considered a murder. The truth is that while DDA Garnett came off as a jerk, he was right. Malpractice is a civil issue, not a criminal one, and while Woods may have violated his hospital's bioethics guidelines (the episode doesn't elaborate) the truth is that most deaths in hospitals take place because a conscious decision is made to allow the patient to die. Woods might have lost his job or even his medical license over this, but it wasn't murder.

I wouldn't say this is a bad episode but it is definitely not one of the series' better efforts. It is notable for being one of a very few in which Brenda does not get her man.
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5/10
Shaky, shaky, shaky cam. Made me dizzy. One reviewer said it's a disease. What ? Parkinson's . 10 stars minus 5 stars for shaky cam.
TheRealLamontCranston9 December 2021
I love this show including all the actors, pacing, and plots.

The shaky cam would be a deal breaker were the show not great otherwise.

I was so close to shutting it down several times but hung on to see what happens.

This show has the worst shaky cam in all of media.

Many, if not all, viewers of film and TV have expressed similar displeasure with this crazy gimmick.

This show has graphic surgery video which may be off-putting for many.

The smarmy ADA is unwatchable.

But, it is still a good mystery tale with a satisfying ending.
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