American Justice

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." — Ancient Chinese and Arabic proverb.

I have enjoyed TNT's drama "The Closer" since it debuted in 2005. It's always been a fascinating procedural that hasn't shied away from the political and social issues that enter the sphere of law enforcement. The acting is solid, there is a splash of humor, and it has some great interrogation scenes.

Last season, the show followed a story line that, while it felt organic to where we are as a country, was tough to watch. Unable to get her man within the bounds of the law, Chief Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), the show's lead, essentially helped the suspects own gang kill him. At the time, it seemed that the show was presenting that as a just ending to the story.

It bothered me greatly. It was a final blow along a progression of quasi-legal things Johnson had done to ensure that people were punished — either via the justice system or other means — for what she knew they had done. That, to me, seems to be where we are as a nation when it comes to justice. We are a society that seems to believe the ends justify the means. That is American justice, but it isn't Biblical justice. Sadly, few Christians seem to understand the distinction.

After that episode happened, I had a long discussion with a fellow Christian that, like so many in our country, felt that was a depiction of justice. It further gave me pause. Which is what has made the way the story played out so fascinating.

This season, "The Closer" revisited the actions of Chief Johnson as a major arc to end the series. She was sued by the family of the young man that was killed and called to account for her callous actions. It was moving to see her consider her actions, the legality of those actions and, more importantly, the morality of how she chose to see "justice" done.

On Monday, as this part of the season drew to a close, Chief Johnson had to face her actions and decide what kind of person she really wants to be. She was faced with a choice — uncover the truth about what happened to the man that died, catch his killers, and risk losing her job, or ignore that murder and allow the killers to roam free.

As she squared off against the gang leader (played well by Jason George), all those questions about what real justice is and how she should respond were asked. And, despite what it might cost her, she decided that she needed to seek the truth, find the killers, and see that they were brought to justice.

Actions have consequences, and even the best people can be tempted to make the wrong decisions. Sometimes we even give in to temptation and make the wrong decisions. But the true reflection of our character is a long pattern of actions, and how we take responsibility for the mistakes we make.

Johnson's actions in the show still bother me. To me, it is not a reflection of justice. But the story line in the show no longer bothers me because of the fascinating, complex way the writers have used this action to explore that American notion of justice, and what it means for those who are given the responsibility of protecting and serving the public.