Major Crimes review: Mary McDonnell’s extraordinary performance as Sharon Raydor

For fans of TNT’s Major Crimes we hope you are still with us, but certainly understand if you’re not. We lost a great, amazing character this week and we are shocked. We honestly did not think EP James Duff would pull a move like this and frankly, while Mary McDonnell shined like only a Hollywood legend would, we didn’t want it to end this way. More importantly, we were lead to believe this wouldn’t happen because of Duff’s interview with Entertainment Weekly and his statement that fans will feel “satisfied.” However, from the looks of social media many people aren’t satisfied and while it is a conclusion for Sharon Raydor, a more fitting conclusion would have been her retiring knowing she solved one last case.

Tonight fans witnessed the conclusion of the sixth and final season’s second arc and no matter how you looked at it, everything about this arc brought tears to our eyes. The episode picked up where last week’s ended with Sharon getting a scan done by a specialist who informed her that her cardiomyopathy was worse than previously thought. As the squad began tracking down all the women who were sexually assaulted from Tackles, Commander Sharon Raydor was watching from afar as she dealt with deciding between two paths to take. Path one, move up on the transplant list or two get an LVAD implanted. The former Sharon believed she would be competing and she had no desire to take away other’s life to save her own and the LVAD only put off the inevitable.

James Duff was right the scene where Sharon informs her priest she will choose the third path, to go when it’s her time, and asks for Last Rites is by far the most heartbreaking, extraordinary scene. It showcases McDonnell’s Oscar-nominated talents and moves you in more ways than you realize. While this was not the conclusion we wanted, Commander Sharon Raydor went from the woman we were made to hate to the strong woman we can’t live without. Her journey of becoming a mother to Rusty, to assuming command of Major Crimes, winning the squad’s trust, and, of course, her gorgeous love story with Lieutenant Andy Flynn captured our hearts and made us come back every week to see where her journey would lead her next.

We know many of you are still processing the news because we are too. Rest in Peace Commander Sharon Raydor.

To Mary McDonnell, we believe that this performance is worthy of all the awards and more. Thank you for 100 episodes of absolute bliss. We will miss seeing you on our television screens.

For those who will continue to watch, Philip Stroh returns to wreck havoc for the grieving squad and hopefully this will end before the final credits roll.

For news relating to the final 4 episodes of Major Crimes, be sure to visit this link.

This story was written by Samantha D’Amico. If you want to follow her on Twitter, you can do so at SAM_iamXO. If you are looking for more scoop on Major Crimes be sure to join our CarterMatt Facebook page. (Photo: TNT)