For those who have spent most of their lives north of the Mason-Dixon line, here's a tip: When a Southerner says "Thank you," it may not mean just what you think.

Sure, most folks understand it as an expression of appreciation. But fans of TNT's crime drama "The Closer" know that when LAPD Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson says "Thank you," it's just as likely to mean "Please shut up" or "Leave me alone" or "Kiss my ass."

This insight into the character of Brenda, played by Kyra Sedgwick, comes from series executive producer James Duff in a 24- minute special featurette called "Breaking Down 'The Closer,'" one of the handful of extras included in the "The Closer: The Complete Second Season" DVD, being released Tuesday (May 29). There's also a too-brief gag reel and 13 unaired scenes.

The DVD set is a great way to catch up on this terrific series before the third season begins Monday, June 18. We met Brenda in the summer of 2005, when she moved to LA from Atlanta to head the LAPD's Priority Murder Squad. Reporting to her former lover, Assistant Chief Will Pope (J.K. Simmons), Brenda was a stranger in a strange land, a Southern belle in a man's job. She spent the show's first season fighting off those who would see her fail and learning to trust her team.

The second season has a different agenda: This time it's about family, in every sense of the word. Episode 1 centers on the investigation of the murder of one of the LAPD family, a cop who may or may not have been crooked. Brenda's still new enough to not fully be trusted with such a sensitive investigation, but her objectivity may be just what's needed to solve the case.

Episode 2 is a wonderful treatment of a more literal family. Brenda's mom, played with extra sugar by Frances Sternhagen, comes for a surprise visit on the same day that Fritz (Jon Tenney) is moving in with Brenda. Sweet little Willie Rae Johnson couldn't be farther from Sternhagen's other memorable mom, tartan-wearing Bunny MacDougal on "Sex and the City." Still, Brenda hasn't even told her she's dating Fritz, so he's forced to move all his things back out before Willie Rae arrives.

As in the first season, the supporting characters surrounding Brenda are pitch perfect, and we get to know them all a little better. Provenza and Flynn continue their buddy act and take it to a new comic level when the pair's Dodgers box seats take a back seat to the unidentified body lying in Provenza's garage. Gabriel and Daniels are rekindling an old flame, further complicating the dynamics of the squad.

Brenda and Pope are still feeling their way in their strictly professional relationship, though Pope's soon-to-be-second ex-wife isn't sure she buys it. Fritz is occasionally unsure himself, but once his belongings move from truck to garage, he becomes a bit more secure. Until he leaves open a door and Brenda's cat slip out of the house.

The family theme comes full circle with the season finale, which finds Brenda on suspension and running an off-the-books investigation for the CIA into a possible terrorist cell. Sedgwick's husband, the actor Kevin Bacon, steps in to direct the second of the two-parter and leaves the viewers eager for more.

Is it June 18 yet?