<p><b>Synopsis:</b><p>Mac walks into a live crime scene when a robber asks for a crime scene investigator to prove he didn't kill the manager of the bank he was in the process of robbing. The man, who tells Mac to call him "Joe," insists he didn't shoot Walter Sutherford, the man who lies dead in the bank. As Stella and Flack try to keep the news crews outside at bay and the Hostage Rescue Team from shutting off the air conditioning inside the bank, Mac examines the body, asking for a CT scanner to be brought in, allowing Sid and Hawkes to perform a virtual autopsy of the body. Though there's only one entrance wound, the doctors are surprised to discover two bullets in the body. Mac recovers the bullets from Walter's body while the hostages search for the round Joe claims he fired into the ceiling. Adam, Danny and Lindsay examine photos Mac sent them from the scene. Adam notices a void in the blood pool around Walter, and Danny discovers Joe's image reflected in a computer screen at the bank. Mac examines the void in the blood splatter and notices it's the size of a phone. Stella turns to Homeland Security official Brett Dunbar, who identifies the gun that would have allowed the shooter to fire two bullets at exactly the same point: the Kriss Super V, a state-of-the-art firearm developed by Ridgeline Defense Services.<p>Mac notices money missing from the bank, but Joe swears he didn't have time to lift any. Mac persuades the robber to let him look at the bank's surveillance tapes, and he notices the cameras were disconnected for a while starting just before 8am--over an hour before Joe entered the bank. Stella consults with the team about the gun via teleconference, but Flack breaks in with shocking news: the wife of the bank manager has been found murdered in their home, tied to a chair and shot point blank in the head. Mac persuades Joe to allow a hostage to deliver the three bullets to his team, and he manages to sneak a strand of Joe's hair in the packet as well. The CSIs are able to match the bullets in Walter and his wife, proving they came from the same gun and Joe couldn't be responsible for both deaths because he was in the bank at the time Walter's wife was killed. Prints from the duct tape on the woman's wrists are a match to a man named Derrick James, who used to work for Ridgeline. Stella surmises James must have kidnapped Walter and his wife and forced Walter to take him to the bank, where something went wrong. But how does Joe fit in?<p>HRT finally kills the air conditioning in the bank, giving Mac the opportunity to jump Joe. He manages to get the gun from Joe, but Joe finally breaks down and confesses that the robbers are holding his family hostage. He was sent into the bank to retrieve the phone they accidentally left behind--the only thing that ties them to the crime. Mac empties the gun of bullets and allows Joe to walk him out as though he's still a hostage and the two get into an unmarked car. Joe convinces Mac to send the helicopters following them away, saying his family will be killed. Stella, Flack and Danny go to the house Joe claimed was his--right across the street from Walter's--and burst inside, but find no one there. Inside the car, Joe loads the gun with a single bullet and demands Mac turn onto a bridge. Mac realizes Joe saved a bullet, and has been lying to him all along.<p><b>Analysis:</b><p>I'll say this straight out: it would be hard for this season's finale to top <A class="link" HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/episodes/newyork/season3/snow_day.shtml">"Snow Day"</a>. The suspense in last year's season ender was positively nail-biting, and it managed to involve the entire team: Mac, Stella and Hawkes had to keep the mobsters from stealing the cocaine, and Danny and Adam were held hostage and brutalized while Flack negotiated for their release. This season's closer is more or less Mac's show: he's the only one in any danger, and the team is pretty much reduced to going through whatever evidence he manages to send their way. Stella gets to take the lead on the murder weapon and Flack does a little negotiating, but Mac is the one driving the episode, more or less.<p>And that's part of the problem with the episode: right up until the end, there's not a real strong sense of danger. This is in large part because <font color=yellow>Elias Koteas</font> does such a great job of convincing us that Joe really is a (relatively) innocent guy caught up in a bad situation. He gives Mac just about everything he wants, caves in when Mac puts pressure on him, releases several hostages and argues earnestly with someone on the phone. This of course makes for a great reveal at the end when we learn Joe has been playing Mac all along--it's truly not a twist the audience sees coming, especially after Mac gets the gun and Joe breaks down and "confesses" that his family is in danger and he's been sent in by the real robbers simply to get the phone. Mac--and the audience--figures this is the final puzzle piece falling into place.<p><HR ALIGN="CENTER" SIZE="1" WIDTH="45\%" COLOR="#007BB5"><p>To read the full reviews, please click <A HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/reviews/csi/hostage.shtml">here</A>.<center></center>
Great review! And I am in complete agreement with your analysis. Snow Day has obviously given me unrealistically high expectations of what a season finale should be like. And this disappointed, big time. Not that it was all bad, because the acting was superb and all the characters played along wonderfully, but this season has definitely ended with a whimper rather than a bang. Despite my disappointment, I'm still looking forward to the season 5 premiere to see how this storyline concludes.
Great review (and I didn't catch any typos! )--the episode really held no surprises for me, but I am optimistic that the S5 premiere will be a good ending. Taken together, I predict the two-parter will be pretty damn good. Sid and Sheldon were fun together--it's always nice to see a hint of Sheldon's old job. And, of course, I loved Adam. (Big surprise there!)
I don't watch the episode yet (in South America it will be aired in June or at the beginning of July ) but i do like how you write and how made me imagine the whole episode. Also i'm very grateful of your words about Melina and Stella, my fav character along with Mac and Flack I don't mind at all the Mac-centric episode because i love him and enjoy so much Gary's job but it obvious the cliffhanger will be very waited for many fans of other characters In my humblest opinion i think writers decided to start all over again. So this would be like Season 1 finale, a Mac centric episode beyond the fact in that season finale all CSI participated and had quite screentime So i hope next season finale will please everybody just like the Season 2 finale or Season 3 finale Debbie
Loved the review. I agree 110%. You just put down everything I thought about the finale. I loved the actor playing Joe, he was brilliant. If there was a prize for best recurring character he would take it beyond any doubt. He was so convincing, and he made the audience sympathize with his situation. Too much Mac in my opinion. It would be a bigger suspense episode if Mac disappeared and he doesn't show up on screen the whole episode and the team investigates his disappearance. Melina also did a fantastic job, she was concerned for Mac, but in the same time she was in charge of everything. All in all, I think there is no chance that they can top Snow Day. That was a great finale, and it really kept people on their toes to see how will it end up. The only thing I'm curious about is to see what is Joe's true story.