CSI: Crime Scene Investigation--'One To Go'

Discussion in 'CSI Files News Items' started by CSI Files, Jan 20, 2009.

  1. CSI Files

    CSI Files Captain

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    <p><b>Synopsis:</b><p>Picking up where <A class="link" HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/episodes/csi/season9/19_down.shtml">"19 Down"</a> left off, Brass identifies the fresh victim found under the bridge as Jeffrey Masters. His wife Maureen is missing, and Brass estimates that the team only has about 24 hours to find her alive. After the Sheriff is briefed by Brass and Ecklie--slated to step into the Undersheriff position--Ecklie tells Grissom that the sheriff has personally requested he stay on until the conclusion of the case. Continuing to work with Dr. Ray Langston, the professor whose class Nathan Haskell was speaking to from jail, the CSIs focus on what drugs Haskell might have used to subdue his male victims. Positing that Haskell had an accomplice in Langston's class, the CSIs also turn their attention to Langston's students. Brass speaks with Dan Forrester, the student who suggested getting a serial killer to talk to the class and corresponded with Haskell, but when he realizes he's a suspect, Dan tells the detective the idea came from multiple students in the class. The team visits Langston's classroom and plays the video of Haskell speaking to the class, trying to pinpoint if he made eye contact with any of the students during key comments. They zero in on a student named Thomas Donover. Though the police find him missing when they go to his house, and his wife Kelly insists that she doesn't know where he is. The CSIs search the Donovers' house and Greg finds shoes that match the treads found at the scene of Ian Wallace and Justine Stefani's murders. Tom is definitely the accomplice. While Tom torments Maureen, the CSIs race to isolate the location of the house where Haskell took his victims--and where Tom likely has Maureen now. Hodges discovers a kind of moss on Tom's shoe that narrows their search to the north side of Lake Mead, but that still leaves the CSIs with a lot of ground to cover and not much time in which to do it.<p>Nick finds a box of video tapes in Tom's house--but no VCR around and recalls that Gerald Tolliver had a VCR but no tapes. Kelly confirms Tolliver was a friend of her husband. Catherine finds sage extract at Tom's house that Henry confirms could have been used to subdue Haskell's male victims. A print leads them to the dealer, but he's killed accidentally when he runs from the police. Nick views the videotapes and see Haskell's first victims, Joel and his fiancée Tiffany, with Tom Donover and Gerald Tolliver--and later with Haskell. Grissom consults star charts hoping to find a way to identify the location of the house, while Langston pays Haskell a visit in jail, hoping to get the information out of him. He tries to trick Haskell into thinking they already have Tom and Maureen and just want the location of the bodies of his female victims, but Haskell sees right through his ruse and gives him nothing. Grissom uses the moon in the videos to find the house's location and discovers it's in Black Mesa. Brass and his team rush there and Tom is killed by a shot to the head just as he's about to murder Maureen. Brass frees her and the CSI team canvasses the house and Grissom discovers the bodies of Haskell's female victims under the floorboards of the house. The case closed, Grissom visits Langston at WLVU and suggests he apply for the new vacancy at CSI. Grissom finishes packing up his office, and despite an impassioned plea to stay from Hodges, exits CSI, catching only Catherine's eye as he walks past the team hard at work. Grissom heads to Costa Rica where he reunites with Sara Sidle, kissing her passionately. <p><b>Analysis:</b><p>There were quite a few powerful moments in "One to Go," but three in particular really got to me. All three occurred towards the end of the episode, as the focus shifted from the tense case to Grissom's departure. The first was from an unlikely source: David Hodges. Hodges reacted to the news of Grissom's departure with a huffy, wounded demeanor in <A class="link" HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/episodes/csi/season9/19_down.shtml">"19 Down"</a>, hurt that he heard the news second hand. But as Grissom packs up his office and prepares to leave CSI, Hodges turns up at the door, full of honest-to-goodness sincerity. In most of his interactions with Grissom, Hodges has been something of a suck-up, hoping to impress the boss he so clearly admires. But there's none of that here: there's a real earnestness in <font color=yellow>Wallace Langham</font>'s delivery. I found everything he says to Grissom in this scene to be heartfelt and touching, but something about the line, "The bad guys will win more if we don't have you" really resonates. So often people who suck up are dismissed, and that's usually how Hodges has been treated. Most people assume their flattery is false or just has some selfish end behind it. This line shows just how sincere Hodges' admiration for Grissom truly is. Maybe his way of expressing it usually landed on the obsequious side of the line, but what he says in this scene is completely genuine.<p>Grissom responds in an equally forthright way. When Hodges laments, "Who was Watson without Sherlock Holmes?" Grissom responds, "Watson was a genius in his own right." It's a real compliment to Hodges, who has always longed for acknowledgement and praise from Grissom. Hodges, for all his bravado and facade of arrogance, is really just looking for praise and affirmation from the team--especially Grissom--more often than not. He doesn't want to be a CSI--his disdain of fieldwork has been made clear on several occasions--but he wants the CSIs to respect and appreciate him and the work he does. Poor Hodges has a bit of an inferiority complex that he masks with an affected air of superiority. So I have no doubt that Grissom's response means a lot to him, as does Grissom's honest answer about why he can't reconsider his decision to leave: "It's the right time for me to go." It's gratifying to see that Hodges is able to get over the hurt he felt at the news Grissom was leaving--and the fact that he didn't hear it from Grissom right off the bat--and tell Grissom in a really sweet way how much he thinks of him. Hodges is the last person I would have thought would have the final (verbal) farewell with Grissom, but it's a perfect choice.<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/one_to_go.shtml">here</A>.<center></center>
     
  2. koshi700

    koshi700 Dead on Arrival

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    Personally, I would have been happy if they had just ended it with Grissom walking out the door. But then I'm not a Grissom/Sara fan and I never will be. I personally never saw the chemistry (and I did try to see it, but to me it just wasn't there) But I'm sure those that are were happy with the ending. and actually at this point I'm so sick of the Grissom/Sara "should they/shouldn't they" debate I'm just glad it's over. I'll miss Grissom, but I'm glad that this part of CSI is over and we can get back to what CSI is really about, soliving crimes.

    That being said the episode was great and very interesting, and I'll admit Hodges little scene with Grissom touched me.

    It will be interesting to see if Laurence Fishburne can fill the shoes he's been given, and I'm hoping that now we'll get to see more Greggo. The man has sat on the sidelines for most of the 9 seasons he's been on the show. He deserves some spotlight.

    **steps off soapbox** okay, I'm done now. :)
     
  3. Desertwind

    Desertwind Head of the Day Shift

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    Good analysis of this ep. I've read so many, and the whole show was great, I guess it was a burn to some fans that he didn't even say "goodbye" or hug his lady co-worker Cath or she didn't get off her duff and go out in the hall and say something like "good luck":confused: but the poignant moments with the others were great. And I'm thrilled and over the moon that he and Sara are together, They're chemistry is so hot it burnt through the screen, always was, and now they're together, where they both want to be, and happy, contented, and satisfied. PERFECT:p Good job job writers:thumbsup:
     
  4. Faylinn

    Faylinn Adam Fangirl Super Moderator

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    Great review, as usual.

    The case itself was very interesting, and I'm glad they found Maureen at the end - with a show like this, it isn't always a given that they'll get there in time. Some of the science was a bit much (the stuff with the moon), but it didn't really bend the rules of logic farther out of line than usual. :p I liked seeing Langston try to get information out of Haskell while the CSIs concentrated on what they know will help them: the evidence. Langston has a lot to learn.

    I agree with your comments about Grissom's scene with Hodges - Hodges has always been a bit of a pain in the butt, so it was nice to see him get to have a conversation with Grissom to say what the audience is thinking. I don't think it would have worked coming from a different character.

    Catherine's wink was very fitting for all the reasons you said - as long as they've known each other, and as well as they've known each other, a wink can say it all.

    That's a good point, and I agree with you - that being said, I wasn't 100% thrilled with how it was done. I'm not sure how else I would have communicated the fact that Grissom was going to head to Costa Rica to be with Sara, but the ending scene felt a bit odd to me. Anywho, I have to agree with koshi700 - I'm just glad they've settled things with those two because it wasn't something I really cared about while watching the show.

    Technically, Sara kissed him when she was leaving (in "Goodbye and Good Luck", I think it was?) - but he didn't really participate, so I'm not sure if it really counts. ;) :p

    I agree and disagree with that one - it really depends on the relationship and the context and how things progress over the course of the series. However, that doesn't matter in this case because I think you're right when it relates to Grissom and Sara. :p The relationship was filled with obstacles, and now it's time for them to be able to move beyond those obstacles and give it a go.

    I like Riley so far, and I'm curious to see where things go with Langston. While I've been a CSI fan for a long time, I lost some interest in recent years because it all got pretty boring to me. I liked the characters, but I didn't want to watch them with the same intensity that I used to. Adding some new faces - and new interaction with the remaining original characters - seems to be upping the interest level for me. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what's in store. :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2009
  5. myfuturecsi

    myfuturecsi Corpse

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    I thought it was kind of funny they had Langston say to Grissom when offered the job, I'll think about it.

    Seriously, we know he's going to take the job!:lol: If he didn't, well then why was LF brought in in the first place?:guffaw:
     
  6. Adzix

    Adzix CSI Level Three

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    great review. :) i think i will continue to watch but it definitely won't be such a thrill for me anymore. unless Grissom and/or Sara come back.

    the show is done exceptionally good, so it's really worth watching even if my favorite characters are not there anymore. i also want to be up-to-date with everything that happens when they come back. i'll watch but i'm not gonna go crazy if i miss an episode or two.
     
  7. jafox

    jafox CSI Level Two

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    Another great review, Kristine!
    And I agree with your thoughts.

    The ending was so symbolic in so many ways. Grissom's walk through the halls and through his past, then into the rainforest and his future was beautifully done; and the musical score really highlighted all the emotion I was feeling. The final scene with Catherine was the perfect send-off to his new life; she knew where he was going and was giving him her blessings. I've always felt that Catherine has been supportive of Grissom and Sara, especially since Dead Doll. During that episode she stuck by his side as he searched for her and I felt that was intentional on the writers' part.

    The final scene really symbolized Grissom's journey for me. Sara obviously didn't know he was coming, so his insecurity about how she would react underscored his evolution. For a man who has been in a 'hermetically sealed' environment most of his life to venture into the unknown emotionally was a bold step. The writers had to make it difficult for Grissom to find Sara (loved the GPS) so that we would realize how difficult this journey has been for him. We have always known how Sara feels about Grissom, so we needed to see how deeply he feels for her. The look he has when he first finds her says it all. And, like you, I needed to see some passion between them, finally, and I really needed him to initiate a kiss. In that final scene every facial expression and every action by WP beautifully illustrated the 'new' Grissom, no words were necessary. We saw his anticipation, his nervousness, and finally his joy. It was a perfect scene in every aspect, and so well acted by WP and JF.

    I hope the writers continue to pursue personal storylines for the other characters. It really is the main reason I watch the show. The forensics get repetitive and sometimes are slightly unbelievable. Crime dramas are everywhere on tv; the characters are the main attraction for me. I'll miss Grissom just as I have missed Sara, but I would like to keep watching, so I hope the show continues to be well produced and well written.

    I just wanted to add that I enjoyed the Ecklie/Grissom interchange. It was, I think, the only humorous moment in the show, and it was fun to watch.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2009
  8. Ceindreadh

    Ceindreadh Pathologist

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    And didn't Hodges say something similiar to Grissom last season in 'You kill me' about how it had been the right time for Sarah to go?

    I did like the way everybody was involved in the work as Grissom left. It reminded me of when Radar left MASH, walking past the surgeons and with only a salute from Hawkeye as acknowledgement. The lab will go on without Grissom, and that's the way he'd want it.
     
  9. myfuturecsi

    myfuturecsi Corpse

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    I think we got some clues abou Langston such as the scene where he was staring at his wedding band-or what looked like a wedding band.

    He's an enigma, that's for sure.
     
  10. Top41

    Top41 Administrator Administrator Moderator Premium Member

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    I think his goodbye with Catherine was perfect--she'd had plenty of time to prepare for the moment and wish him well, since she knew before he did. The wink was great--I loved it. If she'd gotten up and gone to him, everyone would have noticed and suddenly it would have been a Big Deal--just what we know Grissom didn't want. I thought each farewell moment was done right--small and personal.

    The show needs a little shaking up--it will be nice to see how the new characters find their footing and become part of the team. I'm really liking Riley as well, and Langston intrigues me.

    I think it played out that way just to create a little character moment for Langston--a complete change of careers isn't a decision one makes lightly.

    I liked that, too--ambitious Ecklie got another promotion! :lol: I really love how the character has evolved over the years. He's always been a worthy rival for Grissom.
     
  11. Sticks

    Sticks Dead on Arrival

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    For some reason I thought Grissom was going to get "done in" as he was going through the jungle.
     

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