"Karma to Burn" Discussion **SPOILERS**

wow it's quite severe ! This season premiere was good, better than the first part, original characters (Nick, Sara and Brass) had a big part in this one and Ted Danson was more than great

 

How the heck is Nick allowed to just kill a unarmed man like that?! That was totally out of character. I never thought of him as the bad cop. And so was him drinking and fighting with other officers. WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO HIM?!

Also this whole episode was SOOOO predictable. Everyone knew it would be a happy ending and everyone would be fine. Not a very good episode IMO.

 

Nick didn't kill Gilmore; one of McKeen's people did.

 

Well they should have explained that. Unless they did and I missed it.

 

i figured when Brass was too calm that Nick didn't shoot but I thought it was pretty cool that I thought so for even a moment. Love a good WTH moment :lol:.

 

Long post ahead, read at your own peril. :lol:

First thing to say about the episode is that it was much, MUCH better than I was expecting it to be. That's not saying it was excellent, it was decent, but nothing more and not an episode I'll find myself re-watching over and over.

I thought there were some really excellent, memorable scenes throughout the episode but sadly they were hampered by some pretty crap parts as well. I'll start with what I didn't like:

- Who was in charge of cinematography for this episode? The flashback scenes were particularly awful and I think someone tried too hard to be artsy and to be honest it looked like a mess.

- DB. I thought was far too OTT and came across as a bit of an ass throughout the episode. Even with the circumstances, I think it was far too overplayed and was too much of a step away from his usual relaxed nature. I particularly didn't like when he snapped at Sara to "open her kit and start processing". I don't want to see the dark side to DB, I want to see the quirky, shroom-loving leader that I immediately liked last season.

- I totally zoned out at all the DB family scenes which mostly consisted of angsty hysterics amongst annoying moaning. I still don't give a damn about them.

- Hodges and Morgan. The kiss looked like one of those awkward "one-off" things but I still hope they don't go down this route. It's the "he looks like her dad" situation all over again. :lol:

- No final Nick/McKeen moment? At least he left in chains as opposed to a body bag.

- I think Ecklie's shooting was resolved in about as much time as was needed but whilst Nick's resolution is still up in the air, I think it was done a bit too quickly in this episode and I'm not sure it was too wise to have a drunk/severly hungover Nick working in the crime lab. But I guess this technicality isn't as bad once you consider everything else which happened.

- The ending was a bit rushed. Basically everyone involved was killed, and then McKeen and the other guy were arrested. Whatever happened to the team being put under scrutiny? That would have been an interesting storyline to follow up on, but it seems as if it was just tossed under the rug.

Okay, now on to the things I liked:

- Whilst DB's daydreams I thought mostly diluted the show, I liked the one of DB shooting McKeen. Nick's "nice shot" whilst he was burying McKeen I thought was hilarious! (Reminded me a little of "Grave Danger" as well.) The others I could have done without.

- I was surprised at how tolerant I was of Finn in this one considering the amount of screentime she had. I liked that her plan failed and she didn't become some sort of superhero and she has been massively toned down since the end of Season 12. I guess it helped that she wasn't partnered with DB in every scene. I'd still rather have had more Nick, Greg, Sara, Doc and Brass but on the whole, I was still rooting for Finn.

- Even though the main focus was on DB/Finn, I personally thought Sara stole the show acting as voice of reason and as the 'mother' of the team. I particularly loved her scene with Nick in the cell as well as the one of the "Three Musketeers" at the end. It's good to see her developed into a more controlling and mature character (whilst having the occasional spark of feistyness) as opposed to the highly hormonal character she was in the earlier seasons.

- I liked the mature approach which Greg had in his limited amount of screentime from taking control of the scene of Ecklie's shooting at the beginning of the show and standing between the "fractured family" at the end.

- I really, really, really loved the scene with Nick, Greg and Sara at the end. I've heard some people (on other boards) say that it was hypocritical of Sara to preach to him about quitting but I saw it as her reckoning with him to make him realise he's making a big mistake. Greg's "this is not how family treats each other - actually it is" got a laugh out of me too.

- But my favourite scene of the episode has to be the one of Brass giving a bollocking to DB and Nick (and rightly so) about going rogue and messing everything up. This is the Brass I've been missing for a while and Paul Guilfoyle absolutely nailed it. Loved his scene with McKeen and damn he sure has a good shot. :lol: Let's see this shade of Brass more often shall we writers?

- Excellent acting all around. I thought Danson felt a bit off at first but I guess it's because we're not used to seeing this side of his character. Shue gave her best performance so far (damn it writers let's have her working more with Brass, Sara, Nick and Greg!). I'd also like to mention Conor O'Farrell who was delightfully evil and hate-inducing with his performance. I particularly loved his mocking of the "TSK TSK" of the luminol spray.


Overall, a decent episode which massively surpassed my low expectations but not one I'd be in a hurry to watch again. I'd rank it above "Dead Doll", the "Pilot", "BTK1" and "Revenge is Best Served Cold" in terms of premieres but there's still a large number of improvements to be made for the rest of Season 13. Less DB/Finn more "Three Musketeers" + Brass would be good for starters. Also I'd like to go a whole season without another CSI in peril situation.

Rating: 7.3/10

 

If I had to watch the Finn and DB parts because those characters hold no interest for me. I'd rather watch paint dry on the wall.

I'd much rather watch Nick, Greg and Sara, and the Lab Rats any day.

Mandy was mentioned, but a no show. Sheri Rappaport is a talent they lose out on in the search for big name stars.

Nick's meltdown was rather unexpected, but I think it should have been done years ago. I mean, who cares that Sara left..that was five years ago. The writers took five years to mention it! Seriously, and then Nick bringing it up seemed rather below the belt.

Although, having said that, her method of departure wasn't much better than Nick's, so they are both wrong.

Greg's missing out on a good opportunity to work for the UN as some sort of peace negotiator. LOL. That's awkward to be in the middle of a fight between two friends.

George's scenes were quite the highlight and I would have liked to have seen more of the fights scenes that got him banged up instead of watching DB (who I couldn't care less about) having some sort of delusions.

And you know when I was watching Finn, I really felt like she is some sort of copy of Catherine Willows. I think Marg would have knocked the hell out of those scenes, Finn is just so blah.

Sorry, this is harsh, but I really don't care for these new characters. The writers of this show as usual have put the three originals in the background. Every so often those characters get a carrot thrown their way, but it's become a pretty empty show.

 

Thanks Smokey for clearing that up. I was in a WTF moment because there was no freaking out about Nick shooting him from DB or Brass lol. And I was too into watching it to think of rewinding I'll have to really pay attention when watching it again...After reading some more posts some things I forgot...Praise to Sara for her "motherly" take over as someone previously posted. I'm glad she kept her cool even when DB snapped at her (didn't like that). I was actually able to stand Jules! She grew on me towards the end of last season, but seeing as she had a heck of a lot of screen time, Liz did a great job. I agree some of the dreams or whatever you call them were confusing with reality and oddly done. And lastly, I have to reiterate again how amazing the final "3 musketeers" scene was. Absolute perfection. Made the episode

 

My excitement and anxiousness to prepare for many hours to watch this premiere last night ended with me shaking my head a little in disappointment. The credits are still passe, yet, I'm happy that Jon Wellner finally made it in the credits. But seriously, update the darn starting credit look already!

Perhaps, I'm the only one who didn't care about this Enrique Murciano guy. I thought I've fallen asleep with the whole date/car ride/bar scene with Finn and whatshisface until he brought her to Katie. The fight scene with Finn is one I'd take over a Catherine fight scene anyday.

I know nothing about how exit wounds on heads look like, but I'd be disappointed if "bad cop" Nick had pulled a Pulp Fiction's Travolta on Craig Shaffer's character. Even if Catherine's no longer there, does her advice in "no more going rouge!" mean anything to Nick anymore? Will another one get demoted after Catherine? Like Brass or D.B.? Hopefully, when the DVD for this season comes out, one of the deleted scenes is a fight scene with Nick and the two cops.

As for D.B., he needs to have taken Sara's advice not to create conflict of interest by getting involved. Especially when dealing with Doc Robbins. Nobody yells at my Doc, nobody! And since I've only seen Katie's mom (D.B.'s daughter), where's the father? I'm not liking the somewhat confusing imagined scenarios by D.B., since I thought they just slow things down. But, I'm guessing it's the type of sublimation for a guy who lays down inside a crime scene, for me to get to know him better as the new character of the show.

The scene between Morgan and Hodges was awkward and unexpected, but I hope Hodges liked it. And the moment between Morgan and Ecklie was beautiful! And I like how she vented to Greg about feeling helpless.

The lack of Greg out in the field was disappointing. At first he just showed up, but I don't know what the heck he did after that. And the Greg/Nick/Sara moment was one that I like. Greg was like their parent instead of the other way around. Like the student becomes the mastah! I would also love to see Greg have an argument; It's usually Nick, Sara, Catherine,and Jim I see arguing. Give Greg someone, preferrably a colleague, to argue with. Not another suspect or suspect's family member he somehow wronged, and also not with Greg whining that he doesn't wanna do a trash run. Just something serious that can go on for more than one episode, like Jim with Catherine in Shock Waves.

And McKeen's mocking of the CSI's work had me rolling. He mentioned blacklights, I just wish he would've mention the annoyingly dark, dimly-lit department. I get that their shift is grave, but I forget at times that they're working in a crime lab and not some dark cave.

It's a pity I have to give this one a C-. Hopefully, next episode would be more tolerable to watch.

 

Watch it again and look at Nick's face.

 

Finn and DB at his house having dinner Sara/Nick/Greg in the break room and never the teams shall meet.As long as they have only one case per week and there is nothing much for the others to do but follow the two new stars around nothing will change.Saying that Jorja Fox stole the show and good for her

 

Oh, hi guys... some of you may remember me... and I see a lot of new names too! it's been a looong time... haha... but, I really felt the need to come back after watching the premiere!

I really liked the episode, it was entertaining, more intense than the first part... it really got me hooked...

The only thing I have to criticize (is it with a final s or a z?) is that some parts were not properly explained, my first thought was that Nick shot the guy... later I realized he didn't... but it took me a while... also... I still don't know why Mc Keen's number 2 shot all the guys on the "safe house" (where he took the girl), weren't they on the same team?

The kiss between Morgan and Hodges... didn't see that coming! :lol: wonder what comes next...

And, loved Greg trying to keep the "family" united, it was so nice... and shows he has matured a lot since the beggining of the show (well, we already knew that... but... still), that final scene was lovely!

DB's storyline was very good too, we got to know a lot about him...

My score: 8.5/10, but maybe I'm not being so objective cause I missed CSI a lot!

 

Sara irritated me the entire show. I find her ‘holier than thou’ attitude a bit much. She seems to hold others to a different standard than she does herself.

The scene with Nick, Sara and Greg at the coffee table could have been really good if the writers had just kept the dialogue between Nick and Sara. By having Greg jump in turned it into a scene out of a sitcom, all that was missing was the artificial laugh track. I would have preferred it if they ended their argument by both admitting that neither of them handled their respective departures appropriately.

The Grissom mention really disappointed me. The flippant ‘I left a note for Grissom at reception’ comment seemed really callous. I’d rather do without.