"The Unusual Suspect" Discussion *Beware SPOILERS*

You know, I have started noticing they always use the same lawyers. Are there only three practicing in LV or something?

 

Ahh! So much Nick. *twitch, flail*

Amen!

It's just way too strange and confusing when they have six CSIs working on the same case and have people dissapear half way through the investigation. It was really nice to see them focus on just a couple characters so they can actually follow it through. I hope it'll be the same with Grissom and Greg next week too.

Speaking of Grissom and Greg, I don't think their absence is anything to worry about. Think about last year's "Weeping Willows", "Committed", and "Hollywood Brass"...it's just that time of year when they have to divide and conquer.

Really? I thought for sure that was it. The long overdue confirmation of Nick's post-GD mentality. The canonization of the Rage Diary. The foreshadowing of the kitty rampage. I actually jumped up and squealed into my blanket. :lol: It was the way he said it...did not sound like a throwaway line to me at all.

The coin flip thing, on the other hand, I don't know, because no one really reacted to that - on the show, I mean. We fans sure did.

I think so, and I really liked this angle of the case as well. There was so much bitterness that came through when the brother said "I'm not stupid" during interrogation. It's sad how he was destined to live under his little sister's shadow, and not even committing a murder can get him the attention he's been deprived of. I thought the actor did a good job.

The girl was just plain scary. Like some others I found it hard to take for granted what she whispered into Sara's ear. I mean after an entire episode of cunning manipulation, the knee-jerk reaction was to not take her word for anything. I really thought the CSIs were going to build a slam-dunk case in the end, so the ambiguity was quite frustrating. But in a good way. I think. The evil little genius getting to walk out like that! Grrr.

I love the way Sara is with kids. She's never condescending. Of course part of that is because she doesn't know how to deal with kids as well as her colleagues do, but that in itself I find pretty fascinating.

Re some people feeling there was too much court: I'm a huge sucker for court scenes. "The Accused is Entitled" is one of my all-time faves for the court angle. And I loved how the episode opened in court; very reminiscent of "Invisible Evidence" and "Mea Culpa", both of which I loved. The reason being that, first of all you get yummy suits for eye candy. But more importantly, after all the word "forensic" means "used of legal argumentation". The CSIs have said before that if their science is no good in court, then it's all a waste of time. I really like the show's emphasis on that over the years, because I feel that's the bottom line in this profession, whether or not the evidence is good enough to a judge and jury.

I actually thought it was pretty realistic. From what I've seen on crime documentaries, oftentimes the investigators have to rely heavily on confessions/witness accounts because there just isn't enough physical evidence. This episode looked at just such a case from the CSI perspective, by showing us how sometimes the evidence can only play a minimal role in an investigation, how forensic science is not exact and almighty because it left them always playing catch-up one step behind the killer. I loved "Alter Boys" for the same reason. Sometimes the evidence just isn't there.

Heh, it's funny you should mention that, because I don't find any of them convincing as scientists if I were to get picky. They've all had their share of scenes where they discuss middle school science (sometimes not even that!) while looking important, it's actually quite comical. Of course I realize the need for exposition and I don't watch the show to get educated (although it's a bonus when I do), so it's not a problem. But truthfully I don't think of any character as exceptionally smart and science-savvy, although some of them are portrayed to be that way, ie Grissom, Sara, and Greg. With the occasional exception of Grissom, maybe. But certainly not Greg or Sara.

((Wow, I'm longwinded at 3 am on a Saturday morning... ))

 

Hey guys I just had a thought. Of course you all probably thought of it already but...
At the end when Hannah is telling Sara about how Marlon is never paid any attention to, Sara is nodding, like she understands completly. Maybe her brother was igorned in the same way...and she was the smart one?
I don't know, it just seemed like there was a lot of connection there.

 

You know, I'm still not sure sh didn't do it. I mean, it's obvious that she can manipulate everybody. And the age thing is always there; no one can believe that a 12-year old can pull something like this.
She may have lied to Sara, to shake things up again to play in her favor.

 

I don't think anyone except the two kids will ever be able to know for sure.

 

And Staci, but she's dead of course.

 

I found the mom to be scary as well, descibing her child as if she were a Messiah or something. Poor Marlon, tossed to the side...

 

Ug, the mom just made me really angry. If anything just being ignored like that would drive a kid to do something like ,urder, just to be noticed for once.

 

I definitely thought about that angle when he said that, but I just don't think it was there. It's all open to interpretation though, so it doesn't even matter what they were going for there, because everyone can see it in their own way.

Am I mistaken or weren't his parents crying when he was acquitted, like they were devastated that he didn't go to prison? That's just messed up.

 

The more I think about it, the more I think the kid's reaction at the end- when the little sister comes up and hugs him- is indicative of what this may have really been all about.

I think the kid was trying to get his moment in the sun and get some attention from his parents, even if it was negative attention. Since his sister was born, she probably became the spotlighted child, and from the way the parents talked, that definitely seems to be the case. Poor kid must have been withering from the lack of attention. They said he was always in trouble, yeah? Any pop psychologist type can tell you that's a cry for attention right there.

So he thinks he can play the prank on the popular girl who probably shuns him at school and makes him feel even more worthless (I'm obviously making assumptions here. ) and then she even goes so far as to humiliate his little sister. While I was unable to figure out how close he was to his sister, I'm sure that was just a further excuse to use for enacting the prank. When the prank goes wrong, he hides the body, but when he gets caught he confesses almost immediately. He just doesn't seem to care, and again- at least he's finally getting some attention.

But even his crime gets stolen by his sister. I think he really did commit the crime, and he could have easily done that sulfur trick in the showerhead if he'd ever seen his sister's cardboard explanation thingy that she had in her room. And even so, he would have seen how it worked in his science classroom. I don't think it was really that complicated: Steal the stuff, wear the same gloves the science teacher wore and stick some in the showerhead. I'm pretty sure I could have pulled that one off myself. I also think the defense counsel was pushing the "you need to be a genius to handle the stuff" angle pretty hard, but of course she did- proving that her client wasn't smart enough to pull it off was part of her defense.

And think about it- not only did he confess to the crime, but he got angry when they thought he was too stupid to pull it off. In fact, he didn't seem that relieved when he was acquitted. He probably thought it was just further proof that everyone thought he was dumb.

And then, when his sister hugs him, he looks less than enthused: Once again, she's stolen his limelight.

I think everything the genius sister admitted to Sara was true. I think the brother really did do it, and she figured out a clever way to work it to her own advantage. Like she said, the best part is convincing people of things that didn't happen. She had every angle figured out and there was really no way she could lose in the end. But her brother did. He got pushed to the background yet again, even though he really did commit the crime. Talk about adding insult to injury!

Anyhoo... sorry for the ramble, but the more I thought about it, the more impressed I was with how I think the writers were working this story. It's incredibly clever, actually. I'm going to have to go back and see who wrote this one.

 

^^^That's a really good point. When I saw Marlon disappointed for being acquitted, I was thinking maybe he just felt bad cause then his sister would go to trial. Then I thought he didn't really like his sister that much but that's the only reason I could think as to why his reaction was so lame. And then I read your post it just makes perfect sense to me.

Hmmm I'm really loving this season more. It's the best for me so far..

Btw, I'm also a sucker for court scene drama.. Only critique I have is that it didn't look like they were really in a hurry. They would show the time stamp once in a while but I wouldn't pay attention to it much. Unlike in invisible evidence. I don't know why that is though, maybe it's just me.

 

VERY well said, Baba. That's exactly how I was thinking of it, too. Poor kid

 

I just read the on-site review of this eppy, and was a little sad that the reviewer completely did NOT think of the fact that Hannah might've been lying to Sara at the end (which I believe is entirely the case). I hope Sara comes to that conclusion, though!

Oh, and GumDrops, I think Nick believed that Marlon committed the murder, and Sara voted for Hannah. Remember that one scene in the prosecuter's office when he asked what everyone's opinion was? During the interrogations, Sara and Nick doubted the kids' ability to commit the crime, but I think that was only to get them talking. They really just wanted them to start bragging or explaining how it was possible.

The defense lawyer, you're right, was saying that Marlon was not smart enough to get away with murder. Whether she believed it, or simply wanted the jury to believe it, who knows?

 

I'm in 8th grade. I have never taken a formal chemistry course in my life. I am 13 and I skipped second grade, and I'm currently taking Honors Geometry (normally a 10th grade course, I think). And I know what happens between sodium and water!!!

We saw a random video in science class that showed a tiny speck of sodium that had a single drop of water dripped onto it. This whole thing took place in a beaker, and the dumb thing almost broke from the force of the explosion! And I'm supposed to believe that a 12-year-old who's in 12th grade would expect nothing but a few sparks from a showerhead's worth of sodium and water? Come on.

Otherwise, I still liked the episode!

 

Do you thing we will see Hannah again .In another Episode ?

Anne