CSI Jumping the Shark?

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Raw_Alex

Witness
For those who are not aware of what "jumping the skark" means, consult this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_the_shark

Season 8 is just about to land on us. We start out with Sara in Peril, GSR finally becoming general knowledge, the MK effectively caught... a near perfect storm, a decent cliff hanger that will have us all back to watch season 8.

However, I can't help but thinking about the repercussions on the show and the characters as a result of GSR coming out. In the real world, boss / employee relationships, especially in government jobs is a major no-no. In the land of CSI, what will happen?

I am concerned that this is a jump the shark moment, where the writers and producers basically admit that they are no longer doing anything other than working for ratings, in a straight up competition with Greys?

Also, how do you feel this situation could resolve?


*thread title edited for clarity. Thank you*
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark?

Raw_Alex said:

Season 8 is just about to land on us.
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LOL, well put! I do feel as if season 8 is about to land on us as hard as the red car landed on Sara, and some of us are going to be groaning just as loud as she was. Ouch.

I think that they're going to pair off Sara and Grissom quickly, and then try to push it into the background, ducking all the associated issues. It's a cop-out, but probably would retain the most viewers.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark?

I think that they're going to pair off Sara and Grissom quickly, and then try to push it into the background, ducking all the associated issues. It's a cop-out, but probably would retain the most viewers.
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Yes, because a lot of viewers think there is nothing wrong with sex between a supervisor and his subordinate. They focus on the lovey-dovey aspect of the "relationship", the imagined compatibility regardless of the obvious chain of command and office politic repercussions.

While this might be a "jump the shark" symptom, if tptb also decide to pair up Catherine and Warrick, this show will not only have jumped the shark, but a whole pack of sharks!
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark?

I think in certain situations, having an in-office relationship is a problem, but in Grissom and Sara's case, I think it's fine. They have been together for at least a year and no one has ever noticed. I think that shows that even though they are together, it does not affect their work ethic or the effectiveness of the team. Now that it is out in the open, I do agree that there should be some repercussions. I think they'll make Catherine Sara's supervisor on Swing shift, so there won't be anyone thinking there's favourtism from Grissom to Sara. I think if that happens, Grissom and Sara should be able to and will stay together. Also, office relationships are being more accepted now than they ever have before.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark?

yes, office romances are being excepted... but are teacher/student relationships going to? no.

i'm SO thankful someone finally made a thread about this situation.

im all for the office romances and stuff. but you have to remember... sara and grissom aren't coworkers, they're boss and employee. different. i think, with any romance they have on the show, they can't just PUSH it to the side. honestly answer me, GSRers... if sara and grissom break up, would you still watch the show? i've heard from alot of GSR fans that they WOULDN'T watch the show JUST because the people they want together, arent together anymore. if that's you, stop watching the show. the show isn't about romance and who should be with who, it's about the crime and justice. so, because of the amount of GSR fans, they can't just push it to the side because they'll get crap from all GSR fans saying: "there's no scenes".

my ship (snickers) hasnt happened, they arent together... but i'm still watching the show. why? because i love CSI, not just SNickers.

i honestly think that the writers are getting to concerned of what the people want that they are loosing forcus on 'this is a crime show' CSI: crime scene invesigatoin. not a soap opera, tangle of love stories. i wish, just ONE episode, would be like before. flirty banter between ALL the characters. everyone works together and greg says his little remarks. yes, i've heard of character development, but i haven't heard of character terrorization.

i have hope for season 8. with grissom's bee story line and the go karting... it's looking better the last year..
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark?

I read the wikipedia entry that was linked, and it says that one of the signs of shark jumping is crossover episodes! Uh oh.

In real life, Grissom would lose the trust and respect of at least some of his colleagues for having an affair with a direct report, especially one that had been his student at some point in the past. But Griss is pretty oblivious to what people think of him, so he'd probably weather it. Sara's more of a sensitive soul, though. If the writers give them any kind of realistic backlash story line, it will be interesting to see how both of them respond.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

i think i would still watch if they broke up, i'd be devestated of course, but i'd still watch.
now, if they kill of sara, or get rid of her in some way, i'd probably stop watching. she's a big part of why i'm sooo addicted to the show. but i can't say for sure, it's a great show, so who knows.
i'm sure they are trying to boost ratings in anyway possible, that's what entertainment is coming to nowadays. there's so omuch competiton out there, you can't just make a great show, you have to make a show that a lot of people will watch. it's sad, but it's how things work. (not condoning it)
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

My take so far on it is this:

It would appear that, at least in the short term, Sara won't be in the show or at least not active for the first few shows, in recovery or taking time away from the job. This will give some time for the co-workers to deal with the elephant in the room, and address it with grissom. I also think this will give Grissom and Sara a chance to discuss it out as well.

If, as suggested, Catherine makes it back to swing shift, there is potential she could take Sara with her, taking Sara out of the "direct report" situation she is in with grissom. it would allow the GSR to continue (quietly) in the background without screwing the foreground up.

Alternately, Grissom could be feeling VERY guilty for what has happened, as the attack on Sara was intended to hurt him, she wasn't important. Perhaps he will call things to a stop as they are getting too complicated, too dangerous, and they have too much effect on his work.

Final option would be Sara deciding to "cross the road" and work on the police side, perhaps taking time to go for training before she appears back.

I am very concerned that if there isn't a clear resolution to the whole soap opera that this relationship has become, that the show will sink further and further into trying to directly compete with Grey's on suds and not enough on CSI-ing.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

If something is done well, it's never "jumping the shark". It's the moment at which it reaches stupidity-level that it jumps. Plenty of shows, like Buffy, were at their best when they went a bit over the edge, but jumped only when they got boring. Honestly, I think Season 7 was one of CSI's best years. I don't see them jumping unless they get dull.

In real life, Grissom would lose the trust and respect of at least some of his colleagues for having an affair with a direct report, especially one that had been his student at some point in the past.
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This is TV, and on top of that, every single member of the team has compromised evidence, acted inappropriately and jeopardized cases or their colleagues at some point during the run of the show. Yes, in real life that would happen. This isn't real life.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

The show jumped the shark at the end of "Way to Go". From there, God only knows what.

BUT, I will say by having the CSIs in danger again is only making it worse.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

I won't start watching it if GSR ends, but I will if they kill Sara. It's not just about solving crimes justice, it's about those particular people solving crimes. If it was just some random people who we knew nothing about, how many people would actually watch the show? I know I wouldn't. And GSR has been planned since the very beginning, JF said that on her audition script it said 'love interest for Grissom'. So yes, it is partly about who's with who.

Actually, I take back what I said about not watching it if they broke up. It really depends on how it was done. If they had a messy breakup and both were depressed for the rest of the show, then I just wouldn't enjoy watching it anymore.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

Forgive me, but might this thread be better suited for shipper central? It feels a bit like a debate, and though GSR is only part of the title, glancing over the threads, it seems to be the majority of the complaints/comments.

Frankly, my cousin and her husband started out as boss/subordinate. Yes, their job situation changed after it came out, but they are the most wonderful couple with the coolest pair of 6-year-old boys, ever. So, in real life, it can work out.

I do believe that some shift in the command structure should happen. It's not a popular opinion to have in other threads of this board, but I respect Gil and Sara's integrity as characters, and if I'm going to be able to suspend my disbelief, I do need them to suffer consequences to be together.

To me, that's the whole point of him choosing Sara. He made a choice, and with whatever choice one makes, there are consequences, be they good or bad.

Frankly, I'd like to see him either step down as shift supervisor, or leave the lab to go teach. That's in an ideal world. In a not so ideal world, I'm picturing them splitting the shifts again. However, I do believe there should be consequences for their relationship because it is a subordinate/supervisor entanglement.

Personally, I thought season 7 was incredibly solid. However, from the very first inklings of the miniature killer, many of us predicted Sara would be the final victim in the season finale. It just made too much sense as far as story-writing goes. If you set up this big long thing, and you're trying to target Gil, what better way to do it than by hitting him in his most vulnerable spot: his girlfriend.

That said, I was surprised with the level of creativity used in the finale. Some people found it amateur, but the film student in me came to life, and I could pretend I was back in college, analyzing some beautiful foreign film, picking apart the cinematography, music cues, and overall storyline. I had a blast watching it.

That said, I have been wary for the season opener and this season. There, I said it.

I'm not a pie-in-the-sky GSRer. I mean, I love my ship, don't get me wrong, but I think that TPTB could seriously screw it up very easily, and could turn this show that I so love into a soap opera. I understand some here believe we've already passed that point, but I don't, yet. I am, however, aware that the time where I perceive that as well could be drawing near.

This season is a delicate one. I think they have yet to jump the shark. Just my opinion. However, I think TPTB could very easily jump the shark very soon. The rumblings in the spoiler world haven't grabbed me, and I think the obvious cast-bloat is only going to hurt the show further.

I think the premiere could be a great payoff for those of us who enjoyed the finale. However, I have been wondering how they were going to build from that, how they were going to keep the momentum up. I've seen too many shows open strong and fall apart, but I do have hope... Just, a reserved hope, so to speak.

For me, the show is Grissom. My husband introduced me to the show between seasons 3 and 4, but he started me on the very first episode, and I fell in love with Gil. He is the heart of this operation. While Sara is my favourite character, if there was no Gil, I don't think I could watch. Sure, having him gone in season 7 wasn't as horrific as I had imagined, but I doubt I could stomach such a move permanently. Season 8 and 9 of X-Files were almost unwatchable for me because of David Duchovny's sporadic appearances and disappearances.

So, in short, I do not think the show has jumped the shark, yet, but I think they definitely have the potential to if everything isn't planned out to the letter.


Edited: Because jumping a "sharp" just isn't the same.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

I'm beginning to think so myself i.e. this thread should be in Shipper Central.

Is GSR the issue here? If it is then I'll be locking this thread as there is already a GSR thread in Shipper Central. Can the person that originated this thread, please clarify the position?

Thank you.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

I mean, honestly, CSI in peril is jumping the shark? Then CSI jumped the shark from "Who Are You" when Nick had a gun pointed at his head.

Oh wait - no. CSI jumped the shark from the pilot when Holly Gribbs was murdered.

This is about GSR, but only because it has become the catch-all thing to blame, and will quickly dissolve into a shipper fight.

But again - Catherine and Greg and Nick and Grissom all went on dates in the first season.

The show, IMO, is better than ever. Maybe they'll lose that come Season 8, but they did a fantastic job this past year - and not just because I support GSR. The cases were interesting again, the mood was defined, the writing was good, the acting was excellent... it's never jumping the shark until it feels like people have "given up".

And since this is really about people discussing a ship, anyone can claim something has "jumped the shark" just because it didn't give them the pairing they wanted. But it's completely subjective that way. If the rest of the show didn't go into shambles, it's not a shark jump.
 
Re: GSR, Miniature Killer, Sara in Peril: Jumping the Shark

Agreed that it will only jump the shark if it totally changes the show's dynamics, or if a significant number of characters change drastically. So, if we see "Grissom and Wife" emerging from the ashes of a quirky team show, then CSI is over. Although, I might actually watch it!

If they keep the GSR, it might work as long as Grissom always has the upper hand (meaning is himself), and Sara is always off balance with him, as it was in the beginning.
 
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