CSI: Miami--'All In'

CSI Files

Captain
<p><b>Synopsis:</b><p>Picking up where <A class="link" HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/episodes/miami/season6/ambush.shtml">"Ambush"</a> left off, Horatio Caine ventures into the jungle in Rio de Janeiro and finds multiple Mala Noche henchmen waiting for him. One fires on him and Horatio draws his weapon and returns fire, killing all but one of them. He similarly dispatches two men on a motorcycle and two more in a car. He wounds the final man and then walks up to the man and fires the fatal shot. Returning to Miami, Horatio joins his team to search for Calleigh, who has been abducted. The CSIs scour her Hummer, which is riddled with bullet holes. When Ryan and Natalia find traces of chloroform on the car, they wonder if there is a connection between Calleigh's kidnapping and Kathleen Newberry's abduction and murder. Horatio threatens Ron Saris, vowing to kill him if he's abducted Calleigh. He confronts Julia as well, and she tells him she turned him into the Brazilian officials to protect him from Ron. Horatio is upset to learn Julia and Kyle are living with Ron, and fears for their lives. Calleigh awakens in a warehouse, bound and gagged, across from a dead body and two men, one of whom is wielding a gun. The two men, Seth and Tommy, have abducted her to help her cover up the murder of the man on the ground, Robert Milan, whom they shot after an underground game of poker. She convinces them to untie her and removes the bullet from Robert's body. While Tommy goes to get rid of the bullet, she tells Seth, clearly the more dangerous of the two, to smoke a cigar to mask the smell of decomposition. When Seth comes on to her, Calleigh fights him off, telling him she doesn't think he killed Robert.<p>Tommy returns with the supplies Calleigh asked him to get and she tests Robert's body, discovering he was poisoned with arsenic. She convinces the two men to take her to Robert's apartment to look at the primary crime scene and discover who really killed him. Feeling guilty, Dan Cooper brings the memory card from Calleigh's camera into the lab. Delko and Natalia scour it for clues, noticing a string hanging off the back of the car Kathleen was found in. Ryan goes to the tow yard and recovers the string from the two truck that pulled Kathleen's car from the water. Horatio matches it to Ron Saris's shoe, but the man remains arrogant. He denies kidnapping Calleigh, pointing out that he has no motive now that he has Julia back. When Horatio tells him he's going away for murder, Ron bangs his head into the table, vowing to claim Horatio knocked him around. Delko is able to recover a bullet from Calleigh's Hummer and he matches it to a gun owned by a man named Paul Evett. Evett tells the CSI he lost his gun in an underground poker game and he gives the CSI the address of the warehouse it was in. Horatio and Delko rush to the building, discovering Robert's body and noticing that the area has been washed clean of evidence. They find a message left by Calleigh in fingerprints on the wall, indicating she's been kidnapped by two men. Horatio angrily confronts the owner of the warehouse, Mitch Davis, but he denies any knowledge of the poker games or the murder. At Robert's apartment, Calleigh finds a flask and sets up a fuming chamber to recover prints from it. She asks both Seth and Tommy for elimination prints, but only Tommy volunteers a set. In the corner, Calleigh convinces Tommy to turn himself and the flask in so that the real murderer can be caught.<p>In the morgue, Alexx discovers a cigar butt inside the bullet hole. Realizing Calleigh planted it there, Horatio takes it to Natalia for DNA. She matches it to Seth McAdams, who is in the system for attempted rape. Tripp learns no one has seen Seth in days. Tommy shows up at the station with the flask and gives up the address where Calleigh and Seth are. There's no sign of Seth and Calleigh, but Delko notices a picture of Robert with Mitch, the warehouse owner. Mitch admits to knowing Robert and expresses irritation with him for using his warehouse for illegal games, but denies having anything to do with his death. The prints on the flask are a match to Paul Evett, who admits to poisoning Robert to throw off his poker game after Evett lost his kids' college fund to the arrogant man. Evett also admits that he didn't lose his gun--he shot the Hummer in a rage thinking it was Robert's. Back at Robert's place, Horatio finds a message from Calleigh in invisible ink: Club Descent, 6pm. Seth takes Calleigh to the club's basement to rob an underground poker game, but when they arrive, Delko, Ryan and Tripp are at the table, brandishing guns. Horatio comes up behind Seth and Calleigh throws off her abductor. Calleigh tells Delko she's okay but he reveals how scared he was at the prospect of losing her. The two drive off together in a Hummer. <p><b>Analysis:</b><p>A thrilling conclusion to an exciting pair of episodes, "All In" is not without its silliness, but it's mostly forgivable given the intensity of Calleigh's storyline. That said, I have to get this out of the way first: the teaser was one of the most absurd things I've ever seen <i>Miami</i> do, and for a show known for over-the-top action, that's saying a lot. But for Horatio to single-handedly take out ten Mala Noche gang members without breaking a sweat--or sustaining an injury himself--is just plain absurd. Yes, I realize it's another attempt to make Horatio look like the all-powerful man who can surmount any obstacle, but come on, there are more clever and more realistic ways to do that. It's hard to contrast Calleigh's very realistic danger with the dramatically unrealistic shoot out that the episode opens with.<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/all_in.shtml">here</A>.<center></center>
 
Great episode but the unresolve at the end was a bit anoying, and why exactly do CSIs' get to use the county Hummers for personal use. Either way this was still a thrilling episode and great reveiw.
 
I agree with you that the scene at the beginning was pretty ridunkulous. (I believe the guy Horatio shot last had a machete or something, though, not a board.)

Calleigh's storyline was good. :) I'm a bit disappointed that Natalia wasn't there at the end though--the symbolism of the whole group being there would have been nice, but I guess it would have been too much for everybody to be there. Or maybe the guys just had to all get in on being Calleigh's knight in shining armor. :p
 
I agree with you that the scene at the beginning was pretty ridunkulous. (I believe the guy Horatio shot last had a machete or something, though, not a board.)

I thought it was a board, but I remember a machete, too. I thought he had that at the beginning, when he was still standing? Ah well. Either way, that scene was crazy. :lol:

Calleigh's storyline was good. :) I'm a bit disappointed that Natalia wasn't there at the end though--the symbolism of the whole group being there would have been nice, but I guess it would have been too much for everybody to be there. Or maybe the guys just had to all get in on being Calleigh's knight in shining armor. :p

I have to say, as much as it can be a fun show, Miami is the worst of the CSI shows when it comes to being sexist. Calleigh, a woman, is kidnapped and threatened sexually by a guy with a record for attempted rape. At least they didn't go there, but still. :rolleyes: And in the end, it's the men that rush to her rescue. That gun-brandishing scene was pretty testosterone-ridden, and I guess Natalia might not have fit in, but there's no reason she couldn't have been there.
 
I believe the original spoilers indicated that she would be there--I wonder why they changed their minds?

I have to say, as much as it can be a fun show, Miami is the worst of the CSI shows when it comes to being sexist.
Very good point. :(
 
But it's also Horatio, our hero, shooting a guy when he's down on the ground and going for a weapon that couldn't even do any damage unless Horatio was standing right next to him. That does make Horatio look like a cold-blooded killer. Riaz was one thing--the man had Marisol murdered--but Horatio didn't need to shoot the man on the ground. How does that make him any better than the killers he wants to bring to justice?

That's exactly what we've been discussing in the Miami Forum, so I'm glad you brought it up in your review. (Well you bring up everything, which is awesome :cool:) This is definitely not a redeeming quality in Horatio and I'm baffled as to why the writers decided to portray the character in this light. This isn't the character I grew to know over the years. :confused:

I suppose they're trying to convey his anger and fed up-ness with these bad guys but there are certainly better ways to go about this. The line may have been cool, sure, but the scene left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

And yet he takes zero action against Saris who beats his own head on the table (in a crowded area with glass everywhere :rolleyes:) because Horatio's the 'bigger man'. He just proved to us in the first scene that he's no better than any other murderer so what gives with this scene? Is this supposed to portray that Brazil's not as civilized as Miami so Horatio can do whatever the hell he wants there?

I agree with the review, he had more than enough to put the guy away. I suppose we'll find out what happens with that storyline at a later date.

Great review Kristine. :D
 
I usually don't watch CSI:Miami but, out of boredom, I decided to do so. I wanted to scream... Do people really think Rio de Janeiro is a jungle? What was that?!? Horatio seemed to be in the middle of a forest, with those birds chirping all the time and no one around besides the gang people! Then, suddenly, an expensive car in the jungle, a guy using a machete (where the hell did that come from?), Horatio killing a lot of people and taking a flight back to Miami like nothing had happened? If the aim was to insult Brazil, they surely did a good job. I was offended and, mind you, I'm not in the least patriotic. Too ridiculous and unrealistic for my taste...

I haven't watched other Miami episodes (apart from crossovers with NY) so, please, tell me 'Mala Noche' is a gang from some spanish speaking country that crossed the borders and came to hide in Brazil... Well, at least the perp got it right and spoke portuguese...

Calleigh's kidnapping was a bit far-fetched (and screamed fan fiction to me...) but much better than the beginning of the episode... It's always nice to see CSIs doing their thing outside the lab, improvising with stuff we use in our daily life.
 
Thanks, guys! :)

But it's also Horatio, our hero, shooting a guy when he's down on the ground and going for a weapon that couldn't even do any damage unless Horatio was standing right next to him. That does make Horatio look like a cold-blooded killer. Riaz was one thing--the man had Marisol murdered--but Horatio didn't need to shoot the man on the ground. How does that make him any better than the killers he wants to bring to justice?

That's exactly what we've been discussing in the Miami Forum, so I'm glad you brought it up in your review. (Well you bring up everything, which is awesome :cool:) This is definitely not a redeeming quality in Horatio and I'm baffled as to why the writers decided to portray the character in this light. This isn't the character I grew to know over the years. :confused:

I suppose they're trying to convey his anger and fed up-ness with these bad guys but there are certainly better ways to go about this. The line may have been cool, sure, but the scene left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Horatio basically killed a man in cold blood. There's something dishonorable about shooting an unarmed opponent, and that's basically what H did. Was the guy a bad guy? Sure. Does that mean it made H look good when he shot him? Not at all. I think it got taken too far. I'll have to head into the Miami forum to see what's being said about it--I'd be interested in reading that debate.

I usually don't watch CSI:Miami but, out of boredom, I decided to do so. I wanted to scream... Do people really think Rio de Janeiro is a jungle? What was that?!? Horatio seemed to be in the middle of a forest, with those birds chirping all the time and no one around besides the gang people! Then, suddenly, an expensive car in the jungle, a guy using a machete (where the hell did that come from?), Horatio killing a lot of people and taking a flight back to Miami like nothing had happened? If the aim was to insult Brazil, they surely did a good job. I was offended and, mind you, I'm not in the least patriotic. Too ridiculous and unrealistic for my taste...

Yeah, it was more than a little silly and unrealistic. I don't mind action on my CSI shows, but Miami takes it too far sometimes, especially where H is concerned. He never misses! :rolleyes:

Calleigh's kidnapping was a bit far-fetched (and screamed fan fiction to me...) but much better than the beginning of the episode... It's always nice to see CSIs doing their thing outside the lab, improvising with stuff we use in our daily life.

It was a bit, but it was so much better than some of the other storylines lately (like the Horatio one) that I liked it. I was invested in it, and what happened to Calleigh.
 
You're right on the money w/that first scene involving H and the machete guy, that's for sure. He didn't kill Stuart Otis - a freakin' child molester - when presented w/the chance, but he kills an unarmed man who's injured. That's not the Horatio I know - that's a cold-blooded murderer. Unbelievable.

This show is so worried about police brutality - I mean, God forbid H actually slams Ron's head into the table; I think that could've been more easily justified! — but meanwhile, it's fine to blow some unarmed dude away. I just don't get it. I would've rathered H get somewhat physical w/the guy he thought kidnapped Cal. That could've been justifiable to an extent, since Cal was missing and every second counts - you can't waste time. I'm also thinking of the scene in "Lost Son," where H pulls the guy back in his chair - that wasn't brutal but it got the point across - H was pissed and he wanted to find out where the boy was. Wouldn't he be even more driven to find his CSI?

I just pretended that whole scene in Brazil didn't happen, made up my own backstory as to how he got out of Brazil and started the ep. at the airport :lol: B/c you're right - it really was a bad contrast to Cal's very real danger - H is untouchable but Cal gets her ass kicked - not good.

Personally, this episode had a fanfic feel to it, and was not as good as the CSI:Vegas episode where Nick was kidnapped - I think a part of that is b/c they're playing up romance and not enough TEAM spirit. I think Eric and Cal have a strong friendship, but this romance stuff shouldn't overshadow the other members of the team. It was a shame that Ryan - the most emotional guy of the whole group - was so subdued in this episode. In "Man Down," Ryan was near tears and livid, but here he's quiet and calm - that just didn't make sense to me. And where the heck was Alexx? I was surprised she wasn't drawn into this more, as she and Cal are pretty close. And Nat just kinda dropped out of the episode - very weird.

Also, I thought it was interesting how Horatio drove the episode. He figured out all of Calleigh's clues - from the prints to the cigar to the flask to the baking soda. It showed that there is still a connection, that she was his protege, and he saw things that the rest of the CSIs didn't or couldn't. I loved H processing evidence, and I thought he showed a good amount of concern over Cal's kidnapping - I think that should be mentioned, since it's been so long since they've interacted, at least prior to the writer's strike. I'm glad TPTB are starting to put them in scenes again - I think they "reconnected" H and Cal so that you would feel that emotional pull as H and the gang tried to find her.

I LOVED the poker table scene - WONDERFUL - can't say that enough! I disagree w/the whole "it should've been Eric pointing the gun behind the kidnapper," though - the whole scene worked really well the way they played it out, I thought. And H deserved to play that role in Cal's rescue - he hasn't really been there for her much lately, so it was nice to see him put an end to the sherade. I absolutely loved the "fold" line.

And of course - the group hug! Let's hear it for the group hug, everyone :guffaw: (minus Horatio, though - :wtf:)

Anyway - a very entertaining episode - Emily Procter is FANTASTIC! I hope this doesn't just "go away," but continues on for her character. I wonder how it will affect her in her job. :confused: I know EP said she doesn't know if Cal will get over this. :(
 
Ahh, that's better. I had to pop in and read the real version after that monstrosity!

Reminds me why I love your reviews Top, I don't think I could cope if... gosh, I daren't say it :wtf:
 
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