CSI Files
Captain
Synopsis:
A deaf woman is horrified to discover the body of her nineteen-year-old daughter, Allison, shot to death in her bedroom. Mac calls in an interpreter to Gina Mitchum, who clings to her remaining child, a baby named Elizabeth. She tells Mac that the vibrations from the shotgun blast woke her, and tells the CSI that her daughter had been seeing a boy named Seth Wolf, but that they'd been fighting recently. Seth becomes even more interesting to the CSIs when DNA tests reveal that Elizabeth was Allison's daughter, not Gina's, and that blood from Elizabeth's father was found at the Mitchums' house, indicating he is the shooter. Seth Wolf is listed on the birth certificate as Elizabeth's father, but he denies the possibility--and insists he didn't kill Allison. Another boy sparks Mac's interest--Cole Rowan, a fellow student alongside Allison at the Manhattan School for the Deaf, until a hearing aid implant allowed him to hear normally.
Stella and Danny investigate the murder of McKenzie Wade, a champion figure skater. Her friend Krista discovered her body, and she tearfully tells the CSIs that she switched practice times with McKenzie. The CSIs wonder if Krista was the real target and Danny interrogates the Zamboni driver, Frank, who had an unhealthy fixation on Krista, but he maintains his innocence. A letter containing mathematical equations and a chip of an experimental type of paint lead the CSIs to Tom Howard, whose office at New Jersey Advance Tech overlooks the rink. Tom watched McKenzie skate everyday and saw her working on her technique, but when he approached her at the rink to try to offer her advice, she brushed him off, thinking he was a stalker. He tried to carve his suggestions into the ice with her skate lacer, but when she grabbed it from him, they fought for it and she fell on it. Tom fled, leaving the young skater dead in his wake. Both cases bring up troubling memories for Lindsay, who tells Stella that as a teen she survived a crime in which all of her friends were killed.
Gina is out with baby Elizabeth and her husband Dennis when an unhinged Cole Rowan pushes Dennis aside and leaps in Gina's SUV with her and Elizabeth, forcing Gina to drive at gunpoint. She gets off a call to the police, and they manage to stop and surround the car while Cole tearfully explains the shooting of Allison was an accident--he came to take the baby so that he could make sure she wasn't raised deaf like he and Allison were. Flack is able to extract the baby from the car while Mac tackles Cole. After making sure Gina and her family are safe, Mac seeks Peyton out and tells her he wants to make their relationship work.
Analysis:
"Silent Night" has the feel of a sweeps episode. Two big guest stars--Academy Award winner <font color=yellow>Marlee Matalin</font> and figure skating champ <font color=yellow>Sasha Cohen</font>--and the revelation of the often hinted at secret from Lindsay's past. However, comparing the episode to the actual sweeps offerings--including the excellent offerings "And Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael" and "Raising Shane"--it simply isn't as strong, Matalin's powerful performance aside.
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To read the full reviews, please click here.<center></center>
A deaf woman is horrified to discover the body of her nineteen-year-old daughter, Allison, shot to death in her bedroom. Mac calls in an interpreter to Gina Mitchum, who clings to her remaining child, a baby named Elizabeth. She tells Mac that the vibrations from the shotgun blast woke her, and tells the CSI that her daughter had been seeing a boy named Seth Wolf, but that they'd been fighting recently. Seth becomes even more interesting to the CSIs when DNA tests reveal that Elizabeth was Allison's daughter, not Gina's, and that blood from Elizabeth's father was found at the Mitchums' house, indicating he is the shooter. Seth Wolf is listed on the birth certificate as Elizabeth's father, but he denies the possibility--and insists he didn't kill Allison. Another boy sparks Mac's interest--Cole Rowan, a fellow student alongside Allison at the Manhattan School for the Deaf, until a hearing aid implant allowed him to hear normally.
Stella and Danny investigate the murder of McKenzie Wade, a champion figure skater. Her friend Krista discovered her body, and she tearfully tells the CSIs that she switched practice times with McKenzie. The CSIs wonder if Krista was the real target and Danny interrogates the Zamboni driver, Frank, who had an unhealthy fixation on Krista, but he maintains his innocence. A letter containing mathematical equations and a chip of an experimental type of paint lead the CSIs to Tom Howard, whose office at New Jersey Advance Tech overlooks the rink. Tom watched McKenzie skate everyday and saw her working on her technique, but when he approached her at the rink to try to offer her advice, she brushed him off, thinking he was a stalker. He tried to carve his suggestions into the ice with her skate lacer, but when she grabbed it from him, they fought for it and she fell on it. Tom fled, leaving the young skater dead in his wake. Both cases bring up troubling memories for Lindsay, who tells Stella that as a teen she survived a crime in which all of her friends were killed.
Gina is out with baby Elizabeth and her husband Dennis when an unhinged Cole Rowan pushes Dennis aside and leaps in Gina's SUV with her and Elizabeth, forcing Gina to drive at gunpoint. She gets off a call to the police, and they manage to stop and surround the car while Cole tearfully explains the shooting of Allison was an accident--he came to take the baby so that he could make sure she wasn't raised deaf like he and Allison were. Flack is able to extract the baby from the car while Mac tackles Cole. After making sure Gina and her family are safe, Mac seeks Peyton out and tells her he wants to make their relationship work.
Analysis:
"Silent Night" has the feel of a sweeps episode. Two big guest stars--Academy Award winner <font color=yellow>Marlee Matalin</font> and figure skating champ <font color=yellow>Sasha Cohen</font>--and the revelation of the often hinted at secret from Lindsay's past. However, comparing the episode to the actual sweeps offerings--including the excellent offerings "And Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael" and "Raising Shane"--it simply isn't as strong, Matalin's powerful performance aside.
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To read the full reviews, please click here.<center></center>
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