First of all, I have to say that I thought this episode was amazing, though I realize that I'm in the minority. I thought the entire plot was really intriguing, as well as inspiring. I think the biggest problem was that they had to fit it all into one episode. Honestly, I can imagine this episode working out really well as, say, a movie, or even as a two-parter.
The whole idea of three people who had been relatively written off by society basically transforming themselves into people who can make a difference was excellent, especially in the way that CSI portrayed it. They're doing the same work as FBI agents, but they're doing it for entirely altruistic reasons, and they're not even getting paid for it.
I think the earlier scene with Riley and Emma speaks a lot for Emma's (and her "colleagues'") attitude and perspective on life -- other people (like Riley) view the job they're doing as lame, as Riley basically implies that they must have pissed people off to get the job in the first place. But to Emma, it's a job that needs to be done.
Basically, I think CSI put a fascinating twist on the idea of superheroes with the three fake agents. The three fake Feds go out on a daily basis to deal with a dangerous world (as evidenced by the fact that, by the end of the episode, two of them are dead and Miles barely dodged the bullet from the guy in the car) and their ambition is just to do good and, as Ray puts it, to clean up their little corner of the world. Unlike many real agents (and general workers) they're not seeking pay, or trying to move up the work totem pole. They're just using what they have to make a difference. The scene with Miles and Langston at the end was definitely one of my favorite scenes ever; you could really tell that Miles didn't care quite so much that he was going to jail as he did that he had made a difference. And then you see the juxtaposition with the girls being loaded out of the prostitution ring. Nobody would expect someone like him to make a difference, yet he was basically responsible for freeing all of those girls and entirely because of his and his equally unusual colleagues' altruism and courage.
At the same time, unlike in standard superhero fare, CSI put in lots of twists and turns, so that you really don't see it from the perspective of the "superheroes." It's like watching Spiderman from the perspective of the newspaper editor, or of a police officer.
Overall, I think it was fascinating, even though I think it would have worked better as a two-parter or, preferably, as a movie. It definitely was different than the standard CSI episode.
At the same time, however, I felt like it was going back to CSI's roots. To me, a big part of what made Grissom, and the show as a whole, special, was the exploration of things we'd generally dismiss -- episodes like 'Ch-ch-changes' and 'Fur and Loathing' that really focus on forgetting biases and just looking at the evidence and, in the process, treating every human being as an equal and really understanding the truth, rather than what the truth seems like it "should" be. Overall, I think it was one of the most fascinating premises for an episode (or anything really) that I've seen in a very long time. I also have to say that Miles and Emma are, for the moment, my favorite "bad guys" ever.
On the topic of the girls in the sex slavery/prostitution ring, I feel like the premise and plot of this episode not only exemplifies what makes CSI special, but also illustrates a big difference between the original CSI and CSI:Miami. I don't watch much Miami, but I've definitely seen Horatio break up similar sex slavery/prostitution rings, but it was alway so different. With Miami, it's Horatio, everyone's standard (and, IMO, more stereotyped) hero coming to save the day and then reassuring the women/girls that everything's gonna be alright. In CSI Vegas, however, it's an underdog psych patient, with the help of a former prostitute and another halfway house co-inhabitant, that saves the day. CSI Vegas is about the people we'd otherwise dismiss -- and showcasing the many layers that make them complex and human. In that way, I think this episode, as different as it seemed in many ways, really was going back to the roots of the show, and to the heart of what made Gil Grissom such a wonderful, and TV-redefining character.
That said, I do think it was probably a bit too rushed. I think that the execution of the episode could have been better. I can't put my finger on it, but something just didn't feel right in how it flowed.
As to other things,
I noticed the fingerprint continuity thing too, and I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt re: the fingerprints being a blob and go with
wlk68's explanation.
I'm starting to see in fact TPTB are trying to use Langston as the narrative of the show and I'm sorry, it's just not gonna work.
I totally disagree. CSI is trying to start a new era. Basically, it's changing. Ray is the new main character, and the viewers have to adjust to him. TPTB are trying to help that transition along. Before, they used to have a lot of episodes revolving more around a Grissom-centered narrative. Now Ray's the star, and they're making it centered more around him.
Personally, I really like this because it gives us the opportunity that we never had to see things from the newbie's POV. I mean, most shows start that way -- with a newbie joining the police dept/hospital/CSI Lab/etc. and that newbie adjusting to how the group that they just joined works, so that the audience learns along with them. CSI, however, never really had that; Holly Gribbs was the "newbie" and she was killed off in the second episode. While Greg became a newbie halfway through the series, we never even really got that experience with him, largely, IMO, because he wasn't the main guy; we couldn't spend too much of the episode following Greg around and watching him learn. Now, though, we have a newbie that we can learn with, which I really like. I've always taken a lot of the science for granted, and it's refreshing to finally get a stronger grip on it as Ray learns more about it.
Most importantly, bringing in the newbie perspective, and centering on it for at least a few episodes is, IMO, a great way to appeal to new audiences. My understanding was that TPTB understood that they were probably going to lose viewers when Grissom left. So they advertised heavily and tried to bring
new viewers in for the LF era of CSI. And I think the new viewers gained in that process would, most likely, feel more comfortable getting the newbie perspective. Though it may be unfortunate for fans who were already watching the show and don't want to get this perspective, perhaps because they are already comfortable with how the science itself works or because they'd rather see more of characters that they've grown to love in the past 8 seasons, this transition still seems necessary. CSI's Thursday night time is becoming an increasingly competitive slot, with Grey's and now Bones, as well as NBC's comedy duo, competing for viewers. At the same time, the economic downturn is, no doubt, hitting advertising money hard, and that trend will probably only get worse, at least until the economy is doing better. Overall, CSI has to change.
