I wonder if there'll be any sort of continuity next week with Sara's face cut? I mean, sure, it's no Greg beating, but if it really is only a week, a faint outline would be believable. Of course, it's also a pain in the neck to keep up with for a makeup person when it'd probably be so darn faint the camera would barely pick it up. Nevermind. I answered my own question. Nevertheless, I still like the symbolism of it with Sara.
Been rewatching, again, and I totally failed to comment on the issue of adoption in this episode. It's something we've been dealing with a lot this season; displaced kids. The killer in Meet Market had been separated from his mother at birth. She gave him up. In this episode, Cammie gave her daughter up for adoption. We assume the MCSK is one of Ernie Dell's foster kids.
There's a strong theme running through the season about family, especially broken ones and displaced kids. I mean, we start of with Catherine, who only in the last few years found out who her real father was, losing her biological father. She was the first displaced kid. Then, we see how he watched her back by keeping the guy from Living Legend away from her... She was not forgotten. When the mom in Meet Market gave up her son, she never stopped thinking about him. She kept the photo album with his pictures in it because she didn't want to let him be forgotten. Ernie Dell had videos of his foster kids. Cammie had the pictures of her daughter, one for every year older she grew...
It's a big theme about family, and displacement, and all the many ways that can affect a person. Cammie's last words were a goodbye to her daughter, maybe some regret for not raising her... she called her by the name SHE gave her daughter, not her adoptive name. The mother in Meet Market was trying to reach back out to her son. Ernie Dell now has regrets because a kid he loved very much is a killer...
It's hard to pick out exactly what the message is throughout all this, but this episode made me think about it more than any other... it's about family.
And, aren't our CSIs a family? Don't they act like that every day? Helping each other up, watching out for each other, doing their best to rally around whomever is in danger or in need of comfort. When Greg was in court, Nick and Warrick ran simulations to try to help their friend. Sara was right there by Greg's side when he was on the ground, eyes swollen shut from a brutal beating. Even Grissom tried to reach out to Greg in his own way.
Sara was deeply affected by this week's case, and the family was right there for her. Nick checked up on her, making sure she was ok. Grissom was there to wipe away her tears.
They're all displaced kids, in their own ways. They're people who are seen as weird and geeky. They're the "science nerds" as Sara once put it. Grissom lost his dad young, Sara, too. Warrick was raised by his grandmother. Catherine found out who her biological father was late in life. Greg and Nick seem to have more stable family backgrounds, but they're still part of this mixed-up family. This episode showcased that, as have many others this season.
Regret is another big theme running through the season. It was here, again, in the father of Cammie's baby. He regretted not raising his child with Cammie. Sara regretted holding the killer's hand. It's all about choices and decisions and mistakes. However, it's about how they grow and evolve from these decisions, these mistakes, that impacts them as characters.
Sara has made the mistake of getting too close many times. But, she knows all the lectures. She can recognize when she makes a mistake, now. Honestly, her decision to ride along in the ambulance and hold the man's hand reminded me of her decision to bust into the bathroom in Play with Fire. She was gung-ho, and not thinking straight, and not about to stop. The difference, here, is her reaction. She's grown so much. Because, instead of getting defensive while someone ranted to her about being Superman, she opened up to her mistake. I love getting to see characters mature, and Sara's been on a wild journey. I can say that, because I really didn't like her when she came on the show. Really didn't. Now, she's my fav character, and it's partially because I think she has one of the best story arcs of any CSI.
I know I've ranted and raved about this episode extensively, already, but I felt bad about missing the adoption angle. Adoption is a beautiful thing, a wonderful idea. My grandmother was adopted. She adopted my aunt. My aunt adopted my two cousins. So, these kinds of stories and themes jump at me, sometimes.
I remember, back in season 2 or 3, Catherine told Grissom he was missing out on this family growing up around him. They were becoming a family. We've known for a while that they ARE a family. It was most evidenct in Grave Danger, but it comes up any time one of their own is in trouble. They rallied around Nick, around Brass, around Greg, and now around Sara. They've taken care of one another, and this episode was just another example of how far this team has come.
And, I'll shut up, now, because, honestly... I could keep going. And it'd more than likely become non-sensical really quickly. Ah, the dangers of writing CSI analyses while broken out in hives!
..and on the other characters, I love Greg and Nick and Warrick and all the rest..see a positive comment 
