Exciting episode overall - really liked the twists and turns - especially that the mom's death was an accident. That poor little girl. But just think, if the mom never died, that pedaphile never would've been caught. Funny how things work out sometimes...talk about bringing some good out of tragedy.
Calleigh was soooo good with that little girl, and I was very happy to see a child pyschologist on hand - very refreshing. I agree that the story felt it had more reality than miami glamour, which I also liked.
All the characters worked well together - enjoyed the Ryan/Cal, Eric/Nat scenes - those pairings work well together IMHO. I liked the scenes w/Sam and Walter too, although the last thing Miami needs is another character! The show is crammed as it is! I do think Walter makes their relationship fun/believable (Omar is a great actor!)
As for the last scene...it just builds on my frustration w/how H has been developed over the last 5 years. I get it - he's been through a lot. But you know what? So has Delko, and Calleigh for that matter, and Nat and Ryan too! Should they all start acting like vigilantes just like H. H used to be someone to look up to and model one's career after (which is what I think Speed and Cal did in the early years - remember the episode in Season 3 when Cal fought for H b/c she believed he would NEVER hurt a suspect-she had complete confidence that her boss would not commit police brutality and she proved Stetler wrong. You could see how much she admired him...gotta wonder if she feels the same now...:shifty: )
Anyhow, fine. H has a screw loose now and takes justice into his own hands. Fine. He wants to beat up suspects and let them die. Fine. But you know what? There HAVE to be CONSEQUENCES to these actions. For too long Horatio has walked around like a hero, and what he's really doing is jeopardizing his career and his team, which has been nothing but devoted and loyal to him. What would Nat have thought if she saw H let the guy fall? Would H have helped him if Nat was there?
It's all very convoluted and H is getting away from wayyy too much crap. It's not so much his behavior as it is that he gets away with doing things the wrong way/illegally. I know the pedaphile was scum, but still the old Horatio knew it was wrong to just let a man die w/out giving him a chance to turn it around. Now, H may be jaded, but that doesn't make what he did any less wrong. He didn't give the man a chance to turn his life around, or get what was coming to him in jail. He took justice, and a life, his own hands, and that's against his oath as a cop. Sooner or later this HAS TO CATCH UP TO HIM.
I'm so done w/him getting away like a golden boy - make him real by making real consequences - and let them team face and see what he has become. Whoever said that H doesn't listen to his team is right - he hardly ever makes eye contact w/them, doesn't interact w/them, is never playful - he's spiraling. He's not reaching out for help, and it's ruining him - something needs to be done - team intervention, anyone?