cainesugar said:
Now, I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, but over the years i bet Clavo realized H is kinda like him- he has power. And the thing he liked about H was that he took on the fight Clavo wanted to put up. That's what kep Clavo going- he wanted to show H who's boss. And he did- he forced H to hand over a million bucks. And then when he comitted suicide- it had to be H, the only guy he could compete with, to do it.
Just wanted to say up front that I love that analysis, I really do.
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Overall, I didn't think this episode was as strong as the first part. YES, I am sure this opinion is at least 75% due to Natalia's markedly increased screen time. There was also more general CSI work, which despite the title of the show, is not actually what interests me about it. Back to the usual parade of suspects and showy techniques and...yeah. On to specifics. Less cool and analytical than last time.
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Much like the previous episode, when we open on part 2, Horatio isn't in control. But unlike with Clavo, where the lack of control was met with simmering anger, at the ER he is subdued. He isn't giving orders and he isn't demanding answers. He's waiting there, just outside the doors, quiet as any helpless family member, wavering on the edge of hope. There's an underlying sadness dragging it down, past experience having taught him what to expect. Still, when they stop working altogether, you can all but hear that last thread fragment as his head bows in resignation.
(And by the way, while they didn't linger on that shot nearly long enough, it was highly inappropriate to suddenly cut to Roger Daltrey's scream. In fact, could we possibly cut that scream entirely? It's grated on my nerves from the beginning and I hate it more every week.)
Clavo's Stupid Accomplice #1 (formerly known as Hostage Kathy): You know, it's a good thing she turned out to be involved, because I was about to chew the actress out for being absolutely terrible at portraying fear/panic. Hopefully she was
trying to sound like a bad actress, since her character was not only lying through her teeth to the police, she was a very stupid woman in general. Horatio does not take kindly to people who endanger his CSI's. Oh. And if you do not want to be flayed by his glare, you probably shouldn't suggest that Eric getting shot is his fault.
Ryan is in serious need of anger management. All the same, the raw emotion surging through him when he was interrogating suspect #2, slamming photos on the table and everything... And I want to give him a hug for way he phrased this part - "Well, it's not anyone, it's a cop. He's my buddy. He's got a name, his name is Eric Delko." And when he had to be restrained from punching the security guard (a/k/a Clavo's Stupid Accomplice #2)'s face in? Good boy. I also loved how during the early montage, Ryan just sort of hanging out in the doorway, uncomfortable with getting too close but nevertheless standing guard, the worry clear in his eyes as he runs a hand over his face.
I loved Calleigh's scenes. Eric's memory loss really seemed to shake her, like she'd been praying so hard just for him to live that it never even occurred to her that he might not be okay after he woke up. It didn't even occur to me, and I've been discussing spoilers for months. The brave-little-soldier face she put on at the end of her conversation with Alexx made my lip wobble.
The Diamond Plot: You just know somewhere in heaven, Speed is throwing his hands up in disgust going "It's ALWAYS about the jewelry." And I'm sorry, but unlike last week, I couldn't bring myself to care about the case. I especially couldn't bring myself to feel any kind of outrage towards the diamond store owner. It felt very 'meh.'
Minor Annoyance:
ShannonToggle said :
And someone needs to teach Horatio first aid for gunshot victims, because that's the third time in two episodes he's stood there and stared at someone who'd just been shot, like he's expecting his intense gaze to staunch the bleeding, or something. Put pressure on the wound, H!
Exactly! At the very least, could you try not to sound so broken up and
shocked when they stop breathing? That's what happens when you lose too much blood.
Horatio: "...three police officers are dead, and I have a CSI at death's door." This is the part where Horatio starts to regains control. When he gets back on the phone with Clavo and tells him even his biological father has flipped on him? He's so serene he's practically purring into the phone. Clavo's confidence is immediately wiped away. He continues to taunt that the game of cat-and-mouse is only getting started, but it's an empty threat and they both know it. He's got nowhere to go and no resources left. Though I'm sure he could have FOUND some if the writers didn't feel a need to have Horatio kill someone every week.
Which brings us to his demise, which I find extremely interesting. Horatio's anger, which was alive and well while interrogating Kathy, seems to have dissipated somewhere along the way. Despite guranteeing multiple times that he'd be more than willing to end this with Clavo dying, he didn't appear to be out looking for revenge this time. Admittedly, Clavo was a rather sniveling and pathetic figure when he walked himself up to the crime lab steps, a shadowy caricature of his former cocky self. But still, when finally fired at him, he didn't appear to relish it. He just looked...tired. Another life gone. Pity he didn't listen to
Speed Cochrane:
H could have got him in the shoulder instead of killing him. There are more ways to stop people than to kill them, really.
Fnally, the ending scene. The trick is that you have to visually block out the too-shiny CGI tear (which looks like a damn crystal sliding down his face) and replace it with what a real tear would look like. Then it becomes such a powerfully sad image that you want to tear your hair out. It also helps when you have nice people like
Hunter tell you that closed captioning has H adding "It'll come back to you." Yay for revealing CC! Okay. I'm goin' back to my weeping corner now.
Edit: How could I forget the most important part- except for that last little bit, no stupid camera stunts/editing tricks! HOORAY!
