"Family Affair" Tenth Season Premiere Discussion *SPOILERS*

egeria said:
I got really curious as to Riley's exit interview and I was able to read the document Catherine was reading. Here's what it said:

Riley Adams stated that she was resigning so that she could accept a law enforcement position in the Midwest that offers more opportunities for advancement.

Adams stated that she found it frustrating to be a member of the grave shift because "the team suffers from a lack of cohesion. There is no team unity, no leadership, and poor communication. There are many talented individuals but they are too often more concerned with persuing their separate investigative agendas than with integrating themselves into a tightly coordinated unit. Another factor that cannot be ignored is the ineffective leadership of the supervisor, Catherine Willows. Willows is brilliant, determined, experienced and passionate about her work, but has a problem delegating clear lines of responsibility among team members which leads to a duplication of work, wasted time and interpersonal conflict."

I think that was a well balanced idea of where the 'team' fell apart last year, as it was bound to with the loss of three key members. Anyone new walking into that situation would have found it hard to deal with, I think. Anyway, it looks like Riley is moving on to bigger and better things and that was a quick/subtle way to wrap that up.
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I wish they had really shown this whole interview. Riley isn't the bad guy everyone made her out to be in that ep. She acknowledges that Catherine is brilliant and a great CSI, but at the moment she's not doing so well as a supervisor. I didn't see anything wrong with what Riley said here. In fact, I agree with her. Why else would poor Greggo get bent out of shape the way he did? For all of Grissom's faults, he would have at least delegated the trash run to the CSI 2. I love Catherine and I know she will do an awesome job, she just inherited the shift at a bad time. Judging from the premier, it's all going to be uphill from here :).
 
egeria said:
I got really curious as to Riley's exit interview and I was able to read the document Catherine was reading. Here's what it said:

Riley Adams stated that she was resigning so that she could accept a law enforcement position in the Midwest that offers more opportunities for advancement.

Adams stated that she found it frustrating to be a member of the grave shift because "the team suffers from a lack of cohesion. There is no team unity, no leadership, and poor communication. There are many talented individuals but they are too often more concerned with persuing their separate investigative agendas than with integrating themselves into a tightly coordinated unit. Another factor that cannot be ignored is the ineffective leadership of the supervisor, Catherine Willows. Willows is brilliant, determined, experienced and passionate about her work, but has a problem delegating clear lines of responsibility among team members which leads to a duplication of work, wasted time and interpersonal conflict."
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Wow! How did you manage to read all of that? :lol: I didn't even see words on the paper. :lol: Thanks for posting that, Egeria. That makes me feel better about it because I do think Riley has some good points. I'm thinking that maybe Riley knew somehow that Greg was getting frusturated always getting the crap jobs and maybe that's what Riley meant by "has a problem delegating clear lines of responsibility among team members". Meaning a Level 3 should not always get the crap jobs when there are those who are lower levels than the Level 3 is. I'm not sure about the duplication of work unless that is meaning how Greg was always stuck in the AV lab when there was an AV tech on hand. :lol: Wasted time could also mean that. Greg isn't an AV tech and kind of is a waste of time for him to do that job.


I think that was a well balanced idea of where the 'team' fell apart last year, as it was bound to with the loss of three key members. Anyone new walking into that situation would have found it hard to deal with, I think.
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Yeah, I think you're right on that. But she left to take a law-enforcement job, so I guess that means she's back to being a cop rather than CSI?

I was really worried about how Sara was going to come in and show Catherine another side of leadership, but really I'm impressed and pleased with how it transpired. It seems that Sara has really benefited from her time away, she's so much happier (I said to a friend that she smiled more in one episode than she did in two seasons!) and has a different perspective on things. She didn't march in and tell Catherine what was wrong or what to do, which is basically what I was afraid would happen. I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to find out my worries were unncessary :D

I really like how this episode was well balanced with the case and with the personal interactions. I hope they keep it up!
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I agree about Sara. I loved happy Sara. And the way she spoke to Cath was just awesome. And I really hope that the way the balance of screentime was in this episode is an indication of how it will be the rest of the season. :)


I love Catherine and I know she will do an awesome job, she just inherited the shift at a bad time.
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That's true. It was all about timing. She really didn't have much time to prepare either. It was all just sort of sprung on her at the almost last minute. :lol:
 
Loved this review of the premiere from Matt Roush at tvguidemagazine.com:

Most Special Effect: The elaborate opening shot of CSI's opening episode was as dazzling as promised: a freeze-frame tableau of the lab’s violent invasion by gun-toting Russian mobsters. Shards of broken glass, blood spatter, bullet trajectories, gunshot flares, and bodies in various modes of action-hero motion, all frozen in a 3D-like tapestry of chaos. The episode that followed wasn’t bad, either, and Jorja Fox is welcome back anytime, although we're sorry we missed Sara and Grissom's wedding. (The scene where Sara and Nick crack up over a tray of viscera from a victim that’s been through a wood-chopper was classic CSI, even before they found the incriminating cuff-link amid the bloody pieces.)

Hopefully, this is the start of a great season.
 
Re: My thoughts on Season 10 premier...

Merging this with the Family Affair episode thread. :)
 
Re: My thoughts on Season 10 premier...

I have to say I was positively surprised by the premiere. I think the cases were decent, but I really liked the personal moments, especially the scene between Sara and Catherine where Sara told Catherine that she was a great CSI and that all she needed was another "Catherine" ;) I hope the season will continue to be like that, then I will definitely keep watching. At the end of last season I wasn't sure about that.
 
Here is my first impressions but here not there :wtf: Ok i am getting ridiculous , which means i am not sure how to start.

Firstly thanks for Riley's exit interview egeria. I was worried about they gave her a total bad guy role. After reading it, i see she has some good points, yeah shortly i agree with GregNick RyanFan and PraetorCorvinus above.:thumbsup:

Secondly i was again worried about Sara's return and thinking she is not the right person for moral support when i thought how she left . Then i remembered some old episodes like Gum Drops and Chasing The Bus, she was trying to make Greg and Nick feel better. Now she did it for Cath. I like Sara that way.

Thirdly Ray was ok too, especially when he was in the karate position.:lol: I don't know why but i didn't like when Ray offered taking Greg's job. Don't ask me why, let me know if you find.:p

Yeah the argument... Sara left, Warrick died ,Grissom left, Ray and Riley joined then Riley left... So many changes in the team and i am glad finally we saw some reaction. Yeah i am ok Greg did it , i always wanted to see him like that, actually i was expecting more after reading the spoilers but whatever... I think it was Gregish . At least it reminded me the Cath-Greg scene in Eleven Angry Jurors . He also snapped to Nick. It was just a reflex when somebody jumps and dissaggrees to you while you are trying to make a point to somebody else. Go Greg! Who is gonna stop you? Not me! :drool: Cath also snapped to Nick after Eickle snapped Cath, poor Nick. :lol: Anyway now Nick is promoted and he is Cath's right hand. Cool!

What else what else? It was fun, the begining scene was awesome. Doc was awesome , the cane's acting was awesome. The case was interesting. The dummy guy, who is not a dummy, was shot. I feel sorry for him.:p It seems the writers knows what the fans want after last season. I hope they keep that balance.

I am sure i forget to mention some points, maybe i remember later.

The End for now.
 
Just wanted to pop in and put my two favorite quotes from this one....

Doc: I'm quite the ghoul.

Brass: One dead and one circling the drain.

:lol:
 
Thank's bunches egeria for the exit interview from Riley, so I wondered where she went and is was never explained, I could see she kinda of resented Cath they just weren't in tune, and I sometimes wonder about her "leadership" qualities as well. She was snippy and snapped at Nick and Greg, [he snapped back] and Ecklie. She seems a bit confused and lost, maybe 'burnt out' so hopefully Sara, now the strong one, will make her see clearer. She is happy, cheerful and back to her original self:bolian: [I'd be happy if I spent time in Paris with Grissom too] and also thank's for that review jtd awesome:thumbsup: It seems like their all on a good straight path, and will work in cohesion now. Great visual effects, a friend of mine was so impressed with the opening, and commented how hard that would be to put together, it was compelling and wonderful, CSI still rocks~
 
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^That's very insightful, but I don't necessarily think that Sara was the strong one in this episode, I just think that she's a pair of new eyes observing the team whilst not being a part of it. She's been through her share of torment and ridicule from others so I think that she's better equipped to help Catherine along.

I hope Catherine pulls it together though. She's not trying to cause turmoil but I think she's at the heart of the problem. My fear is that if Ecklie decides she's not adequate, she's gone. I think Sara and Raymond will help her get back on track, and Nick will help with some of her workload but I also think that this will be a season long arc of gradual progression.

I must say, this premiere made up for everything in S/9 that didn't go exceptionally smoothly. :bolian:
 
Coco Chanel said:
^That's very insightful, but I don't necessarily think that Sara was the strong one in this episode, I just think that she's a pair of new eyes observing the team whilst not being a part of it. She's been through her share of torment and ridicule from others so I think that she's better equipped to help Catherine along.

I hope Catherine pulls it together though. She's not trying to cause turmoil but I think she's at the heart of the problem. My fear is that if Ecklie decides she's not adequate, she's gone. I think Sara and Raymond will help her get back on track, and Nick will help with some of her workload but I also think that this will be a season long arc of gradual progression.

I must say, this premiere made up for everything in S/9 that didn't go exceptionally smoothly. :bolian:
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Ecklie probably won't do anything with her. Catherine's main problem was that she was trying to do everything by herself. She's used to doing all the paperwork for the shift, Grissom barely did it :lol:. But she never gave up doing it when she accepted all the other responsibilities of a supervisor. When she was head of swing shift, she only had two guys and the transition was relatively smooth. Sara giving her the advice of alternating her lineup will surely ease things up. We saw her give Nick all that paperwork, :lol:, so that's one headache gone. If the spoiler's about Greg are true, then he'll have more responsibilities as well. And Ray is an intelligent guy who has now achieved a promotion and extra training, so he'll be able to pull his weight as well. All in all, Cath should get better as the season progresses.

Thank you, Sara Sidle (which I notice is still her last name)
 
The scene between Catherine and Sara I really can't stop talking about. It was probably one of the top 10 best scenes in CSI history. First of all you have a little cuteness for any GSR fan but not something too over the top to make those who don't like GSR vomit. Then you see Catherine relaxing a bit when Sara says that she's a great CSI and that she knows how to manage her team.

Then Sara starts in with a comparison to Grissom and you can see Catherine almost roll her eyes. I truly think that since Catherine and Sara didn't always see eye to eye when it came to the job that Catherine was ready for Sara to come down hard on her. Not to mention that Sara's comparing Catherine to her husband. Anything could have been said.

Then Sara tells her that basically Grissom looked good as a supervisor because Catherine was behind him and helping him out. It was just enough to steer Catherine in the right direction. Sometimes you don't see what's plainly in front of you. And when it comes from someone you might least expect it to well that's even better...

Seriously, beautifully written and beautifully acted scene....
 
Kasey82800 said:
The scene between Catherine and Sara I really can't stop talking about. It was probably one of the top 10 best scenes in CSI history. First of all you have a little cuteness for any GSR fan but not something too over the top to make those who don't like GSR vomit. Then you see Catherine relaxing a bit when Sara says that she's a great CSI and that she knows how to manage her team.

Then Sara starts in with a comparison to Grissom and you can see Catherine almost roll her eyes. I truly think that since Catherine and Sara didn't always see eye to eye when it came to the job that Catherine was ready for Sara to come down hard on her. Not to mention that Sara's comparing Catherine to her husband. Anything could have been said.

Then Sara tells her that basically Grissom looked good as a supervisor because Catherine was behind him and helping him out. It was just enough to steer Catherine in the right direction. Sometimes you don't see what's plainly in front of you. And when it comes from someone you might least expect it to well that's even better...

Seriously, beautifully written and beautifully acted scene....
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Ditto! I've waited for a scene like that for 10 years. Their chemistry has always been some of the best on the show and it's nice to see some step towards a friendship between the two. :)
 
LastToKnow710 said:
Kasey82800 said:
The scene between Catherine and Sara I really can't stop talking about. It was probably one of the top 10 best scenes in CSI history. First of all you have a little cuteness for any GSR fan but not something too over the top to make those who don't like GSR vomit. Then you see Catherine relaxing a bit when Sara says that she's a great CSI and that she knows how to manage her team.

Then Sara starts in with a comparison to Grissom and you can see Catherine almost roll her eyes. I truly think that since Catherine and Sara didn't always see eye to eye when it came to the job that Catherine was ready for Sara to come down hard on her. Not to mention that Sara's comparing Catherine to her husband. Anything could have been said.

Then Sara tells her that basically Grissom looked good as a supervisor because Catherine was behind him and helping him out. It was just enough to steer Catherine in the right direction. Sometimes you don't see what's plainly in front of you. And when it comes from someone you might least expect it to well that's even better...

Seriously, beautifully written and beautifully acted scene....
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Ditto! I've waited for a scene like that for 10 years. Their chemistry has always been some of the best on the show and it's nice to see some step towards a friendship between the two. :)
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I can third this, I've waited so long for this scene, and it was well worth the wait Sara an Catherine's chemistry was soo good. It was fantastic for GSR fans but it wasn't drowning in itself, they made a referrance then moved on, I think this makes everybody happy :) I hope we can see more well written scenes like this is S/10
 
WOW, I saw this scene entirley different, that Cath was antsy, and didn't really seem to know what Sara was talking about, on the 'baseball' reference she had to explain, and Cath seemd a bit aloof, not to mention she didn't even congratulate her on her married news, just a fake grin. Is she a bit jealous, because she doesn't have a partner? Sara was awesome but Cath was concentrating on the 'bad exit review" and not paying much attention to what Sara was trying to relate to her. She is self centered, and it's all about her. I guess she was pleased at what Sara said about the Grissom reference. But only a few times on CSI did I see them really really relate to one another. "Crash & Burn on going out for a drink, was nice, and when Cath got mugged and drugged in "BTK" and asked Sara to not tell anyone. But I can't think of any other 'bonding scenes' between them. Their very different women. Maybe this season things will change, and they will be closer:confused:
 
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Desertwind said:
WOW, I saw this scene entirley different, that Cath was antsy, and didn't really seem to know what Sara was talking about, on the 'baseball' reference she had to explain, and Cath seemd a bit aloof, not to mention she didn't even congratulate her on her married news, just a fake grin. Is she a bit jealous, because she doens't have a partner? Sara was awesome but Cath was concentrating on the 'bad exit review" and not paying much attention to what Sara was trying to relate to her. She is self centered, and it's all about her. I guess she was pleased at what Sara said about the Grissom reference. Bu t only a few times on CSI did I see them really really relate to one another. "Crash & Burn on going out for a drink, was nice, and when Cath got mugged and drugged in "BTK" and asked Sara to not tell anyone. But I can't think of any other 'bonding scenes' between them. Their very different women. Maybe this season things will change, and they will be closer:confused:
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I can definitely see how you construed this scene that way but I just thought that Cath was shocked at how happy Sara seemed, she got the baseball referrance she was just questioning WHY she was using a baseball example lol. Afterwards she said 'this is just a different side of you' I thought they were getting along quite well actually, better than portrayed in Nesting Dolls :p
 
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