Case started off strong, I like the initial POV of one of the victims and the fact that someone survived the crime! It seems to my compared to Vegas, NY does not tend to let a lot of their victims become survivors. I mean they have in the past, Season 1 had a couple (e.g. the Central Park rape victim --Robin) but I can't remember the last time they did that.
Stella and Don get stuck doing floor checks again, in a strange building with a 13th floor, but Stella's insinuation bugged me. If I saw a murder scene with a pile of money I probably
would think robbery... At least until I could figure out where the cash came from! I guess that's why Stella's a CSI not me. All the same, they had me from the get go. I LIKE actually not being able to tell exactly where this is heading by the end of the setup. Go figure.
It also makes me laugh that CSIs throw around industry terminology for just about everything. Like they're an expert in all of the most random crap, which to some degree I'm sure they are but this is kind of like "curvature of the lettuce" from the last ep. "Metal housing" and "privacy chain" just sounded like SUCH a stilted line, but I accept it coming from Captain Serious Face, and just hope if the line had gone to a more casual character they might have said something like "the metal part of the chain lock." Just
slightly candid sounding, no?
They also end up saying the prize money is the only motive but shamelessly blew their own cover on that with the lengthy cut of the prize winner Jesse mackin' his girl. Obvious setup is obvious.
Their other obvious setup is Stella's
massive skepticism of Nick 'Cool' Emerson. I won't get into the originality trouble with his nickname, but the scene between him and Stella outright pointed to his further involvement a little too hard for me. The other
major issue I took with this scene was that they delivered the potential suspect to the victims room. Is that really standard practice? Of course he'd open his mouth! That's why line ups eliminate communication between the vic and the suspects! Wouldn't Flack have just brought in a mugshot? wtf?
Mac and Don stand out like sore thumbs at the dance competition and the prime suspect only walked away with the prize for biggest douche in the room. I think I laughed out loud when he said "if I wanna kill anybody I'll do it in the ring." *SNORT* I'm sure
that will fly in real life! I can just picture him trying to bust a move while some brute busts a cap in his ass.
Adam is BACK and trying to get a rise out of Danny immediately! I love that humor is constantly Adam's primary defense mechanism. AJ has really run with that and turned it into a dynamic aspect of Adam's personality. Mean while Danny with a cane looks like he's auditioning for the office production of House MD. Adam even has another winning line and I for one might start referring to him as Adam Ross.edu!
It's too bad the poor guy is always playing to a deaf audience. On the other hand their lack of enthusiasm for his particular brand of humor probably only makes me love it more.
Unfortunately, I was sad to see the
only one they allowed to address Danny's progress was Adam. On one hand, it's good that it didn't go completely unmentioned, but with the way he's so miraculously recovering I'd think more than one in five friends would feel the need to comment on it. If only to give him a pat on the back or something.
Is it just me or does Hawkes do a LOT of the lab work lately? Adam too obviously, but it seems like the lead player in most of the technical montages lately has been Hawkes. Speaking of Sheldon he's looking freshly pressed tonight, new shirt, slightly bigger hairstyle --I'm lovin' it!
Danny and Don prove once again that they are still the Dynamic Duo they always are when they team up in interrogation! Danny gets a genuine chuckle out of his pal, despite how sullen he's been lately and despite the objection from that scummy perp, they ARE funny! You can't beat these two doing interrogations together --the scenes have such momentum and tension and it's not let down on the part of their scene partner either. I don't know the actor's name but he sure as hell held his own making the whole scene that much more gripping. And this is what I've been talking about when I've been bitching lately about a crook I can believe in! He's an asshole from the get go, and he's not afraid to ride these cop's last nerve a little either. Awesome.
During the later elaboration in flashback of the first robbery Jesse and Brooke went through (the real one) I was actually surprised and slightly disturbed by the
explicitness of that rape scene without being too graphic. That was pretty intense for primetime, and this show in general. It got a really strong point across with the girl having to be stripped down to her underwear for the camera. It made my stomach turn, and assuming it was supposed to, job well done.
Mac plays with firearms to test their strange red ammunition and these scenes that showcase Mac's slightly unnerving weapons proficiency always make me smile. It's one of my favorite things about Mac and probably because they don't abuse it ad nauseum.
The case concludes without being
too surprising, but that's not at all to say it's a let down! By the time we get to the unraveling it feels like a natural progression to the conclusion and in cases like this I appreciate logical conclusions a lot more than unnecessary twists and turns only thrown in there for shock and awe. Those kinds of sudden and unforeseen changes they've been known to throw in the plot mean we can't always pin the ending down, but doesn't mean it's a good writing device. I have to applaud them for avoiding that.
Overall this felt like a professionally delivered episode. Writing and editing allotted screen time really well across the board, and scenes always felt justified and supported by, or supporting of, the overall story. I hate to say it but it actually served to remind me how superfluous
two more characters are to this dream team. Maybe this season is picking up? Please?