Consider a scenario in which you've met someone who's never seen or heard of CSI:Miami before. This person has either been living under a rock, stranded on a desert island or otherwise not in contact with pop culture in any way. If you could choose one episode of CSI:Miami to represent what the show is and means (to you) as a whole, which would you pick? It can be any episode from any season with whichever elements you find represent the show in the best way possible. I'd have to go with 'Witness to Murder' from season two, as it comprises most of the elements that I look for in a crime drama and specifically in CSI:Miami. To start off, there were two cases (for those who don't recall, Eugene and the diamond broker + the young girl who was pushed down the stairs to cover up an affair) which kept the episode strong and utilized all of the characters. It's always great to see a main case as well as a smaller, simpler case to keep the audience engaged and interested. Secondly, there was some heart to the episode, specifically the interaction between Eugene and Horatio. An episode that pulls on the heartstrings tends to make the audience care more about the characters and something that CSI:Miami did well in this case. Finally, this episode didn't have a cliffhanger and could be understood and enjoyed without having to have watched the episodes before or after. Another reason I picked 'Witness to Murder' as opposed to the Pilot or subsequent early series episodes, is because I felt that at this point the show and its characters were pretty well-established and the chemistry was there. It was also well-written, the actors did great with the material and there didn't need to be fancy camera/special effects to get the episode's message across. So for these reasons, I would show 'Witness to Murder' to a first-time watcher. Which episode would you pick and why?
My favorite episode is 4.5 three way.... With the three house wives on a girl's weekend and the pool boy was found dead..... Horatio let's calleigh an eric and ryan work together it was nice and different from the other episode's and it was just nice to see horatio let his team work the case it was great team work
The one I would suggest is "Dead Woman Walking" from season one. There was the science, the team work and the empathy for a victim who was different ... she had yet to die. This episode still haunts me and I'm sure that one of the reasons is we had a chance to connect and care about the victim before she died. We knew from moments after Belle was introduced her fate was sealed. And to me that made the committment of Horatio and his team to close the case before Belle died even more emotional. The actors all did an amazing job and the story was a story was solid and compelling.
Interesting discussion! I have loads of episodes that I count to my favourites. I think Sunblock would be a great episode to show off . The case feel representative for Miami as it is today, it's shot very nicely but still not overdone and the story has an alright twist to it, even if the girl is too hot to sit behind a computer 24/7 . It includes most parts of the current cast and it's enough intense and gory . Another one would be Sleepless in Miami, I thought that was an awesome episode that felt very much like Miami for me, with a weird/good story, cool effects that was right on spot, fantastic guest cast and a convincing killer (something I think both Miami and LV struggles with at times...). I agree with you all thoguh, most of the episodes listed above is on my list, too, esp. Witness to murder which I saw again quite recently.
Broken, from season one, is potential the show never fully lived up to. Kill Zone wouldn't be a bad choice either.
It depends on what "era" of CSI:Miami you want to show them, I suppose. If you showed them something from Seasons 1-3, it wouldn't really reflect the flashiness and action of Seasons 4-6, or the mix between the two in Seasons 7-9. It's almost like watching a completely different show every three years, and I think people would be amazed at the "evolution" of some of the characters, considering how they started out the first few years. I would want to show them the era when Miami had more substance than silicon, more character depth than soap opera drama - so I'd definitely have to go with an ep. from Seasons 1-3. I really loved "Broken" for its depth and the way they handled the child molester issue - it really showed Horatio and his depth, and the team unity. Also loved "Kill Zone" and "Dead Woman Walking" - great character episodes. Basically anything w/good character background and "real life" crimes would be good - none of this "Mala Noche" crap. I know Miami will never go back to what it was, but I really am not sure that what it has "evolved" to is "better." It's gotten better the last couple of years as they toned down the glitz and focused more on the characters and banter and some more real issues, but it's still a far cry from the early seasons. So in short, I'd show pretty much anything from Seasons 1-3.
hmm interesting choices. though i don't know names of earlier episodes and without reminder i can't quite remember first seasons. well i have few favorite episodes just not sure whether they're representative: Nailed, Course of the Coffin, Sunblock, Cyberlebrity (hope it's correct), Count Me Out, Die by the Sword, Time Bomb. these are my favorite episodes and those i've seen so far. maybe s9 has some more but i'm still at s8.