Long post ahead, read at your own peril. :lol:
First thing to say about the episode is that it was much, MUCH better than I was expecting it to be. That's not saying it was excellent, it was decent, but nothing more and not an episode I'll find myself re-watching over and over.
I thought there were some really excellent, memorable scenes throughout the episode but sadly they were hampered by some pretty crap parts as well. I'll start with what I didn't like:
- Who was in charge of cinematography for this episode? The flashback scenes were particularly awful and I think someone tried too hard to be artsy and to be honest it looked like a mess.
- DB. I thought was far too OTT and came across as a bit of an ass throughout the episode. Even with the circumstances, I think it was far too overplayed and was too much of a step away from his usual relaxed nature. I particularly didn't like when he snapped at Sara to "open her kit and start processing". I don't want to see the dark side to DB, I want to see the quirky, shroom-loving leader that I immediately liked last season.
- I totally zoned out at all the DB family scenes which mostly consisted of angsty hysterics amongst annoying moaning. I still don't give a damn about them.
- Hodges and Morgan. The kiss looked like one of those awkward "one-off" things but I still hope they don't go down this route. It's the "he looks like her dad" situation all over again. :lol:
- No final Nick/McKeen moment? At least he left in chains as opposed to a body bag.
- I think Ecklie's shooting was resolved in about as much time as was needed but whilst Nick's resolution is still up in the air, I think it was done a bit too quickly in this episode and I'm not sure it was too wise to have a drunk/severly hungover Nick working in the crime lab.
But I guess this technicality isn't as bad once you consider everything else which happened.
- The ending was a bit rushed. Basically everyone involved was killed, and then McKeen and the other guy were arrested. Whatever happened to the team being put under scrutiny? That would have been an interesting storyline to follow up on, but it seems as if it was just tossed under the rug.
Okay, now on to the things I liked:
- Whilst DB's daydreams I thought mostly diluted the show, I liked the one of DB shooting McKeen. Nick's "nice shot" whilst he was burying McKeen I thought was hilarious! (Reminded me a little of "Grave Danger" as well.) The others I could have done without.
- I was surprised at how tolerant I was of Finn in this one considering the amount of screentime she had. I liked that her plan failed and she didn't become some sort of superhero and she has been massively toned down since the end of Season 12. I guess it helped that she wasn't partnered with DB in every scene. I'd still rather have had more Nick, Greg, Sara, Doc and Brass but on the whole, I was still rooting for Finn.
- Even though the main focus was on DB/Finn, I personally thought Sara stole the show acting as voice of reason and as the 'mother' of the team. I particularly loved her scene with Nick in the cell as well as the one of the "Three Musketeers" at the end. It's good to see her developed into a more controlling and mature character (whilst having the occasional spark of feistyness) as opposed to the highly hormonal character she was in the earlier seasons.
- I liked the mature approach which Greg had in his limited amount of screentime from taking control of the scene of Ecklie's shooting at the beginning of the show and standing between the "fractured family" at the end.
- I really, really, really loved the scene with Nick, Greg and Sara at the end. I've heard some people (on other boards) say that it was hypocritical of Sara to preach to him about quitting but I saw it as her reckoning with him to make him realise he's making a big mistake. Greg's "this is not how family treats each other - actually it is" got a laugh out of me too.
- But my favourite scene of the episode has to be the one of Brass giving a bollocking to DB and Nick (and rightly so) about going rogue and messing everything up. This is the Brass I've been missing for a while and Paul Guilfoyle absolutely nailed it. Loved his scene with McKeen and damn he sure has a good shot. :lol: Let's see this shade of Brass more often shall we writers?
- Excellent acting all around. I thought Danson felt a bit off at first but I guess it's because we're not used to seeing this side of his character. Shue gave her best performance so far (damn it writers let's have her working more with Brass, Sara, Nick and Greg!). I'd also like to mention Conor O'Farrell who was delightfully evil and hate-inducing with his performance. I particularly loved his mocking of the "TSK TSK" of the luminol spray.
Overall, a decent episode which massively surpassed my low expectations but not one I'd be in a hurry to watch again. I'd rank it above "Dead Doll", the "Pilot", "BTK1" and "Revenge is Best Served Cold" in terms of premieres but there's still a large number of improvements to be made for the rest of Season 13. Less DB/Finn more "Three Musketeers" + Brass would be good for starters. Also I'd like to go a whole season without another CSI in peril situation.
Rating: 7.3/10