My feelings on the season finale are very mixed. On the up side, they did an incredible job of maintaining the creepy vibe through the episode, the actress who played Natalie was terrific...just enough not to be overacting and just enough to be scary, and the neck-stabbing was a great fake-out that even had my husband going! On the down side, however, the ending, as has been mentioned, seemed to shift into high gear too fast and for too short a time. Disneyland afficionados might compare it to going from a long saunter on one of the Main Street vehicles to about 10 seconds of Space Mountain. :lol: Part of me didn't "catch up" adrenalin-wise. The reactions to Grissom's admission were good in themselves but too brief to really count for much, unless they're expounded upon later. That said, I think they're trying to out-Grey's-Anatomy "Grey's Anatomy". Soap opera fans are going to watch GA; mystery, forensics and crime drama fans are going to stick with "CSI". Whoever muddies the waters is going to lose. Other shows have handled inter-character relationships better. Also, the busting-into-apartment fake-out, unlike the other one, just drew a "I hate that..." from my husband. I thought it was OK. Just OK. At the end, I felt more annoyed than anything else about the cliffhanger.
Ever since "Dynasty" and their "Moldavian Massacre" plot device, the question of a character's survival has been a handy bargaining chip to either push a reluctant actor/actress into signing below what they'd hoped to get, or preparing fans for their abrupt departure. Unfortunately, said event was when "Dynasty" jumped the proverbial shark, IMO. Now, I adore Jorja Fox as an actress. I've never met her, but I've heard she's also a terrific person. I hope she's back with the series come fall, but I'm prepared for her not to be. And other shows I like very much have lost major characters this season. It's getting too close, for me, to the point where I just don't care. If Jorja doesn't come back, obviously I hope she moves on to other stepping stones in a really great career. She's a really good actress. But TPTB are going to have to really bat 1.000 with the beginning of Season 8 with this.
That all said...
"Okay, we're in a David Lynch movie. Where's the dwarf?" That line alone deserves an Emmy...
Nice to see Judy get a little bit of camera time. I've been a receptionist. Unsung heroes, I tell ya!
All in all...it really left me undecided. I loved it and I hated it at the same time. If that's what they were shooting for, they get an A+. But I just get a wierd feeling this was intended more for non-long-term/hardcore "CSI" fans; more for those who couldn't decide between Grey's, CSI and the NBA playoffs. ::hugs her overworked DVR:: Come the opening act of Season 8, I hope I'm inspired all over again. Four months from now, it's going to take a great episode. The "CSI" writers are capable of it. I hope I see it.