Toots said:
I'm looking forward to seeing Ecklie grill Grissom and Sara about their relationship, and to also seeing the other members' reaction.
I'm disappointed to read that Jorja is leaving the show in November. I wanted GSR to end, but not Sara to leave. It's going to be difficult to fill the void left by Sara's exit. Very difficult.
Any "group" show that loses a player suffers. But this is a case where Jorja leaving the show as the season goes on is actually not a terrible thing for the show as a whole. let me explain:
While season 7 generally was a good season and showed some great depth in the starring cast and the supporting roles, it degraded as the season went on and sunk pretty far into the shipper department. As strong as the MK story arc was, it was overshadowed by the budding romance at the table.
In the end, when it came to Sara, Grissom, and the work at CSI, the writers had put themselves into a pretty ugly corner that has few good exits, unless one of the characters is leaving.
So Sara can leave. Grissom can get chewed out, possibly even demoted. A new CSI can come in a stir the pot a bit (worked well in season 7, didn't it?) and the writers can get back to doing a little more of the procedural drama and exploring the new character, especially in how that character plays against others.
Hodges making the starring page is a clear indication that, like Doc Robbins, he is more than likely going to be a clearer leading player this season.
It is obvious as well that, at least for the next couple of shows, Ecklie is present and accounted for.
I know that the Sara fans will be sad to see her go, and I am sure that it changes the show no matter how much we wish it didn't. But at the end of the day, nobody knew any of these characters 7 years ago, and time has allowed them to grow. New character(s) will in time fill that same space.