"Toe Tags" Discussion **SPOILERS**
- Thread starter Destiny
- Start date
katpin31791
CSI Level Three
That was just too cute if I may so myself. :lol:
phantomscreams
Hit and Run
Recently saw the episode, I must say, I relly enjoyed it, and my gf did as well. I like how they have finally had some simpler cases aside from twists and turns and long drawn out cases.
Well, I have to say, I really liked it. I don't expect CSI to be a roller-coaster of excitement each week; I like getting slower cases sometimes, especially when they make some much-needed room to show our intrepid forensics investigators as real people. And we got lots of that this time... Catherine's grieving for Sam and Brass's sympathy... Warrick's phone call to his wife and Greg's outing himself as an Eagle Boy Scout... Nick and Sofia's disgust over the stupidity of their case and Nick's empathy for the wife... Sara's first impression of Grissom and Grissom's alarmed face as she came at him with the chainsaw. I don't want the "people" stuff to overpower the "forensics investigators" stuff, but I don't want the latter to crowd out the former either. So I liked the fact that the cases allowed both me and the characters to breathe.
I think the format of the episode helped with that. If it'd been only one or two slow cases, the episode might have felt like it was plodding along. But because there were four, each case was simple and straightforward and yet there was no wasted time. In addition, we got to see the CSIs methodically do their job even as they revealed parts of themselves as people. Kind of like how we saw the dead people be... well, dead, yet they got to reveal part of themselves as well. I liked the "dead man speaking" technique; too often on this show it's easy to ignore the victim in favor of the investigation and the suspects & witnesses, so I liked that the thoughts and feelings of the victims were brought to us front and center this time.
That made the framing with Gil and the students work for me - at the beginning of the episode we viewed the bodies as the students did: bad-smelling puzzles on a stretcher... but at the end, we viewed them as Gil did: people who can no longer speak for themselves and need a medium, someone to champion their cause and seek justice and closure for them. I really liked what that said about Gil, and that it was shown to us through the technique of the episode rather than stated outright.
In addition, I liked how this episode established Gil as a teacher... doing a seminar for the students, a mention of his teaching past in San Fransisco, giving guidance to less experienced CSIs when they needed his advice (Warrick & Nick), gently making suggestions when required (no way Catherine would have ordinarily missed putting those fingerprints together; she's dealing with a lot right now). Is this maybe setting something up for the future - a direction for Gil to go in when he finally leaves the lab (and William Petersen finally leaves the show)? (That's spec, not spoilers.)
One last thing: I thought Doc's comment about whether or not Catherine would be found in Grissom's tub was very revealing metatext. I do like the GSR, not least because I find it an interesting direction for these characters. Not that I think that supervisors ordinarily date their subordinates - I don't; nor do I think they should. That said, I'm not naive enough to think that it never happens, and I'm not cynical enough to think that there isn't occasionally a situation where a supervisor and subordinate have genuine feelings for each other. So do I think that Grissom and Sara are doing something wrong? Yeah, I do - from a work perspective. From a personal perspective, I think they're doing something right. And I like that moral conflict. Yeah, both characters would have been more morally upstanding in their work if they'd closed the door on any potential romance... but dramatically it would have been the least interesting choice.
So I was heartened by Ecklie's comment last episode (& the subsequent nervous looks), and by Doc's comment to Catherine that suggested of course she'd never be in Grissom's bathtub, 'cause she/he wouldn't go there. That suggests to me that TPTB are very much aware of the sup/sub factor, and don't plan to ignore it. And I hope very, very much that they don't. I don't mind Grissom and Sara as a couple, and that storyline has been much more subtle and nuanced than I'd feared it'd be at the beginning of the season... but the sup/sub factor has GOT to be dealt with. There should be negative fallout from their decision, and they should have to deal with those consequences; that's real life. And that doesn't bother me; I look forward to seeing that storyline pan out, actually. This is a workplace drama, after all, and how far employers and employees are willing to let their work lives dictate the parameters of their personal lives, especially in a dimension as fundamentally necessary to the human spirit as romance... well, to me that's something that all people have to deal with sooner or later, and something that's fascinating to observe. So I don't mind seeing it as a storyline here.
All in all... I thought that despite being slow-moving and simply plotted, it was a very meaty, moving, provocative episode.
Postscript: I have to say it… ordinarily, I just don’t really think of Greg/ES as being particularly hot… but in this episode? Rockin’ that stormtrooper helmet? Hauling himself up over the mountain in that T-shirt, muscles bulging in those forearms with that toothy grin on his face? Hel-looooo, Greggo! Come to Mama, baby!
I think the format of the episode helped with that. If it'd been only one or two slow cases, the episode might have felt like it was plodding along. But because there were four, each case was simple and straightforward and yet there was no wasted time. In addition, we got to see the CSIs methodically do their job even as they revealed parts of themselves as people. Kind of like how we saw the dead people be... well, dead, yet they got to reveal part of themselves as well. I liked the "dead man speaking" technique; too often on this show it's easy to ignore the victim in favor of the investigation and the suspects & witnesses, so I liked that the thoughts and feelings of the victims were brought to us front and center this time.
That made the framing with Gil and the students work for me - at the beginning of the episode we viewed the bodies as the students did: bad-smelling puzzles on a stretcher... but at the end, we viewed them as Gil did: people who can no longer speak for themselves and need a medium, someone to champion their cause and seek justice and closure for them. I really liked what that said about Gil, and that it was shown to us through the technique of the episode rather than stated outright.
In addition, I liked how this episode established Gil as a teacher... doing a seminar for the students, a mention of his teaching past in San Fransisco, giving guidance to less experienced CSIs when they needed his advice (Warrick & Nick), gently making suggestions when required (no way Catherine would have ordinarily missed putting those fingerprints together; she's dealing with a lot right now). Is this maybe setting something up for the future - a direction for Gil to go in when he finally leaves the lab (and William Petersen finally leaves the show)? (That's spec, not spoilers.)
One last thing: I thought Doc's comment about whether or not Catherine would be found in Grissom's tub was very revealing metatext. I do like the GSR, not least because I find it an interesting direction for these characters. Not that I think that supervisors ordinarily date their subordinates - I don't; nor do I think they should. That said, I'm not naive enough to think that it never happens, and I'm not cynical enough to think that there isn't occasionally a situation where a supervisor and subordinate have genuine feelings for each other. So do I think that Grissom and Sara are doing something wrong? Yeah, I do - from a work perspective. From a personal perspective, I think they're doing something right. And I like that moral conflict. Yeah, both characters would have been more morally upstanding in their work if they'd closed the door on any potential romance... but dramatically it would have been the least interesting choice.
So I was heartened by Ecklie's comment last episode (& the subsequent nervous looks), and by Doc's comment to Catherine that suggested of course she'd never be in Grissom's bathtub, 'cause she/he wouldn't go there. That suggests to me that TPTB are very much aware of the sup/sub factor, and don't plan to ignore it. And I hope very, very much that they don't. I don't mind Grissom and Sara as a couple, and that storyline has been much more subtle and nuanced than I'd feared it'd be at the beginning of the season... but the sup/sub factor has GOT to be dealt with. There should be negative fallout from their decision, and they should have to deal with those consequences; that's real life. And that doesn't bother me; I look forward to seeing that storyline pan out, actually. This is a workplace drama, after all, and how far employers and employees are willing to let their work lives dictate the parameters of their personal lives, especially in a dimension as fundamentally necessary to the human spirit as romance... well, to me that's something that all people have to deal with sooner or later, and something that's fascinating to observe. So I don't mind seeing it as a storyline here.
All in all... I thought that despite being slow-moving and simply plotted, it was a very meaty, moving, provocative episode.
Postscript: I have to say it… ordinarily, I just don’t really think of Greg/ES as being particularly hot… but in this episode? Rockin’ that stormtrooper helmet? Hauling himself up over the mountain in that T-shirt, muscles bulging in those forearms with that toothy grin on his face? Hel-looooo, Greggo! Come to Mama, baby!
Colonel Worf
Pathologist
Not the best stories in the bunch, but the presentation was interesting. A nice way to grab some attention and shake things up. This was the first episode of the season I've watched (online), so I don't really have anything to compare it to this year. Good to see Louise join the cast though, I really like her character.
I agree that they borrowed a lot from Tarantino here, but I think it was more of a tongue-in-cheek shout-out.
After they gave us Fannysmackin', and each episode having gotten progressively better, I think Toe Tags may fail in comparison to what's coming up now that the actors have back a lot of the drive and fire we missed in Season 6, but compared to something like Poppin' Tags or Up in Smoke? Great.
After they gave us Fannysmackin', and each episode having gotten progressively better, I think Toe Tags may fail in comparison to what's coming up now that the actors have back a lot of the drive and fire we missed in Season 6, but compared to something like Poppin' Tags or Up in Smoke? Great.
Desertwind
Head of the Day Shift
A letter in this week's TV Guide about this episode.. actually these were my sentiments..excatly 
CSI blew it in the beliveability department when this eppy had dead people sit up and start talking. It blew the credibility and "jumped the shark"
Linda Hitner Edwardsville, Ind.
Agree/disagree? let us know at sharkbait@tvguide.com
CSI blew it in the beliveability department when this eppy had dead people sit up and start talking. It blew the credibility and "jumped the shark"
Linda Hitner Edwardsville, Ind.
Agree/disagree? let us know at sharkbait@tvguide.com
Huh - I guess it's not surprising that they're re-running one from this season. Maybe hoping to get some of the viewers caught up on what's been happening.
Either way - I enjoyed Toe Tags, so I'm probably going to watch. I didn't catch Dog Eat Dog the time they re-ran it, and it got pretty decent ratings.
Either way - I enjoyed Toe Tags, so I'm probably going to watch. I didn't catch Dog Eat Dog the time they re-ran it, and it got pretty decent ratings.
Yep this was a good ep, I liked I wished it had more of the deads point of view but hey it was still good. As to the repeats they have to break up the new ones, so they can fit them all in where they need them to be. I think the ratings come up only because alot of people who miss the ep the first time around are counted, and then add in anyone else watching it. Also the rating's family they take one out put one in and that changes things too. Or someone in there who didn't like it the first time around watches it again and decides I missed something it was pretty good and up go ratings. Who really knows.