"Unleashed" Discussion **SPOILERS**

[GregNickRyanFan]

By the way, the woman who played the dead girl's mother looks familiar. Anyone know who she is? I was thinking it was the older sister on one of those older sitcoms from the 70s/80's, but I'm not sure.

She was on The West Wing as Mallory and was also on Kate and Allie. She was in CSI's Get Murder.

Kate and Allie is what I was thinking of. Thank you for commenting on that, because it was driving me nuts that I couldn't remember where I'd seen her lol.

 

[Raynn]

Nick's expression when Doc put the baby in his arms was awesome. I hope someone makes caps of that scene.

I had to rewind and watch that about 3 times. I'm sure at least half a dozen Ward Girls will have it capped by morning.

I liked the Nick/Doc story, although I agree it could've used more time. It covered a lot of ground really quickly, but everyone involved was really good. I'm liking Ecklie more and more these days.

The human pet thing was interesting, but having Heather and Ray get into the Haskell stuff just seemed really unnecessary. While I'm not looking forward to the end of the season, I am very much looking forward to the end of Haskell.

 

[MacsGirlMel]

I think it's 'Got Murder?".

I loved the baby delivery scene too. Nick is so cute with babies/kids. I loved him in Gumdrops too.

Agree that the cyberbullying case was an important one, and I wish they'd arrest some more teens that way.

They overplayed the GSR angle in the promos...Sara and LH didn't even have that much screen time together. I'll be glad to finish out Haskell too, though at least this ep didn't take up too much time with it. Or at least not like some other eps.

I missed Catherine too.

 

[vegaslights]

I think it'll please Smokey and others to say that (for once) my favorite part of the episode involved Nick. I'm shocked!

So Lady Heather is being used as a plot device to further advance the Nate/Langston storyline. It's insulting. Taking one of the most delicious and incredibly written guest characters from any TV show and bringing them down to such a tasteless level. Was there even a point for "Dr. Kessler" to consult on the human animals? Probably not. Although, I do give credit to the writers: for once Langston didn't know everything! :lol:

Having now seen the episode I can see why Catherine and Greg were missing in action. Lady Heather (Dr. Lady Heather Kessler? Dr. Kessler? What do we call her now?! :lol was limited to a few brief scenes and it would've probably felt too... tight? to fit them all in. It's disappointing, but it works for the episode.

The CSI shows have done several bully themed episodes and I thought the B-case here was the best of all that have been done so far. The subject of bullying is very poignant for many of us as I'm sure we've all been teased and tormented by somebody throughout our lives. (God... I remember as a kid. My supposed 'friends' locked me in a port a potty and then tipped me down a hill. It was humiliating and awful and just horrible.) I'm not sure who wrote the B-story, but I tip my hat to both Anthony and Ed for depicting such a depressing thing with real integrity. It was probably one of my favorite B-cases ever.

Lots of foreshadowing. The comment about Ecklie's daughter and the dragged out storyline known as Raskell Everlasting. Oy.

(Oh, one more thing. All the hoopla and holla about a potential Sara/Heather cat fight for NOTHING. :lol

 

[myfuturecsi]

(Oh, one more thing. All the hoopla and holla about a potential Sara/Heather cat fight for NOTHING. )

I would have preferred that over what we got-which was a mesh up of Slaves of Las Vegas and Fur and Loathing...lame A storyline..

Great B storyline..

 

[Ladybronco]

I was waiting all along for the B story of Nick and Doc. It did not disappoint, but like some others, I wish the entire episode was devoted to it. I knew about the baby delivery of course, but I wasn't expecting it in the first scene with Nick and Doc, I thought they would get a call out first.

I was really touched by the scene in the morgue, when Nick told Doc what a good job he did and called him Albert. I can't remember him using his first name before, but maybe he did somewhere in the past 11 seasons and I missed it. That scene was so cool, as were all the others with Nick. You could see just how much he cares, and the amount of anger in the interrogation was just right. When the teenage dad came to the hospital, and was in the last scene with Nick, I had tears very close to the surface. The bitter part was the mother never showing up to see her Granddaughter, that is hard for me to fathom, but I know it happens. Loved Brass and Ecklie in this too, and how Ecklie has Nick's back! I'm glad they don't portray him as such a jerk any more.

As to the Sara/LH/Ray storyline, it was better than I thought, though I wanted more scenes with just Sara and LH. Big tension build-up for nothing, lol. I did love the looks on their faces when they went to Neth's mansion, that really was quite trippy. My cats own me, but at least they are real :lol:

Definitely need to see it again, and will certainly cap it, but I'm sure all the East Coasters will have them done before me tomorrow. That's the worst part of living on the West Coast, we see the show later than so many other people, hahaha.

SO done with Haskell, just kill his ass and be done with it! When I mentioned to my son about the Haskell season ender, he was bummed, he had been counting on a potential Squeegel finale. If it's a season cliffie with Ray, I'm sure I'll manage to hang on over the summer, as I consider 3 Ray finales way too much .

I missed Greg and Catherine of course, but I do see how squeezing them in might make it feel even more rushed than it did. Archie was perfect in his scenes instead, which was definitely more internet/video related and in line with the circumstances.

 

[kaylyne]

By the way, the woman who played the dead girl's mother looks familiar. Anyone know who she is? I was thinking it was the older sister on one of those older sitcoms from the 70s/80's, but I'm not sure.

She was on The West Wing as Mallory and was also on Kate and Allie. She was in CSI's Get Murder.

Kate and Allie is what I was thinking of. Thank you for commenting on that, because it was driving me nuts that I couldn't remember where I'd seen her lol.

Not if you're thinking it's Allie from Kate & Allie, cuz this wasn't Jane Curtin in this episode. Nor was it Allison Smith, the daughter in Kate & Allie. This was Marcia Bennett - who actually was in a tv movie, Thanks of a Grateful Nation, in which Marg was also part of .

 

[PraetorCorvinus]

Definitely liked the Nick/Doc case a whole lot better. Really reminded me of the Phoebe Prince suicide that happened last year and was all over the news. I really followed that story and this case brought back all those memories. Made me feel sad and angry...

George and RDH were awesome! Paul too! I would personally love to see more of Doc. And I think I heard the collective squee from the Nick fans when he held the baby after helping deliver it. :lol:

I'm really starting to like Ecklie as well. I feel sorry for him. The past three seasons or so have shown him trying to help out but reminding everyone that they need actual evidence to back up what they want to do. He at least is an attempt to ground the show in reality.

Didn't care for the human pets case. Not the strangest thing we've ever seen (that honor still is a tie between the furries and the panty convention). It just didn't interest me.

Very disappointed with Heather. Sara was fine and Ray was too... when he wasn't with Heather. I really don't like the direction they're taking with her. I feel that this "embrace the power of the Dark Side!" angle is OOC. She's explored the darker side of humanity, but I never got the feeling that she would embrace it for murder. Cause that's what she encouraged Ray to do. There's a reason vigilante justice is illegal. (Unless you're Batman, cause he's just awesome! :lol

I agree with Melinda Clarke's original belief that without Grissom there would be no more Heather. Something was missing and what they filled it with just plain sucked.

Oh, and one final thing. Desertwind, if you're going to cite a website, for God's sake don't use Cracked! It's a comedy site!

 

[Speedystokesgirl]

I think it'll please Smokey and others to say that (for once) my favorite part of the episode involved Nick. I'm shocked!

Feels Shane's forehead, check to see if he's feeling alright. :lol:

Oh, and one final thing. Desertwind, if you're going to cite a website, for God's sake don't use Cracked! It's a comedy site!

Exactly! Dominatrixes do not run brothels, madams do.

Well, of course, I loved the Nick and Doc case. There's a shocker. :lol:

I think it should have been the main case as bullying is a real issue these days. Bullying today is way different than it was when I was a teenager.

I, also, loved when the cheerleaders were arrested. Especially when it's over a boy , lord knows he'd probably forgotten when the next boy comes along.

Nick was great, as usual. He just shows how much he cares and how he feels when kids are involved. Loved him with Doc Robbins in the morgue and how he thanked Doc and told him that he did a great job. Nick was truly awed by Doc Robbins.

I was so happy that the father of the baby went to see his daughter and will be a dad to her. I was a little worried that poor girl would have no one.

You can tell Nick was so proud of him. Loved Nick and Doc at the end: "there's our girl" :adore:

The human pets case :shifty:. I don't know, LH seemed a little off to me.

Her basically encouraging Langston to 'go for it'. You know this is setting up another cliff hanger.

Oh well, the Haskell storyline will be over soon.

 

[Otie]

Very disappointed with Heather. Sara was fine and Ray was too... when he wasn't with Heather. I really don't like the direction they're taking with her. I feel that this "embrace the power of the Dark Side!" angle is OOC. She's explored the darker side of humanity, but I never got the feeling that she would embrace it for murder. Cause that's what she encouraged Ray to do. There's a reason vigilante justice is illegal. (Unless you're Batman, cause he's just awesome! :lol

It's funny... maybe it's all the years I've spent in therapy :lol:, but I actually did NOT take her comment to be encouraging Ray to commit murder. Quite the opposite in fact, she's warning him that if he carries on being so obsessed and focussed on Haskell, that he's at risk for allowing that part of himself to come through. Telling him that the good him wouldn't catch Haskell wasn't saying 'go rogue and kill'im!', that was a therapist's way of letting him realize for himself that he's treading in dangerous territory. The further comments were to encourage him to explore mentally what would happen if he were to continue to allow himself to go along as he has been. Getting him to realize for himself that he would turn to murder is her attempt to get him to redirect his path so he does NOT end up resorting to it.

That's a therapist's job, to push the 'patient' to come to their own realizations, quite often by forcing them to consider consequences of potential actions/feelings that the patient may wish to avoid.

 

[PraetorCorvinus]

It's funny... maybe it's all the years I've spent in therapy :lol:, but I actually did NOT take her comment to be encouraging Ray to commit murder. Quite the opposite in fact, she's warning him that if he carries on being so obsessed and focussed on Haskell, that he's at risk for allowing that part of himself to come through. Telling him that the good him wouldn't catch Haskell wasn't saying 'go rogue and kill'im!', that was a therapist's way of letting him realize for himself that he's treading in dangerous territory. The further comments were to encourage him to explore mentally what would happen if he were to continue to allow himself to go along as he has been. Getting him to realize for himself that he would turn to murder is her attempt to get him to redirect his path so he does NOT end up resorting to it.

That's a therapist's job, to push the 'patient' to come to their own realizations, quite often by forcing them to consider consequences of potential actions/feelings that the patient may wish to avoid.

Interesting look. I've never been to a therapist so your POV is probably way more accurate than my own.

It still seems odd though. The comment that the good Ray would never catch him seems to be egging him on. It's like, "if you really want to catch him, you need to cross lines". It just appeared to me that she was opening doors that needed to remain shut.

This makes me want to comment further on my feelings regarding Heather and her effectiveness as a therapist, but I'll stay silent. I've never been a part of that world so my thoughts are of an outsider looking in - a bad place to form an opinion. I'll just reiterate that I'm not entirely happy with the direction they've taken Heather.

Oh! I also wanted to comment on the lack of Cath and Greg. I was actually okay with it. Since I knew ahead of time they weren't going to be in it, I wasn't looking for them. It allowed me to focus more on the characters that were there.

 

[Smokey]

Oh! I also wanted to comment on the lack of Cath and Greg. I was actually okay with it. Since I knew ahead of time they weren't going to be in it, I wasn't looking for them. It allowed me to focus more on the characters that were there.

I agree. While it would have been nice to see them, sometimes in an episode where any character just pops up in the middle of the lab to help with something and is then gone again...it just seems off and distracting to me.

 

[Otie]

It still seems odd though. The comment that the good Ray would never catch him seems to be egging him on. It's like, "if you really want to catch him, you need to cross lines". It just appeared to me that she was opening doors that needed to remain shut.

Well that's what the pushing aspect is. In my specific type of therapy we use the term 'triggering', because it sets off the reactions within the mind (and then the body, fight or flight response), and then the patient has to deal with it at that moment in time in a safe environment. The goal being that when they encounter it outside of the therapist's office, they'll have the experience backing them to react appropriately (in my case, I don't have a panic attack if I brush against a surface that I previously would have seen as 'contaminated').

So yes, she is in a way egging him on... however it's done in a way to make him realize that if he continues to pursue Haskell, he likely WILL cross lines... to trigger him into coming to the conclusion that he should step back from the whole Haskell mess and let someone else handle it if he wishes to remain the 'good' Ray. Whether or not he heeds her, is an entirely different matter.

I actually think she does make a very good therapist... she knows when to observe and when to interject in order to trigger, and she does so in a safe environment. Yes, Iona did not respond well to treatment, but that does happen... it's really not too much different than a patient having an unexpected adverse reaction to a medical treatment that most people are completely fine with (I used to be friends with someone who after years of taking it for tests, developed a spontaneous anaphylactic reaction to the chemical drink doctor's give in order to observe the stomach and intestines in x-ray/other tests). Heather does certainly have a good grasp on the human psyche, and how to interact with a majority of people in order to make them feel at ease with her - which does go a VERY long way to being a good therapist.

 

[hodges_alias_47]

Oh! I also wanted to comment on the lack of Cath and Greg. I was actually okay with it. Since I knew ahead of time they weren't going to be in it, I wasn't looking for them. It allowed me to focus more on the characters that were there.

I agree. While it would have been nice to see them, sometimes in an episode where any character just pops up in the middle of the lab to help with something and is then gone again...it just seems off and distracting to me.

Although it wouldve been nice to have a quick reference to them, I was okay with them not showing up. It would've been a quick shot and that's it. Without Greg or Catherine (as much as I like them), the cases seemed more focused this episode.

 

[byline]

I liked the case with Nick and Doc Robbins, wasn't too crazy about the "human pets" angle with Sara, Ray and Lady Heather (sorry, I'll never be able to think of her as anything but that). But then, I've never been a fan of the voyeuristic episodes, which this one seemed to try too hard to be, placing too heavy an emphasis on the attempt to shock . . . and falling short, IMO.

I'm also growing weary of their attempts to create some sort of "final showdown" between Ray and Haskell (and now they're trying to shoehorn Lady Heather into that old, tired mess). This season started off with so much promise, but for me, at least, the more recent episodes are lacking, somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it, other than they feel like retreads and not exploring new territory, which is something "CSI" always used to be so good at.

I did enjoy the B case far more than the A, and felt that both George and Robert David Hall nailed their performances. I also felt that Jorja was good with what she was given, but I could've done with less tension, more of a shared connection between Sara and Lady Heather. As others have noted, Sara has grown by leaps and bounds from the insecure, emotionally needy person she was when she left. This Sara wouldn't have any problem with Grissom having female friends, including one who understands him as well as Lady Heather does. But perhaps Sara's discomfort has more to do with Lady Heather's past line of work, less with her connection with Grissom.

Also, it is true that Lady Heather was not a madam running a bordello, but a dominatrix running a business specializing in fetishes. I don't pretend to have any inside knowledge of either, but just know that by definition, they are two very different things.