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C.S.I. is an acclaimed, edgy, fast-paced drama series about
a passionate team of forensic investigators who work the graveyard
shift at the Las Vegas Criminalistics Bureau. Their job -
to find the missing pieces at the scene that will help to
solve the crime and vindicate those who often cannot speak
for themselves - the victims. Between the hidden clues and
the buried motives lies the trail to the truth because people
lie... but the evidence never does...
I'm
still unsure whether or not I would rather have these episodes
in season box sets, rather than the format that Momentum have
used so far. Splitting the seasons in half does nicely break
up the release so there is something to look forward to. But,
on the other hand, just as you are starting to get into the
swing of the episodes it is very frustrating that you then
have to wait to see the rest of the season.
There
are some great episodes in this collection. My three favourites
have to be A Little Murder, Abra Cadaver and The
Execution of Catherine Willows - all of which, coincidentally,
follow each other - although they have no connection.
Little
Murder begins when a popular dwarf is found hanging during
the annual little people's convention. His average-sized fiancé
is insistent that he didn't commit suicide, and as the CSI
team starts to unravel the truth, she is looking increasingly
like a suspect in her husband's staged murder.
This
episode tackles prejudices within minority groups. There are
two distinct categories of little people - those whose body
portions remain the same as average sized people, only smaller,
and those who have limbs that aren't in proportion to the
rest of their body. Also, ignorant observations are tackled.
Dwarfs are not "midgets", as Grissom points out.
Abra
Cadaver opens with a woman who volunteers to be part of
a magic show disappearing - for real. CSI start to look into
whether the strange magician may be a murderer.
This
episode is a lot of fun - as well as a little creepy. The
actor who plays the magician is well cast, and gives a very
creepy performance. And, just like his magic show, nothing
is as it seems.
The
Execution of Catherine Willows sees a serial killer, who
Catherine helped put on death row, receiving a stay of execution
on a new evidence appeal. This forces Catherine to re-examine
her feelings and the case against him.
Another
cracking episode which wrestles with Catherine's feelings
about being responsible for putting someone on death row.
The opening sequence, while a little dramatic, is quite scary.
The death row inmate is actually injected with the lethal
substance that will kill him and the stay of execution means
that his heart has to be restarted. Also the ending remains
unresolved. There are still a lot of questions left unanswered.
Where
would CSI be without its sense of humour? As usual it's spot
on. Ranging from the social comment (while looking for a knife
in a park in Blood Lust, the CSI investigators find
a gun, to which Grissom remarks: "What is happening to
our parks?") to the corny (while removing a severed arm
from a meat grinder in Recipe for Murder, Grissom says:
"I'm going to need a hand").
This
is a first rate series, and it is almost impossible to fault.
However, I'm going to have a few moans in this review. That's
not to say that I didn't enjoy this collection - I loved it.
It's just that there are a few things that I took issue with.
I
really wish that the writers would give a little background
story to some of the other characters other than Grissom.
While his hereditary hearing problem helps to flesh out his
character, what about the other members of the team? Don't
they have lives as well?
Also,
I was really rather dismayed with the extras on this collection.
Why on earth is there a featurette on the first disc that
gives away the climactic events of the last episode? But wait,
not from this collection, but of the next box set to be released.
Not only that, but it gives away some more of the surprises
that await us in the next collection. Wouldn't it have made
more sense to include this extra on the next box set?
The
only other extra (apart from the audio commentaries on some
of the episodes) is a CSI tour of the police office - which
is interesting. This takes us on a behind the scenes tour
of the police office set.
On
a lighter note... what is going on with Catherine's hair in
this season. The last four episodes see her hair changing
from straight, to frizzy, back to straight and then back to
being frizzy again. It could be that she feels like a change
and can't decide how she likes her hair... but I'm betting
these episodes have been placed in the wrong order.
Despite
my anal ramblings, I loved this collection.
Pete
Boomer
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