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...
The
second half of CSI's fourth season shows no sign of
flagging. The storylines, effects and acting just seem to
improve as time goes on.
This
collections kicks off with one of the best episodes of the
fourth season, Suckers. There are two main stories,
or crimes if you like, and both are really well conceived.
Firstly there is the murder of a woman who was a regular on
the underground vampire clubs scene (where people who should
know better pay to have fake fangs added to their own teeth
and then go around pretending to be vampires) and then there
is a casino robbery - where a well thought out series of events
keep the CSI team busy as they uncover scam after scam. I
did find it odd in this episode that no one thought of turning
the electricity off when it appears that a cable has fallen
into the casino's swimming pool and killed a guest. Surely
that's the first thing that someone would have done. Also,
was it me, or did the photofit that is produced in this episode
look like the criminal was Barry Manilow?
Other
interesting episodes include Getting Off (anyone who,
like me, hates clowns will love this episode); if you want
a gory episode then XX will be to your liking. This
concerns the death of a female convict who is torn apart after
it appears that she tried to escape her sentence by tying
herself underneath the prison bus; thrill seekers may think
twice about riding another roller coaster after watching Turn
of the Screws. This follows the CSI team as they investigate
a number of deaths after a roller coaster leaves the tracks;
and No More Bets has an interesting plot about the
ability to cheat a casino using electronic wizardry. This
episode also stars Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie).
This
collection also brings back two familiar characters who have
failed to be brought to justice in earlier episodes. In Paper
or Plastic, it's Grissom's nemesis officer Fromansky,
and in No More Bets Sam Braun is yet again under the
CSI team's watchful eye.
While
the crimes in this collection are diverse and interesting,
I was disappointed to see that the personal stories of the
characters didn't get much of a look in. It would seem that
Grissom's secret illness has vanished - well, the writers
don't mention it at all. The only on going plot lines involve
Catherine's new boyfriend (played by Nicholas Lea - better
known as Alex Krycek in The X-Files), and one other
member of the team has a secret - but I won't spoil that for
you.
Besides
Eddie Kaye Thomas and Nicholas Lea, the only other notable
guest star is
Xander Berkeley (George Mason in 24) who
makes a brief appearance in Bad to the Bone.
Extras
include several behind the scenes featurettes (one each covering
pre-production, production and post-production) and an audio
commentary on Bad to the Bone.
There
was also a bit of an error in the subtitles in Early Rollout.
Catherine introduces saying: "Catherine... Willows."
However, the subtitles state: "Catherine... Well it's..."
Whatever that's supposed to mean. It's not really that important,
but does prove that I've watched every extra and episode in
this collection. Do I get a gold star [No! - Ed]
Without
a doubt one of the best CSI releases to date.
Nick
Smithson
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