CSI: Las Vegas Season 7 thread (1 Viewer)

[Joseph DeMartino]

Sara was in the foster system after her father's killing, but not for all that long (I think she was an adolescent, so it may have only been a year or two. Six years would have been the absolute outside.) She would have been in the foster care system in California, and it is unlikely she would have ended up in Vegas even if a foster family that had her moved there. (The authorities would have kept her in-state because her mother had visitation rights even in the psychiatric lock-up. Sara speaks of visiting her there.) Strikes me as too unlikely on too many levels. Unless Jorja Fox were leaving the show at the end of the year (which surely would have leaked by now) I don't see how they could possibly make that work. (Besides, they've finally revealed Grissom and Sara's relationship, which has probably been going since mid-to-late season 5 and which has been building since the show's second episode, so it seems unlikely they'd drop that thread now.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[Nick Martin]

I wish that damn rumor of a widescreen DVD reissue came true, because I saw season 1 in HD widescreen back in December and I couldn't believe how great it looked.

 

[Anthony Hom]

The bad thing to watch for is the CSI big box set. Look carefully to make sure they aren't trying to slip in the 4:3 version of season 1 among all the other seasons, which are widescreen.

They must be leaving some sort of clues in each of the MK episodes. Would be unlike them not to. It could be different this time. In season 1, Paul Millander was in the first episode of that serial killer arc. The other serial killer with the graphic novel artist and the "blue rail", was that person not known until the last episode, or were there clues leading up to him?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

There is no 4:3 "version" of CSI: Season One. That season was only released in 4:3 (at least in R1) so that's all there is. The boxed set includes S1 in 4:3 because the alternative would be to leave S1 out entirely. Similarly the later seasons were only released in widescreen. I, too, wish that they'd reissue S1 in widescreen and with more and better extras, especially commentary tracks.

IIRC in the blue paint killer case they established that there was an original killer and a copycat and that the copycat was the criminal who was caught and executed. The art professor was a strong suspect when the 2nd series of killings went unsolved for lack of evidence. I think the original plan was to make him the killer if they revisted the story (a la Paul Milander) but that the writers later decided to use him as a red herring and bring in the previously unknown character who turned out to be the real killer because the other version would be too predictable. But that was another linked story that played out in stand-alone episodes over a couple of seasons. If they wrap the model killer in S7 I think they'll play closer to the normal rules for a mystery, which means we've probably met the killer already.

The Milander and Blue Paint killers weren't puzzles presented as a challege to the audience the way the models seem to be. There was no way you could have anticipated the conclusion of the Milander story based on the evidence persented in his first couple of appearances, for instance.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Anthony Hom]

looks like they are going to finish the Greg story arc first next week before finishing the miniature killer. The last two serial killer arcs went over 2 seasons before they solved it. Since they have shown 3-4 episodes related to this new serial killer, they may wrap it up sooner. I too doubt they would bring up some total unknown. But like in reality, the evidence is too vague right now to point the finger at anybody, even a CSI or LVPD.
But like the Bathtub suicides and the Blue paint killers, there has got to be some twist in the stories at the end, just like Milander in the first SK and the tag team SKs in the Blue paint one. I expect the miniature killer story to be no less twisted.

 

[Nick Martin]

I'm thinking they're going to save the resolution for the end of the season.

 

[Robert A. Willis Jr.]

Hasn't CSI been broadcast in HD for all of its seasons?

 

[Nick Martin]

In HD, yes. However no one really knows why CBS provided a cropped 4:3 version of season 1 for DVD release. Season 1 is 1.78:1 like every other season.

 

[John Stell]

CBS has announced some details of its season finales. CSI's airs May 17.

The MK is revealed, Sara goes missing, and the romance is outed. Given that Lady Heather is returning I'm wondering if she is the miniature killer. The fact that the last time we saw her she tried to kill somebody may be a clue. Perhaps she kidnaps Sara after she finds out Sara and Gil are an item. A wacky, way-out guess, maybe, but who knows?

 

[Anthony Hom]

Did anyone else see the previews for next week? Looks like someone else besides Grissom is taking an interest in the miniature killer models.

 

[Nelson Au]

Lab Rats

Good change of pace episode, focusing in on the supporting characters. Hodges takes a chance to try to help on the MK case with the help of the other lab rats. Nice to see these characters play out another side of their lives, other then the efficient and professionals they are. Did Wendy actually like Hodges? Without getting into details if you've not seen this episode yet, does it change anything about theories on who the killer is?

I did enjoy the references to Get Smart and James Bond, And I enjoyed the fact that the Doc is OCD and hates rats. Loved how he wore the Haz Mat suit to find the rat! Given what he does, he seems a contradition.

 

[TravisR]

I really enjoy when they focus on the minor characters. While the majority of the episode was just a recap if you had forgotten about or missed an episode about the Miniature Killer, they did move things forward a little bit too.

And I cracked up at Hodges' reaction to winning a Three's Company board game auction.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Did he saying something about being OCD? If so, I missed it. (Just hating rats, of course, is hardly evidence of OCD and he's never shown the remotest sign of having that condition otherwise.)

I also liked the change of pace. Doing an "off-format" episode once or twice a season helps keep a show fresh and gets the writers and producers to "stretch" a bit, which is usually a good thing. Sometimes such experiments fail (which was not the case here), but they are still worthwhile because if you don't fail once in awhile, you're probably not trying hard enough. (There's been a lot of grumbling over in the Lost thread about how a recent episode deviated from the usual formula and played more like a segment of The Twilight Zone, for instance, but I don't see that as necessarily being a flaw.)

I thought the episode was a good way to feature the secondary characters, making them more well-rounded, while also providing viewers with a quick review of all the Miniature Killer murders before moving into the final few episodes of the season and (as I suspect but do not know for certain) the thread's resolution.

Yeah - Wendy did seem to have been relucantly impressed by Hodges, so maybe that will be the show's next hook-up. (Giving hope to awkward geeks everywhere.)

I also loved how Sara reacted to Wendy's question about Grissom losing sleep over the MK. I think their romance is going to become an issue by the last episode as well, probably the result of Eckley doing or saying something. (Since I'm convinced he has his suspicions.)

Can't wait for the next few shows. (And the eventual DVD set. )

Regards,

Joe

 

[Nelson Au]

I'll explain. In my last job, I was called OCD for many of my "neurosis". That is in the broadest sense of the word. So in my case, fear of germs, compulsively clean and neat, etc....

So with the doc, wearing that haz mat suit, I could identify with that. I wouldn't want to be in a room with all those germs.

Grissom's line ot the doc was great, "Can you smell that? You shouldn't be able to in that suit"

 

[DavidJ]

I think this episode changes my opinion about the possible identity of the miniature killer (unless they are not being genuine to the story).

 

[Nick Martin]

I found it truly funny and interesting that Grissom's first instinct is to try to smash the rat with one of those metal bowls and didn't care that he ended up smashing a bunch of beakers with chemicals in them!

I don't know, somehow I thought he would have tried to catch it gently. It was a pleasant surprise actually.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Well, it wasn't a bug, after all.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Me, too. After all that bleach stuff I'm now convinced my mother did it.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Patrick Sun]

Sarah was looking pretty preggers in this episode.

 

[Marianne]

Not sure about the bleach triggering the killer. If seeing bleach triggers him then that wouldn't be premeditated. He would have to be in the victim's house (or the chicken plant) for some other reason and then be triggered by seeing bleach. How could he have built the models in advance of that situation?

Bleach might have some other connection, of course. I still think it's one of the foster children, because that connects to the father's suicide.