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CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 9 (mild early season spoilers) (1 Viewer)

Nick Martin

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I'd like to begin the thread, now that the first promo for the upcoming season has been airing on CBS.

As we all know by now, a lot of changes are being made, notably the eventual departure of Gil Grissom as William Petersen prepares to leave, and Laurence Fishburne steps in to replace him.

There will be some familiar faces returning throughout the season, including:



Jorja Fox as Sarah Sidle, appearing in the season premiere

Melinda Clarke as Lady Heather

Jessica Collins as Natalie Davis, the "Miniature Killer"



In addition, Lauren Lee Smith joins the cast as a new CSI, while long-supporting actors David Berman and Liz Vassey are officially regulars, though it remains to be seen if they make the opening title sequence. Behind the camera, William Friedkin will apparently direct his second episode of the series (his first being 'Cockroaches' last season), which will be the 200th episode.

Here's what is probably the first promotional photo of the season, and it's not a pleasant one:







The season premiere airs October 9, on CBS.

P.S.

If you don't have anything nice to say, then find another place to threadcrap. Or start your own thread about how much you don't like the show (Star Trek: Voyager has lots of those)

Cool with that?
 

mylan

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Based on that promo photo, this is going to be a gut wrenching season opener and perhaps what sets the stage for Gil's departure. I hate to see old characters go but the addition of Fishburn is greatly anticipated. I truely hope one of Gil's last cases is solving the shooting and putting the undersheriff away.
 

DavidJ

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Man, those photos actually got to me. Repeat to self: "it is just a tv show. it is just a tv show."

The season opener is going to be tough to watch.
 

Nick Martin

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I'd advise you not to see the promo whenever it airs (or even youtube), as the level of raw emotion in Grissom's voice is something we have never heard in the entire show's run. We've seen him angry, but we've never seen him devastated. That shell he created for himself over the years will be shattered.
 

Paul McElligott

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[lecherous]She can investigate me any time she wants.[/lecherous]

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mylan

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I thought it was a fitting way to send off Warrick, I had built up the opening scene with Grissom too much in my head so it was sort of anti-climatic but gripping all the same.
Jorga Fox's return was handled well, "I caught the first flight out", overall very well done, very moving.
 

Nelson Au

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That was a well done premiere. Though I was kinda surprised that they solved it so fast. But I can see that in the past they don't let these things hang. I would have thought Under Sheriff McKeen would have gotten away with it a little longer, until Grissom leaves anyway. It was a nice way to resolution.

I guess seeing Jorja Fox's name as a Special Guest Star meant that it was a one time deal or is she coming back for a few more shows. Perhaps riding off with Grissom?

I thought there was an unsaid connection between Warrick and Catherine. I know in season's past, they eluded to some tension and attraction that went no where, and her surprise to learn Warrick had gotten married. So when Catherine said she had the keys to his place, and that she had them because she went to get him clothes might have more meaning.

I knew Nick wouldn't kill him. I liked how very understated his arc went being his best friend and wanting to find McKeen.

Eckley was nice to Grissom in this episode, for good reason.

A few things seem confusing to me, Liz Vassey is credited as a special guest star like Jorja, I guess she's not part of the lab rats anymore? No one for Hodges to get geeky with?
 

Rex Bachmann

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Nelson Au wrote (post #12):


Yeah, I almost thought she was about to "spill the beans" about some much more serious involvement between the two.


P.S.: I must say Marg Helgenberger still looks great! There're phonies and then there's real beauty (that lasts)!!!
 

Joseph DeMartino

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The complexities of Hollywood contracts and credits probably explain the difference here. In fact, Liz Vassey, David Berman and Jorja Fox were all listed as "special guest stars". Fox for the obvious reasons, Berman and Vassey probably because they are new regulars.

Given the last-minute nature of the real-life events that led to Dourdan's departure, it is possible that all or most of this episode was shot as part of last year's production run - while he was still under contract - which would explain why he didn't get a "special guest star" credit. (Well, that and the fact that they wanted to maintain the suspense about Warrick's fate for the 12 people who didn't already know that Dourdan had left the show.
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) The "special guest star" credit probably covers Vassey and Berman being paid their higher "regular" salary for this episode for purposes of residuals, instead of a standard guest star rate.

Regards,

Joe
 

Nelson Au

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I forgot to mention Dourdan. I wondered too if he came back to film that one death scene or if it was filmed last year. It was especially unfortunate for Warrick that he has to lay there dying and look up to see his killer and Grissom and he couldn't tell him.

That was a frustrating scene! Here the killer doesn't want to help Grissom, but does to keep up appearances and Warrick can't do anything about it.

Thanks for correcting my spelling of allude, Joseph. That's what I meant.
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Thanks for the clarification of the guest stars and who is coming back. I was avoiding the earlier potential spoiler posts. I re-watched the title credits just now and I didn't know that Gary Dourdan is still in the credits and his image is still there as they show the team walking up to the yellow tape.

Rex, those were the particular scenes I was alluding to.:emoji_thumbsup:
 

Nick Martin

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It's common for at least part of the following season's opener to be filmed at the same time as the finale, especially if no time has passed and a character is leaving. That's probably why you never see Dourdan after the post-credits scene when the sheet is laid over Warrick in the alley, with the exception of a pre-recorded video. It wasn't like when Speedle died on CSI:Miami and you could see him on the autopsy table because he was in a large chunk of his last episode.

It's safe to assume the credits will be changed either with this week's upcoming episode, or the following week when Lauren Lee Smith makes her first appearance, as she is not a recurring guest but a brand new regular.

On "ANGEL", one of the actors on the show (Andy Hallett) became a 'special guest star' for a very long time before being added to that show's opening credits. On "CSI: NY", A.J. Buckley and Robert Joy were added this year, but were officially regulars last year.
 

Nick Martin

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Unfortunately she, like other actresses (and even actors like David Caruso) are subjected to a blurring effect, visible whenever you see close-ups of their faces likely there to hide wrinkles. With Helgenberger in particular, the effect is often sloppy because she'll be in one of those CSI evidence testing scenes, then her head will turn and the area her face was prior still has that blur overlay, meaning whoever made that didn't track it with her face.

I can't be the only one who notices these things on the HD broadcasts, can I? It's so obvious!

P.S. No offense but that tiny text font is a bitch to read. :D
 

Joseph DeMartino

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Yeah, Dourdan had his regular individual credit in the main titles (which I think were the credits from last season, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.) Re the "death" scene. As shot that scene could have gone either way. The could as easily have been Warrick slipping into unconciousness. If Dourdan had stayed with the show they could have had an ambulance roll up and take him to the hospital.


Actually it was lucky for both of them the he didn't, since the undersheriff would have immediately shot both of them, and done the job right this time.

I strongly suspect that the Warrick's son arc was something that would have been introduced last year if not for the strike, and that Dourdan's psych eval was shot for it. What was interesting was that they didn't just drop it. After all, nobody, including the characters, knew anything about this idea.

The producers probably could have found another way of introducing the particular footage talking about Grissom as Warrick's father figure without getting into the custody issue. I suspect that this will figure into Grissom's departure, as will Sara's return.

Warrick's ex is a doctor. For him to even have a chance of getting custody, she's got to have some serious issues in her life. I'm talking abusive boyfriends or drugs, because otherwise he wouldn't even get into court. If she's that bad, then even an outsider like Grissom might have a shot, especially if he can show that he's stable, out of the violent world of crime and happily married.
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Given the history of both characters with Warrick, it would be an interesting irony of Grissom and Sara ended up raising his son.

I'm looking forward to this season, and to the "new" CSI. This could be the kind of change that allows the series to keep going without getting stale, where the format, rather than the individual characters, caries the series, something like Law & Order which has gone through several total cast turn-overs (although always with signficant periods old and new characters overlapping) since it started.

Regards,

Joe
 

Nick Martin

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Yes, they were the finalized season 8 credits, not new ones.
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Fishburne's character will be named Dr. Raymond Langston, and will not be a case of Grissom gone one day, Langston there the next. They will be there together, making for a nice transition.

Great interview about the transition, with comments from both Petersen and Fishburne (a bit spoilerish):

http://www.usatoday.com/life/televis...-handoff_N.htm
 

Rex Bachmann

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Nicholas Martin wrote (post #17):


Me no have HD tv. Me have only stone-age analog 27" tv. Actually, me watched this episode on computer-screen thingy. Oy!
 

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