CSI season premiere
Sep. 25th, 2009 09:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiNot a bad start. Liz Vassey is finally in the opening credits! As is David Berman (and how cool is that -- the guy who only appeared on the show ten years ago because he was already the head researcher moves up from occasional cameo to guy in the credits?).
And Ray finally gets to display a personality! With a wicked sense of humor!
You know what would rock in a completely original and never-before-done way?
Having an episode of CSI in which there are two seemingly-unrelated cases being investigated, but then, in a twist no one saw coming, the cases would remain separate.
Yeah, that's about the tenth time they FAILED to hit that twist, and it's getting a little bit old. I watch CSI: Original Blend because it tends to avoid the heaping loads of stupid found in the Miami and NY shows, but this is one area where they drop the ball.
Granted, Riley was annoying, but there was never any sense of tension between her and Catherine last season; the exit interview rang false, like the writers needed something to set up Catherine's need for help. Granted, Nick surely does deserve to be the assistant (and Sarah's observation was a nice inspiration for that), but they could have set it up differently.
They used Ecklie well here, moving along Catherine's need for an assistant, Ray's promotion, and the balance between the CSI investigative work and the public stuff.
Biggest annoyance: The lack of security that created the shoot-out. Sure, I could buy the morticians sneaking in, but with guns?
Sarah's less annoying when she's not actively sleeping with Grissom (who, I'd love to find out, has actually divorced Sarah and moved in with Lady Heather).
The scene with Ray talking about his career as a doctor to the stalker was a blast! We need more stuff like this.
The actual mystery wasn't a huge deal this week -- did anyone ever doubt who the killer was? But I did like the fact that it was only the visit to the morgue that led to the killer's awareness that a clue had been left behind, which, in turn, is what led the detectives being aware of the fact that there was a clue in the first place. It's like one of Raymond Smullyan's meta-puzzles.
The cliffhanger didn't do much for me -- this isn't like the miniature from two seasons ago -- but it's clear that there's some sort of long-term arc, at least.
Overall, I'm happy enough with this. I still miss Grissom, but it looks like Ray's becoming more interesting, which is a plus, and Riley's an example of addition by subtraction.
And Ray finally gets to display a personality! With a wicked sense of humor!
You know what would rock in a completely original and never-before-done way?
Having an episode of CSI in which there are two seemingly-unrelated cases being investigated, but then, in a twist no one saw coming, the cases would remain separate.
Yeah, that's about the tenth time they FAILED to hit that twist, and it's getting a little bit old. I watch CSI: Original Blend because it tends to avoid the heaping loads of stupid found in the Miami and NY shows, but this is one area where they drop the ball.
Granted, Riley was annoying, but there was never any sense of tension between her and Catherine last season; the exit interview rang false, like the writers needed something to set up Catherine's need for help. Granted, Nick surely does deserve to be the assistant (and Sarah's observation was a nice inspiration for that), but they could have set it up differently.
They used Ecklie well here, moving along Catherine's need for an assistant, Ray's promotion, and the balance between the CSI investigative work and the public stuff.
Biggest annoyance: The lack of security that created the shoot-out. Sure, I could buy the morticians sneaking in, but with guns?
Sarah's less annoying when she's not actively sleeping with Grissom (who, I'd love to find out, has actually divorced Sarah and moved in with Lady Heather).
The scene with Ray talking about his career as a doctor to the stalker was a blast! We need more stuff like this.
The actual mystery wasn't a huge deal this week -- did anyone ever doubt who the killer was? But I did like the fact that it was only the visit to the morgue that led to the killer's awareness that a clue had been left behind, which, in turn, is what led the detectives being aware of the fact that there was a clue in the first place. It's like one of Raymond Smullyan's meta-puzzles.
The cliffhanger didn't do much for me -- this isn't like the miniature from two seasons ago -- but it's clear that there's some sort of long-term arc, at least.
Overall, I'm happy enough with this. I still miss Grissom, but it looks like Ray's becoming more interesting, which is a plus, and Riley's an example of addition by subtraction.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 02:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 02:16 pm (UTC)Grissom + Lady Heather = OTP.
I still hate Sarah, but not as much as Riley. Still, I could've done without an episode with either of them. I miss Sofia. More smart, nonwhiny female characters, please? On that note, yes, it's good to see Liz Vassey in the credits!
The scene with Ray talking about his career as a doctor to the stalker was a blast! We need more stuff like this.
Yes!
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 03:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 03:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-26 09:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 03:24 pm (UTC)I don't think Riley's exit letter was just setting up Catherine's need for help; I think it was also to give Riley a proper exit.
And whether or not you find Sarah annoying, it was clear that the team as a whole knows who she is and how to work with her, and vice versa. It will be interesting to see how she works with Ray.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-25 03:30 pm (UTC)Oh, I do appreciate the need to give Riley a proper exit; I just think that they used it to create something that they never did with their storytelling last season.
And yeah, with Sarah on board, there's no need for the "focus on the newbie" plotlines. I did notice a lack of interaction between her and Ray; it'll be especially interesting if they clash (in light of how well Ray and Grissom got along).