Reviews and More

Last night’s episode of CSI was called “Law of Gravity,” and I have to say that I thought it was by far the best show of the entire season. It was great from beginning to end, and just about the only problem I had with it was the outcome, which I’ll get to in my recap. I want to remind you that I don’t hold back any plot points, so if you don’t want to read spoilers, stop now!

As the episode opens, we see a shadowy man shooting someone out on a fire escape. At first, I thought that was going to become the featured case, but the event happened to be a dream Keppler was having. There were more Amy references, and it turns out that I was completely wrong in my prediction that she was Keppler’s sister. Amy was an old girlfriend.

Anyway, Keppler stops off at a diner to eat breakfast before going in to work. While there, he sees a guy named Frank, who apparently knows him from somewhere. Frank wants Keppler to “take care of something” for him, and it’s made clear that Keppler has had to comply with these types of requests before.

Later, we find out exactly what the problem is. Nick and Keppler get called to a hotel room where a prostitute and a retired Trenton cop are found murdered. Everyone asks Keppler if he knew the cop (because he’s from NJ too), but he says, “No.” Of course we can see from his face that he’s clearly lying. So this is what Frank wants Keppler to cover up for him.

As the investigation proceeds, we get some more information about Keppler and the two other cops (oh, yeah — Frank is also a cop). I guess Amy was raped, and Keppler took the law into his own hands by tracking down and killing the guy he thought was responsible (the person on the fire escape in the opening scene). Keppler gave the gun to Frank to dispose of, but Frank kept it and has been holding it over Keppler’s head ever since. That’s why Keppler always has to do what Frank wants.

It’s also revealed that Frank and the dead cop were “dirty” and frequently killed suspects unnecessarily. The dead cop was about to be indicted, and Frank was sure he would roll over on Frank and Keppler in order to avoid jail time, so Frank just killed him. The prostitute happened to be in the way, and later, when Frank learns that there was an eyewitness to the crime, he goes after her too.

But Keppler is tired of everything and doesn’t want another innocent person killed. So he arranges to meet Frank at a motel, and they end up shooting each other. Keppler dies, but not before saving Catherine’s life by killing Frank before Frank could kill her.

My Reaction: Whew! That was an intense episode! I am sooo disappointed that Keppler died and won’t be coming back to CSI. I really liked the character and thought that Liev Schreiber was an awesome addition to the cast. I was completely unspoiled (I don’t even like to watch previews for future episodes) so this was a big shock to me.

I was lukewarm about Grissom returning. He didn’t do much in this episode and I didn’t really miss him while he was gone. The lingering looks and inane banter between him and Sara right there in the hallway at work was gross-out material (I am so NOT a shipper for these two) and he didn’t even open that box containing another miniature murder scene.

I actually liked Catherine in this episode. Her concern for Keppler was evident throughout, and it was just refreshing to see her worry about someone other than herself for a change. She really got to me in the final scene also. When she broke down, I almost did too.

If I could change one thing (besides Keppler dying, of course) it would be the whole incest plot. Did the writers really have to go there again?

Overall, I stand by my initial assessment that this has been the best CSI episode of the season. More, please!

There are plenty of young filmmakers, bands, and other artists out there that have lots of talent but need to market themselves better in order to get noticed by the right people. One way to handle this all-important marketing would be to put together a demo that captures the spirit and essence of what the artists bring to the table. But most of these artists are either too busy creating original work or simply don’t have the proper equipment to produce a polished demo.

That’s where a post production studio like MDFilms comes into play. MDFilms can do editing and graphic work, as well as live shoots, video and audio scoring, and editing. What clients get is a professional video, audio, or graphical represenation of their talents, which they can then put on display for everyone to see.

Visit MDFilms.net for more information or to get a quote for your project. They even work with companies and private individuals, so if you need post production work for any reason, check out MDFilms.net today!

You may have noticed that it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a book review of something other than a Librivox audiobook or a reference book. That’s largely due to the fact that I haven’t had much time to just sit down and read for an hour or two without interruption.

But I’m planning to wrap up both Of Human Bondage and Scoop this weekend, plus I might be able to knock out Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime. After those novels are done, I’m going to get back to Money, and then finally move forward with something else.

So in the meantime, please bear with me and know that I’m trying to get through all of this stuff! Boy, I never realized how much media I would need to consume in order to keep a website like this going with new content!

I have a couple of friends who regularly invest in real estate as a means of generating income. They don’t buy vast, expensive properties like, say, Donald Trump would, but they do make good money from it.

Usually they try to stay local and purchase tracts of land in the Midwest, but recently they’ve been attracted to Raleigh North Carolina real estate. Apparently Raleigh is a trendy place to live now because it’s relatively safe and affordable, plus there’s a decent job market over there.

I looked at some pictures of places they’re thinking about buying and have to say that the area does seem to be very nice. I’m sure my friends will make another profit on this latest deal, and I’ll have to listen to the details for the next few months or so!

Ever since I became a mom four years ago, I’ve really come to appreciate Mother’s Day a lot more. I don’t mean for myself, exactly, I just mean that I take extra time to reflect on what my mom, my grandmothers, and all the other important women in my life have meant (and continue to mean) to me over the years.

I know it’s not even Valentine’s Day yet, but I’m already shopping for nice mothers day gifts that will show my mom that I’m thinking about her and that I’m grateful for everything she’s done. This year I’ll probably get a lovely floral arrangement, and maybe even add a gift basket. While browsing online this morning, I came across some that I know my mother would love.

Anyway, don’t forget your Mom or the other special women in your life who deserve recognition!

This week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy was called “Walk on Water” and was basically a disaster-centered program. You know, I realize that GA is set in a hospital, but I don’t really watch this show for the medical stuff. The character interactions are what pull me in. As many GA fans have noted, these types of eps are reminiscent of ER, which isn’t exactly a good thing in my book. Anyway, here’s what happened:

Burke/Cristina: Cristina was reluctant about telling her friends about the engagement, but made Preston promise not to spill the beans until she talked to Meredith first. Cristina tries a couple of times to get the words out, but nothing comes of it. Then she loses her chance altogether when the disaster strikes and the rest of the interns have to go out to the scene of the accident.

Meanwhile, Burke had a conversation with Derek and managed to work in the fact that he and Cristina are married. Then Sloan overhears, and tells the Chief, who later congratulates Cristina. Cristina of course gets mad at Burke, and he retaliates by sending her to cover the pit instead of scrubbing in on the surgeries that will come in because of the ferry boat accident.

Meredith/Derek: There wasn’t much interaction between them this week, which is a bonus for me. The show opened with Derek pulling Meredith out of the bathtub because he thought she was staying under for too long, and the ep finished with Meredith falling into water at the accident site. Symbolic? I guess — and consider the episode title, too.

Between those two dips, Meredith does little to make herself useful for the disaster victims. She spends most of the show walking around with a lost young girl who refuses to speak. The kid wasn’t injured or anything, yet Meredith thought her best course of action would be to walk aimlessly about with the girl instead of trying to, I don’t know, triage other victims.

Right at the end Meredith does go to work on a guy’s leg, and that’s when she gets pushed into the water (accidentally).

Alex/Addison: Alex saves a pregnant woman whose face was half crushed by a cement pylon. Then when he accompanies her back to Seattle Grace, he freezes when the chief asks for an assessment. Yang is there and being the brainiac that she is, pipes up immediately with the answer. So the chief tells Alex to go to the clinic and talk to the families instead of scrubbing in on the procedure.

Addison, who will be handling the surgery, observes Alex having a moment with the patient. He basically tells the woman that she has to survive and that he’ll be waiting for her to come back after surgery. This gets to Addison, who can’t help but sigh when Alexs walks away.

George/Callie: They’re already having trouble separating their personal relationship from their professional one — at least George is. Callie is being uptight and paranoid about whether or not George will give her the respect she deserves at work without undermining her authority, yada, yada, yada.

Izzie: Izzie spends most of the episode tending to a victim who is stuck under a car. I have no idea why she stayed there or what the victim’s friends expected her to be able to do since, you know, the dude had the front end of a car crushing 3/4 of his body!!! I’m not sure what I was supposed to get out of that whole storyline… it was boring.

My Reaction: As I stated above, I thought this episode was way off the mark and didn’t feel like Grey’s Anatomy at all. None of the major storylines of the season were advanced or even addressed; instead, we get an episode full of incidents that I had no reason to care about. It was dull, and I really should have just skipped it to watch CSI first!