By J.E.
I didn’t get a chance to watch the newest episode of CSI until last night, so that’s why this recap is being posted so late. The ep was called “Who & What” and actually served as a crossover for Without a Trace star Anthony Lapaglia. I didn’t know that this crossover was on the schedule, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have bothered watching the ep at all. I’ve never seen a single episode of Without a Trace, so Lapaglia’s guest stint did nothing for me.
Moreover, the crime wasn’t even solved in the 42 minutes allotted to CSI, so I sat through the whole thing for nothing. And no, I’m not going to bother trying to tune into Without a Trace to see the conclusion. I have no idea when that show airs and just don’t feel like going out of my way to watch it.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The episode begins with one of the most graphic and brutal openings I’ve ever seen on CSI. An intruder walks into a home and bludgeons a young boy and his babysitter to death with a hammer. I actually had to turn away when the man went after the babysitter because it was just so awful to see the blood spattering everywhere.
Grissom arrives on the scene only to find that Greg and Catherine have been there for six hours. The coroners haven’t been around to release the bodies because the FBI wants to have a look first. That’s when Lapaglia enters as Special Agent Jack Malone. Malone thinks the doer is the same guy who murdered a boy and babysitter duo back in New York six years ago. Malone wants in on the case, and Grissom of course has to comply.
The show then goes through its regular routine of gathering evidence, picking up a suspect, questioning the suspect, and then moving forward when new evidence arises. As I said, the crime wasn’t solved in this episode. Although Malone and Grissom get an ID on the perp, the guy is able to slip away and remain at large.
My Reaction: I thought this was a fairly strong episode despite the fact that it left the ending wide open. As I said before, I’ve never seen Without a Trace, so I’m not familiar with Anthony Lapaglia at all. From the glimpses I got of him tonight, I liked the character and actor, which probably explains why I always hear such good things about WaT. I’m even thinking about picking that show up on DVD soon.
I don’t have a whole lot to say about the regular CSI crew, as they made very short appearances tonight. Warrick had, what, one scene? Same with Catherine, Greg, and Hodges (I think). Sara popped in for her usual soul-searching moment, but then was gone. Not much Brass, either. Oh, well.
Now let’s see if CSI can come out with another strong effort next week — this time in an entirely self-contained episode!
I know that television shows aren’t supposed to be a reflection of real life (could you imagine if hospitals actually had all the romantic melodrama shown on Grey’s Anatomy or if maverick agents like Jack Bauer from 24 had free rein?), but I sometimes wish they were a little closer to reality about some things.