#CSI 6x18 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

addictedtostorytelling · 4 years ago

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Hi, it's me again! Thanks for answering my ask, and I actually did have another thing to request (this might seem a little atypical to what you usually do, so if you don't want to, that's totally okay!) But basically, one of my friends, who has never seen CSI, agreed to a 6 episode marathon with me where I pick the episodes. My goal is to give him a broad view of this show that is so near and dear to our hearts; (1/?)

so I want the six episodes to reflect a wide range of characters, tropes, case types, etc… Essentially, I’m fitting all 15 seasons into 6 episodes. I’m avoiding any season finales or any multi-arc episodes. Here’s what I’ve picked so far: 1x06 (for a little bit of that cop vs csi drama and a taste of a csi’s life being in danger), 2x05: (for some grissom and bugs action, gsr and the scuba case is so silly), 4x14 (for the whole team focusing on one complex case), (2/?)

6x18 (for a little bit of courtroom drama and disagreements between csis on a suspect), 10x01 (to cover post grissom leaving and pre catherine leaving, for that sweet freeze frame intro, and the two cases surprisingly being linked together), and 13x16 (to cover the db/finn era and to have a case with all the murders being a form of communication between murderer and police and for just a bit of morganders). I was wondering what you would pick if you had to do this/what you would recommend? (3/?)

Thank you so much and sorry this was so long! (4/4)

Just one more thing to add on to my earlier ask, I had also really hoped to include an episode focused on casinos (this is las vegas after all) and an episode with a really really decomposed liquid body (both are trademarks of the show I feel). But alas, 6 episodes is not a lot! (5/5)

hi, @leakycaldron!

what an awesome activity to do with your friend!

i think the list you came up with is great, and, honestly, i’d probably pick some of the same episodes as you have.

just for funsies, though, i’ll try to offer up a few options besides the ones you’ve already come up with.

sticking to the parameters you laid out (i.e., the list must include episodes that feature a wide range of characters/tropes/case types, no season finales or multi-episode arcs, a variety of episodes to reflect the different eras of the show, etc.), here’s what i’ve got:

_________

1. episode 01x07 “blood drops”

featured main characters: grissom, catherine, warrick, nick, sara, brass

in its premiere season, csi took a little while to find its footing, and especially to hammer out the characterizations of the members of the original team graveyard. to me, this episode is the one where the series truly starts to come into its own.

featuring a memorable quadruple murder case, hauntingly dark aesthetics, and a real focus on the forensics, plus some good early characterization all around, it is essentially the whole show in microcosm.

not only will it give your friend a good introduction to all of the main characters (with the exception of greg, who isn’t featured), but it will also help him understand what makes csi different from your average cop show.

as a bonus, it is currently rated #1 on imdb’s list of the top 25 episodes of csi of all time, with a score of 8.7/10 stars.

unique features/talking points:

-multiple homicide case -guest stars a very young dakota fanning -introduces some key characterization for the main cast (e.g. grissom’s reverence for the job and rivalry with ecklie, catherine’s struggle to balance work and motherhood, warrick being the team rock, nick’s soft spot for kids, sara being triggered by dv cases, etc.) -includes a shocking twist ending

2. episode 04x08 “after the show”

featured main characters: grissom, catherine (focus character), nick, sara, greg, brass

an excellent example of one of csi’s “ripped from the headlines” stories, this episode’s commentary on vegas showbiz culture, which chews up and spits out beautiful women, is both poignant and gut-wrenching.

the verisimilitude is helped by the fact that show producer and consultant liz devine, herself a former csi with the los angeles county sheriff’s department, was actually the lead investigator in the case this one is modeled on and so was able to provide firsthand details to the production team and actors.

this episode will show your friend some of the most interesting team dynamics of the grissom era, as the csis (with the exception of warrick, who isn’t present for the action) start out divided over the case but then ultimately come together to get the solve. while catherine is at the heart of the action—and marg helgenberger delivers one hell of a performance—in the end, everyone gets a chance to shine.

unique features/talking points:

-sexual assault/homicide case -the suspect, howard delhomme, and his fixation on catherine are enormously creepy -good example of a csi “mojave desert case” (with beautiful scenery and cinematography) -fascinating team dynamics/tension

3. episode 05x01 “viva las vegas”

featured main characters: grissom, catherine, warrick, nick, sara, greg, brass

this episode highlights the show’s vegas setting, featuring four different cases, each one of which could only really take place in sin city, usa.

in the first case, grissom, greg, and brass investigate a shooting at a themed night club that before all is said and done ends up involving drug traffickers, hitmen, and a compromised crime scene.

in the second, catherine is called out for an apparent “trick roll gone wrong” at a casino hotel and arrives on the scene to find a truly horrifying amount of blood, one brutally murdered prostitute, and one very alive man who claims to have no idea what happened (having awoken from a stupor to find the prostitute, whom he swears he has never met before, dead on the bed beside him).

in the third, warrick looks into a seeming suicide at a seedy dive motel, tracing the decedent’s final hours, which involved him winning big at a casino only to then lose everything in a harrowing reversal of fortune.

in the fourth, nick and sara process the site of an “alien burial” near area 51 before eventually ending up on the strip, immersed in the surprisingly competitive world of the 24-hour drive-through chapel wedding business.

a good mix of comedy and tragedy, the episode deftly balances multiple plots and gives all of the characters plenty to do. it also progresses the storyline of greg transitioning from lab rat to field mouse.

unique features/talking points:

-four different cases in four different vegas locations -team broken up and paired off in interesting configurations -highlights the camp and corruption of sin city -french stewart plays a guy who runs an alien-themed drive up wedding chapel and somehow manages to bring pathos to the role?????

4. episode 06x05 “gum drops”

featured main characters: catherine (briefly), warrick, nick (focus character), sara, greg

episode 06x05 “gum drops” is one of the finest episodes of csi period and a superb example of a character-driven story.

the storyline sees warrick, nick, sara, and greg report to the tiny town of pioche, nevada, about 180 miles north of las vegas. there, they investigate the apparent in-home murders of the mcbride family of four, but with a catch: though there are blood pools in the house suggestive of homicide, there are no bodies to confirm if anyone has actually been killed. interestingly, none of the blood pools in the house match the family’s youngest member, ten-year old daughter cassie.

when nick becomes convinced that cassie might still be alive, sara worries that he is deluding himself, allowing his hope to impair his professional judgment.

by beginning the episode with ghostly narration from cassie herself, whom at the start of the episode is presumed to be dead, the writers invite viewers to question exactly what sort of story is being told and to ask from whose perspective we’re hearing her voice.

is nick imagining things or is there actually still a life out there to be saved? if so, can the csis reach her to rescue her from her kidnappers in time?

while you may need to fill your friend in on the events of episodes 05x24 and 05x25 “grave danger” pts. i and ii in order for him to truly appreciate nick’s dedication to rescuing cassie, even sans the background knowledge, this episode makes for a wonderfully compelling hour of television and showcases csi’s willingness to experiment with narrative structure and genre conventions.

unique features/talking points:

-an excellent performance from george eads that sees nick at his very nickiest -since grissom doesn’t appear at all in the episode and catherine only does so briefly, the four younger csis carry the main action here -a+ narrative construct that leaves you guessing until the end -heart-wrenching story told with patience and attention to detail -good example of an “out of the lab” episode

5. episode 09x16 “turn, turn, turn”

featured main characters: catherine, nick (focus character), greg, langston, brass

my choice for the catherine/langston days of csi, this episode features one very young taylor swift as haley jones, a vulnerable young girl at the heart of a case that is literally years in the making.

another solid, nick-centric character piece, to me, this episode’s melancholy mood and stylized aesthetics are highly characteristic of this particular era of the series.

though the tie-ins to bygone characters and previous plot points won’t necessarily resonate with your friend (him being new to the show), i think that the story itself, with all of its flashbacks, time-lapses, and narrative twists, will.

unique features/talking points:

-notable guest star in taylor swift -cool nonlinear narrative structure -another great performance from george eads -mentions warrick’s death and references grissom -some neat cgi effects to simulate the passage of time

6. episode 12x16 “csi unplugged”

featured main characters: russell, finn, nick, sara, greg, morgan, brass, hodges, henry

admittedly, i’m not the biggest fan of the later seasons, so picking an episode from the russell/finn era was hard for me, but this one at least has an interesting premise and features some inventive forensics (even if the story itself is somewhat weak).

with the power out across las vegas, the csis are on the search to recover a missing child. lacking their usual technological resources, they must process the case the old school way, using basic chemistry and some pioneering tricks from the earliest days of criminalistics.

since russell and finn take point on the investigation, this episode offers a good primer on their dynamic, showing how the team runs under their leadership (and especially when up against a ticking clock).

unique features/talking points:

-fun, old-timey science -75% of the episode takes place in the dark -the whole team contributes to solving the case -shows key characterization for the newer cast members, as well as their relationships with one another (i.e., russell being the believer and finn being the skeptic and the two of them balancing each other out, morgan being close with greg and hodges, etc.)

if none of these episodes appeal to you or your friend (or if your friend develops an interest in watching a few more episodes beyond what you originally agreed to), some alternate choices would include*:

01x09 “unfriendly skies”

02x16 “primum non nocere”

03x06 “the execution of catherine willows”

04x07 “invisible evidence”

05x19 “4 x 4″

06x21 “rashomama”

07x05 “double-cross”

08x08 “you kill me”

* yes, i realize i’m cheating here.

anyway, whichever episodes you end up watching, i hope you and your friend enjoy the mini-marathon!

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

#answered #leakycaldron #asks: csi #**#let's talk shop #csi #csiverse