Last week I said I was starting to get used to the
direction this show was moving in: complete devotion to the cases at hand and no backstory whatsoever. I'm thinking
I may have spoken too soon.
Don't mistake that last statement as dislike for last night's episode. It was great; interesting, and one of the cases was very topical. But what I'm starting to realize is that it gives me, as a reviewer, less and less to say about each episode when all there is are the two cases. Just look at the difference in length between my CSI: Miami (which is chock-full of ongoing storylines) and my CSI: NY reviews. I always have plenty to say about the former.
I mean I suppose they could give us something. Anything. A conversation between Mac and Stella, where Mac admits that "I made a pot roast last night and boy, did I overcook it!" At least I'd know what they did the night before.
Now, as I said, the cases were really interesting... at least the second one was. The first dealt with a doctor (with a morphine addiction) who was responsible for the death of a teenage girl. The girl's mother lost it and committed suicide in an attempt to frame the doc. The one thing I really liked about this case was Lindsay's involvement. This was the most she's had to do all season I think and it's about time because up until now, she hasn't felt like one of the stars.
The second case was about two rival "cool hunters" at war. For those that aren't familiar with the term, they're trend forecasters. These people roam the streets looking for what's hot; the next big thing. They take the idea, market it, and the next thing you know - everyone is wearing tin-foil pirate hats (I think they're cool). It's a multi-million dollar business. So when one of them stepped on another one's turf, he ended up dead.
To help crack the case, Danny had to challenge some guy to a few games of handball (or wallball, call it what you will). He kicked the crap out of the guy three times. It was a really well done scene.
And just like that, there isn't much else to say. Let me ask your opinion though. For the diehard CSI: fans out there (i.e. you watch all three series religiously), is NY holding up to Vegas and Miami or is it just falling off your viewing radar because it lacks characters with depth?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-09-2006 @ 12:35PM
Brent McKee said...
Interesting question. The problem I've always had with "CSI: Miami" is that it has always seemed like a one man show and unfortunately that man is David Caruso. William Petersen can be away from the original show for virtually an entire episode and it still runs like a Swiss watch. Take Caruso away from "Miami" and it mostly runs like a cheap knockoff. I mean I love Emily Protor, but in terms of being a strong actress she no Marg Helgenberger or even Melina Kanakeredes. When you compare how much we know about the characters on each seies, "New York" is closer to the original than "Miami". It's taken us six seasons to get to know as much about the Las Vegas CSIs as we do and really do we know all that much about them. Certainly we don't know as much about Gil as we do about Horatio. So in that way - the way that says that the work is the real star of the show - I don't have any problem with "CSI: New York". That said, I'd like to know more, but I want it revealed subtly rather than being hit over the head with it the way they often seemed to do with "CSI: Miami".
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3-09-2006 @ 12:41PM
Lost_in_finland said...
I like NY the most. Miami is too "horatious" and original CSI... aaarghhh... I hate It! (although i watch every time)
I just started watching NY few weeks back (1st season) and it´s been very interesting. Of course it got those stupid one liners before opening credits, stupid editing is making me seasick but the actor´s are so good that they make me wanna watch more.....
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3-09-2006 @ 3:49PM
Shelley said...
Each week you make the same comment about there being little to no personal information about the characters and how Lindsay is flat. I don't disagree, because I wish there was more, but, the last few weeks I've noticed this on-going little thing between Lindsay and Danny. When she first came on the show, you felt that she didn't really like him, but recently they make references to dinner or drinks, etc. and you get the feeling that maybe there is a little flirtation going on between the two. It's very subtle, but it's there. Also Stella has had a little hint of a personal life from time to time. On the season finale of last year, we saw Mac take a chance and go on a date. I wish there was more background information and maybe more personal interaction between the characters, but overall I'm pleased. CSI: Miami is awful. You couldn't pay me to watch David Caruso overact. Where did he take acting lessons from? William Shatner?
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3-09-2006 @ 7:24PM
doug said...
I just cannot watch Miami because David Caruso is so amazingly terrible in that character. I simply cannot believe that people can watch him ham his way through an episode. He is close to William Shatner Star Trek bad - perhaps worse.
I like the NY show, though last night's seemed implausible. Didn't they say early on that she was injected with enough morphine to knock her silly right away - and yet she was able to climb all the way up to the roof, and then into the water tower? And didn't they say that she left no trail of blood up to the roof, and yet she had severed two major arteries in her arm? A tourniquet would not have stopped a blood trail.
The Las Vegas show has a sense of humor/irony that the NY show does not. At least both Vegas and NY have very good actors.
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3-10-2006 @ 6:15AM
Vix said...
I stopped watching CSI:Miami because it's all about Horatio - and most of the time David Caruso just overacts that instead of getting engaged by the case I'm trying to stop myself from laughing at him
At least with CSI and CSI:NY I get involved with the characters. I agree that the focus on the case has been to the detriment of character development in CSI:NY's second season but I find that I know more about them than I do in 6 seasons of CSI!
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