TVSquad

I think the problem was they backed themselves in to a corner with this story line. If they had a big twist where Sara or someone in the lab was the killer, people would have complained about the way it was executed. There would have been inconsistencies with previous episodes and character behavior that people would have picked apart all summer. For what they tried to do I thought it was pretty well done, based on what they could have done to make it much worse.

Reply

csi fell way short of expectations last night. i literally think they were making up the cliff hanger as they were taping it. i get the sense they had a whole lot more in mind when they started this story line, but it just didn't deliver. bring back burying a cast member while they're still alive.

Reply

what was with the interrogation at the end? I thought it would have been a great twist if Grissom getting his throat slashed was real. Especially since everyone knew that Sara was being killed off.

Reply

The feeling I got from this episode was that it seemed rushed ... like they had intended to stretch out the case another few episodes but all of a sudden were told to conclude it immediately.

and it was definitely NOT that interesting.

One thing though ... when Natalie walks into the convenience store ... the radio is talking about that boxer found dead in the pool. Have they ever done that before? refer to a case from a previous episode via the media in a new episode?

Overall, this and CSI: Miami's finales were just not that exciting.

Reply

Was Sara even in this episode? Jonathan, did she really refuse to show up to film the finale, or are you just assuming? But once you mentioned it, it did get me to thinking about whether she was even seen last night. Even in the parking lot scene, all we saw was Natalie waiting outside of Sara's car and her saying, "Sara?" And yeah, the person under the car was totally unidentifiable, we were just left to assume it was Sara.

I was a bit disappointed that we went the whole episode knowing who the killer was. I was expecting a bit more suspense. But I do have to admit that I'll be anxiously awaiting the fall premiere to see what does ultimately end up happening to Sara and how that all plays out.

The woman playing Natalie did an outstanding job. She gave me the creeps the entire episode.

Reply

My father, sister, and I all watched this episode and enjoyed it equally. Having never thought that someone in the lab might be the killer, and actually believing that it was one of Ernie Dell's foster children, the explanation of who the MKSK was made perfect sense.

My father, who's involvement in TV watching stops with actually watching the show, loved the end. I spoke with him about it and he's convinced Jorja Fox will be back next season. I agree with him.

I always thought the fact that Jorja Fox hadn't been resigned by the end of the season was a gimmick anyway. It makes people actually wonder whether or not the actor will be back next season. Unlike 24, in which we know the soonest Jack Bauer is going to die is the end of the last season for which he's contracted.

I like the Grissom/Sara interaction. It allows the audience to be in on a little secret. In last night's episode it was fun to know something before all the other CSIs.

Reply

Sara was in the episode. The whole controversy was that Fox had refused to shoot the scenes in which it was believed to be that she died, thus prompting a rewrite.

I'm wondering if that is all BS to drum up some interest in a series that has been around a long time and needs a little boost. The past two seasons the final episodes were promoted, not as a cliff hanger, but where you weren't sure if the character would live or die. Two seasons ago it was Nick being buried. Last season it was Brass being shot.

People probably weren't going to buy yet another CSI in mortal danger story, so in order to sell it they create a behind the scene contract dispute where a cast member may not come back to lend believability that the character may indeed die.

Of course this is only my guess and the contract dispute may actually be true, but who the heck knows nowadays.

Reply

One more thing: I thought the writers making it very clear, via Natalie's confession, that Sara was NOT dead said a lot. If they really wanted to kill her, they would have just said she was dead and left it at that.

Reply

Another disappointing aspect to last night's episode was the lack of screen time for some of the cast. Where was Greg? At least we had a few shots of Warrick and Nick.

CSI is suffering from cast bloat. I hope CBS doesn't rehire Jorja. That would slim the cast down a bit.

Reply

@Heather: I read somewhere that she did in fact refuse to appear in the finale. For this, I hope they move on without her, write next season's opening with her being dead, and then add Louise Lombard as Sidle's replacement in the lab.

The Grissom/Sidle "love thing" just wasn't working for me.

Reply

I actually thought this was an excellent episode.
I think that everyone needs to keep in mind that this is just a t.v show, and if you think there are some plot holes in CSI, then watch Law and Order: SVU. They have plot holes that you could fit a car through.
William Petersen, and the actress who palyed Natalie were excellent...I actually hope that Jorja Fox doesn't renew her contract over the summer, it will make for an interesting season premiere come September. I think her refusal to renew her contract forced the writers into a corner and they had to come up with a killer that had some reason to target Sara and possibly bring the Grissom/Sara relationship storyline to it's conclusion-but then leave the door open for her return at the same time.

Reply

I hope that Sarah isn't dead. Although I like her least out of all the CSI's, I don't want her to be killed off. I think there is a lot they can do with her story. Isn't she from foster homes too? They could make her one of Ernie's old foster kids and know the miniature killer. Maybe Lady Heather could be under the car. Grissom always seemed to have chemistry with her and the last episode she was in, Sarah noticed that and then what Katherine insinuated could have made Sarah lose it . Sarah always seemed a little unstable at times. There's all kinds of directions they could take her story to make CSI strong again.

Reply

I really liked this episode for some reason.

The way they portrayed that girl was pretty chilling, I thought. I was impressed with William Peterson and that "interview" thing at the end. The way he "praised her "or was she imagining that? It rocked. The slashed throat thing was like OMG! Then I was glad it was her imagination.

Sara? Good riddance. :)

Warwick and the redhead need to get it on, baby! w00t!

Reply

The worst part for me is how they revealed Natalie in the opening sequence. This episode was not up to par with a regular CSI episode, much less what I expected for the conclusion of the Miniature Killer story line. At least with a regular episode, you can expect a couple of twists and turns.

I thought the actor who played Natalie was barely passable. She tried too hard to come off psychotic ("Your SPECIAL girl?"), and it came off as over the top.

Best moment is when Grissom got slashed in Natalie's hallucination. I love Grissom and wouldn't want him to actually die, but that moment did bring some suspense to an otherwise bland episode.

Reply

@Sydne Greg was assigned to work with Eckle on Dayshift because they can't keep CSIs. It was in last week's episode.

The scene with Grissom getting his throat slit freaked me out. Sara I'll be happy to be rid of, but I don't want to see him gone too. However, if they were going to cliffhang it, that would have been the ideal place to cut the episode off.

It was a very weak ending to a stellar season long plot and I only hope the next season opens on a stronger note.

Reply

@Corie .. Yeah, I know. I'm just disappointed that CBS has let the cast become so large that they have to do things like send Greg to the dayshift.

Because of the cast bloat and the writers having to do things like that, it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if Jorja didn't return.

Reply

that whole ventriloquist/puppet things was just bizarre. I loved the stunned look on Katherine's face while she was watching the show.

Also ... Grissom outed his relationship didn't he ...

Reply

This was a very lame conclusion to a very good buildup. Disappointment abounds.

http://kylebeabo.blogspot.com/

Reply

I've been a huge fan of CSI from its first episode, and I really think this was a lame season ender. As many of you have said, it all wrapped up far too quickly. I personally hope Jorja Fox doesn't renew; I don't think Sara Sidle has ever been an engaging character.

How come the rest of the team didn't react to much to Grissom's outing his feelings for Sara? I mean, they've been hyping the outing for a while now, but you know, he didn't even say they were in a relationship, just that Sara was someone he loved ... they should have spent a shot or two having them gossip in the corner about it. Now THAT would be realistic! LOL!

Reply

I was so excited to find out who the miniature killer was and withing 5 mins of the episode I was disappointed. This had been a strong season with some great episodes and this is how they finish it? It was lame. I agree with you about the shop owner but the item Grissom took in was from the last murder, Trevor's bracelet. Maybe there wasn't something so specialized in the other miniatures and maybe it was her father who did the specialized work before. He mentioned he had helped her with the other ones. So I can find some logic as to why Grissom hadn't taken something in before. My complaint was why hadn't the police followed up on the maid service angle before. Is that how she got into all of her crime scenes? The lady mentioned Dizzy in the interview. I have a hard time believing that the thought of janitorial services hadn't come up, especially after they clued into the bleach link.

And yes, after hearing about Fox staging another work stoppage, I was annoyed by her too. I hope they don't come to an agreement and she's dead. It would make for a much more interesting start to next season. This is the second time she has acted like the show can't go on without her and CBS shouldn't put up with it.

Reply