CSI: Vegas

I tried watching CSI: Vegas when it first aired on TV last fall. I barely got through the first episode.

You see, I have gotten quite used to watching TV, new and old, without commercials. The show was also airing at a later time than I usually prefer. Add in the fact one of the commercials was for a news piece about a politician I don’t care for, and I was done watching CSI: Vegas as it first aired. I decided I would instead watch the season once it reached DVD. If it never reached DVD, I would live.

Thankfully, season one did get released on DVD. I borrowed it from the library and found myself enjoying CSI: Vegas far more watching it that way than I ever would have on regular TV.

CSI: Vegas
Matt Lauria, Mandeep Dhillon, William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Paula Newsome, Mel Rodriguez

Old faces and new in Las Vegas

Someone is trying to kill former detective Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle). Or more accurately, tried to kill him. Because despite being half-blind, Brass is able to kill his intruder. Still, the experience rattles him. He wants to know why someone is out to get him. The first person he thinks of to help him solve this mystery is his old friend Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox)

Sara is a former crime scene investigator. She knows how to investigate a case. To help Brass, Sara teams up with the current head of the Las Vegas crime lab, Maxine “Max” Roby (Paula Newsome). They agree to work together, never expecting their investigation will lead to another old friend of Sara’s: DNA Specialist David Hodges (Wallace Langham).

A storage unit attributed to Hodges is discovered. Inside, the unit is full of evidence from past cases. It appears Hodges manufactured evidence for years. If he did, this discovery could overturn numerous cases and put dangerous criminals back onto the street. The truth of the situation must be figured out fast. Which is why Sara’s husband and former CSI Supervisor Gil Grissom (William Petersen) comes to town.

David Hodges in trouble

Hodges, of course, repeatedly professes his innocence. Sara believes him fully, but Grissom is reserving judgement. He wants to see where the evidence takes him. It is how he has always conducted a case, and he is not going to change now.

The problem is Sara and Grissom don’t have much time to find the truth. An Internal Affairs detective, Nora Cross (Kat Foster), has already been assigned to the case. In many ways she has already made her mind up about it. She will not let either Sara or Grissom look at any of the case files until they trick her into it. In fact, Nora is questioning why Sara and Grissom are suddenly working at the crime lab again at all after spending so much time away. It is all highly suspicious to her.

There is other CSI work to be done

While Sara and Grissom look into Hodges’ case, the regularly employed CSI’s work on their day-to-day cases. The two main investigators are Allie Rajan (Mandeep Dhillon) and Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria).

Allie is a very intense investigator. She becomes personally involved in her cases and wants to see justice done. This can lead her down the wrong path at times. She believes something to be true, and instead of stepping back, she does whatever she can to prove it true. This does not always go very well. Fortunately, Allie is a fast learner. When she makes a mistake like this, she learns from it and does not repeat the mistake again.

Josh is a cold and distant investigator. He acts very separate from what he is investigating. Even the evidence is looked at without any personal meaning. Which, in a sense is good. Following just the evidence instead of putting in personal feelings can be a good thing. However, it can also come off as uncaring to the victim.

As the season went on, this behavior did change. The more we got to know Josh, the more we saw how caring and compassionate he truly is.

There is definitely romantic tension between Allie and Josh. It is complicated by the fact Allie has recently moved in with her boyfriend. This unsettles Josh, but he keeps quiet. He always keeps quiet about Allie’s romantic situation. Even when she comes to him for advice, he says nothing. It is clear Josh has feelings for Allie, but he is unwilling to do anything about them.

More members of the team

Chris Park (Jay Lee) is a CSI occasionally seen out in the field. Much more light-hearted and relaxed than the others, Chris is a great relief to all the tension going on. For some this would mean they are inattentive or sloppy at their job. Not Chris. He takes his job very seriously, but has found a great balance between doing his job well and being able to have fun and smile while he does it.

DNA expert Penny Gill (Sarah Gilman) is this way too. She is always in the lab eager to help. Even if it means walking up to Grissom and offering assistance (something most are hesitant to do), she is willing to do it. As with Chris, Penny’s personality is able to break a lot of tension happening around the lab, but don’t let that lead you to think her work is anything but impeccable.

Dr. Hugo Ramirez (Mel Rodriguez) is the medical examiner. He is very wary about anyone that walks into his autopsy. They must prove they understand and respect what he does in there. Once they do, they are welcome to stay.

He won’t become any less blunt, though. Even with people he respects, Hugo is on the blunt side. This can be useful at times, however. It is this bluntness that makes Allie aware Josh may have feelings towards her, as well as helps her decide what she should do about her boyfriend.

Max Roby: the leader of it all

Someone I haven’t talked about much yet is Max. She is the one holding everything together. A patient woman, Max is like Grissom as in she will take her time and follow the evidence. Unlike Grissom, Max understands there is a human element to each case and human elements to her investigators. Each case cannot be looked into from a distance all the time. Personal feelings will come up from time to time. She understands this and uses it to create moments for her team members to grow. It is a much more compassionate management style than any other supervisor that came before her.

Worth Another Look
Kate Dorsey

Where did they all go?

The mystery involving Hodges is resolved by the end of the season. As for what direction the series will go in season two, I don’t know. I have read Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) will be part of it somehow. Sara and Grissom seem to have moved on, at least for the moment. Anything can change at any time.

Someone I greatly missed the entire season was Nick Stokes (George Eads). He brought compassion to the cases from the very start of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, along with reason. Nick is a big part of what I liked about the original show. I am hoping he will at least guest star somewhere down the line.

Something I found odd the entire season was how no one working in the crime lab was from the original CSI. It is the same lab, although quite rebuilt, but no one from the old series remained. There wasn’t even a reference to any of them. I found this odd because so many of these people worked in the lab for years. You would think at least some of them had stayed between the time the previous series ended and this one began. But no. They all disappeared. I am curious to find out what happened to everyone. Maybe if some of them guest star in the future we will be able to find out.