Pre-strike: It was all about Jorja Fox’s (Sara) departure. And it’s weird seeing Catherine as the only female CSI. Because of Sara, we were seeing a lighter side of Grissom, but now he’s back to the bug-loving, hot nerd, lab rat of his old self. Which isn’t all bad, but a softer Gil was fascinating to watch.
Post-strike: The most awesomely interesting storyline tidbit was all a rumour … until recently. Lots of shows have done crossover episodes with its cast, but how many show writers have done it? Well, the first week of May features the episodes in which the writers of CSI swapped gigs with the writers of … Two and a Half Men?
On Two and a Half Men's May 5 episode, the CSI team investigates a mysterious death at Charlie’s house. George Eads (Nick) makes a cameo appearance, while Robert Wagner and Jenny McCarthy return to Men. And on CSI later that week, Grissom and the CSIs become involved in the world of Hollywood comedy when a sitcom diva (Katey Sagal) meets her untimely demise while filming her show in Las Vegas. Rachael Harris, Diedrich Bader and Constance Marie also guest star.
Character Development: Gary Dourdan announced his plans to leave the show, but there’s still some buzz that the actor was actually let go. Though it was chalked up to “creative reasons,” behind-the-scenes sources claim that his departure involved an “ongoing problem personal to Dourdan.”
And going back to the whole female CSI thing, I thought they were going to make Wendy (Liz Vassey) a regular – she and Hodges are friendly and competitive rivals, plus the actress is definitely likable and appealing enough – but no such luck … yet.
Cliffhangers/Wrap Up: Will Warrick Brown leave with a whimper – à la Fox – or a bang? Warrick’s the most troubled of all the CSIs (addictions to gambling and drugs, marriage falling apart), so it’s safe to say it’ll be dramatic, whatever the case may be.
Overall Grade:
