Review of C.S.I.: Season 3 Part 1 (Box Set)

Introduction

This boxed set offers us part 1 of the Third Season of this successful American TV Series. Seen on Channel 5 in this country it is a slick, good looking and well groomed team that are presented here.

Headed up by Gil Grissom, wearing his perpetual expression of puzzled squirrel this is the Criminal Science Investigation bureau. They really do pick up the pieces of Humpty Dumpty and try to piece him together. Gil is a loner, coming to terms with his impending deafness due to inherited traits. His job depends on his five senses and he feels he is counting down to his imminent dismissal.

His assistants are two women and two men. Catherine Willows, a retired exotic dancer who got her degree from night school is a single parent. Constantly exasperated by Grissom who blithely does his own thing without taking any notice. Nick Stokes and Sara Sidle are the younger members of the team. Still angling to go solo, they are competitive when it comes to work. Sara is also nursing an unrequited passion for Grissom. Warrick Brown is a reformed gambler which can`t be easy in Las Vegas. Pulling them all together is Captain Jim Brass the homicide detective who oversees the cases. No CSI department would be complete without its affable coroner Dr David Robbins.

Each episode and there are 12 in this boxed set offers a more or less encapsulated case study. Usually one programme covers two cases that are intertwined but not normally connected other than by the team themselves. Occasionally shows follow one case through; which the whole team `process`.

The series for non-viewers is set in Las Vegas. It`s a glossy, hard core town of gamblers prostitutes and dirty money- there are visiting film stars, boy racers college students and the conventioneers. Behind the glitzy façade death lurks in many guises. Other crimes are featured but it`s mostly murder that takes centre stage. Death is not pretty even if the investigators are. With close up shots of corpses sometimes in advanced stages of decay; young and beautiful; old and ugly they have one thing in common they are very dead. It is sometimes said that the dead tell no tales but of course that was before we had forensic science. Now the scraping of DNA can convict a killer years after the event.

CSI introduces the gathering of evidence as a story in itself. I can imagine the pitch for this one. `Hey boys lets make a programme where some guys scrapes under a dead guy`s finger nails and works out that the killer is Caucasian, around 140 lb and works in a butcher`s shop!` It doesn`t sound like compelling TV. What is different about CSI is the extreme close up of death. Crimes are not witnessed as they happen but it is when the corpses are taken in for examination that the trauma is shown. This usually means a rather gruesome poke through the internal organs as we see the cracking of vertebrae to paralyse, the entry of a bullet, a corkscrew immobilising a windpipe. Another thing that CSI is very good at is showing how many different ways there are to kill.

What the show does well is to pick on a particular subject and weave its tale around it. Somehow it avoids the hamminess of Midsummer Murders `death by bell ringing` scenario. There are subjects as diverse as dwarfism, boxing, capital punishment and they all are dealt with competently. It also scores on being able to wrap up its case in about 40 minutes when it usually takes Detective Barnaby at least 90.

The show is pretty popular too and has spawned a spin off called CSI Miami with CSI New York soon to come with Gary Sinise heading up the cast list. This franchising of popular shows is getting a little endemic in the States with Law and Order now having three Spin offs. The problem with this is that there is a good chance it will stifle innovation with these becoming a `safe `option.


Episode Guide

1. Revenge is Best Served Cold

The death of a boy racer after a `chicken run` is not all it appears.

2. The Accused is entitled

A visiting movie star is accuses of murder. He has the money to hire the best attorney who will do her best to discredit the CSI team.

3. Let the Seller Beware

There can be a problem selling your house on the internet. You may well attract more than buyers.

4. A Little Murder

A convention of dwarves proves to be a tiny bit dangerous for one attendee.

5. Abra Cadaver

You`ll like this-not a lot. It`s magic! The power of illusion and the smokescreen to confuse the mind.

6. The Execution of Catherine Willows

A last minute reprieve for a murderer means resuscitation after execution. It is up to Catherine to prove or disprove the evidence. Meanwhile there is a copycat killing.

7. Fight Night

The tragic death of a boxer appears to be an accident but there is some unexplained evidence at the boxing ring.

8. Snuff

A real death in a movie sent for processing leads to a murder investigation. Meanwhile Grissom has a few bugs on his hands when a corpse is discovered swarming in Fire Ants. Happily he is able to date the time of death using a bug timeline. Yes really.

9. Bloodlust

A taxi driver becomes the victim of a mob assault after apparently knocking down a teenager. But as Grissom discovers there is more to both cases than first meets the eye.

10. High and Low

A man falls from an office block much to the surprise and horror of two local skateboarders. The catch is that he was already dead before he hit the ground. Meanwhile a dispute between neighbours escalates badly.

11. Recipe for Murder

Two juicy cases here. When a minced body is found in a meat factory the trail leads to a rather upmarket restaurant.

12. Got Murder?

A twitchers` outing leads to a rare sighting when the bird they spot is holding an eyeball in its beak. But which way did the crow fly? A trip to the landfill is all in a day`s work for the CSI team.

Video

Visually an interesting piece with dramatic lighting and although the locations are limited, hey this is Vegas! The tawdry glamour is sufficient to keep the eye interested. Even the opening shots of the Disney like plastic-looking buildings set the heart racing. Some of the cutting to the missing ad breaks is sloppy but remembering this is made to strict timetable and budgets I`ll let them off.

Audio

Scoring and background music has been crucial to success for many recent TV dramas. CSI is no exception with great attention being paid to the use of music.
The opening song from The Who `Who are You?` is sufficiently frantically paced to get the adrenaline going before the programme starts. Then the background music takes over and is used well to enhance the storylines.

Features

Commentaries-
There are four commentaries out of 12 episodes and this seems generous enough to get an overview and insight into the making of the programme. The one I listened to involved a three way conversation including Elizabeth Devine the programme consultant. She was a CS investigator and offers up little insights during the commentary.

CSI Moves into Season Three

A little catch up Featurette that reminds the viewer about the team members and what cases and issues the season will be addressing. Useful for new viewers as well.

CSI Tour: Police Station

The production designer Richard Berg offers an inside view of the police station set. A short but surprisingly informative Featurette.

Conclusion

Why are the viewing public, myself included, so fascinated by the mechanics of murder? The grim reality would make us turn away in horror but somehow when it is served up in these short form dramas with a neat conclusions it is strangely compelling viewing. It helps of course to watch the glamorous investigating team. They are so calm, so collected and godammit, always bloody right!

Cases are served up in a delicious double helping although occasionally they find something big enough to stretch the whole team. Sometimes the conclusion doesn`t feel quite right with the combination of circumstance a little beyond belief. Given the rapidity of the conclusions it is easy to miss the more blatant stretching of the plot to breaking point. This is mainly down to the demands of a 24 episode schedule and how many series in this country could come up with such sustained quality for that many episodes.All round then, a great series to watch and learn.

My only concern with this Boxed Set is the rather cheeky issue of it in two halves- perhaps they think we won`t notice the price hike between this and the Region One version available at the same price for the full set. I`d happily spend my money on the Region One version although picture purists often disagree. Either way an opportunity to catch up with an excellent series at the price you decide on.