Underground workers known as the 'NYC Sandhogs' blow up a tunnel and one man gets left behind. He's later found under the rubble. Identified as Pete Riggs (Eric Ritter) who has been on site ten years. Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) appears to be nervous about going underground and Mac (Gary Sinise) asks him if he's bathophobic (fear of depth.) Danny: "I'm not anything-phobic, just a few things that shake me up..." One of them being a 100 feet of granite between "me and daylight." Mac adds they're going to work the same way here as the men do, "rock by rock." A sandhog is anyone who helps in building tunnels, even if they're not actually in the tunnel, they're still one of them. The Vic wasn't shot or stabbed before the explosion but there's trace under his fingernails, which are covered with a plastic bag to protect the evidence. The DA wants the site cleared and running. This is described as an accident. The Sandhogs measure progress by a man a mile (alluding to the title) because that's the deathrate.
In the second story, Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) and Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) investigate a DB found in a water creek. Hannah was DOA and her mother is from Broxdale, where they lived. She filed a missing persons report as she left home three nights ago and never came back. She went to a friend's house to study, a Melissa Westley (Shashawnee Hall). What's surprising is that she was her friend, or at least claimed to be and yet, she didn't realize she was missing, or more likely didn't care. Which should have sent danger signs flashing. They question the girls and Aiden tells them she went to a school like theirs. They find clothes with their labels cut off in the lockers. Aiden admits she lied about going to such a school since "they cut through the attitude if they think you're one of them." A uniform represents social equality.
Hawkes (Hill Harper) carries out the autopsy on the Vic in story one. He comments a human skull has 206 bones, 200 were broken in the Vic. He suffered multiple fractures and he was hit on the head before the explosion and the COD was asthma. Pete didn't have an inhaler. Blood was found on the tracks and the walls of the tunnel. His inhaler is found near the phone and is empty. Mac notices the evidence leads to one direction where he died but that he was moved, somehow, ending up in a different place. Danny doesn't suspect this was an accident and Mac believes he knew he was going to die.
The medical exam on Hannah reveals peticule hemorrhaging. She was dead before she ended up in the water, she had been drinking and there was a gold fleck found in her throat. Mike (Tom Zito) tells them he didn't see Pete leave the tunnel and Joe Riggs (Joe Sikora) believes it was an accident. Danny gives Joe his card if he wants to talk. Their code is that every man comes out of the tunnel. They examine Pete's clothes. Danny knows his brother, Joe has something to say. Mac: "Based on?" Danny can tell. Why not have Flack (Eddie Cahill) bring him in. Mac: "Danny, your intuition is great."
Danny: "But let's see what the evidence has to say first." Mac takes a sample from the foreman's shirt and sees if it matches Pete.
Aiden tests different belts to match the markings around Hannah's neck. The crocodile skin one matches the ligature marks around her neck. Gold leaf was found in her throat as Stella explains she was a floater so it could have come from the river. Diatoms, like algae were also found and act like sponges, absorbing whatever was in the water. Such as lead cadmium.
Mac talks about the theory of quantum physics and his, "everything's connected" theory. Danny finds the presence of blood on Al McGrath's (Mel Rodriguez) ring and they fought after work. He hit him cos he insulted the rangers. The ring is important and it appears somebody had his ear "Tyson-ed." An impression is taken so the Vic's teeth can be matched to the bite mark, but there isn't a match. Danny is confused if the bite mark wasn't made by Pete, then why lie. Mac: "Depends on what the truth is." The dental impressions are a match to Al. Mac doesn't think Al's lying, but covering for someone. This is no longer murder, but conspiracy. Pete dropped his keys one day and Mike got hit on the head. He bit Al.
Stella and Aiden find that the creek has an ebb tide causing an eddy effect. The current travels South until it hits an obstruction and then reverses. She was thrown into the water in the North, where people dump things illegally. The entire area is industrial. Aiden finds Matt Paulson, (Joshua Leonard) Tina's (Sarah Foret) brother opened a club there.
There are no prints or trace found on Pete's inhaler. Pete was careless and he wasn't responsible for him but his men. The Sandhogs operate like a union, forming a bond like the Marines. something which Mac should know all about seeing as he used to be a Marine too. Danny: "Well if the evidence isn't talking, we gotta fill in the blanks somehow," when they reach a stumbling block. Mac: "We have pieces of evidence, there's nothing conclusive yet." Joe will find he doesn't have a brother anymore and in my world, "a guys gotta protect himself and his family. I mean who would you protect your brother, or some union." You can see Danny is all about family here, even before we find he has a brother too and get any real background on him. Seems like everytime Danny wants to talk from the heart or about family, Mac shoots him down in favour of the evidence.
Hanna and Tina went to England. Matt denies Hanna was at the club with Tina. The surveillance camera doesn't work. Stella notices cameras that do work outside and the footage shows Tina entering the club with a bag. Matt and Hanna kiss and are seen by Tina. Hanna had a crush on Matt and Stella feigns the need to use the restroom at their house, which she never did again in any subsequent episode. She sees a horn with a strap attached. Tina was bloodied in a foxhunt.
Mac comments on "pieces of evidence" again.
Danny: "You made that clear. I just don't see your point."
Mac: "My point is you're not seeing the connection. It's what we all look for." Danny asks if he feels it. Mac does, all the time but he doesn't act on it until he's got proof. Danny: "I can't do this job your way."
Mac: "Well you can't do it your way either. You're coming up on your 3 years. That means you'd be taking your exam to bump you to Second Grade. When I put you lead in a case, I wanna make sure you're bringing me evidence. Not intuition." ( as in episode 6 Inside Man.)
Joe is beaten outside a tunnel but no one sees anything. Danny knows he was beaten to silence him, but he still refuses to talk. Danny: "Well if he's not gonna tell us the truth and the evidence has gone sour. Then what's left?" Mac: what's been telling them the truth the entire time. X-rays reveal Pete's fourth metacarpal was dislocated, which is inconsistent with his other injuries. Hawkes: "Possibly inconsistent without context." Love that phrase. I.e if it couldn't be placed then the evidence would seem inconsistent.
Stella finds Hanna was never meant to be part of Tina's family. Tina's bag is seen without a strap. Tina's father chose Hanna for the honour of being bloodied. Matt was also interested in Hanna. The strap from the bag is found in Tina's bedroom and matches Hanna's blood. Tina strangled her and enjoyed watching the life drain out like that in an animals's eyes.
Pete wasn't wearing his ring when he died. The explosion was to cover the evidence. Joe broke their code and left Pete down in the tunnel. Joe threw the ring done and it hit him on his head. Joe looked after Pete growing up and this was the only job he'd ever get. Pete was his responsibility.
These two stories though separate, were brought together by family. Tina didn't want Hanna being part of the family and was jealous. She killed her to keep her out and cos everyone paid attention to her and not to Tina. With Joe it was about family. Pete was his responsibility but he didn't really take care of him. He left him down there to teach him a lesson, which he sees as okay. Danny mentions family all the way through this episode as something that is clearly important to him. Throughout this episode it appeared Mac was 'grooming' him and preparing him to take over as lead in the next episode. At least Danny was asking questions all the way through, even if a lot of them were from his gut and were about relying on instinct.
Mac mentions his theory of "everything is connected" for the first time. Which will crop up a few times, before it's forgotten. Okay though it's not said many times later on, we're meant to recall this is what it's about for him. As for Danny's promotion, we're aware things go awry for him later on this season and he doesn't get his promotion until season 7. Also he takes his Sergeant's exam then without telling anyone, including Mac. Maybe he thought he'd jinx it or Mac may prevent him from taking it, seeing as how he put a spanner in the works this season for Danny's promotion.
As for Flack, well he all but disappeared, think sometimes the writers were at a loss as to how to include him in the show. At least that improved later on.
Apparently this episode is said to have been filmed at Ground Zero. The title actually alludes to having been uttered by the Chinese who laid tracks for the Transcontinental Railroad. "There is one dead Chinese for every mile of that railroad." When Stella speaks with Tina about foxhunting, saying it has been banned in England. The bill outlawing it was not passed until 18th October 2004 and did not come into force until February 2005. Danny forgets he is already wearing a glove in the scene where he and Mac talk Sandhogs and in the next shot, it has disappeared.
Mac's pep talk, a bit like Gil's (William Petersen) one to Nick (George Eads) in Crate 'n' Burial where Gil tells Nick to work harder before they can make an arrest. CSI season 3 episode, Lucky Strike, also had a killer hide a DB by detonating explosives.
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