CSI: NY - 7.12: "Holding Cell" Review

The suspected murder of a man investigated by a Barcelona detective, hinders Mac's own investigation. Was it really murder or suicide? Lots of secrets in this episode.

A man out clubbing is later found dead in his apartment.    His body is later processed at the CS by a man, with Mac (Gary Sinise) observing.   He is Hector Vargas (Jsu Garcia) from the Barcelona Police Crime Lab supervisor.   Jo (Sela Ward) has been to Barcelona in 2004 to help under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, when she was at the FBI.   Mac lets him photograph the CS.  The Vic's girlfriend, Natalia (Melina Lizette) found the body and the Vic's mother, Eva Martinez (Karina Lombard) is a diplomat.  Hector notified the NYPD ten hours after the DB was found.   Jo translates his Spanish when Hector promises to find whoever killed his nephew.

Mac asks him to leave his CS.   The Vic's father was killed twelve years ago in an accident and Hector questions Mac  if his relative was killed elsewhere, would he investigate.   Mac wouldn't jeopardize the investigation.   There's always a 'but' coming when Mac's asked one of these questions, or something moral or ethical.

Flack (Eddie Cahill) has twenty five of his men searching the alley for the murder weapon.   A neighbour heard the Vic and his girlfriend fighting and she ran away.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) finds a crystalline particle on the floor and bloody shoe prints matching the Vic.   Natalia is at the Spanish Consulate.   Mac asks Hector, "...anything else you're hiding from me."  Well, yes there is but he's not to know just yet!  Jo says they need to process and question Natalia.   Mac tells him the crime was committed here so there's no question of jurisdiction.   He knows they don't have a warrant.   Mac doesn't want to leave as they'll have a chance to go over her alibi.   Er, they could have already established an alibi by now.   Jo also tells him the Treaty works both ways and they can refuse to cooperate with any info they discover.   (That's why the Treaty is called 'Mutual'.)

Natalia apologizes and wishes to talk.   She found the door open at the apartment and saw Miguel (Reynaldo Pacheco).  In the flashback when she finds his body, the knife is still on the floor, so only she could have taken it.   We don't think the murderer, if there was one, would have returned to steal the knife.   So that was a clue.   Miguel promoted a club last night.   Hector calls her a witness and not a suspect.   Natalia called his mother and told her as it was the right thing to do.   Mac asks why she didn't call the police.   His mother asked her to come here and she'd take care of everything.   (Like she did with her husband.)

Sid (Robert Joy) examines the DB.   The COD was three puncture wounds to the abdomen.   Just as he practices his 'stabbing actions'  with the knife, in walks Lindsay (Anna Belknap.)  The first two wounds were made with the blade facing up and the fatal wound was made with the blade facing down.   He had multiple abrasions on his back, like bedsores.   Lindsay notices the burn marks on his shirt.

Mac examines the CS photos with Hector.   He doesn't believe it's a homicide and at least doesn't want to call it that yet.   Since there was no forced entry and no call for help.   Earlier on, when Hawkes said there was no forced entry, Flack mentioned that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there and here Mac believes there was no other person there.   Well, he could have known his would-be attacker and let them in.   Miguel was alive after he was stabbed and was standing over the phone, bleeding out.   Hector mentions his defensive wounds.   The killer could have dropped the knife and picked it up.   Mac comments the cast off from the blood is smeared, all the blood drops are gravitational and there's no signs of a struggle.

Hawkes examines the crystalline particle and Adam (AJ Buckley) the burn mark on the shirt.   Adam asks Jo what the best way to tell someone who's never done anything wrong before, that he may have messed up.   He found sulphuric acid and formaldehyde on the shirt, which is Marquis Reagent, used for drug testing.   Mac walks in, getting Adam all flustered, since the messing up he was referring to, was meant to be done by Mac.   Adam: "Act normal."  So he pretends to finish the punchline for a joke.   Jo tells him Adam wants to ask him something, ahh spoilt sport.   Mac asks him why, without answering.   He didn't spill any reagent there, but Jo says Adam has a point and in walks Lindsay again looking smug as per usual.   Really that's all she did this entire episode.    Adam so nervous about telling Mac he's messed up, but of course he hadn't since he doesn't get things like that wrong.

Tox results from Miguel revealed the presence of Clonazepam.  There was no alcohol in his stomach contents and yet the reading was high.   Lindsay says he inhaled it.   He was at a club, which Flack and Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) just had to check out!  Danny remarks he saw this on an episode of The Jetsons once.   Flack: "I'm not a doctor but that can't be good for you."  The bouncer tells them Miguel had an argument with Leo (Kavan Reece).   Leo sees them coming, cos Flack shouted NYPD too early and there's a shortish chase scene.   Flack shouting "Excuse me" to the clubber when running!  Flack says he has five seconds to let her go, when he holds a woman at gunpoint.   Lots of counting down by Flack, this season.  

Danny tells him the last time they did this, he had to fill out forms, call an ambulance and he got blood and brain tissue on him.   Flack and Danny had to be at the club and get in a short chase scene too.   It's almost expected now and is second nature to see them enter such a scene together.   Flack asking Danny if he wants to go for a proper drink afterwards, cos he's not into any of these fads they've come across over the seasons.   No, our Flack's down to earth and normal!  But hey, Lindsay won't let Danny go for a drink, unless she tags along.   Some witty banter from them and from Flack during the interrogation scene later.

Jo uses eye drops and says Leo could've set the club on fire.   He's got sulphuric acid in his bottle, i.e.  Marquis Reagent.   She checked out his website where he sells drugs which he claims are better, but it's just a scam.   Miguel had chemical burns on his clothes in a splash pattern which suggest there was a struggle.   Miguel didn't want him dealing on his nights.   Mac believes Leo.   Hector says pill testing is supported in his country.

Hawkes finds the crystalline particle contained Indium and Gallium - glass used in solar panels, but there were none in Miguel's place.   Hector's sister wants to take the DB now as she doesn't want anyone knowing what really happened.   (She also looked down and away, indicating she's hiding something.)  Hector convinces her to leave the body for now as she'll have to return him later anyway with an exhumation order.   Sid points out the new evidence discovered after embalming: ligature marks around his neck, which are linear.   He was strangled from behind.   Mac says someone tried to kill him before.

Jo and Lindsay talk to Natalia about the marks and Lindsay is rather judgemental, when she remarks, snidely, Natalia didn't notice the marks around her boyfriend's neck.   He had a name, Lindsay!  Natalia was in Madrid at her sister's wedding and her alibi checks out.   Flack tells Hawkes the knife was found in a dumpster twelve blocks away and the blood stain belongs to Miguel.  Hawkes is later a bit dumbfounded in the lab as nothing make sense in this case; all the bloodstains belong to the Vic.  

When along comes busybody Lindsay with her Spanish line about "small strokes fell great oaks."  She's teaching Lucy, so Danny comments so they can talk about him without his knowing.   Had to get a mention of Lucy in just incase we forget she's around.   Adam finds a microscopic bloodstain on the glass, belonging to Vern Jackson (James C Victor) a homeless man.   Danny: "Wow, even the homeless are going green."  Actually, the homeless would be green already since they don't have much of anything!

Vern doesn't know Miguel.   Danny tells him his DNA was found inside the apartment.   Flack jokes Miguel invited him to share Paella.   A food reference from Flack, since as Eddie said in an interview, "Flack loves his food."  Hence several foody references from Flack over the seasons!  Including this season's Do Not Pass Go episode;  when he said his first words were "cake and cookie."  Danny says he was looking for solar panels and Flack tells him he has too many priors, he followed him home and killed him.   Vern was paid by Miguel to kill him.   Another comment by Flack where he says Vern came up with that excuse so when they find money on him, he'll already have a reason for having it.   He strangled him, not stabbed, but he couldn't go through with it after all.   Another change of heart when it came to helping Miguel.

Hector admits to Mac that Miguel's father killed himself.   He was found in the pool but the determination was inconclusive.   Later it was ruled an accidental death by drowning.   Mac thinks history could be repeating itself.   They examine the CS again.   Miguel stabbed himself and was walking around.   He wanted to die but couldn't ask for help.    The orientation of the wound indicates the knife fell to the floor.   Only half gravitational blood spatter is found on the blade and his prints, suggesting Miguel dropped the knife and picked it up due to the Clonazepam.   He was self-medicating for depression.   The knife was moved.

His mother doesn't believe Miguel killed himself.   Miguel told Natalia what to do.   He thought if people knew the real Miguel, they would think him weak.   Mac says he was hiding what he really felt inside.   She staged the scene but returned and was too late.   Just like Vern couldn't go through with killing him too.   She took the knife, which is why it was still there in her flashback.   Miguel discovered his father's body in the closet and his mother moved it.   Mac doesn't believe there was any shame in what he and his father endured.  Natalia couldn't force him to go on living when he didn't want to.   Thus the title: Miguel's body was a prison from which he wanted release and this was the only way he knew how.  

Mac tells her to "justify your actions however you need to" but she must remember she tried to stop him.   His mother tells Jo about the same look Miguel had in his eyes just like his father and asks her what she would do if it was her son.   Jo would hold him and never let go.   Which she does to her daughter, Carmen (Andrea Ramirez).   Jo's compassion showing again, always great to see in a CSI character.

Mac actually being understanding at the end when he reassured Natalia she did the right thing when she went back and tried to stop him.   Hinting at 'assisted suicide' and possibly euthanasia - that had Miguel been ill he'd have been able to take his own life or had help in his attempt of doing so.   Though it is still illegal in many countries to help people commit suicide for health reasons and otherwise.   Again an episode where there were no killers, but they were Vics and plenty of them: those he left behind and Natalia was right - suicide is selfish.

A disturbing episode for something like his suffering to go unnoticed and his mother ignoring his symptoms and his cry for help, until it took Jo to wake her up to her own daughter, by saying she'd hug her son and never let him go.   That's so typical of Jo.   She really has her work life and personal life balanced, especially when it comes to being a mother.

Desperate Housewives - 7.16: "Searching" Review

The women help Susan in her search for a kidney, whilst she attempts to celebrate her wedding anniversary early. two matches are found, but both are desperate to donate. Gaby competes with Lee in the parenting stakes.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) : "The suburbs are full of parents...each has their own style: disciplinarian, smotherer, and negotiator.   One thing they all have in common is they love to judge the parent next door."  Lee (Kevin Rahm) appears to be forcing Jenny to practise the violin.   Gaby (Eva Longoria) believes you can't force children to do things, is she speaking from her past experience where she does force the girls to do things, or where Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) always has to 'force' Gaby to do things she doesn't want to.   Lee says Jenny told them she wanted to learn the violin and Mandarin too.   Lee asks what Juanita (Madison De La Garza) is doing by herself for the school talent show.   "Each parent has their own style but deep down they're all afraid they're doing it wrong."

Mary Alice: "There are many things that bring us pleasure; baking, donating to charity - but may not be enough to give our lives meaning without someone to love."  Beth (Emily Bergl) returns home with shopping.   Paul (Mark Moses) is mad at her.   She's told her mother, Felicia (Harriet Sansom Harris) she's in love with him.   Paul admits he killed her mother's sister.  They're both betrayed now.  

Gaby picks tap for Juanita to perform in the show.   She says "anything worth doing is hard."  The Reverend Sikes (Dakin Matthews) pays a visit to Bree (Marcia Cross) who notices the more 'lavish' her treats she bakes for him, the more she's done something wrong.   Bree feels like Job.   Everything has been taken from her and asks what she can give to others.   Lynette (Felicity Huffman) loves the smell of the twins; she misses them as she packs away their things.  

Susan's condition is deteriorating and she's told to do the things she wants to do, sooner rather than later.   Dialysis isn't working for her and she was given a free parking pass by her doctor's receptionist.   Gaby asks how long it's good for, week or a month.   Oh so tactful, as usual.   Bree reassures Susan that people care about her, but she can't ask anyone to make a sacrifice for her.  Bree will do the asking.   Mrs McClusky (Kathryn Joosten) refuses point blank to donate and Lee is worried about the scarring, as he wants to go shirtless.  

Renee (Vanessa Williams) wants a baby, a boy, as she wants more meaning in her life.   She can adopt one and work a child into her life.   Lynette suggests babysitting Paige.   Susan wants a normal day out with Mike (James Denton) and he leaves the picnic basket on the roof of the car, thought Susan was the ditzy one!

Juanita informs Gaby she's always quitting, but she's competing with Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee.   Bree throws a brunch where the guests have to be tested as potential donors for Susan.   Carlos calls it an ambush.   Beth tries to make it up to Felicia who disowns her, especially as she didn't get Paul's admission on tape or in writing.   She's going to live a lonely life.   If she gets to that point, since it was obvious why Paul gave her the gun last week when he threw her out.   Some mother Felicia is, only interested in herself.   Gaby sees how awful Juanita is in the routine, when she says she finally nailed the finale.   She hides her tap shoes so she can't take part.   Thus Juanita's hard work going to waste.   Jenny messes up in parts of her violin solo, but Bob and Lee applaud her anyway.   They're proud of her, she always gets part of it wrong.  

Funny Carlos didn't come to see Juanita in the talent show.   Again it takes someone else to wake Gaby up and she wants Juanita to perform now, well, only after Jenny made mistakes.   She couldn't see for herself that it didn't matter if Juanita messed up.

 Two matches are found for Susan: Bree and Beth.   Tom (Doug Savant) thinks Renee might surprise Lynette at babysitting, yeah and elephants fly.   Renee brings Paige to the same restaurant on a date.   Tom changes his mind, she's not good at this.   She then gives Paige to a waitress to look after, so Lynette pays her too, to 'lose' the baby.  Lynette tells her that being  a mother means making sacrifices, just what Mary Alice narrated in the last episode.   Bree speaks with Beth and I was about to say, why doesn't Bree donate her own kidney, which is what she wants to do, but Beth also feels she needs to make amends, just as Bree is going through a dark time too, but not as dark as Beth.   I mean she's on her own, Keith (Brian Austin Green) left her, but she still has her family.

Renee buys Paige a star ornament, all very baby unfriendly!  She's not cut out to be a mother.   Mike berates himself for coming to the woods, she's dying and he can't help her.   Well at least someone took my advice from last time and have Mike spend time with Susan.   Susan tells him she's fighting everyday and wants to see MJ (Mason Vale Cotton) grow up.

Mary Alice: "Our lives are brief, that's why it's important to search for meaning in...daughter's smile, in the warmth of our friends...make lives meaningful by making a great sacrifice."  Beth goes to the hospital with forms and wants to donate to Susan, where she shoots herself.   Well that was coming as I said, and also since Zack (Cody Kasch) said Paul was responsible for Mary Alice killing herself and if he denied that, he can't deny being responsible for Beth's suicide.   He left her when she needed him the most in his own bitter selfish way.   Paul told her he was incapable of loving, well he was right.   Which makes my say if this is what was on Beth's mind, it's a shame she didn't shoot Paul.   However that just shows she was the better person out of Felicia and Paul, who are more alike than they care to admit.

There was Lynette worrying about Paige and Susan worrying about MJ, whereas Beth's mother didn't want anything to do with her as she couldn't help her in her schemes; showing the contrasting characters in the show, but the regulars always shine anyway.   Even Gaby came good in the end.

Once Upon a Time 1.17 "Hat Trick" Review

Emma (Jennifer Morrison) returns to the office to find Henry (Jared S Gilmore) waiting for her and Henry refuses to speak to her until Gold (Robert Carlyle) leaves them alone.  He thought Emma had brought him into the plan.  Anyway she finds Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) missing and Henry tells her she was gone when she got here.  Wonder why he then didn't call Emma to tell her.  She has to bring her back for the arraignment at 8 and before the resurgence of her evilness, I mean Madame Mayor, Regina, the Queen, (Lana Parilla) she has too many names to mention, ha.

So whilst Emma's out looking for her she runs (literally) into a stranger out at night, conveniently stood on that particular road, cos hey he knows Emma will be in search of Mary Margaret.  He insists he's fine but them comes up with the old limping, injured ankle ploy.  Whereupon she must drive said stranger home.  She was looking for her dog, 'Spot,' cos that's the nearest to 'Snow' you'll get in terms of being similar.

Emma is impressed by his house, mansion that should read and she's more taken in by his place than she was by Regina's. How was he bale to afford it?  Also Emma will think that being in such a house should be enough for him, but it's not about riches where family is concerned.  His curse for not having money when he needed it but has plenty here.  Hey somebody should have warned Emma, the sheriff, about taking strangers home and then coming in for tea.  Said stranger claims to be a cartographer, amongst his many talents before she passes out from said tea, which of course has been laced.  Notice the clean, empty cup as it falls to the floor, not to mention it was just full when she sipped from it seconds before.  (Hence another reference to drugs as far as the Alice books were concerned.)

Emma wakes to find her jacket removed, surprised that was the only piece of clothing that was off ha!  Well when someone faints you're meant to loosen their clothing.  She attempts to free herself by breaking said cup and cutting loose her binding.

Back in the other world, we saw Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) running and hiding, but it's only from his daughter, Grace (Ali Skovbye).  They search for toadstools to sell at market and arriving home, he finds the carriage of her Majesty awaits him.  She wants him to take her somewhere as only he can and in return she'll make sure Grace will want for nothing.  Jefferson refuses since  family is everything and he won't leave her behind.

Next day at the market Grace wants to buy the white rabbit (as you've already guessed, we're in Alice In Wonderland territory this week) but he can't afford the extortionate price set by Regina in disguise as her future self one day:  looking old and haggard, but she'll never look like that, not with magic at her fingertips!  He insists he'll only pay her the coppers he has, but she refuses.  The Mirror (Giancarlo Esposito) comments on how she should have let Grace have the toy.  They drink tea at Grace's tea party and Jefferson decides he needs to make amends for Grace.  Give her a better future and agrees to Regina's demands.

He throws the hat upon the floor and spins it round until it opens to reveal another land.  "Only two can return," the hat's rule.  They come to the maze meeting the Caterpillar and at the maze, Regina uses her powers to burn a path through the maze.  Arriving at the crypt she takes the box.  Of course it's a box containing her father's heart.  So all this talk of family could only mean one thing.  She's bringing back her father now.  After all this time. How did the Queen of Hearts get hold of his heart since it was Regina who really dispatched him to begin with?  She takes him and leaves Jefferson behind to meet his fate.

Jefferson was foolish, shall I say mad, to listen to her, but sooner or later she always gets her own way.  He's arrested and taken back to the Queen of Hearts (Jennifer Koenig) who is THE only Queen here as the Knave of Hearts (Paul McGillion) tells him.  He doesn't tell them how he got here so it's a case of "Off with his head!"  He's advised to make another hat to get him home.

Emma escapes the room to find Jefferson sharpening a pair of scissors.  In the next room she finds Mary Margaret, she was kidnapped by him, knowing Emma would come in search of her.  In doing so, he saved Mary Margaret's life since no one leaves Storybrook.

He wants Emma to make a hat as she's got magic.  Everything changed when she arrived and he shows her Grace through the telescope.  She's living with another family and he wants to take her home. But he can't  make her live what he's going through.  It would be too cruel to tell her the truth. Lots of moments of closeness between Emma and Jefferson especially when they have things in common, like 'losing' their children, and they do have a certain chemistry.  Jefferson thinks Emma means Henry, Regina's father, not her own son.

Emma tells him if he means there are two worlds then Mary Margaret is her mother.  That should be food for thought especially since Henry has been telling her plenty since day one.  Meaning Emma would have real family too, if only she believed.

The hat doesn't work and Emma thinks him insane.  That's the way it goes, you either have to remember or if you do you're seen as insane, or making things up.  What happened to the snippets of memories David recalled? Emma fights him and notices the scar on his neck where his head was re-attached.  Thought his head will fall off for a minute when they were fighting.  Mary Margaret throws him out the window, well kicks him out and he lands probably with the use of the hat. He was wearing it, so it must have saved him.  He disappears back into his world it seems, but not really.

Emma gives Mary Margaret her car keys, she can leave if she wants but Emma's been running and she knows what it's like.  She trusted Emma when she first arrived and made her stay twice over, once for herself and once for Henry and now she wants to return the favour.  Emma lets slip about wanting family, no friends or whatever and that Mary Margaret is one of those, or both.  They arrive for the arraignment before Regina and she and Gold have struck a deal (what another one?) to ensure Mary Margaret is found guilty.  So what's this deal then?

Oh Mary Margaret tells Emma she found the key under her pillow, but actually it was thrown in through her cell window wasn't it.  Emma sees Henry at school and also Grace who is now Page.  Looking through Henry's book, she sees the Mad Hatter with plenty of hats and with Grace in the woods.  Does she change her mind about believing now?  We leave with the Mad Hatter crazily making endless number of hats!  Thus his name.

Anyway aside from Henry's heart being in Wonderland, how did he get there?  Also Wonderland appears to be the woods in Storybrooke, or is it as Jefferson said, that the worlds are so pressed up against one another, you'd be mistaken for thinking they're the same.  Case in point was the crypt in Wonderland where the hearts were kept also in a box; so similar to Regina's own crypt where she kept her stolen hearts.  The show took the Queen of Hearts reference to its literal meaning since the Queen of Hearts was also keeping these.

Jefferson mentioning Henry's as the Queen's father, I can't recall now but did Emma find out Henry was named so because of him.

Jefferson: "everyone wants a magical solution to their problem and everyone refuses to believe in magic."  Which is what Henry has been saying for a while now, that Emma doesn't believe.
Jefferson: "I'm trapped by knowledge.  How cruel do you think I am...it's hard enough to live in a land where you don't belong.  But knowing it, holding conflicting realities in your head - will drive you mad."  Which is what we're meant to think drove him mad, but in actual fact it seems more like his desperate attempts to make the perfect, magical hat to get back to Grace.  Could he not steal his back from Regina?  What has she done with the hat and also he's been lying low, under the radar, doesn't Regina consider him a threat or will no one believe the meanderings of a mad man?  Lots of questions come to mind here.

This happens to be one of the best episodes of the show in my opinion partly due to Sebastian Stan's moving and emotional portrayal of both Jefferson and the Mad Hatter and will it be enough to open Emma's eyes to the real plot.  Let's hope so.

The Caterpillar in Wonderland was voiced by an uncredited Roger Daltry of The Who, hence his line of "Who are you?..Who?"

Call me crazy - well don't - but I felt Jefferson was named for Jefferson Airplane, the band.  As an allusion to their song, White Rabbit from their Surrealistic Pillow album.  Especially since the song uses imagery from Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.  There's mention of the Caterpillar, the Red Queen, whom some say refers to the Queen of Hearts.  Hey who do you think the Queen of Hearts is?  Regina, her twin, her sister? Or just another one of her many foes?

CSI:NY Returns for 18 Episodes in Season 9

CBS has renewed CSI:NY for a ninth season as we know, but they are only ordering 18 episodes instead of 20 or the normal that is for most shows, 22.  Which is a real shame as another two episodes are needed for the show to reach the milestone of 200.

Whether or not CBS negotiates these two extra episodes, will still leave the show's future up in the air and most likely it will have to fight for a tenth season.  Perhaps CBS should consider not only the extra two episodes for season 9; so that it gets the necessary 200.  Goodness knows it has been through the wringer two years running and deserves a break, as do we fans.  Yet we deserve a tenth and final season for this much loved show without it having to be "on the bubble" for a third year.  Would it be third time lucky?

For too long, CSI:NY has been treated so poorly, as the 'poor man's relation' (spin off) to CSI, which is seen as the superior show to many.  Yet everyone has their own views and opinions on which one they prefer.  It's okay to watch both but you have to have a moan and groan when it is treated as if it shouldn't be around in the schedules at all by many.

I know it's a bit early to decide on such questions and the show's fate but it's good to get such things out in the open and subject to discussion to keep fans on their toes in readiness to take further action when or if the need arises.  A kind of call to arms to fight for the future of our fave CSI:NY when needed!

Here's looking forward to season 9, though we'll have to wait 'til next January.  Yeah, that's a big moan from me then!!

Enrique Murciano Returns to Season 13 CSI

Great news for Enrique Murciano fans as it's revealed he will be in the season 13 premiere; reprising his role of Det Carlos Moreno.  Think producers will listen to fans and have him as a recurring cast member, if not a regular?  Oh go on!  We should petition or something.

Enrique uploaded the following photo on his Twitter page @enriquetwiter exclusively, as he appears alongside series regular Elisabeth Shue, who plays Julie 'Finn' Finlay on the show.

The UK is still waiting for its final three episodes of season 12 and next week sees the anticipated airing of the episode, Altered States where we will get to see Enrique in action for the first time.  And about time too!

Here's to many more pleasurable hours of enjoyable Enrique viewing!!

CSI: NY - 7.11: "To What End" Review

A clown shoots a man in a bakery with no apparent motive. Jo's ex (David James Elliott) turns up, still pining for her and Flack is connected to the earlier shooting.

After dressing up as a clown, the clown then shoots a man at a bakery store.  Note the emphasis on the gun throughout the clown's make-up scene, cos all clowns are evil!  (Joke.)  I don't have any hang ups about clowns but I know some people will suffer nightmares after the abundance in this episode.   It was a bit too obvious that other clowns would arrive on the scene just so as the real killer could make his escape and throw them off the track, for a while.   Including leaving a gun behind which had nothing to do with the shooting.   Was it used by the hitman who was sent after Bobby Renton (JD Pardo).   OOh me jumping the gun here again - groan.)  Or as Mac (Gary Sinise) said later, was that just a red herring to throw them off the scent.

 Flack (Eddie Cahill) questions the clown, who then asked if he'd get any money for helping and turning up there.     Flack to Mac: "Don't say anything, this is better if you don't say anything."  At the sheer number of clown 'suspects'.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) and Mac process the CS and Hawkes finds unknown trace on the DB.   Flack to the clown: "You squirt me with that thing and I will shoot you right here..."  Hey it's only water, ha.   Jo (Sela Ward) arrives and says hello to Flack, which no one's done before.   She questions who'd want to shoot the owner of a bakery, which was a big clue and probably sums up the episode, well a little bit of it.   Hawkes discovers a single GS wound to the chest and the gun was dropped here.   Flack brings in the clown's outfit, found from a dumpster.   Jo comments on their first move: "Leave the cannolis and take the gun."

Lindsay (Anna Belknap) complains about having to reconstruct the bullet from several fragments.   Mac tells her there's an easier way if she downloaded the CT pattern, but that's not enough for her, she still complains about having to extract the bullets from the jello and reconstruct them.   Asking Mac for his help which he refuses as he's the boss this week.   Yeah, do your job Lindsay! Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) removes dust, carbon and fractured bone from the clown's shoes.   As well as concrete and female DNA.   Mac asks him to run the DNA in CODIS, wouldn't he have done that anyway as they normally do.   Danny asks Mac if you wear sneakers in clown's shoes?  Mac: "I'm a bright man, but I can't help you with that."  Danny then asks Jo the same question but she says she doesn't own any sneakers!  Hawkes found the trace to be cyanide.   Jo then asks Hawkes Danny's sneaker question.   Nothing makes sense in this case.

Adam (AJ Buckley) loses his temper whilst on the phone, which Mac happens to overhear and Adam tells the caller he's from the Crime lab but "I moonlight as a criminal, in clown ID theft."  He hates clowns.   He was calling the NY Clown Registry as the Vic's phone records don't show the clown's name.   McGillicutty didn't give him any info.   Jo and Mac visit the registry and Jo wonders who blows the yolk out of the eggs, before the clown's faces are painted on them.   Mac just wants her to appreciate the craftsmanship.   McGillicutty comments Mac has "all the charms of his insubordinate."  He calls Jo, "Kentucky" and she replies he's not very nice.   Adam faxed over the subpoena for the clown's name as he knew McGillicutty wouldn't help.   The clown's name is Stan Ridgeway(Martinez).

Flack and Danny visit his apartment and Flack comments on what happened the last time they stood outside a suspect's door.  Bullets came through.  Danny stands away from the door because he's scared.   Stan's tied up.   The man took his clothes, knocked him out and also left him money.   Thought Danny would have printed the money, but suppose it was easier to make an imprint from the pot of clown facepaint.  The prints match to a Bobby Renton.   When Adam tells Jo about the match she comments about telling Mac to give him a raise but he doesn't listen.   Maybe because they had to take a paycut just to keep Adam in work, not too long ago.   Jo believes Gino's (Tracy Fraim) murder was premeditated.   Bobby hasn't had a licence for the past five years, or any credit cards and doesn't exist in any database.   Adam comments it's like he "disappeared from his life all in the same day."

"All in the same day" as Jo repeats gives her an idea that the FBI should be around here, but she doesn't suspect it would be her ex turning up.   Bobby was in witness protection.   She disappears because she knows the "over confident agent who just got off the elevator...we slept together."  Agent Russ Josephson  doesn't believe Bobby's a killer.   Mac says it would be embarrassing for the FBI if they don't know where he is.   Russ tells him that  Bobby was an NYPD informant and the request for protection was a personal favour for Flack.   Mac relays this to Flack and how everyone thinks Bobby's not a killer for some reason.   Flack calls him a good guy.  He testified against the Foley brothers, PCP dealers, who shot and killed Bobby's friend.

Cue flashback with Flack in a suit and asking Bobby to become a witness as they need his testimony to put the killers away.   He will get protection, as will his girlfriend, Ainsley (Jackie Totin).   Bobby can't let them get away.   Well Flack was pretty persuasive.   Russ tells Jo he saw her run from the office.   She says the five text messages they exchanged over the past eight months were enough.   She looks great and he still has feelings for her.   Russ calls their parting a separation but Jo calls it divorce.   She didn't want to be known as Jo Josephson, nor did she want to stay at home.   As well as there being "ownership problems."   He wants to have dinner with her.  

Then Lindsay barges in as per usual; just when Jo and Russ were having their heart-to-heart to spoil their moment and ours!.   Yes just barge in unannounced.   She reconstructed the bullet fragments and coughs, what was the cough in aid of?  Bobby possibly killed someone 2 days ago in Memphis.   Russ says Bobby was in Memphis.   What was the point of telling Russ they've heard nothing about him, Jo's not exactly going to share with Lindsay of all people.

Hawkes says there were three GS wounds on the DB in Memphis: one to each knee and one to the chest.   (By the way Sid (Robert Joy) wasn't in this episode.)  Mac explains he was tortured but what was the connection to Gino.   Flack couldn't find anything on Gino, he had a clean background.   Flack says Bobby disappeared from witness protection and believes he's in NYC.  Mac thinks Bobby's got unfinished business and I immediately thought of Flack first and then Ainsley!  Cue flashback 2, where Booby says he won't tell Ainsley anything and ruin her life too.  She's pregnant.   Flack: "not even say goodbye."  Then Flack tells him he did the right thing in choosing to testify.

The Tox screen revealed traces of ether in the Memphis Vic's lungs.   His name Elmo Vidvic (Gadi Evel).   Cyanide and ether means PCP.   But Mac insists there's still no connection between the two Vics.   Already anticipated by Hawkes; as the kilowatt usage in the bakery was high.   It was a front for a PCP lab.

Russ: "...was hoping you'd walk me out." Jo comments he's leaving the hard part to the NYPD and he ponders if he should be jealous of Mac.   Flack visits Ainsley at the diner who wastes no time in telling him he ruined their lives.   She hasn't seen Bobby.  Flack wants her to listen to him.   Ainsley replies, "Listen to you, are you kiddin' me?"  Hey that's one of Flack's lines; recycled! He notices his car mirror has been turned inwards, a signal from Bobby.   Flack knows where to go and drives there alone.   Jo finds the connection between the Foley's and Gino, he was the godfather to one of them and sent Vidvic to kill Bobby in Memphis.

Mac is concerned he hasn't heard from Flack as he's left him messages.   Jo realizes this is personal for Flack.   Danny (under utilized again; he wasn't even there for Flack) uses EDNA to trace the samples of dust etc to a crematorium.   Lindsay asks another silly question of how the trace could have transferred onto Bobby's shoes?  Cos he was there!  Every episode she has to ask an obvious question and then saying they have to tell Mac about this and send units, arrgh!  (Sorry) What a pathetic scene between Danny and Lindsay, or should I call it embarrassing; when she asks if he has another woman.   It may have meant to have been funny, but wasn't.   It's not as though she is unaware of what EDNA is.   Think someone should tell her to pack her bags and go home.

Bobby vents at Flack when he holds a gun on him; that he didn't want to testify and Flack couldn't keep his promises.   Flack says he saved lives.   Flack: "Thieves get rich, saints got shot and God doesn't always answer your prayers." I can't help feeling this line was personal for him again because of his own loss.   Bobby can still have a life and be with his family.   Flack gets knocked down and then freefalls onto Bobby down below.   Rather he flew like the Superman that he is! What if he mistimed his jump and didn't land on Bobby!  Flack explains to Mac he "needed time to wrestle with the demons."  He was happy when he convinced Bobby to testify and was commended but he doesn't feel good about that now.   Mac replies it's "easy to lose sight of the sacrifices they have to make...the necessary price of evil."  Lots of religious references all of a sudden.

Flack books Bobby himself so he can take him to visit his family.   Wonder what was going through Flack's mind when he was watching from outside.

As for the flashbacks, don't think CSI:NY should  bother with them, unless they get the details right.   Five years ago, Flack did not have hair like that, felt intelligences were insulted by just putting him back in a suit without the proper hair.   It was like Danny's flashback in Out of the sky, where his hair and appearance was akin to the present.   This episode shows Flack does do other police work independent of the CSI lab; since Mac didn't know about Flack's connection to Bobby.

This episode was advertized as 'a man from Flack's past leading to trouble for Flack', thought that it would be something more personal than that and not so much about a past case.   Great episode never- the-less, again ensuring Flack's character keeps evolving.   Especially when he realizes policework is not always about the glory of putting criminals away and how he has matured in five years, both as a detective and as a man.   Good to see he and Mac having their routine talk at the end; where Mac convinces Flack that he did the right thing in getting Bobby to testify as he wanted to do this deep down.   But still kinda miss when Flack and Mac used to be at odds with each other with their arguments.   Made for some excellent viewing.

Before David James Elliott (or 'Dreamboat' as is my name for him, now the whole world knows!) was cast, I used to say he and Eddie should star in something together.   Got my wish then.   Though David's scenes were not nearly as long as I hoped.   Glad he's coming back.   He and Jo shared a chemistry together and seems like she was the one who opted for divorce as he wanted her to stay home.   Can't quite see that in his character; as clearly he still has immense feelings for her.   Also the way she dashed out when she saw him was more like the actions of someone who still has feelings for him too, you don't avoid people like that if you absolutely can't stand them.   More a case of not wanting to be swept away (as in off your feet) if you spend too long with them.  David would be great as a guest regular or main cast regular.

Russ asking if he should be jealous of Mac and then Lindsay asking if she needs to be jealous was so off-putting.   Poor Danny we really don't get to see much of him anymore!  He doesn't call her Montana anymore either, the novelty's worn off.   At least he got to share a joke about the clown shoes cos Lindsay wasn't around.

Flack telling Bobby he can get out and have a life as long as he doesn't shoot him - a cop - well he was right about the hitman; that could be argued as self defence, but Gino's murder was premeditated and only in the last episode, Shop Til you Drop, did we have him talking about premeditation.   Flack's stuntman was clearly obvious again and Flack wanted to take Bobby in since he still felt guilty  for him having to give up his life.   Not so much guilty, that's too strong a word to use , responsible is better.

Jo was more interested in cannoli than Russ.   Her asking who'd want to kill a bakery owner over and over was a big clue as already mentioned, as Gino was no ordinary bakery owner.

Appropriate song used at the end, 'Here Without You' by 3 Doors Down - still it reminded me someone has uploaded that song on You tube with clips of Danny and Lindsay!

When Eddie was in the short-lived Glory Days he came across a murderous clown.   Is it any wonder people have phobias about them.   Adam getting frustrated by the clown registry was interesting because it's not often, if at all, you see him losing his cool (perhaps he has a secret clown phobia too,ha,  though he did comment he hates clowns.)  Then faxing over the subpoena for Mac and Jo was kind of endearing too in that Mac seems to be rubbing off on him, at least some of Mac's qualities.

As the title suggest To What End was pondered here with why Gino was killed and what intentions Bobby had for being back in New York.   Not to mention why Russ was really in town!

The Closer 7.6 "Home Improvement" Review

Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and Fritz (Jon Tenney) meet with her lawyer who seems rather scatty, or maybe that's just an act he's putting on to fool people.  Brenda certainly wasn't impressed with him, or as I commented, it's Lucifer from Supernatural!  Brenda insists she didn't kill Turrell.  Unless it's "murder by proxy."  Gavin (Mark Pelligrino) has good news for her and asks her for a 45 second version of events.  Brenda's phone rings, as always and he charges $40 a minute.  Fritz mentions he's not meant to charge her for the first hour.  His retainer is $25,000.  Brenda: "for $10 a minute, I'm keeping the water."

Brenda rushes to the CS but can't find her tennis shoes, those were not tennis shoes she had on when she's later shown in the office.  Besides she's worn heels to a CS before.  Gabriel (Corey Reynolds)  says she's misplaced her shoes.  Tao (Michael Paul Chan) informs her the house was being torn down and the DB was found.  Brenda comments on the "Victim humour" and sarcastically remarks maybe they should start another lawsuit.  Well, it's not like the first one was their fault or cos of them.

Flynn (Tony Denison) thinks the primary suspects are the owners.  Gabriel says there was a contractor, a crew and mentions the neighbour.  Brenda: "maybe he was a lawyer."  Now who's being sarcastic.
The contractor, Romano calls her 'honey' and she wants him arrested.

Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) tells him he's illegally parked and can search his van for whatever's in plain sight.  He can be held for 48 hours.  Proveza (GW Bailey) IDs the Vic as John Dale and they will have a hue of suspects as he's a registered sex offender.  They should just cover him up and call it a day.  They look for signs of blood inside the house.

Morales (Jonathan Del Arco) claims 'you can't kill yourself on the back of your head.' He was dead 12 days and was well preserved.  He was hit with something 'conocal shaped.'  There aren't any prints on the duct tape.  Tao thinks of party hats as they have the same shape.

Taylor (Robert Gossett) tells Brenda they haven't got enough suspects as the line of suspects increases in the office.  The schools put the picture of the offenders on the notice board.  Greg (Josh Casaubon) and Malin (Laura Regan) are selling their houses and it's an open house with 200 buyers, thus increasing the suspect list even more, yet selling the house was a clue to the suspect's ID in this instance. It was obvious they wanted to sell and he was preventing them cos of his past.

Debbie (Robin Cohen) won't let Kayla play in the backyard and she saw Dale mentioned on the Megan's Law website.  Sanchez questions Kayla in Pope's (JK Simmons) office and he wants her gone since it's his time for exercise.  Brenda wipes the dust off his bike.  Kayla tells of Dale being in the backyard and her father (Ryan Alosio) fought with him.

Brenda cooks at home to save money for the lawyer.  She stopped the paper, cancelled the cable and the landline as they can't afford to "spend money on luxury items."  Fritz says she doesn't care as long as she has her chocolate bar fix.  Fritz suggests she could get funding from the city and should ask Pope for it.  Raymond, (Maximiliano Hernandez) the building inspector is brought in for questioning and Pope comments how not "everyone who asks for a lawyer is guilty." He'll ask the Mayor if there are any funds available.  Romano didn't apply for a building permit and under the Disclosure laws, have to tell buyers there is no permit.  The complainant was Dale and he was already dead.

Fritz gives Gavin a retainer from the money he inherited but doesn't want Brenda to know.  He has to tell her it came from the city and since he says he can't lie, Fritz adds he should explain it to her in a way she misunderstands.

Brenda invites Fritz to the open house and checks the house and garden out.  In the garden are wheelbarrow marks and she takes photos of these.  Since it's an 'open house' she doesn't need a warrant.  The gnome has a conical shaped hat.  The tiles were also cleaned with bleach and Connor tells her the trash bags were kept.  Brenda finds jeans and shoes inside and Malin has bleach spots on her clothes.

The blood residue is positive and she says Dale was waiting for her.  Claiming he was going to attack her. Brenda refers to what happened as a 'better than a spur of the moment burial.'  From the credit card it's seen everything was purchased the day before.  The house was impossible to sell and they needed the DB to have his name removed from the Megan's Law website.

Provenza says the gnome was cleaned before it was thrown out.  Flynn  hates matches.  She can't lift the gnome.  Greg wants to start their story over, dummy.  They had to use the e-mail to make their complaint since their voices would be recognized and they just confessed.

Gavin is representing Brenda and says she doesn't have to pay him personally unless the case goes to trial.  Brenda hugs Pope thinking he came through with the money.  The gnome is in the office with handcuffs which Provenza calls a "flight risk."

This episode wasn't as good at the others so far and seemed like a 'filler' to take the story forward with Brenda and her lawyer seeing as this season has more episodes than usual.  As we again see how Brenda is able to get past little things such as search warrants etc, to get the job done like she always has in the past.
Brenda and Fritz actually having a domestic, er over domestic issues and she expects him to eat her cooking everyday, ha.  Also Provenza being hit in the cahonas by Malin was a fun moment, no really, he was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But the suspects have to have been the most loopiest and stupidest we've seen in  along time with her lifting the gnome, oh come on did it look like she could lift it and Greg wanting to start their story over after they've been found out and already confessed!

Desperate Housewives - 7.15: "Farewell Letter" Review

Gaby returns to her hometown in order to put her past to rest. Lynette and Tom want the twins to move out and Susan uses her dialysis as an excuse to get her excused from things. Paul confronts Zack and throws out Beth.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) "Lynette (Felicity Huffman) lost a lot of sleep over the years, feeding, temperatures - but never complained because a mother is always on call..."  She's woken up and asked how to make omelettes for the girls the twins, Porter (Charlie Carver) and Preston (Max Carver) have brought home.  They've been bringing their "whatevers" here for months.  Mary Alice: "Lynette had lost a  lot of sleep over the years, she was getting tired of it."

"There are all sorts of ways to leave - some shake hands...waves, hugs...those who refuse to leave until someone else yells, 'get out'."   Tom (Doug Savant) and Lynette want to kick the twins out.   Susan (Teri Hatcher) is on the phone complaining all of her insurance won't cover her dialysis treatments, when she's pulled over by a cop.   He feels sorry for her when she mentions she's late for her dialysis appointment and lets her off with a warning.   Giving her more ideas.   Gaby (Eva Longoria) packs for her trip to her hometown, which is only famous for the second largest tyre burning fire in America.   She's reluctant to go back because of her stepfather.   Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) is determined she needs to go and read out some words over his grave, as her therapist told her to.   She's packing a party dress as it's the fire burning anniversary and there'll be a party.   She needs to be well prepared for the welcome that awaits her.

Paul (Mark Moses) is glad Zack's (Cody Kasch) mother didn't see him like this.   Keith (Brian Austin Green) teaches Charlie baseball and can't believe he's leaving for Florida tomorrow.   He blames Bree (Marcia Cross) for not telling him sooner; she waited for a week, so why blame her, why doesn't he blame Amber (Rochelle Aytes) instead.   Bree didn't want to lose him.   Keith is angry as they agreed to be honest in their relationship.   Susan gets to jump the queue in the market so MJ (Mason Cotton) can watch Tom and Jerry cartoons, using her dialysis appointment as an excuse.

Gaby is recognized by a woman from her hometown who saw her in magazines.   They've got a new Stop light in town.  She gets into the taxi when she sees a nun but can't stop looking back at her still.   Keith still laments over Charlie and he swore he'd never leave his child like his father left him.   The twins move out and Lynette misses them already, when they stop the car and drive across the road to Mrs McClusky's (Kathryn Joosten).   Susan can't help milking her dialysis for whatever she can and is excused from jury duty.   That jury must be relieved.   Renee (Vanessa Williams) feels close to Susan as she's using her disease to manipulate and her powers for evil!  Renee suggests they have lunch at Gerrard's since there's always a wait for tables and she can just push in.

Gaby's photos are plastered inside the diner and the Natchos platter is named after her.   Principal Gomez (Marco Rodriguez) says there's no role model for the girls and asks her to give them a talk at the school.   Gaby calls Carlos her chauffeur.   Gaby giving a speech, let's see it'll be about modelling and dresses and money.   Beth (Emily Bergl) has noticed Paul's been cold and distant lately and she can't imagine what he's been through.   Paul borrowed her gun for protection from Zack, why has she got a gun in the house.  "Fool me once...someone so close betrays you, can things be good again."  Referring to Beth.

Keith wants to move to Florida but he can't without Bree and he doesn't want to lose what they have.   The local paper interviews Gaby, with the headline, 'Solis so lovely.'  There's no need for her to go the cemetery as she's getting closure right here.  Love from so many people is healing.   Lynette believes Mrs McClusky can get the twins into shape but she asks for her Denver omelette recipe, as she's making them feel right at home by fetching and carrying for them, which Lynette can't stand and so has to scheme to get them gone.  

Roy (Orson Bean) likes having them here, cos he's got the floozy's to look at!  Gaby's talk includes telling them that Math and Science leads to frown lines.   Sister Marta (Jill Larson) turns up, she actually sounded like an older version of Bree.   Gaby's angry with her.   She told her about her stepfather and she said it was her imagination.   Believing Gaby lied and she's been ashamed ever since, instead of telling her she didn't deserve this happening to her.   Sister Marta should be ashamed of herself.

Lynette brings over a keg for a party so that the twins get thrown out for making a mess of Mrs McClusky's house and for breaking her shot glass collection, she almost had one from every state.   Lynette is so scheming for a wife and mother, wonder where she gets it from, her own mother and then she makes comments about her behaviour too.   She wonders how they got to be so helpless and they have to tell her she doesn't let them do things for themselves and just takes over.   Paul questions Zack over why he shot him.   He wanted Paul to die.   He hated him all his life until he was made of hate.   Paul did this to him and to everyone, he's evil.   Mary Alice killed herself because of Paul, but he says she loved him.   No one could love Paul.  

Bree wants Keith to go to Florida as he's in a long distance relationship with his son already.   Bree's never fallen out of love with her children and he'll meet someone else.   Susan is prevented from jumping the queue for a table at the restaurant, since everyone there is afflicted with some ailment or another.   Susan faints for real.   Paul throws Beth out as he's known about her and Felicia (Harriet Sansom Harris).   She loves him but he repeats what Zack said, no one could love Paul.   He gives her the gun.

Mary Alice: "leaving is never easy but the time comes when we must move out - leave our childhood behind, let go of the past - be a good parent.   Leaving is never easy especially for those who have nowhere else to go."   This episode is about children and what parents will do for them, the sacrifices they make.   Yet in some ways, children don't do the same for their parents.  Not that they have to, but sometimes it's nice not to be taken for granted.   Also what's Beth going to do with the gun Paul's given back to her.

Why isn't Mike (James Denton) around for Susan more, ever since she was diagnosed he hasn't been around much and what happened to his Alaska job.   Would've thought he'd be there for MJ more, since he wasn't there for Zack.

CSI: Miami - 9.11: "F-T-F" Review

Horatio, Ryan and Walter rush to preserve evidence at a CS where the fire hydrant threatens to wash it all away. The investigation leads to a male predator on the Internet.

Horatio (David Caruso), Ryan (Jonathan Togo) and Walter (Omar Miller) rush to a call out at a CS where two people have been shot.   The car of one of the Vic's crashes into a fire hydrant, so they must race against time to preserve whatever evidence they can, before it's washed away and destroyed.   Horatio tries to stop the hydrant gushing out water and Ryan attends to the male Vic, as Walter covers the car, in desperation.   Ryan notices the gun on the ground and shouts to Walter, who can't hear him.   Why didn't Ryan just go for the gun when he saw it.   As he makes a dash for the gun, it's swept into the storm drain.   Ryan is angry he lost the gun.   It went down the drain.   Horatio: "It went down the drain."  Not a very catchy or witty one liner from him.  Come on writers you need to do better.

Where were Natalia (Eva La Rue) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) before, well they didn't want to get wet.   Natalia finds a bullet in the grass and the gun is retrieved when the storm drain is opened, processed by Calleigh (Emily Procter).  She suggests Ryan should shower as they all got wet by a purple hydrant, one carrying non-potable water.   The vic, Marvin Hill (Richmond Arquette) is thought to have shot Rebecca in the car and then killed himself in a possible murder/suicide pact.

ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) can't find the exit wound for the bullet from Marvin's head and Natalia processes the clothes.  Calleigh finds the bullet matches the gun.   ME Tom boils Marvin's skull to reveal tiny fragments on his skull.   Walter is shocked at the site of the skull and asks for a bit of a warning next time.   This is intriguing to ME Tom who is in his element: "It's way too exciting for etiquette Walter."  There was only one entrance and exit wound.   The bullet ricocheted inside Marvin's head, came out the same way and hit Rebecca in the car.   Leading Walter to test this theory using laser stringing.   This reveals neither one fired the gun and so there was a third party present.

Delko helps Natalia process the clothes and she finds a black thong in Marvin's pocket.   He then questions his wife, Linda (Darby Stanchfield)  [hey it's Castle's (Nathan Fillion) ex.]  Who tells them Marvin would spend hours in front of the computer.   Tripp (Rex Linn) asks her about the "unmentionables" Marvin had.   It's not hers.   Marvin's computer is analyzed by Walter, revealing he was passing himself off as a 19 year old soldier, Sean, home from Afghanistan and was socializing with Ashley (Skylar Day).   Other photos of her reveal a cheerleading outfit, which Delko recognizes as being from Bayfront High School.

Horatio and Delko question Ashley and her parents, Larry (Michael McGrady) and Diane (Karen Young) where they are met with hostility from Ashley's father.   She claims not to have known Sean and her father refuses consent to collect a DNA sample from her.   Delko checks his hands for GSR.   Diane was strangely silent about the entire thing and didn't make any objections about it, coming over as being very suspicious.   He finds his .25 gun missing, the same one used to shoot Marvin.   Walter and Natalia check out the family computer and find e-mails from Ashley to Sean/Marvin.   Walter has to decipher the code for Natalia, he's got nephews.   FTF = face to face and she used others like SYS = see you soon.   IBW = I'll be waiting.   A third player was involved in the chat, called Justin (Corey Eid).  Walter arranges a meeting with him at a garage.

Delko and Horatio wait for him, why them two.   This double act is getting tiresome.   Especially since you know what's coming next, another chase (groan.) Horatio calling Delko "brother" and using "All quiet on the western front."  Since when did Horatio talk like that.   Justin doesn't show up but sends someone else in his place.   Cue Delko chasing him and his running in the direction of Horatio's car, where he opens the door on him, saying he was just getting out of his car.   They then proceed to force info from him (unnecessary again).   He describes a white car with New Mexico plates.

The best scene of the episode was Tripp trawling through directories looking for the car at rental places.   Where he has to tell one operator, New Mexico isn't a foreign country.   It's a scene Flack (Eddie Cahill) from CSI:NY would grapple with.   Luckily for Tripp, the real Justin turns up to return the car whilst Tripp is still on the phone and lucky also the man at reception had the foresight to tell Tripp he's there.   Ryan and Natalia turn up to arrest him this time and not Horatio and Delko, cos there wasn't a chase.   Natalia recalls Justin smells, like Ryan did;  causing her to examine his clothes and Marvin's clothes for the presence of diatoms.   She meets new lab rat, Rachel (Natalie Knepp) who comments Travers is out with a girlfriend and he's not mutually exclusive.   Natalia finds two similar diatoms found in the water in both samples from their clothes, concluding Justin was the third party.

Horatio and Delko lead Justin to confess to Marvin's murder with their line of questioning, since Marvin wouldn't leave Ashley alone, so he took care of him for her.   Even though he hasn't even met her yet.   He asks if he can meet her FTF now.   Again Justin didn't have a lawyer present when he was questioned, which makes you wonder if he was even read his rights.   Justin can't believe he actually confessed.

Horatio gets Walter to check video footage from Justin's hotel, which shows a woman leaving and entering his room.   It's Diane leaving the gun for him.   Horatio doesn't recognize her immediately.   She was enamored with Sean and was doing the same thing as Marvin, pretending to be Ashley, someone much younger.   They were both lying.   They met and she called the whole thing off but Marvin got angry and they accused each other of lying but Marvin wouldn't leave her alone.   So she got Justin involved.   Natalia can't believe she let an 18 year old kill for her.

Though I have to admit I did like the scene at the end where Horatio put her and Justin together in the cell: FTF - SYS - IBW, ha.  A bit cruel of him but really Justin not being able to reconcile the fact he killed someone for a complete stranger.   Still wanting to meet her now.   He can't see what he did was wrong.   Both their motives were stupefying.  Diane cos she didn't want her family to know what she'd done if she went to the police and Justin killed for the love of a stranger.   They accuse each other of lying too and he calls her sick, well if the shoe fits, he was just as bad.   But the real worry was that Diane as a mother, didn't realize how much danger she was putting her daughter in, she was meant to protect her, as Ashley says at the end, but in actual fact by the fantasies she dreamed up and carried out, she made her vulnerable to predators and perverts.   If she desperately wanted to go down that route why didn't she just fake an ID.

CSI: Miami episode To Kill A Predator was also the focus of teen girls being targeted by male predators on the Internet.   Non-potable water in the hydrant was not fit for human consumption.  thus the diatoms and the smell.   Rachel the new lab tech only features in this episode which was a bit pointless to introduce her, but probably they wanted to get in the bit about studying Natalia at the academy.

I still can't get over how they were going to cancel CSI:NY and let CSI:Miami carry on after this awful season 9.   The show has just become a shadow, or should that be parody of its former self.   After the exceptional season 8.  There was no justification for the show to be renewed, and yes it has its fans, but if there was any cancelling to be done it should definitely have been this one.   CSI:NY injected fresh life into the show with the addition of Jo (Sela Ward) and most of the season 7 storylines were far more interesting than anything CSI:Miami could muster.

This episode was a warning against all the predators, perverts and weirdos who use the Internet and the dangers of striking up online friendship's.

Evidence preservation against water and the rain seen in CSI:NY season 1 episode Rain and CSI episode $35K O.B.O.  where the CS had to be processed and it began to rain.  

Supernatural - 1.21: "Salvation" Review

Meg gets in touch with them for the colt and meets dad alone, whilst Sam has a vision of another mother. He and Dean must help her, hoping they'll kill the demon.

Blue Earth, Minnesota: Meg (Nicki Aycox) goes after Pastor Jim (Richard Sali) telling him she's done bad things.   She had a chat with a man and slit his throat and removed his heart from his chest. Her eyes change.   Jim tells her it's hallowed ground and she can't be here.  She wants the Winchesters.   Then she slits his throat.

Leaving Salvation: The heartland of America.   Are you ready for Judgement Day  JW 2:27

Sam (Jared Padalecki) has a flash to a baby in a crib and the mother.   He has another vision of the map and the mother dressed in white. Monica (Erin Karplunk) talks to her baby, Rosie.  "Sometimes she looks at you and it's just like she's reading your mind." She's six months old.   Sam has a vision of the demon standing over her and she's on fire like their Mom.   The camera pans in on the clown mobile hanging from the crib.   Sam tells Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Dean says it happened in Sam's nightmares and how he has visions when he's awake now.   The visions get stronger the closer he gets to the demon.   Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) berates Dean for not telling him sooner about Sam and his visions.  

Dean: "Call me, you kiddin' me.   Dad I called you from Laurence, Sam called you when I was dying.  Getting you on the phone, I've got a better chance of winning the lottery."  Dad never turned up for them no matter how many times Dean asked for his help, even when they were facing Meg.   He turned up then but only remained in the shadows.   Seems he only arrives when he hears the demon may be around.   The other times they have to fend for themselves, just like they did when they were little.

Sam knows the demon's coming and that family is going through what they endured too.   Dad says no one's going to go through this again.   Meg calls Sam who believes she died falling from a seven story drop.  "It's time for the grown ups to talk, Sam, let me speak to him now."  She tells Dad about watching Jim Murphy choke on his blood and Caleb (Josh Blacker) is with her now.   She wants the Colt.  She wants to meet him at a warehouse in Lincoln tonight, which is just a plot to get him away from Sam and Dean.  Sam says they need the gun.

Dean suggest they give her a fake gun from an antique store.   Dad declares his hopes for them once more, "I wanna stop losing people we love - I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home.   I want Mary alive.   I just want this to be over." Sentiments echoed by Sam in 1.16 Shadow when he said the same thing to Dean about it being over and then him having his own life and doing what he wants.

They know it's a trap cos Meg ain't really that clever.   Dean makes him promise he won't get himself killed.   They have four bullets left in the Colt.   Dean insists they have to get the demon before it gets the family, but Dean would prefer to be with Dad and so does Sam, who wishes Dad was here.  

How come Meg couldn't sense Dad when he was up on the water tower.   He puts a rosary into the water, turning it into holy water.  Does he just carry the rosary around for blessings or does he really believe in having it close for religious reasons?    Sam is finally relieved they'll be killing the demon and he thanks Dean for everything.   He knew he could always count on Dean and wanted to let him know.   Dean doesn't want to hear that  cos "no one's dying tonight." One of Dean's fave lines, well okay not fave but oft used.   Only the demon will be dying.   Meg: "I can see where your boys get their good looks...considering what they say about you, I thought you'd be taller."  No that's Sam.   She's joined by another demon (Sebastian Spence) and shoots him. He lives, showing the gun's a fake.   Holy water seems to work on them.  

Sam notices static on the car radio and Dean can't get hold of Dad.   The lights flicker inside the house as in the Pilot episode.  Monica's husband has a gun. What was he doing with that? He appeared to be waiting for them, or for something else, like he's expecting the demon.   The bullet goes through the demon and he disappears when the colt is fired.   The crib is set on fire.  Dad is caught.   The house is ablaze and the demon watches through the window.   Dean stops Sam from going in.   Sam wanted to end all this, Dean tells him it would have ended his life.   Dean: "You're just willing to sacrifice yourself is that it?  Well that's not gonna happen, not as long as I'm around...it's not worth dying.  If hunting this demon means getting yourself killed, then I hope we never find it."

Sam: "That thing killed Jess, that thing killed Mom."
Dean: "You said yourself once that no matter what we do they're gone and they're never coming back."  We get Dean repeating Sam's lines now and making him remember that it's not worth dying over right now.   Sam said that in the Pilot and Dean was angry at him for saying that, now the position's reversed and Dean says it.  Jess and Mom won't be back but they're here and he won't let Sam kill himself.   Dean' s line of  telling Sam he's going to sacrifice himself and Dean won't let that happen as long as he's around; is kind of the premise of this show, at least one of them.   His line resonates throughout the seasons as we'll come to see.   Nothing will stop Dean and Sam sacrificing each other for one other.

Sam however is angry, "Don't you say that after all this."  He pushes Dean against the wall.   Dean: "The three of us, that's all we have. That's all I have."  Dean's barely holding it together but without Sam or Dad he doesn't know what he'll do.   Meg answers Dad's phone and tells him he'll never see Dad again.

The episode was heating up as the penultimate in season 1 and now it's left to Sam and Dean to rescue Dad, even if he hasn't been around for them and  being there for them when they really needed it.   At this point in time, he's family and Sam and Dean are still in awe of him and need him as much as he needs them.   Darn demon got away again.

Thought the JW on the writing in the beginning was referring to Dad, John Winchester, a foreboding of what was to come for him and that was what I thought the first time I watched this episode.   As for Dad admonishing (love that word) Dean for not telling him about Sam's visions sooner, Dad was in Laurence when Dean called him practically begging for help in season 1 Home episode but he preferred to hide out at Missouri's.   Also he knew of Sam's visions since Missouri spelled out to him that even with all his powers, Sam couldn't sense his own father.

CSI: Miami - 9.10: "Match Made in Hell" Review

A man turns up dead in hos pool, the victim of an alligator attack. The investigation leads to two matchmaking services, to which there's more than meets the eye and Ryan goes undercover, for the briefest of moments.

A man on the phone is attacked by an alligator in his pool.   Horatio (David Caruso) and Ryan (Jonathan Togo) are on the scene pretty quickly.   Ryan spots a blood trail and sees the alligator, which hasn't gone very far, after finding some meat used as bait.  Horatio shoots the alligator dead, as is in his character, especially this season.  Horatio: "Welcome to South Florida."

Natalia (Eva La Rue) believes the alligator was deliberately lured there, uh that's what the bait was for.   Horatio finds someone tampered with the gate and so knew the code.   Matthew, the Vic, (Patrick Heusinger) was rich and retired.   The CS and the house are processed.   Delko (Adam Rodriguez) finds a torn piece of paper and ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) comments he hasn't seen anything like this and fancies himself as a bit of an alligator expert.   Not to be outdone of course by Delko who has to go one up with his staring at an alligator underwater at night.

Abby (Julie Gonzalo) the woman on the phone to Matthew whilst he was attacked, is questioned and Walter (Omar Miller) tests her hands for animal blood.   They went out together and she used a matchmaking service.   Her hands are negative for any trace.   Walter can't help smirking when she mentions the service  There's no sex permitted until 90 days into the relationship.   The woman who runs it is Tandy King (Julie Claire) whom Natalia questions.

Tandy shows Natalia as an example of how she extenuates her assets and that's what the women should do.   Obviously she looks suss.   She gives Natalia his file and video.   The men have the money and the women the beauty.   Me Tom calls her about finding an engagement ring and Matthew was going to propose.   Natalia wants all the files and gets directly to the point of not caring about Tandy's business.   At least she didn't beat around the bush.   There's Tandy's motive right there, her business reputation.   Also she went from being helpful, to obstructing by not handing over the files.

All the women tested prove negative for animal blood, hey, would these women actually touch a piece of raw meat with their bare hands, it's highly unlikely! So that wasn't really conclusive.   Walter: "all these babes." He wants to sign up.   Delko crushes that fantasy by telling him he needs to be a millionaire  Though he says Tandy was thorough in giving them the files, cos she was hiding something.   Or else she didn't want to endure Natalia's wrath, ha.

Natalia examines the sheets from the Vic's home.   Delko finds one of the women, Kate (Amber Clayton) is missing.   Her DNA matches the sheets.   She slept with Matthew.   Tripp (Rex Linn) doesn't find her at her apartment and Horatio asks if her car has GPS, then he can track her.    Why didn't Tripp think of this.   Her car is tracked to another matchmaker party, organized by Paul Nichols, (Peter Wingfield) but he's more than that.   It's apparent the security man, Ricky (Antonio Leon) was hiding something.   Tripp brought his own invitation, his badge, that's been done before in CSI:NY.   Paul only caters for high end clients.  Horatio screws up his business card and throws it down, he wouldn't have done that in past seasons.   Kate tells them she was there to end it and one thing led to another, but you know she's lying.

ME Tom happily saws into the alligator and it takes him back to undergrad anatomy.   He finds another torn piece of paper like the piece Delko found.   Which he bags for later, as in much, much later, cos no one examined that until right near the end.   Natalia notices a bandage on Matthew's hand when ME Tom pulls out his arm from inside the alligator.   Something hot was held against his skin and Natalia needs to match the burn pattern against whatever caused it.   Calleigh (Emily Procter) goes through the books with her and Natalia jokes she hopes it's not a pipe.   Tripp enters telling them he found two 'Insufficient Funds Notices' in Matthew's letterbox and IDs the burn as being from a motorcycle.    He recalls the bikes at the party.

The burn was from the exhaust pipe of the motorbike and Delko finds blood on the pipe.   Ricky owns the bike and tortured Matthew.   Paul sends his own lawyer to help, which is for his own protection.   Horatio tells him he'll be next.   Look at the way Horatio and Delko pushed him into the room, there's really no need for it, someone should sue for police brutality.   No really, since they've obviously got no IAB watching over them, they think they can get away with anything.   No wonder they got rid of Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith) last season, pity.   Horatio tells him he was set up by Paul to take the fall and he's afraid to talk for his family's sake.   It's all about money with Paul.   The lawyer arrives and has already posted his bail.  

Horatio gets an idea, of finally, well following on from Natalia's idea to go undercover in 9.5, he sends Ryan this time.   He needs to call every 30 minutes and has to talk to Kate.   He can't wear a wire, well no one checked his shoes!  Ryan makes small talk with Kate and uses the usual lines, including "penny for your thoughts."  Paul wants Kate to be alone with him, since he's none other than a pimp.   Ryan leaves her on the pretense of wine and investigates before he's caught and injected by security man (LaMonica Garrett).   Horatio and Delko seemed to know exactly where Ryan was when they came in.   Horatio holds the security man's head underwater and he's shot when he reaches for his gun.  There was a time when Horatio would have dragged him out of the water, not force his head in.

Ryan recalls finding something by the bookcase and it's opened up to reveal a safe containing lots of money.   Kate tells Horatio that Matthew wanted to marry her and she tried to break up with him.   Paul threatened to kill one or the other, if either one went off with each other and wouldn't let Matthew buy her out.   Matthew didn't have any money but she didn't care.   Horatio: "If Paul did this, justice will be served."  Yes, Horatio style!  Paul is arrested for prostitution, kidnapping and other offences and he's taken away without being given a lawyer, so what happened to due process.   CSI: Miami just keeps getting more and more incredulous now, it's the same thing every week, talk about being unoriginal.

ME Tom finds yet another piece of paper, which is what Natalia and Walter only get to now, why couldn't Calleigh have been working on it.  Natalia works out it's a cheque signed by Tandy - who else.   Walter asks why it's torn and why the red ink?  Then recalls what the bank writes on the cheque when there are 'insufficient funds'.   Tandy was there to collect her fees.   Natalia tells her she knew the code cos of the video.   Horatio has his feet up on her desk now - he hasn't done that before either.  Matthew couldn't pay and she had to protect her business reputation, so she killed him.   As said in the beginning, it was all about business with her and Horatio helps Kate out for testifying against Paul, the State Attorney will grant her probation, she needed the money.   Another hug for Horatio.   Who also admits he's also capable of anything, like we've seen.

Tandy was always the obvious suspect, her business meant more to her.   CSI:Miami is one of those shows where the person of interest who helps the most, has the most to hide or is actually guilty.   Anyway, who exactly would talk about Matthew not being able to honour his debt.   He didn't tell anyone about his business manager running away with his money, except for Kate and she didn't care.   It's embarrassing, to say the least, so he is unlikely to have told anyone else about it.   Besides Tandy would have got her money cos he'd have to sell his assets,his house.   Very poor episode for a ninth season.

In CSI:Miami 2.4 Death Grip, a girl is abducted from her bedroom and her arm is found in an alligator.  Seems the alligators in Miami have a penchant for arms.

CSI: NY - 7.10: "Shop Till You Drop" Review

Jo takes Mac shopping, when his interest is aroused by a pickpocket working the crowds and then by a DB in the window display, which also catches Jo's attention.

Jo (Sela Ward) takes Mac (Gary Sinise) shopping, which he hates and can't believe he let her talk him into it.   Oh admit it, you really wanted to go! Mac notices a pickpocket whom he watches and then chases.   Jo can't believe he just did that.   She then calls the window display amazing, agreed by the pickpocket, whom she wasn't talking to.   Mac still is disinterested until he sees a DB in the display.  Mac: "You see why I hate shopping."  They process the shop window.   Yay  Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) without Lindsay's (Anna Belknap) 'shackles' ha.   Someone listened to my plea from last episode, when I said we need to see less of her,

Flack (Eddie Cahill) identifies the Vic as Richard grossman (Jeff Roop).   The staff liked to call him other names as employees were being fired.   Jo comments he "makes our boss look pretty good."
Danny: "I wouldn't go that far."
Mac: "I heard that"  and lets them off, must be Christmas as they all share a laugh.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) finds signs of blunt force trauma and that the wound impressions are "oddly textured."  He must have fallen against something.   Or Mac suggests he could have been struck very hard.   Flack tells them the pickpocket's jacket has a blood stain on it.   Based on the liver temperature the Vic died about half an hour ago.

Danny finds signs of a struggle, as someone stepped in his blood.  Jo asks if he's "ready to go shopping?"  Danny asks what for.  The killer of course.   They follow the blood trail until they lose it in the store.   Using luminol to spray the floor.   Jo and Danny follow the second trail to the make-up counter.   Where the assistant, Tracy Parker (Hayley Marie Norman) was giving away free make-up kits.   Jo looks at her shoes, but she's wearing stilettos which calls cute.   Danny grabs the free bag she gives to Jo, for "the girls." Like Lucy really needs it, now Lindsay...  Hey, that'd be considered a bribe, you can't accept gifts like that.   Jo comments that the astringent in the bag is 80% alcohol, thus the killer would have needed it for the wound.   Since they see blood on the counter.   Checking out the family bathroom, Danny finds bloody cotton wool and the discarded bag in the bin.   Danny: "Boom."  He hasn't said that in a while and seizes the opportunity, now he's free from Lindsay.

Blood on the cotton wool matches the blood on the pickpocket's jacket.   Howie (Steven Crowley) is questioned by Flack and Mac and Flack gets no amount of amusement from it.   Flack comments that perhaps pickpocketing isn't his forte.   Howie says he knows the law and they haven't found him with any stolen goods.   Mac tells him he's a witness, he saw him lift the woman's wallet, which will be enough for the Grand Jury.   Howie calls it his word against Mac's.     Which Flack finds funny.   Good to see his humour back when dealing with suspects in usual Flack interrogation mode.  Mac asks how blood from the Vic got onto his jacket.   Flack tells him he hasn't heard of felony murder.   He can still be found guilty.   He claims a woman bumped into him and he went "about my business."  Yes he did; he stole from her.   This was apparent from the security footage Jo and Danny watch.   But don't see him lifting something from her.

Jo recalls the woman from the street, she was making snow angels.   She goes back there and finds blood on the snow and also the woman nearby.   She doesn't reply to Jo's questions and Jo takes scrapings from her fingernails.   She has bruises too.   Jo tells her what she knows.   Her blood was found in the area and she cleaned herself in the bathroom.   Flack explains her name is Alena (Lisa Brenner) and she's assistant manager at the store.   She bought a one-way ticket to Aruba for tomorrow.   Jo says this makes the killing premeditated.

Adam (AJ Buckley) checks the iron branch.   The print on the broken USB belongs to Grossman.   (Well he had an appropriate name.)  The blood spatter on the branch is impact spatter so was used as a weapon.  Hawkes says it matches the odd wound on the Vic.   Danny finds that the burnt human flesh on the broken glass found at the scene belongs to Pascal Denton (Hart Turner).   He was fired a week ago.    Flack and Danny back together again ha, go to pick up Pascal, who happens to run from Flack, why does he run if he had nothing to hide.   Guess that'd be 'once a perp, always a perp'.   Danny throws the dummy down and domino style the other dummies fall on him.   They don't waste anytime time taking him downtown either but continue their questioning right there.   Joking that they have a thing going where they bet each other $100 everytime a perp says they didn't do anything.  They're up to $2.5 million now.   Flack calls Danny his partner here.

Flack with another funny line, "there you go getting all innocent again."  Pascal fought in the shop window with Grossman over the display and burnt his arm on the lamp.   He was engaged to Alena but she called it off 6 months ago.   Jo says he's telling the truth.   Sid (Robert Joy) tells them Grossman was also an attacker as there are scratches on his face, neck; bitemarks on his arm and defensive wounds.   Jo thinks Alena was defending herself.

Jo talks with Alena again and tells her she was taught to respect the dead.   There had been harassment complaints from other employees.   Alena holds Jo's hand and then lets it go.   Jo feels what she's going through, she wishes she could read Alena's mind.   Flack tells Mac that she still killed him.   Mac calls Flack Don here and tells him the new DA is not pressing charges for lack of evidence against premeditation.   Flack is worried about her leaving the country if they find new evidence.  

Tracy was being sexually harassed by Grossman but her complaint was dismissed by the store.   Tracy explains how Alena would cover for her when she left early, she closed her till.   Tracy agreed to date him as he threatened to cut back her hours.  Alena wanted him to stop taking advantage of the other women.

Adam tells Mac the USB was froma pocket camera which broke off during the struggle.   Mac believes there was something on it Alena didn't want him to see.   Mac recalls the camera Howie had and knows where to find it.  In the drain.   Adam dries the camera out using silica desiccantt.   Howie stole the camera from Alena.   It was taken from her cardigan and not her coat as Mac says.   Adamrecovers footage of Alena stealing money from the tills (cash registers.)  Jo explains any minor discrepancies under $10 are written off by the store.   Lindsay examined the blood and found Alena had leukemia.

Jo explains that she would want to live as long as possible.   Grossman knew Alena was stealing and extorted her, he demanded 'sexual favours'.   Alena tells Jo he was robbing her of her humanity.   They fought in the window and she hit him.   Taking the camera but leaving behind plenty of evidence.   She gave the money to the employees.   Jo realizes she was stalling by not talking to her earlier on.   Alena wanted to leave behind a reason for her living.

Jo and Mac are in his office again and she picks up the snowglobe; explaining why she loves window shopping: where you don't have to buy everything you see, "you stop, you look; find something to admire and then move on."
Mac: "I'll buy that."  So who does shop for Mac, we know from a past episode that he does his own grocery shopping, but what about his Christmas shopping.

CSI:NY hasn't done a Christmas episode before so it would have been interesting to see what the others were doing for Christmas.   Again at the end Jo was telling Mac why Alena shouldn't be arrested - not only since she has a short time left but because she didn't steal for herself.   But the staff were still receiving the proceeds of a crime, but the trick would be having to prove all that.   Not their work.   This was the show's Christmas episode as said already, so there had to be some Christmas spirit in the air; of charity and understanding.

The song at the beginning, 'Baby It's Cold Outside', was partly sung by David James Elliott in an episode of JAG.   Oh come on they were so preparing us for his appearance next episode!! in my opinion.

Desperate Housewives - 7.14: "Flashback" Review

Paul reveals Zach shot him and asks Mike where he is, reluctantly Mike agrees to take him to Zach, as he's their son. Gaby gives in to therapy and Frank drops dead on Lynette's couch.

Mary Alice: (Brenda Strong) "Paul Young had a son but he had not seen Zach in years...he lost him to a world of fast women, easy money and hard drugs...he was determined to find him and he would do anything, even if that meant asking for help from a man who despised him."   Paul (Mark Moses) asks Mike (James Denton) for help.   Zach's (Cody Kasch) mansion is in foreclosure and Paul admits to Mike he was shot by Zach with the same gun Mary Alice used to kill herself.   Zach was last in Idaho.   Paul's disappointed with Zach.  "Though he didn't admit it, Mike knew exactly where Zach was , but the son Paul Young had lost, had no interest in being found."  Was Zach hiding out in the same house where Lynette (Felicity Huffman) went into labour last season.

Mary Alice: "It doesn't matter where we're going - how quickly we try to get there, the past we left behind will still find a way to catch up with us."  Keith (Brian Austin Green) brings home pizza (as will be made clear later on why) as he doesn't want to eat Bree's (Marcia Cross) healthy grilled salmon.   Amber (Rochelle Aytes) calls Bree and asks her for a cashier's cheque, she had a nerve, first she takes her cheque and then asks for instant payment!  She has a photo of Charlie (Sayeed Shahidi) for Keith.   Susan (Teri Hatcher) finds out she's on the waitlist for a kidney, up to 3-4 years, which will also depend on the DNA and how long she's been waiting for.

At the hospital, she bumps into Monroe Carter (Dave Foley) he used to sit behind her in Chem lab at Fairview High.   That didn't seem like he just casually bumped into her to me, but then he was a pharmaceutical rep, so anything's possible.   Susan bursts into tears over needing a transplant, she kept her composure that long and upon meeting him, she lets it all out.   She didn't even cry when she found out her mother wouldn't help her.   Frank (Larry Hagman) gives Stella (Polly Bergen) earrings belonging to his first dead wife.   He wants a family portrait with Lynette's family.   He tries to bribe her but she still refuses.   Lynette wants him to come to her house if he still wants a photo with them.

Gaby (Eva Longoria) is in therapy and asks for wine.   Her mother re-married and she doesn't like talking about her childhood.   She prefers to gossip about others instead, or talk about her modelling days cos that's not painful for her.   She remarks that to her friends, "I'm the shallowest person they know."  Too true, ha.   Correct me if I'm wrong, but in last week's episode, Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) was clean shaven, his beard grew back very quickly, or have months supposed to have passed on the Lane.   But they couldn't have, otherwise, Amber's cheque would have been cashed already.   Clearly this was Gaby's first therapy session.   She's attending therapy three times a week and he has to do her chores for her, including on the day he was playing golf, it was his idea after all.   She knows how to manipulate, considering she wasn't going to therapy again.

Susan is beeped, she has a donor, Monroe offered to donate and he's signing papers.   So if he was signing over a kidney how could he take it back when he entered into a contract.   Susan: "I'm getting a man kidney."  She was nice to him in high school.   They hug and it's obvious he's obsessed with her.   Keith turns up at the pizza place where Amber's left Bree to look after Charlie.   He plays games and she admits she's a closet pizza lover.   Charlie needs more money for the machines and Keith plays games with him.

Tom (Doug Savant) is astonished Frank drives a Bentley, whilst Lynette has to suffer another infuriating racist comment from him.   He calls Porter (Charlie Carver) and Preston (Max Carver) Cagney and Lacey and makes them help him rearrange Lynette's sofa.   Frank dies when the photo's being taken.   He's dead.   Lynette: "Of course he is."  Stella wants his body to remain on the sofa until tomorrow when the new will takes effect.   Lynette's convinced to go along with it when Stella tells her she won't have to take care of her anymore and Stella will be able to help her, re money for college etc.

Mike has a flashback to Zach, having lost all his money and tells him he's rented the house to Paul, who is out of prison.   Zach didn't know.   Tom gets the appropriate line about how money changes people.   Of course it does.   There's Amber taking Bree's money when she 's not the one responsible for Charlie, Lynette being 'bribed' by Stella and Gaby taking advantage of Carlos, which is nothing new and Susan and her kidney, which isn't money but body organs are a precious commodity.   Carlos answers the phone confirming Gaby's booking for the spa treatment.   Carlos tells her she's ignoring the problem.   Tom wonders what they're going to do about the Bentley.

Zach admits to Mike he shot Paul since he ruined his life.   He practiced shooting him in his head, that's Zach's head, not shooting Paul in the head and he left the gun at Bree's.   Mike notices Zach is high and tells him he's been there and he still cares, he's Zach's father.   Susan gives Monroe a crystal heart.   He dreamed she'd give him her heart in high school.   He gives her a scrapbook with photos from high school, he's been stalking her.   Stella's been spending the money on gifts and orders Lynette to dinner with her on Sunday, or she'll share with her sisters instead.

Bree finally gives Keith Charlie's photo and tells him, he's his son.   Renee (Vanessa Williams) can't believe Susan never 'put out' for Monroe but he's giving her his kidney anyway.   Lee (Kevin Rahm) finds the scrapbook.   Renee: "You used to be cute, what happened?"  Lee says the scrapbook's a shrine.   He should know he's been stopped from mailing Ryan Seacrest.   Monroe also has a lock of her hair.   If Susan doesn't take his kidney, she'll have to wait 6 years, thought it was 3-4 years.   Renee warns her she'll be connected to him if she takes it and then she'll never get rid of him.   Lee adds that's probably not the only organ he wants from her!

Gaby makes excuses as to why she shouldn't see the shrink and tries to escape through the loo window.   Carlos is already     waiting for her on the fire escape.   The therapist wants to talk about her childhood and she doesn't.   Carlos reminds her she told him about it when they were married.   Gaby opens up that losing Grace meant she needed to protect children, no one protected her when she was molested by her stepfather.   Mike tells Paul he didn't tell him where Zach was before as he didn't know what he was going to do to him.   Zach needs their help.   Monroe takes an apartment near to Susan.   She remarks, "there's close and then there's Glenn Close." (As in  and what he's doing feels "stalky."  He wants to be more than friends and she's married.   As he'll only have her thanks, Monroe can't go through with the donation.   Well at least Susan came clean before she got the kidney, she could have been devious and waited until afterwards.

Mary Alice: "We may think we've left the past behind us but it has a way of catching up...though we want to run away, we are forced to confront our past and the secrets its buried must come into the light.   If we are strong we are able to move on toward the future and if we are lucky we will have help getting there."