Had to blog this ep review of mine, if only for the fans who watch CSI but more so for those who watch Once Upon a Time since this ep guested Josh Dallas who plays Prince Charming...
Nick (George Eads) and Ray (Laurence Fishburne) talk of Ray's impending court hearing with Nate Haskell (Bill Irwin) . Nick needs to get to the gym or he'll never go. Ray: "Are you felling obligated to leave Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) a good-looking corpse." To which Nick replies,
"Yeah, something like that." Hey his hair's grown back, now any chance of George leaving it like that! Anyway, prophetic words from Ray regarding Nick, as he almost does meet his doom. Ray tells him he's putting on his game face for the trial. Nick retorts he should give Haskell hell, but he's bound for there anyway. Ray and Haskell prepare for court simultaneously and you know from Haskell's smirk he's got something up his sleeve, literally.
In court, Haskell comments the last three days he's been trying to control the monster and the media are portraying him as such. Hey that's Ray's word, calling such dregs of society, "monsters." The jury needs to see the vulnerable boy, abused by an alcoholic father. He was taunting Ray and played him like Jason played Nick. He argues for being a Pro Per and wants to represent himself. (See also the CSI:Miami episode Pro Per).
Nick's moved house and as he arrives home, Jason McCann (Justin Bieber) calls to remind him Nick said he wanted to be his friend. He should let Nick die for what he did to his brother, Alex, in Shock Waves, but he warns him to not go home instead. Ahh, too late, he's already there and it was a bit naive of Nick to think that all this wasn't a set-up. His appearing out of the blue and warning him like that. Nick notices writing on the wall and almost walks into the trip wire. Nick has to call in the bomb squad for help, hence Kip (Josh Dallas) the guest star for this episode, actually that should read, expendable guest star for this episode, which was obvious, as that's why Brit woman bomb expert, Kacey Monahan (Sienna Guillory) wasn't in this episode. Nick tells Kip, "I'm already eight lives down" and he is.
Nick loses his cool, well he is Texan after all, ha. Kip will sweep his house for explosives. Kip reads the message on the wall: "Sic Semper Tyrannus, meaning As always to Tyrants." Nick is angry that Jason has his number and he's not afraid to die. Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) tells him to calm down. The voice of reason that she is. Nick recalls seeing a maroon van and Vartann (Alex Carter) adds the neighbours reported seeing the same van. Nick believes Jason saved his life and Vartann says he belongs in jail. Catherine doesn't think it was a coincidence Jason called Nick.
Haskell wants to relive the moment he stabbed Ray since state of mind is key to his defence. Ray recalls he felt a sharp, white hot pain and felt light headed. Flashes to the last season finale. Also feelings of disbelief and fear. Haskell refers to this as a normal reaction. Judge Granston (Megan Gallagher) tells him to only question the witness and not make statements. Haskell doesn't feel anything but he wants to feel normal emotions.
Sara (Jorga Fox) says the bomber was a leftie. Greg (Eric Szmanda) cites stats: only 15% of the population are lefties. The bomb has the same signature used by Alex. Sara says Nick should get Jason's autograph. Jason tells Nick he got the bruise when he fell and picks up the can with his left hand. Nick wants a name and in return he'll help him. Oh quit the play acting Jason! You're not fooling anyone, he's so guilty! Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) questions Huxbee (Jude Ciccolella) who was in the coastguard so he knows how to tie that particular type of knot. Brass tells Huxbee he only makes the bombs, he doesn't plant them and he's also a leftie. Nick tells Jason he'll protect them. He didn't give his brother a choice. He has Nick's number (clue.) Nick can't seem to read Jason. Brass replies Nick shot his brother, why would Jason want to save his life. Stands to reason he wouldn't. But Nick doesn't immediately see the bad in people.
Hodges (Wallace Langham) found the bomb had trace amounts of benzyl benzoate. Catherine calls this acetone and Sara recalls this is found in TATP, acetone is one of its ingredients. Greg finds Huxbee took out a credit card in his name and bought acetone. Nick, Catherine, Vartann and Kip check out the new lease Huxbee signed on a building and discover him dead inside. The same scene plays out from the end of Shock Waves. When the body was wired to explode and Vartann was in peril again, saved by Greg. Which is commented on by Catherine saying the scene's too familiar. Kip notices the DB is wired and lasers surround the bomb. Kip to Nick: "Are you some kind of a bomb magnet?" (and gun magnet too.) Catherine notices a sensor whilst they attempt to leave and this holds an invisible laser. They're stuck there, well at least not with Brit woman! Phones and radios don't work. Kip warns them against breaking any beams as the C4 will explode. They need to diffuse it, i.e. he needs to. The transmitter is connected to the lasers with only 14 minutes left on the clock. Vartann asks, 14 minutes "to disarm it, or is that just what we've got left?" Kip answers both, which in his case meant all he had left.
Haskell questions Dr Corby (Robert Pine) about the scan he conducted on his brain using a mobile MORI machine, whilst showing him violent images and shows the effect on a normal brain and then on Haskell's brain. His shows no activity so he's impaired; caused by a genetic mutation, known as Monoamineoxydase A: the MOMA gene. Also known as the warrior gene. The Dr mentions studies show since Haskell suffered abuse in childhood, his chances of carrying out violence are 400 times more. Haskell calls himself a "monster made of biology behind my control." He shouts out and asks who the real Vic is here.
Nick says they're being watched and pretends to take out the camera with his gun in a shooting motion. Catherine uses a laser to disrupt their feed. Kip finds the only way to disarm is to go over the beams and for this they can build a platform using the wooden planks and crates. Vartann steps on a booby trap and a bullet explodes into his leg, knicking an artery.
Ray meets Vivien (Kate Blumberg) Haskell's fiance. He gave her a Star of David pendant. Ray tells her Haskell's first two Vics both wore pendants and he killed them both. They also found the DBs of seven women under his floorboards. Brass comments Ray's "met the Brides of Haskell." Ray believes the jury has succumbed to him and he'll use his gene defence to get out. Had the feeling Haskell already knew about this defence and maybe also that Ray had it, which sounds a bit wrong I know, but why else would he have mentioned it.
Kip jumps down and almost loses his footing and stumbles back onto the laser. They make a make-shift shelter behind some plywood for Vartann and Catherine, that also gave the game away as to what was about to come. The bomb boasts a mercury switch, with an anti-tamper device meaning cutting the power lead will trigger the bomb. Kip manages to disarm the bomb in time but no one thought to get out, standing there celebrating when there'd be time for that later and knowing how devious their opponents are. Kip comments Nick's not dying today. The timer rearms again and the countdown speeds up. Kip throws himself over the bomb bearing the brunt of the blast and saving their lives. Nick and Catherine are okay but Vartann's in hospital. Greg lets Ray know how they are.
Prosecutor Melvoy (Larry Poindexter) asks Ray for his opinion on Dr Cory's theory. He thinks it's nonsense. Haskell takes pleasure in committing sadistic crimes which are against the law. Ray's field is research pathology and he has his own personal experience to fall back on, indicating he too was abused by an alcoholic father as a child and he has the MOMA gene. "DNA isn't destiny" and Ray takes satisfaction in bringing suspects to justice, not in killing them. Now we know why Ray had Wendy (Liz Vassey) conduct a test on his DNA last season.
Vartann will make it and Catherine says they'll get them. She wouldn't be anywhere else. Nick asks Catherine how she's doing and she should get checked out. Nick: "You're always taking care of me, how about I take care of you for a change." As she won't be around for much longer. The COD appears to be a single GS wound to the head, execution style, but Huxbee suffered a blunt force trauma which was the main COD. Sara gets an IBIS hit on the gun, used in a break-in at an armoury. The serial number on the camera in the building shows it was purchased two years ago from an army PX. Jason used the credit card for the bomb-making equipment. But he didn't make the bomb alone. In the surveillance camera photo from the store, there's another man next to him. Greg: "let's see if he was dumb enough to wear a jacket with his own name in it." Of course he would.
Haskell is found guilty, as he would be, but as said he's got another plan. It took Ray a while to figure out he was up to something when Haskell was playing with his bracelet, he was communicating with Vivien with the looks they gave each other in court.
Sara identifies the man as Timothy Johnson (Falk Hentschel) and he was in explosive ordnance disposal. He owns the maroon van. Nick finally realizes he was being played and Kip paid for it. Nick: "kids and their phones, that dumbass called me;" and then let them trace his signal for a location.
Ray speaks with Haskell and says his revelation was unexpected, (but it didn't seem that way.) He asks how long Haskell's known he was a MOMA gene carrier and he must have known before his first kill. Studies were first done in the 1970's. Ray tells him DNA can't be changed, you either have the gene or you don't. And he has dreams of freedom. No, not dreams.
Jason tells Johnson this has always been personal for him and he's not afraid to die. At the roadblock, he will only speak with Nick. There's a shootout and Jason's shot just like his brother. About time too.
Ray sees the 'brides' outside and recalls Haskell's bracelet - too late! He's been transferred onto the minimum security van, after exchanging his bracelet with another prisoner. The van is raided and he escapes with Vivien. Yeah, she'll be around for long!
So an episode in which Nick and Ray face their demons, only for Ray's to be given a new lease of life. Didn't like the way the two stories interspersed, the courtroom theatrics detracting from the intensity of the bomb scenes. Anyone could've tripped that wire at Nick's house. Good to see Nicky losing his temper, normally he's very reserved, so he got angry for a change: throwing down his backpack, schoolboy style, that was so cute!
Of course Nick wouldn't leave Kip alone to diffuse the bomb, just why didn't he also get out too, oh so fatalistic. Hate when that happens, he could have been a good CSI character. Seems the writers were messing with us, taking our adrenalin levels to a high, with heart-in-mouth moments, though it was apparent none of the regulars would be killed off, but someone had to die today and the courtroom scenes kind of detracted from the excitement. Catherine not giving up on Vartann, wonder have their past differences been settled and are they still seeing one another.
Ray has Wendy test his DNA in season 10 Working Stiffs episode. It did appear Haskell knew about Ray's pre-existing gene, but as said before, how would he when Ray didn't know, when Ray only had a theory and he did seem to be playing Ray. Now Ray's got his own obsession to deal with all over again with Haskell escaping and his anticipated killing spree. The nightmare is never ending for poor Ray. Whereas Nick has put his to rest. Ray in trouble and being attacked by Haskell and Nick mentioning he's used up 8 out of 9 lives. At least he's used up about five. Ray's comment in the beginning about Nick wanting to leave a good-looking corpse for Doc Robbins, do you recall in Grave Danger Part 2, there was a scene where Doc and David are autopsing Nick, when he's meant to be dead, but Nick can see and hear everything they're doing!
Good use of the title and a repeat scene from the Shock Waves episode, this time the soda can already in front of Jason. Nick wanting to take care of Catherine, oh dear does this mean Nick will be promoted to supervisor when she leaves. But then we'll see him in an even lesser role since we didn't get to see Catherine much as supervisor. Let's hope if he is promoted they don't tuck him away in the office! Nick's too hands-on and field orientated to be shut away like that behind a desk and as Catherine used to say to Gil (William Petersen) is Nick as politic as she is. He doesn't have much of a rapport with Ecklie (Marc Vann). He is respected by the others and as leader, who knows. I recall the animosity when Nick was promoted in the past before Sara, but maybe that's all behind them now. Also we'll lose the Ray/Nick dynamic, they gel so well together. Thought I'd mention this since Catherine will be gone soon; sadly and I was discussing this with friends.
Megan Gallagher's second appearance in a CSI episode, she was previously in Cats in the Cradle.
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