As most of us wait until next year for season 8 of CSI:NY, (at the time I wrote this, now it's waiting for season 9) thought some of us would love a look back on how it all began, especially since a lot of what happens in this opening episode bears a lot on the personal life of Mac in the season 8 opener, as regards his wife Claire, who as we now know will be played by Jamie Ray Newman. For the rest, it's a nostalgic look back at our fave show and characters, how they were and what made this season great was no Lindsay! Okay that's just one reason for me!
The scene opens with Mac (Gary Sinise) praying in church and is interrupted by a beep, he's needed on a case. Cue CS and our first introduction of Det Don Flack Jr (Eddie Cahill) as he wasn't featured in the CSI:Miami/CSI:NY crossover, intro episode. He identifies the Vic as a female in her late '20's with no ID. Mac explains her DB is in a characteristic position: arms flailed, legs crossed, an indication of being dumped there. She was redressed by the killer as her belt is two notches off. She wears a wedding ring. Mac notices and comments; "someone out there is missing a wife." (Also referring to himself, though we don't really know this yet.) As he looks across towards the NY skyline.
Danny's (Carmine Giovinazzo) first scene with a funny line, aimed at Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) who is not amused when he says, "Good morning dear."
Stella: "Do I look like I have a tail back there?" She takes a different tone with Mac however. Saying the "job never stops." Mac didn't go home and asks "what's sleep?" Something that will be oft repeated with him. He doesn't really have anyone waiting for him at home, as don't many of the CSIs early on. Stella would like a good morning, unless she's in a bad mood! ME Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) sleeps at the morgue as we get to see his bed and everything there. That was a quirk they went and changed when he decided he wanted to become a CSI instead.
He found contusions around her neck, lividity slats along her back, bed sores and determines COD to be a hemorrhagic stroke; and that her blood was cut off from her cerebellum, therefore the blood vessels were damaged . She also inhaled a substance she had a reaction to. This comments Mac was done perimortum so she inhaled the smoke before she died. Her husband, Tim (Michael Hagerty III) IDs her as LeAnn Goodman ( Jennifer jackson) from Pelham. Her husband finds it difficult to accept it's her. That was horrible, the way the gurney was brought up on the squeaky lift so he could ID her. That was one noticeable aspect that was changed for the better in later seasons. But to think loved ones would actually ID their family members in that way had to be so harrowing, just waiting from them to be shown. He had lunch with her and she left in a taxi.
Danny gives the findings of the Tox screen as firesticks, which is what she inhaled. Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) says she had cough syrup in her lungs and nicotine bubbles. She smoked laced cigarettes. Danny comments that firesticks are the new date rape drugs of New York. But she wasn't raped. LeAnn's DB was found on a litter barge and she too had the same lividity slats etc. Thus they're looking for a serial killer. Mac 'orders' Danny and Aiden to sift and isolate the rubbish for evidence. As we'll see they'll get all the dirty jobs. Ooh we catch a glimpse of Carmine's tattoo.
Hawkes finds this DB doesn't have any bed sores, COD was asphyxiation, she was strangled. TOD was the same, as were the other features. She had gold, copper impurities in her teeth which are attributable to Russian dentistry, which Mac saw in the marines. Mac looks at a medical bust and puts his hands where they were strangled. Danny finds a camera with the film still inside, Aiden: "black and white film, you seeing red." As in getting the photo developed you need a red light, or as in blood, or as in the red flashing record light. Aiden finds an empty bag.
The photos are locations of NYC with a woman in them. There's a missing person's report on Zoya (Ana K Alexander) and she had a boyfriend and a sponsor, Ivanov (Vitali Baganov). Jason, ( Conor Michael Dubin) her boyfriend is a street vendor giving Stella a chance to show off her heavy handedness when they question him. Flack: "let me arrest him for swearing on his grandmother." The photo is triangulated using three visible points in the photo and leads them to Queens. Opera music can be heard and they find a half-dressed woman on life support. Danny and Aiden process the bedroom and Stella the basement.
Mac accompanies her to the hospital, he rests when he tires. Mac processes her and apologizes to her. She blinks. Flack questions the rental home owner, Andy (Carson Silo) but he doesn't know who rented it. Danny forcibly takes a swab of his DNA from his mouth and the man calls it coercion. A scene which saw many complaints being levelled against these two for crossing the line.
Professor Giles (Grant Albrecht) tells Mac Jane Doe (Jewel Christian) has "locked-in syndrome." She was the Vic of a science experiment. All the voluntary muscles in her body were paralyzed except her eyes. She's "locked inside her own body" and it can't be reversed. Mac realizes he was improving on his technique. LeAnn was found first, she had bedsores. Zoya died first as she didn't have bedsores. The first two were failures and so were just discarded. The third one was kept since it was a success and she's seen the killer. Mac shows her photos of suspects and she blinks on the rental man. She suffers a stroke from which she's not likely to recover and is diagnosed as brain dead. Mac talks with Stella about the Vic. They wonder what the connection is and why he locks bodies inside themselves.
Mac ponders how he removed himself from the house but perhaps the medical equipment can provide a clue. Stella notices writing on the equipment is Cyrillic, standing for the initials 'B I.' Bogdan Ivanov, who was a doctor in Russia and was imprisoned for treason. His DNA matches Zoya, found on the sheets. He loved her and took her photo. Mac doesn't call him a doctor but a "murderer with a medical degree." He drives a taxi and picked up his Vics. Mac asks why they were "locked in." He says Bogdan means "gift from God" in Russian. They would be in a "cerebral utopia" and live free. Mac posits it was about controlling them and he lost control. They died since he didn't know when to let go.
Mac sits with Jane Doe and tells her about his wife Claire. She died on 9/11. "Nobody saw it coming." Just like those three Vics didn't see it coming for themselves either. He found a beachball in the closet which Claire blew up and he kept it because "her breath is still in there." Just as he didn't take off his wedding ring either. Mac stands at Ground Zero...as the camera shows the view of where the WTC stood up to the sky...
Well that was a sad and at the same time, powerful first episode. Not only do we get to see Mac in church, showing his religiousness, but also the pain he still carries after losing his wife, something he, like many others will never forget. Though this was a TV show, the poignancy was so very vivid and real. Empathizing with the loss and the injustice of that day. It is understandable why Anthony Zuiker wanted the first episode of the season to be so memorable, in something that should never be forgotten and the fallen should never be forgotten either.
Mac keeping the beachball is something you would do and this episode was moving. The scene where he looks out towards the empty skyline in the beginning is sad. There are no words for what he must be feeling and for what Gary must really be feeling too. Gary did a superb job in portraying Mac with such sorrow in his heart still and having to carry on with the job. Is it any wonder Mac doesn't, can't sleep.
Tying in with the futility of this murdering man's actions. That he believed he was doing an 'act of God' was despicable and though I do not condone the death penalty, Bogdan was one who clearly deserved it. But then that would have been too easy since he would not live with the pain of what he did, yet he showed no remorse.
Personally I liked that season 1 of the show was so dark. The urban-esque nature of the city since New York is like no other city. The greyness representative of the skyscrapers and high rises. Personally I liked Flack and Danny being heavy handed in a world obsessed with being PC, which is fine to a point cos hey, we're meant to be on the side of our CSIs (well some of them.) Personally I liked Danny and Aiden, I liked Hawkes hanging out in the morgue, bed in tow, since no other character was like him. But that wasn't to last cos CBS ordered more light, less darkness and that's what it got. Personally I liked we got Flack!
Certain similarities to past CSI episodes such as Mac sympathizing with the Vic, she was never named, testament to the many who were never found after 9/11. Sara (Jorga Fox) in CSI season 1 episode Too Tough to Die where she also does a rape kit on a Vic and Sara promises to find her attacker. Mac attending church, issues of the church rose for Gil Grissom (William Petersen) too in CSI.
4 comments:
I do like how this sort of bookended with the finale,the final scenes. Mac was so lost and anguished here and then at the end, he's embracing a new beginning and enjoying life again.
Ps that said, there is a big contradiction with her body not being found...the writers forgot or just screwed up.
Not judging,just curious...why didn't you like Lindsay? i've run into quite a few with that view and don't always understand,personally.
I do hope you review the rest of the eps eventually.
I liked Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) guess I don't like change having watched someone in the show first, but I just didn't get into her character or liked it.
Having said that about new characters, I think Sela Ward was great!
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