Nate Haskell is back on the scene as a video sent to one of his bride's father sends Ray into a quandary. Sophia returns as Deputy Chief. Haskell's next targets are revealed.
Nick (George Eads) and Ray (Laurence Fishburne) searching for a CS at the beginning, was almost indicative of Ray's search for Haskell (Bill Irwin). Who else would leave DBs in his wake. Nick comments on there being lots of manure here and Ray can smell it, can't help wondering if that was a snide remark about the B.S churned out by Haskell in this episode. No one was really on the ball, I have to say as far as Haskell was concerned. Rray nearly drives into a, "holy cow" as Nick says. Hey Nick should know all about cows from the question Gil (William Petersen) asked him: "What do cows drink?" All those seasons ago. They comes across scattered DB parts in a barn. Ray was oblivious he was stepping in manure. Nick Ids the larvae, as is his new speciality now, so they were dead up to 96+ hours ago. They find hands from a male DB and a female DB without hands. Nick: "She body, he hands."
Ray is called back to the lab where he finds Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) watching a video from Haskell sent to his bride's father. Haskell left him "enough breadcrumbs to follow." He's afraid to catch him or "maybe you don't like looking in the mirror, Ray." He knows how to get Ray riled up. Vivian's (Kate Blumberg) parents got the video and she's one of Haskell's brides, as seen in the Targets of Obsession episode. In the video, Vivian appears to be tied up and beaten. It looked like it was all an act. As Haskell wouldn't really turn on one of his brides without good reason. Her parents, Avery (Bruce Davison) and Jean (Roxanne Hart) Tinsdale got the video 4 days ago and Ray was right when he said she's probably already dead. Tinsdale says she only calls when she needs money, well this was one of those times, only Haskell was the one who wanted money. Catherine comments they don't want Haskell killing her, or adds Brass, anyone else.
Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) tells Nick he smells of a portaloo/portapotty. The killer went "happy with a hand axe." Contusions around the cut were post mortem. Indicating the same tool used by the same killer. Archie (Archie Kao) is unable to tell where the video was filmed. When arrives newly promoted Deputy Chief Sophia Curtis (Louise Lombard) heading up a Haskell task force. She wants to call in the FBI as she thinks Haskell is no longer in Vegas. but Ray wants her to hold off on doing that, she was right he probably wouldn't still stick around, not when it's obvious he's got a personal vendetta and agenda against Ray. So perhaps it would have been better if they had been called in. Archie traces a wi-fi signal to Vegas, which was convenient. Haskell calls Tinsdale to arrange a meeting place.
Doc Robbins thanks Nick for taking a shower, not that he did it for him. He examines the female torso as being fit so natural causes as the COD is ruled out. She has a scar probably from liposuction. (Knew both cases would be connected to Haskell.) Nick gets a hit on the hand to a Dr Kole. Arriving at the Dr's office, Nick and Greg (Eric Szmanda) find 2 blood pools and blood spatter on the wall. Nick finds a bullet in the wall with tissue remains and Greg finds a chart without a name on it. This must be the primary CS. Ray chases and catches Tina (Amanda Wyss) at the meeting with Tinsdale. When questioned by Catherine she tells her she admires Haskell's courage as he's a Vic of the justice system. She hates Vivian. Catherine: "...couldn't even if I tried "to put words in Tina's mouth, that is. Her lawyer (Terry Bozeman) mentions a cop beating a civillian warrants action, but Ray isn't a cop and he didn't beat her, he apprehended her. Thought doing something like chasing a suspect is something Ray would have left to the cops.
Henry (Jon Wellner) says Hodges (Wallace Langham) is moving out of his mother's house, so he can help Ray with the prints on the box. He finds a perfect print on the tape which matches Haskell. Ray calls it his signature. The box contains a half torn photo identified as Jack, Vivian's ex husband. If he was Vivian's first husband didn't this strike anyone as a clue, that perhaps he was meant to signify Ray, thus providing an indication of who Haskell was really after. Tinsdale lies about the conversation with Haskell. Brass tells him the phrase, "wasn't the deal..." relates to Tinsdale.
Nick determines the blood matches the time line of the maggots on the DB. Greg thinks Kole was seeing a patient and both were killed. Nick prints Lydia Kole, (Tawny Kitaen) the doctor's wife, who she saw him 5 days ago. Nick's reaction to her 'faking' noises was a little uneasy, he looked around to see if anyone else could hear. Greg matches the bullet Nick found to the gun used in the Haskell escape, thereby connecting the 2 cases together. Thus Haskell was at the office. Nick believes Haskell had plastic surgery, which must have been to throw them off the scent, since he hardly had anything done to his face. That's not something Haskell would do, he wouldn't alter his appearance in such a dramatic way, where would be the fun in that, in which he so readily revels.
Brass comments Haskell's "like the Joker in Batman - except without the laughs." Ray surmises Haskell isn't holding Vivian for ransom. Kole and the nurse, Teagen (Shy Pilgreen) were already dead when Tinsdale got the video. See, the photo of Vivian's ex is a reference to Ray. Archie retrieves the video file on the computer deleted by Tinsdale, he was hiding secrets, and abused his daughter, Vivian. Haskell was blackmailing him and Catherine says the money was already paid to Haskell. Everything goes back 5 days. Ray rushes off after Haskell, but where would he find him and Catherine stops him from blindly doing so. She says Jack disappeared after Vivian was married, so Haskell is talking to Ray, yes he is but no one got the gist of what he was really saying. They'll go after Haskell together.
Tinsdale is dead at his house, an apparent suicide. His wife allowed him to abuse Vivian. Haskell leaves a message on another computer for Ray. Greg matches the blood pool at the office to Kole and the bullet matches Teagen. The DNA doesn't match the torso but to an unknown male and there's no match to Haskell either. They return to the barn and the farmer (Raymond J Barry) tells them Tina was shacking up with a "squirrely" man. He also describes the man with a bandage on his face, which he assumes was the result of an accident, but everyone assumes his face was fully bandaged when it wasn't. At the house they find tyre treads from a yellow sports car which sped away. Inside there's electrical equipment, also the smell of decomp and as Nick puts it, "snap, crackle maggots." Officer Akers (Larry Sullivan) identifies the music on the radio as Bach's Cello Solo in G, "that's just not right." They find DBs in the bath. Nick: "Talk about not right."
Brass identifies the driver of the car as Frost, who rented the car but didn't return it. Blood from Kole's office matches and Catherine found Frost's file, so Frost was there when Kole and Teagen were killed. Ray thinks the chart Greg found belonged to Haskell. David (David Berman) matched Vivian's hands by the colour of her nail polish. Ray checks her hands as positive for lead so she fired a gun. Doc Robbins determines all the Vics were killed 4-5 days ago. It was obvious Tina was the one who chopped them up and killed Vivian. All the electrical equipment was bought by Tina and all the videos were recorded the day after Haskell escaped. Ray figures out they're not in Vegas, finally, just as Sophia predicted. Again with the surgery that Haskell never had! Catherine posits they're both fugitives, "plastic surgery, bimbo, Porsche." Leading Brass to say they need to call LAPD. Since they'll fit in there. Cue Ray's ex, Gloria (Tracee Ellis Ross) and husband Phil (Dean Norris). Didn't know Gloria was a musician and that she played the cello. The same symphony Officer Akersidentified. As if Haskell didn't know she was Phil's wife and Ray's ex.
Good work on Brass's part seeing as he's been to LA in Hollywood Brass. That's where everyone goes with bimbos and expensive cars. When Nick and Greg arrived at the house it's a shame no one figured out the significance of the music. That was a glaring clue, Haskell's "breadcrumb" he left for Ray but he wasn't there when the DBs were discovered. Wonder if he'll find out next episode. Also why didn't Ray work out Haskell would go after Gloria, especially since she's a newly married bride, Haskell's forte.
Great to see Sophia back (Louise Lombard is a great actress and she's always under utilized in everything she's been in!) Pity she won't be around for long.
Haskell has led the CSIs a merry dance (oh Catherine mentioned Haskell dancing with Ray) in his attempt to make them work damn hard. So whilst they were 'wasting' time on DB counts, he was well away in LA, exacting out his own sickly thought-out plan: his "best laid plans," all the while being a thorn in Ray's side, with his taunts and egging him on in the videos. Yes he was playing Ray in a cat and mouse game and Ray fell for it when Catherine said much the same thing. Ray was ready to bring it on, go in blind. I can't help but feel that the photo of Vivian's ex, Jack was an obvious and direct reference to Ray in all the clues but no one clicked.
The cello music wasn't mentioned so we'll have to wait and see if it's mentioned next episode and if Ray works it out. Brass only mentioned LA at episode's end, so who knows if they'll get to Gloria in time. Obviously US viewers have seen the season to the end, so this might be more benefit to those who haven't. What about the way the writers kept Gloria's cello playing under their hats - until the last second, so no inferences could be drawn , 'til we actually saw her playing the same Bach solo. An interesting approach. Still Haskell's forte are couples so...
The episode where Gil asked Nick about what cows drink, was Evaluation Day, it was kind of misleading anyway, he asked him to repeat after him, "Silk, Silk, Silk." Which Nick did, then Gil asked, "What do cows drink" to which Nick replied milk, kind of rhymed with silk! Gil corrects him by saying "cows drink water, they give milk," a little pedantic, but baby cows (calves) drink milk. Just thought I'd mention that as they had Nick going on about holy cow, and cows being sacred in India. So who was thinking as far back to season 1.
Also Raymond J Barry was in the CSI episode The Accused is Entitled, where he was Gil's mentor.
Sara (Jorga Fox) and Hodges both missing in this episode again, people will talk, ha.
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