The Mentalist 5.5 "Red Dawn" Review

                                              
Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) comes to the CBI for news on their investigation into Red John who committed the murders of his wife and daughter.  Looking dishevelled and rather out of sorts, though his hair is immaculate ha.  Lisbon (Robin Tunney) is adamant about sharing the info but he is determined and he wants to speak to her boss, Minelli )Gregory Itzin)  who is sympathetic towards Patrick and wants her to show him the files.  Hannigan (Gar Basaraba)  is  weary of Patrick and doesn't like him when Lisbon asks him to show  Patty out.  Patrick questions him about the Red John case and he can't divulge.  His advice is to move on, find someone else, which he takes exception to.  Next thing you know, Patrick gets another punch in the face cos he antagonizes Hannigan by asking why Lisbon made boss and he's much older and didn't.  Adding "That's why they gave you to Lisbon, cos no one else would work with you."

Well who would, the man was downright cruel and unfeeling, you don't talk to Vics or their families like that, which explains why Lisbon has him stalk around the office, or gets someone like Cho (Tim Kang) to go with him.  Bet Lisbon was glad to see the back of him when he left, not that she couldn't handle him, but constantly having to keep him in check would have wasted valuable time on her part.  Nor that she doesn't have to do that with Patrick, but at least he helps her solve cases.  As well as not being bad to look at either!  A call comes in about a homicide ad Minelli tells her to take Patrick.  Also so he doesn't sue the CBI for assault.  Oh the line about who talks to Vic and their families like that, scratch that, Patrick often gets away with doing just that!

Strangely Lisbon tells him Sacramento PD (SAC PD for short) lost track of him about six months ago and we get to know why at the end of the episode, though we already know having watched the episode Red Brick and Ivy when we found out Patrick spent time in a mental facility.  And we were also shown his psychiatrist, Sophie Miller.

A driver is found dead in the car and Patrick tells her to find the woman Winston (Christopher Carver) was on a date since had had breath mints, heavy scent and his clothes and Hannigan fears he really is a psychic.  Patrick: "there's no such thing as psychics."  Later on he says he hasn't met one yet, well that was remedied later on with the introduction of Kristina Frye.  Liked the way Patrick tells Cho to ignore him and that's exactly what he does.  Before telling Lisbon what they discovered at the CS.

Lisbon interviews the Vic's father, a judge and Patrick isn't meant to be part of the conversation but inadvertently becomes part of it.  Judge Dillinger (David Clennon) explains how any of the defendants he imprisoned could have a motive for killing his son, adding if you want to hurt someone you "don't kill the man, you go after his family."  Exactly the Patrick Jane scenario, that would have hurt.  Patrick discerns his son was an alcoholic and misreads the judge here by saying he was disappointed in his son.  The judge replies he's annoyed with himself  for the way he brought him up and asks if Patrick has children.  Again an oft asked question, of course he did but he won't say that.

Cho explains Winston had been on a date and she's in the interview room, Lisbon thinks that's a good call, but Patrick interjects it was based on a cold reading.  Something Lisbon isn't familiar with so he gives her an example using her "Dysfunctional, alcoholic" father as the subject and that's why she puts up with Hannigan.  Lisbon suggests he should move away, get on with his life and Patrick responds Hannigan said the same.  Thus having a change of heart she tells him to come back in the morning and to lean up.

Patrick turns up next day much to the surprise of Cho and Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and adds Lisbon told him to come by to look at the Red John files.  They point him to a desk by the window in the corner, well a table really, the same on in his attic now?   Lisbon is also surprised he came back and at this point in time she only had a cubicle for an office.  Rigsby tells her the files haven't arrived yet.  Lisbon commenting also that Patrick has "a homeless vibe about you."  Grief will do that to you.

The files finally arrive and being called "an eager beaver" by the delivery guy, Lisbon asks Patrick to help her solve the case.  Before we get into that, there are other suspects not mentioned, the officer, Nathanial Kim (Ian Anthony Dale) who investigated the drink driving case and the killing of Maria De Santos who tells Cho there was no match to her blood.  He was my suspect, sorry he was cos he could get away with so much being a former policeman.  Cho doesn't look too happy about him wither, not that Cho looks happy about much of anything.  We didn't get his character trait here of enjoying his reading either.

Maria's parents were also possible suspects.  They found out the Vic was dead as their lawyer told them, they were suing him for wrongful death.  Another suspect was Emmet (Ryan Ahern) who is brought in for questioning.  He was going to rough Winston up and steal some money from him but denies killing him.

Lisbon tells Patrick everyone's gathered in the room and one of them must be the killer.  Patrick tells her he's not a psychic, he's a fraud.  Lisbon: "...whatever it is it's a gift..." Plus she has no leads.  Patrick asks for tarot cards which Lisbon doesn't have, so he draws his own.  He leaves them on the table and asks them to close their eyes and think of the last fearful dream they had.  Even Rigsby does the same, until Cho looks at him.  He was a bit like Van Pelt here (absent from this episode and taking time off as she was pregnant at the time.)  Van Pelt is always willing to take Patrick on when he comes up with something.  Maria's mother dreams about helping her daughter but she can't.

Kim had the magician card cos he can get away with anything cos of his job.  I said that even before Patrick did, great minds, ha.  Emmet had the magician card also but Patrick says he couldn't have had that.  Neat trick, notice Patrick kept one card back for himself, this was the hanged man card which he swapped with Kim's card.

Kim tells Cho the motive behind it, being a silent owner of the bar he was being sued and would have gone out of business.  He made a deal with the judge he'd doctor the evidence, keep his son out of jail if he ruled in his favour in the civil trial.   He was called out to the CS and Winston was going to expose the deal if he didn't help him, so he shot him.  Cho tells him he ran over a deer, so really it was for nothing.  Lisbon is happy with the outcome, Patrick also caught a crooked judge too.

Patrick is now consultant with the CBI and she leaves him with the files. Also finding him asleep on the couch, his home from now on.  Rigsby and Cho look through the files for a new agent as Hannigan refuses to work with Patrick and Rigsby takes a shining to Van Pelt.  Cho telling him she's out of his league.  A throw away comment, as she certainly wasn't.

Minelli thinks Patrick an asset to the CBI.  He gets a call from FBI Director Alexa Shulz (Polly Walker) (whom we met this season) and tells him she would appreciate heads up on the Red John case if they uncover anything.  Also not so subtly adding Patrick has been in an asylum for the past year.

Immediately alarm bells start ringing since we know that Red John has mole in the FBI and other acolytes.  Minelli believes in inter-agency cooperation and agrees to this.  She hangs up and asks the man, Robert Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) in the car with her  if that was okay.  Was this our first glimpse of Red John?  That would be too easy  For all the time we've heard his voice and decided he could be a she, this man did have effeminate features, so...for the one hundredth episode of The Mentalist were we indeed given a shot of him?  More like we were being teased to keep us guessing and our interest peaked.

Patrick hugging Lisbon was cute, not in the romantic way either.  She was surprised and a bit reluctant to hug him back.  Rigsby with a goatee, made him look a little older, didn't like Lisbon's wig, but hey we can't like everything but the cast did an exceptional job in going back to their (pre)season 1 personalities and characters.   Though they don't seem to have changed much, aside from the two leads.  Patrick showed his vulnerability here and how he was rather coy and reserved when talking about his family and wanting to know how the investigation is proceeding.  That didn't last long.  A nice touch was also the way in which he was hit by Hannigan, something which is an ongoing theme for him.

                                             

Note this ep was billed as taking place "Several years ago."  Note it was actually nine years ago as they have been together for four years when he joined them in season 1 and we're into season 5, so simple maths here.  Also this ep told us the real reasons behind Patrick being at the CBI, it was for info and not to seek revenge, though at that point he could have been doing both.  We know how cunning he is and how his mind works, maybe he had the year to think about revenge during his time getting help and treatment.  He just didn't reveal it here. Especially since his emotions at losing his family were still very raw.  Lisbon then hired him and from presumably reading the files, getting to know them inside out, his thoughts turned to revenge, or at least catching Red John himself.

I still think he manipulated Hannigan after cold reading him and thought he could get some info out of him.  He got out of the asylum and he came here first, which explained his physical appearance, but that's cos he had made up his mind about revenge over Red John even before he got here.  Also why would Minelli be so eager to keep Patrick around, lawsuit aside, the police don't do things like that, was it to keep a watchful eye on him, perhaps he's in league with red John, then again he got he call from the FBI after Patrick was already hired as a consultant, so I don't think he's a possibility of being Red John or being in cahoots with him.

Merlin 5.9 "With All My Heart" Review

Gwen (Angel Coulby) walks the castle again without getting caught or stopped but this time Percival (Tom Hopper) comes after her and she puts on an act of wanting to be herself, "I don't always want to be your highness..." and go to the town and also remember Elyan like that.  She meets with Morgana (Katie McGrath) and gives her the route the knights will take. The twist being Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James) are watching.  Arthur can't believe she would do something like that and Merlin reminds him she's under Morgana's spell.

Merlin promises he can help Gwen and he wonders why he said this to him.  Gaius (Richard Wilson) believes he can do it and tells him to go and see the Dochraid (Maureen Carr) who will know how to undo Morgana's magic.  He must go as Dragoon since she will sense he's a wizard, which she did anyway and called him Emrys so much for the disguise.  She doesn't think he has enough magic to kill her and is very sure of herself.  Merlin takes his sword and cuts her.  She relents and finally tells him he must find the White Goddess and Gwen has to willingly step into the great Cauldron of Arianrhod whilst a spell is  uttered.   Only then the spell will be broken, but Gwen may be lost forever if it doesn't work.  Merlin cuts her again with his sword, forged in a dragon's breath, and we assume he's killed her.  Well we did the way he looked back with that smirk.  Didn't think Merlin would resort to so much violence, well it is for him.

Arthur is talked into doing this by Gaius, he must if he wants Gwen back.  Arthur also begins to act suspiciously around Gwen, no longer showing his feelings as her loving husband, to the point that she senses something is wrong.  He feigns being late for training, but she finds he didn't go training.  No, instead he went to change the route the knights would take and only tells Leon (Rupert Young) and Mordred of this change.  They must not reveal it to anyone.

Gaius gives Merlin a tincture of Belladonna, to be applied to Gwen every two hours as it will cause her to sleep.  Proving a little difficult to administer the first dose as she doesn't want anymore wine.  However Arthur offers up a toast to her.  As they all watch and wait for her to fall asleep, well flat on her face with Merlin pushing the bread under her face for a soft landing.

Arthur and Gaius have to wheel Gwen out of the castle and are met by Gwaine (Eoin Macken) and Mordred (Alexander Vlahos).  Gaius coming up with an excuse of the poor man having red thrush fever, which they don' wan to spread in Camelot.  Mordred was suspicious of this explanation and his this is confirmed when he notices Gwen's hand sticking out from underneath the cover.  Merlin must administer the Belladonna to keep her asleep and Gaius also convinces Arthur the only way the spell can be done is by sorcery.  This time he'll use a woman sorceress.  Arthur is weary since it didn't work for Uther, that was hardly Dragoon's fault, it was Morgana, as per usual.

Merlin must dress as a woman, the Dolma to perform the spell and so looks for clothes to wear.  Gaius remarking black is his colour.  Merlin and Arthur ride out with Gwen on horseback, Merlin being told by Gaius not to remark on how much Gwen weighs, he could be charged with treason.  Merlin senses they are being watched and Arthur takes that as another feeling he has. "One of your funny feelings again?"  Which is enough to convince him since in the past he would have questioned it.  Of course it was Mordred, I said he would follow them.  Merlin must carry the bags as they have to walk and soon he stumbles over the edge of the cliff.  Arthur also falls down after him.  Arthur running to help Merlin here and yet he resorts to calling him his servant later on and forgetting to take him back with them.

Merlin is knocked out and Arthur's arm is pinned under a boulder.  In the meantime the Dochraid is still alive, more's the pity and sends a note to Morgana informing her of Arthur's intentions and of Emyrus thwarting her plans.  Morgana watches them from the cliff.  Having roped in Aithusa to help her.  Poor, skinny dragon having to do her bidding.  Arthur is rescued by Mordred and Merlin is now awake.  Another conversation about how Merlin doesn't trust him and only thinks he's a good knight.  Mordred hopes they can be friends one day.

Before arriving at the cauldron, Morgana sends out Aithusa to stop them in their tracks, little knowing the Dragon Lord will make him cower and return back.  As Merlin and Mordred leave, Morgana strikes them down and Merlin escapes.  She won't kill Mordred cos he's like her and he says he's not, he's a knight.  Also cunningly telling her he doesn't have enough magic to defeat her.  Making us wonder if he is true to his word or just playing along, as he knocks her back with his magic.  Once again Morgana passes out after taking another flying leap backwards.  So who's got more powerful magic, Merlin, Mordred or Morgana?  Clearly it's a toss up between Mordred and Merlin.

Merlin takes the sack with the dress and it falls out, thus having to come up with an excuse that the sorceress likes clothes, she can't get to a tailor, no but she could conjure something up with her magic, no?  He dresses as a woman and the last minutes of this episode were remarkably funny.  Merlin as campy sorceress.  Reminds Arthur he must make Gwen enter of her own free will.  As well as keeping Merlin for surety which explains his disappearing act.

Gwen wakes and tells Arthur he's stupid for thinking she loves him.  He reminds her of their wedding and how she said she loves him and would marry him "with all my heart."  Whilst stepping back into the cauldron and causing Gwen to follow after him.  The magic spell is broken and Gwen is back to normal.  The Dolma asks if Arthur's forgotten someone, the boy.  Also for payment she asks Arthur recall how sorcery helped him win back his love.  Adding it's not sorcery which is bad but people's hearts.  Arthur promises and he also promises to give Merlin half a day off.

On the way back Mordred says he knows Merlin did the spell but he'll keep the secret, would Arthur believe him anyway if he did tell.  Mordred at this point showing loyalty to Arthur, even when back at Camelot he tells him he'll do anything for him.  Merlin in drag, er, as the sorceress adds more comedy to the mix as both Arthur and Mordred ask if she looks familiar?

Would have thought Morgana's "quarrel" was with Mordred after his treachery towards her, he stabbed her in Arthur's Bane Part 2 and left her there.  Yet she chooses to forget all that, perhaps the writer did instead.  Mordred not recognizing why the path had flags along it since he is a Druid and should be up to scratch on the old religion, it should have been something that maybe Arthur would have asked, but he probably already knows cos of last season's episode 4.10 A Herald of a New Age or at least have some idea.

A shame this will be the last series of Merlin as there's still so much that could be covered since the show got better and this was one of the best series.  Let's hope the final four episodes aren't rushed and bring the show to a dramatic conclusion as the final two episodes promise to be.  Still it's better to go out on a high and maybe there's the possibilty of some future films or a spin off.  The cast have continually excelled and will be missed as will the show.  Oh look at me getting sentimental already!

Twitter @mila255h follow if you dare...

Smallville's 'Supergirl' To Fly onto CSI:NY

                                                
Fans of Smallville and particularly Supergirl and/or Laura Vandervoort will be happy to hear she will appear in a CSI:NY episode to air next January.

Her character of Macy gets released from prison after serving a two year sentence for possession of stolen property and she's out for revenge on her boyfriend who let her take the blame.  A change of character for her from the heroic Kara.

CSI:NY often does these wrongly-accused, out for revenge/justice episodes and they always seem to revolve around robbery or stolen property.

Scandal 1.6 "The Trail" Review

                                            
The President (Tony Goldwyn) arrives at Olivia's (Kerry Washington) continued from last episode as we now get a series of flashbacks, he even tells her he only slept with Amanda (Liza Weil) cos he was nursing a broken heart over her.  He also gives Olivia, shall I call her Livvie, the sex tape sent to Cyrus (Jeff Perry).  Which we now know is of him and Olivia and not of him and Amanda.  Cue flashbacks.  The Governor, as he was then is now on his campaign, laments the ratings in the New Hampshire primary, so along comes Olivia to bail him out, brought in by Cyrus.

Her solution he and his wife, Mellie (Bellamy Young) must show more affection for one another in front of the Press.  Things don't go smoothly there and as Olivia wants to leave cos of a remark made by Cyrus, the man has no diplomacy, yet he's meant to be his number one man.   Cyrus calls the Governor a "sausage" which is for his you-know-what, the Governor, I should just call him Fitz,  rushes after her and they share moments of intense staring and oohing, well they could probably out stare each other.  We also get our first glimpse of Amanda who is at an event for the opposition, as pieces of the puzzle fall into place.  She was used to set up the President so that the opposition will win when his big scandal is revealed.  That's why she didn't want to go any further with the deception and was killed.  Also why the President was adamant she wasn't having his baby.

Rosen (Joshua Malina) and his assistant, Alissa (Brenda Song) put together pieces of who Amanda could have slept with at the Whitehouse.  As she goes through photos coming up with possibility, one she overlooks is Billy (Matt Letscher).  He was shifty, never liked him the way he 'smarmed' (that's my word now) after Olivia.  Also he told her about Cyrus and his investigation on her entire team.  Proving he couldn't keep a secret to save his life.  However Rosen and co give up on finding the real 'daddy.'  Even after he used the phrase "baby daddy."   He was investigating her murder and yet he just gives up on the father's identity, do your job man!

Okay so the episode we were waiting for, the one where Gideon (Brendan Hines) gets it and after he was just naked with his grilled cheese with Quinn (Katie Lowes), but work calls for this up and coming journo, at least he had a last moment of pleasure!  Anyway he gets out that video again and we get flashes between him watching the video and The Presidential campaign.  Olivia convinces him and wifey to become a perfect couple for the benefit of the unsuspecting public and the press.  They come out of their children's school, kiss, eat ice cream, cuddle and everything couples do, except Governor wishes he could be doing all that with Olivia.  In one scene on the bus he tells her he shouldn't have been a coward and should have waited for her and not marry Mellie (yeah Smelly Mellie).  Much to the chagrin of Sally Langston (Kate Burton) who is a Senator and Vice President.  Billy is her aide.  Aide to getting up to no good that is and yes politics is a dirty world but he wired the Governor's room, just to get dirt on him.

SO why did when Fitz, aka, Governor, Aka President, tell Olivia his room was that way in the hotel and she went to his room, instead of inviting him into her room, don't think Billy would have had the nouse to bug her room, unless he bugged everyone else's room too.  Mind you, Olivia was lucky she didn't say anything when he told her "take off your clothes."  Ooh Olivia wears lacy undies, erm, yes well the press would have a field day with that.

Anyway, the polls look good and Cyrus finds there's a story going round about Mellie having an affair.  Billy wants Olivia to make the Governor take the Vice President place instead but Olivia isn't finished with her job yet.  Langston wins New Hampshire.  Olivia brings in her ace, it's Huck (Guillermo Diaz) underneath a mass of hair and going back to the story where he told Charlie he was homeless and she rescued him.  Huck tells them about Mellie being followed and photos being snapped of her.  Once again if this was the case why were Governor and Olivia so free in their conversations and actions, of course there'd be other such snooping people out there.

The so-called man Mellie was having the 'affair' has associations with some Adult movie company and was being paid by them.  He's convinced to declare he's not having an affair.  The Governor and Olivia share a moment where they just watch each other "for one minute."  Women voters seem to not like this Governor so Mellie makes up a story of a miscarriage and it's lapped up.  He tells Olivia the story was fake.  At the press conference he later talks about Mellie and the woman he's in love with, but that's Olivia as we know.

As said, the interlude between Governor and Olivia was being taped and Amanda passes on the USB to Billy, who wants to convince Langston to use it, but she's already accepted to be his VP.  Billy is angry and we find he's Amanda's killer and Amanda's boyfriend.  Cos you see between the flashbacks, Gideon worked out Amanda had a boyfriend and after a few calls finds out he lives at Logan Circle.  The Trail, as in the title leading back to Billy.  He confronts Billy with this knowledge, foolish boy and even tells him about Amanda being pregnant and having the coroner's report.  Er, didn't anyone ever tell him, not to meet someone alone with news like this.  Gideon tells Billy this is his story and Billy finding the whole thing too much grabs scissors from Gideon's desk and stabs him in the neck, blood dripping everywhere.  Poor Gideon in agony and we shall see him no more!! Which is a shame.  What was this, Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, stabbing with scissors.

Billy was also the one who provided Gideon with the breaking story about Amanda and the President, he figured this dumb reporter wouldn't be able to put two and two together.  Yet Billy wasn't even aware who the President was really with, so he took the opportunity to provide him with the Amanda scandal, as he sent her to sleep with him.

Olivia and the President have their moment together, present day as they say goodbye and have "one more minute" which turned out to be more than a minute, okay even if it was meant to be a "TV minute."  So Quinn had nothing to do with Gideon's demise but she still has secrets, we don't know her background yet, so I may be right about her after all.  Pity pretty Gideon was killed, he would have made a good associate for Olivia to hire since he was the one who worked out the real truth about Amanda and who was behind it.

CSI: NY 7.18 "Identity Crisis" Review

                                                              
A man is killed on the subway platform and is revealed as a woman. Jo has problems with Ellie as she wants to visit her biological mother and my fave David James Elliott drops by again!

A man gets onto the subway train at the last moment.   Ellie (Sydney Park) gives up her seat to him.   It was apparent it wasn't really a man since he had effeminate features!  Another man gets up and questions what's in the cigar box and asks if he remembers him, cos he knows him.   They get off at the next stop where a struggle ensues and the old man is killed.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) bets Mac (Gary Sinise) coffee that this'll be the best CS he'll have for the entire week.   Hawkes (Hill Harper) gives Flack the pleasure of asking Mac what his age is.   Hawkes answers in his 30's and he's actually a she.   Flack prefers his coffee, black with no sugar.   Mac should know how he has his coffee by now, mustn't he.   Oops, may be my bad, they usually meet for drinks not coffee, ha.   There's no ID on the Vic, of course there wouldn't be.   Flack adds no one knew he was a woman and a single gunshot  was heard.   Hawkes finds the GS was close contact but there's no trace of GSR.   Mac concludes a gun wasn't the murder weapon.

Ellie describes what happened and the two knew each other, the younger man smelt of fish (clue) and put his hand on the window.   She heard the sound of a silencer.   Surprised Lindsay (Anna Belknap) didn't question Ellie instead of Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) she was doing everything else, practically, should've just let her solve the entire case in the episode.   Jo (Sela Ward) is more interested in why Ellie isn't at school.   The cigar box had newspaper bound together like notes (bills).   Ellie was on her way to see her mother.

Sid (Robert Joy) thinks of cryogenics when he notices the wound and surrounding tissue is frozen.  COD was exsanguination, no GSR was present (which Hawkes already said) and there was no bullet and the wound wasn't a through and through.  The Vic was melting on the table and in all his years as an ME, he's never seen any weapon like it.   Adam (AJ Buckley) processes the Vic's jumper.   Danny doesn't find a match to the palm print on AFIS and the mask wasn't a costume mask.  Adam says the newspaper clippings were the same shape and size of money, that was obvious.   Danny believes she was in disguise as an older person isn't so threatening.   Lindsay believes she could have been an actress on her way to an audition and pigs fly!  Adam and Danny laugh out loud at Lindsay's older appearance with Adam's manipulation using age progression software.   Lindsay adds he'll be married to her.   When Mac walks in Adam acts very innocent saying Danny and Lindsay were "goofing around."  He wouldn't believe that since in his eyes it's only Adam who does the goofing around.  

                                            

Adam found a rust-like substance.   Danny tells him he needs a chemical distinction.   Danny's print hit a dead-end and Lindsay has to use that phrase too, not being able to think for herself.   She has to tell Mac everything about their results not amounting to anything, but hers, smugly, did.   Then adds the Vic was up to something, excuse me, but Danny said that not two minutes ago!  She got a partial print from the cigar box, but she didn't match it to anyone, Russ (David James Elliott) did!  Lindsay admonishes Danny in front of Mac, saying she's his wife, he doesn't have to turn on her like that.   Oh what a script, I could scream, again.   But it's okay for her to joke around at the expense of other people.   Glad Mac was able to see her bickering, and surprised he didn't say anything to put them in their place, like he would have done if that was Adam messing around on his own.   Mac says the mask was custom made, (but they didn't find who made that either) and need to see if there's any trace on the palm print.   Thought that would have been their next step anyway.

The Vic's phone rings, (a plot used before on the show) it's her husband, Harvin (Christopher Jacot).   He calls her Renee.   (Remember the gurneys they used to use in season 1 of the show, when the DB would be brought up on the trolley and the lift would make that eerie squeaking sound.   They don't do that anymore.   Well, also cos they've got a new set.)  She lied to Harvin too.   Flack finds she wasn't Renee either, who has been dead for 12 years.  Hawkes uses Jellomen to determine which weapon could have made the wound.  Cue Lindsay, honestly, she was like Stella (Melina Kanakaredes) in this episode, the way she used to strut about from lab to lab, not doing any of her own work!  Getting others do it for her.   Hawkes was looking for something that fired like a gun but didn't leave any GSR, the closest he comes to is a bolt device, which mimics the wound tract, but the organs were frozen.   High pressure expansion of compressed gas would cause freezing.

Jo needs help from Mac.   She messed up with Ellie.   Her friends told her when people get divorced, they jump into a rebound relationship, or go on vacation, but she adopted a baby.  Jo: "You run a  tough confession."  Good to see her and Mac's burgeoning relationship and how they've really bonded for two people who haven't known each other that long.   Mac's more curious to learn how she messed up.   She painted a pretty picture about Ellie's mother.  Mac advises now is a good time to tell Ellie the truth and she has reinforcements.   Tyler,( Cody Longo) her son and Russ.   Jo: "Oh great, ex husband."  Russ was having lunch with Tyler when Ellie called.   We briefly get to meet Tyler now before he's sent away to take Ellie home.   Russ is worried about Jo and he says he has a little black book listing all the things he adores about her.

Lindsay identifies the prints on the cigar box to a Quincy Willis, took her time about it.   Mac tells her there's an FBI agent right here for help.   She could've asked Flack, I mean he'd have connections too, no she had to sit in with Russ again, what, has she got the hots for him or something!  Russ calls Quincy a master of disguise.   He taught the Vic, his daughter, Sabrina (Laurie Fortier) everything she knew.   Con artists have an addiction.   Newspaper money was Quincy's trademark.  Mac surmises they've been going about it all wrong, instead of concentrating on the old man, they've been going after the Vic as a woman.   Which was obvious since his/her Vics would only know her as a man.   Two of her marks recall the old man.   Lindsay's lame advice to the second mark, he should watch The Sting (1973) from the beginning.  Yeah great advice - not!  Then she acts all smug again when she tells Flack she restrained herself from telling him the con was a woman.   Even Flack had more sympathy for the marks who were taken for so much money, but not her.  Flack believes someone found out she was a woman, thus he solved the case!

Russ tells Jo, Ellie's great and she did a wonderful job raising her.   He's jealous they didn't adopt her together.   So Ellie didn't really know Russ when she was growing up and probably had some contact with him when he'd visit Tyler, so why did Mac think Russ would be able to help out with Ellie.   Cos he knows Jo.   Jo would love to let Russ do the hard part but she has to deal with Ellie on her own.   He kisses Jo goodbye on her forehead.   Aww.   Jo tells Ellie the truth about her mother being in prison.   Jo adopted Ellie because she needed Jo and Jo needed Ellie too.  It wasn't out of pity.

Hawkes identifies the weapon, an HPK knife; the handle expels a freezing ball of compressed gas, which froze the tissue.   It's used by hunters, divers etc and is used for sharks since no blood is expelled.   Adam and Danny identify the trace from the rust which was from sunken ships like the Titanic and was used on German U-boats in World War Two.   Mac recalls a wreck of a U-boat in New Jersey.   So Adam and Danny took thus long to identify vanadium.   Flack and Danny apprehend said suspect, but not before Danny flashes his badge which the suspect sees and fleas.   A cop out scene, no pun, but a chase would've been more interesting, I know it's expected everytime we see them together!

Jayson (Taylor Kinney) tells Mac she took him for $50,00.   He had to borrow and beg to get that kind of money for her cos she lied and was beaten up for it.   She was a bartender and he thought he was in love with her.   She asked him if he wanted to do something risky and planned to rob an old man.   The money was in his cigarbox and it was part of a scam.   He doesn't even remember killing her.  He wants Mac to let his brother know he can't pay him back.   For a brief moment there, thought I saw a moment of compassion from Mac, feeling sorry for him.   How come Sabrina's blonde hair was visible under her disguise, but we didn't get to see it in the opening, that wasn't very clever of her and what are the odds of her actually being on a train where Jayson and Ellie both were on too.

Ellie doesn't want to see her mother anymore, she just wanted to see what she'd look like when she grows up.   Jo thinks Mac would make a great father and he should get married and have a child, or even adopt, doesn't he want to be a grandfather.   He asks if she'll be quiet if he buys her a burger and beer.   She insists he'll still make a good father though.   There's a lot he hasn't trusted her with yet.   Jo and her messy desk, but ordinarily she's so organized.   Jo saying she has a weakness for food, just like Flack.

It's all about Lindsay again and her smug, irksome attitude.   So Adam and Danny were messing around, but she acts if she's the only one doing all the work.   How doe she know she'll still be married to Danny in years to come, he'll probably trade her in for a younger model, excuse the terminology, but the writers on this show behave as if there's no other character they can have in place of her running around from scene to scene.   Then she had to be the one to sit in on the heads up with Russ and the others, why not Hawkes or Danny.

Mac didn't tell Jo about Reed (Kyle Gallner) he is Clare's son, which makes him his step-son, but not even a mere whisper of the boy's existence.   Nor does she seem to know that Mac was married, not helped by the fact he took his wedding ring off a while ago.   Perhaps he's just not comfortable talking about it at the moment.   Danny and Flack in a scene together, long time since that's happened, Danny already flashing his badge to warn off the suspect!  He, Adam and Hawkes did disappear for long moments.   Danny would've been better in that interview scene with the Vic's marks, since he used to work such cases, but no, belittle their experiences by having Lindsay there and then advise him to watch The Sting.

Russ so wants Jo back, it's sweet to see.   He wishes they could have adopted Ellie together, he said the same thing Jo did about her, that she's magical.   Excellent to see David James Elliott back to revive his role, but he also didn't get much screen time.   Even Russ must've dreaded Lindsay being there again, ha.    Anyway, David and Sela have such a real chemistry on screen, which makes their scenes a pleasure to watch and his feelings for her, as Russ, are so believable; there's not a hint of contrivance.   oh Jo how could you have left him!

In season 5.10 The Triangle episode, epithelials found on a sticker are a familial match to a father's daughter, who robbed an armoured truck, only she escaped at the end with the money.   Here the father taught his daughter everything she knew about conning people.   Lots of train episodes in CSI:NY, as well as diver episodes.   Season 1 Night Mother,  where Danny was showing Aiden (Vanessa Ferlito) how they pick pockets.

My Twitter @mila255h  For my 100th follower I will send out a signed copy of my Unofficial CSI:NY book.  OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF UK, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA and EU.

Without A Trace 3.17 "Lone Star" Review

 Estate agent Lance Hamilton (Lochlyn Monroe) gets a visit from a woman as he’s showing a house and disappears.

21 Hours Missing

Martin (Eric Close) tells Danny (Enrique Murciano) he’s Lance Hamilton, 32 from El Paso, Texas and relocated 10 years ago to New York.  He works for Windsor Shore.  Danny wonders who’d hang cattle horns in their house.  Martin comments he may be "trying to compensate for something.”  Danny finds lipstick on a wine glass.  Martin finds a piece of a shirt cuff with blood in the fireplace.

22 Hours Missing

His secretary tells Viv (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and Sam (Poppy Montgomery) that Lance didn’t check in with her so she called around.  She doesn’t recognize the woman Lance met with in the sketch.  Sam asks her about his personal life.  She recalls a woman came to see him a few days ago.  Lance tells her she’ll spoil everything and doesn’t want her here.  She wore a wedding ring.  She hasn’t seen her before either.  Viv asks for his files.  Sam comments he’s probably got problems with most women.

Danny finds out he sells houses in pairs and sold some to a James Fusco, aka Jimmy the Tooth (Jon Polito).  He’s on the white collar watch list and has been in trouble for money laundering, etc.  On the day of the disappearance Jimmy called Lance seven times within 4 hours.  He tells Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) he wanted to buy another house because his wife is picky.  He was meant to see another place yesterday but he didn’t show up so he went to Lance’s house.  There he saw a woman catching a cab.  When he walked in he saw him burning clothes in the fireplace.  Lance denied anything was wrong.  He identifies one of the women in the 2 sketches.

Martin checks the records of Lance’s female clients.  Danny tells him the Tox report on the blood was HIV positive but it wasn’t his.  Martin calls up a hit on the other woman in the sketch who brought commercial property 6 months ago on Riverdale: Valerie Serbanesco (Alexia Landeau).

26 Hours Missing

Danny and Martin visit the property and Martin asks for Valerie.  Danny asks if she’s available and stops Martin from showing his badge.  Valerie brings out the girls and they flash their FBI badges.  Ooh.

27 Hours Missing

All the girls were kept in locked rooms.  Danny finds their passports locked away too and says there was no way out for them.  Jack comments on the sort of life they didn’t come here for.  They think Lance runs the place and are afraid of him.  One girl tells them she had to pay to come to the US and do what she does.  They do this to pay for coming here.  Lance paid $40,000, that’s $5,000 for each girl.  They were told they’d be here for 3-6 months but no one leaves.  Ariana (Sarah Demeestere) couldn’t run away as they threatened to kill them and their families.  They caught one trying and was beaten up as an example: Nadia (Katerina Mikailenko) is missing since the night before last.

Danny tells Jack they’ll have to inform the INS.  Jack tells him they can’t be deported.  Danny comments he’s bothered about Lance being a real estate agent.  Viv informs Jack of a woman boarding a flight at JFK with a gun heading for Texas.

29 Hours Missing

The woman is Beth Norwood (Bridget Flanery) and she tells Jack she forgot to declare the gun.  She wasn’t on a return flight.  Her husband gave her the gun: Lance.  She has a contact if there were any problems.  His name is Lance Norwood and he’s an undercover policeman from Nassau County PD.  He called her the other night drunk and told her to leave.  There was blood on his shirt.  He gave her the gun.

31 Hours Missing

They found out there was money laundering going on through real estate.  (Alex Sol) Pelosi ran a brothel with Jimmy, who got into the flesh trade.  Lance hated what he saw and talked Pelosi into buying better properties so he’d get better clientel: lawyers, bankers etc.  Martin mentions Nadia and they tell him Lance brought her in a few nights ago.  She told them about the teacher who recruited her in Romania.  They had to send her back in because they needed the number one man.  It would take them at least another 3 weeks.  Lance told them she was 15 and only a child.  Martin tells them she was beaten up.

Beth doesn’t know Pelosi.  Jack tells her about the girls and trafficking.  She met Lance at the pier and he told her he had to do this. Sam catches Viv fixing her heart monitor.  She asks her not to tell anyone yet, “even Martin.”  She gets a call; Olivia (Audery Wasilewski) rented a 12 seater van.

32 Hours Missing

Olivia says Lance called a few hours after they left and told her to take the money from his boots.  He collected the van.  Viv and Sam find Nadia in the boot of Lance’s car dead with a note: THREE MORE WEEKS and his badge.  Martin thinks he’s not waiting around for the police.  Sam says the blood is HIV positive and belongs to Nadia.  The car belongs to Valerie.

Valerie wants witness protection.  The day after Nadia escaped, a friend of Pelosi’s was arrested, he thought someone had been talking so Valerie suggested it was Nadia.  He was at one of his warehouses in Queens, she called Lance but it was too late.  They found Nadia.  Lance was angry and told her he was a policeman.  Danny asks her what he meant when he said he’d take care of it.  She tells them about his lawyer friend.

Jack and Viv question Pelosi.  Viv rings up charges of child endangerment, exploitation and violation of  the White Slave Traffic Act.  Jack tells him he killed and tortured a 15 year old girl and they have evidence he killed a policeman.  He tells them he saw Lance a few hours ago.  He drove up in a van with a gun and took the girls.

Danny finds the lawyer, Wayne Aguliera (John Gallucci) an immigration lawyer.  He was at the University of El Paso with Lance.  He contacted the judge for 6 emergency T Visas.  Viv and Jack question Aguilera who tells them Lance had nowhere else to go and said he had to leave town.  He gave him money.  Jack comments he wouldn’t leave without his wife and takes Beth to him at the pier.  Jack tells him he found the car.  Lance says he saw them with the other girls.  They’re getting T Visas and Pelosi will talk.  Jack shakes his hand.

Danny and Martin make small talk about each other and Danny mentions Martin and Sam when no one’s told anyone there’s trouble in paradise.
Danny: “What have we got other than a little South Western flair?”
Danny: “I see you and Sam in a place just like this.  I do.  Barbecuing out back with the kids.  Uncle Danny coming over to shoot some hoops.”
Martin: “I’ve seen your hoop shot – you’d better start working on it now.”
Danny: “I’m unstoppable.”  Maybe someone should remind Martin in the season 2 opener Sam said she didn’t want kids.

Danny: “He’s not married because no woman would allow that.”  Well if she was from Texas she would, probably.  With his comment about the horns he must have angered a whole lot of red necks out there; he was married after all.

Danny: “We’ve got lipstick.”  Of course he would find that!
Danny: “Looks like somebody messed with Texas”
So Danny and Martin have been playing basketball together.

A much covered subject: slave trade from Eastern Europe, also covered in the season 3 episode of CSI:Miami where the girls also had their passports taken and locked away and in The Closer where the girls thought they’d become nannies.  As well as CSI:NY and just about every other show around.

It appears Viv also knows about Martin and Sam so despite Sam's objections to everyone finding out wonder if she told her or whether Viv found out like Danny and Jack did.

Sam: “Sounds like he’s got himself into some kind of a love triangle.”
Jack: “That’ll get you into trouble everytime.”  Jack and Sam always end up commenting on the subject of love, especially when it’s so close to home for both of them.

Danny and Martin sharing some more amusing moments: Martin: “It’s about time …I saved you half….I was talking about the stack of files.”
Danny: “D’ya mind?”  Funny Martin eating a sandwich and not his obligatory fix of junk food.  Danny eating for the second time this season.

If the police department had Pelose under surveillance why wasn’t he followed when he picked the girls up and when Lance turned up?

Danny:  she’s “directly responsible or she knows who did it.”  He was right she was responsible for Nadia getting killed to save herself and she knew who did it.  He usually gets the case breaking lines like asking what Lance meant when he said he’d take care of it.

Olivia called the FBI when Lance disappeared and not the police.  As for searching his office how come no one thought to look in the boots.

At least Viv was consistent and commented on the legal violations as she did in season 2 episodes too.  Strange how Danny mentioned calling the INS to Jack, maybe he thought this was the last thing on Jack’s mind and so he had to mention it.
Lance had blood on his face and part of his mouth too only no one thought of mentioning she was HIV positive to him.
Good to see Martin having to follow Danny’s lead this time re flashing! Badges.  Sam and Jack hardly getting soaked in the rain.

Twitter @mila255h

Desperate Housewives 8.20 "Lost My Power" Review

Mary Alice: "When it came to her divorce, Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) was determined to make things go smoothly...and when Tom left something important behind, she bought it to him...after years of fighting had left her nowhere Lynette decided to take the high road."  Greg (Reed Diamond) tells Lynette Tom (Doug Savant) is an idiot for letting her go and asks her out.  She's the woman most men are looking for.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) "Lynette had tried hard to take the high road in her divorce but sometimes the low road was easier to find."

Mary Alice: "Carlos Solis (Richardo Antonio Chavira) was used to sitting in a position of power...the head of  a power lunch, helm of a powerful company.  Now Carlos Solis started a new career he suddenly found himself in a much humbler place."  Gaby (Eva Longoria) visits his new place of work and tells him all he needs is a "yellow tape and a noose and you're ready to entertain."  She has to get to work early and she's earned $12 already listening to him tell her he makes $12.  She doesn't care about his "meaningful work."

MJ (Mason Vale Cotton) is down cos he can't enter the father/son soapbox derby and Susan (Teri Hatcher) decides to build him one.  Trip (Scott Bakula) tells Bree (Marcia Cross) there are too many cases where the wrong person has been convicted, but she'll be fine for the pre-trial hearing.  All she has to do is look classy and innocent.  His success rate is impressive.  He tells her about a prostitute he got off and she comments that defending a prostitute is terrible. To her "sex is sacred."  That's why she was engaging in so much of it with complete strangers!  Then she's shocked when he tells her he's anti-gun. She has guns.  Trip asks if she "coordinates your firearms with your shoes."  They do have one thing in common, they both agree the salad "sucks."  But Bree doesn't agree with the language he uses.

Gaby dismisses with an old lady at the store, she's looking for personal shopper.  Before she hears about her rich husband, William Hammond and wants to help her now.  Gaby went into the library once for directions.  Gaby takes the cape back from the other shopper.  Renee (Vanessa Williams) plans her wedding.  Ben (Charles Mesure) receives a subpoena to appear as a witness and Renee doesn't think it can be a coincidence, re the Db found at the construction site.  He can't keep a secret about a murder and she will walk if he does.  Her first husband kept secrets and it ended their marriage.

Gaby invites Doris (Doris Roberts) to dinner and Carlos knows it's just to make money off her.  Carlos and Doris discuss philanthropy and Carlos may get money for the centre.  Not if Gaby can help it.  Lynette wants to save the discussion of Jane (Andrea Parker) and Tom's attraction to another night and Greg will make Tom work the weekend.  Lynette tells Susan Tom can help with the car, it's okay to ask for help..

At the per-trail hearing DA Stone (Christina Chang) brings up a list with the men Bree brought home from the bar. She didn't tell Trip about the list.  Bree never met Sanchez but had her print on his shirt button.  He calls Bree "a champion of conservative values."  He needs the truth, who and when.  Bree "can't talk about this with you."   Doris returns the clothes as she wants to help Carlos.  Her husband used to say "those that do well, also need to do good."  Gaby is angry over her commission, Carlos has taken her golden goose.

MJ pushes the car in the road and it's run over by a truck.  He's treated differently at school as he doesn't have a father and it will be worse at the father/son derby.  He wants his father.  Greg told Tom about Lynette and he finds it awkward.  Lynette isn't embarrassing him like he kissed Jane at the office  Penny (Darcy Rose Byrnes) asks for chocolate and in return she'll tell Lynette about Jane losing her temper cos Tom hasn't filed the divorce papers.  Ben loves Renee but if he tells her what's happened she'll get dragged into it and the secret is to protect her.  She brings up spousal privilege and once they're married he'll have to tell her.

Trip turns up at Bree's and comments she's alive cos she's not answering her phone.  He doesn't judge people, he defends them.  He knows everything but she has to tell him to his face and "own this part of your life."  Trip tells her his sexual secrets.  Bree replies men aren't embarrassed by their conquests.  He had sex at 24 and he wasn't good.  Also mentions his enlarged prostate, which E4 cut out from the afternoon showings for some reason.  Bree was in a dark, lonely place, in pain and drinking.  Bree was so drunk she forgot everything.

Gaby asks if her hotshot lawyer didn't object along the lines of "you can't handle the truth."  The worst thing for her was the look on Trip's face.  She believes in him.  Gaby says she has a crush one her lawyer.  Susan says she's smitten and Lynette mentions his dreamy blue eyes.  Bree corrects her, they're green with a hint of brown.  Yes Scott does have dreamy green coloured eyes!!  Susan adds how we fall for men who rescue us.

Gaby has done up Carlos's office so Doris doesn't give him any money.  Ben, Tom, Lee (Kevin Rahm) Bob (Tuc Watkins) help build a car for MJ.  Greg says Tom and Jane will fight when Tom has to work late and he's thinking about transferring him to the Mumbai office for a year.  Carlos said Doris thought them both nuts.  Gaby calls him a shark, it's in his nature to go after something.

Mary Alice: "It isn't easy giving up power. Admitting that we might need help from our friends and neighbours, deciding that a loved one might know what's best for us.  Giving up our better judgement for a slightly darker agenda.  But for some the hardest kind of power to give up is the power to control their own desires.  Trip invites Bree to dinner and she accepts.  As she would, well who could resist.  Bree's storyline was what made this episode interesting, especially since it sets up the finale.  Always great watching Scott in anything cos he's always so good.

 Lynette and Tom were just repeating themselves and their own history in just splitting up and really wanting each other. As was Gaby and Carlos's story, a repetition.  Gaby becoming money hungry like Carlos used to be, well she did always want money and it was kind of poetic justice that in the end, neither one of them got any of Doris's money. So much for their bickering.  The same with be and Renee and how could she have backed off without putting up more of a fight for him to open up to her, she was just repeating the same mistake in her first marriage.

Th episode title is from Stephen Sondheim musical Into The Woods, from a lyric in the song Ever After.  Maybe the title refers to 'lost the plot' as this ep had some highs and lows.

Twitter @mila255h

CSI:Miami 10.19 "Habeas Corpse" Review

                                       
The episode opens with Ryan (Jonathan Togo) regaining consciousness after what appears to be a fight.  He struggles to move.  He appears to have a flashback to everyone at the bar with Delko (Adam Rodriguez) mentioning how tough it's going to be to get the State's Attorney and Walter (Omar Miller) is also there, along with Natalia (Eva La Rue) who blames everything on Sam (Taylor Cole) she still isn't convinced that Sam is entirely innocent (and neither was I.)  Sam overhears her conversation and Natalia tells her she's said her piece.  Sam calls her a 'bitch', ooh steady on, think the shoe will be on the other foot, literally by episode's end! and leaves after Ryan does the same.  Sam warns him against going after Josh (Ryan McPartlin).  Well that was only cos she was somehow involved.

Ryan notices Josh lying on the floor but he is dead. Then pulls a small object out  of his own hand, before calling Horatio (David Caruso) for help.  At the lab, Natalia is frustrated that Ryan was only there cos of Sam and Delko processes him and notices a burn on his hand.  Ryan got that when he ran into the lamp, he says.  Then Ryan was knocked out.  Horatio notices blood trace on Ryan's jacket.  Ryan attempts to convince Horatio he didn't do it. Suppose Horatio had doubts about him, well that was rich coming from Horatio after everything he's been up to this season and last.  He was being judgemental about Ryan and the evidence wasn't even in yet.  Natalia can't bear to watch Ryan being treated in this way and mentions the one person who could testify against Sam messing with the evidence is dead and leaves.

Walter processes the CS along with ME Tom (Christian Clemenson)nwho examines the DB, Josh was hit with a bottle.  Walter also notices blood spatter on a pillar in the apartment and ME Tom tells him to string it, which he refuses, that's Calleigh's  (Emily Proctor) job.  Calleigh is having her interview with the adoption people about adopting Austin (Ty Panitz) and his sister. They ask about her work and the phone rings.  She has to get to work and asks for a reschedule.

Calleigh strings the CS and finds the blood spatter on the floor is there as the killer swung the bottle away after hitting him.  Notice in the flashback of Josh getting hit with the bottle, the assailant is shown masked and dressed in black, normally CSI:Miami used to show articles of clothing similar to what the actual killer was wearing.  Here they didn't show Sam's orange blouse.  That would have been too easy.   Horatio arrives with Ryan's jacket in an evidence bag and finds there's a void between the blood spatter on the floor, showing Ryan was lying there and was already unconscious when Josh was killed.

Ryan is cleared and joins Walter at the CS.  Walter tells him next time he wants to go rogue, he should give a brother a call for back up.  Ryan is grateful Walter had his back.  They don't find Josh's phone and Ryan calls the number, it vibrates and Walter notices it react like a transmitter.  Ryan checks the landline which is bugged.  Dave (Wes Ramsey) checks the bug and finds it belongs to them.  A CSI checked it out.  Horatio confronts Sam who tells him she planted the bug and left. She wanted to get Josh and take him down.  Horatio removes her from the case and in his anger he throws the equipment off the bench.  Horatio later has a plaster on his right wrist, probably a result of this reaction.

Ryan thinks Vogel (Malcolm McDowell) bugged his phone.  Horatio calls him and he says the bug was concealed without a warrant so he can't use the results of it, which was Josh on the phone to Vogel.  Calleigh tells Delko she thinks she'll lose the children to another couple there and he tells her not to worry, they'll choose her.  Thought they'd talk about themselves there but alas no.  Delko gets a hit on a conversation between Vogel and Josh, it's an illegal wire tap and so can't use it.  Vogel tells them Josh wasn't one of his direct clients.

Sam is frustrated too and Ryan asks her if she can tell him anything about Josh as she's been dating him for two years.  He wants to help her and believes in her.  That was just his crush talking. She recalls he had a boat she never went on and they argued over it.  Natalia and Tripp (Rex Linn) check the boat out but shots are fired before they get to it.  Natalia shoots the shooter and inside she finds drugs.  Ryan and Delko check the drugs, which is meth and their composition leads to an Eddie Coster (Jamie Harris) who was one of Vogels' clients and never convicted.

Coster is brought in and tells them he made a deal and the police took his drugs.  He doesn't have any of them so he hasn't made a profit on them.  Delko goes to the adoption agency and tells them about Calleigh and working with her for ten years.  It was actually less than ten, not forgetting he wasn't around full time in season 8 and wasn't working at Miami-Dade per se.   Ryan and Walter check the drugs in evidence and Ryan notices the bag move.  He tells Walter to check it out but he declines.  Ryan tests the drugs which don't test positive for meth.  He says it's flour, so someone replaced the drugs.  The flour has weevils in it.  Josh probably replaced the drugs.  Walter goes for the file and finds Sam checked the drugs in.

Sam goes AWOL and can't be found.  Coster has her hostage inn a car along with Vogel.  A chase ensues and Sam drives the car over the edge of the road.  She's injured, as is Vogel and she tells Ryan she broke her ankle.  He takes her shoes and finds a piece of glass wedged on the bottom.  See shoe on other foot. Analyzing the glass, it matches the bottle and also the chard he removed from his hand.  Sam was there on the night of the killing.

He visits her in hospital and tells her his findings.  She warned him to stay away and turned up when Ryan was unconscious.  She hit Josh with the bottle and left.  Ryan is angry she left him there and repeats it a few times.  Yeah she could have called it in.  As a CSI she was useless, why didn't she check her shoes and herself for any evidence and she wore the same shoes!  Not to mention she had the same clothes on.  Ryan defended her and she just left him.

                                                     

Calleigh's adoption is approved and she sends a photo to Delko and calls him, again we don't see them getting back together but it's open for them to do this somewhere down the line.  She thanks him for speaking on her behalf.  He joins the others at the bar who funnily lament and joke about Ryan not having any luck with women.  ME Tom is also there, which was a nice touch since he's part of the team now.  He shows them a photo of a woman, Lulu he met online in a science chat room and they're all a bit jealous of him.  So after all that we find he has a girl and none of the others do.  Also Natalia doesn't have a man in her life either.

Natalia tells Ryan he'll do okay as he's good looking and nice and he replies he'll take her on the table right now!  Natalia suggests the Hummer and they all laugh.   So there's no longer any chemistry between the two, as you'll recall both Ryan and Delko also wanted Natalia earlier on when she arrived at the lab. Ryan says he's got hair, no offence to Tripp and they all joke.  Horatio arrives to join them for a drink and Delko won the bet saying he would turn up.  Then tells Ryan he won't be alone as they're a family, much the same thing he said about Calleigh to the adoption agency.  Horatio will have a drink if Ryan's buying.

So seems Horatio et al were left to carry on fighting crime, even after all of Horatio's indiscretions. A shame they didn't have time for Rick Stetler to turn up as the one behind this and working with Vogel to bring down the lab and Horatio.  That would have been an interesting touch.  Always wanted to see something like that.  Makes me wonder if Rick had Vogel for an attorney would he have gotten off too, ha.

So ends CSI:Miami, think they could have done better as a final episode and Calleigh hardly did anything, just strung the CS.  She was more concerned with the adoption and she wasn't in the final scene with the others.  It's amazing that Horatio would even suspect Ryan was involved especially since he's been in that position more than once and was always cleared or had an explanation for his actions.  Surely after everything Horatio has done to suspects he couldn't really think that Ryan would do something illegal.

Glad Horatio did tell Sam to leave as she was compromising the lab, that was the best thing he did all season!  Never liked Sam and always suspected she was a bit of a loose cannon.  Natalia also felt the same and her reasons for not liking her were justified in the end.  Walter didn't have much to say about her particularly since he was the one who knew her better than the others. They worked together on the nightshift.  Which seemed to have been forgotten or not alluded to.

Seems Ryan didn't get the girl after all, he should have got his bracelet back at least!

Twitter @mila255h

Merlin 5.8 "The Hollow Queen" Review

Gwen (Angel Coulby) is out with some knights and they come across a boy who she helps to 'rescue' cos apparently he's one of Morgana's lackeys. He was out looking for frogs under the full moon, which Gwen says she used to do too.  Though why was Gwen out at night again?  For someone who didn't venture out much when she became queen, it's a little strange she has places to go now and things to do.  She returns to find Arthur (Bradley James) in romantic mood and has made up the bed along with flowers sprawled across it.  No doubt it was Merlin (Colin Morgan) who had to do all the romantic gestures and the work!!  Merlin leaves.

The boy uses the key to gain access to Camelot and then returns the key above the gate where it's located.  Kind of reminded me of Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, where the murderer came in the door and returned the the key under the stair carpet after he'd opened it.  Anyway he finds Merlin and wants him to help heal his sister who is suffering from sweating sickness.  Yeah a bit of a sweat breaking into Camelot.  Again it's obvious there is no sister and Merlin, Arthur's trusty, overworked and under appreciated servant and friend is being lured away so Gwen and Morgana can engage in some more nefarious activities.

Merlin tells him he's not a physician, only Gaius (Richard Wilson) can help, but he agrees anyway.  Merlin thinks he's a Druid and so can't refuse to help.  Arthur prepares to meet with Sarrum of Amata and to sign a peace treaty with him since he's an enemy of Morgana (Katie McGrath).  But he's peeved Merlin isn't around, he needs him to dress him you know!  Before that he can't find his comb and he and Gwen again share another scene together.  Let's see now, if we analyze this scene, before she was under Morgana's spell Gwen was hardly amorous with Arthur and now she is bewitched, she's all over him like a bad egg, ha.

Arthur asks Gaius about Merlin who makes an excuse he's collecting rare herbs.  Of course I knew the tavern line would rear its head again and Arthur assumes that's where Merlin is and Gaius is covering for him.  Gaius has to help Arthur dress and he gives him Gwen's nightdress instead of his shirt!  When Gaius said it's too small, you can just hear Merlin's voice echoing a joke about Arthur putting on weight, as in the past.

Daegal (Alfie Stewart) leads Merlin on a merry dance through the woods until he reaches Morgana and she surprises him with her magic, well poor Merlin doesn't see it coming and then pours poison down Merlin's throat.  Wanting him to slowly suffer.  Then pushes him off the ledge.  Oh would've thought Merlin would have been prepared for any ambush since he doesn't see his sister at the spot.

Sarrum (James Shrapnel) arrives and at dinner, Arthur talks of Morgana and Sarrum reveals how he caught Morgana.  So it's finally revealed that he was the one who captured her and Aithusa; keeping her captive without her resorting to 'sorcery' cos he threatened the dragon.  The dragon grew in a cramped space and it was agony for him, his cries were worse than those of Morgana, so he grew twisted.  She escaped after a momentary lapse on his part. That was a bit difficult to believe, she's a high priestess with so much power, wouldn't he have taken as many precautions as possible.  Gwen sits there listening to every word and you can just see the anger boiling in her. She excuses herself to retire early.

Then she traipses off to meet with Morgana again in another rendezvous in the dark, in another scene  reminiscent of Morgana and Morgause.  She wants Arthur to be killed by Sarrum and Gwen can persuade him to do the deed.  She can then rule over Camelot with the knights behind her (already discussed last episode) so it was unnecessary to do that again since we know Gwen already has the knights on side.  Also it's surprising that Morgana comes up with this plan again to kill Arthur when it backfired last episode.  This time round choosing to poison Merlin instead of Arthur.

Sarrum has his best swordsman fight with Arthur and he manages to beat him.  With Gwen watching.  Gwen then approaches Sarrum with the proposition of killing Arthur for her and she will give him a third of Camelot.  Sarrum sees this as an opportunity to take over Camelot for himself with Arthur dead, since the servant girl is no powerful queen.  Daegal returns to help Merlin who can't move and asks Merlin what he can do to help.  Merlin mentions herbs to form a tincture which he drinks.

Gaius is worried about Merlin and conveys this to Gwen, she thinks he's fine and they can't send out a search party since Sarrum is dangerous and everyone is needed here.  This time round Gwen helps Arthur dress probably cos she thinks this time will be the end of him for good.  Gaius once again expresses his worry for Merlin and this time Gwen makes up a story about him going to see a girl, which is news to Arthur, he's more concerned about the girl than Merlin.  Merlin must get to Arthur as he manages to convince Daegal to tell him Morgana's plans.  She paid him, he has no sister but his mother had magic just like Merlin and Uther had her killed.

Merlin arrives at Camelot as Arthur and Sarrum are about to sign the treaty and finds one of the doors ajar, which isn't meant to be.  Upstairs he finds the assassin, Albin (Matthew Clancy) reminded me of Jason Statham! with a crossbow and finally manages to defeat him with magic.  The crossbow hits not only the assassin but the weapon is fired and hits Sarrum too.   So much for his plans of conquest.  Just as well really, Arthur couldn't really trust someone who was willing to stab him in the back,no pun.  Daegal is also fatally injured in the crossfire and Merlin doesn't or can't use his magic to save him, again, so what's the point of it.  Of course he had to die, which is what I said since he knew Merlin has magic.  Can't have too many people running around with this knowledge.

Arthur is grateful to Daegal and ensures he has a proper burial.  Also he asks Merlin about his girl which has Gwen face pulling, again confirming to Merlin that she's not herself.  Merlin tells Gaius they have to act and make sure they out Gwen.  Hopefully this will happen next episode as this is being dragged out now, just as the case with Morgana when Merlin and Gaius couldn't tell Arthur about her.  Seems like he will tell Arthur about Gwen.

Though Merlin looks as if he's about to shed a tear for Daegal when he dies, asking if he did good, this doesn't happen.  He's more concerned about Arthur and Gwen.  Once again though he tells Daegal he hopes Arthur will one day allow magic to return to the land and this time we don't get any such scenes between Arthur and Merlin.  Instead the focus is more on Gwen and how Morgana has her eating out of her hand still.  The knights didn't have any lines this week, apart from Leon (Rupert Young) and were just meant to stand around and look pretty in their cloaks!

Arthur in a shirtless scene, but not to detract from the main plot that he is now a statesman as Gaius observes. He has to deal with a despot like Sarrum who Gaius also reminds him not only kills men but also tortures women and children.  (Hint there that Morgana is a woman, as well as high priestess who also suffered at his hands.  But no sympathy from us though.) With Morgana wanting Merlin out of the way to get to Arthur, does this mean Gwen knows Merlin has powers too?  If so, she may forget when Morgana's magic spell is reversed or removed, if she's not to know about his magic yet.

Gwen with another smirk when she watches Arthur get beaten, kind of and says to Sarrum, ""I'd be happy if he died tomorrow..."  Yeah that'll happen.  As Morgana bungles one hit on Arthur after another!  Oh the looks passed between Gwen and Merlin, 'if looks could kill.' (Morgana hasn't come up with that one yet) as Gwen thinks she's gotten away with her plotting as she knows Merlin can't say anything to Arthur.

Arthur demanding,"I want Merlin back" cos Gwen does such a rotten job of dressing him, ha.  Morgana not only wanted Merlin to suffer in agony but also Sarrum who inflicted the same on her.  Well if you want something done do it yourself, no wait, Morgana's not capable of that either!  So wonder how Gwen broke the news to Morgana about her plan going awry yet again!  So all the action took place on the balcony but Sarrum and Gwen were the only ones who knew what was happening, didn't catch anyone else's attention then!  Also how did Arthur find out about Sarrum holding Morgana captive as no one else seems to know this?

Twitter @mila255h