This season of CSI felt a little bit unfocused. The first episode was the resolution of the miniature murders, putting huge pressure on Sara and Grissom.

This led to Sara’s departure a few episodes later, which I didn’t mind. I was never a fan of her character, and it actually made sense for her to leave. What I don’t like is how she also left Grissom in the process, which I don’t think they explored enough.

The rest of the season was the usual series of self contained episodes. There was no major thread throughout this season, until the storyline involving Warrick which was another very heavy and dramatic episode. This was followed up in the finale, which again very dramatic.

SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE!

While watching the finale, I almost wished that Warrick did kill the guy and create the false evidence. The way it turned out it felt too easy, Warrick seemed to be off the hook too easily and quickly. That was obviously needed to send the character off in a good way.

Subtlety is not a strong point for this series. Once Warrick was off the hook, they all went out for a nice happy dinner, the scene was in slow-mo and there was a nice slow song as a soundtrack. It couldn’t have been more obvious what was coming next, even my wife figured it out.

Even the reveal of the killer didn’t surprise me, they always put him as the “bad guy” even before, and now it seems almost anti-climactic. Not to mention that I liked Warrick, and I wished he could have stayed longer on the show.

Overall an underwhelming season, with two people leaving the show. Not a good year.

Season Rating: 2.5 Stars

CSI: Season 7 continues to be entertaining. They haven’t dropped the ball, the quality seems to be consistent. Again, it is not brilliant television but it is entertaining and delivers what it promises. That is the reason people still tune in to watch this show.

I think the character of Hodges has grown on me. He used to be the annoying kiss ass, but now he is the funny kiss ass. He is still despicable and I would never want to be his friend, but he is at least funny. I really liked the episode where he recruits the other lab people and together they tried to analyze the Miniature Killer’s evidence and come up with a solution.

Speaking of which, the Miniature Killer is certainly the main story in this season. We’ve been shown the first few cases of this serial killer, and it was really intriguing. A bit creepy but mostly intriguing. It is fitting that this story thread lasted the whole season, I think they paced it quite well. I certainly was waiting impatiently to see the resolution. And when Earl was introduced and revealed as the killer I was a little bit underwhelmed. I felt a little bit disappointed, as if something was missing. I don’t know if they did it on purpose or not, but it just felt unfinished. And I was right, when it was revealed that the real killer was still at large. I like the cliffhanger at the end, and the actual killer, although the explanation felt a little bit too neat, almost unreal.

Apart from the Miniature Killer episodes, the only ones that I remember are the ones where something personal happens to one of the stars. For example when Catherine was raped it felt really emotional. I don’t usually care for the ones where Sara is involved, because she always takes it personal so it doesn’t feel special. Another important episode is when Greg was forced to kill a boy, I think that one was crucial to his development and it also spawned other interesting episodes.

But the most important one for me was about Grissom (my favorite character). That episode about the child molester obviously affected him personally, and it was implied that he was a victim as a kid. I hope in the future they will explore this past.

Another good season, and I will keep waiting future seasons.

Rating: 3 Stars

CSI is arguably the most popular cop show. It’s actually slightly different than the usual cop, since it stars scientists. But even these scientists have guns, and they use it quite often. So what are they, scientists or cops? No matter, everybody watches this show.

I do like this show, as I like almost all procedural shows. I don’t think it’s particularly better than other shows, but it does its job well. The only thing that makes this different than, say, Law & Order, is that there is some kind of character progression.

The stories are the focus of each episode, but it’s the characters that make these stories personal and more interesting. These characters have their flaws, they have their background, they have their weaknesses, their quirks. That’s what makes me come back to this show.

In particular I like Grissom. He is a weird anti-social scientist, but he’s also funny in his own way. His psychology is different than normal people, that’s why it’s fun to try to figure out what makes him tick. Catherine’s background is intriguing, and her motherhood makes her more like a normal person, and not a super woman. Every time Sam appears in an episode, my interest increases. Warrick is another very interesting character, especially with his gambling problem in the first season. But that’s not what defines him, his gambling addiction is not played all the time.

Then you get Nick, who is probably the least interesting character, I just don’t feel like I know him too well, or care about him. But Season 5’s finale put him on the spotlight. Even Sara is more interesting to watch, even though I hate her whiny personality, I hate her taking everything so personally and seriously. If you choose this job, that’s what you get. If you can’t take it, change jobs.

Even the secondary characters are interesting, first of all Greg, who was definitely the funny guy in the show, but has now gone on to become a more serious guy. Hodges is now the funny guy, and he also grew on me from the annoying kiss ass, to the funny kiss ass. The cops and the coroners all have their own stories, some more interesting than other, but at least watchable.

After the high tension 2 hours finale of Season 5, we get back to business in season 6. I was very surprised at Catherine’s reaction to Warrick’s marriage. That was pretty honest. I always enjoy watching these episodes, but months after watching them, the only thing I remember are the changes in the characters’ lives. And apart from Warrick’s marriage, the other really important change is the finale cliffhanger. Wow! Were we supposed to have picked up clues throughout the season? I guess either I wasn’t paying attention, or they did not foreshadow this revelation at all.

Again, I enjoy watching CSI, but once I watch it there’s not much I am left with.

Season 6 Rating: 3 Stars