CSI: The Twilight Years
The day Warrick Brown died marked a radical shift and elemental realisation within the CSI fanbase. With Warrick’s death, Grissom’s character had been shocked to the very core, with Warrick’s true feelings for him surfacing towards the very end of his short life. As with the death in any television drama, in CSI it meant drastic changes were afoot.
When Gil Grissom left the show in Season 9, he left behind him a legacy that will not be re-envisaged. In his wake, Ray Langston, Psychology lecturer stepped in – albeit as a rookie investigator – in an attempt to give the show the burst of energy and fill the gaping hole that Grissom’s departure inflicted.
With the CSI producers fully aware of the uncertain nature of Langston’s character – both reasonably unpopular and also a rogue figure in general – they decided to squeeze as much from the newbie as possible, turning him into a would-be killer for a whodunit storyline at the end of season 10. Whilst the story arc was well executed, with no one truly knowing whether Langston was capable of such behaviour, the show is once again left with a character with whom no one really shares a rapport, a figure with a wealth of knowledge within the psychological field (exploited during his introduction to the programme and to the CSI team) but one who will never be tightly-knitted within the team as a known entity, and for that the show suffers.
The other problem with CSI as it is now, likely entering its final season, is that no one cares about the Lab Rats (as they are fondly referred to). Wendy, Hodges, Mandy and Henry all star as the lab technicians, character who give out the odd line of dialogue in the early seasons, nothing more. However, with the death of Warrick, and the depature of Grissom, more of an emphasis has been placed of stretching out the relationships between these characters in a bid to add depth and back story to the programme. Sadly, they lack character, charisma, any sense of personality and really add nothing to a show which primarily used to focus on being ‘out in the field’ or interrogating suspects. Whilst providing insight the lab rats’ lives may have seemed a good idea at the time, it does nothing but take valuable screen time away from the real cast members, and gives too much air time to the dank, bland and grey landscape that is the labs.
As this heavyweight drama series nears its final moments, it is more important to glance back over its impressive eleven seasons and admire the various stellar performances which brought the show so much success and huge audience ratings (it has been named the most watched television show in the world during its time on the air), than to ponder its demise. Whilst rumours suggest a film is in the pipeline, one can only hope that the show goes out with a bang and, if only one more time, Grissom is allowed one final appearance, to bid farewell to the programme he made, as well as the programme which made him.
2 comments:
nice comment on csi. do u think they killed off warick's character too early and in the right way? what character would u want to get rid of now? do you feel grissom had any weak points in his character?
Personally, I feel that Warrick was killed off at just the right time. His gambling issues and personal traumas had been exposed to the audience, and he had been shown to be a liability, albeit one whom Grissom held up as his own project, a person who he felt could benefit from guidance and nurturing.
Sadly, Grissom left shortly after Warrick, so that relationship may not have existed any further anyway, but we will never know.
Right now, I would end the show but I would make sure Grissom appeared in the finale. His presence would be needed to remind the audience of the impact he had as an individual whose sole purpose was the inform, guide and essentially watch over as they carried out their duties.
I would kill off Catherine. Whilst Sara's personal history with Grissom ruined him as a character, she has managed to blend in well with the rest of the characters. However, Catherine's storied past and her personal storyline is incredibly dull and her botox is very off-putting. The current storyline also shows her in a bad light so no doubt something major will happen with regards to her.
As for Grissom having weak points? I don't think he did. His lack of emotion, his stoic demeanour and his ability to shut out any sense of genuine empathy made him a perfect CSI, one who was able to distinguish between work and 'pleasure'. His assexuality also made him the perfect role model for people aspiring to reach the top of the echelon within their chosen career, not allowing themselves to be distracted by outside vices.
I hope this answers your questions.
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