CSI 12x04 Maid Man

We're back for another round of the Moonbeam-led CSI gang from the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

Seeing the words “written by: Dustin Lee Abraham” always makes me put the Catherine Willows Theory into full force before starting to watch the episode. Those words bring visions of over-the-top gangsters, nauseating hip-hop references, over-the-top Vegas bluster, and lots of other eye-rolling notions. Thus, expect the worst & hope for the best. That’s the CWT, my friends. And it’s done wonders for many a CSI episode in the past five seasons.

Former Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman was highlighted in the episode, playing himself and getting shot at the museum. I don’t think that really means anything to anyone other than Vegas residents. But again, since it’s a DLA-written episode, I’ve got to expect it. I find myself flashing back to Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles in the “what’s the big whoop?” scene.

So, on to the show :

* We start out at the grand opening of the mob museum. Former Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is in attendance, as are DB and Conrad Ecklie. They’re dressed “to the nines”.
DB: the story of the mob is the story of America. Ellis Island to Brooklyn, Chicago, Kansas City, finally Vegas. Ticket to the American Dream.
CE: ha. My great grandfather came from Wales. He didn’t become a gangster, he drove a bread truck.
DB: (reads from an exhibit) weapons & personal items on loan from the Las Vegas Police Department. That’s one way to empty your evidence vault.
CE: yeah, don’t get me started.

Great to see Conrad to begin things tonight, and looking mighty spiffy as well.

* a reporter is interviewing the former mayor, asking about stereotyping the mob. Catherine (looking mighty fine as well) is looking at an exhibit. Greg comes up to her.
G: congratulations.
C: hmm?
G: Oscar put your dad on the Spilotro exhibit.
We see a pic of Sam with another guy.
C: forgot how handsome he was.
DB comes up to them.
DB: goodfellas daughter turns CSI. That’s an amazing story.
C: No, Sam wasn’t a “goodfella”.
G: no, he was a “playfella”. When a goodfella wanted to party, Sam was the go-to guy, he provided the women, the supplies, the favors, the security…and those same goodfellas hired Sam to run their casinos. He was connected, but no killer.
C: nice spin, Greg. Sam…well, all these guys, they were no angels, but…family did come first and they knew how to provide.
G: No kiddin’. Sam gave her a casino. I didn’t even get the family wagon.
C: (to DB) are you here with your wife?
DB: uh, yeah. Yeah, uh my work wife. Ecklie’s over, uh…

LMAO Ecklie is DB’s “work wife”? That’s hilarious. I figured there’d be a Sam mention (I really still miss not having Scott Wilson on the show anymore) as well as a mention of Cath getting a casino, and Greg rambling on about Vegas mob history. Not two minutes into the episode and we already have them all. And I love how Greg tried to put a positive spin on Sam, to make him sound cooler than a regular “goodfella”, and not make Catherine out to be a mobster’s daughter.

* Greg is geeking out over the fact that three mob widows are all talking with each other.
DB: why are we whispering?
G: out of respect for the pack of mob widows. We’ve got Mrs Tony “Revolvers” Meli, Mrs Vinnie “whack job” Sapphire, and Mrs Stu “Greenbacks” Greenburg. Together. Unbelievable.
DB: why is that unbelievable?
G: Well, “Whackjob” was Lou Gedda’s hit man. He whacked Greenburg while he was at his own diamond anniversary, and popped Meli while he was at the cardiologist.
DB: and Whackjob?
C: got arrested for all that whacking. Jumped bail. No one’s seen him in 20 years
DB: Well, it’s nice to see the wives have stayed in touch.

I love how Cath seems amused listening to Greg ramble on with the mob stories. It makes me wonder how much input he got from Cath’s mom, Lily, for his book. Oh, and from Cath’s comment, who’s expecting “Whackjob” to make a reappearance at some point in this episode? Oh, wait. He’s not in the credits, so I’ll guess his wife will play a major role here.

* fake gunshots rein as an attention-getter for Oscar Goodman’s speech. Sheriff Sherry Liston stands behind him as he speaks. As he ends his speech with a toast, the fake gunshots rein again, this time accompanied by real gunshots, which shoot the glass in his hand, as well as his torso.

Raise your hand if you DIDN’T see that coming. Yeah, I thought so. So predictable, as CSI has become in the past few seasons.


* Ecklie is trying to direct the police in doing their jobs. He’s pressured by the Sheriff to get the case solved quickly. He turns and walks to DB, Cath & Greg. It seems that the mayor will be okay. Greg surmises it may have been a publicity stunt by the mayor. Ecklie dismisses the idea, saying that he would have been informed if it had been so. Ecklie gets a phone call & turns away. DB gathers his two CSIs and they discuss what shots they heard. DB recalls four coming from one side. They walk that way & he finds a .38 Colt revolver. Catherine notes there were two more shots coming from the other side. DB tells Greg to get his kit & start processing, while he & Catherine “take a walk” to the other side. A mobster figure is tipped over from the gunshots.
C: somebody shot Lou Gedda…again.

LOL awww. That makes me miss Warrick all over again.



* Cath takes a bullet out of the Gedda figure. She surmises a .38. They surmise that there were two shooters, who went out through the back door. So, they take another “walk” out the back and find a dead body. The security guard, shot up the nose. Cath checks his gun, which is a Smith & Wesson 38 special.
C: He got two shots off before he snorted a bullet.
DB finds a tire impression in water. He lays a dollar bill beside the tread before taking a pic of it with his phone. Then he takes a pic of Catherine as she’s standing in her dress next to the dead body.
DB: hold still
C: what are you doing?
DB: trust me. You’re gonna wanna remember the night they shot Oscar Goodman. … (looks at his phone) You look great.

And the humor just keeps coming. I love seeing Cath doing CSI stuff while all gussied up and holding a hand purse. DB doesn’t look so bad himself. I was also surprised to see the open lasting 7 minutes. Don’t think we’ve had that for a while.


* Nick & Morgan are coming to a crime scene at a hotel room. Morgan’s grumbling about not being on the “big” case. Nick gives her the “bright side” that she gets to work with him. Brass shows them to the dead body – a housekeeper for that particular suite. She’s got a rod stuck through her eye. Ouch. Super Dave puts TOD three hours ago. Morgan asks who the suite is registered to.
B: Prince Jalil Najib
M: rapper? East coast or west coast
Brass’ phone rings
B: more uh, Middle East (to phone) yeah Brass, go ahead. .. Okay, be right there. (hangs up) Well, my Prince awaits…at the gaming table of course. So, I’ll practice my curtsey on the way to the elevator.

LOL Jimmy Boy, where have you been? I’ve really missed the Brass sarcasm that had to be reigned in for the sake of Raskell for the past 3 seasons. This is quite refreshing.

* Nick & Morgan speculate the Prince raped the housekeeper and didn’t like it when she fought back

* back at the museum, Greg is baffled that he can only find one bullet, the one that went through the mayor’s martini glass. So DB simulates the mayor getting shot. As he’s lying on the floor, he asks Greg for a flashlight. When he finds something, he also asks Greg for a glove. He picks up a ‘mushroom’ bullet under the podium.

Can someone say “bullet proof vest”?

* In the hospital, Goodman is gloating that his “obituary can wait” and that he’s front page – in both of the papers. DB checks the mayor’s suit. It’s made of bullet proof material. DB asks him who he was afraid of. Goodman says he wasn’t afraid, just prepared.

okay, so I was close. Suit, not vest. Same difference.


* as Morgan continues to process her scene, she sees another housekeeper sniffling nearby while working another room. The woman was a friend of Maria, the dead housekeeper – who was a mother, supporting her husband & four kids. The lady said the party was loud and that the Prince was always very demanding. He was always in the same suite and always asking for Maria, calling her up to 20 times.

* Back at the room, Nick is still processing. He sees a small recording box with a camera, rigged to transmit data to a remote location. He tells Morgan to print “His Majesty”. She doesn’t seem too thrilled.


* In the morgue, Doc is slicing through the brain (eww) as Cath walks in.
D: I hear I almost had our mayor on my table.
C: sorry, Doc. Not his time.
D: don’t be sorry. I voted for him three times, four if you count his wife. He’s done great things for our town.
C: oh, I agree… mostly.
Cath looks at the body.
C: So, I can guess COD, gunshot to the nose. Anything else interesting?
D: Yes (peels the head back). Sooting, stippling, lead smoke around the entry point. Shooter was less than a foot away.
C: so the guard almost caught him.
D: well, he definitely caught a bullet.
C: a .38, I presume. Match my growing collection.
Doc takes the bullet from the brain.
D: huh, your .38 put on some weight. (he gives it to Cath)
C: that looks like a .44. … can’t wait to tell Ecklie. We’ve got three shooters.

Dun Dun Dun. Oh, mobster wannabes & their guns – or their wives.


* Brass is talking to the Prince. He says he doesn’t know the woman when Brass shows him the picture of her. Morgan comes in to take his prints. He says he went from the party to the spa to the casino.
M: ready captain.
B: this is CSI Brody.
M: I’m hired to take your prints & DNA.
P: Didn’t I see you at the Marquee Day Club yesterday? Yeah. Topless.
M: remove your watch & jewelry.
P: (to Brass) do you have a male assistant?
M: if it’ll make you feel more comfortable, I’ll let you give me $1,000 when were finished.
He takes off the watch & jewelry. Then Morgan asks him to open his mouth so she can take a DNA swab. He doesn’t move.
M: I get paid by the hour.
The Prince looks at Brass, then back to her and opens his mouth.

Hmmm, so was the topless thing true, or just something to try & rattle Morgan?

* the new weapons tech (what is her name?) comes to DB’s office
XG: word is, you like stories. I’ve got a good one.
DB: I’m on the edge of my seat.
XG: .38 colt dumped at the museum is definitely the gun that shot Oscar Goodman. Ran the test fires through IBIS, gun’s connected to seven prior shootings, and here’s your Mickey Spillane – all seven date back to the ‘80s.
DB: wow. Tough decade for Italian surnames. Will you excuse me for just a second? (he yells) GREG. (now talks softer to the tech) Tell me one more time, how do you pronounce your name?
XG: See-o-mara.
DB: Seeomara.
Greg comes in.
G: What did I do?
DB: Do you know any of these guys? (hands him the folder with the names of the previous murders from the gun)
G: Know ‘em? It’s like a Who’s Who of Who’s Dead. Joey Scarlotta – Sold Gedda his strip joint, capped the day the deal closed; Vinnie “the Moose” Mooseti – Gedda’s mechanic, until the brakes were put on him, Tommy “Capicola” Cappiletti – a butcher, Gedda’s ex-brother-in-law..
DB: I got it, I got it. He was “exed”. Right?
XG: All seven shootings were on the Colt.
G: well, that doesn’t mean that everybody didn’t know who did them. It was Gedda’s hit man, Vinnie Sapphire.
XG: Alright, True Crime, you know so much…what’s his last known?
G: Unknown. Sapphire’s been missing for the last 20 years.
DB: yeah, well, his wife’s not.
G: I’ll tell Brass. Bring her in.
DB: Good work, now go away.


Hey, she finally has a name. Xiomara Garcia. Yeah, okay. That’s a mouthful and I probably won’t remember that very easily. Okay, just a question – the memorabilia that the LVPD gave to the museum ‘on loan’ for the exhibit, did they keep records of what they gave them…and were any of the pieces guns? Just a thought.


* Apparently Mrs Sapphire knows Brass.
JS: So, Brassy, what’s with the sitdown? You finally find Vinnie?
B: no, but we found his gun.
JS: oh, well he always liked them bright & shiny, just like his bimbos.
B: well, this ‘bright & shiny’ shot Oscar Goodman last night. I’m thinking maybe Vinnie came home.
JS: well, if he came home, he didn’t come home to me. But if there’s anything that would bring Vinnie back from the dead, it’s Oscar Goodman’s mob museum. No induction for Vinnie, after all he did.
B: that is a crime. And maybe a motive to put a couple holes in the mayor. But he had help.
JS: well don’t look at me, I like Oscar.
B: yeah
JS: I contributed to his campaigns. Now Vinnie, he felt different. And for good reason, if you remember.
B: Oscar refused to rep him even when Vinnie was facing the needle
JS: gave him some BS excuse about looking for the good in his clients & not seeing any in Vinnie. I mean, what kind of a lawyer is that?
B: you’re right. Good guys don’t need lawyers. … what about you?
JS: look, Vinnie bailed on me and our marriage after 20 years. If he walked in this room right now, I’d tell him the same thing I’d tell you. Just stuff it. …I’ll give you a tip. If that bastard needed help with anything like taking out the mayor, you should do what Vinnie always did…look for a new piece of ass.
B: I just never understood how Vinnie could leave you.
JS: that’s because you’re a gentleman. … look I’ve gotta get back to my crap job. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Tom’s Bar on the Corbel, why don’t you stop in. I’ll refill that bottle of whiskey you keep in your drawer

Oooh, Brassy, Brassy. He’s got a way with the ladies, doesn’t he? Didn’t Cath say in “the List” that Brass used to be quite the ladies’ man? I like when he’s got someone to play off with history between them. That’s why I miss the great Cath/Brass moments as well. Oh, and remember Greg’s mention of the three mob wives together at the museum? I have a feeling that’ll somehow come up again.


* Cath comes into the AV lab where Hodges is looking at video from the street outside the museum.
C: Hodges.
H: hey. I have a 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. They used one of these in the movie, Goodfellas. This one starred in circling the museum for about an hour last night.
C: Sam used to have one just like it. I took my driving test in it. Couldn’t fail.
H: I failed. Twice. Still get nightmares about all those cones.
C: so, um, what about the…tire impressions in the alley.
H: oh, well here’s where we enter the world of “oddfellas” – or more precisely, Detroit. Tire impressions were made by bias plies, same specs as you would find in factory tires in the ’79 Caddie. Bet you can’t guess what kind of car Vinnie drove.
C: a ’79 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
H: we confirmed that with DMV, and… plate’s a match too.
C: Vinnie’s car, Vinnie’s gun, (sees a person driving the car)
H: Vinnie’s suit & hat?
C: Vinnie’s back.

Hodges is doing A/V now too? Oy. Anyway, I was disappointed that there were no real funny Cath/Hodges one-liners & comebacks. I did love that we got another Sam reference. Now if only Lily would show up. I’m guessing that the person in the car isn’t really Vinnie. One of the mob widows or accomplice?


* Morgan & Nick are going over their evidence. No rape on the housekeeper, Maria. Nick got the results of the small video camera, which was bought at a store in Henderson using cash. He got some partial prints and Mandy is running them. Morgan has her mind sent on the Prince doing the murder.

I hadn’t noticed before, but Nick is wearing a nice purple shirt.

* they go into the lab where Mandy is doing the prints. Nick looks over her shoulder at the screen
Mandy: You’re hovering again.
N: Oh, I’m sorry. We both wore purple today, we’re on the same page.
Mandy: Sweet talk never works on me.
Morgan: I’m not so sweet.
Mandy: oh, I like you.
Mandy types a few more keys & gets a hit on the print.
Mandy (to Nick) you may approach the AFIS.

Ha. Didn’t I just mention the purple shirt? Anyway, sweet talk may not work on Mandy, but we know that singing definitely works on Mandy. I love how territorial she gets of her workspace.

* The hit on the prints is Matthew Lapaz. He was a former valet at the hotel. Quit three weeks ago. Nick interrogates him. He says he isn’t selling drugs anymore. After Nick tries to get him to confess to the tapes, the kid asks for a lawyer.

Oy. Another interrogation with just a CSI and no detective. This has become annoying… and boring with all of the one-on-one interrogations (well, except for Brass’ earlier)


* DB checks in with Greg, who is processing the back entrance where the security guy was killed. Greg surmises that maybe the driver of the getaway car had the .44 and shot the guard. DB gets an idea.
DB: go me a favor. Shoot me in the face.
G: what?
DB: shoot me in the face, pretend gun, you know, about a foot away and don’t miss.
G: you’re the boss.
Greg walks up to him with his hand in “pretend gun” style. Before he gets to ‘shoot’, DB gets the jump on him.
DB: bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
G: wasn’t even ready.
DB: Haha. That’s the point. We’re done here. You can wrap it up. Bullets aren’t out here. They’re not in the next county. They’re not in Vinnie Sapphire either. Or in his car (he walks away) hey, thank you. That was fun.

Oookay. As fun as DB can be, he can also become annoying. So, what’s DB’s big hunch now? I’m gonna guess that the security guard was shot on the assailants’ way out, not the way in, right? I’m guessing those would be the final two shots that Cath heard. Or the security guard was actually the driver, and was capped by the assailants as they ran out to the car & left. I still think the shooters were the ladies – and they didn’t leave the building, right?


* Nick & Morgan discuss findings from the tapes. They all have time & date stamps. The camera is pointed at the nightstand & not the bed. It’s actually pointed at the safe that’s behind the curtain. They see video of a housekeeper opening a safe and taking out a watch that was inside, and returning it with a fake one. So they surmise that Lapaz & Maria were running a counterfeiting scam.

* Back at PD, Brass & Morgan tell the Prince about being scammed with counterfeit watches. He smashes the watch on the table in anger.
M: that’s evidence
B: and that was a lot of anger
P: until this moment, I had no idea that no one had stolen anything from me. Even if I did, do you really think I’d kill the maid over a watch?
B: yes, I do. You know, we checked your, uh, key card logs from the penthouse suite. You came back from the spa at 2:52am. That is four minutes after Maria Garza, the maid, entered to clean it.
P: so I came back to change before going to the casino. I was there for a minute, at most. If the maid was in the suite, maybe she was in another room. I did not see her.
M: I think you did. And I think you saw her hand in the cookie jar. Did something about it.
The Prince looks at the picture of the dead maid with the stick in her eye.
P: I know you think I’m a pig, that I treat those that serve me like dirt, but I’d never take a life. And I’d never leave anyone like this.

Awww he seems so sweet & innocent, doesn’t he? This case is reminding me of Catherine’s case in season 7’s “Toe Tags”, where the cop was found dead in the rich foreign guy’s bathtub. oh, and Brass is on BOTH cases? I guess they're really hard-up for detectives these days, huh? Not that I'm complaining about the extra Brass screen time, mind you.


* DB comes to the weapons lab where Xiomara is processing the gun.
DB: oh hey
XG: oh hey boss, got your results, and another story.
DB: oh no, let me go first this time. So a museum security guard fires two shots from a .38 during an attempt on a mayor. That guard’s found later shot with a .44 outside in the alley. Now the assumption is that he engaged the badguys, but CSIs don’t find any bullets outside. But they do find two unaccounted .38 bullets inside
XG: accounted for now.
DB: exactly. So the .38s in the Gedda exhibit came from the guard’s gun.
XG: nicely done. I got there through ballistics. How’d you get there.
DB: ummm, I shot Greg. I-I gotta go. Sorry. (walks out the door) thank you. That was great. (yells) HEY CATHERINE. CATHERINE.

Oookay. Isn’t that something like what I said a moment ago? Or something close? But darn, I was really looking forward to hearing another story from Xiomara.


* Cath & DB are back at the museum. Cath is taking more pics of the scene as she & DB talk it out.
DB: so our security guard walks right up to the bad guy & lets himself get shot in the face without returning fire. Right? Now that tells me that he knew the shooter. It also tells me he was probably in on it with Vinnie.
C: okay, so while Vinnie was shooting the mayor from over there, the security guard got off two shots from here at an upward angle. The only thing he had a prayer of hitting was Gedda or the ceiling. What was he aiming at? It wasn’t the mayor.
DB: well maybe he hit what he was aiming it.
C: Gedda?
DB: no, two shots would dice up all of the safety glass. I’m thinking maybe this whole thing was a two-fer. Shooting the mayor and shoot out the exhibit. Could be Vinnie or the guard wanted something inside it.
C: but what?
DB: well, whatever it was, it was worth a guard’s life.

Is anyone else still chuckling at seeing the statue of Gedda with two big bullet evidence rods sticking through him? A fitting picture, methinks. I just had a funny thought. Maybe it was Warrick’s ghost coming back to get revenge on Gedda – even if he is just a statue. Okay, sorry. Sorry. Anyway, I do enjoy the more ‘mature’ minds of Cath & DB working together. I can just picture the numerous times Cath has done the amused (or annoyed) eyeroll at things DB has done in his short time here. I’m guessing Greg will be telling them all about being “shot” by DB and how he doesn’t “play fair”.


* Nick & Morgan are once again discussing theories (is this case over yet?) so they go back through the Prince’s list of demands from the hotel staff. Nick does an ALS test on the towels from the crime scene. They weren’t “new” as they had the “Eclipse” mark on them, suggesting they weren’t from Maria’s cart. So they now talk to the other maid that Morgan had talked to earlier – the friend of Maria, Paulette Vasquez. She had reported that she was four towels short in her cart. Nick shows her a picture of the maid’s hand opening the safe. It was her hand, not Maria’s. She said the keycard lock records would show that she never went into that suite. Morgan produces a bag full of jewelry, which was found at her house. She finally tells them the door was already open and she waited until Maria had gone into the other bedroom. Maria caught her taking from the safe. She offered her a cut of the deal, but Maria threatened to go to the head of housekeeping and report her. They fought and she stabbed Maria in the eye.
PV: I clean after people every day. The rich, they don’t see me. They don’t thank me. They only leave nothing but their garbage. The Prince with all his money, all his lawyers, he has people to take care of him. I have no one to take care of me. I have to take care of myself.

Oh, boo-hoo.


* Conrad, Cath, DB and Greg are in the layout room going over the remaining evidence.
CE: the guard got himself killed over this, an old journal?
DB: the journal is the only thing missing from the Gedda exhibit.
CE: mobster journals is good for law enforcement.
CW: well, it’s mostly blank except for the last two pages.
G: Which aren’t exactly “dear diary” entries.
CE: what are they?
G: a ‘to do’ list. “do” as in whack.
CE: I assume a check means ‘done’.
DB: Dead, or presumed dead, yeah.
CE: Alright, so Vinnie Sapphire comes back to town, shoots Oscar Goodman to settle the score, and then steals Gedda’s hitlist. Why? He was Gedda’s hitman, he knows all there names.
DB: all except the last one here.
CE: Cesare Matrontonio
CW: yeah, no birth certificate. Guy never existed. What’s he doing on a hit list?
Ecklie’s phone rings. It’s Brass. They’ve found Vinnie’s car at a motel off Boulder highway.

As much as I’d like to enjoy a scene like this with Cath, Ecklie, Greg & DB, it’s gotten to the point where I’ve become sick of the mention of mobsters & hitlists. Is this done yet?


* So, its Uni’s a plenty, along with Brass, and Cath, who’s holding back while the unis bust open the door. Brass finds a woman dead on the bed. There’s a hat on the bed as well.
B: oh man. Hat on a bed, always bad luck. …all clear Catherine. I’ve got female db and it ain’t Vinnie.
Cath picks up a .44 gun from the floor. There are feathers around as well, so looks like the woman was shot through a pillow. Brass picks up a pillow with a gunshot through it. (Oy, am I super observant tonight, or what?)
C: this looks like the suit that was circling the museum in the Caddie.
B: I’ve got an ID. Monique Roberts.
C: Monique Roberts? I know her, she was a friend of Sam’s. … and a lot of his friends.
B: well, if she was with Vinnie, maybe she was on the lam with him.
C: and if that’s her .44 maybe she was the getaway driver.
B: well, Vinnie obviously wanted us chasing the wrong Vinnie, the girl Vinnie. If we caught her, we wouldn’t catch him.
C: well, he caught her for us.
B: well, looks like Vinnie left in a hurry, he left his suits, his car, and his girlfriend.
C: I don’t see Gedda’s journal.
B: no journal, no Vinnie. Hey, I’m getting a little sick & tired of this clown being two steps ahead of us.

Now THAT’S the Cath/Brass scenes that I love, and that I’ve missed for a long time. And have I mentioned how much I love the lady in red? She always shines in red, even with the vest on. It’s also great to hear a third Sam mention here as well. I wonder how good of a “friend” of Sam’s the lady was. I’m still thinking there’s a mob widow involved in this.

* Morgan brings the prince the bag of his stolen watches.
P: I understand you’ve caught the person responsible for the housekeeper’s murder.
M: that’s right.
P: this…woman, Maria Garza, she lost her life for this. Someone with nothing gave everything…for me. (he pulls out an envelope from his pocket) Please give this to her family.
The prince walks away and Morgan opens the envelope. It’s a check for $100,000.

I think all of the CSIs have had that same moment that Morgan just had. Must be a standard ritual as a character on this show.

* DB is in his office and bouncing a basketball. He hollers for Greg. (That’s really becoming annoying.) As expected, Greg comes running. DB asks Greg, since there was no birth certificate for Cesare Mastrontonio, did he check for a death certificate. He didn’t. DB says if he has a death certificate, they can find out where he’s buried and they can “pay their respects”. So the two go to the crematorium, or…whatever that place is called. They hear glass breaking and a woman screaming. It’s Mrs Sapphire, standing in front of Cesare Mastrontonio’s tomb, shrine, whatever the hell that is. DB takes a feather from her hair.

Yeah, like I didn’t see that coming when Cath found the gun in the motel room floor. Duh. And I’m guessing Cesare Mastrontonio is actually Vinnie, right?

* Brass gets to go another round with Mrs Sapphire. He says they found her prints on the gun from the motel room and GSR on her hands, (don’t remind me of those three letters again, please) and a feather in her hair. Guess that’s the triple threat, huh?
B: why did you kill her, Joanna?
JS: When Vinnie got pinched, he said ‘don’t worry, Oscar will get me off.’ Well, that didn’t happen. So when he ran, he said, ‘don’t worry, there’s plenty of money.’ Yeah, there was…in his suitcase next to him on the lap of that bimbo as his Coupe de Ville flew the coop.
B: So you got her back. Did you get Vinnie back too?
JS: no. God whacked Vinnie. About 5 months ago, I get a call from this bimbo, Monique. I hadn’t talked to the bitch in 20 years, but she calls me & she says that Vinnie just died of cancer. She tossed his body into Lake Meade, because she couldn’t afford a funeral. She was broke. She figured I’d be broke too. So that’s when I got into bed with the bitch.

Never underestimate the power of a woman scorned. Even moreso when it’s a mob widow.

* DB is talking to his “work wife” (that’d be Ecklie) and the lady Sheriff.
DB: So, on his death bed, Vinnie tells Monique, the mistress, all about Lou Gedda’s stash of cash, his “rainy day fund”
CE: and tells her how to find it?
DB: yeah, the last name on the hitlist, right, but of course, that list has been buried in the police evidence vault for, like, years
SL: until Oscar got it out of evidence and put in the museum
CE: and then he goes from being behind bars to being behind glass.
DB: so Joanna starts fishing around for an invite to the museum while Monique starts coming on to the guard. That poor guy, he had no idea they were thinking about killing the mayor. He was just in it for the money.
SL: the wife told you all of this at the mausoleum?
DB: she was in a …pretty vulnerable state.

Mausoleum. Ah. That’s the word I was looking for. It was on the tip of my tongue, but couldn’t spit it out. Thank you for the help.

* Brass & Joanna continue the interrogation
B: why make the move on Oscar?
JS: cuz he ruined my marriage. You know, Vinnie was a good earner. If Oscar’d taken the case, he’d a got Vinnie off and he wouldn’t have run off with his Gamorah. So Oscar got what he deserved. …well, almost. … damn suit.

Don’tcha know ‘almost’ doesn’t count – only in horseshoes & hand grenades… and maybe mobster stories.

* Ecklie still needs some answers.
CE: did she happen to explain why Monique was running around wearing Vinnie’s clothes?
DB: same reason why they got his car & gun out of mothballs, they were setting him up. To quote the wife, “the perfect fall guy is a dead guy”. I mean, that’s brilliant.
SL: well, sure as hell fell for it. So what happened to Gedda’s stash of cash?
DB: kind of hard to say, but the previous manager of the mortuary retired about five years ago to a villa in St Bart’s. So, I’m thinking…
Goodman comes walking through the door. Ecklie addresses him
CE: Mr Mayor
OG: yes?
CE: can I help you?
OG: I’m here to see my client.
SL: your client, who’s that?
OG: Joanna.
DB: but, your honor, she tried to kill you.
OG: I know.
CE: Sir, she tried to KILL you.
OG: I know, but she’s entitled to a defense, isn’t she? This is America.
Oscar walks away.
CE: if I ever get in trouble, I want that guy defending me.
DB: I ever get in trouble, I want his suit.

Nice zinger to end with, but… but… but, this was a mob story, and we spent the final 6 or 7 scenes of the episode with Brass, Joanna, DB, Ecklie, the Sheriff, and Oscar – instead of the ones who should have been highlighted – like Cath & Greg?

How TOTALLY disappointing.

I was going to say that the Catherine Willows Theory worked to perfection again - as I was pleasantly surprised for the first 3/4 of the episode, but the underwhelming ending kind of brought things down into the "fairly disappointed" category.

Thanks, DLA for ruining what was a very promising episode with a very underwhelming ending. Who cares about Oscar? We wanted some resolution with Cath & Greg - being a mob story & all. Sheesh.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Really missed Sara in this one. I know she was featured in the last episode, but we could have at least seen her doing something – even if it was as a lab tech.

I loved the Sam references. I wished we could have had an appearance from Lily at the museum opening. Then again, that would have been continuity. And we all know how that is the achilles heel for this show through the years. Maybe Anita Gillette wasn’t available, but it would have been nice to at least have a reference to the character.

It was also great to hear Greg rambling about the old Vegas mob history. Will we ever hear more about his Vegas book?

All the talk about Gedda, and seeing his statue, made me yearn for the good old Warrick days. I must say, it’s a fitting end for the Gedda “statue”, getting its just rewards.

I loved seeing Conrad in the opening, and even getting a peek at the political BS he has to go through with the Sheriff & being her “whipping boy”.

Hooray for the new weapons tech getting more screen time. The name, I ‘m not too sure about yet, but I LOVE the character.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard “boss” mentioned so many times in one episode for this show. Did anyone ever call Gil or Cath “boss” when they were in charge? I’m not liking that aspect. Oh, and I really, really hate the shouting he does all the time in the lab. A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. The lab is a place of business, not the family home where you holler for the kid to come downstairs because dinner’s ready. I get the feeling that, while DB is a fun character – and so much more enjoyable to watch than Ray Langston – the extreme quirkiness of the character might actually get to become annoying after a while.

The Morgan/Nick case - *yawn* hey, at least it gave us more screen time for Morgan, whom I’m enjoying so far. Just wish she would get some time with Catherine

Guest stars:
Marc Vann as Conrad Ecklie
Monique Gabriela Curnen as Xiomara Garcia
Sheeri Rappaport as Mandy Webster
Michele Lainevool as Female Reporter
Frances Fisher as Joanna Sapphire
Barbara Eve Harris as Sheriff Sherry Linson
Vincent Corazza as Stanley Gant
Karen Steele as Paulette Vasquez
Ana Isabel Mercado as Maria Garza
Phillip Rhys as Prince Hamad Al Maktoum
David Del Rio as Matthew Lapaz
Joyce Hyser as Monique Roberts
Oscar Goodman as Oscar Goodman