This N That Halloween Hodgepodge

Wow. It looks like I’ve been AWOL for a … LONG time.

So where have I been?

*cough* *cough* *sniffle* *cough* (suck on a cough drop) *cough* *sniffle* *cough* *cough* *cough*

yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I don’t think I actually coughed up a lung, but it sure felt like it. It’s the annual “changing of the seasons” fall cold – cough, stuffy nose, then runny nose, cough. Not to mention my voice got all scratchy & hoarse as well. Not good for a voice that needs to talk on the radio.

Actually, in the world of This N That, there really hasn’t been much to gab about lately.

Many shows were doing reruns last week because of the World Series, which finally ended. Did my MN Twins win? Oh right, spring training doesn’t start until February (or is it March?). Either way, it’s still too long to wait.

** One of those shows doing reruns last week was Prime Suspect. What the heck was up with that, NBC? It seemed that every night I turned the tv on – no matter the day – PS was showing a rerun. Hey, I love Maria and her wacky ballsy cop character, but even I was a bit sick of seeing the reruns left & right. I can’t see how it really helped the show.

** One show that didn’t rerun is Sanctuary on Friday. Oh, how I loved “Die-Hard” Magnus – in a dress & wedges, no less. She almost reminded me of Maura Isles wearing her Sunday best to a crime scene.

It’s disheartening to see that homophobia is alive & well for a few Sanctuary fans. An impromptu kiss (or two) doesn’t immediately make the character of Helen Magnus bisexual. (even though I really, really wish it was, and that they'd show more) You don’t have to all-of-a-sudden quit liking the character because of that simple kiss. Hell, if I was that shallow, I would have quit watching CSI at the end of season 6 when Grissom & Sara were shown in the bedroom. Instead, I still love Sara – even though I “eww” and “gag” every time the subject of GSR is brought up.
Check out the kiss here:


So, does that kiss imply that Helen is bisexual? Hardly. (yes, I really wish it did, but I know they won't be going there again for a while) It just shows that Helen is an open-minded woman. It was an impromptu kiss (or two) with a woman whom I’m guessing hasn’t been kissed, or allowed herself to feel that kind of emotion, in a very long time. Was it a gimmick for the show? Hell no. This show has always thought "outside the box" and not followed everyone else. Yes, they've done vampires, zombies, and the other cliche 'abnormals', but they always put a Sanctuary twist on it. Some viewers didn’t see the kiss coming (which is actually a great thing). I did. Even though I knew ahead of time that “the kiss” would be coming (because of a behind-the-scenes promo) I could see it in the story line as things progressed. Charlotte Benoit wasn’t a person used to being in life-and-death situations. Helen Magnus is. Helen became a hero in Charlotte’s eyes because of Helen’s heroic efforts to keep them all alive and foil the bad guys. She even tells Helen that what she did was “Die-Hard” and that she was a doctor of “ass kicking”. At the end, when Helen told Charlotte she wasn’t staying, Charlotte acted on impulse and gave Helen a quick kiss. Helen’s reaction shows that it’s been a very long time since she’s been kissed in such a way. After all, we know Helen recently came back from 113 years of hiding from the world. I can’t imagine she had many kisses during that time, since she couldn’t tell anyone who or where she was as to not change the timeline.

Anyway, I digress…for now.

** Hey y’all, it’s Halloween.

I never seem to get into the spirit of the holiday – mainly because I always work weeknights, so am never home to hand out candy. On years where Halloween is on a weekend, I still keep my lights off & hibernate somewhere that’s away from the ghouls & goblins. I just can’t get into the mood for the holiday anymore, it seems. I used to love it when I was a kid. We’d go trick-or-treating around the whole town, which probably took less than an hour (yes, we’re talking VERY small town of about 100 people). I loved getting the cool candy, but always gave the apples and popcorn balls to someone else. Ewww. Halloween is for CANDY, not health food. Good grief. Now I just buy my favorite candy (with the excuse that they’re usually on sale) so I can eat them myself. There’s Butterfinger, Twix, Nestle Crunch, Reese’s Peanut Butter bars (yes, they come in BARS now) and even some boxes of Cracker Jacks. I’m set for the rest of the…month.

At least after tonight – or maybe the end of the week – all of the scary movies will be shelved for another year. Then we can look forward to the barrage of Holiday movies. Oy. The other day I was looking at a list of upcoming Holiday movies that the Hallmark Channel has planned. I think there’s a new movie premiere each Saturday & Sunday in the next two months.


** I got a small start on my Top Albums of 2011 list so far. I didn’t realize how crappy the music releases were for this year. I’ve got maybe a small handful that I’d put on the top 10, but the rest are mediocre hodgepodge.

Friday This N That

It’s a Friday! You know what that means.

It’s Sanctuary Friday.

Normally, that would make me giddy with excitement. However, the excitement level is toned down a bit this week as I’m anticipating a Magnus-lite episode. Yes, the Catherine Willows Theory will be used to the full extent for this one.

Why, you ask?

Last week’s season opener had us picking up where season 3 ended and following Helen Magnus back in time to 1898, trying to stop Adam Worth from making sure his daughter stays alive – thus altering the timeline in a big way. Excellent episode! I love the ones where we see Helen in the past, especially if she's with other members of The Five. But this week, we also pick up where season 3 ended, except this time, we’re following Will, Kate, Henry & Biggie’s struggle against the invasion of the abnormals from Hollow Earth.

The main reason to watch this episode is that it's being directed by Amanda Tapping. I like getting to see what kind of vision AT has for each scene and how she's going to bring her style to the forefront (i.e. moving cameras and lots of motion) Is it bad that I'm more excited to watch the subtleties of the directing aspect of this episode than the actual story itself? From past experience, (like the episode “one night”, which Amanda also directed) Will-centric episodes basically suck. It's kind of like Nick-centric CSI episodes. They bore me to tears. Will just doesn’t have the strength to carry an episode. He needs to stop his whining and grow a pair. Even in scenes with Magnus, he always comes across as a whiny brat. And the attempted humor just makes things worse. Robin Dunne is good at humor (although the continuous pants-dropping has become very annoying), Will Zimmerman is not. I can only hope that there is lots of Biggie, Kate & Henry, or even Declan, Nikola, or...anyone but Will.


Since today is Friday, that means yesterday was Thursday. Wow. Now how did I figure that out? I guess that college algebra I took a lifetime ago is paying off finally. It was a complex equation to figure out, for sure.

Last night’s schedule started with Charlie’s Angels. Another decent episode, but I still cringe a bit at some of the acting – or “attempted” acting. And Bosley STILL annoys the hell out of me. On the bright side, NEXT WEEK is the episode with Dina Meyer. Finally. I was bummed that I didn’t see her in the previews. I’m also still bummed that they didn’t cast her as one of the Angels to begin with.

(-added-)Just heard the news that the show has now been cancelled. At least they're going to air the remainder of the episodes that have been shot, so I'll get to see Dina's episode next week. You take the good, you take the bad...

The surprise of the night last night was The Secret Circle. There was LOTS of Ashley Crow screen time!! Yay. I wasn't expecting that. It’s about time. And she even got to do some witchy spells. I love that she finally has an idea of what’s going on with the “circle” of teenagers. Now I hope they bring out more about the adult “circle”. I swear that demon thingy slithering just under the skin reminded me so much of the Stargate SG1 episode, “Legacy”. I was almost expecting to see a whitish transparent demon come out of the infected person in last night’s episode as well. That would have been the ultimate ripoff.

The Thursday night schedule ended with the Sarcasm Queen, Jane Timoney, on Prime Suspect. She’s so over-the-top sometimes that it even brings out more of the humor. As I was watching last night, I couldn’t help but think of how cool it would be to have Jane Timoney & Jane Rizzoli (from Rizzoli & Isles) teaming up as partners. Oh, how the sarcasm would roll. We could call them the “Jane Gang.” We’d have J-Tim & J-Rizz.

Thursday This n That

I still haven’t decided if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that there’s now a day between Marg on CSI and Amanda on Sanctuary. That almost makes Thursdays a day of nothing to do (is that EVER possible?)

Okay, so there are a few shows tonight –

* Charlie’s Angels I’m only casually watching yet. And still ANOTHER week to go before the episode with Dina Meyer. Damn, it seems like the wait has been a year instead of a month or two.

* The Secret Circle is the second show on the schedule for tonight. I’m actually kind of enjoying the show (as a casual watcher yet) even though Ashley Crow really isn’t on much at all. I’m still holding hope that will change, but I have my doubts. This show also just got a full-season pickup.

* the final show on tonight’s schedule is Prime Suspect. It’s great to hear that it got the go-ahead for 6 more scripts yesterday. Way to go, Maria!

I think my luck is changing since - so far - my favorite new shows aren't getting cancelled after a couple episodes these days. I don't think my tastes are changing. I think everyone else is finally figuring out the greatness of my taste in shows.

Right.

On to more This n That –

Got the new issue of People in today’s mailbox. I was pleased to see Pauley’s bakery get a bit of attention. I might have to try that Magic Bar recipe.


Ellen & Portia’s home is on the market? Guess I don’t quite have enough money for that sale. I love the big goofy picture they have on the wall. It’s definitely an attention-getter.

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

A Cracky Wacky Wednesday This n That

It’s funny how things seem much brighter when the annoyingly out of line body gets put back to the way it should be. Yep, I just got everything (neck, shoulders & back) cracked back to where it’s supposed to be after a trip to the chiropractor. I kind of feel like Humpty Dumpty. Now if someone could do something for my scrambled brain…

I’ll have to work on that.


* It’s Wednesday, so you know what that means. Yes, remember? Wednesday…CSI night. I know, it still sounds weird, that’s why I figured that I’d remind you again – or rather, remind myself. Even though it looks like a decent episode from the promo, I’m still going to be hesitant & cautious since it’s an episode written by Dustin Lee Abraham. His episodes usually included over-the-top Vegas baddies and some kind of hip-hop references that make me roll my eyes ("Poppin' Tags" and "Drops Out" ring a bell?). Tonight’s episode being set in a Vegas mob museum does sound promising. However, since CSI got rid of the best Vegas mob guy a few seasons ago (Sam Braun – and I’m STILL pissed at that) those old mob stories don’t mean as much anymore. The bright spot is that it SHOULD bring a decent story line for both Catherine & Greg.


* Wednesday also brings another round of SVU. I think I’ve seen more first-run episodes of this show since the addition of Kelli, than I had in all the previous years combined. Considering tonight is only episode four of the new season, I’d say that’s a step in the right direction.



* I only got to catch two of my shows last night. NCIS was a decent episode overall, minus all of the political undertones. I did love the fact that the guy was able to slip away from Ziva during her protection detail. That doesn’t happen very often. Oh, and as the outcome goes for that story, I saw that one coming from his first appearance on screen. As standard as the “A” story was, it was the somewhat small, but ever so heartening “B” story that was worth every second. Abby. Sweet, dear Abby. She comes in all excited about being a match as a liver donor, not even taking into consideration the overall consequences. But then she finds out there’s a second match, and it’s a guy whom she deduces is her brother – one who’s so far unknown to her. It was so sweet when she goes to his pet rescue shelter and sees him for the first time, but decides not to tell him who she is. The actor playing him was actually Pauley’s former boyfriend in real life. She got her followers on Twitter to rally for him to get the part. Don’tcha just love the power of Twitter? Hearing Abby calling her Aunt Gert, who has severe dementia & doesn’t even remember her, was heartbreaking, and a subject quite personal to me as well. But the most heartbreaking part is knowing that the picture of the woman in Abby’s locket is actually Pauley’s real-life mother, who died a few years ago. Finally after 8 seasons, we actually get to see some part of Abby’s background – other than her stalker ex. No, I won’t go on the tangent and tell you that’s how the great years of CSI used to be – when they had the small, but wonderful tidbits about the main characters’ lives – until they ruined things after season 6 when they decided to turn the show into a soap opera. Gotta love GSR for that, don’t ya?



* I also got to watch Body of Proof last night. Another show with political undertones as well. What’s up with that? I loved the dead body missing in the morgue & “coming back to life” story, however, didn’t CSI do that not too long ago? Just saying. I loved Megan needling Peter about the “love of his life” and it was fun to see his sisters all at the same time. Poor guy. It’s great that season 2 is fleshing out more back story for the other main characters. Tonight was Sam’s turn, hearing how her brother was killed right there in that neighborhood. And guess who that killer was? Couldn’t be the guy right there, could it? Nah, that’d be too easy, right? I guess that’s why I like the “light” dramas. You don’t have to think too hard, just a little deductive reasoning is needed.


* reading some SPOILERS for upcoming episodes of my shows has me chuckling, shaking my head, and saying “you go, girl” all at the same time. For Sanctuary, it’s the pic of Helen Magnus’ upcoming kiss, and it has the whole fandom in an uproar. It’s sad to see that bigotry & homophobia still run rampant in tv fandoms. It makes me even more upset when they think it’s just to boost ratings. I don’t see Amanda, Martin, or Damian selling out the strong, complex character of Helen Magnus – and definitely not as a ratings ploy. I think it totally fits in with the character of the 160 year old (oh wait, she’s 273 now with the trip back to 1898, right?) scientist/doctor who’s definitely not afraid of experimenting. After all, she was engaged to Jack-the-Ripper, hung out with a vampire genius, the Invisible Man, Jekyll & Hyde, has a father living in Hollow Earth, has a sasquatch for a butler, and houses many, many abnormals worldwide. Because of the upcoming “kiss”, it seems they’re now questioning her sanity. I guess some Sanctuary fans are just as stupidly narrow minded as some of the CSI fans are. Yes, there’s a reason I pulled away from total immersion into the CSI fandom. People don’t know how to argue/debate properly. It’s annoying.

* yesterday’s spoiler for CSI was a bit more eye-opening. Catherine & a “hot” FBI guy? (why does that make me think of Jane Rizzoli & Gabriel Dean?) I guess that means that Lou either hasn’t made up his mind or decided he’d had enough. She left the ball in his court the last time we saw. Yes, I like the prospect of a new guy in the picture, no matter how long or short it ends up being – mainly because it’s about time they did something with it. The Cath/Lou thing just totally fell off the radar. It’s the main reason I didn’t get very invested in the relationship to begin with – because I knew the writers would somehow SCREW IT UP. They always do. This is CSI, remember? The only thing that’s ever mattered is GSR – which is still seemingly going strong and thank GOD we don’t have to see/hear it very often. (So far. PLEASE don’t let me jinx it.) I still wish they would have kept cute bomb guy, Kip, around for a while to be with Catherine, but of course, they had to blow him up. Idiots.

* while on the subject of great CSI guest stars, I’m reminded that I haven’t really talked much about season 2 of Nikita yet. I haven’t been a totally faithful watcher so far this season, but do get to watch a bit while I’m multitasking at work, so I can keep up with the gist of the story lines. It’s great to see Melinda Clarke in the “driver’s seat” as Amanda has taken over things. What I don’t like about the show is that it seems everyone’s out of Division now and on their own, with their own agenda – even Birkhoff. It’s hard to remember who’s on what side and with whom , and then it changes in an instant. I guess it’s their way of keeping the viewers off guard, but it kind of just makes me dizzy. It gives me the urge to go back and watch my DVDs of La Femme Nikita and bring some order back. In that show, you always knew that Nikita was trying to keep the ‘humanity’ alive, Michael always had her back – but sometimes with a hidden agenda, Birkhoff was an easy pushover, and Walter was everyone’s sounding board.


* on a final random note – I don’t watch the show, but it was great to hear that Chaz Bono gets to continue for another week on Dancing With The Stars.

Columbus Day This N That

It's October 10th - Columbus Day. A day to celebrate the discoveries of the esteemed explorer who... oh enough of that. I was never that great with boring history - except when it's told Sanctuary style, like the episode, "Normandy". Otherwise, Columbus Day usually means a day off work for the government (and lazy worker) type jobs. Sometimes I'd really love to be in a profession where even the lesser-known holidays meant a day off. In my job, both holidays and bad weather mean someone still has to work.

Let's talk about the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. The issue features some great cast reunions - including The Carol Burnett Show, Growing Pains, and NYPD Blue, along with Sigourney Weaver & Company in Aliens.




What's up with the NYPD Blue reunion? Ricky Schroder (they STILL call him Ricky?) didn't work with Jimmy Smits, who didn't work with 'Red' Caruso either. The only thing the three of them have in common is they worked with Dennis Franz. I miss Andy Sipowicz. How could they have a reunion without Kim Delaney or Andrea Thompson? Hell, K-Del was the only reason I watched the show.

I mentioned Sanctuary at the beginning of this post - I finally saw a few pics with spoilers of the anticipated "Magnus kiss". All I'll say is... "You go, girl."

on a final note: I watched a little bit of Brain Games last night on Nat. Geo. It mentioned that a person's brain runs on 12 watts of power. ... I think I need an upgrade.

Sanctuary 4x01 Tempus Review

They really should call this show “The Life & Times of Helen Magnus”. It’s episodes such as this, where we explore Helen in her past, that end up being the greatest ones. In this case, it’s Helen of the present going back in time, chasing Adam Worth who’s trying to change history – specifically trying to prevent the death of his daughter.

The episode begins where Season 3 ended – present-day Helen coming through the time rift and landing on the cobblestones of London in 1898. Helen tries to stop Adam, but he’s got a Praxian laser gun and shoots a blast over her head, hitting a wall, which part of it crumbles on top of Helen, thus enabling his escape and Helen being captured by the police.

It’s Watson that bails her out. That would be James Watson – you know, the ‘real’ Sherlock Holmes. Well, at least for this series, anyway. They go to her Sanctuary, and with Watson being, well….Sherlock Holmes, he fairly quickly deduces that she’s Helen from the future – what with her strange weapons, credit card & driver’s license that are made of plastic, her iphone, etc.
H: will you stop looking at me like that
J: how should I be looking at you?
H: just…leave me alone.
He dumps out her bags of belongings and sees her ID.
J: what the devil is that made of? These numbers…are they significant? (he picks up her phone) the design, the purpose (he turns on the phone) how is that powered?
H: James. Ignore all of this. Ignore me
He picks up her gun.
J: browning automatic. I’ve never heard of that and yet I know every weapons manufacturer in the world.
He releases the clip on the gun.
J: amazing. The release type.
H: leave! Right now.
J: not a chance.
H: It’s my sanctuary.
J: is it? From the moment you walked in here you’ve been behaving as if you were visiting someone’s grave. It may have been your sanctuary a long time ago, but not anymore. … business cards made from a substance I can’t identify. Issued 2010. Expires 2015. Weapons that I have never seen or heard of. Clothes designed for maximum movement and protection.
H: I am Helen Ma…
J: oh you definitely are Helen Magnus, just not of this era. I’m a detective.
H: well, now you understand why you have to leave.
J: because by being here, you may disrupt the timeline and change the future as you know it. But, how is this possible?
H: I came here on a mission. If I fail, everything that is meant to be, everything that I build from now until my present could be destroyed.
J: who are you chasing? … honestly, Helen. Whatever your mission is, it’s gotten off to a very bad start. You need help, and seeing as I know the truth, what choice do you have but to let me in?
H: no questions about the future. Near or distant. … Adam Worth. That’s who I was chasing.
J: from Oxford? What on earth…?
H: he’s come from the future as well. I followed him here after John & I were…
J: John Druitt? Dear God does everyone from our era live on til the 21st century?
H: not everyone.
J: oh.

I love that whole exchange. I love how we can see James internally processing every small piece of information as the scene goes on. I also love how later on, he is the one to keep her focused on not altering the timeline even more when she gets pissy with past-Adam after present-Adam kidnaps Imogene. And it was interesting to see how she was able to give James very subtle hints that it may not have been John doing the latest killings, but an abnormal.

Present-Helen trying to get in to the Reformer Club to talk to Present-Adam was another great moment. First with the obvious Victorian-era sexism of not letting a woman into the club – which I’m sure Helen hadn’t had to deal with in quite a while, then trying to match wits with Adam, which ended with his remarks to the others that she was just a hooker trying to come on to a “family man”.

I was kind of bummed that past & present Helen never officially met. It would have been great to see two Helens kicking major butt together. I did, however, really love seeing present-day Helen watching past-Helen stand up to John Druitt in her house as she was interrogating him about his Jack-the-Ripper killings, and he’s claiming his innocence. It was very strange to see Helen at such a disadvantage and not being able to stand up to him strongly like we’re used to seeing her do. Thankfully we get the kick-ass Helen that we know & love later on when she goes “hunting” and gives Druitt a run for his money.
JD: you’re insane.
Helen: very much so. Fancy some more?
THAT’S the Helen Magnus I know & love. Just like in “Breach” where she kicks Adam’s ass as well.

Oh, and Helen’s run-in with Spring-Heeled Jack was great. At least that timeline wasn’t altered and he agreed to seek asylum in the sanctuary again. It would be nice if we see him pop up in present-day timeline now.

Yes, both past and present Helen each got in a “Bloody Hell” remark. That’s kind of become her signature – along with “Cheeky Bastard”.

So one thing I’m confused on… okay, I think there’s more than one, but the biggest one that’s bugging me at the moment – if present day Helen exiles herself to a 113-year vacation and then rejoins the timeline when we get up to present day … won’t there still be two Helens then? Maybe as this season 4 goes on we’ll actually see both Helens exist together. This is Sanctuary, you know. Anything is possible. Maybe since Imogene still died and Adam still blames Helen & John, he’ll still try the time travel thing again.

I found it interesting to realize that Helen was making a toxin as a “last resort” if she needed to kill Imogene herself. Even though she knows what it’s like to lose a daughter, I know she still would have done it if needed – just as she would have killed herself if it had been the only solution. It was really, really weird to hear Helen even think about killing herself so she didn’t factor in changing any more of the timeline.
H: now that we’ve cleaned up all evidence of Adam and the technology he brought with him, I suppose there’s only one thing left undone.
J: what to do about you.
H: I can’t be here James, we both know it. Everything I touch, everyone I meet…could ruin my future.
J: you best kill yourself.
H: I’m glad we both agree
J: Helen, suicide? You’re so melodramatic.
H: do you have a better idea? I’m trapped here & I’ve no way home.
J: you can always go home. It just might take a little while. It’s one of the benefits of your incredibly slow aging. Disappear. Go somewhere remote with limited contact with the rest of the world. Spend the time thinking about all the things you’ve lived through.
H: 113 years of seclusion.
J: then you rejoin your timeline just after you’ve left it. Unless of course, you’re determined to do yourself in.
H: a vacation.
J: from what I gather, you’ve rather earned one.

So, if Helen does come back after a 113-year seclusion – we know she won’t be idle during that time. I’m guessing that might be what the upcoming “going rogue” storyline for the sanctuary is. This will be the ‘present day’ Helen coming back from 113 years in hiding. We may see that during that time, she was able to build an “underground” sanctuary system and start that up now that she can come out of hiding.

“Humanity isn’t completely dead in the future. Just so you know.” Loved that line.

This show continues to blow my mind. I’ve never found myself saying “WOW” with any other show as much as I do with Sanctuary. It’s not just the stories, it’s not just the acting, it’s not just the wonderful visual effects (which just keep getting better) – it’s all of it combined.

Kudos to Amanda for being able to play both the past & present Helens so very differently. As much as I hate Adam – well, psycho Adam at least – I love Ian Tracey and how he portrays both the gentle and evil parts of the character.

It’s funny how great episodes with Helen, John, James, and Adam (no Tesla or Nigel? Damn.) make me forget that there’s no Will, Kate, Henry or Biggie. Yes, I’m a sucker for episodes that are either about The Five or ones that take us back to Helen’s past.

As I was watching the scenes where past & present versions of Helen & Adam both exist, I couldn’t help but think of how we’ll hear a very excited director, Martin Wood, explaining the shooting of it on the dvd commentary.

Backing up to the opening credit sequence – we see Helen, Will, Henry and Biggie in the main picture. Wow. That really doesn’t look right. No John. No Kate. I know Agam had scheduling conflicts while they were shooting season 4, so Kate’s been relegated to “recurring” status. Still, it sucks.

On a final note: every time I see an episode about time travel, I can’t help but think about Stargate SG1’s episode, “1969”. In that one, it was General Hammond, then a lieutenant, who had been visited by a future (which was the current) SG1 and he gave them a bit of help by slipping the note into Sam’s pocket before they left on the mission. And it was Sam who was the one most concerned about not screwing up the timeline. It also brings to mind the SG1 episode, Moebius, where the team goes back in time. That one had some major timeline adjustments – which I’m still not sure they were actually solved to satisfaction.

CSI 12x03 Bittersweet

Let's call it "Nesting Dolls Redux: The Sara has matured episode".

* Nick is on a “date” with Doc Robbins’ niece. They’re at a gallery looking at very strange art. Nick comes up to one and has something drip on him. He smells it, and recognizes the smell as a decomp. Ewww. The gallery turns into a crime scene. He & DB find another art piece is part of a face cast in cement. The artist says his stuff is “found art” for a reason – he found it at a dump site.

This whole Nick-on-a-date thing reminds me of Sanctuary’s Will & Abby in the “One Night” episode. Only in that one, the two got abducted instead of being in a crime scene.

* DB & Nick are now at the dump site and found a full face cast in cement as well. I love how the artist dude, Slade (“just Slade”) is bemoaning the fact that his place for finding his art will be history now. Nick notices a flower earring on the skull and mentions he’s seen that before – on a case Sara had where five girls were abducted & sexually assaulted, murdered, dismembered and cased in cement. The case was solved and a husband/wife team were put away – the husband for life, the wife, Gina, got off with just a few years & is now out.

* Sara comes to the lab where DB is watching tapes that were found after the verdicts had been given. Sara isn’t surprised that Gina got out on parole as she’s a “master manipulator”.
S: I was on this case then…I want on it now.
DB: Well, I guess there’s something to be said for continuity.

LOL too bad the writers didn’t know the meaning of the word “continuity” in the past five years.

* Greg & Morgan are at a different crime scene and realize it’s a body dump. Morgan asks Greg about Nick’s “date” with Doc Robbins’ niece. He must not know about it because he doesn’t answer and goes on to view the body. Poor Greg, being left out of the loop.

* Sara and Nick are processing the body parts in the cement. HELLO “Nesting Dolls” flashbacks! Finding the bodies in cement, trying to get them out of it… but sadly without the Gil/Cath flirting this time.

* Cath & DB are in the lab, discussing Sara’s relation to the old case. DB is still asking her what to do.
C: There’s a lot of people who would like to see Gina Sinclair pay for what she did.
DB: and by ‘people’ you mean Sara.
C: you know how it is. You, uh, live with a case for a couple of years, you obviously get very close to the victim and their families and…justice isn’t served.
DB: she said she wants another shot. Should I be worried?
C: I know why Ecklie brought you in. Clearly, as a supervisor, I was too close to my team. I allowed one of them to walk into a house with a serial killer.
DB: right. What are you saying?
C: I’m saying that you can’t let Sara walk through that same door. You are the supervisor now, you’ve gotta protect the team.
DB: okay, I got that.

Ha. Who’s actually acting more like the supervisor in this case? I like how we see Catherine acknowledging what happened and realizing where her faults were. Now, if only we could get Nick to do the same. Fat chance on that.

* Sara arrives at Gina Sinclair’s new apartment. She sees Mr Burrows – the father of one of Gina’s victims – in a car outside watching the place. She gets in the car with him. Anyone notice that it’s freaky Francis from Season 5’s “Ch-ch-changes”? He’s been living in his car since his wife kicked him out three weeks ago. After telling him to go home, Sara gets out of his car and walks over to the pool area of Gina’s apartment complex. Gina is in a chaise lounge, watching all of the children in the pool.
S: you look good, Gina. I guess prison agreed with you.
G: and you’re looking a little pale.
S: yeah, I spend most of my time in a lab busting psychopaths like you. We, um, found a girl….in cement.
G: it’s got nothing to do with me.
S: then you won’t mind if I search your apartment.
G: well, it’s kind of a mess. It’s the maid’s day off.
S: you’re on parole. I don’t need a warrant.
G: I don’t need to be harassed by you or by numbnuts out in the car. Burrows has been stalking me ever since I got out.
S: well, you, um, raped, murdered & dismembered his daughter.
G: Court said Todd did it. I’m as much a victim as those other girls.

It’s fun to see Sara trying to control herself from decking the woman.

Sara looks back at the other kids around the pool area, then back to Gina.
S: am I blocking your view?
G: just admiring the flowers.
Sara raises her voice to address the rest of the people around the pool.
S: Excuse me. May I have your attention. I am with the Las Vegas Police Department. Your neighbor here, Gina Sinclair, Apartment 206, is a rapist and a murderer. And if I were you, I would keep an eye on your children.
The parents begin to gather up their kids and usher them away.
S: (to Gina) get up. I’m calling your parole officer. Let’s see what kind of mess your maid left.

So great to see “in charge” Sara. I like when she gets all bossy.


* In DB’s office, he’s opening a package. Sara comes in.
S: look, I already know why you called me in here. I paid a visit today to a person of interest, who by any reasonable measure is our prime suspect and I executed a search.
DB: yeah, and in the process, in front of 30 of her neighbors, called her a rapist, a murderer,
S: and a psychopath. But that was to her face.
DB: well you should know that her attorney is threatening to sue the department & you for harassment, which she has every right to do.
He opens the package, which contains a #8 jersey with “Russell” on the back.
DB: *laughs* my son is on the freshman team at WLVU. Kid’s been practicing since he was 6. And you know something? In Junior High, he used to practice at night & he wanted to walk home, but I wouldn’t let him. One of us always picked him up. Kids should be able to walk home from school. These girls should have been able to walk home. You know, I want the Gina Sinclairs of the world off the streets just as much as you do.
S: I was just taking her temperature.
DB: yeah. rectally. You showed your hand today to a “master manipulator” – your words.
S: her neighbors have a right to know. She did this. Five years ago. Three weeks ago. Yeah, and she’s going to do it again.
DB: yeah, and maybe now she’ll get away with it…again. Look, you know this – when we walk into court, if the defense can’t attack the evidence, they attack us, which is why we need to be unbiased & impartial. You - no - You blew it today…in front of 30 potential jurors. I don’t wanna lose this, Sara. I wanna win.
S: so do I. … am I off the case? Because if I am, someone needs to call Colleen Hughes and tell her that Gina’s out of prison.
DB: maybe I should handle that.

Stop it, you guys. You’re making me miss the Cath/Sara catfights, damn it. I don’t like this quiet arguing. It’s just not the Sara Sidle way.


* Doc is sawing apart the DB’s (no, not DB, the actual dead body) chest cavity. Morgan is enraptured while watching him.
Doc: good call on the dual liver-mortis.
M: thank you. I didn’t get this job cuz of nepotism.
Doc: never crossed my mind.
Greg comes in to the autopsy.
G: am I late?
M: nope, I’m always early.

She’s so much better at the one-liners than her dad is.

* Doc notices that the lungs are distended. “They should feel like deflated balloons, these feel more like pillows, but heavy.”

Ewwww. Now every time I see my pillow, I’ll think of a distended lung. Thanks for the image, Doc. Damn.

* Morgan asks to feel them. “Oh, that’s awesome.”

LOL She still reminds me so much of Riley in that respect.

* As Doc is trying to take them out to weigh them, one bursts, and out comes a dark substance. Morgan runs her fingers through it and smells. “Chocolate. … Guy’s a souffle.” They believe the guy drowned while floating in chocolate.


* Greg & Morgan are now in DB’s office.
DB: so milk or dark chocolate?
Greg & Morgan look at each other.
M: really? That’s your first question?
DB: no, but that’s going to be my wife’s as soon as I tell her the story.
Then DB goes on a tangent about a book where a guy kills his adopted son by drowning him in a vat of butter. Greg & Morgan say they’ll go find the vat.

Oy. Enough with the family references. Every. Single. Time.


* Nick begins interviewing Ryan Thomas, one of the people who dumped things at the ravine in the park – dump site from the first case. Among the items that were his included the microwave. He said the night he dumped it, there was a truck that peeled out & almost hit him. There was a cute chick driving.

* DB is talking with one of the original victims, Colleen Hughes, telling her that Gina is out of prison. She doesn’t want to hide or go back to live with her parents. She even declines DB’s offer to have cops sit at her place. She says she’s “done being a victim.”

So, you know what that means, right?


* Cath, Sara & DB are in the lab going over the logistics of the case.
C: Samantha Chase, 13, our girl in cement. Doc Robbins ID’d her off of her dental records. She was last seen three weeks ago leaving Desert Palm Library. (she brings it up on a video map) Library is here. Samantha Chase’s home is here.
S: and Gina Sinclair’s condo is right in the middle.
C: we know that both of her parents work
DB: Latch key kid.
S: she walks home from the library every day, right past Gina’s window.
C: same age. Even looks like the previous victims.
S: Gina’s a predator. She probably waited for the right moment, and then she just grabbed her.
DB: yeah, but you said you searched Gina’s place.
S: yes, and I didn’t find anything, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t take her somewhere else.
C: and we need to find that someplace else.
DB: until we do, that’s just a theory.
Sara gets a text.
S: a theory… trace results from Samantha Chase’s fingernail scrapings found dog hair, Pomeranian. Gina Sinclair has a Pomeranian.

Who cares about the scene. Let me enjoy my Cath/Sara moment for a bit. They’re few and very far between. I need to savor each & every one – like a fine wine.

* Morgan & Greg are staring at paintings of a naked guy (from the waist up) dripping in chocolate.
M: this guy looks good from…every angle. If he’s selling, I’m buying.
G: I’m not so sure it’s chocolate he’s selling.

That is SUCH a Riley Adams comment.

* They’re introduced to Angie Selinger, CEO of “sinful pleasures” she recognizes a pic of the dead guy as the person who came in looking for a job there. They tell her that the company’s Argentinian Virgin Honeybee Chocolate was in the dead guy.
G: we’re going to need to take a tour of your chocolate factory.

ROFL That is so “campy”. Greg, you’re giving me visions of inflating kids rising up to the ceiling, and silly songs. MAKE. IT. STOP. PLEASE.

* so Greg & Morgan are searching the factory.
M: if I fall in, don’t save me.
G: copy that. And while you’re up there – notice if anyone else fell in?
Morgan takes pics of a hair that’s floating on top. She takes it out with a tweezer.
M: I’m thinking “pube” recall.

Ewwwwwww.

* they realize if he fell in, he didn’t get out by himself. Someone got him out of there and cleaned up. Greg lifts up a drain cover and finds interesting evidence.
G: Piece of scalp. Shut it down. (to the workers standing nearby) this place is a crime scene.

Oooh, Bossy Greg. Melikey.

* Back in the garage at the lab, DB is staring at the pieces of cement laid out on the table. Sara comes in.
S: you wanted to see me?
DB: did you process these blocks?
S: yes.
DB: by yourself?
S: No, uh I worked with Nick, why is there a problem, or…
DB: blocks are heavy. Not surprising it’s a 2-person job.
S: Gina had help.
DB: like before. I don’t think she’s a solo act.
S: She found another Todd. Somebody weak. Someone easily controlled.
DB: find the weak link. Nail Gina.

Nice and simple exposition scene. I liked seeing the revelation on Sara’s face, but I also wish that DB would have turned and looked at her instead of staring at the blocks. It would show more respect towards her.

* in the break room, Morgan is sampling chocolates from the company. Nick comes in to eat his lunch. She shows him pics of the dead chocolate guy’s place. There were numerous boxes of chocolates everywhere. Greg comes in to say that Archie unlocked Chad’s (dead chocolate guy) laptop. On it are lots of pics of the guy in the chocolate company’s ad campaign. They notice the guy in the ad campaign’s eyes are amber. Dead chocolate guy’s eyes are amber. It’s kind of rare. Greg pulls up an old DMV photo of the guy – it’s the same guy, just fatter. Greg is now talking to CEO Selinger. She doesn’t recognize that it’s the same guy. She said she knew “every inch” of Tristan, the guy in the campaign – even the birthmark on his left butt cheek, the one in the shape of Rhode Island. Greg says it’s the same one that’s on Chad, except now it’s the size of Texas. She says she didn’t know it was him. Greg thinks she’s lying because the guy got past security and into the factory. As Greg tells her that they’ll “let the jury decide”, Angie says she didn’t kill him and that he killed himself. She says he paid off the guard and told him he wanted some “alone time” and wanted to say goodbye. She didn’t call the cops because each of the vats of chocolate are worth $20,000 and if she calls the cops to report it, she’s out of business. She says the security guy cleaned him up & dumped him in the alley.
AS: It’s not a crime. He killed himself. Suicide…by chocolate.
G: Dumping a body is a class D felony and making false statements to the police…that’s the whip cream on the sundae.
M: or another year on the nickel.

Uh, don’t think I got that last part. I think that joke flew over my head. Maybe it’s just an Ecklie thing. And HELLO. An interrogation scene with no detective? In fact, we haven’t seen a detective for any of this episode yet, have we? No Brass. No Vartann. No Vega. No Sofia. No Riley… oh wait. Sorry. I was dreaming back to the good old days.

* Colleen Hughes’ mom comes in and talks to Sara & DB that she’s worried about her. DB tells her he talked to Colleen to say that Gina was out of prison. She asks if Colleen was in police protection. Sara tells her of DB’s offer of protection and that she declined. Now Mrs Hughes has a feeling that her daughter is kidnapped again.

I love how Janet Hughes calls Sara by her name. Just another way to show Sara’s heavy involvement in the original case. And it’s another familiar face. What episode was she in again? Or was it another show? Damn she’s familiar.

* DB & Sara drive to Gina’s place. They see Mr Burrows’ car, but he’s not in it. DB calls for backup. Sara goes to the door. She sees a boot print by the door handle and they hear Mr Burrows talking. Sara kicks open the door and they go in. Ed Burrows has Gina tied to a chair, battered and a knife at her throat. Officer Mitch comes in as a backup. Sara tells Ed that Colleen is missing and they need Gina to tell them where she is. Ed relents to Sara’s pleas and gives her the knife. Mitch cuffs him. Gina tells Sara “thank you”, Sara turns and walks away.

Hmmm. I tell ya. This ‘mature’ version of Sara – I can’t decide if it’s nice to see, or if it sucks. I miss the fly-off-the-handle Sara a lot sometimes.

* in the lab, Nick is doing an experiment with a power washer hose and a … side of pork?

Next.

* in the lab, Sara is quietly fiddling with her gun & holster. Nick comes in the doorway & asks if she’s okay.
N: I heard it got pretty ugly at Gina’s.
S: the good news is that she’s in the hospital. The bad news is she’s going to be okay. We still have no idea where they’re holding Colleen. Ed Burrows is facing kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder charges. Once again, Gina skates.
N: well, maybe not this time. Hodges found traces of sodium medicilicate and anionic serfactant on cement girl’s body parts.
S: soap
N: not just any soap. Soap that’s used in industrial pressure washers, which got me thinking – we never found a tool that was used to cut up Sinclair’s victims, right?
S: uh-uh.
N: so, I got one of those power washers and used it on a pork shank. The traumatic injuries were consistent. Those things are no joke.
S: so Gina used a pressure washer to dismember the bodies…but, you know we never found any trace of soap in the original case.
N: because I don’t think she used it. It was Todd’s job.
S: Todd knew to rinse off the soap. Gina missed that step, or whoever she’s teamed up with now. So Gina has access to a pressure washer.
N: yeah, I think so- a big fat industrial one. $50,000 unit. There’s not a lot of those floating around.

Awwww. It’s been a long time (“Gum Drops” maybe?) since we’ve had a great SNickers scene like this. I miss the great chemistry these two used to have in the good old days. This was a nice scene with Nick trying to cheer up Sara in the best way possible – bringing her new evidence.

* Henry has DB come into his lab as he’s walking by. Apparently Henry’s doing DNA as well as Tox these days. Damn. There comes the reminder that Wendy’s gone. Damn you CSI Powers That Be. Anyway, it seems Henry made a match with DNA taken from Samantha Chase to Ryan Thomas. So Ryan had sex with cement lady.

Thus our final clue that’s needed. Like we didn’t know Ryan Thomas was going to be back in the picture.

* Pow-wow (or is it Family Meeting now?) in the layout room with Nick, DB, Cath & Sara. It’s another Cath/Sara in-the-context-of-the-evidence scene (but I’ll take it anyway I can get it).
S: Ryan Thomas partnered up with Gina. They tortured & murdered Samantha Chase and now they’ve got Colleen Hughes.
N: oh man, I had him. He was sitting right across from me.
C: we still got him, Nick. You swabbed his cheek and we took his info.
DB gets a text message.
DB: Alright, Brass checked out Thomas’ place, he wasn’t there. We have a broadcast out on the van.
C: so where did Thomas work?
N: he was a day laborer. Construction, odd jobbs, stuff like that. Last employment was at a marina.
C: Hodges ran the fibers that you pulled from the cement block…said it was fiberglass, the type used in auto body repair, as well as boats.
DB: you know in Seattle when we take a boat out for the winter, you know what we do? Power wash it.
C: so, what marina employed Ryan Thomas?

A mention of Brass (why bother?), Cath & Sara in the same scene, DB with another “home” reference…I guess this is as good as we get these days, huh?

* Nick & Sara arrive at a warehouse with a few officers, including Mitch. They go into the warehouse. We hear (and see) a little yipping dog. Nice guard dog, huh? They see that Colleen is the one who has a girl tied up on a bed. Ryan is video taping nearby. They apprehend them. Sara is stunned.
S: Colleen?
Colleen: I just wanted to give Gina another flower. I’m a good girl. I’m a good girl.
Nick is hugging and consoling the other girl. Sara still looks stunned.

* Sara comes to the hospital and arrives outside Colleen’s room where her mother is watching over her. Janet sees Sara and walks out of the room to talk to her.
J: the doctor says a victim sometimes identify with their abusers. Colleen is who she is, because of what Gina Sinclair did to her.
S: Colleen was at a …a critical age when she was abducted. She was still developing some key aspects of her personality.
J: I thought it was…a miracle, a gift that she survived. And now…how do I protect her from herself?
Sara doesn’t have an answer. She lightly shakes her head.

Awwww. It’s great to see that Sara doesn’t even try to answer the questions that she has no answer for.

* DB is waiting in the hallway of the hospital when Sara comes by.
DB: hey
S: hey.
Sara sits next to him at his urging.
DB: have you eaten?
S: no, I’m not really in the mood.
DB: yeah, I’m hungry too. … you like Chinese? Sushi? Italian? Greek? … I will go on.
S: Oh, I, I know you will.
DB: do you like Indian?
Sara gives him a smirk.

Awww. The cute Sara Sidle smirk to end things. Very nice. Great to note that we didn’t get the “I’m a vegetarian” speech this time.



Summary:

First of all, let me say – bravo to Jorja. This is one of her finest performances yet. Right up there with “No Humans Involved” and “Committed”. As a non-GSR Sara fan (yes, there is such a thing. We're a very small group) I’m really enjoying the Sara/DB quiet moments.

The Sara fans will be glowing with excitement, and the DB fans… are there really DB fans yet? Okay, maybe a few. They’ll be excited to have more of his character traits flushed out, and the same for Morgan fans. I’m gonna guess that that Nick fans are complaining about the lack of screen time - like they always do. The Greg fans will be joyous of the amount of screen time, but still wishing for more. The Marg fans still won’t really care about the limited Catherine screen time, because it’s Marg’s wish to have less time at work, and, let’s face it – we’re just waiting for her exit so we can be done as well. Oh, and by the way, just what exactly was Cath’s purpose for being in this episode other than to have DB ask her what to do about Sara? Oh, and to bring back a subtle reference to Nesting Dolls. (Duh.)

Oh, and again I’ll reiterate – if they’re going to have DB spout off a family reference every time he opens his mouth, this is going to get very old very fast. And it’s great to know that DB’s not as good at reading people as he thinks he is – sympathizing with Colleen, not recognizing her clues of not needing protection or wanting cops to be around to make sure she’s safe. Good to know he’s clouded by his strong feelings of family, like the rest of the team is with their own clouded judgements.

The more they flush out Morgan’s character, the more it makes me think of Riley Adams II. I guess Elisabeth and LLS have the same type of delivery and acting style that makes the characters seem so similar.

Interrogations, interviews and crime scenes, but no detectives…at all? What’s up with that. All we saw was Mitch coming to Sara & DB’s rescue. Here I thought this show was supposed to be getting back to the basics? I guess they forgot a few important points. Even if we didn’t have Brass, how about someone else? Even a newbie would do. I guess we’re regressing a few steps backward this time around.

So, I got a lot of shades of Nesting Dolls in this one - finding the bodies in cement, and the DB/Sara argument (instead of the Cath/Sara catfight), but minus the Gil/Cath flirting

And finally – the familiar faces. Ed Burrows was Francis in Season 5 “Ch-ch-changes” and Janet Hughes was the evil car bomb maker who tried to get revenge on her cheating spouse in “Grissom vs the Volcano”. No, I couldn’t remember. I had to look it up, okay? It’s 1am and my brain is fried. Deal with it!

"Wonderful Wednesday" This N That

For once, my mail lady was able to brighten my day - even though she’s a bitch.

At least she delivered my Marg-cover TV Guide issue today. I forgot to check how long it took me to realize she was with Ted Danson on the cover as well. For those of you out of the loop – that’s because I was staring at the bubbly Lady in Red, or is it the “redhead in Red”?


The addition of Ted seems to have brought the playfulness out of Marg again. That brings him much higher on my “like” list than previously. It’s too bad I can’t get invested in his character too much, because I won’t be watching regularly when Marg’s gone in January.



While reading the article, Marg put a dagger through my heart with her comment, “I don’t see her running off to become a casino mogul, but a resolution would be nice.” Ouch! And my biggest hope had been that Catherine would leave CSI to get back into Sam’s old casino world – but not the mob part anyway. Catherine Willows – you’ve just reminded me again to stick strong to the Catherine Willows theory of Expecting the worst so I don’t get disappointed. So with the return to the casino out of the question, now I’m hoping to be nicely surprised with whatever exit she gets. Yes, I’m a glutton for punishment because I’m hoping for the CSI writers to surprise me in a good way. That. Just. Doesn’t. Happen. – ever. Twelve seasons of experience has me knowing better.

I am, however, excited by some of the Catherine story lines leading up to her departure. At least it’ll give Marg something to do other than be a secondary character which it seems she’s become lately.

Yes, it’s Wednesday and CSI is on tonight. Yes, I need to keep reminding myself of that fact. After all these years of being on Thursday nights – and especially now with things shaking up a bit on SVU, which is now in the same time slot as CSI - Marg has become my only reason for watching. That will make it difficult to actually watch tonight knowing the episode is Catherine-lite. However, it’s apparently got lots of great Jorja/Sara stuff, so that might keep me interested enough. It’s been a long time since there’s been a good Sara episode (and hopefully no GSR mention to ruin it this time). I saw a preview of a Sara/DB argument. It was interesting, but it reminded me immediately that Sara/DB arguments aren’t even close to the great Sara/Cath catfights we’ve had in previous seasons. Nobody can argue with Sara like Catherine can.

On the subject of Marg – got the new issue of People Extra today as well. She & Sheryl are both featured again in the “Gorgeous at any age” section again – same as they were in the regular issue of People (but even wearing different dresses).


The cute pic of Marg with the old phone in the TV Guide article made me chuckle, however, this pic of Jamie Lee Curtis with a big phone handset made me totally LOL.


How cute are Jason Momoa & his son? Awwww


On a final note: Season 4 of Sanctuary arrives in just two days. I was reading an interview done with Amanda & Robin yesterday. The final question directed at the two was what they wanted to say to or ask the fans. Amanda said she’d like to know what the fans want to see and what are their favorite things to see on the show. The comments made me smile. THIS is what I love most about the show – the people in charge are interested in hearing feedback from the fans and are even willing to incorporate that into future episodes. Such a difference in what I see & hear from the CSI Powers That Be.