The Rise & Fall of Catherine The Great

The Catherine Willows – CSI – ramble (spoiler talk alert)

There are just four episodes left for Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows on CSI – at least as a full-time regular.

You may think I’d be sad by that thought, but you’d be totally wrong because I’ve actually been hoping for Marg’s departure for a few years now.

Don’t get me wrong – I totally love being able to watch Marg on my tv screen on a regular basis. It’s the show, as a whole, and what they’ve done to her character, individually, that’s drawn the majority of my ire – and the reason I yearn for her departure.

Take a look at a promo pic from an upcoming episode: (pic courtesy of Margamania.net)



It seems that Catherine is being freed after surviving a rough ordeal – and DB’s right there ready to grab her hand and pull her into a hug. That photo looks quite similar to that of DB & Morgan from a few episodes back where Morgan was rescued from the hijacked medivac helicopter.

What does that have to do with anything, you ask?

For me, it just reiterates the fact that in the past handful of years, the writers of this show have totally forgotten who this character is.

Let me refresh your memory on “Catherine the Great”

Catherine the Great is the woman who got battered around by a murder suspect at a crime scene in Season 3’s “A little murder”, yet she shrugged it off, changed her clothes in order to preserve the evidence, and walked right back into that house to continue processing the crime scene.



Catherine the Great is the woman who knew her boss/friend well enough to go to a suspect’s house, draw her gun and kill the suspect, without hesitation, moments before he surely would have killed Grissom. (S1 Strip Strangler)



Catherine the Great is the woman who, after getting a frantic call from her young daughter, was able to track her down and pull her from a sinking car that was filling up with water, before the car went under. She then gets a call confirming that her ex-husband wasn’t as lucky in surviving that same car crash (especially when his failing health was being aided by a gunshot wound). This woman continues to work on solving her case that she had before she got the frantic phone call. Only when the day is done, the cases are all closed, and she’s at home in her bedroom does she give in to her grief – even shielding her crying face from her daughter as she comes in to console her mother. (S3 Lady Heather’s Box)



Catherine the Great is the woman who got in the car with a suspect, and took charge of what appeared to be a ransom demand for the suspect’s mistress, only to find out he was the murderer after all. She stands up to him again after he was caught and applauds his audacity. (S2 The Finger)



Catherine the Great is the woman who was roofied, woke up in motel room with no recollection of how or what happened, performed her own rape kit, then had her car blindsided by a pair of thugs, and her teenage daughter kidnapped. She then refused to have her own medical needs tended to, in order to search for clues to find the suspects. After rescuing her daughter and exchanging weepy hugs (in front of only Warrick & Brass), she goes to confront her father, who is shot & dies in her arms. (S7 Built to Kill)



Catherine the Great is the woman who used a guy’s attraction to her, a guy that they knew (but couldn’t prove) had raped & killed two women, and was able to disprove all of his fake alibis. After telling him about the main evidence that would put him away, she sits stoically in her chair as he lunges towards her when he realizes she’s beaten him. She did all of this while having to put up with Sara’s jealousy over taking “her” case, and eventually even teaches Sara a few things along the way. (S4 After the show)



Catherine the Great is the woman who calmly tends to her boyfiend/lover’s wounds as he’s been shot by nails and nicked an artery – while they’re all stuck in a warehouse that’s wired with bombs. (S11 targets of obsession)


Catherine the Great is also the woman who had everything - from her marriage and pregnancy to her credibility as a CSI – thrown into question when a case from her rookie year came back up for review. She made sure her team was thorough in reviewing the case, and not being biased in her favor. (S9 If I had a hammer)


Catherine the Great is the woman who finally let her temper flare (it’s about time) at Nick for being unwilling to take the blame for his own actions that ended with her being demoted from the supervisor position. (s12 73 seconds)



You get the picture, right? This isn’t a woman who goes down lightly, or cries at the drop of a hat. This is a woman who can stand up and look fear in the face and beat it with her head held high.

Catherine the Great is also not afraid to show her maternal side –
Remember when she had the 6th sense about Sara & Hank at the end of S3 Crash & Burn and the cute scene in the SUV where she asks Sara if she wants to get a beer? Or at the end of season 6 where she’s watching over Brass in the hospital bed. It also seems that her maternal instincts come out the most where Greg’s involved.


Yes, all wonderful memories of Catherine the Great.

The only problem is that it’s been few & very far between in the past handful of seasons (maybe since season 6) that we’ve really seen the presence of CTG. Her 2 ½ seasons as Grave Shift supervisor (seasons 9 ½ through 11) brought us more of the maternal side of Catherine (which was quite lovely), but we also lost most of the street-smart, wisecracking, fun-loving Catherine that we adored in the early seasons. I’m guessing because it was she had too many rebellious teenagers (mainly Ray & Nick) to keep a leash on during that time – and it didn’t go so well.

Monday This N That

It’s Monday. You know what that means…

Yep. One more week – just seven more days to suffer through until the return of two of my favorite ladies


Of course I mean Jane Rizzoli & her mom, Angela. (and why do they have to use an old promo pic yet again?)

Okay, okay. Maura’s pretty cool too… although I admit that I really still miss the other girls – Jill, Claire & Cindy – from Angie’s previous cop show, Women’s Murder Club. I’m continually amazed at how similar those two shows are, with character traits, character backstories, etc.

I must say that after seeing some of the synopses for upcoming episodes, I’m not quite as excited as I should be. Maura/Tommy, the returns of Casey & Giovanni, as well as FBI guy Dean? WTF? Now that Hoyt is dead, the focus needs to turn to boyfriends? A few things I AM excited about is Lolita Davidovich as Korsak’s ex, and Jackie Bissett returning as Maura’s mom.


-- Betty and the Hot in Cleveland gals are back again next week.

Somehow, I think I missed all of the last season. I really need to catch up.


-- and how about this new show?


That’s that woman from that show… you know, the one that I never really watched, but I liked her, so I’d actually tune in if she was on while I was flipping through channels. That’ll probably be the same this time around


-- as for Revenge…

I haven’t gotten much time to check that show out yet (it’s on a really bad night) but I need to tune in a bit and see how deliciously bad Madeleine Stowe is.

New Wallpapers

I just had an itch to do up some "bad ass babes" wallpapers, so here are a few.

One with Dina Meyer from her upcoming appearance on Criminal Minds, and two from the ladies of Sanctuary, Helen Magnus & Kate Freelander. I'm really missing Kate this season.


ETA:
had to add a new one - just cuz Amanda & Sandrine were just so darn...explosive! A modern day McClane & Gennaro.

Sanctuary 4x07 Icebreaker review

Just two words –

BLOODY HELL.

-- It’s funny how it seems that phrase has become the go-to light-expletive for the entire Sanctuary gang.

-- And a good old shout of “Bloody Hell” for the Magnus vs Magnus matchup at the end. I love episodes with a double dose of Helen Magnus. We had it back in the season 4 opener, Tempus, so bring on more of the double Magnus love. However, this is the first one that they've interacted with each other. In the first one, we just had a pass-by.

-- I must admit – I really missed Magnus at the beginning, but at least that was countered by a good dose of Declan. I was expecting to have a double of Helen at some point, but wasn’t expecting it to be right from the start. That was a wonderful plot twist. There was a moment, when we first heard the return of the Mogoi, where I was thinking that many of them might be fake, but I was expecting it was probably a couple of the red shirts (Murray, Terry & Alastair).

-- And the most classic line for this entire series so far:
Magnus: Bloody Hell. Am I always that stubborn?

It’s funny how nobody responded to that.


-- Yes, how great was it to have a full episode of Declan? I totally love that guy. He brings the air of more experience and wisdom than Will or Henry, but a bit less than Magnus. I was really hoping they wouldn’t harm the lovable one.

-- It’s a bit sad that I figured at least two of the three “red shirts” in this one. I was hoping they’d at least keep Terry. I liked Jodi Balfour’s appearance.

-- I was pleased at all of the references to previous episodes –
“Requiem” – with Henry talking about Magnus going evil with Will at the bottom of the ocean
“Kush” – with the return of the Mogoi.
“Hollow Men” & “Pax Romana” – with Henry talking about being dead, then re-animated in Hollow Earth, and how that still doesn’t make him a zombie. I also loved when he mentioned the “dirty diaper milkshakes”. That reference also made me miss Kate in this one. It would have been cool to also have double Kates in this one.

-- and what is it with Martin Wood directing episodes that include water? He does love to torture Amanda, doesn’t he?

-- I loved Henry’s reference to Nikola “Suck it, Tesla. Let there be light. Haha.” I love when Henry talks geek.

-- It was interesting that fake Helen told them all to “shoot on sight” if one of them was alone after they all decided to pair up, yet none of them actually did. They always asked questions first – like when fake-Will supposedly locked them in the room with the water (where Declan realized the door wasn’t actually locked). According to fake-Helen’s orders, they should have shot him when they first realized he was alone.

-- looking back at fake-Helen & fake-Will – it was cute to realize that their actions were Declan, Henry, and the others’ perceptions of the two. That means – kamikaze pilot Helen, wimpy passenger Will, and even her orders on how to rescue/save the frozen blocks of Mogoi – were all their imagination, perpetuated by the Mogoi.

-- it’s interesting to watch this the second time around and knowing that Magnus & Will are fake. “remember, it’s the little things that will give them away” and yet, even the second time around, I didn’t see any little things to give away fake Magnus or Will. I guess if there was anything to give them away, it would be their arrival where Magnus apparently flew the helicopter in conditions that no one would even think about doing – including the real Magnus. We all know the Will “whiny passenger” part would seem real enough though.

There may have been a small moment, where Helen sent Declan off, she turned to look through the window of the door, then turned back again with an interesting look.

-- The poor UK Sanctuary has lost many in the past couple seasons. I think it’s cursed.

-- “William Alastair Henry Foss” Oy. That’s a mouthful.

-- Finally, the preview for next week’s musical episode – not too excited about the sneak peak where it’s all Will/Abby, but loved the promo that included Helen singing. That brought a smile to my face. I’m excited to hear how the music gets involved, but not too excited for Will/Abby once again.

-- I must say that many times my mind flashed back to both the Stargate “Solitudes” episode as well as Stargate Continuum – mainly because of the snow/cold, and of course, Amanda being the common denominator in all of them. And I also find myself referencing the Reole from Stargate, as they basically have the same kind of preservation mechanism – letting the other person think they’re someone else.

-- There’s a reason why I totally love this show. It all starts with the people in charge : Martin, Amanda & Damian (aka the MAD braintrust) and it continues with the rest of the actors, writers, and more - even the VFX people as well. It’s fun to see many of them live-tweeting as the show is airing and giving us some

This Week’s This n That & the other Thing

The biggest thing about this week is that it’s Marg Week. Yes, that means Marg Helgenberger’s birthday, which was yesterday (hey, you know I’m always a day late & a dollar short for everything). So, let’s start our TnT on the subject of Marg.

1. Marg is even featured in the Horoscope section of next week’s issue of TV Guide.

And how lovely was it to have a CSI episode airing on Marg’s birthday yesterday? Well, it would have been even more lovely if the writers wouldn’t have pissed me off by killing off Detective Vega.

Don’t get me started again. You can just read the review from last night instead.

2.I see that Marg’s former CSI co-star, Laurence Fishburne, is in an upcoming tv movie on ABC on Sunday, Nov 27th.

It’s interesting how he goes from playing serial killer prey-turned killer to a man of the cloth who used to be a druggie. Guess there’s something to be said for continuity.


3. Rizzoli & Isles is back. Let me repeat that – Rizzoli & Isles IS BACK. Yes, I know. It’s still 11 days away, but – who doesn’t love seeing these three wonderful ladies together?

I love how Lorraine has somehow become part of the spotlight again. They made a great decision to split up Angela & Frank and allow Lorraine to have a more diverse role than just as Jane’s nosy mama. Now, if they can just hook up Angela with Korsak…


4. To no one’s surprise - NCIS is still on top. The two-part story these past two weeks were absolutely wonderful. I love how this show seems to have the same reverence for the Marines & our servicemen & women as Stargate SG1 did portraying the Air Force. I'm also pleased to hear that Robert Wagner is back next week as Tony's dad.

Also – take a look at who’s been out & about. Yep, not only Pauley, but Mark & Pam as well.


The ugly step-sister show, NCIS:LA has a couple of cuties, including Eric Olsen


5. Hell On Wheels had a fabulous episode this past weekend. I loved seeing both Ian Tracey and Christopher Heyerdahl with fairly large parts. Chris was so wonderful as The Swede (who’s “actually Norwegian – but we’re all Americans now, right?”) My mind kept going back to Amanda Tapping asking Chris’ dad for assistance when she had to speak Norwegian. Chris didn’t need to for this role, I’m guessing. I know I’ve really missed Chris as John Druitt on Sanctuary this season – even though he’s still been on as Bigfoot. I’d really love to see John come back soon.


6. 2 Broke Girls are really starting to gain momentum – and I’m really starting to get into the show more each week. I still keep thinking of them as a new version of Jo & Blair from the Facts of Life.


7. It was announced earlier this week that production on Maria Bello’s Prime Suspect has been halted. That TOTALLY sucks. I think the show was really starting to find its stride after the first few episodes of the whole woman-in-a-man’s-world issues resolved itself. I guess the bright spot is that Maria would now be available to fill Marg’s very large & very unique shoes on CSI. Just sayin’.


8. CMT brings back another round of Crossroads. This time we get Vince Gill & Sting together. That just might actually be one I’ll watch. The show started out so promising in the first season or two – then went hopelessly down the drain with some really, really weird pairings.


9. I saw this ad for a new Lea Thompson movie. Not sure if it sounds very intriguing, but maybe I’ll take a look.


10. Yes, the barrage of Christmas programming is all set & ready to go. The first thing I had to smile about when I saw the upcoming schedules is that The Sound Of Music is, once again, playing on Christmas Day. Yes, TSoM is my ALL-TIME favorite movie. I know it forwards, backwards, inside-out and every-which-way. No matter how many million times I’ve seen it, I just can’t pass up watching it yet again. Sometimes I just take out my dvds and watch that version, since it includes extra commentaries with Julie Andrews.

And then there’s the SyFy trio