CSI & Without a Trace
I still haven't watched Sunday and Monday's shows. Nor have I managed to find Criminal Minds online. CSI: NY is available at the CBS website, but it keeps crashing my browser, no matter which one I'm using, so I haven't seen it either. No idea how we're balancing out TV tomorrow, but my best guess is we'll be watching CBS all night (Ghost Whisperer which I really don't care about, Moonlight which I'm willing to give a shot, and Numb3rs which I can't wait for). I'll either catch SGA when it re-airs later that night, or I will record and watch sometime over the weekend. But these were tonight's shows.
I've always loved the show, but I found this episode uninspired and uninspiring. Maybe it was just the concentration on Sara. I have nothing against Jorja Fox. I think she's a competent actress and really quite pretty, but I can't stand Sara. My giant rock that's bouncing around fandom taking out people I don't like (Most notably Lana Lang and Fred) was scheduled to fall on her head sometime in the second or third season. Still, I don't think that's all that was wrong with the episode for me.
I don't like Sara, but even I thought she was being ridiculously dumb for large parts of the episode. Just a safety tip, if you ever wake up to find yourself locked in a trunk, the first thing to do is pull the wires to the taillights, or the lights themselves, whichever is more accessible. Hell, she had the trunk open, she probably could have broken one of the taillights. You do that just in case a police officer or Highway Patrol car is in the area. The drive will presumably get pulled over for the light being out and you can raise holy hell while stopped, giving the officer probable cause to search the car and find you. Why oh why do I know this and Sara is busy ripping out speakers and leaping on the driver. I'm going to cut her a little slack on the second day. She's seriously injured and quickly dehydrated, but still. She ought to know that there will be helicopters looking for her. The mirror does more good if she at least occasionally stops and flashes it at the sky. Beyond that, she should have found someplace that looked relatively sheltered and stayed put. In her condition, the chances of her walking back to civilization were slim, but she knows they are looking for her. She has to know that. Stay put and out of the direct sun as much as possible. Try to signal with the mirror so that you're easier to find in a search. Walking like she did is just a good way to stay lost. And she wasn't the only one being an idiot. Nick, dear, when you can't find a pulse you should be doing CPR (and I can't believe that any of the team isn't capable of it), not pouring water on her. Let's focus on the important things first and bloodflow and respiration both come before her being cool enough. Oh, and it was one thing to believe that the old kook didn't really pay attention to where he was driving, but he didn't notice the body he was dumping that car on.
I also wasn't terribly fond of the structure of the story. I didn't mind the flashbacks so much, but there were too many of them. And how many times did we really need to see Sara gasping for breath. I would have liked to have seen more of the effect on the team. We got a little bit of Grissom and quite a bit of Nick, but not much of anyone else. I know that it was a 2-hour episode, but in Grave Danger, the reactions of the team were what made the episode. I loved it because we could feel Warrick's helplessness and Catharine's desperation. We got to see Grissom agonize over every second. Hell, even Ecklie was a sympathetic character there. Here we got one emotional outburst from Nick, a few tortured Grissom looks, and Brass threatening to send a guy to the hospital (which was totally the best line of the night). Grissom was more upset when it was Nick in danger, and while that makes my little slasher's heart jump for joy, I don't think it was the vibe we were supposed to get. Overall, I was just not impressed. I'm hoping for better things to come.
So, this was one of my favorite shows on television in its first season. Not so much anymore, but I was still looking forward to the premiere with one thought in mind. I get to see James Marsters again. So, I'm going to talk about that first. This might contain some really minor spoilers for the rest of the season, but nothing big. Skipping a few lines just in case.
His part in this episode was small, but I enjoyed it. He's a detective who helps Vivian on the case from last year's finale. He looks great, though I have to admit, I miss the bleached hair. It's still bizarre to hear him speak in his own accent instead of Spike's, but I love the sound of his voice. The good news is that he'll be back. What I initially heard was three episodes here at the beginning of the season. Then just recently, I read that the show may want him back for more episodes. So, it's a recurring role and that makes me very happy.
Now, for the episode itself. I didn't dislike it. Wasn't in love with it and there was a severe lack of Danny. I was especially looking forward to Danny and James onscreen together, and we never got that. I still don't care for Sam. I'm still pretty much in love with Jack and Martin. We didn't see enough of Danny for me to say, but I can't imagine that I won't love him as well. The case was reasonable enough. I felt like it was manufactured for no reason other than the little flashback we had of Luol in the Sudan. It's an important issue, but if you can't make it fit organically into the story, then don't do it. The kid was adorable, but I'm vaguely annoyed that they keep referring to him as "the baby." He's four, almost assuredly enrolled in some exclusive preschool and probably starting kindergarten next year. I'm not saying he can take care of himself or anything, but he's hardly a baby.
The secondary story was more interesting for me, but I've forgotten enough of what happened last season that I may have to look up an episode transcript or summary before I can really piece it all together. Clearly this one is going to carry over. My biggest problem really was not enough screentime for my favorite characters. Well that or not enough team interaction. Now I'm really sorry I missed CSI: NY though. I was kind of hoping that seeing both would get me back in the mood for the WaT/CSI: NY crossover I started more than a year ago. I still love the idea, but it's proving to be quite the challenge to write. Among other things there are entirely too many people named Danny or Taylor, and I can't de-emphasize any of them because the three of them are a huge portion of the plot. Also, I'm having a little bit of trouble with Mac's voice. Everyone else comes pretty easily, but Mac is a challenge for me.
Guess that's it for tonight. With any luck, I'll get to watch some of that recorded television tomorrow. At the very least, tomorrow night should bring responses for Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and Numb3rs. I'm really excited about Numb3rs. Val Kilmer is guest starring, and I worship and adore Val Kilmer. Doesn't hurt that the premiere is supposed to have a lot to do with Colby's story from last season. I'm still hoping that he's not really a bad guy. I liked Colby, besides, if he's gone then my # 1 and # 2 ships are gone. No Colby/David or Cobly/Charlie without Colby. I'll have to settle for # 3, David/Charlie, and that's just not nearly as much fun. It was hard enough finding people who wrote the Colby ships. David/Charlie is even rarer, and no matter how much subtext they have, I just can't get into the incest.
I've always loved the show, but I found this episode uninspired and uninspiring. Maybe it was just the concentration on Sara. I have nothing against Jorja Fox. I think she's a competent actress and really quite pretty, but I can't stand Sara. My giant rock that's bouncing around fandom taking out people I don't like (Most notably Lana Lang and Fred) was scheduled to fall on her head sometime in the second or third season. Still, I don't think that's all that was wrong with the episode for me.
I don't like Sara, but even I thought she was being ridiculously dumb for large parts of the episode. Just a safety tip, if you ever wake up to find yourself locked in a trunk, the first thing to do is pull the wires to the taillights, or the lights themselves, whichever is more accessible. Hell, she had the trunk open, she probably could have broken one of the taillights. You do that just in case a police officer or Highway Patrol car is in the area. The drive will presumably get pulled over for the light being out and you can raise holy hell while stopped, giving the officer probable cause to search the car and find you. Why oh why do I know this and Sara is busy ripping out speakers and leaping on the driver. I'm going to cut her a little slack on the second day. She's seriously injured and quickly dehydrated, but still. She ought to know that there will be helicopters looking for her. The mirror does more good if she at least occasionally stops and flashes it at the sky. Beyond that, she should have found someplace that looked relatively sheltered and stayed put. In her condition, the chances of her walking back to civilization were slim, but she knows they are looking for her. She has to know that. Stay put and out of the direct sun as much as possible. Try to signal with the mirror so that you're easier to find in a search. Walking like she did is just a good way to stay lost. And she wasn't the only one being an idiot. Nick, dear, when you can't find a pulse you should be doing CPR (and I can't believe that any of the team isn't capable of it), not pouring water on her. Let's focus on the important things first and bloodflow and respiration both come before her being cool enough. Oh, and it was one thing to believe that the old kook didn't really pay attention to where he was driving, but he didn't notice the body he was dumping that car on.
I also wasn't terribly fond of the structure of the story. I didn't mind the flashbacks so much, but there were too many of them. And how many times did we really need to see Sara gasping for breath. I would have liked to have seen more of the effect on the team. We got a little bit of Grissom and quite a bit of Nick, but not much of anyone else. I know that it was a 2-hour episode, but in Grave Danger, the reactions of the team were what made the episode. I loved it because we could feel Warrick's helplessness and Catharine's desperation. We got to see Grissom agonize over every second. Hell, even Ecklie was a sympathetic character there. Here we got one emotional outburst from Nick, a few tortured Grissom looks, and Brass threatening to send a guy to the hospital (which was totally the best line of the night). Grissom was more upset when it was Nick in danger, and while that makes my little slasher's heart jump for joy, I don't think it was the vibe we were supposed to get. Overall, I was just not impressed. I'm hoping for better things to come.
So, this was one of my favorite shows on television in its first season. Not so much anymore, but I was still looking forward to the premiere with one thought in mind. I get to see James Marsters again. So, I'm going to talk about that first. This might contain some really minor spoilers for the rest of the season, but nothing big. Skipping a few lines just in case.
His part in this episode was small, but I enjoyed it. He's a detective who helps Vivian on the case from last year's finale. He looks great, though I have to admit, I miss the bleached hair. It's still bizarre to hear him speak in his own accent instead of Spike's, but I love the sound of his voice. The good news is that he'll be back. What I initially heard was three episodes here at the beginning of the season. Then just recently, I read that the show may want him back for more episodes. So, it's a recurring role and that makes me very happy.
Now, for the episode itself. I didn't dislike it. Wasn't in love with it and there was a severe lack of Danny. I was especially looking forward to Danny and James onscreen together, and we never got that. I still don't care for Sam. I'm still pretty much in love with Jack and Martin. We didn't see enough of Danny for me to say, but I can't imagine that I won't love him as well. The case was reasonable enough. I felt like it was manufactured for no reason other than the little flashback we had of Luol in the Sudan. It's an important issue, but if you can't make it fit organically into the story, then don't do it. The kid was adorable, but I'm vaguely annoyed that they keep referring to him as "the baby." He's four, almost assuredly enrolled in some exclusive preschool and probably starting kindergarten next year. I'm not saying he can take care of himself or anything, but he's hardly a baby.
The secondary story was more interesting for me, but I've forgotten enough of what happened last season that I may have to look up an episode transcript or summary before I can really piece it all together. Clearly this one is going to carry over. My biggest problem really was not enough screentime for my favorite characters. Well that or not enough team interaction. Now I'm really sorry I missed CSI: NY though. I was kind of hoping that seeing both would get me back in the mood for the WaT/CSI: NY crossover I started more than a year ago. I still love the idea, but it's proving to be quite the challenge to write. Among other things there are entirely too many people named Danny or Taylor, and I can't de-emphasize any of them because the three of them are a huge portion of the plot. Also, I'm having a little bit of trouble with Mac's voice. Everyone else comes pretty easily, but Mac is a challenge for me.
Guess that's it for tonight. With any luck, I'll get to watch some of that recorded television tomorrow. At the very least, tomorrow night should bring responses for Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and Numb3rs. I'm really excited about Numb3rs. Val Kilmer is guest starring, and I worship and adore Val Kilmer. Doesn't hurt that the premiere is supposed to have a lot to do with Colby's story from last season. I'm still hoping that he's not really a bad guy. I liked Colby, besides, if he's gone then my # 1 and # 2 ships are gone. No Colby/David or Cobly/Charlie without Colby. I'll have to settle for # 3, David/Charlie, and that's just not nearly as much fun. It was hard enough finding people who wrote the Colby ships. David/Charlie is even rarer, and no matter how much subtext they have, I just can't get into the incest.