Nick/Grissom (CSI)
Title: UST In LV
Author: true_enough
Fandom: CSI Las Vegas
Pairing: Nick Stokes/Gil Grissom
Spoilers: Yes - for several episodes
E-mail: trueenough @ gmail dot com
UST In LV
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
CSI is a procedural drama that changed the mixture of that formula early on with characters that are just as interesting as the cases they solve. Each one is distinctly different in both temperament and method of operation and yet together they often form a seamless whole.
Set in Las Vegas where some criminals take the slogan What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas as truth and gospel, it features six Criminalist who walk the fine line between cop and scientist to find out who, how and why.
Catherine Willows is the senior Criminalist who over the years has gone from a somewhat high strung investigator who sometimes worked out her own personal problems while on the clock to someone who possesses enough natural confidence that she often appears to be in charge. This was true long before her brief stint as swing shift supervisor during the last half of season 5. Her loyalty to the people she works with is evident in that she gave up the position to be with them without even a hint of a cross thought about it.
Sara Sidle is a brilliant investigator who is also a little high strung and who also lets her personal history dictate some of her behavior on the job. A workaholic, she lacks the kind of confidence Catherine has and often comes off as prickly and overbearing. She more than makes up for it by championing for those who cannot do it for themselves. I personally loved watching her square off against the abusive husband in Sex, Lies and Larvae (1x10). She really is a handful.
Warrick Brown is a native of Las Vegas and it shows with the ease with which he navigates such an otherwise surreal locale. Despite that ease, the city has also taken a sizable bite out of him. After running numbers in high school he later developed a gambling addiction that nearly got him booted as a CSI. Thanks to a lot of support from Grissom and his own highly proficient skills as an investigator, he seems to have it under control, only stumbling once in Primum non Nocere (2x16) after learning a singer he was attracted to was addicted to heroin. Most of the time, though, he pulls off the impossible task of walking in his own shade.
Greg Sanders started out as DNA tech but like a house cat itching to explore the great outdoors he wheedled his way into field work as a CSI. He finally earned his badge last year in Who Shot Sherlock? (5x11) and while he's proving to be an effective and thorough investigator it seems to be at the cost of some of his earlier exuberance.
This engaging and formidable ensemble is rounded out with Nick Stokes and Gil Grissom.
Nick Stokes
Handsome and square-jawed, Nick, as played by George Eads, made an early impression by playing up qualities that made Nick more of a penultimate dork du jour than a Super Hero. Eager, good natured and competitive, he initially seemed more interested in solving his 100th case so that he would be promoted to CSI 3 ahead of Warrick but by the time Amy Hendler is holding a gun on him in Who Are You? (1x6) he has revealed himself to be so much more. In that scene - and throughout the series - he does not resort to hip-blase quips but instead, works through real emotions such as fear and even compassion. With his eyes burning with tears he tells her, "Mrs. Hendler, I'm a good listener." After Grissom pulls a gun on her and arrests her Nick turns his back and tries to gather himself. His face registers the puzzled hurt of someone who has learned the hard way how dangerous ordinary people can be and how he could have been killed for simply being in the way. These are lessons that Nick struggles with, in part, because of his own innate goodness. How could someone do that when it would never cross his own mind?
Raised in Texas, the youngest of seven children born to a state Supreme Court Justice and a public defender Nick has five sisters and one brother. We are left to imagine the commotion and jockeying for position that inhabited a house run by two otherwise staid adults. When Nick's father saw the video feed of him buried alive in Grave Danger (5x24) the first thing he said was, "Ahh, Pancho, what have you gotten yourself in to now?" It made me wonder how many times Nick has heard that growing up and if it had something to do with why Catherine is the first person Nick tells that he was molested by a baby-sitter when he was nine. I have no doubt that he was part of a loving family but there is still much about him that is walking wounded.
Which might explain his penchant for trying to rescue people that appear to have a broken wing. In the Pilot he champions for a man rolled by a hooker and in later episodes does the same thing for the hooker. It's a classic Nick maneuver that speaks more of his lack of judgment than his poor judgment despite his tendency to be "weirded out" by some of the things he comes across while on the job. Something Grissom would do well to notice.
There's a brief attempt - starting in Who Are You? - (a busy episode) to paint Nick as a Ladies Man but it's so unsubstantiated that it borders on false advertising. He flirts with Kristy Hopkins, the hooker from the Pilot and I-15 Murders (1x2) and spends one night with her in Boom (1x12) after rescuing her from the man who will later kill her and set Nick up for it. There is also some half-hearted flirting with Sara but they play better as rival siblings. A Detective Seculla gets one date in Sex, Lies and Larvae (1x10) and then is never heard of again. By the time Nick teases Archie with, "You got to get a girlfriend" in Random Acts of Violence (3x13) Archie has every right to sass back, "You first."
Nick is also painted as conservative - easy to shock, easy to tease - as he acts as the conduit for the audience. It's a thankless job and one that sets him up to be scolded for our presumed wrongheadedness. He gets some of his own back by blurting out the science behind how excessive masturbation can bring down a sperm count in One Hit Wonder (3x14) or the history of the rise and fall of the vibrating bed in Assume Nothing (4x2). "Good for sex," he tells Grissom. "Good for sleep...too." "Good for us?" Grissom asks as he ostensibly refers to the fingerprints that might be on the coins for the bed. Later, Grissom uses his own quarter and tells Catherine he needs fifteen minutes to think. About Nick, I wonder?
In Primum non Nocere (2x16) his loyalty to the people around him is wonderfully illustrated. Warrick indulges in a game of blackjack after a huge disappointment when Nick takes the seat next to him. Probably expecting a lecture, Warrick gruffly asks him, "What are you doing here?" Without missing a beat Nick tells him matter-of-fact, "I'm playing cards" and then adds, "with my friend." Except for the toss of a coin in Grave Danger (5x24) Warrick does not gamble again.
Gil Grissom
A formidable poker player who used his winnings to finance a body farm when he was in college, Grissom is loathed to reveal any tells. So much so that next to nothing has been revealed about his personal history over the last five years and what little we do know through CBS has recently been scrapped in Still Life (6x10). No longer a child of divorced parents, he calls Catherine back to tell her that his father, a botanist, died mysteriously on a humid day when he was nine. His mother, who is deaf, spent the following years leaving Christmas presents for her late husband, out of sentiment and grief. It's a grim picture despite the tinsel and the presumably middle class life he led in southern California. It also goes a long way to explain his drive to find out exactly how things happen since he was never told how his father passed away.
We meet him in the Pilot right before he undergoes both a career and personal change. The death of CSI Holly Gribbs on her first night sets in motion a series of events that recast Jim Brass from Grissom's supervisor to a homicide detective, promotes Grissom to Brass's former job and casts a pall over each and every one. At first, more of a goof than an eccentric, Grissom offers Holly chocolate covered grasshoppers while asking for a sample of her blood for splatter analysis. While he retains a wry sense of humor the buoyancy from the Pilot never resurfaces.
In the third season he nearly loses his hearing to otosclerosis but it almost seems like a physical manifestation of his desire to withdraw. As early as Chaos Theory (2x2) he is caught tuning people out in the exact same way his hearing begins to desert him: everything muffled and distant. He identifies himself as a Ghost in High School and holds to it by telling Warrick that when he leaves the lab there will be no cake in the break room - he'll just be gone. It's a statement that grossly underestimates his impact on the people around him and their ability to find him anywhere.
While his people skills often take a bad rap he is, in fact, capable of great patience and tenderness especially towards odd ducks and outsiders. More apt to express compassion over affection he takes the time no one else would to quote Shakespeare along with Aaron Pratt, the autistic librarian in Caged (2x7) or search for the soul of Ben Jennings in Alter Boys (2x6) who is trying to bury his brothers crimes. Closer to home, he holds Sara's hand in lieu of a lecture when she is picked up on a DUI not to mention what he does for Nick in Grave Danger (5x24). Still, he accepts affection awkwardly as if he didn't know that the 206 bones in his body could do such a thing as hold another human being.
His just-out-of-reach approach to life seems to entice all kinds of people. In the Pilot there is a coroner who invites Grissom to put her up against a wall - a suggestion that falls flat. Teri Miller, another scientist, shows up in Who Are You? (1x6) and invites Grissom to put his hands in the goop that she uses for facial reconstruction. This seems to be more effective. When she comes back in To Halve and to Hold (1x13) they actually have a date that goes well until Grissom answers both his pager and his cell phone. When he turns back to the table she is gone, leaving nothing but her lipstick on a napkin and a wine glass. Grissom's face shows the accumulation of yet one more small disappointment in what is probably a lifetime filled with them. Undaunted, when she is called back again in Face Lift (1x16) he leans over her shoulder as she works on a computer and asks, "Will we ever have dinner again?" Unable to hold back a smile she tells him, "Oh, we'll have dinner - just not together." If she's being coy is backfires as he physically withdraws out of the frame and away from her. When Catherine comes in and asks if she's interrupting anything Grissom honestly tells her no. By the time Teri Miller show up for the last time in Snuff (3x8) she is married to someone else as Grissom appears visibly more relaxed.
Much more interesting is Lady Heather, a soft spoken dominatrix who intrigues him in Slaves of Las Vegas (2x8) with her astute observations and then wins him over for at least a short while in Lady Heather's Box (3x15). It's fascinating to watch them try to dominate each other with the gentlest touch or by serving high tea. Her fatal mistake seems to be knowing Grissom too well and leaving him feeling exposed. He puts down his tea cup and calls for a warrant for her arrest based on some rather weak evidence. She tells him, "I think I just heard you say 'stop'," a safe word for when things go too far.
In the early episodes Sara and Grissom indulged in some workplace flirting but as soon as Sara began to push for more Grissom retreated. He genuinely cares for her and respects her as a colleague but again, his affection is of the global variety: sincere and all encompassing, but from a distance. All of his relationships seem to depend on a certain amount of distance and when that's breached that's when everyone looks pinched. Catherine and Warrick have made the most progress with him, in part, because Catherine doesn't bother to ask if she can and Warrick has the good sense to let Grissom come to him.
Sara's more direct campaign has literally left bruises. In Playing With Fire (3x22) she follows him through the maze-like lab hoping to have a moment to ask him out when there's an explosion that knocks her down the hall and throws Greg through a glass wall. Later, still looking a little shell-shocked she asks Grissom if he would like to have dinner with her. At this point his hearing has gotten so bad that he has finally decided to see a Doctor about it that evening. Instead of telling her that he's busy or even that it wouldn't be prudent he gives her a blunt and unequivocal "no". It's the kind of 'no' that would knock the wind out a lesser person but Sara perseveres and asks, "Why not? Let's have dinner - let's see what happens." Grissom says no again by pointing out that he doesn't "know what to do about this." In Butterflied (4x12) he expresses grief over not being willing to take a risk but doesn't offer any hope of taking one in the future. Sara listens to him through a two-way mirror and begins a slow slide into some self-destructive behavior.
Nick/Grissom
Nick and Grissom defy the usual M.O. in that they do not meet and then immediately fall into to step.
They don't help each other dress for dinner -
that's Grissom and Catherine.
They don't have confusing handshakes -
that's Nick and Warrick.
They don't call each other "honey" - although "Pancho" (Grave Danger 5x24) and "Peanut" (Strip Strangler 1x22) come pretty close -
that's Grissom and Sara.
They don't touch and flirt -
that's Nick and Greg.
And my own personal favorite: They don't ride roller coasters together -
that's Grissom and Warrick.
What they have managed to do in 5 plus years is burrow under each others skin, just below the whorls that make them who they are, and in ways both subtle and profound change how they view themselves, each other and the strange world they live in. They are men of different generations and sensibilities who share a common decency but work through it at different speeds and angles. Both are somewhat hobbled by events that happened to them when they were nine and both use those injuries to fuel their compassion over self-pity. At the same time, their differences are the missing pieces that have been chipped off by hard experiences. They are not so much an obvious romantic couple, but instead, more like war buddies who have come from different locales, fought on foreign soil and then made their home there with the only person who really knows what they've been through.
Sometimes though, the battle is between them. That is, when Nick can stop looking at Grissom's mouth.
Early on, Grissom, in his new role as supervisor tried to mentor Nick with very limited success. Both were prone to send out mixed signals with Nick often deferring to Grissom while campaigning to work solo and Grissom promoting him to CSI 3 and then hobbling him with a riddle. "Repeat after me: Silk, silk, silk - what do cows drink?" Grissom asks in Evaluation Day (1x21). When Nick follows the rhyme and answers, "Milk" Grissom takes it as a measure of Nick's lack of readiness to be on his own. Nick presses his case but in the process tips his hand by revealing that more than anything he wants Grissom to think he's a good CSI. Grissom, of course, takes that as further proof that Nick is not ready.
Nick begins this exchange holding back his temper and ends it looking defeated. He finds his temper again, spending the rest of the episode literally in a sweat trying to solve the case he and Sara have been assigned. At one point he goes as far as to goad Sara into checking out some evidence that Grissom and Catherine collected with, "C'mon Sara, where's your Noriega?" When Sara asks him, "What has gotten into you?" his only answer is, "Grissom." Not surprisingly, he supplies a key bit of evidence that breaks the case and when Grissom praises him for it he is obviously thrilled.
During that time their interaction often looked like carryover from Nick seeking autonomy from a family he loves and Grissom trying to preserve Nick's guilelessness while often using it to hold Nick back. It's a bit of shadow boxing that has yet to be resolved even though we are halfway through the sixth season. In Bodies In Motion (6x1) a second voice is discovered on a tape left by Nick's abductor in Grave Danger (5x24) but instead of working through this information with Nick, Grissom swears Archie to secrecy, presumably to spare Nick any further anxiety.
It's the kind of scene that casts them in a father/son light due to Grissom's well meaning but wrongheaded wish to protect Nick and Nick not having a say in any of it. Their age difference also plays into it even though Nick is closer to 40 than 30. Ironically, the scene that neatly dispels the father/son platform has them shopping for diapers in King Baby (5x15). When the wonderfully open-minded woman behind the counter asks for Grissom's measurements he explains that they're not for him. She glows at Nick and then says, "Aren't you lucky to have such a nice daddy!" As Nick tries not to be "weirded out" Grissom gives him a look that is not paternal in any city, state, country or planet that I know of. While their relationship is not always on a level playing field it is definitely between two peers.
Season 5 went to some length to play up Grissom's ambiguous sexuality and often with Nick by his side. The scene in King Baby is one example with Ch-ch-anges (5x8) being another. When Grissom is backstage with some showgirls he possesses curious eyes and cautious hands but when he's at a bar that frequents transgender clientèle he is visibly relaxed. It also affords him an opportunity to watch Nick outside of his usual habitat. Later in Big Middle (5x16) Grissom gets a none too subtle reminder of how other people see him when an astute woman takes 30 seconds to swat him on the behind and proposition him with, "Fat girl - gay guy. It's not unheard of." And while he doesn't take her up on it he also doesn't deny it.
Nick, on the other hand, has from the beginning given off a "crazy feminine energy" long before Sage picked up on it in Gum Drops (6x5). I think it's very interesting that an episode that was initially suppose to feature Grissom ended up fitting Nick perfectly.
Grave Danger
While I don't think a single episode can - or should - represent an entire relationship Grave Danger did go a long way towards setting it in the right light. Shown at the end of season 5 it addressed a long-standing habit of dismissive and sometimes indifferent behavior towards Nick. As the gentle, steady presence in their hectic lives he is not given his due until he is wrenched from them on an otherwise routine call.
Walter Gordon, a man who believed that his daughter was wrongfully sent to prison based on evidence presented by a CSI, took it upon himself to stage a crime scene and kidnap a CSI - any CSI - as revenge. He buries Nick alive in a Plexiglas coffin along with some glow sticks, a tape recording telling him he's going to die and a loaded gun so he can end it on his own. A video feed, that Nick is unaware of, is sent to the lab where they can watch him struggle to hold on to his life and his sanity as time runs out.
Walking to the crime scene - which is now Nick's crime scene - Catherine and Grissom literally stumble against each other. Warrick, knowing full well that he could have been on the other side of the coin toss, kicks evidence that he would normally pore over out of his way in frustration and fear. Sara seems to fall into herself almost disappearing entirely. Greg tries to rush himself through his lack of experience and everyone grits their teeth and paces around their fear.
Grissom eventually comes face to face with Walter Gordon in an abandoned warehouse where he delivers the ransom money that Gordon is not really interested in. Instead, he baits Grissom, determined to make sure that they share the same helplessness. Grissom counters by using Nick's name frequently to remind Gordon that Nick is a human being with human connections and not just his pawn. "We want Nick back. No tricks." When Gordon tries to heighten Grissom's anxiety Grissom's language becomes potent and intimate. "Look, I really don't want to talk to you. Where is my guy?" Gordon picks up on it immediately. "Oh, so he's your guy, huh?" Without hesitation Grissom answers, "Yes, he is. Where is he buried?" Gordon presses further with, "Are you two close?" and here, Grissom falters. "That's none of your business." It's a telling half-moment that brings home to Grissom that while he and others have always held Nick dear to them that they have not always acted on it. When Gordon blows himself up without leaving a single clue as to where Nick is buried Grissom is left to return to his vigil.
As Grissom sits at a monitor he watches Nick through a new perspective. As Nick records his goodbye to his loved ones Grissom reads his lips. Nick mentions his mom and dad, referring to his dad using a childhood nickname of Cisco the same way his dad referred to him as Pancho. He also mentions the people he knows are desperately trying to find him and tells them that he knows they did their best. Grissom is the only other person besides his parents that he mentions by name as he tells him, "I never meant to disappoint you." If there was ever any doubt that Grissom is the focus of Nick's affection and esteem it ends there. Grissom answers back, "No. You never did, Nick."
What follows, when Nick's compromised coffin begins to feed in fire ants is a scene that brilliantly illustrates Grissom's grim admiration of Nick as Nick resourcefully plugs his ears and nose and tries to hold as still as possible as the ants swarm over him. "That's it, Nicky. Stay still. They won't bite - as much." Those very same ants provide the clue to where Nick is buried making Solenopsis invicta Grissom's new favorite bug. When he coos at the screen, "Oh, c'mon pal. Yeah, that's it. C'mon. Little more. Keep coming. Show me what you're made of. C'mon buddy." it's hard to tell at first if he's talking to Nick or the ant he wants to identify.
When they finally find Nick only to discover that the coffin he's in is rigged to blow up when he's lifted out, Grissom comes up with a plan. Nick, cycling through despair, panic and confusion is almost unreachable until Grissom cuts through it by calling him by a name only an intimate would know: Pancho. It works but to a certain degree he only confuses Nick more when he tells him to "Put your hand on my hand." The gesture is obviously meant to focus Nick and keep him from completely losing it but it's also obviously so close to the kind of connection Nick has wanted that he hesitates to place his hand against Grissom's seemingly out of fear that it might all be another cruel hallucination. It's not. Continuity issues aside, Grissom keeps his hand on Nick's. Watching Grissom place his hand over Warrick's as Warrick steadies Nick on the ground is like watching someone who has not only discovered that they have a talent for touch but also an appetite for it.
It's an appetite he seems more willing to indulge as of late although his habit of keeping Nick out of the loop will probably set them toe to toe again. There is still a lot to resolve between them but whenever I see them together I can't help but feel somehow relieved.
CSI Fiction
These two characters inspire some amazing writers. Here are some of my favorites:
Vanilla Coward by Evan Nicholas: Nick finally figures out which team he's playing for but runs in the wrong direction. Greg and Brass coach as Grissom operates under some false assumptions. Funny and true to character it shouldn't be missed.
Common Hours by Emily Brunson: Nick and Grissom finally meet on a level playing field only after Nick has returned to Texas. The slow build up to their relationship is matched by the details of how they figure out how to stay together.
Newton's Third Law by MsJadey: Beautiful and heart-rending it deals with Nick post Grave Danger.
The Grissom Effect by Rhysenn: Nick seeks out Grissom post Grave Danger as both of them work towards each other instead of around.
Within Without by Eleanor Lavish: An AU that takes place after Boom that tackles the idea of what if Nick was mistakenly found guilty and sent to prison. How would someone as guileless as him survive such a thing and how would Grissom deal with his own lack of action once Nick is released from prison? Thoughtfully written and poignant.
The Perfect Day by Emily Brunson: It deals with Nick’s day off and his absolute determination to enjoy it sans any thoughts of Grissom. Good luck, my friend.
Without Windows or Doors by LaurelGardner: Nick and Grissom go camping post Grave Danger and begin the slow process of really getting to know each other.
Writers and Other Artists
CSI's Official Site. Some of the information is outdated but still worth a look.
Emily Brunson. A prolific and talented writer you might want to make sure you have some time to delve through her work.
Television Without Pity. Detail rich and laugh out loud funny recaps by Sobell for the first 5 seasons.
CSI Files. Up to the minute news on the show with lots of spoilers.
CSI Forensics. Large archive that is slash friendly.
The William Petersen Appreciation Page Gallery. Huge gallery of screencaps, dailies and candids.
The Fingerprints Archive. All Nick/Griss all the time. Thank you apetslife for reminding me of it.
Nick/Grissom Friendly
oh_no_nicky was originally a "support" site for those of us waiting for Grave Danger but has grown into a wonderful place for creative and buoyant people. It houses some great fiction, icons, photos and squee. Enjoy!
grisslash focuses the fiction on Grissom but Nick shows up an awful lot. Points for that!
csicons features, of course, icons that are so pretty I sometimes wish they were poster size.
Your thoughts are welcomed.
Author: true_enough
Fandom: CSI Las Vegas
Pairing: Nick Stokes/Gil Grissom
Spoilers: Yes - for several episodes
E-mail: trueenough @ gmail dot com
UST In LV
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
CSI is a procedural drama that changed the mixture of that formula early on with characters that are just as interesting as the cases they solve. Each one is distinctly different in both temperament and method of operation and yet together they often form a seamless whole.
Set in Las Vegas where some criminals take the slogan What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas as truth and gospel, it features six Criminalist who walk the fine line between cop and scientist to find out who, how and why.
Catherine Willows is the senior Criminalist who over the years has gone from a somewhat high strung investigator who sometimes worked out her own personal problems while on the clock to someone who possesses enough natural confidence that she often appears to be in charge. This was true long before her brief stint as swing shift supervisor during the last half of season 5. Her loyalty to the people she works with is evident in that she gave up the position to be with them without even a hint of a cross thought about it.
Sara Sidle is a brilliant investigator who is also a little high strung and who also lets her personal history dictate some of her behavior on the job. A workaholic, she lacks the kind of confidence Catherine has and often comes off as prickly and overbearing. She more than makes up for it by championing for those who cannot do it for themselves. I personally loved watching her square off against the abusive husband in Sex, Lies and Larvae (1x10). She really is a handful.
Warrick Brown is a native of Las Vegas and it shows with the ease with which he navigates such an otherwise surreal locale. Despite that ease, the city has also taken a sizable bite out of him. After running numbers in high school he later developed a gambling addiction that nearly got him booted as a CSI. Thanks to a lot of support from Grissom and his own highly proficient skills as an investigator, he seems to have it under control, only stumbling once in Primum non Nocere (2x16) after learning a singer he was attracted to was addicted to heroin. Most of the time, though, he pulls off the impossible task of walking in his own shade.
Greg Sanders started out as DNA tech but like a house cat itching to explore the great outdoors he wheedled his way into field work as a CSI. He finally earned his badge last year in Who Shot Sherlock? (5x11) and while he's proving to be an effective and thorough investigator it seems to be at the cost of some of his earlier exuberance.
This engaging and formidable ensemble is rounded out with Nick Stokes and Gil Grissom.
Nick Stokes
Handsome and square-jawed, Nick, as played by George Eads, made an early impression by playing up qualities that made Nick more of a penultimate dork du jour than a Super Hero. Eager, good natured and competitive, he initially seemed more interested in solving his 100th case so that he would be promoted to CSI 3 ahead of Warrick but by the time Amy Hendler is holding a gun on him in Who Are You? (1x6) he has revealed himself to be so much more. In that scene - and throughout the series - he does not resort to hip-blase quips but instead, works through real emotions such as fear and even compassion. With his eyes burning with tears he tells her, "Mrs. Hendler, I'm a good listener." After Grissom pulls a gun on her and arrests her Nick turns his back and tries to gather himself. His face registers the puzzled hurt of someone who has learned the hard way how dangerous ordinary people can be and how he could have been killed for simply being in the way. These are lessons that Nick struggles with, in part, because of his own innate goodness. How could someone do that when it would never cross his own mind?
Raised in Texas, the youngest of seven children born to a state Supreme Court Justice and a public defender Nick has five sisters and one brother. We are left to imagine the commotion and jockeying for position that inhabited a house run by two otherwise staid adults. When Nick's father saw the video feed of him buried alive in Grave Danger (5x24) the first thing he said was, "Ahh, Pancho, what have you gotten yourself in to now?" It made me wonder how many times Nick has heard that growing up and if it had something to do with why Catherine is the first person Nick tells that he was molested by a baby-sitter when he was nine. I have no doubt that he was part of a loving family but there is still much about him that is walking wounded.
Which might explain his penchant for trying to rescue people that appear to have a broken wing. In the Pilot he champions for a man rolled by a hooker and in later episodes does the same thing for the hooker. It's a classic Nick maneuver that speaks more of his lack of judgment than his poor judgment despite his tendency to be "weirded out" by some of the things he comes across while on the job. Something Grissom would do well to notice.
There's a brief attempt - starting in Who Are You? - (a busy episode) to paint Nick as a Ladies Man but it's so unsubstantiated that it borders on false advertising. He flirts with Kristy Hopkins, the hooker from the Pilot and I-15 Murders (1x2) and spends one night with her in Boom (1x12) after rescuing her from the man who will later kill her and set Nick up for it. There is also some half-hearted flirting with Sara but they play better as rival siblings. A Detective Seculla gets one date in Sex, Lies and Larvae (1x10) and then is never heard of again. By the time Nick teases Archie with, "You got to get a girlfriend" in Random Acts of Violence (3x13) Archie has every right to sass back, "You first."
Nick is also painted as conservative - easy to shock, easy to tease - as he acts as the conduit for the audience. It's a thankless job and one that sets him up to be scolded for our presumed wrongheadedness. He gets some of his own back by blurting out the science behind how excessive masturbation can bring down a sperm count in One Hit Wonder (3x14) or the history of the rise and fall of the vibrating bed in Assume Nothing (4x2). "Good for sex," he tells Grissom. "Good for sleep...too." "Good for us?" Grissom asks as he ostensibly refers to the fingerprints that might be on the coins for the bed. Later, Grissom uses his own quarter and tells Catherine he needs fifteen minutes to think. About Nick, I wonder?
In Primum non Nocere (2x16) his loyalty to the people around him is wonderfully illustrated. Warrick indulges in a game of blackjack after a huge disappointment when Nick takes the seat next to him. Probably expecting a lecture, Warrick gruffly asks him, "What are you doing here?" Without missing a beat Nick tells him matter-of-fact, "I'm playing cards" and then adds, "with my friend." Except for the toss of a coin in Grave Danger (5x24) Warrick does not gamble again.
Gil Grissom
A formidable poker player who used his winnings to finance a body farm when he was in college, Grissom is loathed to reveal any tells. So much so that next to nothing has been revealed about his personal history over the last five years and what little we do know through CBS has recently been scrapped in Still Life (6x10). No longer a child of divorced parents, he calls Catherine back to tell her that his father, a botanist, died mysteriously on a humid day when he was nine. His mother, who is deaf, spent the following years leaving Christmas presents for her late husband, out of sentiment and grief. It's a grim picture despite the tinsel and the presumably middle class life he led in southern California. It also goes a long way to explain his drive to find out exactly how things happen since he was never told how his father passed away.
We meet him in the Pilot right before he undergoes both a career and personal change. The death of CSI Holly Gribbs on her first night sets in motion a series of events that recast Jim Brass from Grissom's supervisor to a homicide detective, promotes Grissom to Brass's former job and casts a pall over each and every one. At first, more of a goof than an eccentric, Grissom offers Holly chocolate covered grasshoppers while asking for a sample of her blood for splatter analysis. While he retains a wry sense of humor the buoyancy from the Pilot never resurfaces.
In the third season he nearly loses his hearing to otosclerosis but it almost seems like a physical manifestation of his desire to withdraw. As early as Chaos Theory (2x2) he is caught tuning people out in the exact same way his hearing begins to desert him: everything muffled and distant. He identifies himself as a Ghost in High School and holds to it by telling Warrick that when he leaves the lab there will be no cake in the break room - he'll just be gone. It's a statement that grossly underestimates his impact on the people around him and their ability to find him anywhere.
While his people skills often take a bad rap he is, in fact, capable of great patience and tenderness especially towards odd ducks and outsiders. More apt to express compassion over affection he takes the time no one else would to quote Shakespeare along with Aaron Pratt, the autistic librarian in Caged (2x7) or search for the soul of Ben Jennings in Alter Boys (2x6) who is trying to bury his brothers crimes. Closer to home, he holds Sara's hand in lieu of a lecture when she is picked up on a DUI not to mention what he does for Nick in Grave Danger (5x24). Still, he accepts affection awkwardly as if he didn't know that the 206 bones in his body could do such a thing as hold another human being.
His just-out-of-reach approach to life seems to entice all kinds of people. In the Pilot there is a coroner who invites Grissom to put her up against a wall - a suggestion that falls flat. Teri Miller, another scientist, shows up in Who Are You? (1x6) and invites Grissom to put his hands in the goop that she uses for facial reconstruction. This seems to be more effective. When she comes back in To Halve and to Hold (1x13) they actually have a date that goes well until Grissom answers both his pager and his cell phone. When he turns back to the table she is gone, leaving nothing but her lipstick on a napkin and a wine glass. Grissom's face shows the accumulation of yet one more small disappointment in what is probably a lifetime filled with them. Undaunted, when she is called back again in Face Lift (1x16) he leans over her shoulder as she works on a computer and asks, "Will we ever have dinner again?" Unable to hold back a smile she tells him, "Oh, we'll have dinner - just not together." If she's being coy is backfires as he physically withdraws out of the frame and away from her. When Catherine comes in and asks if she's interrupting anything Grissom honestly tells her no. By the time Teri Miller show up for the last time in Snuff (3x8) she is married to someone else as Grissom appears visibly more relaxed.
Much more interesting is Lady Heather, a soft spoken dominatrix who intrigues him in Slaves of Las Vegas (2x8) with her astute observations and then wins him over for at least a short while in Lady Heather's Box (3x15). It's fascinating to watch them try to dominate each other with the gentlest touch or by serving high tea. Her fatal mistake seems to be knowing Grissom too well and leaving him feeling exposed. He puts down his tea cup and calls for a warrant for her arrest based on some rather weak evidence. She tells him, "I think I just heard you say 'stop'," a safe word for when things go too far.
In the early episodes Sara and Grissom indulged in some workplace flirting but as soon as Sara began to push for more Grissom retreated. He genuinely cares for her and respects her as a colleague but again, his affection is of the global variety: sincere and all encompassing, but from a distance. All of his relationships seem to depend on a certain amount of distance and when that's breached that's when everyone looks pinched. Catherine and Warrick have made the most progress with him, in part, because Catherine doesn't bother to ask if she can and Warrick has the good sense to let Grissom come to him.
Sara's more direct campaign has literally left bruises. In Playing With Fire (3x22) she follows him through the maze-like lab hoping to have a moment to ask him out when there's an explosion that knocks her down the hall and throws Greg through a glass wall. Later, still looking a little shell-shocked she asks Grissom if he would like to have dinner with her. At this point his hearing has gotten so bad that he has finally decided to see a Doctor about it that evening. Instead of telling her that he's busy or even that it wouldn't be prudent he gives her a blunt and unequivocal "no". It's the kind of 'no' that would knock the wind out a lesser person but Sara perseveres and asks, "Why not? Let's have dinner - let's see what happens." Grissom says no again by pointing out that he doesn't "know what to do about this." In Butterflied (4x12) he expresses grief over not being willing to take a risk but doesn't offer any hope of taking one in the future. Sara listens to him through a two-way mirror and begins a slow slide into some self-destructive behavior.
Nick/Grissom
Nick and Grissom defy the usual M.O. in that they do not meet and then immediately fall into to step.
They don't help each other dress for dinner -
that's Grissom and Catherine.
They don't have confusing handshakes -
that's Nick and Warrick.
They don't call each other "honey" - although "Pancho" (Grave Danger 5x24) and "Peanut" (Strip Strangler 1x22) come pretty close -
that's Grissom and Sara.
They don't touch and flirt -
that's Nick and Greg.
And my own personal favorite: They don't ride roller coasters together -
that's Grissom and Warrick.
What they have managed to do in 5 plus years is burrow under each others skin, just below the whorls that make them who they are, and in ways both subtle and profound change how they view themselves, each other and the strange world they live in. They are men of different generations and sensibilities who share a common decency but work through it at different speeds and angles. Both are somewhat hobbled by events that happened to them when they were nine and both use those injuries to fuel their compassion over self-pity. At the same time, their differences are the missing pieces that have been chipped off by hard experiences. They are not so much an obvious romantic couple, but instead, more like war buddies who have come from different locales, fought on foreign soil and then made their home there with the only person who really knows what they've been through.
Sometimes though, the battle is between them. That is, when Nick can stop looking at Grissom's mouth.
Early on, Grissom, in his new role as supervisor tried to mentor Nick with very limited success. Both were prone to send out mixed signals with Nick often deferring to Grissom while campaigning to work solo and Grissom promoting him to CSI 3 and then hobbling him with a riddle. "Repeat after me: Silk, silk, silk - what do cows drink?" Grissom asks in Evaluation Day (1x21). When Nick follows the rhyme and answers, "Milk" Grissom takes it as a measure of Nick's lack of readiness to be on his own. Nick presses his case but in the process tips his hand by revealing that more than anything he wants Grissom to think he's a good CSI. Grissom, of course, takes that as further proof that Nick is not ready.
Nick begins this exchange holding back his temper and ends it looking defeated. He finds his temper again, spending the rest of the episode literally in a sweat trying to solve the case he and Sara have been assigned. At one point he goes as far as to goad Sara into checking out some evidence that Grissom and Catherine collected with, "C'mon Sara, where's your Noriega?" When Sara asks him, "What has gotten into you?" his only answer is, "Grissom." Not surprisingly, he supplies a key bit of evidence that breaks the case and when Grissom praises him for it he is obviously thrilled.
During that time their interaction often looked like carryover from Nick seeking autonomy from a family he loves and Grissom trying to preserve Nick's guilelessness while often using it to hold Nick back. It's a bit of shadow boxing that has yet to be resolved even though we are halfway through the sixth season. In Bodies In Motion (6x1) a second voice is discovered on a tape left by Nick's abductor in Grave Danger (5x24) but instead of working through this information with Nick, Grissom swears Archie to secrecy, presumably to spare Nick any further anxiety.
It's the kind of scene that casts them in a father/son light due to Grissom's well meaning but wrongheaded wish to protect Nick and Nick not having a say in any of it. Their age difference also plays into it even though Nick is closer to 40 than 30. Ironically, the scene that neatly dispels the father/son platform has them shopping for diapers in King Baby (5x15). When the wonderfully open-minded woman behind the counter asks for Grissom's measurements he explains that they're not for him. She glows at Nick and then says, "Aren't you lucky to have such a nice daddy!" As Nick tries not to be "weirded out" Grissom gives him a look that is not paternal in any city, state, country or planet that I know of. While their relationship is not always on a level playing field it is definitely between two peers.
Season 5 went to some length to play up Grissom's ambiguous sexuality and often with Nick by his side. The scene in King Baby is one example with Ch-ch-anges (5x8) being another. When Grissom is backstage with some showgirls he possesses curious eyes and cautious hands but when he's at a bar that frequents transgender clientèle he is visibly relaxed. It also affords him an opportunity to watch Nick outside of his usual habitat. Later in Big Middle (5x16) Grissom gets a none too subtle reminder of how other people see him when an astute woman takes 30 seconds to swat him on the behind and proposition him with, "Fat girl - gay guy. It's not unheard of." And while he doesn't take her up on it he also doesn't deny it.
Nick, on the other hand, has from the beginning given off a "crazy feminine energy" long before Sage picked up on it in Gum Drops (6x5). I think it's very interesting that an episode that was initially suppose to feature Grissom ended up fitting Nick perfectly.
Grave Danger
While I don't think a single episode can - or should - represent an entire relationship Grave Danger did go a long way towards setting it in the right light. Shown at the end of season 5 it addressed a long-standing habit of dismissive and sometimes indifferent behavior towards Nick. As the gentle, steady presence in their hectic lives he is not given his due until he is wrenched from them on an otherwise routine call.
Walter Gordon, a man who believed that his daughter was wrongfully sent to prison based on evidence presented by a CSI, took it upon himself to stage a crime scene and kidnap a CSI - any CSI - as revenge. He buries Nick alive in a Plexiglas coffin along with some glow sticks, a tape recording telling him he's going to die and a loaded gun so he can end it on his own. A video feed, that Nick is unaware of, is sent to the lab where they can watch him struggle to hold on to his life and his sanity as time runs out.
Walking to the crime scene - which is now Nick's crime scene - Catherine and Grissom literally stumble against each other. Warrick, knowing full well that he could have been on the other side of the coin toss, kicks evidence that he would normally pore over out of his way in frustration and fear. Sara seems to fall into herself almost disappearing entirely. Greg tries to rush himself through his lack of experience and everyone grits their teeth and paces around their fear.
Grissom eventually comes face to face with Walter Gordon in an abandoned warehouse where he delivers the ransom money that Gordon is not really interested in. Instead, he baits Grissom, determined to make sure that they share the same helplessness. Grissom counters by using Nick's name frequently to remind Gordon that Nick is a human being with human connections and not just his pawn. "We want Nick back. No tricks." When Gordon tries to heighten Grissom's anxiety Grissom's language becomes potent and intimate. "Look, I really don't want to talk to you. Where is my guy?" Gordon picks up on it immediately. "Oh, so he's your guy, huh?" Without hesitation Grissom answers, "Yes, he is. Where is he buried?" Gordon presses further with, "Are you two close?" and here, Grissom falters. "That's none of your business." It's a telling half-moment that brings home to Grissom that while he and others have always held Nick dear to them that they have not always acted on it. When Gordon blows himself up without leaving a single clue as to where Nick is buried Grissom is left to return to his vigil.
As Grissom sits at a monitor he watches Nick through a new perspective. As Nick records his goodbye to his loved ones Grissom reads his lips. Nick mentions his mom and dad, referring to his dad using a childhood nickname of Cisco the same way his dad referred to him as Pancho. He also mentions the people he knows are desperately trying to find him and tells them that he knows they did their best. Grissom is the only other person besides his parents that he mentions by name as he tells him, "I never meant to disappoint you." If there was ever any doubt that Grissom is the focus of Nick's affection and esteem it ends there. Grissom answers back, "No. You never did, Nick."
What follows, when Nick's compromised coffin begins to feed in fire ants is a scene that brilliantly illustrates Grissom's grim admiration of Nick as Nick resourcefully plugs his ears and nose and tries to hold as still as possible as the ants swarm over him. "That's it, Nicky. Stay still. They won't bite - as much." Those very same ants provide the clue to where Nick is buried making Solenopsis invicta Grissom's new favorite bug. When he coos at the screen, "Oh, c'mon pal. Yeah, that's it. C'mon. Little more. Keep coming. Show me what you're made of. C'mon buddy." it's hard to tell at first if he's talking to Nick or the ant he wants to identify.
When they finally find Nick only to discover that the coffin he's in is rigged to blow up when he's lifted out, Grissom comes up with a plan. Nick, cycling through despair, panic and confusion is almost unreachable until Grissom cuts through it by calling him by a name only an intimate would know: Pancho. It works but to a certain degree he only confuses Nick more when he tells him to "Put your hand on my hand." The gesture is obviously meant to focus Nick and keep him from completely losing it but it's also obviously so close to the kind of connection Nick has wanted that he hesitates to place his hand against Grissom's seemingly out of fear that it might all be another cruel hallucination. It's not. Continuity issues aside, Grissom keeps his hand on Nick's. Watching Grissom place his hand over Warrick's as Warrick steadies Nick on the ground is like watching someone who has not only discovered that they have a talent for touch but also an appetite for it.
It's an appetite he seems more willing to indulge as of late although his habit of keeping Nick out of the loop will probably set them toe to toe again. There is still a lot to resolve between them but whenever I see them together I can't help but feel somehow relieved.
CSI Fiction
These two characters inspire some amazing writers. Here are some of my favorites:
Vanilla Coward by Evan Nicholas: Nick finally figures out which team he's playing for but runs in the wrong direction. Greg and Brass coach as Grissom operates under some false assumptions. Funny and true to character it shouldn't be missed.
Common Hours by Emily Brunson: Nick and Grissom finally meet on a level playing field only after Nick has returned to Texas. The slow build up to their relationship is matched by the details of how they figure out how to stay together.
Newton's Third Law by MsJadey: Beautiful and heart-rending it deals with Nick post Grave Danger.
The Grissom Effect by Rhysenn: Nick seeks out Grissom post Grave Danger as both of them work towards each other instead of around.
Within Without by Eleanor Lavish: An AU that takes place after Boom that tackles the idea of what if Nick was mistakenly found guilty and sent to prison. How would someone as guileless as him survive such a thing and how would Grissom deal with his own lack of action once Nick is released from prison? Thoughtfully written and poignant.
The Perfect Day by Emily Brunson: It deals with Nick’s day off and his absolute determination to enjoy it sans any thoughts of Grissom. Good luck, my friend.
Without Windows or Doors by LaurelGardner: Nick and Grissom go camping post Grave Danger and begin the slow process of really getting to know each other.
Writers and Other Artists
CSI's Official Site. Some of the information is outdated but still worth a look.
Emily Brunson. A prolific and talented writer you might want to make sure you have some time to delve through her work.
Television Without Pity. Detail rich and laugh out loud funny recaps by Sobell for the first 5 seasons.
CSI Files. Up to the minute news on the show with lots of spoilers.
CSI Forensics. Large archive that is slash friendly.
The William Petersen Appreciation Page Gallery. Huge gallery of screencaps, dailies and candids.
The Fingerprints Archive. All Nick/Griss all the time. Thank you apetslife for reminding me of it.
Nick/Grissom Friendly
oh_no_nicky was originally a "support" site for those of us waiting for Grave Danger but has grown into a wonderful place for creative and buoyant people. It houses some great fiction, icons, photos and squee. Enjoy!
grisslash focuses the fiction on Grissom but Nick shows up an awful lot. Points for that!
csicons features, of course, icons that are so pretty I sometimes wish they were poster size.
Your thoughts are welcomed.