Abra Cadaver

Season 3, Episode 5, Aired
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Episode Summary

Grissom, Warrick, and Sara investigate when a woman vanishes while taking part in a magician's act. The primary suspect is the magician. Catherine and Nick investigate the apparent overdose of a rock star.
8.8
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • You can change your future but you can't erase the past

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By OnePerCentClub, Jan 16, 2011 Report Abuse
    Stupid woman. The rock star could've been a jerk like the band members said, but he was the kid's father and he had a right to see him. It's okay that the woman didn't want her child to know her past, but she was a different person now and so was the kid's father. But she just assumed... and she killed him.

    I didn't really enjoy the other case. But it was good to see a mini Manhunter reunion with the actor who played the creepy John Lee Roche in The X-files' season 4 episode "Paper Hearts'. The end is open to comments, though we never saw a followup.moreless

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    0 0

  • Even this had some GSR!

    9.7
    "Superb"
    By aussieforgood, Jun 07, 2010 Report Abuse
    I totally loved this episode. It was one of those episodes that keeps you on the edge of your seat in antipation of what's gonna happen next.

    Tha A case totally rocked, although it would have been nicer if it were Nick instead of Warrick with Grissom & Sara, but who's complaining. It was still funny.

    My favorite part was when Sara snuck up behind Grissom & scared him, I was laughing so much at that. Greggo rocked too with his Swami act.

    The B case was ok, Nick & Cath were working together on this one & it's always nice to see that because they rarely work alone together.moreless

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    3 0

  • VERY HOTT MAN!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By bankscountybabe, Oct 17, 2006 Report Abuse
    The magician picks a woman in the the blue dress. Blood on the case where the knife went in, showing that the woman was hurt. There was an underground route heading outside for volunteers to go after the act. Blood was on the way leading out. Person who killed her used Thorazine to tranquilize her. Magician showed up missing for 6 months. 6 pints of positive blood was found in his home. CSI found pictures of Abra Cadaver and his son Zepher and his baby. (which looked Identical). Found blood in a womans car. Cadaver makes himself disappear and burn. Zepher killed his son, When son was killed, he had a key in his mouth...

    A Rock star is killed at first believed because of suicide, but he had NO heroine in him and he had heart failure and he was strangled. The band was splitting up and they had no money. Guitarist was a heroine addict. He snorted it. Blood was on the door of Gus (the killed) appartment. Found out, his ex killed him because he wouldn't have anything to do with his biological child, and then when he wanted to she didn't want him to because of his past and the woman was protecting her child.moreless

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    1 0

  • Grissom and magic - not everything is as it seems, which is a problem for a CSI!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By qstevie, Aug 28, 2006 Report Abuse
    I like this episode largely because of the presence of Tom Noonan as Zephyr, a magician who's seen better days. Tom Noonan must be one of the nicest men on the planet, because he can play creepy like nobody else and there has to be an opposite to the sinister!

    Two stories: a woman pulled from the audience for a magic trick disappears, which was the whole idea, except she fails to reappear and that's a problem, especially when traces of her blood are found.

    The second story is about a rock star who appears to have ODd, despite having been clean for several years. His story sets Catherine looking for groupies from the past and a slightly less than satisfying reason for his death.

    Meanwhile over at magic central, things go from bad to worse when Zephyr is incinerated in one of his own tricks, that's been rigged to go wrong. Clues point to a rival magician who is into more visceral illusions involving being nailed to a cross etc.

    It's a fun episode when the magic's around, and I enjoyed the weird house that Zoe Klein supposedly lived in. There are good twists and turns and even a couple of secret passages. Entertaining definitely.

    One thing - oh and a little spoiler warning...









    When at the end we see Noonan regurgitate the key, it looks like a very old key that would have fitted a writing bureau or something similar. Yet we're supposed to believe he now has a way to get out of his handcuffs. How would he even have a key to that set of handcuffs anyway? Magicians having their own keys to their own locks I can get, but this, whilst a neat and tricky ending doesn't quite make sense to me.

    Still a 9 though.moreless

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  • Magician vs. Rock Star

    7.0
    "Good"
    By 41Joker, Sep 04, 2005 Report Abuse
    Two mediocre cases make this an iffy episode. The primary is a magician's volunteer goes missing. I'm a big magic fan, but this is just sad. The volunteer is planned, the tricks are simple, and a father/son/sister combo for victim and suspect.

    The secondary is an apparent drug OD by a washed out rock star. Becomes a murder when the OD is found to be staged, and the rest of the band reveals he wanted out.moreless

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    0 2
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • The episode title, "Abra Cadaver", refers to the term 'abra kadabra', often used by magicians. Edit
    • When Greg is giving Nick and Catherine gossip on the band, Greg flashes the "rock on" sign, making a fist with his index and pinky finger straight up. Nick returns the gesture, but makes one crucial error: he extends his thumb. This does not mean "rock on", it means "I love you" in American sign language. Edit
    • Goof: After you see Zephyr pour the dust out of his hand, you can see the pack where it came from on his palm if you keep watching for it. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Music: Rakim - Dead Can Dance The Mark Has Been Made - Nine Inch Nails Just Like You Imagined - Nine Inch Nails Natural One - Folk Implosion Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Zephyr: Nothing is what it seems. But I fooled them all. Even that ungrateful masochist. It-it's amazing what you can do with a stagehand and a masquerade mask. You know, not to mention a prop like a packet full of Zoe's blood. You know, lucky for me she let me have some before she mysteriously disappeared. Grissom: You made her disappear. Edit
    • Grissom: Zephyr and his son are interchangeable in physical appearance like the Io moth. You know what that means? Warrick: Zephyr's still out there. Grissom: So, if you're a master of deception where do you hide? ... Or do you? Edit
    • Samantha Dean: I am not proud of my youth and my son was never going to be a part of that world. You're a mother. What would you be willing to do to save the life of your child? Catherine: I think that I'd rather have my daughter know a bad father than no father at all. Edit

  • Allusions

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