CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

What on earth was that?! I can understand a show wanting to do something different for its 200th episode, particularly one which has kept to a specific formula for the majority of the previous 199, but this was a complete and utter trainwreck.

The main failure of this episode is the complete focus on Ray Langston. Now I have no problems with character-centric episode, but there's a fine line between a character study and a one-man show and unfortunately this episode was the latter. For someone who has only been in 8 episodes beforehand it seems absurd to focus the 200th episode around him, which is a complete insult to the other actors who have been on the show for the full 9 years. Paul Guilfoyle has around 5 minutes, George Eads and Marg Helgenberger get around 4. Robert David Hall gets around 2 and Eric Szmanda barely scrapes 60 seconds. Meanwhile, Mr new guy gets around 35, the only reason he doesn't get the full 45 is because 10 minutes of the episode are wasted on scenes depicting Mexican wrestling and pointless voodoo. That is utterly shambolic, particularly from a show which prides itself in containing an ensemble cast.

Even if this wasn't episode number 200 however it would be diabolical. The case wasexcruciatinglydull, there was no signs of forensic analysis at all, it seemed that they appeared to pick their suspects at random. Then there were the endless segments of wrestling and voodoo which made an already mind-numbingly dull episode even more laborious to watch.

The writing of Ray's character is completely all over the place. He's a CSI Level One yet he's working solo in the field, conducting interviews alone and bossing everyone around. This completely contradicts the earlier seasons with Nick's frustration of being unable to work solo at a Level Three! If Langston was brought in as supervisor, it would be more understandable, but it seems as if the writers have lost all sense of continuity with this one.

It's laughable about how much hype this episode was given, with the glorified title sequence replacing the iconic Who Are You theme, that surely should have been a warning about the episode ahead. I can't think of a single good point about this episode, not one point.

By far the worst episode CSI has ever come up with, I don't feel harsh at all giving this a 1.

Simply put I've loved it!

It was so authentic, so full of sentiments, and the acting was brilliant.

I think it depicted what happens during a real investigation.

I can understand that most people watch this show for technology, and other reasons, but once in a while I like to see something authentic, more connect to the true world. The acting was really great and I thought the way the people reacted when under interrogation was dead on. The way the police checked every one who was involved in a crime, a boring but necessary task which finally led them to the killer.

It's good to see when they zoom the cameras that the picture is grainy and out of focus like it should be. I liked the way Ray lost momentarily control; I liked the disturbed killer...

Less technology more real people...



During all the episode I was wondering who the director was, it was so out of sync compared to what the show is usually, but it was good. I've missed the name during the opening credits but I was certain the guy had talent; I was not disappointed when I've checked.

For the record, and to answer some comments I've seen about this episode, the director of this episode William Friedkin is very well known, certainly so to an older audience. He had won an academy awards for directing the movie "French connection" and directed another couple of great movies (The Exorcist among others).

Maybe he's not Quentin Tarantino but he could certainly be one of his mentors.



It was different from what the show is usually but in my opinion the acting and directing was superb, and personally I've really enjoyed it.

Since Grissom left I decided to give the show a chance, and now with this episode I am close to calling it quits on CSI. I don't know what it is but this episode left a foul taste in my mouth. Could have been that it was focused on the new guy or just a lame plot I don't know but this just didn't sit well with me. All I can say is if they keep this up I'll never watch the show again. For crying out loud this was the 200th episode I expected something a better than this. A clip show from the past several seasons would have been better. Agree with me or not but this, this was below par for CSI.

How could this be the 200th episode? I felt like this was an awful pilot for some fake documentary crime drama. It seems like they initially wrote it to be a longer episode and decided against it at the last minute, and then cut out all the good stuff.



It was missing everything that CSI is about. There was no science, no investigation, no team work. There was no in depth plot development to explain why she died. He killed a bunch of girls, blamed it on a demon, and Langston broke some glass, and to space it all out there's some fake artsy awkward shots of "Luchadors" who seemed like they were doing real bad improv. The most interesting part was the leather from the mask, and the computer program that helped them match the piece to the mask was far-fetched even for those who are best at suspending disbelief.



I haven't even missed Grissom because Langston's character has been so intriguing, but this episode actually put me off of him a bit.



I started off confused, and then went to disappointed, and ended up plain uncomfortable. It sucks because the trailer made it look like this episode was going to be pivotal, but instead it was just pitiful. Maybe it was a late april fool's joke?



and p.s. how did Langston suddenly get such a posh office? last time I checked he was hanging out in the morgue?

I was expecting big things from their 200th episode and from the onset I wasn't disappointed. Langston investigating the murder of one of his former students gave the episode an immediate edginess. I found the systematic drumbeat throughout the episode intensified an already intense episode. The case takes some bizarre turns in attempting to solve Sylvia's murder. I found it quite interesting that Langston being the rookie but seemed to lead the investigation. We are shown the strange with in an underground wrestling club that has nothing but convicted felons as well as the creative twist of the piece of cloth found in Sylvia's hand was linked to a wrestler's mask. Langston attempts to maintain control then lose it when faced with the senseless of Sylvia's death. But in an act of class he finishes what Sylvia started, which is a fitting tribute to both student and teacher. Mr. Fishburne within this episode proves why he was selected to fill the slot left vacant by Grissom.

From the get-go, it was obvious this episode was going to be very different. From the music, to the listing of the credits like a film would, to the overall style. There's nothing wrong with trying something different, but perhaps a milestone episode isn't the one to do it. For most police procedurals, milestone episodes focus on the essence of what the show is about and without changing its formula, adds a more powerful and personal storyline for the lead character. This episode did add a personal storyline, which is what I expected, but the style was a failure.



From the annoying drumming music, to the writing, to the directing, to the editing, this episode was truly problematic. The only saving grace was the acting and the light shed onto our new lead character's personal life.



If they had stuck to the basics, adding in the more personalised story, this would have been a great episode.

This episode needed some tweaking. Admittedly, the way the interviews with the wrestlers was presented was unique, and I missed the first two minutes and the last one or two episodes, but my immediate reactions were "Hey, who stuck a documentary on Mexican wrestling in the middle of my CSI episode?" and "Satanic Rites of Dracula." The whole idea of a victim leaving a crowded thoroughfare to give her attacker(s) more privacy never plays well with me. What drama there was seemed lifted directly from a TV crime show primer, and the gallows humor was so lacking I ended up writing my own. Did anyone think "I'm a mutant, doctor, not a madman" during the scene in the tanning booth?



On top of my feelings of deja-vu with the superior "Snakes" and the episode earlier this season where Nick and Brass confronted a wrestler, the pacing of this episode was completely off-kilter. If I'd bothered to record the episode, I'd be tempted to rerun the scene in the house with the ceremony to see if the killer was actually there, but it seemed interminable regardless. I can think of at least three things that might have improved this episode (and I'm not even a professional writer or Academy Award-winning director): (1) a scene where Catherine asks Ray if he can stay objective; (2) Nick or Greg (or even Riley) actually heading the investigation; (4) Ray tendering his resignation over his behavior in the interrogation room and Catherine talking him out of it; (3) Ray being completely professional until he goes home and then smashing stuff in private before submitting the girl's article. Also, the reveal might have worked a little better if the confrontation between the two wrestlers had been intercut with the lab running the analysis on the mask. I thought the point of CSI was that the evidence led to the killer, not that the killer reveals himself to the audience and the CSI's happen to show up as he's fleeing.



The Nick-centric Taylor Swift episode would have been a more noteworthy 200th episode, as it spread the action out among the regular characters more evenly. Bringing in the new lead as a Level 1 is seeming increasingly like a misstep on the producers' part.

I was really disappointed by this episode. I was expected a great episode after the hype that was given to it all week. I liked the storyline about his ex-student, but the rest of the storyline was confusing and bizarre. I found myself uninterested in the story itself and to some extent, not completely seeing how all the pieces fit together. I don't know what the writers were trying for, but I feel that whatever it was they failed. Also, this is the 200th episode and yet the story almost entirely focused on the new guy. I would expect that with an episode this monumental that they would have focused on the more established characters. Overall, I was very disappointed by this episode and am getting a little disenchanted with the overall direction the show seems to be taking.

This episode is very well crafted, and clearly shows the dark side of Mexican wrestling, not only in the visual texture and cutting, but in what is revealed about the wrestler characters and their motivations. I was interested in the way the characters hid behind their masked persona. The guest director (William Friedken) did very good job of taking us on a new journey for CSI. One could see immediately, from the first scenes, that the audience was in for new views into the unexplored sides of Las Vegas life. The story combined the black and white (good and bad) nature of wrestling characters with the dark side of wresting entertainment to show elements of how people are drawn to the simple outcomes in the midst of the complexity of our real world. The wrestlers see themselves as good or bad. The audience sees the wrestlers as good or bad, and root for them, hoping the good will win out. I enjoyed this episode and was drawn to the fresh approach to reveal more about the individual CSIs. We have watched for years and well knew Grissom and Sarah as characters. Revealing Ray (Lawrence Fishburn) will take more episodes like this. I, for one, will be waiting to appreciate the developments.

I am totally surprised that I do not enjoy this 200th episode. Maybe I have too high expectations but again its nothing to do with the actors but its more of the script and storyline. I get bored after the murder of Langston's student. I watched first 15 mins and last 5 mins. In between I guessed I am so bored I was doing something else and only got back to watch when its ending.



At the end I realised how come Langston have such a nice office? I thought he shared office with others? Anyway I hope next episode would not be so disappointing.

For a 200th episode, I was really disappointed. From the getgo, the scriptwriting was amateurish - having the girl go down stairs to a dark and empty underpass. Yeah right?! She was right on the street running into cars. She could have walked right into traffic and caused some commotion. Then another wrestler discovers the murderer! And lo and behold he gets himself murdered. Go figure - couldn't see that one coming. Why wasn't the murderer discovered before - the wrestling move used to kill the women seems pretty obvious. Not a really go serial murder case to have someone solve. Then the CSI team figure out who is the murderer, but after his arrest they don't confront him about shooting the other wrestler. Then finally the scene where Ray is crashing things - what is he smashing? I could go on, but lack of space. For the first time I REALLY didn't enjoy watching CSI!!!

It was the biggest SNUB on television ever. You snubbed the very characters that brought your butts to this point, MH,GE,ES and even the people who are no longer on the show. Instead you felt that ignoring these individuals was your right,you have Fishburne now and really don't need the others.You forgot one little detail,the Fans and we will not tolerate you snubbing our TEAM!Either get it right soon or lose US,I think you must be getting the message,we will not accept Fishburne as the only CSI character,it is an ensemble cast...not the Ray Langston show.



Remember this formula: Team + heart = CSI

This is a very disappointing 200th episode .... I mean I had expected more from this episode. The show just simply goes downhill from the time when Sarah left. First Sarah, next Warrick and I think the final straw is when Grissim left. The show just broke apart. If this is what the producers want for this show, I think they should just stop here and forget about season 10 (if there are plans for it). I was so bored to death throughout the whole 40 min or so of it. It's sad, cos it was one of the best series I had watch and I had followed it since day 1. I do hope it will get better the next episode.

A closer look at Dr. Langston's personality and history. The likelihood that he would have been allowed to work this case given his personal connection to the victim is laughable, but it's a commonly taken dramatic license in the CSI franchise. I thought it was a nice glimpse of the world of La Lucha Libre and the people who work in the industry. It didn't portray them all as villians as so many other shows have, which I appreciated as well. While it's not exactly my cup of tea as far as entertainment goes, it's certainly got a strong fan base and I thought it was an appropriate stage for an episode of CSI (though honestly, it was a bit of a letdown for it being a milestone episode).

Normally I love watching CSI but this episode was definitely painful to watch. There were so many parts that were just of... well... nothing. There was almost no dialogue. It seemed as if the writers took the week off. The scenes of the fights and of the séance seemed to last forever, which made me happy that I have a DVR so I could hit the fast forward button. The interviews felt stale and weren't intriguing. Normally I'm left at the edge of my seat but during this episode I was just wondering when it would end. I hope this was a one time flop. I really do love this show.

Dr Langston and the CSIs investigate the murder of one of his former students. For the 200th episode, this is extremely poor. The plot is ridiculous, and the acting is woeful. The scenes in the house with the people chanting were just plain silly, as was the interrogation of the wrestlers.



Plus, as a CSI Level One, should Langston really be processing scenes on his own? And should he be on this case at all if he knew the victim?



Really disappointed with this episode, I was hoping for a gripping mystery involving the whole team, this is not it. I'd rather have a nap than watch this one.

A disappointing lack of depth to a show that is usually known for its ability to challenge and intrigue with its elusive plot lines and well thought out resolutions.



It's as if they were hoping that the emotional entanglement of Langston and the victim would have given the 200th episode the gravitas it needed to be special, but unfortunately they completely short of that mark. The deduction skills displayed were plain and uninspired, especially in comparison to what I've come to expect from this show. Was the magnificent reveal that the road to finding the killer was as straight and narrow as the path a 30 min. sitcom takes to get to its warm fuzzy public service message at the end of the show? I was also disappointed by the lost opportunity to delve deeper into the world of the Lucha Libre, as the only insight they seemed to impart was that Mexican wrestlers are made up of a storied group of individuals universally plagued by "bad wraps" and distrust of the police. Really? Is that supposed to be the impression you want to leave with us?

An awesome episode no matter what anyone says. Well written, exciting, action packed interesting, and delves greatly into Ray Langston's past. Some people complain that it didn't feature enough of the rest of the cast, but Dr. Langston is new and he is the main lead in the show so why shouldn't it be about him even if he hasn't been on as long as the others. Still a phenominal episode and shows why this show is so great. For me it was totally worth watching and one of my favorites of the season and definitly makes my top 10 favorite episodes of the series.

The general consensus of all of the reviews for this episode is that it did not live up to expectations. I agree with that assesment but I did find myself liking this episode more than others. As I usually do I enjoyed following the team's investigation. However, this episode lacked surprise and clever twists that we have seen in so many episodes of the past. I found it very odd that the viewer found out who the killer was before the team did. Plus, Dr. Langston losing his temper with the killer at the end was a bit cartoonish. Average.

I was expecting much more from CSI's 200th episode. The case was boring, free of plot twists or real drama. They were so busy focusing on Langston's reaction to his former thesis student getting murdered that there was barely any room for anyone else, including the bad guy. And since when does the lab let a CSI 1 basically run a case by himself? It felt like they were trying to give him a Grissom vibe here, something I think the writers have at least tried to avoid thus far. If they just want to make Langston into a Grissom copy, I'm not sure if I want to keep watching.

Not a great episode, not even a good one, and certainly not the big deal the commercials made it seem like it was going to be. Definitely a let-down.

I do not know but all the buzz around 200th episode and the camera work and the beginning, the way it was build - it all promised much much more.. in the end it just felt like another girl gets killed.. another fighting episode.. like those box episodes we have had.. the only pearls in this episode was Langston's emotional involvement and camerawork. First one was really impressive - we have seen some sides of him but not that.. and the way he cared about his students.. that was great.. and on artistic side.. this episode was much better than story.. in so many ways it felt camera work and music.. and it all just was much important than what is really going on. But I think it should be vice versa - story is number one. This episode lacked it.

This episode was a great disappointment. After all the hype about the 200 mark, I guess we all expected more. A series that has been so intriguing, exciting and entertaining for so long deserved better than having such a fluke for its 200th episode. The mistery was non-existent, there was a completely fake 'dark and dense atmosphere', scenes that probably should be tense and emotional were delivered as forced and empty... The rhythm was all wrong, not only the editing felt wrong but the interactions between the actors often sounded strange, stilted, artificial. It was not supposed to be a regular CSI episode, but it should be a CSI episode, and it was not. Not really.

OK. Maybe I have issue with this because I am of Mexican descent. And in fact, one of my great uncles was a Luchadore in the 1950's.

This was so ridiculous. And so - contrived. Gad. What, have the writers forgotten how to write? There is no presentation, no real story, no - value to any of this. It was so "pat" that Langston's student was the one to be found, and investigated, and - wow, they usually at least have continuity! I mean, at the very least, they could have had some sort of sympathy for the boyfriend, and - why did this woman investigate, anyway? And why did she choose this topic? And what - this suspect surfaced after how many years? Yet he was around the whole time?

I love Laurence Fishburne. And yet, I feel he is being so de-valued, here, his character is NOT Gil Grissom, and I don't want him to be depicted as Gil Grissom, but his temper tantrum - his attack of a suspect during an interrogation. Jeez, at least Brass would have called Grissom on it if he'd done something so completely moronic!

My liking of CSI has always been the honesty of it. I don't watch it for MELODRAMA. Which, to wit, is the reason I do NOT watch CSI: Miami. I'm - sorely disappointed, folks!!

For the first ten minutes or so I had to really check if I was watching the right show or some dumb made for tv movie. This episode must have been one of the worst in CSI history. I didn't like "Snakes" much and this was even worse. The beginning was way too long and the whole scene with the ritual was redundant and didn't do anything to the story. Quite frankly, I wasn't even sure why it was included in the first place. I wanted to learn about Langston but quite frankly, his friendly relationship with the murdered student was almost creepy and I really didn't care for her at all. The episode had zero emotional impact, some incredibly strange scenes (but not the good David Lynch kind of strange...just strange) and a storyline that put me to sleep. If this had been a movie it would have received some seriously rotten reviews from the movie critics ...or not. It looked very much like some straight for rental movie and those are not reviewed at all. Very, very dissapointing. Quentin Tarantino has shot the best CSI story ever but William Friedkin shot one of the worst.

The plot sucked so bad I asked "is it over?" and made a move to the remote to change the channel. I've never done that before! I'm the type that jumps for joy when the show is on, but that was so bad!

And why is the new guy getting all the lines? I know it was a him ep (which he shouldn't of had for only being in the show for what? 5 eps?) but the other cast was just there for 2 or 3 lines and didn't DO anything! and the killer was so random, he killed them b/c he was high? or did I miss something? and what I'm still not all the way sure HOW they found him or it was just too easy! I miss Greg, Nick, & Cat! they don't Do anything anymore! they new guy shouldn't be the "New Face Of CSI" Cat is taking Gil's job for the team so she would have more lines then him! it was just a bad ep. made me think if I should watch CSI again with the way everthings going

first the girl that gets murdered was the worst one ever. why would you run away from a public place for one. then the other guy who gets shot once again another crappy murder. i skipped the first 20 minutes cuz there was nothing useful in them. they had the guy once they got the dna and should of arrested him then. in all honesty i'm sick of the new guy focus on someone else for gods sake. thats the reason why i prettymuch have given up on this show. i've almost given up on csi miami and new york too cuz this season has been the worst for all three csi's.

This episode was so mind numbingly boring I wound up turning it off. I've been recording the episodes lately rather than watching live because of all the focus on Langston. This way I can just quit watching if I want or just fast forward. The sad thing is I actually liked Langston at the beginning, but they are cramming him down our throats. The constant focus on him is ruining the show and his character for me. Also being that it was the 200th ep, it should have focused more on the people that had been there for the 200 episodes, not the new guy that's only been there for a handful. they should have saved this episode for later. Very disappointed at the lack of loyalty from the writers and PTB to the original characters. I understand needing to get to know the new guy. But drowning us in him will only make us not like him. Besides, leaving a little mystery makes us WANT to get to know him. So leave something for later, for Pete's sake! I miss Nick, Greg, and Catherine. I'm not leaving yet, I'm still giving them a chance, but i am starting to waiver.

i do like Langston. I find him to be a good character especially since he doesn't try to replace Grissom. He seems to know that no one is Grissom and the writers starting him off like a newb is pretty cool. He really seems like an earnest character who wants to do his best and is learning the ropes. However why is he allowed to work the case of someone he knows? they normally put u a little stink about that don't they? NEWAY, even though i thought this episode started off strong, i became offended very quickly.



living in an area where people practice Santeria and other voodoo like religions i was offended by the way CSI treated this religious ceremony. For a show that gives some measure of respect to sexual fetishes, and other less mainstream items. I was offended by the way they handled this. i know nick and brass aren't Grissom but their's no real attempt to understand the religion or the luchadores. they're just space fillers.



i also have to agree with many of the other reviewers. I know the science on CSI is BS to start with. but i love it anyway, and there should have been more of it.

I believe this is the worst CSI episode I've seen since I started watching the show in the first season. This was supposed to be the biggest and best – their 200th episode. It was horrible! The camera work was so "twitchy" it was almost seizure inducing. The fact that Langston would work the murder of a former student was ridiculous. There's no way he'd be allowed to do that – I know, I know it's only TV but come on! The only thing I found slightly interesting were the wrestling masks. Then it showed Nick and Riley looking at a database of Mexican Wrestling masks. There is no way that there's a database of Mexican wrestling masks. That was so far-fetched I almost turned off!

Anytime there is an episode with a totally different format or approach, so many people come out and start saying how much it sucked. If you're looking for the same plot every single time, you can try CSI Miami, or any sit-com on FOX.



It wasn't an explosive episode, there was no gun fights or car chases... is that what people were expecting? It wasn't necessarily exciting, but it was dramatic, and a personal story for Dr Langston.



I still liked it. It's CSI. It's managed to be able to stay fresh and interesting when CSI Miami has been regurgitating plots for 3 seasons... and CSI NY is so predictable and has outrageous 'technology' that it's ridiculous.