CSI: Miami

I hadn't seen this episode yet, which is totally weird, since season 4 already aired, but this was the only episode I missed! What a coincidence that they re-air it! Great. Though I wonder why they start broadcasting again from that episode since they already aired half of S5 too :s I don't get it. Anyhow; the story was a little poor, but thanks to the b*tchy actresses, the level was a little higher. It all went so slow, it seemed as if they were never going to find the killer, it took them so freaking long! And that conversation between Eric and Horatio about Marisol,didn't change that. I thought it was so sad for Alexx that Ryan thought the might be the mole. I was seriously almost crying. So I loved the interaction between Ryan and Calleigh (in the contrary to S5, they are all flirty now), that made it also a bit better. Calleigh giving the bottle of champagne to Horatio was a beautiful moment. I don't understand why Natalia had to be the one to convince Eric to attend his sister's wedding. I mean, like she said, she doesn't really know him. It would have been better if he came after Alexx or Calleigh talked to him, hell even Ryan. It just doesn't make sense. Plus I can't wait for Natalia to LEAVE! I'm sorry, I don't like her. So, conclusion about the episode; the investigation itself wasn't so great, but the emotional stuff was good and Ryan and Calleigh's continuing comments were actually hilarious. I mean, it's not really funny but in CSI M-terms they were good jokes. You shouldn't miss the episode.

I liked this episode... The case was interesting enough, although not one of the better, and the news of the wedding seemed to have a fun effect on the CSI employees.



The two celebrity gals Nikki and April were obviously modelled after Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie, right down to the reality tv and the dogs. It felt a bit cheap, but in some ways it was a fun parody. I would have liked to see a little more dimension in these characters; they were too stereotypical for my liking. But the case itself worked rather well. It wasn't the main focus of the episode anyways.



The second case they worked on was not as good. It didn't feel like it belonged there, and I thought the "Horatio is their big hero" thing was over the top. I get that they used the storyline to help Delko along with his thoughts concerning his sister's upcoming nuptials, but it just felt out of place.



The episode titles often refer to more than one plotline... In this case it was not only Nikki being electricuted, but Delko getting the news of the wedding later in the day. When Marisol and Horatio first started dating Delko was fine with it, but it's been obvious lately that he doesn't like it as much anymore. To me it seems like he's upset that he's been there for her for so long and now she wants Horatio by her side instead. I don't blame him though for being shocked to hear that his Lieutenant will from now on be his brother-in-law, especially since it's only been like half a year since Horatio and Marisol met. I sure would think it's too soon to get married! But what was odd to me was that it didn't seem to be the fact that they were getting married so soon that bothered him; it seemed to be the fact that her sister was marrying Horatio. It seemed as if he doesn't like him and doesn't think he's good enough for her. That struck me as odd.



I liked seeing how everyone at the lab reacted though. They all, except for Delko, seemed like children who had just found out they were going to Disneyland. Everyone was so cheerful with huge grins on their faces. It was a bit odd, I don't get why they care so much about Horatio getting married, but it was endearing in its own way.



But for crying out loud, can they make up their minds concerning how sick Marisol is? One week she's dying, next she's doing better and is back to work, next week she's dying again... In this episode she went from dying (Horatio said she had little time left) to recovered from her cancer (Delko said her tumor was gone). Either decide that she's dying or decide that she's in remission; don't go back and forth all the time.



And for the third shock of the episode... My favorite scene was the one with Wolfe and Alexx. His eye is just fine and he never had any problems with his vision, and since news didn't spread that he did have problems that means Alexx isn't the mole. The whole thing was a test, conducted by Horatio, to find out if they could trust her. I assume they tested the rest of the staff in similar ways. Alexx was hurt to find out, and Wolfe didn't seem to happy to have had to trick her like that, but it makes a lot of sense to me. A smart way to find out if she can be trusted. I never thought Alexx was the mole, but it's better to know for sure... I wonder if Alexx is going to be mad for long.



Next week will be interesting... Well, not really, since it's easy to figure out that they won't kill Horatio. But someone else might get shot instead...

Ok. Sorry about this but, allow me to just roll my eyes. Dogs that never touch the ground and are the size of my pinkie toe? "Frienemies"? Death by tanning lamp? All of this was sickeningly reminiscent of the antics of Nicky Ritchie, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. It is a funny topic, and one that fits in perfectly with the Miami lifestyle. However, I found myself staring at my tv screen disgusted for the majority of the episode. CSI (Miami especially), really like to glamorize their role in the lives of the rich and the famous. I know that this show is about entertainment value more than realism but I'm actually quite bored of the formulistic storylines. They always get their guy, they're always right, everyones beautiful, and the world spins madly on.

I thought this episode reminded me of Paris Hilton and her little dog. Ah, the life rich people have. This episode also mentioned the mole a little bit. I think it's Cooper. But I felt kinda bad for Alex when Ryan told her the story about his eye damage was made up and was just a test to see if she was the mole. Also, we have Horatio & Marisol's wedding. I thought she should have been the one to tell Eric not Horatio. And he was a meanie when he said he wouldn't go, but then Natalia set him straight and he showed up after all. Also, Horatio looked hot in the tux.

The plot with the Nicole Richie/ Paris Hilton wannabes was boring. The assistant did it... how boring. Horatio getting married so quickly smells like shark infested waters. And next week's episode is already ruined because they show Delko's siter is the one who gets shot not Horatio. I wish they would stop ending tv seasons with someone either breaking up, dying, or getting shot.

Tonight's show opens with a line of press media awaiting the arrival of several high-profile celebrities. They snap pictures when Nikki Beck and her boyfriend, Brandon Hess walk off of the boat and walk down the pier towards them. They stop and pose for the photographers and are asked questions by a reporter. After a minute, April Goodwin then gets off the boat, along with the boar. The photographers quickly turn their attention to April. To get the photographers to focus back on them, Nikki and Brandon kiss. April counters by sliding one of the shoulder-straps of her dress off of her shoulder, obviously revealing one of her breasts to get the cameras back on her. The two women stare at one another, making it clear that they don't get along.



We cut to Nikki's party, which has several people having a little fun. When Nikki realizes April has arrived, she decides to go into the other room and get away from it all. She tells Brandon that she would like to be alone. In the other room, Nikki readies a bath and pours a container of something into the bath. The substance appears to be salt. As the party goes on, the DJ loses his music when the electricity cuts out. He notices the reason is water has shorted out the electricity. He follows the water to find the source and comes across Nikki in a tub, with the water still running and a tanning lamp has been dropped into the water, electrocuting Nikki.



Shortly thereafter, Horatio and Det. Frank Tripp show up and very briefly examine the body. We quickly cut to the credits.



After the credits, we rejoin the investigation. Alexx finds a pill in the back of Nikki's throat, which means she didn't live long enough after taking the pill to ingest it. Calleigh and Wolfe drop by to join the investigation. Wolfe finds a hair near the tub, but it doesn't match Nikki's hair color. The bath salt Nikki poured in earlier, made her electrocution faster, as the salt works as a conductor. Alexx points out several marks on Nikki's body. When you're electrocuted in water, the electricity will leave small burn marks at the level of the water on your body. For Nikki, they are located about chest level. The problem with this is Nikki was found wearing a robe. Those marks wouldn't have been there if she had been wearing a robe at the time of her death, which means someone re-dressed her.



Downtown, Wolfe interviews Chad Moore, Nikki's manager. He admits to re-dressing Nikki, as he didn't want everyone to see her nude. Wolfe finds it very interesting that Chad was the one who found Nikki but didn't call 911. Chad says he didn't because he didn't want to be looked at as the primary suspect.



In the lab, Alexx examines Nikki's body before the autopsy. She notices Nikki has had a lot of work done. Nikki even uses hair extensions. Wolfe notices she used a spray-on tan. They have a little confrontation when Wolfe admits he tested Alexx about his eye problem. They're still trying to find the mole in the lab, and Alexx is very angry she was one of the possible suspects. Wolfe apologizes and walks out.



Wolfe joins Calleigh elsewhere in the lab and tells her about the spray-on tan Nikki uses. This means the tanning lamp found in the bath wasn't Nikki's. Calleigh has examined the hair Wolfe found at the crime scene and it's not human. It belongs to a dog, April's dog.



In the interrogation room, Calleigh questions April about her possible involvement in Nikki's death. She tells her that the tanning lamp isn't hers either; she prefers the actual sun. When asked about the dog hair, April admits she was there. She also tells Calleigh that they were actually friends when not in front of the cameras. April says that Nikki was just released from rehab and the reason she was in the room that day was to make sure she wasn't abusing pills again. Calleigh finds this interesting considering the fact that Nikki was found with a pill in her throat. April blames this on Nikki's assistant, Melinda Carson.



We quickly cut to Melinda Carson being questioned by Calleigh. Melinda says April is lying; she draws the line at giving her drugs. Calleigh brings up Melinda's past because she was once arrested for identity theft. Calleigh thinks Melinda may have been doing the same with Nikki and Nikki may have caught her and threatened to turn her in, so Melinda took care of Nikki before she could get into trouble. With nothing to hold her on, Calleigh lets Melinda walk out.



Elsewhere in the lab, Horatio stops by Eric Delko's office and tells him that he and Marisol, Eric's sister, are getting married later today. Eric, of course, knew nothing about this ahead of time, so it's a bombshell of sorts. Horatio asks him to be there, but he doesn't give him an answer. Delko changes the subject by telling him about the pill found in Nikki's throat. The pill has the word "GHOST" stamped on it and has been found to have some of the same ingredients used to make meth. Someone bought a large amount of cold medicine to make these designer drugs. Delko runs a search for "ephedrine" and comes up with Colin Danville, who works at Dade University in the Dept of Chemistry.



Delko and Horatio pay Professor Danville a visit. He claims that he does a lot of work with various substances but he doesn't deal or make drugs. He then claims the recent batch he purchased was stolen from his cabinet. The guys take a look at the cabinet and find a toothpick on the floor. Since Prof. Danville doesn't use toothpicks, they believe it may belong to the thief and they take it with them.



As Delko gets back to the lab, he meets with Marisol outside. She tells him she hasn't told their parents either, which upsets him. They get into a little argument about the way they look at cancer and life. Delko walks away after telling her he won't attend the wedding ceremony.



Inside the lab, Delko catches up with Natalia, who is examining the toothpick. She is curious about his personal life since his behavior is a little different today, but he's not looking for another ear, so they focus on the results of the toothpick. The DNA matches that of Dario Sanez from Miami Springs, FL. When Delko leaves, Natalia has a look on her face which makes me think she's interested in a relationship with him again.



Accompanied by two uniformed officers, Horatio and Delko drop by Dario Sanez's house. They knock on the door and one of the nearby curtains move. Horatio signals for one of the officers and he proceeds to open the front door with his shoulder. Horatio and Delko proceed inside, guns drawn. As they pass through one wall, Horatio's confronted by an armed man, so Horatio shoots him and asks Delko to search the house for anyone else. As they sweep the house, they find six young women who are frightened.



Outside, Horatio questions one of the women, Isabella Manresa. She tells him that she and the others were kidnapped from El Salvador and were brought to Miami to make the drugs. She goes on to explain to Horatio that she voluntarily went with the kidnappers because she wanted to find her sister, who was taken in a previous kidnapping. She gives him a photo of her sister, Lucia Manresa, and asks him to find her. Producing the drugs is terrible on a person's health and Lucia is apparently very sick from the drug production.



Back at the lab, Wolfe talks to Joseph Kayle about the tanning lamp. They weren't able to find any fingerprints on it, but it does have an identification on it. Every model is given a series of dots which provide information on the original purchaser. This one belongs to Brandon Hess, Nikki's boyfriend.



With the new information, Wolfe and Calleigh pay Brandon a visit. He's found poolside, along with April. They seem to be a bit more friendly than you'd think they should be considering Brandon had been dating Nikki. They ask April to leave so that they can talk to Brandon. Knowing that she's being watched by photographers from a nearby building, April kisses Brandon. Calleigh and Wolfe find the behavior to be very peculiar. In the brief interview, we learn that Brandon was in a boy band which broke up and Nikki was there to console him through it all. As for how she had his tanning lamp, Brandon claims they borrowed one another's things all the time.



Back at the lab, Horatio joins Delko. They briefly mention the wedding and get back right on the case. They've been trying to come up with the meaning for the word "GHOST" which is stamped on the pill recovered from Nikki's throat. After a few ideas pass, they try text-messaging. This seems to be the winning idea because Delko receives a response for a location to meet at. Horatio likes the news and asks Delko to call the narcotics department and have the guy picked up.



Shortly thereafter, a man dressed in white is brought in by a police officer. He joins Horatio in the interrogation room. The man seems very defiant about being arrested. Just because he's been arrested, it doesn't mean his drug organization will fall flat on its face. Horatio begs to differ, however, and threatens to shut it down.



Back in the lab, Wolfe joins Calleigh, who is examining the tanning lamp. They first talk about the Horatio and Marisol's wedding. It seems Calleigh bought something for them and Wolfe didn't so he asks if she would put his name on the card. He's relieved when she tells him she already did. They get back to the case and Calleigh has found a partial print on one of the lamp bulbs, but it's not enough for a match. Wolfe chimes in with news about April. It seems Nikki was dropping April to be a part of her own reality show. They plan on bluffing to April in hopes that she'll admit to something new, perhaps even the murder.



In the interrogation room, Calleigh and Wolfe show April the print from the lamp and claim it belongs to her. She then admits to touching it. She claims it was a gift for Nikki. Wolfe has done some additional digging around and has learned that April is now the sole breadwinner for her entire family. They believe April killed Nikki when she heard about Nikki's reality show, thus leaving her behind. When confronted about this, April claims she had no idea about the reality show Nikki was getting involved with. Calleigh thinks April is telling the truth, which means we still don't know who the killer is.



Frank catches up with Horatio and gives him a possible address for the cooking of the drugs. He's checked electricity usage in several areas and meth uses a lot of electricity to make.



Arriving at the suspect home, Horatio and Delko run into an armed man near a van. They convince him to put down his piece and Eric (Delko) searches the van. Inside, he finds two women who are tied up. He speaks to them and Lucia is nowhere to be found. Horatio shows the man a photo of her. He recognizes her and admits he "sold" her to someone because she was of no use; she kept fainting while making the drugs. Inside the can, Delko finds a bag with money and additional drugs. The money is said to be from the sale of Lucia. Delko says he'll process the money for any trace evidence back at the lab.



In the lab, Calleigh and Wolfe look over several photos from the crime scene. They notice the flowers April said she brought over had already wilted.



To check things out again, Wolfe and Calleigh drop by the crime scene for another sweep. With the high humidity of the room, they know that footprints would show up clearly on the floor, so Wolfe outlines the different prints in different colored chalk. They're able to ID two sets of footprints. The third seems to belong to Melinda, who claimed she was never in there. Her footprints indicate that she went from the door to the tub, the tub to the vanity, which is where the tanning lamp was. Wolfe notices two of Melinda's footprints look a bit out of the ordinary, as though she braced herself. He then finds a hand print on the vanity, as though she braced herself there as Nikki was being electrocuted.



Back in the interrogation room, Melinda admits to giving her the pill. It turns out Melinda was getting dropped from Nikki's reality show. When Nikki told her about it, Melinda got upset and quit from her job as Nikki's assistant. It's also believed that it went a little further, with Melinda tossing the tanning lamp into the tub. The lamp had special Phosphorus bulbs which broke when being tossed into the tub. Any splashing Nikki had done would have tossed water and some of the Phosphorus bulb pieces onto anyone nearby. Wolfe checks Melinda's dress and finds some of those Phosphorus remnants, meaning she was there when the lamp was thrown in. Confronted with the evidence, Melinda says Nikki didn't deserve the life the had.



Elsewhere, Natalia confronts Delko about Natalia's wedding. She tells him he should attend the ceremony, but he doesn't really want to get into it with her.



Delko is then shown working on the money he found. He process a trace element and comes up with iodine crystals. Horatio comes in and gets an update from Delko. He remembers Prof. Danville had iodine on his fingers, meaning he has Lucia.



In the interrogation room, Prof. Danville is questioned. He agrees to take them to her.



Horatio and a few officers arrive at a complex, near a port. They find her in a back room. Fortunately, she's alive. Horatio tells him Isabella sent him, which seems to comfort her. He and the officers escort her out.



At the police station, the two sisters meet up and hug one another. Delko watches on from inside and he smiles when he sees the two sisters are happy because of Horatio's help. Calleigh comes outside and gives Horatio the wedding gift she bought for he and Marisol, an expensive bottle of wine. He thanks her for it and she goes inside.



In a park, Horatio waits for Marisol, who looks great. They exchange compliments and then she mentions Eric won't be showing up. Horatio knows otherwise, as he notices him getting out of his vehicle. The three of them make their way inside for the ceremony. From across the street, a man is shown with a scoped rifle. He's talking to someone over the phone. He's got his sights set on Horatio's back and is just awaiting the go-ahead from the person on the other end of the line. We're left with a "To Be Continued" screen.



The main plot, the murder of Nikki Beck, was great. I thought the story was fairly good, but it did seem to lack something in the ending. It seemed to end with a little less "bang" than I figured. As for the other subplots, I enjoyed it all. Seeing the gunman across the street was a great cliffhanger; I'm especially looking forward to the next episode.

Another well written episode leaving us hanging at the end. Another "Who Shot JR" moment. (well sort of) I was a little disappointed that they actually SHOWED us who's getting shot in the trailer for the next episode. That didn't really make a whole lot of sense. Anyway, I guess we'll see what we see when we get another new eppy.



I felt as if the show did go by quickly. It was an interesting storyline. The only thing that really bothered me was when Horatio said at the crime scene "Get that to toxicology" ... you'd think that a seasoned crime scene investigator would say somethink like, "Make sure you get that to Tox, asap" ... or something like that. Maybe Horatio is always literal and I never noticed till then though. (shrug) I just didn't think it sounded ... natural ...



There were several witty lines in this eppy too, 'Joined in grief' ... 'at the hip' ..., etc ... Things like that. The writers did a relatively good job.



I'm pleased with the characters. I'd like to see Calleigh get a love interest already though!!! LOL



All in all, good plot, strong timing, and very good action.

The show was good in all. The cases were the usual and the interaction between suspects and the gang was like every other.

The interaction between coworkers was good too. 1st between Ryan and Alex. She was hurt by what he did and so was he, shows a good friendship. 2nd between Eric and Natalia. So much tension between those two it's incredible. 3rd between Ryan and Calleigh. just love the reationship they have together. When she said she had a weding gift for Horatio and he asked if she could put his name on it, she answered she already did. That shows a great relationship.

Horatio is getting married to Eric's sister... wonder if they ever make it inside...



To Be Continued.... Urgh!

Horatio is getting married to Eric's sister Marisol, much to the chargin of Eric

Who thinks Marisol and Horatio are rushing into marriage way, way, too soon

And thinks both should get to know one another

Meanwhile a model is electrocuted and all evidence points to most of all, her assistant

Who she would drop because the reality show she was about to do didn't want her assistant

Very good episode and will lead to the season finale!