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CSI: Miami Season 4 Episode 9

Urban Hellraisers

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8.6

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/21/05

Eric is in a bank during robbery after the ATM took his bank card. The team soon learns that the bank robbery is part of video game called Urban Hellraisers that is being played out in real life. To stop them the team must figure out the next level of the game before another crime happens.
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FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (27)

In an installment long on action, but short on making sense, the show becomes the latest to try to cash in on the controversial Grand Theft Auto videogames.

6.6

By jekyll, Nov 26, 2011

As the episode opens with Delko being at a bank at the same time its robbed, we see what appears to be a crime commited by inexperienced youths. However, it turns into much more as a second robbery attempt reveals the crimes to be copycats of a popular videogame series. It's here where the episode, packed with action, diverges from reality and common sense.

The thought that college students would be so into a game as to recreate entire scenes, even though its revealed to be a marketing ploy, including the infiltration of a police station, is beyond laughable. Even more insane is the seeming belief they have that they'll never be caught. The episode than breaks from reality by insisting on showing Ryan Wolfe needlessly playing the game to find what happens next and anticipate the perpetrators' next move, when they could have easily found out the game's plot through many faster means, and while they were at it they amped up the outrage factor by showing points awarded for killing police in the fictional Urban Hellraisers game, when the real Grand Theft Auto series actually never awards points for anything.

Once again, we're treated to seeing not just one, but two police offices (Caine and Delko) be involved in shootings, but remain on active duty. A glaring error, especially in light of the original CSI's recent 2-part episode involving a massive police shoot-out.

Additionally, they also borrow from the story of the Korean who died after two consecutive days of constant game play. It's another absurdity that somehow a student used a college facility for 70 hours and was never confronted about it.

In the end, we're left with an episode that excites the senses with lots of action, but forces the brain to work overtime to cover up all the obvious errors and attempts to villianize videogames.moreless
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Bad episode, bad show.

4.0

By pk20220, Oct 17, 2010

I normally do not watch this show. This is only the third CSI:Miami episode I ever watched. The last two times I watched, I was dissapointed. But I wanted to give it another chance. Also I just got my first HDTV and wanted to see what a high tech show like CSI looked like in HD. I have to say, it looks stunning! Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the acting and storyline. The acting is

lifeless. The plot is really stupid. There is no suspense and a lot of things are fairly predictable. There seems to always be some villain pointing a gun on the innocent and out of nowhere Horatio shows up at exactly the right time. This gets old. I found constantly looking at the clock hoping to get the show over with.

I don't know if I've ever watched a show with cast members as listless as this one. I know they're always involved in cracking a serious crime, but still. Basically some guys shoot up a bank to act out a scene in a video game. It's up to the CSI team to find out whose behind this by doing some forensic and investigative

work. The perpetrators eventually get caught and get interrogated. And that's basically the story.

This episode pretty much made up my mind. I don't think I'll watch another CSI show again.moreless
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Urban Hellraisers

9.4

By bankscountybabe, Apr 10, 2010

An armed robbery is taken place by three boys. An attempted rape is done alos but Delko shot the boy They got around raising hell because they can. They are playing a game called Urban Hellraisers. They got so tired of playing the game that they went out and actually played the game. A sniper was nearby. They came to CSI to get the evidence. Caine got down there just in time before he shot the evidence man. The video game is trafficking the guns etc. He was just trying to get his game out to sell more to more kids.moreless
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A group of teenagers decide to play a video game in real life.

8.5

By lorisangel, Feb 24, 2009

Quite a memorable episode; one of my favourites, actually. A LAW & ORDER episode ran along the same lines as this - not sure which one was the rip-off. I saw the CSI:MIAMI version first, though. Despite the fact that I've never heard of a murder patterning violent video games actually happening, the episode had me thinking. I actually resolved to monitor any video games my kids would play (when I have them, that is). The twist with a girl not only being the game point honcho, but being the lead crook was unexpected, & I guess, a deliberate twist.moreless
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When Delko goes to his bank's ATM, the machine tells him his account is empty. When he speaks to the bank's manager a group of armed robbers enter the bank demanding money. Delko gets into a shootout with the robbers and kills one of them.moreless

8.2

By meathead704, Jun 15, 2008

Despite it's shortcomings, this episode turned out to be quite exciting and it kept my attention all the way to the end. One thing that makes this episode stand out in my memory is the reflection of today's culture. It's a very sad (even frightening) fact that many people devote their lives to playing video games day in and day out and letting the world pass them by. While the cases of people commiting crimes inspired by the games they play is very rare, it's more common that people would rather sit in their basements than do anything else. Sad.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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David Caruso	Lieutenant Horatio Caine
Emily Procter	Calleigh Duquesne
Adam Rodriguez	Eric "Delko" Delektorsky
Khandi Alexander	Chief Medical Examiner Alexx Woods
Jonathan Togo	Ryan Wolfe (Episodes 54+, Recurring Previously)

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Joel McHale	Greg Welch	Guest Star
Jerad Anderson	Glasses/Michael Page	Guest Star
Lea Moreno	Demon/Kim Mills	Guest Star
Rex Linn	Detective Frank Tripp	Recurring Role
Boti Bliss	Valera	Recurring Role
Brendan Fehr	Dan Cooper	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (4)
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- Joel McHale, the actor who plays the bank manager, is best known as the host of the popular program The Soup which airs on the cable channel E! Entertainment Televison.
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- Goof: There's an continuity error between the voice of the female gamer between the beginning of the episode and the brief recap towards the end, where it sounds clearly male at the beginning and clearly female towards the end.
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- Goof: Shouldn't Delko have been placed on leave after being involved in a shooting? He's evidence and a witness. He shouldn't have been working the case, at least not until his gun was cleared from shooting anyone but suspects.
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- There was no logical need for Ryan Wolfe to play the Urban Hellraisers videogame. The plot of a released videogame is not "proprietary," as claimed by the CEO. Ryan could have easily gone to a fan site (like our own sister site GameFAQs) to find where the game's levels take place. There would also have almost certainly been a commercially produced official strategy guide available at any bookstore.
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QUOTES (6)
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- Eric: Have you seen Peter Elliott?
  Ryan: Is that the federal guy with the salt-and-pepper hair? Yeah he poked his head in, wanted to get to the documents lab.
  Eric: And you sent him to the print lab instead, right?
  Ryan: Yeah, of course.
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- (Frank is bringing one of the players to the ER)
  Frank: (to the woman in the reception) I've got a medical GSW. Uniforms are with him in the waiting room. Take your time with him.
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- Michael: (about his gunshot wound) It hurts!
  Horatio: Real bullets are funny like that, Michael.
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- Gabe: With good behavior I'll be out in ten years. 30 is the new 20, chief.
  Horatio: Inventive.
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- Horatio: We're looking for your friend with the demon mask.
  Gabe: If I dime him out that's minus, what, five hundred points?
  Horatio: If you don't it's 25 to life.
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- Bank Teller: I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw them outside the door. Those masks . . . it's never Halloween at a bank.
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NOTES (4)
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- International Episode Titles:
  Brazil: O Assalto (The Robbery)
  Czech Republic: Hellraisers
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Czech Republic: April 15, 2008 on TV Nova
  Greece: November 4, 2008 on SKAI
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- Featured Music:
  
  The Tarantula by Pendulum
  Missing You by Jem
  Down with the Sickness by Disturbed
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- The ending of this episode was shown only on CBS.com with the tagline: a major secret is revealed.
  
  That secret is that there is a mole in the CSI lab feeding information to the press.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- At the hospital, Calleigh is worried about the health of Special Agent Peter Elliot and is asking him "You don't hurt anywhere else?". The latter answers: "I'm okay, Calleigh Nightingale."
  
  Elliot is referring to Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910). Florence Nightingale was a British nurse who was particularly concerned with the disgusting conditions of medical care for the numerous poor people of her time. In 1844, she became the leading advocate for improved medical aid in the hospitals. Furthermore, she also had an active role in the reform of the "Poor Laws", extending far beyond the issue of medical attention.
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- The videogame Urban Hellraisers is an obvious nod to Grand Theft Auto, a violent video game where you shoot police officers and commit crimes.
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