Blink

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired

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8.7
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The team finds three young women, all of whom appear to have been brutalized in the same way. With a possible serial killer on hand, the only witness they have is the one of the three who survived, but she can only communicate through blinking. Photographs found at one of the crime scenes lead the team to a couple that had sponsored one of the victims, the boyfriend who claims he hasn't spoken to her in weeks, and the owner of one of the buildings a photo was taken from.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (25)

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  • An excellent series beginning.

    9.7
    "Superb"
    By coolceruleanblu, Oct 16, 2010
    In an attempt to "catch up" so to speak on CSI NY I am watching the previous seasons. I know many did not like the darker grittier side of CSI:NY, but I find it intriguing. I love the play with lighting, how dark it makes it feel. How the light streaming in through the windows makes everything seem churchlike. This episode happens to be one of the only I had seen on a prior occasion.

    The story is interesting and what's more interesting is that this series starts off with a serial. Or what seems to be a serial. Of course little do they know the dead bodies are mere failed experiments. Had he succeeded the first time, there would not be this problem. This begs the question, what if he had succeeded the first time. It's disturbing to think that had not the first two been dumped they would never have found out, because these women simply "disappeared." The fact that he did it in a cab made it all the creepier: one is always skeptical about the privately owned car services, but one under the TLC? The psychological aspect of this episode was amazing as well. This man thought he was doing a noble thing. At least he convinced himself he was. It is an interesting look into the why's of murder. (A stark contrast to the beginning of CSI: Las Vegas where Grissom only cared about the how and still a contrast to the episode where Brass comments that the world is very chaotic and sometimes random- and why just isn't an issue.)

    All in all I think this episode depicts a promising series, a series I believe fulfills its promise. One of my favorite scenes of this episode has to be in the morgue where they are pulling the body up so the husband can "view" it.moreless

  • Great start to my favourite show!!!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By BeccaSunshine, May 05, 2010
    I just watched the very first episode (without the backdoor pilot)of CSI:NY on DVD. Here in Germany season 5 is on TV right now.

    I gotta say it's kinda weird going back to the beginning. It's all so different now. First of all I gotta say I'm glad that they don't have those very blue filters on the camera anymore. I didn't like them but I think, they used them only in this episode. They felt so unreal.

    The lab and the morgue were in that factory-like building. I kinda liked it because it was so different from CSI and CSI:Miami. And I liked the viewing room in the morgue with the elevator for the family to look at the body. But I gotta admit that the new offices since season 2 look better and makes it look so much brighter and not so creepy anymore. I just wish they still had the viewing room.

    The characters:

    Although Lindsay is my favourite girl on the show I kinda miss Aidan sometimes. She was so funny and tough and had great chemistry with Danny. It's not really visible in this episode yet, but they had a nice scene while processing the bed room in that creepy house.

    My absolute favourite is Don Flack since the beginning, but he had really bad hair in this episode and throughout the whole first season. I liked his quips, when they talked to Jason, the boyfriend of the Russian girl. The friendship between him and Danny is set up in this episode when they were talking about playing basketball together again.

    I was a little surprised to see Dr. Giles. I have to admit that I've forgotten all about him. I think he just appeared in a few episodes and is in my opinion no loss.

    Hawkes is still ME and I just love how Hill Harper brings him to life. He's so great at showing that Hawkes just loves his job and is very curious about everything. It's shown in this episode that Hawkes has a room in the morgue with a bed and he sleeps there sometimes. I think, it fits so great into the character of Sheldon Hawkes.

    It's so unbelievable how much the character of Mac Taylor changed from season 1 to season 5 and it's such a natural change. Just great. It's obvious in this episode that he still struggles a lot with the loss of his wife Claire on 9/11. It starts with him in church and it's told that he can't sleep. You can see that this is a hard case for him and that he identifies with the husband of the first victim. And I'll always remember the scene in the hospital where he opens up to the braindead victim and tells her about the beachball with his wifes breathe in it. That was so heart-breaking and a really great idea from the writers. The ending at Ground Zero was very sad, too. It was a great end to a very good episode. But all that wouldn't have worked without Gary Sinise. He plays the grief and the anger (in interrogation with the Russian) so good. I don't think another actor could've played Mac Taylor better. We also learn in this episode that he was a Marine and was in Scandinavia during this time.

    There's no Adam yet. He's really missing.

    The first thing I noticed about Stella was her longer hair in comparison to now. I liked the longer hair better but that's not important. First thing we learn about her is that she listens to the police radio in the shower. That's so Stella. Mac and her are old friends and she is very worried about him throughout the episode. I love the chemistry between Stella and Mac. She cares a lot about him and tries to help him and cheer him up.

    The story (Spoilers):

    This episode was very creepy but had interesting medicine. I never knew that there is such a thing as 'Locked-In-Syndrome' and I can't think of many worse things than that. Must be a nightmare. The Russian guy who turned out to be the perp was frightening and a real psycho. The whole scene where they find the surviving victim in that house was so eerie and reminded me of some horror movies. Great work from the camera crew and the production designers. The only thing that was a bummer to me and reason why this episode didn't get a 10 was the scene where Mac 'interrogates' the victim in the hospital. It was interesting but with the blinking there should've been a way to get her name. Mac just shows her photos of suspects which didn't help at all in the investigation and in the end she's still a Jane Doe. I was very sad when I heard that she's braindead.
    All in all it was a very serious and dark episode. I missed some jokes from Danny, Don or Aiden and I'm glad that the show became lighter. This episode didn't feel so much as a CSI-show as the other CSIs and would have fit well into 'Profiler' case-wise.
    But it was a great start to the best CSI-show of the franchise and my favourite show on television!!!moreless

  • Pilot episode of a new CSI series.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By DantanaMM, Mar 26, 2009
    Very interesting way to start off a new series. Two girls, appeared to be strangled by the same person. Eventually, it all leads to an abandoned house where the team finds another woman, still alive, but paralyzed from the eyes down. An irreversible condition known as "Locked-In Syndrome." Rather interesting character development for a pilot episode. Mac Taylor, ex-Marine and head of the crime lab, had a wife named Claire, who was killed in the 9/11 attacks. Her body was never found, and it still troubles him to this day. Sort of like the woman they found. She has a stroke, and ends up in a vegetative state, and remains a Jane Doe.moreless

  • The true story behind this episode is rather chilling and creepy, something that seems more suited for a horror movie or survival-horror game than an episode of *CSI: NY*. Even if this spin-off *is* the somewhat darker one.moreless

    7.0
    "Good"
    By SVelasquez, Mar 08, 2009
    This episode is the first season premiere episode and is one of the few episodes filmed in a blue light. The blue light only adds to intensify the coldness and creepiness of this episode. Even with a dark, cold storyline, viewers get treated to some inside moments into how Mac Taylor operates and what affects him. The episode primarily focuses on the manhunt for a serial killer who "locks" his victims into their own bodies. The crimes themselves start to take a toll on Mac Taylor who is affected by the sight of a wedding ring on the first victim, the idea that she was married seeming to another person seeming to remind him of how he felt when he lost his wife Claire in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

    While rather creepy, this episode is also the first episode with Eddie Cahill as the role of Det. Don Flack, Jr., and is littered with memorable moments. The first scene after the credits is a cute moment in and of itself between Danny and Stella when she replies to his "Good morning, dear" comment with her own witty "Do I have a tail back there?" Another wonderful moment was Aiden's "Bring it."

    The new character of Don Flack who is introduced in this episode also brings some great moments to the show such as his comment to one of the rather disrespectful suspects by saying "Alright, lemme arrest him for swearing on his grandmother."

    As stated before, this case overall feels better suited for a horror movie with the creepy settings and dark locations. However, the ending shot is much less creepy than the storyline. However I will not say that it is less depressing.

    The ending shot is that of Ground Zero where the Twin Towers used to stand. It's a reminder that we should never forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001.moreless

  • The CSI team faces a psychopath who tries to "lock" women inside their own body. He kills two of the women while perfecting his "craft".

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Chanouel, Aug 06, 2008
    The tone is set for this second spin-off of the CSI franchise. It's New York, it's fast paced, it's dark and gloomy. The use of grey and blue tones is predominant, bathing everything is shadows. The crime lab and the medical examiner's office look like something right out of medieval times.

    The case itself is the perfect choice for a first episode. The manner in which these women are killed is sick and twisted. A psychopath trying to lock women inside their own bodies! The idea that this paralysis can voluntarily be induced sends shivers down my spine, not to mention the fact that it's irreversible. It's just the kind of twisted case they needed to make people want to come back the next week.

    Usually, a pilot episode will give information on all the characters, establishing backgrounds and relationships. Surprisingly, as the pilot episode for CSI NY, Blink is mainly focused on detective Mac Taylor, with the other characters simply orbiting around him. Mac Taylor is haunted by the memory of his deceased wife. It is made very clear her death on 9/11 defines who he is today and how he approaches life and his work.

    Three scenes stand out in my opinion.
    The first one being Mac processing the victim in the hospital. The professionalism he demonstrates, the immense respect he shows the victim, the thoroughness in his processing, his intensity are all qualities that explain why he is the head of the NYC crime lab.

    The second scene is the monologue scene, where Mac confides in the third victim. This particular scene attests to Gary Sinise's immense talent as an actor. The intensity with which he delivers that speech, without any actions, just the camera on his face, is remarkable. And the now famous line which never fails to bring tears to my eyes: "Her breath is still in there".

    Finally the third scene is the final one, shot at Ground Zero. Again, a tribute to Sinise's talent, this time, without words, only body language and facial expressions, he manages to convey the pain and the grief of losing a loved one in such a tragic event as 9/11. Also, the scene was beautifully shot, with the camera zooming in on Mac's face and then zooming out until we are shown the huge area that is Ground Zero. What makes this scene even more unique is that it was the first time (and if I'm not mistaken, the only time) that a film crew was allowed to shoot at Ground Zero. Blink would not have been the same without that final scene. You have to give credit to Mr. Zuiker for pulling that one off.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (8)

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    • Goof: When analyzing the photograph, Mac starts by inputing the victim's height as a reference point. However, she is bending over to blow the kiss, which would make her several inches shorter, and throw their location distance analysis off significantly.

    • Goof: When Mac shows the picture of a suspect to the paralyzed woman, she freaks out and her fingers move, even though she was supposed to only be able to blink. Note: She was having a stroke at the moment, which causes involuntary movements all across the body.

    • Goof: When the team enter the basement of the house in Queens, the record player lifts off its needle to move, silencing the sound briefly. However, the music starts again slightly before the needle hits the record.

    • In the backdoor pilot, MIA/NYC - NonStop, Danny Messer is seen always wearing a tie and never wearing glasses. However, in almost every following episode of CSI: NY, the opposite is true.

    • Mac's wife, Claire, died in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001.

    • Goof: Zoya's address is listed as Weyburn Street. There is no Weyburn Street in New York City. But there is a Weyburn Road in Brooklyn. The file Stella is reviewing just says 'Weyburn" and gives no indications of whether this means 'street' 'avenue' etc. The file also states Brooklyn, NY.

    • Goof: Bonasera mentions that the first victim's body was found near The River Café. At the beginning of the episode, when the body is found, it is shown to have been found under the Manhattan Bridge. However, The River Café is located under the Brooklyn Bridge, not the Manhattan Bridge. However, The River Café lies between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. So even though it lies right next to the Brooklyn one, the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge are close enough to each other in Brooklyn that saying it was near The River Café isn't that strange since it's a huge landmark.

    • Goof: Cab fares in New York City begin at $2.50 when the meter is started, not $2.00 as seen in the episode. However, when this episode was filmed, the cab fare was $2.00. The fare hike happened a few months before it aired, which would explain the discrepancy.

  • QUOTES (14)

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    • (Mac discovers a wedding ring on a dead girl) Mac: Someone out there is missing a wife.

    • Danny: You hear about that body? Stella: The one by the River Cafe? Yeah, I caught it on the police portable when I was in the shower. Danny: (smiling) Why doesn't that surprise me? Stella: The job never stops, Danny.

    • Aiden: Dr. Hawkes was dead on, the wife inhaled something she shouldn't have… "fry sticks". Mac: Laced cigarettes.

    • (Mac, Danny and Aiden board a garbage barge in search of evidence) Mac: It's our job to sift and isolate the garbage from the evidence. Danny: What's the dimensions on the barge. Mac: About 140 by 38 feet. Danny: About half the size of a football field. Aiden: My kit's fully stocked, bring it!

    • Mac: (to Ivanov) I guess when Zoya asked you to take care of her, paralyzing her from the eyes down wasn't what she had in mind… was it doctor?

    • Mac: (sitting next to the comatosed woman) I'm so tired. I used to sit like this with my wife. Her name was Claire. She died on 9/11. Nobody saw it coming. I was cleaning out the closet the other day, and I... I found this beach ball. And I remembered it was my wife who blew it up. I never told anybody this, but I got rid of everything that reminded me of Claire. Too painful. The one thing I couldn't throw away was that beach ball. Her breath is still in there.

    • Mac: Why? Stella: What? Mac: Why, Stella, why does he do it? What's the connection? Why does he lock women inside their own bodies?

    • Mac: (to Bogdhan Ivanov) You're not a doctor. You're a murderer with a medical degree.

    • Mac: You know what they say about men who study too much data. Dr. Giles: They become a statistic? Mac: Something like that.

    • Danny: Hey, mind if I swab him, Flack? Flack: Be my guest. You won't have any problem gettin' his mouth open. He won't shut up. Danny: I'd like to take a buccal swab for a DNA sample. It'll only take a second. Open up. (Carson Silo – the homeowner shakes his head) Danny: Sir, open up your mouth, please. (Silo continues to shake his head.) Danny: Sir! Flack: Open your mouth, Mr. Silo. You like things with soft tips in your mouth, am I right? Silo: Hey, that's harassment ... oh! (Danny grabs Mr. Silo's chin and takes the swab. Detective Flack stands up.) Danny: Thank you. (Danny caps the swab and heads to leave.) Danny: Hoops on Saturday, Flack. Don't forget. (exits)

    • (Danny and Aiden go through a suspect's apartment) Danny: No pictures, no personal effects, not a partial, nothing. What's this guy live in, gloves? Aiden: (shining blacklight on a sheet with semen traces) I'm gettin' all kinds of love over here. Danny: I think he got tipped off. Aiden: I think he got off.

    • (Flack is talking to the second vic's boyfriend.) Jason Parnell: I never saw that house in my life. I swear on my grandmother. Flack: Alright, let me arrest him for swearing on his grandmother.

    • Stella: What time did you get in? Mac: I never went home. Stella: Can't sleep? Mac: What's sleep?

    • Danny: Good morning, dear. Stella: Do I have a tail back there? Danny: Sorry. Good morning, Stella. Stella: Better.

  • NOTES (13)

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  • ALLUSIONS (2)

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    • Danny: Fry sticks are the new date-rape drug. Three puffs, down goes Frazier. When Foreman knocked Frazier to the mat in their boxing match on January 22, 1973, ABC's sports journalist Howard Cosell yelled out "Down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier". This became one of the most famous lines in sports history.

    • The plot for this episode is almost identical to the Mark Billingham's novel, Sleepyhead.

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