The thing with having two new episodes air back-to-back is, you don't really have much time to think about things.  To make things complicated, what CSI: NY just did was quite heavy: yesterday's episode provided a closure to the Greek artifact plot twist and a glance at Stella's (Melina Kanakaredes) past, while tonight's episode would finally provide an answer--and quick--to that season-long question, about the member of the team who dies.  So, in a fit of hurriedness, I'll try writing about both of them here.  This shouldn't be hard.

First, last night's episode was a nice way to close the case that saw Stella go beyond what she should be doing as an NYPD officer.  I could've have imagined another reason for Mac (Gary Sinise) to be angry, very angry, after finding that she still pursued the case--and that it's gone more complicated than both of them initially expected.  Sure, I was wondering how this would affect her in the long run, and wondered why that question got quickly tossed when the evidence started stacking up.  Nevertheless, it was quite an interesting way of wrapping it up: a mix of ancient Greek geekiness and personal strife.  I didn't expect it to end up tackling Stella's past, much more than the professor is her dad!  Or so it was implied.  Must be Kanakaredes' writing.


The other significant factor in last night's episode?  Lucy, the "CSI baby".  I absolutely didn't expect her to be in the lab so early, and all while daddy Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) and mommy Lindsay (Anna Belknap) are working on the evidence.  It looked cute when Danny had the baby suit on while explaining his findings--an unexpected crossing of paths for two stories that you didn't expect together, and considering that we'd later find out that Stella's story is quite serious.

Now that's done with, there's tonight's season finale, and we all know what's going to happen--as the team escorts Robert Dunbrook's (guest star Craig T. Nelson) son to court for his arraignment, a team of kidnappers ambush the convoy, killing a member of the team in the process.  Over the past few weeks I've played with so many of these possibilities, and what's frustrating about guessing who'll die is when it seems they won't be.

I actually thought it'd be Hawkes (Hill Harper) first, because of the way the show's been exposing a lot about his character over this season.  Then again, I don't think he'd be out in the field.  I thought it would be Danny, he of quick temper and impulsive tendencies--after all, it'd be an interesting story, seeing Lindsay raise Lucy alone, right?  Could be.  He isn't in any of the official finale photos CBS released.  Same goes for Flack (Eddie Cahill), although for some reason I don't think it'd be him.  I remember hearing his voice in the teaser promo last week.

Lately most of you've been pointing at Angell (Emmanuelle Vaugier) as a possible casualty.  Could be--a nice way to deprive Flack of a love affair, and give him an important story to deal with in the next season.  While speculation and supposed truth point towards that, I'm wondering how the death of a character we don't often see would affect everyone.  The writers and producers did reveal that this event will affect the team so much, it'd even power the sixth season of the show.  I'm still guessing it should hit closer to home.  But, bah, we've got less than a day to guess.

CSI: NY's season finale airs tonight from 10pm on CBS, immediately after the CSI finale, which--in case you're curious--sees the new newbie (as opposed to the old newbie, natch) use deadly force for the first time.  The photos, in case you haven't seen them, are right below.




-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of CBS)