Somehow, David Bowie was singing in my head before I got down to watch the season finale of CSI.  I guess I prepared a little too much for these words I'm writing now, especially considering that I left everyone with the thought bubble about all the changes that happened to the Las Vegas crime lab just in this season alone.  I thought his song fits, and that's why I'm quoting it in this little ditty's title.

The ninth season was a very tumultuous time for the team in Las Vegas.  Warrick was shot dead, and Grissom, still reeling from Sara's sudden departure in the previous season, decided to leave.  The new people in the team also got their fair share of documentation, most especially that of Raymond Langston, the former physician turned college professor turned level one CSI.  I'm sure you've all seen the adjustments, the subtle (and not so) changes, the shifts in relationships and authority, and all those things that come with it.  I'm sure I'm written about it throughout the weeks I've been covering the show.



Off-screen, there's been a lot of questions, too.  I remember sitting inside the car, hearing the DJs on the radio discussing the news that Laurence Fishburne has taken the slot that William Petersen is leaving.  I remember my very first questions: would CSI work would Grissom?  Heck, he's been there for more than eight seasons--he is the show!  I've seen people watch with anticipation at how the show will deal with his departure (after all, CSI is an ensemble drama, and you still have Catherine, Nick and Robbins to deal with).  And then there are the people who've turned off entirely, thinking that losing too many familiar faces in one sitting would change the show entirely, and to their beliefs, for the worse.

Now that they've wrapped up CSI's ninth season, I'm glad to say that there is still something to watch out for.  The changes are, of course, one thing--the other newcomer, Riley, settle in; Nick and Greg doing good; hints of a Hodges-Wendy romance; Catherine and her new position as shift supervisor--but I realized that, after all this time, there's still so many things to cover.  Then again, CSI's done well with subtlety with regards to what the characters are, so it's no surprise that when we think we've known everything, well, here we go again.  It's like us investigating a crime, only nobody's dead.

Watching the season finale last night was just one of those things.  As expected, it centered on Langston and him using deadly force for the first time, something we saw in the last two minutes of the episode, when he shot a murder suspect dead.  There's been a lot of hints peppered throughout: the metal box sent to him, plus the exchange with Riley about him being too compassionate to potentially harmful suspects, among others.  It wasn't a cliffhanger, sure, but we ended with more questions, especially towards Langston.

He's the former physician--we saw that many times last night--who suddenly finds himself in a new position, as the enforcer of the law, regardless of what the result is.  It was striking, when he shot the suspect, and afterwards checked his pulse and slumped in despair upon realizing that he's dead.  I know, some will scoff with the idea of giving Fishburne lots of airtime--that's expected--but I think it's just perfect.  There are a lot of ways to deal with his past, and as we've seen in the past, it will affect not just his life, but the way he deals with his colleagues, and the way he deals with his cases, as well.

Another thing I actually appreciated was the way they actually hinted at the changes time will unwittingly throw at us.  After all, a television show--or a police team--can't remain static forever: people grow up and move on.  I don't know; I found it a little transcendental, the team dealing with the inevitable in the just-concluded season, and will continue to do so in the next.  Which explains the David Bowie lyric I just quoted.

So, is CSI going to survive without Grissom, like I asked earlier in the year?  Oh, definitely, and it seems we're all going in for another ride when the next season premieres in the fall.  Time's all we need, sure, to adjust to all that's happened, but fundamentally, CSI is still CSI.  Change of faces or otherwise, they'll all be doing the same thing.  For one, it's recaptured my interest in the show--I've watched from the beginning, albeit intermittently, from my teens to where I am right now--and I'm sure to be tuning in when it all happens again.  So, until then, and unless things happen, I'll see you on the tenth.




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