Post by nhmystix on Jan 23, 2009 15:42:10 GMT -6
Thursday, January 22, 2009
CSI's been running for nine years now, which roughly translates to hundreds of cases handled by the folks at the Las Vegas crime lab. And a lot's happened too—members have come and gone, either through the nearest exit or through more gruesome circumstances; personal and professional turmoil have come up at almost every turn; and whatever else you can imagine. But the formula's remained pretty constant throughout those years: the team has remained largely unchanged, with new members coming in at a pretty slow pace.
Obviously, that wasn't the case this year. Warrick (Gary Dourdan) was killed by a rogue cop at the start of this season. Sara (Jorja Fox) abruptly disappeared the season before that, in order for her to face her past. And last week, Grissom (William Petersen) finally said goodbye to the team—but not after a pretty complicated case, the entry of Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) to the team, and a heartwarming (or cheesy, you choose) reunion with Sara in some rainforest. In less than a year, the show's composition has changed considerably, and now that the face most identified with the show is leaving—if you noticed the opening titles to the last two episodes, you'll notice that Petersen's name is gone—the questions inevitably begin: would CSI still work?
Well, how can I guess? Sure, Grissom is the face of CSI. You can say he is the show itself. I'm actually thankful that he didn't leave under questionable circumstances—he was written off beautifully, although the moments in between felt pushed in (Greg's “thank you for putting me in the field” line, for instance). Surely that wipes the slate clean, and makes Fishburne's transition an easier one.
As for Fishburne himself, well, I think he will do good. When news of him getting the role for got to me, I'll admit, I was shocked, but more because I'm not used to seeing him in such a setting—like most of us I still see him as Morpheus in the Matrix films. This time, again, it's a matter of the transition being well done. Langston is not a carbon copy of Grissom; that alone should be obvious upon watching his first episodes. We know who he possibly is and all—a criminology professor whose past remains murky—and that ambiguity means he can do stuff without getting swayed by what preceded him. You can say his presence in the last two episodes was minimal. For me, it was just a matter of us viewers (and fans) getting used to having him around.
I've seen not a few fans that are apprehensive of Grissom's departure, for all the reasons one can think of. My line's simple: give the show a chance. Sure, it'll be different, but at least it's better than having a show stale with the same old formula. New people come to the team, and we've grown to love the dynamic that eventually developed. That's another chance right there—seeing another dynamic develop, between Langston and the rest of the team, between Langston and himself, between Langston and us.
And if the show gets cancelled soon—let's face it, CSI won't be around forever, and after nine years it could be sooner or later—don't blame it on Fishburne coming in. They did try, and I'm sure we're in for one heck of a ride the rest of this season, and all the seasons after. Tonight, let's see if it'll turn out for the best.
www.buddytv.com/articles/csi/now-gr...aspx?cf=1048576
CSI's been running for nine years now, which roughly translates to hundreds of cases handled by the folks at the Las Vegas crime lab. And a lot's happened too—members have come and gone, either through the nearest exit or through more gruesome circumstances; personal and professional turmoil have come up at almost every turn; and whatever else you can imagine. But the formula's remained pretty constant throughout those years: the team has remained largely unchanged, with new members coming in at a pretty slow pace.
Obviously, that wasn't the case this year. Warrick (Gary Dourdan) was killed by a rogue cop at the start of this season. Sara (Jorja Fox) abruptly disappeared the season before that, in order for her to face her past. And last week, Grissom (William Petersen) finally said goodbye to the team—but not after a pretty complicated case, the entry of Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) to the team, and a heartwarming (or cheesy, you choose) reunion with Sara in some rainforest. In less than a year, the show's composition has changed considerably, and now that the face most identified with the show is leaving—if you noticed the opening titles to the last two episodes, you'll notice that Petersen's name is gone—the questions inevitably begin: would CSI still work?
Well, how can I guess? Sure, Grissom is the face of CSI. You can say he is the show itself. I'm actually thankful that he didn't leave under questionable circumstances—he was written off beautifully, although the moments in between felt pushed in (Greg's “thank you for putting me in the field” line, for instance). Surely that wipes the slate clean, and makes Fishburne's transition an easier one.
As for Fishburne himself, well, I think he will do good. When news of him getting the role for got to me, I'll admit, I was shocked, but more because I'm not used to seeing him in such a setting—like most of us I still see him as Morpheus in the Matrix films. This time, again, it's a matter of the transition being well done. Langston is not a carbon copy of Grissom; that alone should be obvious upon watching his first episodes. We know who he possibly is and all—a criminology professor whose past remains murky—and that ambiguity means he can do stuff without getting swayed by what preceded him. You can say his presence in the last two episodes was minimal. For me, it was just a matter of us viewers (and fans) getting used to having him around.
I've seen not a few fans that are apprehensive of Grissom's departure, for all the reasons one can think of. My line's simple: give the show a chance. Sure, it'll be different, but at least it's better than having a show stale with the same old formula. New people come to the team, and we've grown to love the dynamic that eventually developed. That's another chance right there—seeing another dynamic develop, between Langston and the rest of the team, between Langston and himself, between Langston and us.
And if the show gets cancelled soon—let's face it, CSI won't be around forever, and after nine years it could be sooner or later—don't blame it on Fishburne coming in. They did try, and I'm sure we're in for one heck of a ride the rest of this season, and all the seasons after. Tonight, let's see if it'll turn out for the best.
www.buddytv.com/articles/csi/now-gr...aspx?cf=1048576
