CSI Miami - Season 5 Part 1

Gadzooks! C.S.I, Miami has always been the most visually satisfying yet cliché-ridden of the C.S.I. franchise and it would seem that the writing team have resorted to increasingly desperate measures to keep interest levels up.

This set, the first half of Season 5, collects together the first 12 episodes of the season. The first of these opens in Rio with a string of unlikely happenings, bizarre coincidences and preposterous outcomes as Horatio takes on a new level of evil outside his own hood. Naturally a single swish of the sunglasses puts the world to rights, along with one of those philosophical one-liners, and it's not long till we're back in Miami. Not that the story-telling desperation stops there. We see episodes that mix models selling themselves at charity auctions with Al Qaeda-styled terrorists at work in the background(within a single episode); to a man that rises from the dead (in a voodoo filled episode) that culminates in a Scooby-Do like routine in a grave-yard. Then there's arms dealing biker gangs, bitchy male models killing each other off, and a decapitated stunt driver. The show even makes it to Iraq briefly in an effort to spread its slightly tired wings.



There are sub-plots a-plenty as well with an irritating cameraman following Mr. Wolfe as he does the rounds, eventually compromising a case as his sense of show-biz gets the better of him; and we see Trainee Natalia Boa Vista (Eva LaRue) being stalked by her abusive ex-husband who she is eventually accused of murdering. Whew!
If it all sounds ridiculous, well, it is but it's also ridiculously entertaining and looks absolutely spectacular too.



Of course, if you joined in the fun up till now then you'll know what to expect. And if David Caruso's pre-sunglasses off the nose one-liners make you cringe then Season 5 won't be for you either. And if startling coincidence, convenient evidence and preposterous plots don't float your boat then I'm pretty sure that Season five is no place to start. For the rest of us, that accept all the above and still can't resist the show, Season 5 (part one) is a real treat.
As ever, the visual grading and composition is top notch, beautifully directed, smartly cut and perfectly packaged, CSI Miami is a case study of what's possible filming video in a digital age. Despite having been shot on video, the film looks richer in colour than 'South Pacific' - almost hyper-real in texture.



When viewing a whole (or half) season in one gulp, you start to recognize the previously enjoyed high production chapter bridges, but it in no way spoils the fun. Every episode feels like major film production and even though there must be signs of careful budgeting somewhere in the season, it's cleverly disguised.



The video is in flawless 1.78:1 anamorphic and audio is Dolby 5.1; full of clever sound effects and perfectly selected music. (The Who's 'Won't get fooled again' proving to be a choice of genius for the opening credits). There's also an audio commentary on each of the discs, which means that the each disc houses four 50 minute episodes and one audio commentary a piece - without any noticeable impact on quality.

Each of the commentaries are very informative and for production anoraks provide some good background on how the show is constructed. The fact that much of it is shot in California is something of a revelation - with water-fronts often being added in post.
There's no doubt that if you have enjoyed and collected the series thus far that you'll want to add this set to your collection. Apart from some slightly over-blown plots, it's pretty much business as usual.

I devoured the set in about four sittings - and ended up shaking the packaging to see where the rest was. Splitting a season into two may make economic sense for the distributors but is slightly frustrating for the ardent fan.

Here's how the episodes look: (by overall episode number):

98. RIO
This episode runs straight out of the tail end of Season 4. Horatio and Eric are in Rio de Janeiro to hunt down Antonio Riaz, the man responsible for the hit on Marisol. While there, Horatio runs into Yelina and finds out that Raymond is missing again - and when he's found is not in very good shape. Well, dead actually. Just to add to the jaw-dropping sense of disbelief in this episode, Horatio learns Ray Jr (played by the kid from 'Surface') is a drug mule for Riaz and must find him before Riaz's crew does.

99. GOING UNDER
While transporting evidence back to the lab Calleigh is run off of the road into a canal (YEP - THOSE Alligator infused ones) and both she and the evidence get a good soaking. So the team must work to find new evidence and find the person responsible after they learn the biker gang is dealing high-tech weapons.

100. DEATH POOL 100
The body of a celebrity is found at an A-list party after a robbery. They soon discover that the murder is linked to a "death pool," where gambling occurs on an offshore ship run by the North Korean government. When investigation Horatio discovers that the payouts are made in counterfeit notes and that a young boy has been kidnapped and must race against time to save him.

101. IF LOOKS COULD KILL
After two male models are found dead the CSI's must work out the inner workings of the modeling world and find the reason for the inconsistent circumstances behind their deaths.

102. DEATH EMINENT
The body of a local politician is found in an empty house. The entire neighborhood was upset that he was backing the use of eminent domain, allowing the government to force them out of their homes.

103. CURSE OF THE COFFIN
When strange accidents occur in the lab, the CSI team is spooked during a death investigation involving voodoo. As Halloween is near everyone starts to think that the lab is cursed.

104. HIGH OCTANE
After an accident where the driver was decapitated during a dangerous stunt, the evidence leads the CSI's to believe it was more than an accident.

105. DARKROOM
A murder and kidnapping becomes personal when DNA from a crime scene reveals that Natalia's sister Anya is one of the kidnapped women they are looking for. The team finds a safe full of photos of missing women and they must find the photographer who was using his camera to lure the unsuspecting women.

106. GOING, GOING, GONE
After a young woman is found dead shortly after she was auctioned off for charity, the team finds that the woman was trying to uncover the true nature of the event's host. As the team delves deeper into the investigation they soon discover a larger plot that could put Miami in danger.

107. COME AS YOU ARE
A Marine recruiter is found dead on a civilian shooting range with various bullet holes in him. The team can fine no evidence of blood at the scene. The investigators uncover that the victim was dead before he was shot and that his body was pulled onto the range. As the case advances, Horatio determines the murder may be tied to the death of a marine in Iraq who was killed in combat. Natalia is shocked to learn that Nick asked Valera out and that she accepted.

108. BACKSTABBERS
When terror suspect Sonya Barak is targeted by her own people for assassination, she goes on the run, and Horatio sets out to capture her, both to protect her and bring her to justice.

109. INTERNAL AFFAIRS
After Nick is found to have been killed with all the evidence pointing to Natalia as the killer the rest of the team has been sidelined by the Internal Affairs investigation. Horatio with the help of the night shift lab and Calleigh's ex-boyfriend have to find the evidence to clear Natalia.