Review of C.S.I. Miami 1.2

Introduction

A beautifully filmed and stylish homicide procedural series from the Jerry Bruckheimer stable, starring David Caruso as Crime Scene Investigator Horatio Caine. If like me you`re a bit of an old-fashioned murder mystery fan and you can`t quite get into the strong meat of shows like Taggart, Prime Suspect or Cracker, this show might just win you over to the genre.

This set includes the second twelve episodes of the series and more adventures of the brilliant, hardworking detectives of the Miami-Dade Crime Scene Investigation team. The team is headed by the gloriously named Horatio Caine, played by David Caruso (formerly of NYPD Blue. He was also Kit-Kat in cult adventure flick Hudson Hawk). His second-in-command is Megan Donner, DNA specialist played by Kim Delaney. Donner is returning to the team after six months` bereavement leave. Ballistics expert Calleigh Duquene is played by Emily Procter. Eric Delko and Tim Speedle (played by Adam Rodriguez and Rory Cochrane respectively) are lab wizards and expert evidence collectors, and the team is rounded off by medical examiner Alexx Woods, played by Khandi Alexander, who has an alarming tendency to talk to her work.

Picking up with the thirteenth episode of the series, "Bunk" probes the mysterious asphyxiation death of a man who went into a neighbour`s house to retrieve his cat. On the other side of town, a retirement home is the venue of a vicious attack on one of the residents.

Episode 14 "Forced Entry" features the discovery of a man suffocated by a gag while tied to his bed in a sexual assault. Investigating the murder of a funeral director, the team discover a number of uncremated remains.

Episode 15 "Dead Woman Walking" features a lawyer dealing in environmental cases who has only days to live after ingesting radioactive material. Horatio and the team have to track down the killer.

Episode 16 "Evidence of Things Unseen" - a stripper witnesses the murder of her client in the peepshow booth.

Episode 17 "Simple Man" - Horatio is given new evidence that will clear a man he is about to testify against, but if it is true, then there is a serial killer on the loose.

Episode 18 "Dispo Day" - Speedle is shot when a consignment of confiscated drugs is hijacked on the way to the incinerator. Then the CSI team themselves come under suspicion for tipping off the gang who carried off the heist.

Episode 19 "Double Cap" - a woman is executed by a hotel pool with two shots to the head. Horatio`s investigation takes a complicated turn when both the FBI and the US Marshals take an interest.

Episode 20 "Grave Young Men" - Searching for a missing boy, the team turn up the body of another youngster and find themselves working to prevent another tragedy. Meanwhile, Speedle`s investigation of an asphyxiation victim is hampered by the victim`s girlfriend.

Episode 21 "Spring Break" - Miami attracts thousands of holidaymaking youngsters on Spring Break, and inevitably a few of them go home in wooden boxes. A teenage girl is found on the beach with a broken neck and bite marks on her legs, and in a separate incident the body of a young man is discovered at the bottom of a swimming pool - only he was dead before he entered the water.

Episode 22 "Tinder Box" This episode was pulled in Rhode Island because of similarities with the nightclub fire that claimed nearly a hundred clubbers when a deejay`s pyrotechnics display started a blaze. In this episode, the fire is deliberate in order to cover up a murder. In a separate job, Horatio investigates the death of a prostitute in the bathroom of a judge.

Episode 23 "Freaks and Tweaks" The CSI team narrowly escape injury while investigating the death of a man in a barn when the structure is destroyed by an explosion. Horatio becomes emotionally involved in the case when the suspect turns out to have known his dead brother.

Episode 24 "Body Count" Dangerous criminals escape the State Correctional Facility as CSI investigates the murder of an inmate. With victims already selected and intent on mayhem, the killers have to be apprehended as soon as possible. For Horatio, the priority is to get the pervert he caught in the earlier episode "Chosen" (about the murder of a small girl at a playgroup).

Video

A gorgeous, colourful 16:9 anamorphic widescreen picture that frequently takes advantage of the Miami scenery. The show is impeccably transferred to disc with zero artefacts.

Audio

The show boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix of cinematic standard. The episodes are frequently scored with rock music.

Features

As with the first set, the extras are not extensive but are interesting. Disc One contains a suite of clips about "Production Of Handling Evidence". These give an overview of forensic methodologies using clips from the show. Disc Two offers a commentary track for the episode "Dispo Day", and a three-minute Autopsy Theater Tour hosted by Khandi Alexander. Disc Three offers a similar two-minute Gun Lab Tour with Emily Procter, and a commentary track for "Freaks and Tweaks".

Conclusion

I`m a sucker for a good murder mystery, and CSI Miami fits all the bills. Like many modern homicide procedurals, the backbone of the show is forensic science, often to the point of semi-Trekkian technobabble. The Ew or Ick factor of the show is typically high, so it`s no Miss Marple outing, but compared to some of our home-grown product, it isn`t hardcore grue. By this second set of twelve episodes, the show has found its feet proper and is showing great promise for the future.