Review of C.S.I. Miami 3.2

Introduction

According to a poll published in the Radio Times (5-11 August 2006), CSI: Miami is the most watched TV show in the world. And you don`t need a crack team of forensic investigators to figure out why.

What`s amazing is that you`d have thought that the CSI franchise would have run out of steam by now. After all, it`s pretty formulaic stuff. Crime, followed by investigation, followed by twist in investigation, followed by arrest. That`s the self-same structure regardless of whether it`s set in NY, Las Vegas or Miami. The weird thing is that it simply hasn`t.

It`s easy to see why the show continues to top the ratings. Its appeal is exactly that which makes Sherlock Holmes so compelling. Dastardly crime thwarted by good logical, scientific intelligence. Throw in a dash of soap-like personal conflict for continuity and you have an almost perfect entertainment formula.
In case you`ve been living on mars for the last five or six years, CSI: Miami is a spin-off from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, first airing in 2002. Since that time its popularity has been reflected in an endless stream of awards (including prestigious Emmys), as well as monumental DVD sales.

Unsurprisingly, the series is set in Miami, Florida, and features a hot team of forensic investigators led by the low-voiced, moody to the point of melancholic, Lieutenant Horatio Caine (David Caruso - NYPD Blue).
Season 3 (and this set represents the second part of that season) is most notable for the writing out of one key character (Tim Speedle, shot down in the line of duty when his gun fails) and the introduction of a new character, Ryan Wolfe (Jonathan Togo), who certainly manages to breathe some new life into the series, bringing in some personal tension with rest of the team during this second half of the season.

But for all of that, it`s Caruso who`s the star of this show, playing the ultra-cool Lieutenant Horatio Caine. His corny, deadpan delivery takes some getting used to, as does his propensity to stand at the scene of every investigation like a prison guard with his sunglasses on and both hands held at his sides. His silky `voice-over man` speech is reminiscent of Clint Eastwood, always delivered with a calm menace. He`s portrayed as a tough guy full of moral fibre, but with a soft heart too. Though he shows no exterior signs of upset, his eyes betray the enormous sadness he often feels for the victims of the crimes he investigates, and possibly for the tragedy of life itself.

As mentioned in one of the extras on this disc, perhaps the intensely moralistic core of the show is one of the key reasons for its popularity. The hole team is unshakably straight.

Another aspect of the show that helps make it so damned entertaining is that, unlike real life, the forensic geeks here are allowed to be tough cops too. All equally glamorous, these cool-cats kick ass both in the lab and out. West Wing`s Emily Proctor plays one of Caruso`s closest sidekicks in the show, Calleigh Duquesne, and typifies this unique mix of natural glamour, hard-nosed toughness and sharp intellect.

Again, unlike their UK real-life counterparts, there`s never any bungling, no sick leave, no inappropriate sexism or racism - just brilliant efficiency. These guys don`t need four years to track down a serial killer, 42 minutes will do just fine.

The stories are always inventive (how can the creative well ever run dry with so many real life cases for inspiration?) and are often complex, occasionally intertwining two separate plots into a single episode, whilst gently running a further sub-plot from previous episodes underneath.

So what can you look forward to in the second half of Series 3?
Highlights include an incredible feature-length double-episode (`Nothing to Lose`) which features incredible fires in the Everglades, Alligators and some spectacular boat chases. The production values on this episode alone look like an expensive feature film.

There`s also a surprise appearance from that teen idol from Disney`s `High School Musical` (Zac Efron) which will please any teenage daughter`s in your family.

There`s also a bit more `sex` than we`ve been used to here, with two episodes featuring illicit encounters, and a greater emphasis on psychological crime than in previous seasons.

There`s also an episode featuring identity theft, another with an exploding aeroplane and counterfeit money, one with a stolen police badge, one featuring a computer games company (exploiting their workforce and possibly inspired by blog allegations by EA workers).and a whole lot more. Incredibly entertaining.

There are also a couple of jaw-dropping revelations too about the team and their personal lives - which I won`t spoil here.

Video

A nice anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen transfer. The stylised digital video enhancements (a noticeable film-like shudder) gets occasionally irritating but generally doesn`t get in the way too much. It`s remarkably crisp and satisfying despite having been through the usual NTSC to PAL transfer journey which the most discerning eyes may see manifesting as a slight loss of clarity in some of the interiors. Those familiar with the series will already know about the almost documentary like camera wobble, and the shocking illustrative detail close-ups that play out the CSI suppositions in full. It all works fantastically and it`s hard to imagine how it could look much better.

Audio

The soundtrack work on CSI: Miami is absolutely superb. Its use of lovely close dialogue sound, perfectly selected soundtrack (I love the use of The Who`s `You won`t get fooled again` in the titles for example. Inspired!) and perfect Foley effects make it really thrilling to watch.

Features

As usual with these sets, some nice featurettes and an informative commentary (on `Whacked`).

The most jaw dropping of these is the `Location: Coast to Coast` piece which reveals that the bulk of the programme is actually shot on the West Coast, in sight of the Hollywood Hills! This gives a new meaning to `we`ll sort it in Post (Production)` - `rotascoping` has now meant that it`s often less expensive to film in one location and then cut out all the skylines (with tell-tale hills etc), replacing them with more appropriate ones. Unbelievable!

There`s also a fairly dreary real-life forensic examiner talking through how close to reality much of the science is within the show, but also revealing how different the characters involved in it probably are to the sparkling cast of CSI: Miami.

`Delivering the Goods` is a nice little featurette featuring the series writers and crew talking about how they manage to keep pulling it out the bag, despite the well always feeling empty by the end of each season. At 12 minutes this is just long enough to feel part of the team.

Conclusion

Despite being a spin-off of a popular show with two seasons under its own belt too, the second half of CSI: Miami Season Three is actually very good indeed.
Sure they`re formulaic, but no more so than, say, Sherlock Holmes, a natural predecessor for the series with its dastardly crimes solved through cold forensic objectivity and intuitive ingenuity.

Lieutenant Horatio Caine himself is a charismatic, if corny, main man, stylistically more akin to Steve McGarret (Hawaii Five-O) than Holmes. His approach steadily grows on you, and he lends the show much of the continuity and glue that holds these episode-long stories together.

It`s all stylishly delivered, with a great transfer and packed with high-octane action and movie level production value. (Check out that episode set amongst the Everglades!).