Ah, the days of the rat pack; a slick looking suit, a shot of brandy in the bottom of a short tumbler, a subtle beat, a fedora set rakishly to the side, and of course the amazing precision and accuracy of shooting someone in the heart and head...wait, what? It’s Ocean’s .22...ok, maybe it’s not quite so dated, but this week’s episode, Smooth Criminal, was definitely an homage to the idea of the bad boy who isn’t all the he seems. There was science, mystery, emotion, and there had been a dash of DL then I would have gladly given this episode 5 out of 5!
Just because writers of CSI:NY aren’t bored by writing the same thing over and over again, doesn’t me I’m not. It is really difficult to review the same thing week after week, and since the show has been so bogged down in stale, repetitive stories and narratives, I’ve been stuck on the same review cycle. This week, however, is a breath of fresh air! I have to be honest, since the episode is credited to writer Aaron Rahsaan Thomas--he doesn’t have the greatest track record-- I was prepared to suffer through trite dialogue, poorly constructed plot, and unimpressive story telling. Imagine my surprise when I found myself actually enjoying this episode. Yes, the dialogue left a bit to be desired, and yes Thomas suffers from adolescent like immaturity in his writing, but it was all forgivable when combined with a decent episode. Thomas doesn’t know the meaning of the word subtle, preferring to hit us over the head with each point that he wants made, but thanks to Scott White’s competent directing those points were presented in a creative way. White’s previous venture into the show was for Dead Reckoning, an episode I thought was rather well done. He didn’t disappoint in his second time behind the wheel. The opening sequence was, quite frankly, really cool. Watching The Handsome Man --a ridiculous name and testament to Thomas’ need to get out of his creative writing workshop mentality--(Guest star Ne-Yo) pull out his gun and with amazing precision take out three guys in quick succession as the beats of the song pound around the room, and interspersed with well used slow motion, helped me forget the stilted conversation between him and Camille (Lesley-Ann Brandt), and definitely got my attention. White efficiently added tension to the story as well. Interspersing the two scenes where Flesser (yes, I went there, because I’m massively irritated by their constant man love) knocks on the door and the apartment manager knocks on the door was brilliant. I know it isn’t a new tactic, but I can’t argue that it didn’t work. I fell for it. White also ensured there was an element of emotion. I know it meant ending the episode with Mac and Jo...again (my tone is of course one of long suffering) but I thought it was more effective to show Hawkes and Camille from a distance. That way we aren’t forced to listen to Thomas’ poor writing, but instead are able to witness Hill Harper’s acting ability. It was easy to believe there was affection between Hawkes and his lady friend, because Harper’s face was perfect. White prefers showing emotion through action--Lindsay witnessing Danny standing and holding Lucy last season was done with zero dialogue. It was a pretty powerful moment, and one of my favorites. They need to hold onto White and use him more often!
I am not for stunt casting, and am not too impressed with the show’s attempts in the past to incorporate non-actors into the show, but I will say that Ne-Yo, while he isn’t headed to any Emmy or Oscar nominations soon, fulfilled the requirements for the role. The guy’s got mad “smolder” skills! It was a bit of a rocky start, but once he got into it, I found myself enjoying watching him. It’s easy to hate a bad guy, which is why when I don’t hate a bad guy I am impressed. I had to keep reminding myself that this guy was a murder, because I just liked him too much. He had character, panache, and was a killer with a tender side. He played it beyond the cliche and sold the idea well. I was disappointed when he was arrested at the end, because I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. It was interesting that we were allowed so much time with the killer. Normally we are allowed a glimpse into their lives, or it is only at the interrogation at the end that we even face our killer, but this episode we got to know him a bit. It was a departure from the typical format, and that is something the show desperately needed. It has been so redundant of late, that I rather enjoyed the new perspective.
I was a bit distracted when I watched the episode the first time and that may be why, but I was a a little surprised by the reveal. I wasn’t expecting the good Dr. Kumi (Adrienne Barbeau) to be the culprit, and I appreciate having Camille’s involvement to be left so ambiguous throughout the episode. This gave Hawke’s (and Harper) a great chance to shine. And even more exciting than that was the use of the science. Where last week’s episode was embarrassingly void of what our CSIs actually do, this one effectively included a great deal of unraveling the tale by discovering clues through science.
This is the first episode, since the beginning of the season, that I would be willing to rewatch. I desperately need my DL fix, but this episode was at least closer to the success of previous seasons.
Highlight: Believable character interaction. Hawkes asking Mac for permission to participate in the investigation was a necessity, and a small example of actual, real character interaction. Not the superfluous, empty interactions we’ve been forced to suffer through this season.
Guilty Pleasure: A man in a fedora!
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