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Preview: Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE EVER-POPULAR CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
makes a welcome return to DVD with the first 12 episodes of Season
Four.
Surprisingly perhaps, for a series that has spawned two spin-offs
(CSI: Miami and CSI:
New York), its appeal shows no sign of waning. So, just what
is it that keeps audiences tuning in?
Storylines undoubtedly figure highly. Strong, frequently with
a daring mix of the macabre and the downright bizarre, CSI
has taken the whodunnit to a whole new dimension.
Scenes that only a few years ago would have been unthinkable,
spare viewers none of the harsh reality of sudden and brutal death.
Yet far from simply satisfying morbid curiosity, CSI delves
into the fascinating world of forensic science, piecing together
puzzles that, more often than not, are anything but what they
seem.
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In this, Season Four is no exception.
In fact, two episodes borrow heavily from actual cases. In After
the Show, it's the murder of Linda Sobek, a case solved by
Elizabeth Devine, CSI's consulting producer who was a
crime scene investigator in her own right.
While Coming of Age bears remarkable similarities to
the Jason Sweeney murder in Philadelphia - right down to the theft
of the victim's money.
The show's stars, too, are a defining factor. In sharp contrast
to the victims, they are good to look at. William Petersen, the
enigmatic Gil Grissom, can still lay claim to the title of the
thinking woman's fantasy - inspite of a few extra pounds and a
suspect beard.
While Marg Helgenberger is the kind of willowy blond that makes
grown men go weak at the knees. No coincidence then, that her
character's name is Catherine Willows.
But of all the team members, it's only Catherine we learn more
about on this DVD. In Assume Nothing (the first episode,
incidentally, to conclude with 'to be continued') and Jackpot,
there's news of her father.
Season Four, then, maintains the standard we've come to expect
from CSI. And by presenting ever-knew scenarios, never
becomes boring or predictable.
Although not for the squeamish or faint-hearted, CSI certainly
delivers first-class entertainment and, therefore, comes highly
recommended.
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