By Jay Conaty
As the CSI’s grapple with the vicious murder of a promising video game designer this week, Gil and Sara continue to work on their “animal cruelty” case aka the “How is Goodest Dog Brewsky’s death related to Hodge’s break-in?” case.
While the deceased Brewsky’s tooth yields DNA evidence (looks like the dog took a chunk out of whomever killed him), it’s not sufficient to pinpoint his killer.
However, with Maxine’s help and a little of that newfangled lab technology, we learn that Brewsky’s assailant was a male and of South American descent. Further DNA evidence in a forgotten room in Hodge’s house (guys, how could you forget you had a whole other storage room?!?), yields more evidence — epithelials and traces of a concealing makeup. Did the killer have a skin condition he was trying to cover up? Probably, agree our favorite CSI’s. And he’s left some incriminating evidence on the lid of a cardboard box to boot.
It isn’t long before Sara and Gil are pouring over records of everyone who had access to the LVPD evidence vault over the last 10 years. The case has been a slow but careful grind for Gil and Sara over previous episodes, but it looks like we might be finally zeroing in on our older, South American, itchy, limping man. Whomever he may be.
But it can’t be that straightforward, can it? No, it absolutely can’t. The spanner thrown in the works comes in the form of two spanners thrown in the works. The first: Nora Cross from Internal Affairs, who comes to the lab with a rather ineffectual Undersheriff Cade Wyatt in tow. Cross, who doesn’t miss a beat, is there to tell Maxine she will stick around for a while to work her angle on the Hodges case, maybe interview a few people, keep it low key, that sort of thing. (Sara and Gil somehow manage to keep their own low profile despite the proliferation of floor to ceiling glass walls all over the building.)
Wyatt is pleased. He wants to support the illusion the LVPD and Internal Affairs are working together on this like colleagues. And definitely not like suspects. And definitely definitely not like Detective Nora Cross might decide to stop consulting with him at any moment and take her case to Washington instead. Which would make the LVPD look complicit. Which would make Hodges seem even more guilty. Which would definitely definitely be a bad thing.
The second oh-oh comes from Grissom himself, who kicks off the episode sitting on the edge of his bed in the very early hours, experiencing disorientation, dizziness, blurred vision, ear fuzziness, and fatigue. It takes Gil, and us, a while to figure out what’s going on, but eventually the dots are connected. Grisom has “Mal de debarquement” or extreme Land Sickness as a result of his extensive time at sea. And that my friends is going to put a severe dent in his CSI sleuthing skills going forward. Despite Sara’s promise that they will get through this together, we know Gil’s condition is going to be detrimental to the case, even without Nora Cross’ presence at the lab.
Speaking of which, Nora decides, after some preliminary standing around looking dangerous, and some more conversations with lab techs behind glass walls, that she will take her case to Washington after all. So much for working hand in glove with the LVPD.
We started episode 3 with some tentative but solid evidence in the Hodges case, but it looks like our CSIs might be back at square one as a result of tonight’s series of unfortunate developments.
Elsewhere this week, Joshua and Allie take on the case of murdered game designer Sandra King who garnered the evil attentions of rival designer and co-worker Ron Kean after winning a competition that Ron felt pretty sure ought to have gone his way.
Not content to simply murder King, Ron decided to make sure his his boss Ben took the fall as well. Cue some 3-D printed knives, and a clever 3-D printed mask in the likeness of Ben. However Ron’s shenanigans are no match for Joshua, Allie, and Maxine who see through his disguise, and his protestations of innocence.
Maxine coolly observes that all Ron desperately wanted was his moment in the spotlight.
“Don’t worry. Your face will be on the front page soon enough.”
Despite a big step back in the case this week, we end the episode on a light note, as Joshua and Allie sit and play a classic video game together.
Did Joshua just blow on the cartridge?
Yes he just did.
CSI: Vegas continues with episode 4 “Long Pig” Wednesday Oct. 27 on CBS. And if you’re wondering when Internal Affairs will begin to question Grissom and Sara’s return to the crime lab then this episode is for you.
Follow @TVPulse Magazine for more CSI:Vegas scoop this season.
