The 2007-08 Writers Strike affected a lot of the TV shows that we watch every week, and especially a lot of the big, network series such as Lost and Heroes, which found themselves truncated due to the strike, while others like 24 found their season completely pushed back to 2009, forgoing a 2008 effort altogether. This is what kind of makes the 8th season of CSI: Crime scene Investigation kind of an anomaly. Sure, the season was shortened by a third due to the strike, but while the other big, more serialized shows found their 07-08 outings to be cut off or underdeveloped, CSI managed to put together another rock solid season that even held some emotional pay-offs that previous full years werent able to hold.
Coming off what may have been their strongest season yet, some may have expected the show to try and top their amazing seventh year by running a season-long storyline similar to that of their successful “Miniature Killer” arc, but instead, CSIs eighth outing had the show going back to formula a bit, taking their usual episodic route with great effect. The series strategy has been a winning one for it so far, and by not trying to top season 7, the show does itself a service by keeping to its strengths, which is to give us a clever “whodunit” mystery each week, utilizing its mainstays of sex and violence, while subtly developing its main core of characters. This formula works so well, that when the series actually blunts you with some major, it hits even harder.
Such is the case with two major character arcs this season, with each ending in varying degrees of tragedy. With the less said about the second storyline the better, the first is absolutely one of the most heartbreaking plots the series has ever featured, with Jorja Foxs Sara Sidle having a deep emotional conflict within her after the events of the last seasons “Miniature Killer” plot. Along with the constant bombardment of violence and terror faced by the CSI team every day, Sidle must decide whether or not to leave the team. Also muddying the waters within her is the on again/off again relationship she has with her supervisor Gil Grissom (the always awesome William Peterson), and with all the struggle going on around and within her, Sara comes to the breaking point in the episode “Goodbye and Good Luck.”
An incredible example of the shows power, “Goodbye and Good Luck” features a continuation from a previous episode, where Sara must deal with Hannah West (Juliette Goglia), a child prodigy desperately trying to make the CSIs and the Detectives of the LVPD second guess their every move. This is a tour de force performance from Fox, as her Sidle character is determined to bring down Hannah, and then is devastated by the results. All involved do an amazing job wrenching out every last ounce of emotion from the episode and Foxs final moments onscreen are overwhelmingly touching.
Foxs performance is matched by another strong year from William Peterson, whose fan favorite Gil Grissom is once again as quirky and interesting as ever. For the first time in his tenure as the CSI Night Shift Supervisor, Petersons Grissom had to really put out some heartfelt emotion for Sidle, whose experiences with the Miniature Killer leave her near death. Its a side weve never really seen to this degree from Grissom before, and the extra emotion seems to only strengthen our admiration and affection for this character. Their scenes together, especially in the episode “The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp,” have real chemistry and make for some of the most enjoyable scenes of the season.
While that kind of drama made a huge impact on the show this season, especially in episodes like “Goodbye and Good Luck” and “Cockroaches,” showrunners apparently also wanted to take great strides to show the cast having a little more fun as well. “You Kill Me” is an extremely entertaining episode, as Hodges (Wallace Langham) comes up with a “Clue”-like game that plays out different murder scenarios, complete with full sequences of the CSI crew brutally murdering each other. “Two And a Half Deaths” has the crew dealing with a murder on the set of a Roseanne-esque sitcom, with tons of guest stars and cameos from stars such as Married with Childrens Katey Sagal to a goofy spot by Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones of CBS Two and a Half Men.
Probably the most fun of all the installments this season was entitled “The Chick Chop Flick Shop,” in which the CSI team had to investigate a murder that occurs on a movie set that looks a lot like a Saw flick. Filled with Freddy Krueger-like suspects, shifty film producers, and a lot of “scream queens,” the episode is a blast for Horror fans. The finale of the episode is even written and shot like a horror movie, with one of the female CSIs being stalked by a killer, while a mysterious woman in an evening gown walks the premises. Full of bloody sight gags and split screen conversations, the episode is an entertaining highlight that manages to stand out, even with all of the heavy dramatics weaving in and out of the series.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – The Eighth Season is full of terrific episodes and wonderful performances that manage to take the show in directions that it hasnt been able to do in the past. While not as captivating as the previous season, the show is still one of the most consistently entertaining shows on TV and seems to be able to do so year after year without fail. While the 9th year of the show is still up in the air due to major departures from the cast, this 8th season remains the last time all of the original CSI team is all together on screen, and is a testament to just how amazing this show has been for all of its seasons.
As always, the show looks really good on DVD. I wish there was a high def transfer, as the show would look spectacular on Blu-ray, but the image detail here is still really good. The colors on the disc still really shine through and you can tell that this is a show in the upper echelon when it comes to spending money on effects and sound design.
While the Cast’s Away, the Rats Will Play – This is a nice little Featurette looking at the lab techs on the show, and the episode that featured them, “You Kill Me”, which is one of the best installments of the season.
What Happened in Vegas – This is a summation of the entire season and the important events that went down. This is a pretty decent feature, with tons of interviews from the cast and crew.
TOD: A Bugs Life – A segment talking about the role of bugs in the world on investigating crimes, this is a pretty interesting Featurette that goes through how insects help determine how long ago crimes were committed and that sort of thing.
William Friedkin: A Different Take – Friedkin directed the stunning episode “Cockroaches,” and here he gets to talk about his experiences directing an episode for a show that stars William Peterson, who Friedkin directed in To Live and Die in L.A..
So Long Sara Sidle – This is the best feature on the set, as we get an emotional look at the amazing run of the Sara Sidle character on the show, and the relationship between her and Grissom and how it developed. We get candid interviews from much of the cast, including Jorja Fox and William Friedkin who talk about how they had planned on the blooming of the relationship to develop faster than it did in earlier seasons, but that it worked out for the best.
Commentaries – You get two tracks this season, one on “You Kill Me” and another on “Cockroaches.” Of the two, the one on “Cockroaches” is better, sporting a track by Friedkin and Peterson.
While not as terrific as the previous season, of all the shows cut short by the 2007-08 WGA Strike, CSI seemed to be the one that was the least effected overall, managing to tell a terrific story by sticking to its formula. In addition, this set has some pretty decent extras, as well as a terrific DVD presentation. This is a pretty good recommendation, especially for fans of the show.
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CBS/Paramount presents CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – The Eighth Season. Created by Anthony E. Zuiker. Starring William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, George Eads, and Jorja Fox. Running time: 720 minutes. Released on DVD: October 14, 2008. Available at Amazon.
