If you've been to Miami, you will know that the depiction of the city is likely to be dramatic in the show. Dramatic colors, characters, fashion, and wheels. The setting for other CSI shows is almost always as important as the characters, and CSI: Miami is no exception. Most shows in this season don't start with a murder, but with some sweeping shots of the city by day or night, possibly a beach or the water, and always some pretty ladies. The cast is the prettiest thing on camera, of course. If cops actually could afford to wear fashion like this, the line at the Police Academy during registration would be around the block. None of these folks are depicted eating donuts and I suspect it is because they fear that some piece of powdered sugar might end up soiling their Armani shirt or Versace blouse... They drive a Hummer, for Pete's sake! Everything right down to the office in CSI: Miami looks like something out of a fine-art installation. No flourescent lighting in the Miami lab... they like to wait until the sunset to gather evidence and do their lab work. It also helps set the mood right when a flock of flamingos is wheeling by outside the window. I sound like I'm joking the high-fashion qualities of CSI: Miami when I'm really just saying that the attention to detail helps set the stage and channels a wee bit of Crockett and Tubbs, unless I'm mistaken.
The criticism I've made of CSI: NY is that the show is so focused on how cases are solved that character development is forgotten or unimportant. CSI: Miami The Fifth Season is all about character development. There is usually only room for one murder per show because the drama between characters is taking up more time. Some of the characters begin the season with some animosity and there isn't exactly a warm, fuzzy bond between all the characters even at the end of the season. We don't get the sense that all the CSIs on the show are willing to take bullets for their comrades. Their leader, Horatio, played all guru-like by David Caruso, is never caught with his emotions hanging out on his sleeve. He does have caring for his people and for victims that he voices during the show, but he's much more beneath-the-surface than the head honchos in the other CSI shows. Meanwhile, the other characters in CSI: Miami are going off constantly, with the exception of the Medical Examiner. She does a great job playing things very calm, cool, and passionate. She really cares about the stiffs on the table and even refers to bodies at the occasional crime scene as "baby boy" or some other affectionate moniker. She's a character as much as the others but in a weird, offbeat way.
Some of the themes that play out this season are the tattered emotional life of Boa Vista and the reappearance of her husband. There are some overtures to fighting terrorism and national security that seem more like 24 than CSI. The mingling of Miami/Dade Police, FBI, and DEA happens almost every second or third episode through the season. We're led to believe that Miami is just a tougher place than the other CSI cities. Bad-guys in the show do sneaky things like run off to South America and threaten to kill people's families. Horatio gets some street justice after that terrible incident at the conclusion of Season Four. Viewers will remember that his bride Marisol (also CSI Delko's sister) is caught up in events surrounding an active case. This active case is in limbo at the end of Season Four and comes to a pretty surprising conclusion at the beginning of Season Five. With heavy focus on action in the early episodes of this season, it can feel like you are watching some "other" show, maybe a cop drama or straight action/suspense show. The best moments in CSI: Miami are balanced between compelling cases, the personal lives of our CSI characters, and some well-paced action. Many episodes feature gunplay, fights, and pitched interrogation scenes. The camera work is often done with very artsy touches including splitting the screen, freezing scenes, or going into slow motion. To understand some of the behind-the-scenes action you'll have in this collection, some special features on makeup effects, fashion, and location are included. Commentary on specific episodes will be a boon for fans looking to learn more about the making of CSI: Miami. Those that may be happy with a more superficial experience can simply settle back with a mojito and soak up six disks of CSI action.
