Which might seem counter-intuitive, considering how CSI Miami features the most grisly, down-and-out members of the fictional Miami populace. "Stolen from the headlines" as we've seen in other CSI shows, the creators of CSI Miami do a nice job connecting fictional plots and characters with some of the stories leading in national newspapers. Viewers recognize that CSI isn't just a crime show, but a pastiche of curiosities, a televised sideshow featuring items from the cultural fringe. These elements: Cryogenics, chat-room denizens, crystal-meth freaks, rotten private security firms, tabloid culture, Internet predators... even solar eclipses are married up with plot lines that are equal parts action, suspense, and science. The "geek factor" is lower in CSI Miami than the original show, with the "gritty factor" slightly lower than CSI New York. What CSI Miami does exceptionally well is blend elements of other CSI shows and coat the entire package with a glossy Miami veneer.
In the last season, there were several story arcs involving the main characters. In CSI Miami: The Sixth Season, we see a more one-shot approach. Among the episodes, only "Dangerous Son," "Inside Out," "Chain Reaction," and "Raising Caine" feature persistent story elements, revolving around Horatio's discovery that he has a teenage son by an estranged partner. There are hints of romance between several other characters, but the more intricate plotting that characterized the last season is gone. For viewers that enjoyed going deeper into each character's motivation and back-story, this may be disappointing. For others that tune into CSI episodes to watch tightly constructed, self-contained puzzles, this season is a gas. It is nice to see resolution for a few characters that got up to some antics previously, and there is at least one major character shift. We won't spoil the surprise for those that might not have caught the end of the season.
Maybe it's just because the bulk of my reading lately has been devoted to Greek tragedy, but I notice tragic themes in CSI Miami that could have been stolen from the headlines of old Athens. To really make the analogy work, you have to imagine the CSI team as equivalent to the Greek gods. Greek audiences took great pleasure from watching characters struggle vainly against the inevitable retribution of the gods, just as we know the antagonists in CSI Miami will get their eventual comeuppance. The old model for a crime show was to paint clear lines between good and bad characters, but those lines are often blurred here. In episodes like "Permanent Vacation" or "CSI: My Nanny", there are virtually no blameless characters outside of the CSI team. Horatio keeps a protective watch over his son after bringing him to justice, much as Apollo first crushed, then protected, and finally acquitted Orestes. It was the "sister sleeps with brother" storyline in "Miami Confidential" that got me thinking about this, with its oedipal overtones. The last time we reviewed a full season of this show, we made the comparison between Horatio and Buddha, but now we're thinking more about Zeus or Apollo...
CSI Miami: The Sixth Season is further proof that the CSI Miami juggernaut is truly unstoppable. New viewers will find this a fine place to start; you can catch up with the previous five seasons later! Veterans or collectors will find this package well worth their dollar, especially considering the list of special features, including commentary for several episodes and four featurettes that cover production details of the show, its characters, and the inspiration for specific characters.
Episodes:
- Dangerous Son
- Cyber-lebrity
- Inside Out
- Bang Bang, Your Debt
- Deep Freeze
- Sunblock
- Chain Reaction
- Permanent Vacation
- Stand Your Ground
- CSI: My Nanny
- Guerrillas in the Mist
- Miami Confidential
- Raising Caine
- You May Now Kill the Bride
- Ambush (1)
- All In (2)
- To Kill a Predator
- Tunnel Vision
- Rock and a Hard Place
- Down to the Wire
- Going Ballistic
