The premiere saw the integration of Ted Danson's DB Russell into the Cyber crew following last week's CSI series finale. The erstwhile Las Vegas crime lab director fit in with this show's cast seamlessly. The witty repartee between Danson and Patricia Arquette rivals, dare I say, the chemistry between Russell and Finn (Elisabeth Shue) on the mothership CSI. The new pair quickly showed audiences how comfortable they are with each other, joking around, racing remote-controlled cockroaches through the office (yeah...you read that right). I am looking forward to seeing more interactions between these two, as there is something very special about their friendship.
Although Russell fit right into CSI: Cyber, I was a little disappointed that the show did not take steps to explain how he made the transition from Las Vegas to Quantico. Last week's CSI finale did not cover this much at all, as the focus of the episode was on Grissom and Sara. In the opening scene of this episode, it is clear that some time has passed since the finale and that DB has been on the east coast for a while. Russell mentions in the final scene of this episode that he is grateful for being given the opportunity to start a new chapter in his life with the FBI. I wonder, though: why is that? Did something happen in his home life? Are he and Barbara (played by the incomparable Peri Gilpin) divorced? Did she come with him? What about his kids? I sincerely hope the answers to these questions and others are touched upon in the coming weeks.
The only other disappointing aspect of this episode for me was the absence of Peter MacNicol, a truly wonderful actor. Prior to this episode's premiere, news broke that MacNicol would not be rejoining the cast for the second season. Personally, I was looking forward to seeing his character explored further this season, as I felt he was sorely underutilized last year. Of course, the decision to get rid of the Simon Sifter character will probably be of some benefit to the show, as his position was rather redundant when you consider Avery is the main character (she is the one leading the team, after all; why would we care about her boss?). It is simply unfortunate, though, that the decision to get rid of Sifter came at the expense of MacNicol, an actor with such range and talent.
Besides the lack of exposition about DB and the ousting of Simon Sifter, I have very few complaints about this episode. The premiere finally confirmed the romance between Ramirez and Nelson, which I am sure many fans have been waiting for. The exploration of the relationship between these former black hat hackers should bring this show down interesting avenues, so kudos to the writers for putting them together. Also set up in this episode was a storyline involve Mundo's father, who apparently has cancer. It'll be nice to finally get to go home with this character as the season progresses, should the writers choose to use this as an opportunity to delve deeper into Elijah's life.
The episode also provided closure to the storyline involving the death of the man who murdered Krumitz's parents. At the end of last season, it was revealed that Francine, Krumitz's sister, had killed the man, who had been stalking her. Throughout the hour, Krumitz struggles with the idea of having to testify during his sister's trial. Things come to a head during her day in court when it is revealed that Francine had been stalking her parents' killer, not the other way around. Charley Koontz did a wonderful job conveying the necessary emotion to carry these scenes.
Additionally, this episode did a wonderful job in making the show more accessible to the tech illiterate viewer. Watching the show last season, I often felt overwhelmed by some of the techno babble being thrown my way. Often times, I became lost trying to figure out what was going on. The show has definitely improved in this regard by using less technical language and explaining things in such a way that someone like me could understand. Also, the introduction of forensics into the show with this episode was also a welcome change from the first season. Despite its pedigree, the show featured very little in the way of old-school forensic investigation last year. With Ted Danson on the show now, the writers are obviously trying to blend the old way of doing things with the futuristic cyber element that has been part of this show from the beginning. I believe this change was necessary for the show's survival. Despite the "Cyber" moniker that prevails in the show's title, the program is called CSI for a reason.
Overall Episode Score: 9 Megabytes Out of 10
About the Author - Liam Dacko
