Well, Episode 1.05 marks the halfway point in the series!! Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. They have been hit or miss I'd say with some episodes/story-lines being written better than others. I definitely want to stick around for the Hodges case and how it unfolds, plus I do like some of the characters. Nevertheless, I can't bring myself to get excited to watch the show as soon as it airs or watch it at the weekend. It's a little disappointing because I loved the OG and it's spinoffs. This weeks episode was probably the best so far though, the case of the week was well thought out and complicated enough to make it interesting. The overarching story got very exciting this time around as well!
Jumping into things, the case of the week was on a carrier plane that landed at the airport with three dead bodies and the walls covered in blood spatter. It looked brutal with no discernible method or reason for the deaths at first glance. Chris was back this episode too! Weirdly I've noticed Chris's scenes involve gossiping with other characters. The longest scene with Chris involved him, Josh, and Allie playing Never Have I Ever (of which Allie has never played or heard of ?!?!) and gossiping about the chemistry between Maxine and the FBI agent in charge. I'm sure the writers can think of better ways to show Chris' skills.
Another scene showed Josh using a drone to take pictures of the crime scene which was cool, I've not seen that before. It could definitely be a useful way of taking the necessary images of a crime scene without causing much disturbance to evidence. Two of the DOA's looked like they were killed with an Axe to the neck.... Ouch. So to determine who killed who, the team carried out blood type testing on the blood spatter on the interior so each DOA can be placed within the cabin.
The investigation finds an empty crate which contained poker chips. Did you know 1,000 dollar chips are apparently not RFID chipped and so are untraceable. That's a lot of money to not keep a close track of! Someone stole a box filled with two million dollars worth of chips from the plane. None of the dead men were the killer, another person was on the plane that killed our DOA's.
While at the morgue with Dr Rameirez, Allie, and Josh found none of them had defensive wounds, they had been tasered first and knocked out. The third DOA was starved of oxygen when the killer jumped out of the plane, The poor guy (David Truette) also had terminal lung cancer. Josh theorises he helped the killer onto the plane, maybe to help provide for family after death.
David's suitcase had a airport sticker tab attached which led to Gary Hayworth, Truette's cousin who has a rap sheet and, according to Max, could have fitted in the suitcase. Nothing was found at Truette's house other than his son (Cole) and a sitter. We got a sweet scene between Josh and Cole, with him consoling the kid and telling him his dad was a hero. Eventually, Gary is ruled out of being the one smuggled within the suitcase. However, Josh later notices (back at the house when he's there for Cole getting picked up by social services) that the babysitter has frostbite.
Identified as former Airman Kennerly, she had previously attempted to murder her superior officer. Josh's theory was she planned it and sold it on Truette, and then went back on her plan. Instead of sharing the poker chips, she killed everyone on the plane. He found an AFID tag on the interior roof of the plane, this tag matched a tazer that Kennerly bought. I was not expecting her to be the killer, I wish they had fleshed out her reasoning for committing the crime. Josh later talks to Gary about Truette setting up Cole to stay with Gary after his death. It sounded like Josh knew what he was talking about when discussing life with and without a father.
For the overarching story, Martin Kline is the man who Sara and Grissom believe set up Hodges. Sara is set on it while Grissom maintains its a theory that still requires actual evidence. Kline matches the phenotypes mentioned previously and has the technical experience. He is the only one who has the expertise to fake the broken femur DNA evidence that is key in the court case against David Hodges. Sara and Gil think he stole a bone from his work.
Over the period that the evidence was apparently faked Kline had only carried out two autopsies, of which a Riley Jones was one. Sara and Grissom decide to visit a body farm where Riley Jenkins' corpse is... yikes. They study decomposition there, so it's not surprising when Grissom is excited to be there due to his interest in bugs. I will never understand his interest with insects. I just got very creeped out when studying entomology at University. Riley Jenkins was indeed missing a bone, a rib to be precise.
Later, the creepy Martin Kline actually meets Gil and Sara at the lab wanting to discuss the Riley Jenkins case but they manage to get him to leave. Now deciding to get a warrant ASAP. Kline knows they are onto him! He calls someone, so he is definitely not working alone.
Max plans on getting the warrant to search Kline's house etc.
However, at Kline's house, just as the warrant was to be used, it turns out he was murdered with a grenade. It had been taped to him... someone really wanted him dead! Another fire was set to destroy Dr Kline's equipment and cover up whatever he had been doing with it. Grissom finds something in one of the hallways, what he classes as a mistake, right before the episode ends.
It's looking good for Hodges and his defence. However, I'm not sure if any of what Gil and Sara have done is usable in court, especially now as Grissom has said he'll testify for the prosecution. The possible (but likely) murder of Martin Kline could complicate matters, now that the evidence has been destroyed and a key suspect is out of the picture. I'm thinking this is related to the insurance company that's involved with the appeals and such. It was mentioned briefly in episodes three and four I believe.
What did everyone think of the episode? Excited that things appear to be ramping up to the finale?? I hope it ends well for everyone.
I leave you with some interesting quotes from this episode 'Let the Chips Fall'
- SarahR
Chris: "Great. We got The Shining at 30,000 feet, and no easy way to know who did the chopping."
Grissom: "Hey Watson? The game's afoot." While holding up a skeletal foot to Sara
