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Sunday 15 July 2012

CSI: Miami - 9.8: "Happy Birthday" Review

A pregnant woman is carjacked and beaten up, with a few suspects, many of whom, her husband, seems the less obvious. Horatio remembers Marisol on her birthday and there's yet more show of brute force on his part.

Horatio (David Caruso) has flowers on the front seat of the Hummer and asks Delko (Adam Rodriguez) to cover for him, he's "out of commission."   He's got to say hello to someone.     He's flagged down to help a woman found by the roadside.

One hour earlier.   The woman is at a restaurant with her friend, Marcie (Jessica Collins) and she wants her to throw a baby shower for her.   It's a nightmare for Marcie as she can't have children of her own.   They were both selfish, it was all about each other.   The pregnant one is carjacked and beaten.   Horatio: "I want all hands on deck.   They are gonna pay."  Not only cos they diverted him from his alone time but lately he's in no forgiving mood.

The Vic is Heather (Joanne Kelly) and Natalia (Eva Larue) calls her husband, Gary (David Conrad).   Horatio says they need to find Marcie who tells them they had a disagreement.   Walter (Omar Miller) stresses she was the last person to see Heather.   Calleigh (Emily Procter) at the hospital tells Gary and her step-son Josh (Austin Butler) that Heather was assaulted.   Since when does Calleigh sit with Vics at their bedside.

Walter and Natalia process where she was found and follow a blood trail to a blood pool, locating the primary CS.  Also found are the tail lights from a Mercedes.   Walter notices the rubber marks and gets excited.   Natalia believes she was targeted.   Horatio and Delko give chase when Heather's car is located and it's left to Tripp (Rex Linn) to drive into it, stopping it in its tracks.   The two suspects escape on foot.   When Delko says they're in pursuit, he should have said "hot pursuit" but alas it wouldn't be appropriate for him.   Oh no here comes the dreaded chase after the suspects, who run into a club.   One suspect escapes when shots are fired and Delko comes down hard on another one, wrestling him to the floor.   He broke his arm.   Yet more brutality, something that's unexpected from a CSI:Miami episode and yet continues every episode.   Getting boring.   At least IN CSI:NY, where the first season did start off aggressively, you don't see this kind of excessive force! Not this blatantly and arbitrarily either.

Vicki (Lisa Marcos) is the day manager.   The photo that was thrown at Delko is taken to the lab to be examined.   She's the photographer.   Ryan (Jonathan Togo) and Walter process the car.   Walter comments on Delko's antics in taking down the suspect and Ryan adds he didn't get them both, more as a sign of how it would have helped their case, if anything.   At least Walter and Ryan get a moment to joke around like back in the 'old' days of season 8.   The airbag is missing and perhaps the suspects removed it to drive the car away.   Ryan asks why they beat her up if all they wanted was the car?  That was the important question.   Of course they missed the obvious suspect in this episode, i.e they neglected to look at the spouse, Gary, to begin with missing all the clues that pointed to him.   Which is what their work entails,  if they weren't too busy at being heavy handed.   Ryan notices the car has been keyed.

Calleigh helps Heather to pray, reciting a prayer her grandmother used to say, all about angels.   Natalia finds the rounds were used in an armed robbery and lead to Sam, (James Harry Ward)one of the carjackers.   Horatio tells them to stop the captured suspect, Ruben (Dante Basco)  from being taken to hospital as he wants to engage in some 'therapy' of his own, Horatio-style.    Resorting to more threatening tactics and in the Hummer and Natalia appeared to go along without any objections.   Horatio actually applying pressure to Ruben's broken shoulder in order for him to give up Sam's whereabouts.   Yep, there's no Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith) around to step on anyone's toes anymore.   Human life is all that matters to Horatio and he threatens they'll be finding pieces of Ruben all over the Bay if the baby dies.   S suspects aren't human, even if they are the worst of humanity.   Ruben doesn't know where Sam is but tells them about the chop shop.

When raided they find Josh.   Who demonstrates there's no love lost between him and Heather.   He hates her, she got the car and so he keyed it.   Horatio notices the presence of white trace on the key.  Surveillance photos of Heather are also found at the shop.  Heather recalls where the photo was taken, when Gary showed her the photos.   At the Sienna Sky restaurant.   She recognizes Sam as Marcie's personal trainer.   Whom Walter questions about Heather being watched and she denies everything and lawyers up.

Ryan gets the brush off from the restaurant manager, there aren't any cameras in the parking lot.   He then notices a white line across the photo taken from the club.   Which Delko missed, they're on the original photo too.   Taken by Vicki's camera.   Sam paid her to take them and they used to go out together.   Sam got around.   Well he did and that was obvious when he ran into the club managed bu his former girlfriend.   Leading them right to her in the process.   The line is an indication of a flaw on the camera's sensor.   Ryan tells her she could be charged with felony murder.   They find Sam in a hotel and he's kept the incriminating evidence in the form of the airbag.   Well that was clever.  Gary attacks him with a knife, another clever move!  Drawing suspicion on himself.

Heather is rushed to OR as she's bleeding.  Horatio gets an idea from the knife and the marks are matched to the airbag when it was removed.   Horatio recalls Gary never asked about the baby.   He admits Vicki knows people and he asked if someone could do this for him.   He never wanted another baby, only a wife.   But she wasn't meant to be assaulted.  Calleigh prays for Heather and the baby again.   Calleigh convinces Heather she's strong enough for the baby and they have each other.

Horatio sits by Marisol's grave as Delko prays.   So why were they not there together.   There's a flash to their wedding and he tells her the baby is beautiful, just like Marisol.   Look Weeping Angels, "don't blink.  A reference which will be apparent to Doctor Who watchers.

CSI:Miami's 200th episode could have been done so much better and yet it just seems to go backwards, as if none of the characters have evolved and they're all stuck back into earlier seasons.   Horatio in a lab coat again but not enough to detract from his newly-found, old toughness.   Resurfacing again for season 9 even though it was there in past seasons, it wasn't that apparent until after Marisol was killed.   Even so, the brutality and crossing the line wasn't shown on screen.

Marisol appeared in season 4, but there was never much in developing her character  and Horatio's relationship with her.   It all appeared artificial resulting in a whirlwind marriage.   Seeming more like an afterthought in the storyline.   Now they bring her back and remember her out of the blue.   It's her birthday and Heather's baby is born on the same day too, as Horatio sits by her grave, momentarily delayed by this case.   Thus the flowers he had in the beginning.   As well as being the show's birthday too.   It's difficult to reconcile Horatio crossing the line to get the job done, with his caring for Vics and feelings for Marisol.

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