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Tuesday 29 July 2014

CSI 14.9 "Check In and Check Out" Review

                                               
A pizza delivery guy delivers pizzas to a motel room and finds the DBs of a couple, and then promptly makes a pizza delivery of his own, ha, okay it was an uncalled for bad joke!! Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) comments on him finding the DB's and this ep marks the return of Nick (George Eads) to the fold.  There were several scenes where Nick reminded me of Gil Grissom with that beard of his!  When he was walking to his truck and spots the old man in the room next door, for starters.

Nick processes the CS along with Finn (Elisabeth Shue) and recalls he's been her before.  Finn recalls it was when the man ODed outside but he recalls being inside the motel room.  He remembers the neon sign from the window.  Finn also now remembers she had a case here too.  David (David Berman) tells them they've both been here cos he's been here twice before as well.  He's given up counting the number of stab wounds inflicted on the DB.

The motel manager, Trent (Chad Todhunter) tells Brass how his family owned the motel and now he's taken it over.  Cue my suspect straightaway!  It's me, suspicious of everyone, ha, not really.  Well there's not much that could've happened there without him knowing about it, or being in on it.  His family used to run it, now it's just him.  It's not the Bellagio, but it's Brass's job to find out what happened as Trent tells him.  Also adding that he doesn't keep a list of guests cos it's only $39 a night and the clientele aren't that exclusive. Reminded me of that other famous motel, as in Bates!

Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) brings out the files for the past two cases there and will go over them with Greg (Eric Szmanda).  Mark Bell (Jeremy Craven) was killed there eleven weeks ago after someone stabbed him in his legs when he was in bed, which were almost severed from his body.  Two weeks later, Alex Garnez (Arturo Del Puerto) was attacked whilst he was smoking in the bathroom, the killer also clubbed his wife, Tina, to death.  Morgan says he survived and is in hospital.

Hodges (Wallace Langham) analyzes the evidence collected and concludes there was a third person in the motel room, number 114, with the couple, Anne and Richard Smith, as he found traces of the drug used for headlice, as well as for scabies.  Nick also found a bloody footprint at the CS and no shoes were found. Leading Hodges to determine that the suspect was most likely homeless.  There's a shelter that's run nearby.

Finn and Nick search for Rudy (Brad Carter) and he's found with the scissors from the motel room that were missing, most probably the murder weapon.  As well as Nick finding a third toothbrush and red hair in the drain.  Leading them to Rudy.  He's a schizophrenic and bi-polar, he doesn't recall killing them, but knows he did it.  He doesn't know if he killed the other two Vics.  Finn can't help feeling sorry for Rudy even though she knows he did it.  DB (Ted Danson) trying to tell her as much.  Greg tells Brass that Alex is well enough to speak with them, physically but not mentally.  

A search on the DNA found in the room, on the bed spreads and the mattresses focuses on Randall (Lea Coco) who has a recent record for sexual battery.  DB commenting on what is found on the sheets in motel rooms and Henry (Jon Wellner) adding not to walk barefoot on the carpets either!  Yuck! Randall is questioned and until recently he was in a male show and he fancies himself, period, ha, as a bit of a woman's man, and he used the room to have encounters with women.  He didn't kill the couple or the other two, but he says he was defending himself when the woman he was with turned all psycho on him and thus the charge against him.

Morgan questions Alex with Greg but he can't recall what happened.  He says he was knocked out in the bathroom and he can't ID the killer from any of the men in the photos.  A call comes in after a woman runs out of the same room wielding a broken glass bottle, she's bloody and is raving about numbers.  She's tasered.  Greg finds Alison (Jordin Sparks) wasn't meeting the pupil for a secret rendezvous, but a message one her phone shows he called her feigning needing help.  She wasn't going to drink with him and poured the alcohol down the sink.  She tells Brass and Nick that she was possessed.   DB can't believe they have another murder on their hands when they already arrested Rudy.

Hodges and Henry are sent to analyze the motel room and as Henry takes samples of the carpet and bed, etc, Hodges thanks him for giving him the bathroom.  As Hodges checks it out, he's sprayed on his face from the soap dispenser and begins to act violently.  He knocks Henry back against the mirror and reaches for the pry bar.  Henry manages to get away and call for help.  He tells Nick what happened and then takes a swab from Hodges after he's been treated with a sedative.  Henry's analysis leads him to a potent version of LSD. Nick and Greg check out the bathroom and see blue spots around the floor and the wall.  Finding the dispenser, they see it's connected to the room next door.  Leading back to the God ranting man, Oscar (Armin Shimerman).  He also has a TV in his closet which leads them back to Trent's room.  Trent made him keep the things in his room and he's been watching all of the rooms.  As well as collecting souvenirs from the guests and Vics.

Trent tells Brass that his family never went on holiday so he got curious and started watching the guests through peepholes.  But as technology grew, he started using other means of watching them.  He saw it was fun watching husbands beat their wives etc.   He doesn't think he did anything wrong.  Brass telling him he'll have 25 to life to realize what he did and he'll be watched too in a tiny room.  Morgan has to tell Alex that he killed Tina and that he's going to be arrested for it.  So Trent gets off on watching people kill each other and yet others also have to pay the price for his senseless, stupid voyeurism. So thoughtless and having scant regard for the lives of others.  He should definitely get life, especially since he still finds it all so highly amusing and refuses to accept responsibility for what he's done.  With the survivors having to live with their guilt, especially Alex, who not only tried to kill himself, but also can't bear to look at himself in the mirror, since the face he glanced wasn't that of the killer's, but his own.

American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks appears as the drug induced school teacher, Alison, in a small role, which quite frankly anyone could've pulled off!  Not into American Idol myself.  Hodges and Henry in the end scene, were quite sombre as Hodges clearly unaware of what he might have said apologizes to Henry for saying it.  Henry having to tell him, it wasn't so much what he said, but did.  He apologizes again, which must have been difficult for him given the nature of their relationship, but Henry accepts and shakes his hand. Though Hodges hopes he won't get him back for it in the future.  Henry says he won't but he'd watch out for the coffee. Obviously meaning it's not that good!  Leaving Hodges wondering.

Morgan's comment that the room is responsible, made the ep sound sinister, more than it was, with Nick's comment about The Shining.  Not the first time CSI has delved into such areas, recall the fortune telling woman ep, 6.19 Spellbound; who foresaw her own death the Sherlock ep, Who Shot Sherlock that was a good one and many more.  Yet there wasn't any explanation as to where Nick had been, he just turns up, with that beard! Ha.  As Sara is conveniently absent this ep.

CSI does it with the title again, check in and then leave as a DB!  At least Nick got the final line before the opening credits!  Wonder why no one realized there might have been a camera involved, especially since Finn looks around the room and up at the ceiling quite a few times for the blood spatter.  Then imagines herself in the place of the killer, stabbing the Vics.  Not much for Doc (Robert David Hall) to do this ep other than saying in his years of work, he's never come across anything so gory.

Chad Todhunter has also been in CIS:Miami 10.6 By the Book ep and CSI:NY 7.6 Do Not Pass Go. See my blog review for this.


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