Product: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Rating: 3.0
Live In Fear
Much as I've enjoyed prior seasons of CSI, Season 3 sticks in my craw. Maybe I've had time to notice something that's always been there, or maybe it's a shift in the creative crew's vision, but this season is more cynical than past seasons. Some episodes seem downright misanthropic. And I'm not the only one who thinks this; if you listen to the commentary tracks, the commentators as good as admit it.Don't take me wrong. Several episodes maintain the spirit of scientific investigation that makes this show an audience favorite. Characters broaden out and deepen, making our heroes more than mere vehicles to deliver the plot. This is no longer a collection of loosely connected cop stories; CSI, with this season, fleshes out into a textured universe full of open-ended story arcs that hold the audience.But two episodes feature single mothers victimizing the rich, and these and other stories convey the message that the poor can't be trusted. Several episodes feature the early arrest of an ex-convict, followed by the evidence to justify the arrest, because hey, once a criminal, always a criminal, right? And several feature absolutely random and unjustified violence, with the message that you need to live in fear.Fans may say I'm reading too much into this. They may say that the murdering movie star or Sam Braun's overt corruption contradict my reading. I admit, the cynical aspects I find aren't monolithic. But that doesn't mean they aren't there. The message of this season seems to be that we ought to be scared of everyone around us, especially the weak and disfranchised, because they may turn on us at any minute.All this is on top of technology that increasingly looks less like Kojak and more like Captain Kirk; stories in which the guilty party is all too visible before the end of Act II; and romantic subplots that linger too long to be realistic. There are still episodes in this season that I like, which maintain the original spirit of the show, but they are getting lost in the crowd. A show that started well is turning into a mess.