Product: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Rating: 5.0
Still Going Strong
By the third season of any popular series, it's not unusual for creative plot ideas to slow down, the acting to become stagnant, and the show to generally weaken. Not so with CBS's runaway smash hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". Like its first two years, season three was full of drama, mystery, and episodes that kept viewers on the edge of their seats.If season one introduced audiences to the world of forensic science and season two saw the characters become a bit more comfortable with each other, season three was full of action and character-driven drama previously unseen on the show. Gil Grissom (William Petersen) continued to struggle with his growing deafness and increasing chemistry with Sara; Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) managed to not only lose her ex-husband in a car accident but discover the identity of her father and blow up the lab. Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) learned that personal actions have consequences for the victims in his cases, Nick Stokes (George Eads) began his ongoing competition with Sara for Grissom's approval, and Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) just plain had a bad year, from finding out she was her boyfriend's 'other woman' to nearly being killed in a lab explosion. Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) continued on his quest to become a CSI, while Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) and Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) continued to process some of Las Vegas's craziest.However, the personal dramas took a backseat to the reality of crime in Vegas as the nightshift continued to investigate some of the most compelling cases to date. 'The Accused is Entitled' featured a popular actor going up for murder and putting CSI on trial in the process (not entirely unlike what happened with OJ Simpson a decade earlier), 'Fight Night' took viewers into the underworld of boxing, and 'Inside the Box' combined the death of a police officer with mob ties and the high-stakes world of a casino mogul. In addition to these episodes, season highlights included 'The Execution of Catherine Willows', 'Random Acts of Violence', and the 90-minute episode 'Lady Heather's Box', a mini-movie that brought the return of infamous dominatrix Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) in a mystery so full of twists it will have you glued to your chair.In addition to all twenty-three season episodes, the DVD box set includes a tour of the police lab, a behind-the-scenes view of the writers' room, interviews with the cast, and episode commentaries full of information on how each episode comes together.Having passed the sophomore hurdle, in its third season, "CSI" proved that it was capable of delivering quality entertainment, and is still going strong.