Fans of the TV series CSI (the first one set in Vegas) are dedicated fans. Who would have guessed that among those many fans was director Quentin Tarantino? It turns out he was a die hard fan of the series so when they called back in 2005 and asked if he'd be interested in directing an episode he jumped at the chance.
This presented something new for the director. Rather than hash out who the characters were he was about to direct he was walking into a group of actors who were as well versed in their characters as he was. The same held true of the crew for the series. This was a family atmosphere Tarantino was walking into and not one that he was a part of. But he blended in immediately and was welcomed by the entire ensemble. The result was an episode that when the dailies came in the folks behind the show opted to make it a two part episode rather than cut anything they found it so good.
The episode begins with CSI officer Nick Stokes (George Eads) being called to a crime scene. The officer on hand shows him a pile of what looks like intestines with a small blood trail. It's enough to make the officer puke but Stokes passed that reaction long ago. As he follows the trail of evidence away from the initial scene he's chloroformed and kidnapped. He wakes to find himself buried in a glass coffin beneath the ground with a tape recorder and an automatic pistol.
Word reaches the CSI headquarters and no money or manpower is spared. They process the scene to find clues to lead them to rescue Nick. It's not long before word reaches the group along with a thumb drive that provides them a link. When it requests them to watch, it switches on lights and a camera in the coffin so they can see Nick suffering.
Nick's parents are contacted and they begin to try and raise the million dollars for the ransom of Nick. Knowing they won't be able to do so in time, Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) contacts her casino owning father for the funds. While you would think a simple transaction between CSI leader Gil Grissom (William Peterson) and the kidnapper (John Saxon) would by simple it is far from it. Rather than take the money, Saxon blows himself up. Once more the CSI team must sift through the clues they find in the hopes that they can rescue Nick before his air runs out.
This episode was different than most in that it first involves a member of the CSI team as a victim rather than just an investigator. That allows the cast to offer something more than usual. While they might be seeking justice for others throughout the show, this time it becomes personal. This time we are allowed to see more emotions play out instead of the cold veneer that is usually displayed at crimes scenes they go to. Sure they care at each one, but this is one of their own.
I can't recall ever seeing an episode of CSI where the acting wasn't among the best available on television. And as the series has progressed it's as if these actors were portraying themselves as opposed to characters. But the truth is they are acting and doing it better than many actors around. Each one offers something new to their roles in this episode and Eads displays more emotional depth than he'd been allowed to previously. To show the fear of dying buried alive could be played over the top but here he offers a fear that you feel in your bones.
So does Tarantino make this one his own? In some ways. There are scenes that play like pieces of his films, one of which was improvised by actors Eads and Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown. It takes place in the CSI locker room and they have a back and forth discussion about their lives that Dourdan says was their moment to do a Tarantino riff much like the "royale with cheese" moment in PULP FICTION.
Fans of the series will want to make sure they add this one to their collection. Not just to complete it but to make sure they have all the extras they could hope for involving cast interviews and more. Having it on blu-ray only makes it better. And for Tarantino fans who want to own everything he's ever done, this is your chance to own the show without having to fork out for the entire series.
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