Good TV And Hormones

Oh dear lord. I've just finished watching tonight's episode of CSI on AXN and man, it's got my vote for one of the best episodes this season. Before I forget and ramble on, I just have to say this:

Marg Helgenberger is so, so bloody, blinking hot. I have a feeling the next few upcoming posts will contain a lot of pent-up sexual frustration since I am, as one friend puts it, "..a straining rod of sexual tension."

Thank you for reminding me, Shen.

Anyway, back to the point. Tonight's episode really brought the series' strengths to the forefront: the tightly written scripts, the acting, the drama and most importantly, the human element. We see relationships that we were introduced to several years ago coming into fruition, and the human dynamics that are always involved in the show begin to draw the viewer deeper into the lives of the players. It's not just another crime drama anymore. We begin to care for the characters. We feel sorry for them when they're sick, angry at them when they seem intolerant, and happy for them when they succeed. We begin to think less of them as characters in a script but as actual humans, with their own private fears and needs. When at the end, Catherine drops by Grissom's room before going out on a date with Nicholas Lea's character, we see that these are two individuals who care deeply for one another, but it is a path Grissom (repeatedly and purposefully?) chooses to avoid. The audience feels a little jealous ("I've not had sex in 6, no 7 months!" Catherine complains earlier, to which Grissom answers somewhat densely, "So how may I help?") because they can see the potential of a relationship between these two, but in the end they are left wondering: what if? If that's not an example of good writing, then I don't know what is.

Kudos goes to the scriptwriters who have really handled the series' maturity well. Four seasons into the show and the momentum that was so intriguing the first time around is still there. The crimes are still as gory as ever, yes, and the trademark zooming into body cavities is still there, but they never detract from its most important component: the story.

I'm a sucker for good stories. Like Boomtown (another bloody good show) the writing is taut and realistic. These are not necessarily larger than life superheroes, they are just normal people who happen to be good at what they do. And when the shift ends, you know that each CSI has another life to go back to. Good TV. A rarity, but when it comes, you're just too bloody glad to complain.

And yes, I seem to have a lot of bloody time, don't I to be dissecting an episode of a TV show. Well, I don't actually. But when an episode manages to mix blood, murder, drama, science and (the promise of) sex so well, one can't help but be entertained.

Of course, having Marg Helgenberger actually looking horny is a big plus as well..

Oh God. I think I need a shower.