So Maxine didn’t get taken out of the game after all.
While Grissom and Sara struggled to gain any traction, the suspended Maxine, with all the time in the world on her hands, made progress on CSI: Vegas Season 1 Episode 8.
Gil and Sara were making so little progress that they mostly worked on the gross but intriguing case of the week.
After all, if Hodges loses his trial, do you think that the optics-conscious Undersheriff Wyatt will let them continue as consultants?
No, being the bureaucrat he is, the Crime Lab is likely to be pared to bare bones, mainly if the trial has shot its reputation.
Of course, that’s not going to happen. But there isn’t much time for Gil, Sara, and their allies on the down low to turn things around.
It appeared that they were wasting their time digging through Wix’s trash. But that’s how they used to do things at the Crime Lab.
Then Sara, going back for more, got caught digging through his trash like a raccoon by the man himself. Their encounter at least proved how obsessed he was with disproving the forensics that put many of his clients in jail.
Hey, here’s a thought: come up with some objective evidence to clear your client rather than just trying to argue against science. That will never sway an intelligent juror.
It appeared that Grissom and Sara were onto something when they decided to investigate Wix’s new forensics expert Jancie Woo, with Sara going so far as to hire her to crack Shaw’s biometric safe.
That proved that she could forge fingerprints. But unfortunately, their interaction proved little else.
Sara’s nighttime raid revealed that Wix and Woo were more than colleagues. But Wix discarding her on the day of the trial showed that she wasn’t his accomplice in framing Hodges. There’s still someone that’s giving orders to Wix.
Meanwhile, Maxine was making the most of her forced time off, baking and conspiring with Nora to discover another angle with which to attack Wix.
Her hanging out at the pickup basketball games didn’t make much sense since her son Bryan wasn’t playing. And it wasn’t just her creeping on a bunch of sweaty young men.
No, one of those players was that connection to Wix that was needed, a former client who arranged for the hit on Brass on Wix’s order.
So that’s one person who can testify against Wix, should he live long enough. But will that be enough?
And why was Hodges so late to his trial? Hodges’ whereabouts are likely to be the focus of CSI: Vegas Season 1 Episode 9 before the court showdown on the season finale.
Gil seemed determined to go out with a win in the tub remains case of the week. Yup, that’s CSI at its finest when the ick factor is exceptionally high.
As is often the case, the victim was another person who was lucky to have survived as long as he did, with so many people that disliked him.
Of course, those painting the picture of him to CSI had their axes to grind, so Shaw wasn’t going to be seen in a good light no how.
And that dent in the wall so far off the floor just bugged Grissom so much that he had to determine its significance.
This case was an enjoyable outing for Hugo, who is the only new character that brings the quirkiness. Where is the new Hodges among the lab rats? Or maybe Hodges is destined to fill that role if there’s a second season.
We got a glimpse into Hugo’s past as he attempted to console Sara after losing her wedding ring amid all that goo. Hugo did a poor job, but social skills aren’t his strong suit. Instead, anatomy is, as he uncovered that there were two victims at that crime scene.
Folsom and Allie didn’t add much to solving the case beyond his identifying the smile of the second victim.
Yes, it was that never-fail trope in which one twin was taking the place of the other twin who was killed. But naturally, Grayson knew nothing about Chase’s death.
Folsom and Allie were content to arrest Shaw’s ex-wife and Chase’s current lover for the crime based on the fact that she had handled the chemicals that dissolved the bodies (and none too well based on that burn on her leg).
But that didn’t sit well with Gil, based on the amount of physical violence he pictured at the crime scene, which the petite Tammy was unlikely to pull off.
So, in a scene so familiar to longtime viewers, Grissom went back to the tubs of goo, finding both the solution to the crime and Sara’s ring. Naturally, he set up a demonstration to scale to reveal how the murder/accident happened.
There’s a lot of ground to cover with just two episodes to go, with Hodges’ trial and Wix’s revealing still on the horizon.
To revisit the conspiracy against the Crime Lab, watch CSI: Vegas online.
How did you enjoy the messy case of the week?
Do they have enough evidence to unmask Wix and reveal his master?
What’s the deal with Hodges?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.