CSI: Miami-
The Complete Second Season
(Paramount Region 1 NTSC DVD Boxed Set)
(2003)
review by Head Cheeze

In its first season, CSI: Miami distinguished itself from its Las Vegas based counterpart with splashier visuals, and a different sort of sun soaked locale. However, scenery wasn't the only major difference between the two shows. The original CSI is much more of an ensemble piece, with the focus shifting to various characters from show to show. With CSI: Miami, the focus is squarely on the quiet/cool Horatio Caine (Caruso).

While the Miami crew works as a team, it seems as if nothing goes down without Caine, which is just the opposite of the hands off approach of the original CSI's Gil Grissom. Of course, Gil Grissom isn't a former homicide detective, nor did he lose his brother to drug addiction (followed by murder). As a matter of fact, we know very little about Gil Grissom at all, while Horatio Caine's motives are as clear as his ice blue eyes. Gil Grissom likes to see his team figure things out for themselves, like any great teacher. Horatio Caine wants things done, period.

For Gil Grissom it’s all about the science.

For Horatio Caine, it’s about redemption.

We never see his home, because we doubt he spends much time there. As a matter of fact, we've never even seen his office. He's the kind of CSI that does his best work on his feet, in the street, and leaves the lab work to the experts. After all, his instinct usually tells him who’s guilty long before the evidence does; that part is just a formality. So while Calleigh Duquesne (Procter) examines the ballistics, and Speed (Cochrane) and Delko (Rodriguez) work through the fingerprints and bloodstains, Horatio keeps his suspects at an arm's length.

Horatio is a guy who blames himself for his brother's death, and pines for his widow, Yelina (Milos). Besides his job, his feelings for her seem to be the only thing that has any relevance in his life, but even then, we suspect that his feelings for her may have more to do with righting perceived wrongs rather than truly being in love.

It's this dynamic and the central protagonists conflicts that make CSI: Miami a unique and exciting series instead of a carbon copy of its progenitor, and the show further establishes its own identity with its fantastic second season.

In the season opener, "Blood Brothers", the team investigates a hit and run death of a model that leads to the discovery of yet another victim, and a suspect who has diplomatic immunity. In this episode, Yelina (Milos) also addresses Horatio's feelings for her, but not in the way he'd hoped.

Meanwhile in "Dead Zone", a man turns up harpooned to the side of a boat, and the investigation leads to the discovery of a Columbian drug smuggling ring, deep sea treasure, and a slick one-armed salvage expert who stands to make millions off of the man's death. This episode is another example of how CSI: Miami differs from the Las Vegas series in that many of the cases have a much more "epic" feel to them, as in the excellent "Hurricane Anthony", in which a man thought to have died as a result being caught in the center of a massive storm turns out to be a murder victim.

Other stand out episodes include the grisly "Extreme", in which a the remains of a woman found in a shark show that she was actually shot first, and "Hard Time", in which a rape victim is found beaten in an abandoned apartment the day before her rapist is scheduled for a parole hearing.

This season also introduces us to the niece Horatio never knew he had, when a young meth addict who slept with Horatio's brother during his downward spiral turns up as a potential witness in his murder. Her child, who bears a striking resemblance to both Horatio and his dead brother, becomes a bone of contention between Yelina and Horatio, as she thinks Horatio fathered the child. Horatio lets her believe this rather than hurt her with the truth about her dead husband. This is a story arc that runs through the entire season.

Season two also features "MIA/NYC Non-Stop", which introduces us to the cast of the new CSI: New York, as a grisly double homicide in Miami leads Horatio to New York City. This is one of the most shocking and violent hours of episodic television I've ever seen, featuring an opening scene that has to be seen to be believed.

As with all of their CSI releases, Paramount presents CSI: Miami-The Complete Second Season in a nicely stocked boxed set, featuring all 24 episodes of the 2003-2004 season in widescreen format. The set features seven commentary tracks, and four featurettes, including "The A/V Lab Tour", "CSI: Miami--Visually Effective", "The Trace Lab Tour", and "CSI: Miami--Recalling Season Two".

This is a great set for a great series, and, while a bit on the pricey side, the cost is justified when one considers that this boxed set contains over 24 hours worth of some of the most fascinating crime/drama your going to see just about anywhere.

Very highly recommended.