C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation-
The Complete Fourth Season
(2003)
review by Head Cheeze

While most television series begin to decline after a few seasons, CSI really hit it's stride in its third year, and that momentum carried it into it's fourth season that not only embraces what made season three so effective; it improves upon it.

The Complete Fourth Season DVD boxed set from Paramount begins with the two part season opener, "Assume Nothing"/"All For Our Country" in which a team of swinging serial killers lure married couples into a game of "trust" and murder. When the killers turn up dead themselves, the investigation turns to a surly beat cop whose demeanor makes him the obvious suspect, as well as a foil for Grissom. It's a great "feature-length" episode and one of the best of the series' run, but you ain't seen nothing yet.

"Fur and Loathing" sees our investigators trying to solve the murder of a man in a racoon suit, which leads them to a "furries" convention in the city. Here, people from around the world don costumes, adopt new personas and embrace their uninhibited animal nature, from bizarre mating rituals to, of course, murder. This hilarious, innovative episode is great fun, and, as always, a great mystery.

Then there is the haunting "Butterflied" in which a Grissom becomes quietly obsessed with a murder victim who bears a startling resemblence to Sara. It's an episode that bring Grissom's feelings for the young investigator to the surface, and its something that's not lost on Sara. This is a quiet, bittersweet episode, and, unlike the cool detachment the show usually exudes, this case feels personal to both the characters and the viewer.

Season four is full of highlights, and, once again, not a bad episode in the lot. From the creepy "Homebodies", which focuses on the long dead remains of an elderly shut-in, to "Feeling the Heat", a tragic story about an infant left for dead in a vehicle during a Vegas heatwave, the show's writers continue to create complex and fascinating cases and characters that keep the series feeling just as fresh as it did when it first aired.

Paramount's boxed set features all 23 episodes from season four, as well as selected commentaries featuring various cast and crew members, four featurettes, and more. Each episode is presented in widescreen format, with Dolby 5.1, and, as always, look and sound fantastic.

CSI is (at this writing) just beginning it's fifth season, so this is the perfect time to get on board with this season four boxed set!