C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation
The Complete Third Season
(Paramount Home Video)
(2002)
review by Head Cheeze

CSI had been on the air for at least two full seasons before I'd seen even one episode, however, once I saw the show, I was hooked. I remember being in awe of it's graphic content (something I made note of in my review of the season two boxed set), but, as I watched more and more, I came to the realisation that this easily the smartest television series to come down the pike in quite some time. As someone who dabbles in writing fiction, I began to develop an appreciation (and, ultimately, admiration) for the show's thoroughly absorbing mysteries, and the believable scientific techniques applied to their solutions. As a matter of fact, your average episode of CSI is better than the vast majority of motion pictures of it's genre. Yes, it's that good.

The series focuses on the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Lab as headed up by the quirky entomologist/criminoligist Gil Grissom (Peterson). His charges include Catherine Willows (Helgenberger), a single mother who worked her way through college as an exotic dancer, Warrick Brown (Dourdan), a recovering gambling addict who continues to struggle with his personal demons, as well as the overachieving Sara (Fox) and hyper-competitive Nick (Eads). The individual backstories of each character are important because they are revisited often, and are oftentimes integral to specific cases. For example, in the excellent "Abra Cadaver", Grissom's knowledge of insects offers tremendous insight into the modus operandi of a particular suspect (as well as reteaming Peterson with his MANHUNTER co-star Tom Noonan!), while in "Lady Heather's Box", Catherine's strained relationship with her ex-husband takes a tragic turn as she finds herself investigating his disappearance. Every major character has his/her own story arc that has carried on from season-to-season, but the writers keep things relatively simple so that new viewers won't have any trouble jumping in at any point.

The Season Three boxed set features 22 episodes, presented in a gorgeous anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks every bit as good as the Hi-Def broadcast of the show. There's not a bad episode in the lot, and, in my opinion, Season Three is where the series really started to hit it's stride. From the oddly enchanting "A Little Murder" (featuring a murder at a dwarf convention) to the Hitchcock homage "A Night at the Movies", one would be hard-pressed to find any filler.

When you factor in the six commentary tracks (on the episodes "Revenge Is Best Served Cold", "The Accused Is Entitled", "Fight Night", "Snuff", "Random Acts of Violence", and "Lady Heather's Box" ) as well as five featurettes, and you've got nearly thirty hours of solid entertainment making CSI: The Complete Third Season more than well worth the purchase!