'CSI' Saves the Best for Last & 'Earl' Does Very Bad Things

Last night's big CSI premiere was rolling along slowly with two throwaway cases and one awkward Sara/Grissom moment, BUT THEN, things really picked up! The episode was 50 minutes snooze fest (with the exception of the HDTV feast for you eyes with Cirque's vibrant colors) and 10 minutes shock and awe. Why, why did they waste the first 50 minutes? Was it because somebody thought it would be awesome to start off the season with a 2-parter and force people to have to tune in 2 weeks in a row and forgo new timeslot rival Grey's Anatomy? I only ask because the 2 events that made this episode a 2-parter happened in the last 10 minutes, almost like they were an afterthought. Since the first 50 minutes were throwaway, we're going to focus on the last 10. Catherine and Nick go dancing at a John Mayer performance and then things turn sour quickly. Some random guy wants to buy Catherine a drink, she refuses, drinks her own drink, begins to feel funny and finally wakes up naked and alone in a hotel room. Instead of going to the hospital and getting a rape kit done, she does one herself. I don't know whether she didn't want to go through the embarrassment, wanted to take a shower or both, but regardless, there's no way that's going to be immiscible in court. And then there was the strange dollhouse murder. The murder scene was perfectly recreated (down to the smallest detail) in a wax dollhouse. Like Sara asked, which came first? In the case of this episode, it should have been these two developments.


'Earl' Does Very Bad Things
If you have ever seen the 1998 movie Very Bad Things starring Cameron Diaz and Christian Slater, then you know that last night's episode of My Name is Earl with the same name, was a parody of that movie. The basic principle, one small bad act leads to many more, worse ones, was certainly in full swing last night. Joy decided that she needed a hide-the-TV furniture thingy after watching Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. She buys one at the local Bargain Mart, but can't get it through the door at her trailer. She tries to return it, they won't take it back because she put her gum in the receipt, she keeps it and tries to use it in her front yard, it rains, she returns it again and demands her $3000 back, they still refuse, so she steals one of their delivery trucks. She tries to sell the truck, but she can't because the store name is still painted on the side. Earl and Randy help her spray paint over it and discover that a Bargain Mart employee is trapped inside. Things get worse and worse as the gang attempts to release the "hostage" without having him see their faces. As things escalate, the episode gets funnier and funnier. I LOVED: the Britney & Kevin stuff, Joy and Darnell fighting fairly after watching Dr. Phil ("It upsets me that you don't understand what I need." "It upsets me that your needs make no sense!"), the killer mosquitoes in Africa, every moment with Joy, and Darnell's misguided surprise party. Welcome back Earl! You can watch some scenes from last night's episode free at nbc.com.


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