User Reviews

First, I have always enjoyed Sara's character better than all the others on this series. Sara is far and above the best "real world" character in this series. And for the last 5 minutes of this episode, Jorja Fox deserves an Emmy! That said for all the hype, this episode was a let-down. Blame it on the writers knowing a strike was coming and they needed to get this one done. To take Sara's character and turn her on her head is almost going beyond unbelievable. She's kidnapped, nearly drowns under a car, wanders in the desert, finds her lover has spilled the beans, goes back to work while she's injured, gets a proposal, moves to another shift. No one notices that the woman needs a few days off for post-traumatic stress? Then she's given a murder involving an unresolved case from her past to deal with on her own? And we as viewers watch her fall apart when no one else does? She has enough reasons to go, just don't think this was written on the level of most episodes of this series. Hopefully, she will return (maybe she got a sabbatical like Grissom did last year) after dealing with ghosts and be stronger for it.

I'm doing a rewatch. Most people have at least a bit of hint now what happens with Grissom and Sara in the seasons to come. It hits differently now than it did in 2008 when the future was uncertain. However this episode was super well acted, even in voice over, by Jorja Fox. The ending made me cry, even though I know it's not forever. I enjoyed Sara passing the baton to Ronnie towards the end. I did like how Ronnie was depicted doing exactly what Sara would have done in season one with the battered woman.

There are definitely odd moments, such as when Ronnie and Sara are with the woman who had been stabbed. It made no sense that the husband was allowed to just walk in to attack her again without a cop tackling him. Also Grissom was conveniently even more passive than usual. I liked the direction though overall. The visuals and pacing were really interesting. They still felt fresh even in season 8. The director and actors can't help the script they got handed. Oh! And the primitive computer graphics along with the cast still having to explain the internet to some viewers is amusing.

But as I'm doing a rewatch, I watched this episode immediately after the one from season 6 where Marlon and Kira first appear. It's never truly resolved who the killer was in that episode - Marlon or Kira. I suppose in the end you can rationalize it was Kira. She had more motive. But if it was Marlon, the gang is way too soft on him in this episode. He's written as an unfortunate pasty, not a murderer who got away with it. He's gotten on with his life like nothing happened with no consequences. We're also supposed to believe, no matter how smart she is, the university hired a 14 year old to help teach classes who was publicly part of a murder trial in the exact same town just 2 years earlier to help teach? And all the students are fine with it? There's never a hint that you can be super smart at chemistry at 14 yet still be undeveloped emotionally.

At least Brass' attitude to Marlon should have been "well, maybe you're innocent this time, but you're still finally in jail like you deserve to be." At least the goth girl should have been dating Marlon because of his dangerous past. The guy who assaulted Marlon should have stated something like he was "saving" the victim from Marlon because everyone still thinks he's a killer even if he was found not guilty.

If he was innocent of the original crime, he still took part in the cover up. He's showing no guilt or cockiness this time around. He acts pretty much like any other suspect on any other episode, up until the end when the audience seems left to fill in the blanks that he's so overwrought by being framed by Kira and he sees nothing for his future but prison, so he offs himself. The writing is super simplistic. It's also such a ridiculous coincidence that the parents died pretty much immediately after the first case. What a waste to not imply Kira did that also.

Obviously the real focus was chosen to be on Sara's own emotional state and not on the murder suspects. No one to steal her spotlight. I really wish the writers had just created some other case to push Sara over the edge because there were so many holes left behind and missed opportunities. Since the emotional punch of Sara leaving is not there for me, I was left annoyed at the mediocre writing on the actual case.

The only reason I give this episode a relatively high rating is due to Jorja Fox's acting and the direction of the script that was provided them.

It's always sad when a long-standing member of a cast of any popular show leaves. In this case, it's "Sara Sidle" of "CSI." We know it's only make-believe, only a fictional television show, but you see a person on a weekly basis for half a year for almost eight years, it's almost a part of your life, or least a routine. So, it's with regret that Jorja Fox will no longer be seen on this show, at least at this point. Whatever caused her to leave is her business, but she'll be greatly missed.

Like the other reviewers here, I always found 'Sara' to be one of the more interesting characters on this show. Personally, my favorites are George Eads ("Nick") and Jorja. Ironically, both of them were fired about five years ago after both actors demanded more money. The problem was quickly worked out with CBS and they have been regulars, happily, for all the CSI years.....until now.

One thing that I was thinking - and that another reviewer pointed out - while watching this was, "why is this woman allowed to be working, right after nearly being killed?" Then, she's given the green light to work on assignment that's obviously too much for her to handle at this time - some genius little girl who excels in mind games and has a history with "Sidle." No, it doesn't make sense.....but this last case was the straw that broke the camel's back, as the saying goes.....and Sara rides off somewhere in the distance, leaving behind a stunned fiancé/boss.

In real life,a woman who truly loved her man might quit the CSI job, but she wouldn't leave him.

As for this particular crime case, it's nothing super but the acting of the brother-sister combination was good: Douglas Smith as "Marlon" and Juliette Goglia as his sister "Hannah."

Sara leaves the show. She is so horrible annoying, making all around her even worse. The show has been more a chore than enjoyable the past seasons, so maybe this will finally open up to better episodes.

Only thing still missing is getting rid of Catherine, who seems to be aging reversed. Dunno why I keep watching with so many annoying aspects...

This episode was pretty good and way better than the whole season 7, thought about just skipping the show, but this episode is making me want to push through. I liked having some sort of closure with Marlon and his sister, and this was nicely done and interesting.

HUH. That's IT?! That's all she has to give to the man she's supposedly loved for practically a DECADE and that she's ENGAGED to and she just decides to skip town?! Okay so I think the writers wrote Sara brilliantly this episode especially with the domestic abuse case and that absolutely HORRID genius brat and I understand why she felt she had to leave and I thought the letter really hit the spot ...... but it was like the perfect ending if she and Grissom had this unrequited love and she was telling him how she really felt but also that she had to go ... but the fact they were going to get married .....

The other side if looking at it is that Sara felt she had to do it like that because it would be just too hard to actually say goodbye etc. which I understand but personally I think it's a very unsatisfactory ending to their "epic romance" for shippers. Now I know the writers had to find a way to write Sara out but I think it would have made more sense to kill her off instead of having her get engaged and skip town like she has pre-wedding Chandleresque jitters.

Overall I liked this episode (but they didn't exactly have to try hard to beat last week's right ...). I hate that little girl with a fierce passion and when she broke down and cried at the end I totally didn't feel any sympathy towards her.

What I found odd was that out of all the CSIs bar Grissom that the writers chose to have a 'moment' with Sara it was Warwick. Firstly he hasn't done anything for so long I'd practically forgotten that he was even in the show at all and okay Sara did kind of have a couple personal moments with Greg over the past couple of weeks but I still would have happier having that scene with Nick or Greg. Or if I was looking for a laugh then with Catherine.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

I rated this five stars because it does, at least, feature the departure of Sara Sidle.

Without doubt, Sidle is the most depressed, and depressing, character I've ever encountered in a television series who didn't kill her/himself. That doesn't happen here, for the even more depressing reason that she will be brought back later in the show's run to again be a major buzzkill.

Grissom himself, of course, is a walking DSM-V exemplar of clinical depression. In his case, though, there is the fact that he's a genius with fascinating obsessions and semi-interesting insights. There is no such excuse for Sidle's persistent downer personality. The writers did exercise discretion by not showing the unbridled relief of everyone she worked with at her leaving, so there's that.

Grissom himself will eventually depart himself for some weird, genius reasons. He will turn up in cameos, in the wild with a butterfly net. Tastefully, we are not shown the white-coated orderlies who are doubtless chasing him with their OWN nets.

There is otherwise a lot to recommend this series, to be sure. Even more, now.