CSIhas become the staple television phenomenon that spawned multiple spin-offs and redefined the procedural.
Itisthe series that ushered the televised procedural crime drama into American culture ever since its creation back in 2000.
There areCSI’s best episodes, ranked.
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30. is killing men who share a birthday with the anniversary of his father’s murder.
“Who Shot Sherlock?”
“Who Shot Sherlock?”
Compared to others, the Miniature Killer has a unique M.O.
Even darker is the reason behind the crime.
Anonymous ushers in the seasonal serial killer casesCSIfocuses on throughout the series.
This particular serial killer hones in on Gil, using his handprints in multiple crime scenes to taunt him.
Its all perfectly staged, down to the voice recording of the victims alleged suicide note.
Whats more chilling than a serial killer who is intimately familiar with the ins and outs of forensic science?
Its a clever way of reintroducing the serial killer trope to the crime drama.
Its not the usual female victim, the sole focus of all the violence.
This time, its a killer set on reenacting his traumatic past through the forced suicides of his victims.
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They often raised questions of morality that bled into those of their characters.
Grissom becomes the central moral compass of the case and his teams interpretations.
The man had a medical condition known as encephalitis that caused him to exhibit signs of delusion and fits.
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Cases involving the death of an infant?
Some of the most emotionally draining to watch.
These particular sets of circumstances conjure authentic scenarios that probably haunt parents minds with more than one child.
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Its also a rare instance where Grissom leaves his mask of objectivity and visibly sympathizes with the victim.
It’s a small but pointed commentary on the pain of beauty and how often thats directed at women.
The team must find out what happened to a missing college student who vanished one night.
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Its a surprising twist that doesnt feel like a copout.
This is the case forMelinda Clarkes Lady Heather Kessler, dominatrix, and eventual psychologist.
Lady Heather herself is the source of fascination with this episode.
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She becomes the connection of Grissoms inner desires directly to viewers.
Its always a great episode when its about taking a peek inside the elusive mind of Gil Grissom.
However, this becomes a dizzying moment of moral dilemma within Grissom.
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How does he deal with his natural attraction to Lady Heather and his objective attitude towards following the evidence?
In the end, unsurprising to anyone, Lady Heather is not responsible for the death.
Her disappearance becomes an instant national sensation as the media picks up on her case.
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A young nurse is murdered in her own home; she also bears a striking similarity to Sara.
Everywhere he goes, Grissom sees Saras face in the lifeless body of the young nurse.
A haunting image he cant get out of his head.
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Enough to make him avoid Sara for most of the investigation.
Shes the survivor of domestic violence, and sometimes this bleeds into her objectivity for the job.
This becomes the issue of just how much the lab can also hinder the victim in the end.
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This triggers such a strong emotional response from Sara that she drinks and drives home.
Eventually, shes pulled over and charged with a DUI.
Grissom picks her up and only takes her hand in sympathy.
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“Whats Eating Gilbert Grissom?”
Season 5, Episode 6 (2004)
The Blue Paint Killer.
A notoriousCSIserial killer to the shows canon.
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In past cases involving the Blue Paint Killer, his M.O.
involved female victims on the college campus of Western Las Vegas University.
Years later, the victim is a male but a similar M.O.
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This unlocks a weaving mystery of copycats and another female victim that reveals a partner to Matherss crimes.
Its an episode that falls back on themurder mystery component of the series.
A staple episode if you will, where it utilizes the entire team to solve the crime.
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The episode hones in on the teams camaraderie and humanizes their bond as a found family.
Called to a scene, an unsuspecting Nick is taken hostage by an unknown individual and wakes up underground.
With time running out, the lab team all band together in an emotional episode to find Nick.
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Nick takes it upon himself to find the missing little girl.
It turns out the McBride family had a weed farm growing in their basement.
This attracts friends of their young son Jeremy, hoping to score some marijuana from him.
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What starts as a possible score ends in tragedy as Jeremy and his parents are shot to death.
Makes for a compelling look at PTSD and the hazards of the job.
The victim turns out to be Lady Heathers daughter, Zoe Kessler.
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After murdering his brother and posing as him, he started his studies.
Lady Heathers past is revealed as being shunned by her daughter because of her chosen lifestyle as a dominatrix.
A lot of this is due toTaraji P. Hensons guest performance as the victim of rape in her apartment.
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It also involves the crew of a true-crime show calledHard Crime,adding a meta-layer to the entire episode.
Gruesome is the recounting of the events by Hensons performance as the victim.
Theres a raw vulnerability that makes it almost painful to watch.
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Evidence is inconclusive, and a double confession leads to a mistrial.
Not often, but it sure is anepisode worth remembering for the villainous kid.
As ridiculous as it may sound, this episode gives control of the narrative back to the victims.
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Having them physically revive and speak to one another about their experiences is an intelligent deviation from the structure.
A delightful episode that injects a little humor into the bleak world of this crime drama.
This is the start of the Season 7 mystery that consumes Grissoms every waking moment on the case.
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The very structure of this particular killers M.O.
and ultimate motive is unique to the crime drama.
There was also no rhyme towhotheir victims were, butwhattriggered the events.
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She was, unfortunately, the one to hold one of the victims as she passed away.
Theres a symbolic connection between feminity and control in this episode that is also linked with violence.
The killer needs to possess that beauty and destroy it.
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How they never seem to stop.
Its the ingrained rage of watching other women endure such violence and not being able to prevent it.
Each crime, stranger than the next, all leads back to the opening case.
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Theres even a squirrel involved in pulling the strings halfway through this episode.
A three-year cold case opened once again after the mother of the missing family was hit in an accident.
It mostly has to do with the physical demeanor and appearance of the perpetrator.
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Crawling his way back to where he came from, unknown even to the audience.
However, it is possible to have one episode shine.
It also happens to bring back Catherine Willows to solve a cold case in its symbolic 300th episode.
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Its more of a bittersweet look atCSIs cultural impact on crime drama.
A very nostalgic look back.
NEXT:The Best ‘CSI’ Characters, Ranked
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