Summary
WhileCSIhas a lot of classic episodes, the show’s best outing aired in 2005 and came from a notable guest director,Quentin Tarantino. TheCSIfranchise has been home to plenty of gruesome stories, but one stands out as a particularly impressive tour de force. The two-part season 5 finale, “Grave Danger,” is arguably the most tense storyline in the show’s long history. Whilesome ofCSI’s best episodeswere great thanks to their memorably nasty deaths, this two-parter is notable for featuring less gore than viewers might expect from the series. However, this doesn’t make it any less disturbing.
Admittedly, the first episode of “Grave Danger” ends with a character blowing themselves up. That said, this isn’t amoment that madeCSIviewers quit the show. Considering how visceral the show’s up-close dissection of human bodies often gets, the darkly humorous severed thumbs and piles of intestines found in “Grave Danger” are far from the show’s most shocking moments. SinceCSIis mostly famous for pushing the boundaries of network TV’s tolerance for gore and violence, it is a bit surprising that “Grave Danger” isn’t bloodier. However, its guest director ensures the episode is unforgettably intense.
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The forensics team on CSI has faced many difficult and intriguing cases, but some knock it out of the park when it comes to shocking twists.
Why “Grave Danger” Is Arguably The Best CSI Episode Ever
Quentin Tarantino’s CSI Episode Subverts The Show’s Familiar Formula
“Grave Danger” was directed by Hollywood icon Quentin Tarantino, and it shows. A handful of the director’s trademark motifs show up throughout the episode, as evidenced by its playful pop culture references. This is the only episode of the series where members of the eponymous team can be seen playing aDukes of Hazzardboard game while on break. What really betrays the director “Grave Danger,” however, is the two-parter’s ingenious plotting. Tarantino’sCSIepisode sees series hero Nick Stokes drugged by a mysterious assailant with a chloroform rag, only to wake up trapped inside a Plexiglass coffin.
Tarantino’s CSI episodes follow the team’s attempts to save Nick, subverting the show’s usual formula in the proces.
As if this weren’t terrifying enough, theCSIteam soon received a ransom demand and a link that allowed them to view Nick’s ordeal via live stream.Tarantino’sCSIepisodesfollow the team’s attempts to save Nick, subverting the show’s usual formula in the process. Typically, an average episode ofCSIfeatures the team working together to solve a murder. Here, one of the team’s own members is the victim. Usually, the victim is dead before the episode begins, and the villain is eventually caught or killed. Here, the victim lives to tell the tale and the villain’s fate is more complicated.
Quentin Tarantino Writing & Directing “Grave Danger” Made It An Instant Classic
The Iconic Director’s Style Elevated The Episode
Although Nick’s kidnapper faces off against Gil Grissom, he takes his own life before the team can discover the location of Nick’s trap. This further subverts the usual formula of aCSIepisode, as the team is left with no leads. They must rely on sheer ingenuity, luck, and investigative skills to save Nick’s life, and this is where Tarantino’s unique skill comes into play. Tarantino’s movies are full of set pieces that masterfully balance horror, humor, and tension, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats only to surprise them at the last second.
Right up until its closing moments, “Grave Danger” is a showcase of Tarantino’s ability to wrong-foot audiences.
While many episodes ofCSIand other crime procedurals relyon the same tiresome tropes every week,“Grave Danger” plays with the format of the series to deliver a chilling endurance test. Nick’s survival doesn’t seem at all certain despite his pivotal role in the series, and Tarantino constantly ratchets up the tension in his predicament. Eventually, the character evens shoots out the lights in his coffin to preserve electricity. Right up until its closing moments, “Grave Danger” is a showcase of Tarantino’s ability to wrong-foot audiences.
The Best CSI Episodes Were The Ones That Broke The Show’s Formula
CSI’s Familiar Setup Made Experiments Like “Grave Danger” Effective
The CSI team seems to find the coffin, but it turns out to be a test model. The crew finally unearth Nick’s trap, but it is rigged to explode once the door is opened. “Grave Danger” never lets up until its closing scenes and, as a result,Tarantino’s episode proves thatCSI’s best outings play with its formula. WhileCSI’s popularity changed television normsin the show’s early years, its formula quickly became familiar to longtime viewers. As such, episodes like “Grave Danger” were a welcome break from the norm that proved the show still had ingenuity to spare.
“Two and a Half Deaths,” saw the series switch writers with the hit sitcomTwo and a Half Mento deliver a hilariously meta self-parody.
Warrick’s death in season 8, episode 9, “Cockroaches,” was a genuine shock that left viewers unsure whether any of the main cast were truly safe. Season 7, episode 3, “Toe Tags,” gave the show’s murder victims a literal voice for the first time via a surprisingly poignant trip to the morgue. Season 8, episode 16, “Two and a Half Deaths,” saw the series switch writers with the hit sitcomTwo and a Half Mento deliver a hilariously meta self-parody. These offerings, likeQuentin Tarantino’s episodes, provedCSI’s formula allowed for a lot of innovation, play, and experimentation.
7.6 / 10
7.9 / 10
Two and a Half Deaths
7.4 / 10
8.5 / 10
