Construed

My interest in watching Heroes while season 3 has aired, pretty much died after the first few weeks. I have missed many of the episodes from season 3 but have just caught back to back episodes, Into Asylum & Turn & Face the Strange , both of which I have enjoyed in a casual viewing way.

But like you, I’ve heard the rumours about the show being cancelled by NBC. Interestingly enough, ratings may not be the main factor for keeping this show from being canned. SF Universe have an interesting take on Forbes TV’s Biggest Moneymakers:

The tale of ordinary people who suddenly become superhuman generates $4.3 million per average telecast, thanks to a largely young male demo that many advertisers find attractive. That pricey real estate puts Heroes in the top 10 most lucrative shows on TV, joining hits such as American Idol and Dancing With The Stars.

Could this be an insight into how Heroes can resist the continued loss of ratings per each season aired?

DM∞

We are detective
We are select
We are detective
Come to collect
Somebody’s after me
He left his footprints by the garden tree
Last night when I got home
I got the feeling I was not alone!

- Thompson Twins – We Are Detective (circa 1982)*

A little ditty of clarity came over me, as I watched Lawrence Fishburn’s Raymond Langston stumble through his first few hours as a level 1 CSI. Just a small piece mind but it was enough to leave a wry smile on my face.

Thinking back, on a number of occasions, I have heard Mac Taylor in CSI:NY state that he’s not a policeman – he’s with the Crime Lab. Of course he’s right & in retrospect, Gil Grissom was no more the detective than his NY opposite.

This brings me to CSI Miami & it’s here where the problems arise for me with this show. David Caruso’s Horatio Caine was a former NYPD homicide detective before becoming a CSI Day Shift Supervisor but he’s character seems to have forgotten that he no longer represents the NYPD. Too much of the swagger & too much to much, I told you so – the characterisation, for me, is too heavy handed & it’s way too cheesy for the CSI franchise. This is why I tend to steer clear of this now when it comes back for another season – at least until the producers decide to replace H with a new face.

My worry was that with the departure of the Grissom character in CSI, Lawrence Fishburn would burst through the Las Vegas based CSI, playing a similar ham-fisted, cheese-ridden character that would ultimately spoil the feel I have for the show.

Luckily, I can report that Dr Langston is no detective & it looks likely he’ll never be one either.

To fill Gil’s boots? I doubt he’d dare too.

DM∞

*Some of the worst lyrics to come out of the '80s but somehow, I love this song...

-This post contains spoilers regarding CSI Season 9.

It’s been building since the Sara Sidle character left last season.

All the tell-tale signs of career-burnout are now being shown in the tortured but always controlled, facial expressions of Gil Grissom. I’ll be sad to see the character leave CSI as a regular but not only will I miss the calm, almost cold character that is Gil, I know the show may never be the same or maybe as good, as it has been over the last 9 years, again.

So what makes me think this way?

It comes down to weight of character – Gil Grissom’s, played faultlessly by William Petersen, persona reaches out through the whole CSI team – it has changed them in different ways & not always for the better.

Gil is a heavy-weight in CSI lore – irreplaceable in the short-term & unforgotten in the long. You just know he never left the building to go home, never took a vacation & almost let his personal life wither away.

Taking this sort of soul from a TV Show would normally spell the end of the road, the final curtain would be dropped with maybe a chance of a return in the future as a re-make.

I don’t know what I’ll make of CSI, post-Gill. There’s just a worry running around in my head, that no matter how good a character Raymond Langston will be & how good Lawrence Fishburne is at portraying him, that CSI should have closed for business upon Gil’s departure.

Thank you, William Petersen – your Gil Grissom ranks as one of my all-time favorite TV characters.

DM∞

This is post  #99.

It feels the right time for me to do a quick look back just to see what I failed to follow-up on in previous posts – I don’t like to leave you all hanging!

Before I do so, I’d just want to mention that in the next Construed post up(#100), will be my first Comic Book Review. If you’ve missed out on what I’m talking about here, then go back 15 posts to read the announcement.

OK onto the loose ends…

Videogaming

A few bits to tidy up here:

My copy of Spore still remains unopened – I will get to it sometime soon, now the hype surronding this game has passed away. Anyone still playing with this toy, I mean game?

I’d love to finish both Fallout 3 & Bioshock.

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is also crying-out to to be played – I did give this to a friend to play & his initial thoughts were bad but he did go on to complete it in the end. The more he played it, the more forgiving he was of the game’s shortcomings – this alone makes me want to give it a spin.

You can also expect a Skate 2 review by me, up at Caught in the Crossfire by the end of the month – if not before.

Music

I promise there will be more to come on this topic – I’ve even got a ticket to a gig in March which is my first for many a year! More on that soon.

Movies

I have two that I have been meaning to watch but they still remain unwatched, they are: The Fountain & Dark City. Of course, the end of this month sees the premiere of the Watchmen movie which I hope to catch at a good cinema -  maybe even at the IMAX in London.

TV

CSI & Heroes are my main catch-ups – I have yet to watch at least 8 Heroes shows before it broke at the end of last year. I have some thoughts on the new season of CSI, written down in note-form, which I want to share here on Construed but I may wait for a few more shows to air before I do so.

OK that’s all my tying up done. Just remember, if your a comic book fan like me then keep a sharp eye out for post #100, as I’m back reading monthly comic books again!

DM∞