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« CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
January 18, 2007: Gil Who?
No, no, no. I'm just kidding with the title of my blog. I wouldn't want to start a quarterback controversy here. Is the show better off without William Petersen? Is the fresh blood of Liev Schreiber a nice jolt of energy? Can no one ever match up with Gil Grissom? All very good questions, which I can let you decide. But let me share my thoughts.
Hello, Mr. Mike Keppler. A nice dark, mysterious intro followed by him walking up to the body and touching it. Good start, buddy. And right there we begin a show filled with attitude, as Catherine chastises him for touching and explains how they do things in Vegas. Ain't no messing around in the Vegas crime lab. It wasn't just Cat, though. Almost everyone seemed a little on edge with the new guy in town. There was Sofia telling the Doc not to whistle as he cuts people open. Sara, jawing a bit with the slacker detective. Even Keppler was able to get in on it when Catherine asked him how he knew all the deaths were related, and he firmly said, "I do." But overall, the tension seemed subtle, and there wasn't any tension between Keppler and Warrick, who impressed him right away. I expected there to be some kind of negative interaction between Mike and Sara, and we really didn't see anything at all, (though, if you hung around for the previews, I might not be able to say that next week).
Liev is an acclaimed actor who's never done a television series before, so this is brand new territory for him. But if his first episode is any indication of what's to come, then the guy is made for the small screen as well as the big. He certainly has some big shoes to fill for a few weeks, but seems up to that task. The Keppler character comes in with a little quirkiness, as we saw right away when he poured out his coffee and crushed the empty cup into his pocket. He also arrives with some cockiness as well. Cat says that Mike knows what he's doing, but she put him in his place when he started getting all profiler on her. It should be an interesting relationship between the two of them for a while now.
How awesome was Ned Beatty, too? As Dr. Dave, he kept the same smile on his face when the investigators had nothing on him as he did when he turned into a numskull* and wouldn't even identify the ladies he killed.
With one case to focus on, we finally got to see some of the characters that had disappeared for a while. I was happy to see Brass in the first shot, as he always adds a much-needed dose of humor. Dr. Robbins calling the original examiner "a lazy bastard" was hilarious. I love the episodes like this that stick with a simple format and let us see more of the characters, which is something that has been sorely lacking this season. Overall, a great start to the Grissom-less era, though I still miss the big guy.
Now I want your thoughts on the arrival of Liev. Let the opinions flow.
Until next week, friends.
* - The term of endearment for Dr. Dave was changed at 4:30 am 1/20/07. The thesaurus said I could use, blockhead, dunderhead, halfwit or dumb ox as well, though I'm not sure anyone has ever used the term "dumb ox" before so I threw that one out. - Dave Steed
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Jan 18, 2007 11:45 PM
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Here's my opinion. Your putting the words 'Is the show better off without William Petersen' in any context, joking or not, is really a turn off to me. I mean a REAL turn-off. I knew someone, somewhere would have to say it JUST for the sake of saying it. Someone would have to throw it out there just for the sake of throwing it out there when the suggestion is non-sensical at best and again a complete turn-off. I'm not even going to waste my time detailing why I liked this episode because the title of the Blog, joking or not, really pissed me off. I mean immensely. If it was meant to get people hot under the collar then, hey, it worked - so well I may never bother reading this column again. How disrespectful and unnecessary. WP is seriously beloved by alot of fans so this is not what I wanted to see 'joked' about when I logged on but it's good to know you miss the big guy... whatever
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Jan 19, 2007 12:19 AM
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If Gil had to be absent, this guy is the perfect substitute. He was subtle yet in control. He'd be fun to keep around after Grissom comes back, I'd love to see the dynamics these two great actors would bring to the screen!
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Jan 19, 2007 12:36 AM
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Wow. And I thought the title of the blog was completely tongue-in-cheek.
Grissom's on hiatus, Keppler's filling the void. So where's the controversy?
Liev Schreiber is an outstanding actor, particularly riveting on stage. Perhaps this gig will be a springboard to a series of his own (although, please, the world does not need yet another CSI franchise).
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Jan 19, 2007 1:16 AM
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I was not impressed. The Keppler character was very bland to me. I felt that any competent actor could have played the role. Maybe I'll change my mind after next week, but this week he left me kind of cold. (Yes, I love Gil but I'm not fanatic about it.)
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Jan 19, 2007 7:14 AM
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I adored Cath up to about season four and last night it was down right hard for me to get involved with her and Keppler. The way she talked to Keppler was just snobbish, not witty or empowered.
And Sophia, I'm just done with her. I don't understand the point of that scene. What I do understand is that Doc Robbins has the best mental condition in the place, and I think the only reason he can handle his job is because he has learned not to be "personal" with each body.
I was just waiting for the writers to bring out something in Keppler. Instead he came off as a fairly typical character for a procedural. I'm still holding out for his next episode before I really come to a conclusion. I love Liev, I think the writers can do him more justice.
I did not know of any tension between Sara & Mike, I wonder what you saw in the previews for next week besides the group conversation.
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Jan 19, 2007 8:38 AM
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I love William Peterson, and I liked Liev Schreiber in last night's episode. I think it was a great idea to have a "replacement" person while WP was on hiatus. It will keep the other actors sharp and keep them evolving.
As for some of the comments, how deep can they go with the character, really? He will only be on for 4 episodes. I personally do not want to get too invested in his character only to have him leave permanently. Perhaps they can have him come back now and again as a guest.
I, for one, am looking forward to the next 3 weeks.
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Jan 19, 2007 9:02 AM
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I knew the title of the blog was tongue in cheek and never thought otherwise, nor did I get that "replacing Gil" feeling while watching the show. I just watched and enjoyed it. It was up to CSI's usually standards. And what I can see happening, and would like to see happening, is for Liev to continue AFTER Gil comes back, with "occasional" call ins for help on a case. Nice addition - and thought the cast handled the whole thing very very well. Enjoy your sabattical Gil, and know nobody's trying to replace you!!
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Jan 19, 2007 10:03 AM
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As Dr. Dave, he kept the same smile on his face when the investigators had nothing on him as he did when he turned into a prick and wouldn't even identify the ladies he killed.
Isn't this a family magazine? Last time I saw that word in print it was in a less than mainstream magazine. Certainly one that wouldn't be shared with children.
Anyway, I found Mike Keppler to be too Horatio Caine for my taste. I can take him for a few weeks, though.
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Jan 19, 2007 10:52 AM
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People on this blog seem way way too uptight! Relax...take a breath....!!!!!
Sonnet53 - I can not believe that you are not going to read this column anymore because of a tongue in cheek comment that I never looked twice at - get a grip!!!
LadyK2000 - I read the blog and didn't even notice the word you are freaking out about - do you belong to Parents against Good TV?
Thought that Keppler was a bit too odd for me and who the hell is Frank who he received all of the calls from?
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Jan 19, 2007 11:09 AM
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I liked Liev and hope that his character sticks around after WP comes back. I actually see similarities between the two characters. Liev's is much less chattier, if that's possible, but otherwise, both are intense, introspective and methodical. There is room at the crime lab for another. Perhaps his character could be recurring since Liev is primarily a big screen actor, but he's here for now so let's enjoy him.
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Jan 19, 2007 11:53 AM
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I have not watched CSI in years. It used to be my top show in the first few seasons. Now it has fallen off my radar. But I tuned in last night to see Liev and I can't say that my attitude toward the show has changed.
I really liked his performance but the everyone else (except Brass) seemed to be just going through the motions. At least the music montage scenes were not as extended as they used to be.
So I will keep watching these Liev episodes. But I doubt that I will stick with CSI after that.
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Jan 19, 2007 12:27 PM
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What I liked was that Keppler is entirely intuitive, whereas Grissom is entirely rational (in personality-typing, Keppler is an "N" where Grissom is an "S") - that contrast, and how it affects the rest of the team, is enough to keep me interested.
Liev is a great actor, no matter where he is, but he's at his absolute best in Shakespearean roles. If you have the chance to see him perform at the Public, go for it.
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Jan 19, 2007 12:38 PM
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Oh how evil would this be -- a serial killer right there in the midst. What if Keppler "just knew" so much about the killer because... (dramatic pause here)... he's one himself?
Wow -- that would put the bite back in CSI...
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Jan 19, 2007 12:53 PM
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While I enjoyed the episode, I didn't get a sense of seeing the other characters return, most just dropped in for a line or 2.
And Crash, I'd like to point you to a little show called Dexter on Showtime.
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Jan 19, 2007 1:04 PM
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