For a few years CSI: Miami has been my favorite show. It has always been the one reason I looked forward to Monday nights. For some reason this has not been the case this season. I went from being excited about the show to almost dreading it. I am pretty sure I know why, but let’s just start with the changes that have been made this season.
Imagine my horror over the summer when I found out that Adam Rodriguez who plays Eric Delko would only be in a handful of episodes over the course of this season. He is by far one of my favorite characters. He brings something to CSI: Miami that the other characters of the show are unable to capture. I have found myself counting down the weeks until he appears on the show because of what he brings to the show. He has always been the one with his heart on his sleeve. Eric shows the human side of a CSI’s job (as opposed to Horatio Caine’s superhuman side).
In a shameful attempt to try and replace Adam Rodriguez, the show brought on Eddie Cibrian. I’ll admit, when I first heard that he was coming on to the show, I was ok with it. That was until I saw the first couple of episodes of the season. I understand the need to try to make a new character fit into an already established show. I think that the mistake that was made was that they are trying to paint him as a saint (perhaps as an attempt to divert our attention from his real-life drama). During the first ten episodes of the season we still know little about CSI Jesse Cardoza. We know that he transferred back to Miami from Los Angeles , but his reasons are still a mystery. We know that he has been following a woman, but as of the holiday break we are not sure what his connection to this woman is. My advice to the writers of CSI: Miami , stop trying to shove Jesse Cardoza down our throats, we already have a superhero on the show and that is Horatio Caine.
The new season also saw the addition of Omar Miller to the cast. He plays Walter Simmons, a lab tech/CSI specializing in art. He is a welcome addition to the cast. He plays off of Jonathan Togo’s character very well. I enjoy watching these two interact. They bring a small comedic side to the show that has been lacking since Rory Cochrane’s character Tim Speedle was killed off the show in season 3.
Christian Clemenson has joined the cast Dr. Tom Loman. I believe that he is doing a good job of trying to fill the void that Khandi Alexander left when she departed the show in late season 6. He brings quirkiness to his character. Even though he can not replace the beloved Dr. Alexx Woods, I do believe that he is trying is damnedest to fit into the team.
CSI: Miami is a good show; despite it’s sometimes over the top stories. My biggest problem with this season is the way that characters are being handled. Ryan Wolfe (played by Jonathan Togo) has been pretty much pushed to the back. I thought that with Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) leaving the lab that he would be the one to step up and take the leadership role along side Calleigh Duquesne (Emily Procter) and Horatio Caine (David Caruso). Even with the recent addition of CSI Cardoza I have noticed that Horatio Caine has stepped out of the limelight some. Yes, he is still the hero of the show but it seems that Jesse is slowly trying to take over that role.
Natalia Boa Vista (Eva La Rue) has finally been given something to do other than play lab rat. She suffered an injury in the show’s ninth episode that affected her hearing. Her hearing problem was not addressed in the last episode of the year but I do look forward to see how this problem will affect her job. For the love of television, someone please give Frank Tripp (Rex Linn) a girlfriend. I think he finally deserves some love.
I don’t know how much I actually look forward to the second half of this season. I think I now look forward to seeing Adam Rodriguez more than the actual show. I hope that the second half of the season will answer some of the questions that have been raised during the first half of the season. Who is this mystery woman that Jesse Cardoza is obsessed with? What will happen to Natalia Boa Vista’s hearing and how will it affect her job? Will Calleigh and Eric finally get to have their happily ever after? Will Frank ever find love?
The second half of season eight kicks off on Jan. 11, 2010. I think Eric Delko returns in late Jan/early Feb.
~Monica
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