Let the Thunder Roll…

I don’t know exactly why, but one day a few years ago I decided to stop on one of my PBS stations (because of Staten Island’s location, I not only receive Channel 13 from New York but also Channel 21 from Long Island and Channel 25 from New Jersey). There was a concert on and the music intrigued me. That show was Celtic Thunder. I fell in love with their Irish-infused music and how great all their voices were. I purchased their first CD and would play it while at work. In fact, my boss commented on the oddity of “Puppy Love” following such Celtic sounding songs.

The men of Celtic Thunder are George Donaldson, Ryan Kelly, Paul Byrom, Keith Harkin and Damian McGinty. Recently, a sixth member was added to the group: Neil Byrne. Neil, though, has been working with Celtic Thunder since the beginning. Neil plays in the Celtic Thunder band and provides backup vocals.

I also bought as many of their CDs as they could possibly put out. I also watched every show broadcasted by PBS. But everyone knows that everything is better live! So I did a little digging on the group’s official website. And they were going to be in New York City, at Radio City, on October 1st! I asked some friends to come with me and my friend Lauren said she could. I bought the tickets and eagerly waited for the month to pass.

On Friday, after we stopped by the Comfort Diner (which I highly recommend to anyone who lives near Arthur Kill Road on Staten Island), she and I took the train-ferry-train down to Times Square. We walked down 7th, which was bustling with slow-moving tourists and the native New Yorkers trying to outwalk them. We talked about the annoying promoters constantly trying to get you to see a comedy show. And of course, they tried. But because of the foot traffic and hawkers (and because I remembered that Radio City is closer to 6th), we left 7th Ave. We arrived at Radio City, where a large crowd was being ushered into the music hall. We got on line, had our tickets scanned, my bag checked and soon entered Radio City.

Our seats were very good. We were in the orchestra, row UU—which is front orchestra—center section. As we took our seats, the woman in the row behind us recognized me. She and I attend the same church. It was nice to know there’s someone else in my neighborhood who likes Celtic Thunders as much as I! Shortly after, an announcement told the audience that the forecast called for some thunder in the area and Phil Coulter took the stage. He is Celtic Thunder’s music director. He explained that the first act we would see was a show called “Heritage” while the second act was “It’s Entertainment!”

“Heritage” was a section devoted to the men’s favorite songs from Ireland and the traditional set. The show opens with the song “Heartland,” which is standard for Celtic Thunder. Each guy, including Neil, got to sing a solo piece while they still performed group numbers. Some of the highlights for me were Damian singing “Come by the Hills” entirely in Gaelic (which I was worried would bore my friend as I’ve heard the song in English while she hasn’t but she said she liked it anyway), Paul singing “Red, Red Rose,” and a lovely duet by Ryan and George that I wish I knew the name to. “Heritage” finished with “All God’s Creatures Have a Place in the Choir,” a toe-tapping gospelesque song that led us into our intermission.

While at intermission, the woman next to my friend and I adopted us. She heard me explain to my fellow parishioner that I had only seen Celtic Thunder on TV. She, however, was an avid Thunderhead (defined as a fan of Celtic Thunder) and this was her third concert. She asked us who are favorites were and Lauren gave a vague answer while I piped in with “Paul!”

Soon, though, the lights dimmed and “It’s Entertainment” started with all five guys singing “Take Me Home.”  Lauren noted that the crowd was more enthusiastic and participated more during this section. I explained to her that “It’s Entertainment” was already released and performed, so the audience already knew what to expect. This section is devoted to songs spanning several decades and styles.  For example, Damian sings “Standing on the Corner” from The Most Happiest Fella, a Broadway-musical while Ryan sings the Bryan Adams hit “Everything I Do (I Do It For You).” Other highlights included Keith’s “Surfer Melody”—Surf City; Fun, Fun, Fun; and Surfin’ USA—as well as George’s rendition of the Pretenders’ “I Want to Spend My Life With You.” One of my favorite performances was Paul singing “Doo Wacka Doo,” complete with some fancy footwork! Another highlight was the trio of Ryan, Keith and Neil singing “Hallelujah.” The finale was the U2 hit “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which had us on our feet and clapping along.

I’ve been ignoring a big part of the show: the band. They weren’t there just to provide the musical accompaniment. They got their own chances to shine, especially Neil who ran between the drums and the guitar for one number. One female fiddler was quite impressive as well.

For their encore, the five came back out in kilts to perform “Ireland’s Call.” I knew this was coming—they sing it to conclude every show, much like Billy Joel sings “Piano Man.” Hearing “Ireland’s Call” on television is thrilling; hearing it live is electrifying. Everyone in the crowd sang along and our adoptive friend even did the hand motions with the boys. But sadly, all good things come to an end and the Radio City lights came back. We tumbled back to the crowded, noisy city streets and went to meet friends at a local bar.

Overall, the concert was everything I hoped it would be. We had great seats, with great views of the stage. The music, performances and lads were much better live than on TV. I believe this was just the first of my many Celtic Thunder shows!

TV Updates

It may only be July, but news of the upcoming 2010-2011 television season is still coming out!

On the “Glee” front…I’ll eventually get to the remaining recaps. Before the season premiere, I promise. And speaking of the season premiere, FOX has officially set Glee’s return to be September 21st! Also, Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem has been signed on to guest star in an episode, promising a plot that revolves around Artie. Hopefully, Bardem is the first of many awesome guest-stars this season on “Glee” (including, perhaps, the return of one Neil Patrick Harris?).

Also, I hope they do another episode focused on just one artist/group’s music. I myself am rooting for an all-Beatles episode, maybe with an appearance by either a Sir Paul McCartney or a Ringo Starr? Who would you like to see in Glee? Vote now in my poll!

On the “CSI: NY” front…There’s been a casting shake-up! Melina Kanakaredes AKA Detective Stella Bonasera announced that she would not be returning for the show’s next season. Actress Sela Ward (Once and Again, House) will take her place. I hope they give a good reason for Stella to have left suddenly. Here’s to giving Ward a chance—I firmly didn’t think I’d like Lindsay because I liked Aiden, but now she’s my favorite character. So, we’ll see.

On the “CSI: Original Flavor” front…Most of the cast members have signed new contracts, but Liz Vassey (tech Wendy) has been released from hers. I am going to believe that Wendy decided to take a job elsewhere so she and Hodges could live geekily ever after.

Staten Island: Come and Visit!

Since Sam Brown took us on a tour of her home borough in my last post, I’ve decided to take you around my home borough this one.

So, hop off the Staten Island Ferry and actually dare to wander out of the St. George Terminal for a Weekend in Staten Island!

Friday evening: Here in the summer, the best way to spend your Friday night is at the ballgame! Right next to the ferry terminal is the Richmond County Savings Bank Ball Park, home of the Staten Island Yankees. The Baby Bombers are the minor league team of the New York Yankees and uphold their major league counterpart’s championship tradition. There are no bad seats in the stadium and allows for a great view of the New York skyline and New York Harbor. For less than $20, you can go see a great ballgame. And, win or lose, Friday nights usually end with a fireworks display.

Note: Public transportation on Staten Island is not as good as the other boroughs and we recently suffered cutbacks. Where I live, we only have about two buses that run out here. It’s advised that if you don’t have your own car, you rent one.

Saturday morning: Staten Island is just that—an island. Go enjoy the morning down by the beach—South Beach! Enjoy the view of the Narrows and the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Verrazano Bridge. There are several diners scattered throughout Staten Island, most of them owned by Mike. They are opened 24/7 and just as good for breakfast or lunch as for a late night snack.

Late Saturday morning/Saturday afternoon: Around Staten Island are several cultural and historical things waiting for you to discover. There is the grounds at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. There the botanical gardens, museums and performances to be found in this center. If you are traveling with children, there is also a Children’s Museum on premises that always provided my friends and I with days of fun. There is the Alice Austen house. Austen was a photographer at the turn of the century who captured New York City as it grew into a modern metropolis. Her house on Staten Island is preserved and houses many of her pictures.

A recommendation for lunch is DeNino’s Tavern for some pizza. Sure Brooklyn has all the well-known pizzerias. But you know what happens to Brooklynites? They move to Staten Island and open more pizzerias! DeNino’s is well known throughout the Island, especially for how thin their pizzas are. I had a slice from there and it was delicious!

Moving down the cultural highlights of Staten Island, there is also Historic Richmondtown. This was the location of the original settlements on Staten Island and now is a collection of houses between 100 to 300 years old. Most were moved from their original locations to the town. Tours are available as well as the ability to just wander through town. While driving along Arthur Kill Road, be sure to stop in to Holtermann’s. Their baked goods are sold in many stores, but the main bakery is here on Staten Island. I get my birthday cake from there every year and my family loves to pick up their cupcakes. Pick up a delicious snack as you continue down the Island.

The last stop in the tour of Staten Island’s history is the Conference House Park, a personal decision of mine since I volunteer there. The house is the oldest stone manor house in New York City and the site of the oft-forgotten Staten Island Peace Conference held on September 11, 1776. The house is open for tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 1 and 4 PM. The Conference House itself isn’t the only reason to visit the park. There are several other historic houses on property—not yet open to the public, but we have no problems with people peeking in the windows! There is also a gazebo that looks out over the Raritan Bay and on a clear summer day, it is a beautiful sight. You can also walk along the beach and kick around in the surf. You may also find the South Pole, marking the southern most point in the State of New York.

Saturday night: Time for dinner, right? After all that, you’re probably starving. My suggestion for a good meal is to eat at the Marina Cafe in Great Kills. It sits on the water and my mother has eaten there with colleagues many times. You can sit outside (if the weather permits) or inside and enjoy a great meal for reasonable prices. Try to hold off from ordering dessert because I am sending you to a Staten Island institution—Egger’s Ice Cream Parlor (namely the one on Hylan Blvd by Tysen’s Lane). I went there after I graduated from high school to celebrate, even if chocolate ice cream and a white dress wasn’t such a good combination. At some point, Staten Islanders have flocked to the store for some delicious ice cream and is a highlight.

Sunday morning: Staten Island is about 85% Catholic, but I don’t know the percentage of those that are practicing. Either way, areas around churches will be slightly crowded with Sunday church-goers. It might be best to have breakfast in your hotel before venturing out for the day.

For the rest of Sunday, I advise you discover why they call us “the Borough of Parks.” There’s Wolfe’s Pond Park in Prince’s Bay. Lemon Creek Park or Blue Heron Park. There’s Gateway in Great Kills. But I would suggest Clove Lakes Park. My high school track team had practice there during the cross-country season and ran two cross-country races there every year (The Wagner Invitational and Championships). There are several paths to walk, pass the Clove Lakes and Martling Pond. You can find the trails we use for cross-country and walk deeper into the woods, though be careful by Royal Oak as those are often used as soccer fields.

Also located in Clove Lakes Park is the Staten Island Zoo. While it might not be as famous or as grand as the Bronx Zoo or the Central Park Zoo, it still can delight all ages. When I was younger, they used to let the peacocks roam free. I am not sure if they still allow it, but it is pretty awesome. Another attraction at the Staten Island Zoo besides the petting zoo is Charles G. Hogg, better known as “Staten Island Chuck.” Every Groundhog’s Day, he comes out of his little home to predict whether we’ll have an early spring or six more weeks of winter. While his predictions have been off the past few years, he still has a better track record than a more famous groundhog who shall remain nameless.

As the sun sets once again on our island, I hope you enjoyed your little tour of what Staten Island has to offer. Come by and see us!

Construction Workers, Gladiators and Vikings, Oh My!

Two guys fight at a construction site until one of them grabs a jackhammer. It looks like one of the guys gets jackhammered until construction worker pulls away to reveal blood. Cue Mac and Hawkes, who confirm it is blood. Flack tells us the fight was a good ole fashion Brooklyn fight between laborers and scabs. They X-Ray the concrete slab to find a body underneath. Paced on it’s position, the victim was buried alive.

CUE THE WHO!

NEW YORK! The crime lab techs cut through the concrete to get to the body as Lindsay takes pictures. And Mac stands around looking…intense? I’ll go with intense. Stella arrives and says the scabs have been getting threats from the striking workers for weeks. The site manager locked the gates but this morning they were open. Lindsay thinks a vehicle broke it down.

At the lab, Sid and Hawkes chisel the body out of the concrete while X-Raying the body as well. They chip away slowly but surely as his face is revealed. Sid pulls something out of his mouth. Mac notes that John Doe took a beating but Sid says COD is suffocation. Mac wants John Doe’s description compared to the records of the site workers. Lindsay tests chain strengths while Hawkes and Sid continue chipping. Hawkes gets fingerprints, Lindsay gets trace. So does Hawkes.

Stella goes to find what Lindsay found out. The perp couldn’t drive anything smaller than a SUV but the tire tracks were made by tires used on sports car. The trace on the fence seem to point to car paint except there isn’t a solvent. So Stella thinks of a push bar. The women think there are two cars. Meanwhile, Adam discovered Hawkes’ trace is Christmas in Hollis, Queen. It’s enhanced marijuana. Adam couldn’t find a comparison to any of the workers, but he found someone who bought marijuana in New Jersey. He gives Hawkes the address.

Flack and Danny go down a skivvy hallway as loud music plays. They knock, wait and then bust down the door. No one is in the apartment and the couch is watching TV. They think the perps jumped the victim in the apartment until Colby Jenkins walks in with pizza. He says he stepped out for toilet paper…before Flack points out he doesn’t have it. Colby lights up and says it’s legal because of his brain cancer. Or at least his medical records say. Danny asks who the victim is. Colby remembers watching TV with John Doe…watching Muppet Babies with “The Gladiator.”

Hawkes brings Mac down to Sid’s lab. John Doe is dressed as a gladiator.

Hawkes examines the gladiator outfit, pulling out a glass shard. Sid focuses on the man in the outfit. He has a puncture wound in his arm. Sid pulls out trace. The Gladiator died forty-eight hours ago. He had bleeding on the brain, probably from the beating. Mac notes that The Gladiator’s hands looked like they beat people up. The guy also had injuries common to boxers. Mac notes that something seems familiar. He was a fan of an amateur boxing champ, who dressed as a gladiator. Joe “The Gladiator” Carthage was rumored to have retired and possibly become an alcoholic.

To the gym! Mac asks the trainer to confirm if John Doe is Joe Carthage. Trainer agrees. He was great until he was put into a coma. He couldn’t fit anymore once he woke up. He had no enemies, worked as a bouncer.

Stella does research on Carthage as Lindsay says the bone fragment found in the wound isn’t even human. Lindsay wonders why Joe was fighting. Mac goes to ask about Joe at work. The co-worker praised him for just doing his job and doing it well. She recalls an incident where Joe stepped in as some patrons got grabsy with the waitress. The patron threatens Joe. The co-worker was grateful to Joe. Flack drags the patron in as Stella squares off with brother. Apparently, their grandfather has a record. He wonders if they were living up to the family name. They are cocky until Stella reveals that their car has the same tires found at Joe’s burial site. Flack thinks they beat him up, dressed him as a gladiator and buried him. The brothers sober up and say that while they have to live up to the family name, they know better then to fight a guy dressed as a gladiator. They just bragged to their friends.

Danny backs up the brothers’ claims. Their Camaro couldn’t have done it. Right tires, wrong tread. They are all talk—they have no criminal records and are on the Dean’s List at Hofstra. I was a Dean’s List student. The glass Hawkes found has advanced technology used by several businesses, including one that folded in Manhattan. Danny and Hawkes go and find signs of struggle. And blood. Whoever beat up the Gladiator tried to spackle the evidence. Danny notes the cameras all pointing at that wall. Hawkes sprays it with Luminal, Danny turns the shades on the windows and the wall glows. They process the scene with Adam’s help.

At the lab, everyone mobs Mac. Hawkes and Lindsay confirm the abandoned office is the crime scene. Adam says that the bone is whale bone while Lindsay says that an indent was made by a Norse sword. Lindsay pulls up footage and says a Viking killed the Gladiator.

This is starting to sound like a high school football game.

We see a Viking fighting a lumberjack. Is this the Halloween version of Fight Club. It’s Blood and Guts Bawling. Lindsay says it’s supposed to be all for show and no one is not supposed to die. Mac wonders why Joe would take the risk. Adam is going though the footage from the security cameras. Flack and Stella go to where the IP address led them—to Branson, the promoter of Blood and Guts Brawling. Branson doesn’t meet most of his fighters. He just arranges the fights, tweets the locations and everyone shows up. Branson has the fight and says it looked good. Everyone was alive at the end. Branson says Joe wasn’t like the other fighters. He was just eager to fight. Flack arrests him for organizing illegal fights.

We see the Viking vs the Gladiator. Joe lands a blow, so does the Viking. Joe gets the upper hand. Viking pierces Joe with his helmet—hence the whale bone. Joe wins with the Viking surrendering. Joe tells him they had a good fight before enjoying his victory. Joe could’ve fallen unconscious later and the person he was with could’ve panicked. They need to ID the Viking.

The landlord lets Mac into Joe’s apartment. Mac spots a bag under the bed. He pulls out red boxing gloves, red boxers and a red sign saying “Wanna Fight?” Next, Mac finds pictures of Joe and his trainer as well as Joe in the ring. Mac’s mind plays memories of Joe’s victories in the ring.

Adam’s at the lab, going over Branson’s phone. Hawkes goes over the concrete for more trace. He finds gold? Adam finds an Erik Overson. I think he’s the Viking! And I’m correct. He only has a few misdemeanors. But there is no connection between Overson and Joe as well as Brooklyn. Overson comes in and swears that Joe was alive when he left him. Mac says they have proof of felony assault. Overson says he didn’t know about Joe’s condition. Mac gets a call. Hawkes finds a pendant given only to trainers of amateur boxing champs. The trainer buried Joe.

Mac goes back the gym with the trainer’s pendant. Mac asks about Branson and if the trainer knew that he recruited Joe to his fighting league. The trainer was asked to convince Joe to fight to save his gym. Branson showed up the office and texted the trainer. He discovered an unconscious Joe. He called the trainer, who says he’s gone. So the trainer and Branson buried Joe. The Viking has a defense—an accident. But trainer doesn’t—he committed murder. Trainer says that for one brief moment, Joe had his dignity back and let him live again. Mac reveals that Trainer buried Joe alive. He was only in a coma-like state. Unis come in to arrest the trainer as Mac looks on. He sees a shadow of Joe, in his glory, in the ring.

Next week: Little kid vs Skivvy Adult. Who will win To Tell the Truth?

Breaking Out is Hard to Do

The show starts with a bus pulling into a prison. A priest talks to an inmate in an orange suit. Hawkes arrives—the inmate has requested that Hawkes be a witness to his execution. Hawkes talks with the inmate, Reggie. He tells Hawkes he has “her” eyes. Hawkes is confused. Reggie just wanted him to be there. Hawkes is still confused. Reggie gets shackled as they let him out. Hawkes asks what Reggie wanted to tell him. Reggie tells him he killed Hawkes’ sister—Maya.

They strap Reggie down. They prepare him for the lethal injection. Hawkes watches. It hits seven o’clock and the warden gives the nod. The cops watching start to exhibit some strange symptoms. The first shot is given. One cop goes down and the other tries to help. Hawkes runs in. Blood is leaking from the cop’s mouth. Hawkes begins CPR but then calls it. They escort Reggie back to his cell. Hawkes looks at him.

Cue the Who!

Hawkes takes pictures of the dead cop with his phone. He then calls Mac. Hawkes tells him someone died—just not the inmate. Mac and Hawkes think cyanide poisoning. Pennsylvania cops and CSIs are on their way. CSI isn’t planning a spin-off, right? Anyway, the two think Reggie’s behind it—a murder on Death Row gives him a stay of execution for the investigation. They figure he has help on the inside. And we see a cop hold up a guard, ordering him to open cell 17. Shots are fired, alarms blare, cells open and Hawkes rushes to the scene. He finds another dead guard. Hawkes goes to find the state trooper while the warden orders a lock down.

Meanwhile, Hawkes runs into a madhouse. Brawls, toilet paper, and guards running around. Hawkes spots Shane Casey. He’s like “Wha?” before an inmate rushes him. He spots the guard and Shane talking. The song fits perfectly. Back in New York, Stella and Flack are concerned. The riots have made the news already. If they know Hawkes is in law enforcement, he’ll be the next victim. Reggie tries to help Hawkes, swearing that he didn’t kill the guard—he was prepared to meet his death. Hawkes follows Reggie as police swarm the prison.

Mac tries to get Hawkes out as Danny leads Lindsay and Adam in. Adam notes that Shane Casey is in the same prison. Danny finally admits that everything got stolen way back in autumn. Danny only found his grandfather’s dog tags but not his badge. The print went to Shane Casey. Adam is amazed. Mac comes back to reveal that getting Hawkes out is low on the state troopers priority list.

Back at the prison, Hawkes pushes Reggie against the wall in revenge for his sister’s death. But he lets the guy go and Reggie runs back in. Hawkes calls Mac. The gang gives him their support. Hawkes notes that he saw Shane Casey. Flack tells him to hang in there. Hawkes is asked if he trusts anyone inside. Hawkes says no. Reggie returns with an orange jumpsuit, saying it’s his only chance to survive. Back in New York, Mac enlists his team to break Hawkes out of prison.

Hawkes is still not up on trusting Reggie, not since he killed Maya. Reggie asks if Hawkes wanted to know how it happened. Hawkes says she was a drug addict and he knows those situations. Reggie tells him that his sister was clean when he met her, he wasn’t. She tried to help him but when he was high, he killed her. He lied to the police, saying it was a drug deal gone bad. He regretted it every day and said that Maya always talked about Hawkes. Reggie asks Hawkes to accept his help for Maya.

Hawkes calls in the middle of the “Break Hawkes Out” pow-wow. Reggie reveals they are in cell block B and sneds a picture of the riot. Stella goes to send it to tactical. Three guards are down and the others are in cells. They tell him to lay low. He says no and there’s still a murder to investigate. The others are like: “Wha?” Hawkes says he doesn’t think it’s Reggie but no one rules out Shane Casey. Hawkes ends the call as some inmates drag the Warden in. They ask who Hawkes is and Reggie says he’s been in solitary. The inmates let him have a pop but Reggie stops him, saying that the Warden is their leverage. Hawkes agrees and gets the inmates to lay off the Warden. They leave and Hawkes asks to see Shane Casey’s cell. Hawkes reveals his true identity to a guard. He gives him a device to help him. Hawkes finds Casey’s cell. Except that hallway’s on fire! Hawkes asks about his escape plan. Hawkes requests that it pass Shane’s cell. Mac agrees.

Hawkes and Reggie run as more toilet paper flies. “Stop the panic” the music says. I like it. The gang in New York continue to plot his escape. Reggie and Hawkes look for an air duct. He kicks in a wall and climbs in. Reggie follows. Because it’s not a prison break unless someone’s climbing through the air duct, right? They get to cell block G and finds Casey’s cell. Hawkes goes through his stuff while Reggie keeps guard. Hawkes tells him about Casey’s beheaded girl hanging from the ceiling fan. Hawkes finds a peach pit, which canbe used to make cyanide. Now he has to figure out how Casey knows the guard. The New York gang tells Hawkes to get to the kitchen. But then there’s Casey.

Casey taunts Hawkes. The doctor says that everyone knows that Shane’s brother was guilty. Shane says he “sweetened” the blood-thirsty guard’s coffee. Hawkes tells him to let him go so he can hurt him. Shane says he has an appointment to keep. Reggie is like, “Wha?” Reggie tells Hawkes the cells are escape proof.

In New York, Lindsay and Danny are worried about Hawkes. Lindsay tries to tag Hawkes’ guide so tactical and tag him as “non-hostile.” They realize it is Reggie. They wonder why Reggie wanted to talk to Hawkes. Danny calls Hawkes and asks about Reggie. The two learn about Hawkes’ sister and her death. They are surprised and even more so when Hawkes reveals he’s in Casey’s cell with a con and a tracking device. Danny tells him that those batteries run out a lot. Hawkes realizes that it’s rechargeable, filled with sulfuric acid. He and Reggie break it open to use the acid to weaken a bar or two. Reggie asks to just to break out.

Shane meets with his state trooper contact, who has an NYPD uniform. And I guess Danny’s badge. Reggie and Hawkes continue to try to get out of the cell. Hawkes unscrews a pipe to use to pop it out. Reggie’s impressed. The two try to squeeze out. Hawkes makes it through. Reggie gets through but broke a rib. He picks up the pipe as Hawkes goes after Casey. Oh, lookit, Danny’s badge. Casey asks his friend how he looks. The friend is quiet but gives him a gun. I half expected Casey to shoot him.

Hawkes spots an empty room. Meanwhile, Flack is surprised about Hawkes’ sister. Flack and Danny say they were forthcoming about their siblings but Lindsay says she knows about wanting to bury the past. Mac says tactical is ready to move. Hawkes spots his contact, who reveals that Casey is holding the contact’s family hostage. Casey shoots the trooper as Hawkes and Reggie approach. He leaves.

Hawkes comforts the guard, missing Mac’s call. The trooper reveals that Casey’s partner is his former cell mate, who has the trooper’s family. Hawkes promises to get them back and closes the trooper’s eyes. Meanwhile, Reggie fights Casey. And it looks like Reggie is beating an officer. They get ready to fire as Casey pounds him. He raises his pipe and they shoot. They surround Reggie while Casey pretends to be Danny. They capture Hawkes, thinking he’s an inmate. He yells about Casey, but he walks off as Hawkes is cuffed. He sees Reggie’s body and is shocked.

NEW YORK! Danny brings Hawkes in. Stella hugs him, followed by Lindsay, Adams and Flack. Mac tells them that the family is safe and the Warden was released from the hospital. A BOLO is out for Casey but he’s still loose.

NEW YORK! Hawkes pulls out a box from his closet. Oh, hey, guess he got a new place. He pulls out pictures of him and Maya. We cut to a graveyard. Hawkes is there, carrying flowers. He lays them on his sister’s tombstone. He apologizes and tells her about his life.

Next week: Nothing new.

I enjoyed this episode. It was exciting, watching Hawkes try to escape and the gang trying to help him two states away. I am over Shane Casey, though.

Hide and Seek

And CSI:NY is back!

NEW YORK! Stella walks in slow motion through a traffic jam as some yellow police tape flutters menacing in the wind. She crosses it, pauses and looks as if she thought she heard or saw something. She goes into the building the tape is in front of as the show tries to be a horror film, complete with lone yellow balloon. Watch it pops. This lighting does not favor Melina at all. She spots more yellow tape, crosses it and tries to turn on the lights. Gee, they’re out. She spots some sort of red drink seeping into the carpet, red dressing dripping off a piece of lettuce and then—a sound! She pulls her piece and approaches a cabinet. She puts her gun away as she spots a scared little boy. A shadow passes behind her and she gives chase as a storm kicks up. She calls for back-up.

And gets hit. By a truck. Oh, Stella. The person from the other car gets out and the woman tries to help Stella out. But then she disappears as…

It is revealed to be a bad dream on Stella’s part. You’d think she’d dream herself some better lighting.

CUE THE WHO!

LADY LIBERTY! Sad music plays as we return to Stella, looking forlornly out a window. Mac comes to jar her from her vigil. She says she’s waiting for the results of an autopsy and Sid banished her for hovering. She tells Mac that the victim is Marina Garritto, the sister of a missing 8 years-old boy in a 15 years-old case. She would call Stella like clockwork every Monday asking for updates, trying to generate new leads. Stella couldn’t take her call the past Monday because she was busy. Marina was then rushed to Trinity Hospital the night before with a gunshot wound. She was DOA.

And Sid rules her death a suicide. Stella flips out, refusing to believe that Marina committed suicide. She storms out of the lab, leaving Mac to apologize for her behavior. Sid’s disappointed too. He remembers the Garritto case, informing us that Marina and Luke were twins. Stella put Luke’s DNA in the database in hopes it would match somewhere. But nothing came of that either.

We see Marina, alive, talking about waiting for her brother.She believes he’s alive, waiting for them. It seems she’s talking to a support group, I guess. She imagines he’s alive, but she always sees him as 8 years-old.

Hi, Lindsay! She and Danny as well Hawkes try to help Stella. Lindsay suggests that it’s odd that women use guns for suicide. But Hawkes found a suicide letter sent to family and friends. She also closed her bank accounts, made a donation, set her affairs in order. Everything suggests that Marina committed suicide. Stella doesn’t believe so. She recalls meeting Marina a few years back when the woman came to report her brother missing, bringing his hat for DNA. Stella talked with her and knows that she would not give up.

NEW YORK! Hey, is that Mac’s Mystery Brunette from the St. Patty’s episode? Adam meets her and flirts, informing us that she’s an ER doctor. Mac meets her and dismisses Adam, taking Mystery Brunette to his office. She brings a delivery of Marina Garritto’s clothing and gets to look at the crime scene. She’s surprised that Marina’s death was ruled a suicide. She mentions instantaneous rigor and says she was in the Air Force reserves, serving as a doctor in Afghanistan. She and Mac have military in common. Mystery Brunette says that she noticed Marina’s hand clenched as if holding on to something for dear life when she died.

Stella is excited to hear this, thinking it means Marina struggled before she died. She was grabbing on to something to save herself. But what? And why?

Stella goes to Marina’s apartment, where she has a wall dedicated to her brother’s case. Stella goes to a closet, finding clothes. She sees a picture of Marina and Luke as children. Flack couldn’t find any witnesses though one guy thought he heard something, called the police. Flack thinks that Marina shot herself, regretted it and tried to get help. Stella thinks that Marina was shot, struggled and tried to get help. They both agree the phone was what Marina was clutching, but the why they disagree on. Flack notes that there is no sign of forced entry and mentions everyone has a Marina Garritto. Stella asks him to keep looking and he agrees. She opens a closet and a guy pops out. Stella and Flack pursue him to an indoor pool. She spots a broken…something…before getting hit on the head and falling into the pool. Flack, in the lobby, hears a shot while we cut to Stella struggling in the water with the guy. Her gun rests on the bottom of the pool. They continue to struggle. Until we see blood. Flack shoots at the guy, hitting his leg. Completely unconvincing acting, there, buddy. “Ow.” Right. Flack goes after Stella.

This is the seasonal “Stella’s in danger” episode, isn’t it?

We see Stella getting treated before cutting to Marina again. She remembers her mother crying, the police, an ice cream truck. Luke’s bike was on a stoop but not Luke. Marina says it was hard that she looked like him and was a constant reminder of what her family was missing. She said she hated her face and her mother died a year later. We cut back to the present as Mystery Brunette treats Stella. Mac goes to visit and Stella protests sick leave. They reveal Stella’s attacker was Marina’s step-father. Stella believes that Marina found Luke’s killer—the step-father.

Adam gets to go to the pool with a skimmer. He finds a yellow pillow, blood…and then we go to Marina’s body. She touched something she was allergic reaction. Hawkes is surprised Sid called him down for a second opinion, but Sid’s a little uncertain. Hawkes tries to cheer his friend up. Sid asks after Stella, glad she’s okay. Meanwhile, Lindsay’s back at Marina’s apartment. He picks up a rather disgusting French fry, which isn’t a fry. She runs a test on it, finding that it is furniture foam. But just that one. The rest are french fries. Lindsay found GSR on the foam. She has an idea, telling Hawkes to get Adam to bring the yellow pillow. I’m thinking homemade silencer. And Lindsay proves it. Mac tells the gang that Marina was murdered. No one committing suicide worries about muffling the sound. He went back to the apartment to get the other pillow because he over-thought things—he was worried people would connect the missing pillow back to him. Stella though knows they have to put a gun in Tony’s hand.

Danny goes over Marina’s clothes, watching some fabric shrink before his eyes. Meanwhile, Adam tracks the gun used back to a robbery but by a different person. They think the Step-Father got it from him. Mac puts pressure because he knows the Step-Father will skip town. Danny calls his wife over to watch the Amazing Shrinking Material. It is material only sold in Step-Father’s textile business. It was made with nickel, causing Marina’s rash. And it was what Marina was clutching too as she died. It was a clue to her killer, which uncurled as she cooled and was collected by Mystery Brunette as clothing.

We go back to Marina, saying how she saw her Step-Father kill her brother after Luke mouthed off. She kept quiet because she was afraid her mother wouldn’t love her anymore and eventually, she just forgot.

And is ANYONE going to remember that Flack shot Step Father?

NEW YORK! Stella goes to Danny. He and Flack believe Step-Father’s using forged documents to get out of Dodge. They go to pick him up as Stella discovers a letter from Marina. She tells Stella she remembers everything, a repressed memory coming back to the future triggered when she went back to the scene of the crime.

At a bar, Step-Father gets antsy. He gets fake documents, then meets Danny and Flack. He protests it was an accident as Danny continues to read him his rights. Meanwhile, Hawkes leads a team down to Marina’s childhood home. Stella says Marina figured it out. Flack and Hawkes discover a locked trunk. Stella says that Marina was going to let the search for her brother go. Her letter was mistaken as a suicide letter because she was dead, it was a letter saying she was going to let her Step Father go. Meanwhile, Flack and Hawkes found Luke’s body.

Stella goes back to Sid and apologizes. Stella reveals that Marina was going to move to Boston. Meanwhile, Flack calls his “Marina”—Mr. Brennan. He asks to meet with the man in hopes of generating answers. And Mac finds Stella asleep on the couch again, tucks her in and leaves.

Marina recalls thinking that Luke was hiding their secret place, a cabinet. But he wasn’t. He was hiding in a place she would never find him.

Aww.

That was actually pretty interesting. It was a nice touch to keep cutting back to Marina’s letter and nice way to work in Mystery Brunette.

Next week: Hawkes had a sister? And now he needs to be saved from prison? Again?

Quote of the Episode:

“We’re not always right but it’s always because we’re wrong.” –Hawkes to Sid

A Pot of (Fake) Gold

NEW YORK! The Empire State Building is green, which can only mean one thing—it’s ST. PATRICK’S DAY! So, in honor, this post is in green rather than the usual blue. In a deli, the man behind the counter calls for #39. Slapping himself aware, Mac realizes it is him. He orders and meets a woman at the deli. He gets called to a scene but he gives her his second number. She orders a pastrami sandwich.

Out in Brooklyn, Mac joins our crime scene already in process. Danny is taking pictures. Flack tells us our vics are Michael Paley and John Doe. Stella notes blunt force trauma before showing Mac trace that is pure gold. Danny’s found a four leaf clover. Flack wonders if we are at the end of the rainbow.

CREDITS!

NEW YORK! Stella wonders if Michael Paley might be part of a prominent blog, which wrote about homeless in Battery Park. Embarrassed the mayor. They wonder if John Doe is Paley’s blogging partner. Sid gets the bodies and begins cleaning them off. He goes all high tech to clean up one vic’s face. Back in Brooklyn, IT’S LINDSAY! HI, LINDSAY! She finds a giant plastic bottle of water and a ladle. Danny finds footprints. As he takes pictures of them, Lindsay takes samples. Danny figures out the vic’s shoeprints. Another was a business shoe print and the fourth was a work boot. Lindsay thinks a gun was knocked under something but an accomplice grabs the gun. So Paley was shot, the possible Vanderman was beaten to death.

At Sid’s, Stella is told that yes, it is Michael Paley but no, it isn’t Vanderman. Who is played by Aaron Ashmore. Stella doesn’t know if he’s another victim or a perp. Sid reveals marks that may help find the murder weapon. Meanwhile, Lindsay runs the samples she took but no compounds were found in the water. Danny examines the four leaf clover while Lindsay gets the bloody clothes. Lindsay found algae in a vic’s shirt. There is a container of water and electic devices. Danny found out his four leaf clover is one that’s only found in Ireland. Someone been to the Emerald Isle lately?

Mac meets up with his step-son, who was worried about a friend. Named Vanderman. He tells Mac that he’s not guilty of murder but he’s afraid. Vanderman wants Mac to come to him. Reed shows his scar from the Taxi Cab Killer and says he knows how important the right help can be. Reed asks him to take a chance. He agrees to meet Vanderman and pays for Reed’s coffee. The owner gives him a take out menu with a message from the brunette in the opening scene. She wrote a note, thanking him for his kindness. Aww.

Hey, the Whitehall Station, I know that one! Used to get on and off there while working in downtown Brooklyn! As Celtic music plays, Sid continues to examine our dead guys while Hawkes fiddles on the computer with John Doe’s bruise pattern. He goes to Stella…oh, hey, the hair looks better this week. The bruise pattern is from a gold bar, deposited at the Federal Reserve this morning. Only in New York. Erin Cahill brings them into the vaults in hopes of finding their murder weapon. Stella and Hawkes have their work cut out for them.

LADY LIBERTY! Stella and Hawkes call in Adam to help. He has a “shiny” issue. They go over the stacks of gold bars. I don’t know, don’t you think the Federal Reserve would’ve noticed a gold bar with blood on it? Or one that looked like it had been cleaned with bleach? Adam declares, “I got a golden ticket!” He’s found the murder weapon. It even tests positive for blood. Erin Cahill says he came from its manufacturer straight to the Federal Reserve and hadn’t left.

Lindsay tells Danny they are going to the one pub that uses algae to brew it’s own organic green beer. Let the party begin! They enter it during a St. Patty’s pub crawl. The bartender IDs John Doe as “Charlie Cooper.” Charlie hooks him up with a cheap engagement ring, the girl dumps him and Charlie sleeps with her. So, he’s not sorry Charlie’s dead. Meanwhile, the pub crawl is still going strong.

Flack tells Mac that Vanderman and Paley’s apartment was ransacked but a uni is sitting on it. Stella tells us that Charlie Cooper not only travelled to China, he worked for the company that made the gold bar murder weapon. It was a company that melted old gold and turned it into gold bars. As Stella and Flack continue with their work, Mac finds a paper showing the same listing the mystery brunette had circled. We see her go into the apartment and the realtor gives her a note. Mac wrote it, inviting her on a date. Aww.

NEW YORK! Mac and Flack interview the owner of the company and everyone loved Charlie. He was a great employee. Mac asks for some information and the owner agrees to give it to him. Mac believes he’s involved, but his hands aren’t the ones of a murderer.

NEW YORK! At night! Mac goes to meet Reed in some godforsaken New York City alley. Vanderman joins them. He tells Mac that Paley and he were working on a story about fake gold. He and Paley were supposed to meet one more source to publish their story on their blog. He was late and saw the murder. How Paley was shot and the other guy was beaten to death by one assailant. When the guy ran off, Vanderman tried to get the gun. The assailant comes back but Vanderman threatens him with his own gun. Vanderman continued to run. Mac asks who the assailant and Reed tells him to tell Mac. He shows the gun to Mac, who asks him to put it down. Vanderman refuses and as Mac grows more adamant, he runs off. Reed reveals the assailant was a cop.

Flack reveals that the bullet isn’t one a cop would’ve used. He doubts Vandeman’s story. Mac pumps Reed for more information. He only knows what Vanderman told him. As he puts honey in his tea, the spoon gives Mac an idea. Hawkes and Mac test the bar using water, a lead spoon and a battery. The electric current transfers the gold onto the spoon. And it reveals…the bar’s a fake.

Danny reminds Stella about his native Irish four leaf clover. He also tells Stella that a stone Lindsay found in the alley is Kilkenny limestone. Stella wants to know where all these bits of Ireland are coming from. Danny’s found the answer—the Irish Hunger Memorial. I’ve been there. Everything in the memorial is from Ireland and happens to be near where Vanderman and Paley live. It is there that they find Vanderman casing the unis casing his apartment. Flack brings him in.

He doesn’t reveal much but the gun reveals more. It jammed, which is why the assailant decided to pummel Cooper to death. But they cannot raise the removed registration number. Mac uses some science magic to raise the numbers and the gun comes back to Finnegan AKA the Bartender. So as the parade goes down 5th Ave, Danny and Flack hit the bar. They call for Finnegan, who throws his tips into the crowd, jumps the bar and runs out the backdoor.

We cut back to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade as Finnegan runs right through it. Flack and Danny try to follow, Flack more successful than Danny. But Finnegan runs into a dead end and realizes that running into a parade where a THOUSAND COPS ARE MARCHING wasn’t a good idea. Finnegan is in with Flack who says the cops now filling out paperwork rather than partying at the Knights of Columbus aren’t too happy with him. Meanwhile, Stella and Mac confront the owner about his fake gold. He was informed about Charlie’s snitching by Finnegan, whom he then hired to kill Paley and Vanderman. He shot Paley, the gun jammed so he beat his enemy Cooper to death. Vanderman thought he was a cop but was threatened by Vanderman. Finnegan says he isn’t going down alone. The owner refuses to say anything. Stella brings in Erin Cahill to charge him with various FEDERAL offenses. He’s like “Oh, crap.”

In his office, Mac gets ready for his date with the mysterious brunette. Reed stops by, tells us that Vanderman is trying to rearrange his apartment and his life. Reed shows Mac Vanderman’s newest blog post—how the NYPD helped him and Paley reveal the gold scam. Reed apologizes in case he did something wrong but Mac thanks him for convincing him to take a chance. Reed invites him out for a green beer but Mac takes a rain check. Mac meets up with the mysterious brunette. I think she introduced herself as Aubrey. Not too sure.

A pretty good mystery, though not sure why they decided to do the St. Patrick’s Day episode a week ahead of schedule. But since there is no preview, I guess they were scheduled for a hiatus. And I’m curious about the mysterious brunette.

PS: Dear Sea World, the Manta isn’t the only rollercoaster like it. Facing down, flat on your back? Yeah, check out Superman at Great Adventure. Same position.

New York Moment:

Finnegan being chased down by Flack, joined by the cops from the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Perez Hilton, Wax Figures and Model Wannabes, OH MY!

Break out the stilettos and weaves! It’s time for another cycle of America’s Next Top Model. Which means, of course, we start with my absolutely least favorite episode of the season: The casting episode.

Blech.

Wow, Mr. Jay once had black hair? Anyway, Tyra talks about how she’s created this international phenomenon. Look, it’s Cassandra and Elena. And Naima, Danielle, and Whitney. And poor CariDee freezing in the pool. And remember all the shorties from last cycle? Not in this round apparently.

LA! Sinead O’Connor is trying to be America’s Next Top Model? We meet Anslee and Alasia. Tatianna and Raina tells us about Tyra’s MyFierce page. Oh lord. The girls freak out as Tyra begins to use her webcam. The Jays can use one as well. They “banter” before Tyra tells the Jays to narrow down the 33 girls. She signs off as Alasia says she’ll pass out if she appears. And thus she does—the girl hits the ground. Everyone freaks down. Tyra then introduces the Jays. One wannabe compares them to gods. Tyra spots Alasia’s wig—seriously, girl, why were you wearing that? They are going to make “MyFierce” pages.

Orange soda isn’t strong enough for this.

Krista goes first to take a photo. Next we see Angelea, who was from Cycle 12. She was the cast episode bitch, remember? She impresses Mr. Jay. Brittany follows—she won an online competition to be apart of the show. Sinead O’Connor is actually named Naduah, who has modeled in Cancun. Danielle comes in, all pierced and tattoo-ed up.

Jeanna walks down the runway first for Ms. J. Alexandra is next…I smell this cycle’s plus size model. Hallie follows and admits she is a spoiled brat. She doesn’t care about the money. Gabrielle says her strength is being bi-racial. The other girls gossip about the return of Angelea. Gabrielle notes that the mean girl never wins.

LA! The Jays and Tyra sit at panel. Angelea walks in first and is thankful. She blames her attitude on her guy. She says she got professional help and lost her crazy nails. She even knows some of the fashion industry. Tyra is impressed with the change. Hallie follows and says she likes Chanel and likes simply. She declares herself a trust fund baby. Her godmother is Cybil Shepherd. Yeah. Simone is next. Her life goals: Victoria’s Secret model or Hilary Clinton. Talk about extremes. She says she is more drawn to whites. Outside, Raina talks about being a volleyball champion and had an awkward phase. We learn that Jessica is from Arkansas and has a young son. She conceived the first time with a boy she met at church and she married him, but the church kicked them out. Raina comes in and Mr. Jay loves her eyes. She says she used to be shy and lived in a bubble and then broke out. Brenda comes in next and reveals she was adopted. She and her boyfriend found her biological dad—a convicted criminal. He denied she was his daughter but she was happy to find him. And like Jessica, the first time she had sex, she got pregnant. They tell you once is all it can take so why is everyone so damned surprised these girls got knocked up in one go?

Anyway, Alasia is a Christian punk. She tries to quote a Biblical verse but can’t remember where it was from. The girls ask Alasia why she is so enamored with Tyra. Krista believes that Alasia is revealing her esteem issues. Alasia doesn’t care.

LA. Tyra tells Krista looks like a Barbie that comes with the room. She only owns heels and wants to look good. Ms. J loves her skin. Amy comes next and Tyra hits it on the head when she says she talks like Alice. She does sound like a Disney movie. She is classically trained so Tyra makes her sing. She isn’t bad. Tatianna follows and reveals she is a volunteer mortician. She explains how to embalm and cremate. Her brother is also HIV+ and says she came to get out of the science world. Someone doesn’t know what a drag queen is? Jeanna is another plus size model. From Planet Glamazonia. She and Tyra are going to get along—right, Super Smize? They decide to sacrifice Mr. Jay to the gods of Glamazonia. Angelea thinks Naduah is her biggest competition. She looks so European. Her father is European and her mother is Mexican-American. She said she was born into a cult and it was one of those weird ones obsessed with sex. She says she lived in a house with other children and didn’t really see her parents. But she got out and knows who she is.

Following her is Nida, from a strict Pakisani family. She even mimics her mother. Outside, Gabrielle considers Angelea as her main competition as they are both biracial. Her mother is German-American and her father is black, but she’s never had a stable black father influence. She cries as she talks about people asking if her sister is adopted, etc. She does tell the panel she sees Angelea as her competition.

LA! Alexandra asks for a round of applause as she walks in. Tyra loves her plus size body shape. She says she’s a tomboy but has a girly side. Anslee follows, from Dacula, Ga. She’s married and a mom. Tyra pretends to have a camera and makes Anslee pose. Danielle follows. Tyra thinks she’s classically beautiful—but with piercings and tattoos. Back outside, Jeanna loves Naduah. Anslee says she likes Hallie and Danielle but they sit by themselves. They then are bitchy by saying that half the room doesn’t deserve to be there and names a lot to go home. They decide they are in.

The girls gather to meet the Jays. Twelve people will be eliminated. The girls have to find their picture and check their status. Those who are pending are still in, those declined are out. Out: Nida, Danielle. Everyone else wasn’t really introduced. Those pending run to meet Mr. Jay introduces them to their shoot theme: What Super Model Are You? Sounds like a Quizzilla quiz on Facebook. The girls have to do their outfits and their make up. Hallie says she’s Vlada, a model. Tatianna says she’s Megan Fox, who isn’t a Super Model. Alasia does Naomi Cambell. Seriously. Alexandra decides to be Cindy Crawford, complete with mole. Krista embodies Gisele. Naduah goes for Kate Moss. Raina goes for Adriana Lima. Time to for final deliberation.

LA! Ms. J takes a shot at Mr. Jay’s height. Tyra isn’t impressed with Alasia. She is surprised by Alexandra’s mole. Tyra doesn’t like Anslee’s profile picture. They like Brenda and are impressed with Gabrielle’s knowledge. Tyra doesn’t think Hallie is fresh. Mr. Jay likes Jeanna. Jessica gets the “pageant” label. Tyra likes Simone’s proportions. Tyra likes Krista’s walk. Tyra loves Naduah’s profile picture. Raina has potential. Tatianna is beautiful but Mr. Jay doesn’t think she embraces the model industry. They’ve reached a decision!

Time to find out who will be on the wannabes on this cycle! Tyra reveals there will only be twelve girls. Our wannabes: Naduah, Jessica, Simone, Raina, Tatianna, Alexandra, Krista, Brenda, Alasia, Anslee, Gabrielle, and Angelea. Tyra goes to hug the others girls and encourage them. She tells Amy to keep singing. She does. She then welcomes the contestants of Cycle 14—who are going to New York City. Apparently, they are going to meet a 13th girl here in New York, NY.

Oh, did I mentioned this was a 90 minute premiere…Oh dear God, Perez Hilton.

New York! The girls arrive in the Big Apple. Jessica is slightly overwhelmed but misses her husband and baby. They pass Madame Toussaud’s and stop to admire Johnny Depp’s wax figure. Perez shows up to take them on a tour of Madame Toussaud’s. Notice a lot of people have their hair covered—it means that these confessionals were filmed after their makeovers. Perez stops at Tyra’s figure—which is in my Facebook profile picture. Tyra herself shows. Apparently, he agreed to stop talking about celebrities’ children for six months if he can appear on Top Model. Tyra introduces the thirteenth girl, Ren.

Wait, MAKE OVERS? NOW? It’s only week one! Perez tells them to be fierce. So they go to the Top Model Limo. They met Mr. Jay and Ms. J at Sally Hershberger, where Sally greets them. Anslee’s always had long hair. We see footage of Tyra revealing how she decides the make overs. Ren reveals she usually cuts her own hair. Tyra decides she needs edges. Ren didn’t shave her armpits. Gabrielle gets bleached and curled. She looks great. Krista gets extensions for a ponytail and doesn’t like it. I think she looks much better. Alexandra gets highlights and likes it. It goes shorter and gets shaved on one side. She feels it makes her more edgy. Brenda gets the Halle Berry cut. She cries because her boyfriend likes long hair. She says her world was shaken. Holy crap, it’s just HAIR!

Top Model lounge? Bianca (Cycle 9) and Laura (Cycle 12) talk about Brenda crying and sympathize.

Brenda’s still going on about her hair. Since Naduah is already shaved, Tyra bleaches her eyebrows. Angelea gets a weave and I’m not too sure it’s a good look for her. Raina goes chocolate and looks great. Alasia gets some volume and body. It’s an improvement. Anslee tears as she feels her hair get chopped. And it goes lighter. But she loves it in the end. Me too. Tatianna also goes blonde. She loves it. Jessica also goes brunette. And she loves it.

Mr. Jay tells the girls they get to move into their new loft. The Top Model Limo takes them there. Gabrielle says it makes her feel like a princess. It looks like it’s meant for a Disney princess. Alasia is impressed with the size of the tub. Angelea admires the pictures of Tyra before everyone runs to the balcony. They take in that gorgeous city skyline. I love it.

Now comes the fun part—calling territory. Alexandra predicts that Angelea and Anslee are so similar, they are going to butt heads constantly.

Tensions run high as everyone watches Angelea eat. Brenda tells Angelea that she is glaring at her. Angelea confesses that it is the “bitch, please.” She doesn’t get good vibes from Brenda. Ren is already fed up with living with girls. Angelea tells Alasia not to make an opinion before meeting Angelea. Krista likes Angelea, yelling “You’re misunderstood.” Alasia tells her that she just avoids Krista and Angelea. Krista calls Alasia “fake.” I think she’s mistaking energetic for fakeness. Jessica hides in the confessional.

TYRA MAIL! “Top Models get maximum exposure, you must learn how to cover yourself.” What’s going on? The 90 minutes are almost up! But the girls go to their first photoshoot. They will be modeling from Custo Barcelona. But they will only be wearing one item of clothing. Jessica’s like: NUDITY?

And we end.

Next Week: Nude photoshoot. Alasia vs. Ren. And trouble at a runway.

So far, I love Naduah, Alexandra and Gabrielle. Not too thrilled with Krista or Angelea yet. Nor Alasia. But we’ll see. Anyway, I already called Naduah “Sinead O’Connor.” Do you think any of the other girls look like doppelgangers? And what do you think of how Ren joined the show? Think someone from casting was way more qualified?

Moment of the Episode:

Alasia, trying to figure out how many fingers point back at you when you point a finger at someone else.

Axe-Wielding Maniacs Storm New York!

NEW YORK! And we see some typical New York traffic, complete with crazed guy running around wielding an axe. Okay, it’s not so typical but the sad part—we New Yorkers actually wouldn’t blink. We’d honk, curse the guy out for disrupting traffic and drive away only to call our friend like, “Dude, there’s an axe-wielding psychopath on Church. You should totally go check it out!” Anyway, the axe-wielding maniac gets tased so Mac and Don get to go check out his hotel room. Turns out he stole the axe from the fire emergency box nearest his room. The two detectives follow a trail of blood to find—the set of some Columbia grad’s final film.

CUE THE WHO!

NEW YORK! Now Danny’s been called to the scene along with Hawkes to take pictures while Axe-Wielding Maniac gets processed by Stella at the lab. Umm, what’s up with Hill Harper’s hair? Anyway, Axe-Wielding Maniac tells Don that clowns were trying to kill him. Okay, the guy was found running in his underwear wielding an axe on a NYC street and now he claims he was tortured by clowns, who stuck a gun in his mouth. Has anyone decided to test him for drugs? Anyone? Don does have a gun—a water gun filled with tequila. Don suspects drugs. Thank God, it isn’t just me. Axe-Wielding Maniac—AKA James—doesn’t remember much, but he doesn’t remember taking drugs. He does remember being underwater, seahorses and starfishes. He tells Don to ask Mark. Don reveals that Mark is dead, along with everyone else at the “Happy 21st Birthday, Axe-Wielding Maniac” party.

Stella and Mac also think he’s on something, something hallucinogenic. My vote’s for LSD. They reveal he could go into states while revealing he’s a science geek over at Chelsea University. His phone registers 11 missed calls from a Sara and a birthday call from his parents, including dad encouraging him to put the books down and go have a drink—or maybe ten. Mom says no to that and that they’ll be home on Friday. Won’t they be surprised!

Danny and Hill Harper’s Hair are still at the hotel. He’s found the first victim—a girl. Danny predicts the guy rushing for the bathroom was number two and the guy next to him was number three, but Hawkes says they have no proof that the girl in the blue dress wasn’t number 2. They do realize there’s a gap on the wall—someone was standing there.

Sara comes down and is shocked to see James high. She tells Mac that Mark and the other guy were his best friends. She doesn’t know the girls. Mac finds it odd that she wasn’t at his “Happy 21st Birthday, Axe-Wielding Maniac” party. She says James didn’t much care for birthdays and would much rather study. Umm, why? (By the by, 29 days till my birthday!) James gets violent as Don and Danny find out he really was attacked by clowns. They were his buddies, shooting tequila in his mouth to start the 21st birthday festivities.

Danny goes to inform Hill Harper’s Hair that they ID-ed the girls and both have priors for drug use. He also doesn’t think they went to Chelsea University. James’ pants had shampoo on him. Danny and Hawkes discover that James did not create the gap in the blood spatter but Stella also notes that his clothes do not have enough blood on them for him to be the killer. She and Danny go to visit Adam, who has created a mock-up of the death. Stella asks about the bathroom door. Danny says it was open, but based on the recreation, there should be blood on it. There isn’t, so it must’ve been closed.

Stella and Danny go to the bathroom. They discover a blue shower curtain with seahorses and starfish on it. Stella realizes that during the murder, James was tripping out in the shower. We get a taste of that before we cut to commercials.

We go back to James, who has a trip watching a fly and yeah, your recapper is TERRIFIED of bugs, so I’m not watching right now. Mac comes in to end James’ and my torture. James is lucid enough to know he didn’t kill his friends but is surprised to learn he took LSD. Mac reveals that the friends did it too, party of the usual 21st birthday festivities. Y’know, up until the axe murderer showed up. Mac decides to connect to James using science. James wants to see Sara but Mac puts it off. He asks for James’ help. He’s studying his hand like a little baby just discovering it for the first time. James doesn’t remember the girls but he does remember seeing everyone dead. He picks up the axe and begins his LSD-fueled axe-wielding rampage on the streets of New York. He seems to get violent, but Mac waves off a concerned uni. James curls up, scared and Mac goes to comfort him.

Stella reminds us, again, that Mark and Daniel were partying with James because he turned 21. And, once again, the boys didn’t know the girls before that night. And once again, they were all killed by an axe. Hawkes is still trying to figure out the bite mark on James. He doesn’t remember it. The gang didn’t leave much of a trail but Adam pulled a picture off one crushed phone. It reveals a picture of the boys with a group of geriatric girls. They reveal it was an assisted living house and the boys played Bingo with the old-timers. One even won--$25,000. *Jaw drops* Don and Danny realize the money is gone and one old geezer really wants them gone. Ohmigod, it’s a real life Walter!

Stella reveals that James was bitten by Calvin Moore. He was arrested for assault. He took down two officers…and he’s only 3 foot 9! And once again, we hit the halfway mark of the episode and no Lindsay. Seriously, does someone in the Power that Be have something against Anna Belknap? Danny and Don go to watch Calvin beat someone up. He says he was paid a grand…to fight James, but not to kill them. He’s surprised to hear they’re dead. Calvin bites James, but in the end the Birthday Boy wins. Calvin doesn’t think that the boys were high. He also tells Don and Danny that the girls weren’t there yet. So where did they come from and who brought the LSD?

Mac takes James for a walk, complete with orange juice. James swears he didn’t take LSD. Mac believes he didn’t take it voluntarily. He thinks that his friends wanted to loosen him up, make him the life of the party. He distracts James by asking about his paper. He’s writing an open letter to Albert Einstein. As Mac quotes Einstein, James looks like he’s in love. However, when someone bumps into the two, James bolts. Mac pursues.

New York! Mac is still in pursuit, when he spots James’ taking down someone’s poster. The guy tries to stop James, Mac pulls the guy off and then James throws the lamest fake punch ever. I could be more realistic than that! But the poster does remind James that he rode a bull in a bar. So Don goes to the only club in Manhattan with a bucking bronco (seriously?) and the bartender confirms that the boys were there. And that James did ride Pedro, up to level 4. Then he fell off. She doesn’t think they were high and neither were the girls. They ordered the shots and may have put something in the boys’. The bartender reveals that they met the girls before they entered the bar. Don calls Stella, who tells him to meet her at a cab place. They had a run-in with one.

Danny and Stella can’t believe a driver saying that the lamppost came out of nowhere. The driver does remember the boys but he’s silent about the girls. They threaten to lock him up for reckless driving when he reveals that he let the one of the friends’ drive. Danny discovers a security camera. It reveals they just picked up the girls off the street. Stella thinks the girls probably drugged the boys to get the cash. She discovers one of the girls put a gun in her purse and Stella thinks something happened in the building they came out of.

Don and Danny talk themselves into a foggy apartment. They ask the guy about the girls. He knows they’re dead but he heard about it through his grapevine. They want to know why the girls shot him. He doesn’t know—he gave them money and food. And probably the drugs. He orders the two cops out. And I was right, he gave them the drugs. They deal for him. Or they did before they shot him. Hawkes reveals the DNA on the axe matches the Drug Dealer. So, he’s our axe murderer? The cops storm the apartment but only a young woman remains. Stella demands to know where Rufus, Drug Dealer, is. We see him and his bodyguard watching Mac and James. As Drug Dealer takes out his guns we go to…

Commercials!

Seriously, show, what do you have against Lindsay?

NNEW YORK! James and Mac are still in peril. Until Mac spots the danger. He drops his soda and pulls his gun—in slo mo, of course—and proceeds to have a shoot out with Rufus and Bodyguard. James picks up a dropped gun, remembering who the axe murderer was. Mac pleads with James not to do it and Rufus tells him to listen to Mac. James reveals that Rufus killed his friends, yes, we know, James. Mac still tells him to put the gun down. He does so and Mac orders Drug Dealer on his knees so he can cuff him.

Stella comes out of interrogating the woman found at Rufus’ apartment. Turns out the girls wanted out, move away from NYC. Rufus didn’t want that. He even ruins a good dinner, he’s so angry. That’s when he gets shot and the girls run away. Rufus’ grapevine tells him that the girls were in the hotel room. Mark and Daniel were just collateral damage. James was saved by the fact he decided to have his trip in the bathroom. They were just “wrong place, wrong time.” James has survivor’s guilt. Mac tells him that not even Einstein could’ve predicted it. Of course, Mac. Einstein was a scientist, not a psychic. Anyway, Mac tells James to reach out to the people who care. And who should come through the door—his parents and Sara. Aww.

Next week: Lindsay! I saw Lindsay! Anyway, someone doesn’t have the luck of the Irish next week. Which makes sense as St. Patrick’s Day isn’t for another TWO weeks.

So, an interesting episode. It might have been a bit more suspenseful if they didn’t exonerate the Axe-Wielding Maniac before the fifteen minute mark, let him hang for a bit. Also, whoever wrote the episode needs to work on it a bit. Audiences do not need to be hit over the head with facts we’ve already learned. And I still want to know why there was no Lindsay. And what is with Hill Harper’s hair!

No quote of the episode, but Don’s freak out about the clowns comes pretty close.

Don’t Stop Believing…

Listen up, Gleeks! While it’s still 43 days and counting till our show returns, the steam has not died down. Coming off it’s Golden Globe win cback in January and news that the cast of Glee was invited by the First Lady to perform at the White House’s Easter Egg Hunt, there is even bigger news for those living near LA, Chicago, Phoenix and my hometown, NYC.

The cast of Glee will be performing live in concert in those cities this summer!

And all our favorites will be there: Rachel, Finn, Quinn (AKA Prissy Cheerleader), Puck, Mercedes, Tina, Artie, and Kurt. The shows will even include the four Glee members who don’t show up in the advertising: Naya Rivera and Heather Morris, who play Prissy Cheerleader’s equally Prissy Cheerleading friends Brittany and Santana as well as Harry Shum, Jr and Dijon Talton who are the other two football players, Mike and Matt, who joined along with Puck after Kurt’s Beyonce obsession helped their team actually win a game. They will be performing songs from the TV show, so we can feel like we’ve all attended Regionals. Or Nationals, as the concerts will be sometime around Glee’s season finale.

The concert dates and locations are as follows:

Dodge Theater, Phoenix, Ariz. on May 18th

Gibson Ampitheater, Los Angeles, Calif. from May 20 to May 21

Rosemont Theater, Chicago, Ill. from May 25 to May 26

Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY from May 28 to May 29.

Tickets go on sale this month for all sites. American Express card members can get pre-sale tickets. Hmm, looks like I’m getting myself a nice birthday present, even if I can’t enjoy it till almost two months AFTER my birthday.

Gleeks, you may now squee.

Ready, Set, EXPLODE!

Two cars race down a track. Red car pulls ahead of yellow as the crowd goes wild. Yellow pulls ahead of red, red unleashes his speed boost. Come on, someone hit the wall—you know people only watching car racing for the accidents. And it’s CSI:NY, someone has to go in flames. Even if it’s an “exhibition, not a race.” Red pulls over for a pit stop, as does Yellow. Red’s driver shares a look with a woman in black while Yellow‘s driver is revealed to be Danica Patrick. Red pulls out exchanges a glance with Danica, who…Now there’s the explosion! Can I call it or can I call it? The emergency crews break out the fire extinguisher to use on Red’s driver before the car completely explodes.

In comes, Mac to inspect the scene. Flack approaches—Mac apparently likes Red’s driver, Davi Santos. Santos may have been protected by his suit, but he may get taken down by smoke inhalation. Flack revealed that Santos was receiving death threats. And a replay of the explosion leads us to…

The Who!

New York! Hi, Lindsay, I missed you last week. She takes pictures as Mac interviews the guy who employs Davi (also known as Antonio Sabato, Jr). Stella takes the Crew Chief. Davi and the guy were supposed to retire the previous season, but Davi talked him into one more year. Crew Chief praises Davi and Liza Grey (Danica Patrick) for being great drivers—which is why it was more an exhibition than a race. Mac wants a closer look at the car but the owners are a bit hesitant to give it up.

Mac wins though, of course, as we see the car get loaded into the NYPD garage. Adam works with the Detectives Messers as Lindsay reveals she loves racing. Adam only does it on Playstation. Adam reveals there was a fuel leak—he found Petrol everywhere. Lindsay guesses the car itself was the bomb. Danny knows it’s time to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Meanwhile, the racing organization wants the races to go on and is threatening the city, who in turn is threatening Mac. Stella goes to check to see how Hawkes is doing with the threatening letters. He knows the same person wrote the same letters, but the paper and ink are all common. They note the progression of the letters as getting more and more serious. The computer matches the death threats to a letter sent to a Congressman. Josh Weaver is spit out.

Weaver says he can’t blow up a car. He just writes threatening letters. Weaver’s brother and his family was killed by a drunk driver, who got away scot-free and uninjured. He was also coming back from a race sponsored by the organization Davi and Danica race for. Weaver’s alibi is his anger management group. Weaver just wanted Davi off the road as a victory—hurt the organization by scaring it’s star.

Danny, Lindsay and Adam continue to patch up Humpty Dumpty. It’s a great montage—CSI is always good with these. Lindsay even uses my Humpty Dumpty joke, but they are missing a wire. The gasoline is bullet proof but the fuel line has been sabotaged. However, the tools used weren’t the right ones for the job. Two theories emerge: A. The person wanted to throw the detectives off (Danny) or B. They just didn’t know what they were doing (Adam.) But Danny finds a fingerprint.

New York! We go back to the racing track where Flack and Mac talk to part of Davi’s race team. He says he inspected the car and everything was fine. He didn’t tamper with it, even if he is the heir apparent to Davi’s spot. Flack asks about where the drivers go to the bathroom while Mac gets a message about an upcoming press conference regarding the exhibition. Flack and Mac check the truck, noting signs of forced entry. Mac finds a piece of coat snagged on the door. Flack is certain the car was the target as Mac orders all the tools to be bagged and tagged.

Hawkes find traces of oil with it’s special blend. It belonged to Danica’s car. The last time she and Sabato raced, he pushed her into the wall. He was fined, she was sent to the hospital. The exhibition was her first time back. Hawkes find footage of her getting out of the hospital where she threatened Sabato. Flack and Mac go to talk to her at a photo-shoot. Mac compliments her on her recovery after the accident. Flack asks her about her threats—she chalks it up as usual sporty dirty talk. Mac says they find a piece of her uniform—she says she just wanted a peek at the car. She noted that he had been going downhill since the accident and she wanted to see if his engine had been tweaked. She took pictures, which Mac confiscates.

Lindsay gets to go over them as Mac hangs up on someone. Stella says they are still processing the tools Mac bagged and tagged while running down Danica’s records. The media keeps hounding Mac since he advised the Mayor to postpone the race for 48 hours. Stella mentions that Sabato is out of surgery and asks about Mac’s racing obsession. He even admits to winning a soap box derby as a kid. Stella finds it adorable. He says it was a desire to go fast. But Sabato’s injuries are sobering. Stella gets a call telling her that Sabato is conscious.

Stella meets up with Crew Chief as they spot Sabato with his wife. He starts to code as the medical team begins to shock him. Tanya, the wife, mentions that the day was long overdue while Stella and Crew Chief look on in shock.

New York! Tanya is in shock. Stella consoles her—so Sabato didn’t make it. Tanya comments that he didn’t belong to her and that his murder was “poetic justice.” She said that dying was the only way for her husband to retire. She flashes back to him saying he couldn’t retire because of all the rumors of him losing his edge. He says he always comes home alive to her and smile. Tanya also noticed a change in Sabato after the accident.

Lindsay is still going over the pictures as Danny gives her some specs. Danny notices that the line is still intact and Lindsay says that clears Danica as she was giving an interview right after the pictures were taken—no time to tamper with anything. They go back to the car. Sabato has ended up on Sid’s table. Hawkes catalogues Sabato’s many, many injuries from racing. Shrapnel from Singapore 400, broken bones from Portugal 400 as well as Rio. Hawkes finds a second-degree burn on Sabato’s back, caused only by prolonged exposure to an open flame. Hawkes notes that it’s a miracle Sabato lived as long as he did, explaining Tanya’s statement.

Lindsay and Danny point out where a generator was and a new engine. It recycles energy. As the car turns, kinetic energy is stored and the driver presses a button located by the steering wheel. Instant turbo boost. Lindsay explains how the mystery yellow wire was used to turn the engine into a bomb. Sabato kept pressing his turbo boost and then went boom. Mac deduces it can only be a member of the pit crew.

Stella finds Tanya going to visit Crew Chief. She stays for a half hour, then returns to the 12th floor while he leaves. Mac zeros in on him as a suspect while Stella zeros in on an embrace shared between Tanya and Crew Chief.

New York! We zero in on a picture of Sabato and Crew Chief. Mac accuses him of murder. He asks Crew Chief about his relationship with Tanya. Stella has her in another room. Tanya says she went to Crew Chief’s room to get him to convince Sabato to retire. Crew Chief agreed and decided to sabotage the engine. He wanted to throw him off, make him realize he was off his game and finally retire. They just wanted to slow him down, not kill him. He insists it was supposed to short circuit and he didn’t do anything to turn the car into a ticking time bomb. Tanya cries about how their attempt to save Sabato led to his death. Mac thinks something is missing while Hawkes comes down to clear them. He finally finished processing the tools. The print on the wrench used to sabotage the fuel line matched the team owner. Flack brings him in as Mac interrogates him. Even the owner didn’t want Sabato to change his retirement plans. So, he sabotaged the car. He calls murder “looking out for his business.” He and Crew Chief are led out at the same time. Crew Chief tries to attack the owner while Tanya gives the owner the Look of Death.

New York! Mac and Stella are suited up. Danica lends them two cars to race. Mac remembers his soap box derby as he sits in the car. He and Stella rev up as Danica waves the green flag. They take off as we go to black.

I’ve had a snow day today as a blizzard hit New York City. It was great finish to a lazy, white day. If you were in the Tri-State area, be careful out there!

Advice of the Episode:

“Go out there, have fun, burn some rubber.”—Danica to Mac.

Vampires of New York City

Central Park. Winter. Looks like it was after that big snow storm last December. I was in the city when it started. By the time my sister and I went from Times Square to Whitehall, there was a nice coating on the ground and it was coming down fast. One woman braves the cold this time and takes pictures of the part in its white clothes. She gets attacked by a crow but recovers enough to take a picture. She is then knocked down and we see her camera take odd pictures before falling to the wayside. When she lands, she’s dead. The snow picks up again, covering our Snow Queen. Some poor parks department schmo comes by and finds her. He’s pretty unperturbed by it, but then again, if he works for the city, he’s probably seen it before. Flack, Mac and Hawkes show up and rule out burglary gone wrong. Hawkes thinks she bled out but there’s no blood pool. Mac brushes the snow next to her—there’s the blood pool. Hawkes finds a puncture wound, Flack finds the camera.

CUE THE WHO! *Note: They will be the halftime act this Super Bowl Sunday.*

We come back to Snow Queen, being carted away to meet the Awesome Sid. Hi, Sid! Hey, the dad from The Nanny’s going to show up in this! Anyway, Sid studies the puncture wound and he finds a mark that may be a part of the weapon. Snow Queen is still a Jane Doe, so I get to keep calling her Snow Queen for a bit longer! Sid found some dried blood that doesn’t seem to be from the victim.

Meanwhile, we watch a photograph develop as Danny has been locked in the dark room and given the task. Stella interrupts. Danny says he feels old and Stella hopes it isn’t from aches and pains. It’s because Adam didn’t know how to develop film. So, that’s why Danny did it. After slapping Adam. Stella and Danny zero in on a guy they think may be the boyfriend. They decide to use the photos to retrace Snow Queen’s steps. They may find her identity. Flack and Stella immediately start at a fountain…holy crap, this episode was written by Carmine Giovinazzo AKA Danny Messer! Oh wait, that would be his cousin, who has the same name. Confusing. Anyway, back to the crime…Flack finds a tube of chapstick. Stella and Flack continue on and stumble upon an apartment building. Maybe someone knows her there. In fact, the doorman does—her name is Estelle. I shall still call her Snow Queen. He didn’t think too much of Ice Queen not coming home, but figured she stayed with her boyfriend—Keith. Doorman also reveals that Snow Queen was British. He also reveals that Snow Queen also had a late night visitor. A male visitor. An older male visitor.

Mac gets to interrogate Keith. They met in Central Park, aww. He saw Estelle the day before. Mac asks why Keith and Ice Queen didn’t walk in the park the night prior like they do that. Keith says they argued a few days ago and Mac wonders if her late night, older male visitor had something to do with it. Keith says that it wasn’t that, but that Snow Queen was acting weird lately and he wanted to know why. Keith breaks down and thinks he could’ve protected her if he was with her.

New York City at night. It’s always so pretty. Of course, I’m biased. Hawkes tests the dried blood. It was from multiple donors. That’s a big fleck! One of the donors has a rap sheet: Billy James, assault and battery. We go to a tattoo parlor where some chick (?) is getting “Jackson” tattooed on her neck. Billy is surprised to hear that Snow Queen was dead. He has a scar on his wrist, like Snow Queen. He sucks at coming up with an alibi—he was working late, doesn’t remember the time. Flack and Hawkes confiscate his guns.

It’s Maxwell Sheffield and Finola Hughes! Hi, guys! They cry after identifying their daughter. Mr. Sheffield says they spoke to Snow Queen two days ago; she loved New York and she loved photography. We learn that Mr. Sheffield’s mother lived in New York, which is why Snow Queen moved here. They are broken up.

And that’s all we’ll see of Finola Hughes of this episode!

Lab zoom! Hawkes tests Billy’s guns on a pig. He compares the puncture marks to the ones found on Snow Queen. No matches. Stella comes in to reveal that Billy James may suck at alibi forming, but he was telling the truth. Sid waits for Mac in his office, surprising the detective. Sid was bugged by Snow Queen’s scar, it was familiar. It was from a cutting ceremony, part of a cult. Sid delivers his findings: Snow Queen may have been killed by a vampire.

Come on. Really?

Sid continues talking about vampires. Sanguine Vampires—it’s a religion, not just goth kids having fun. Wait, didn’t CSI: Mothership already do this a bajillion seasons ago? CARMINE’S COUSIN! Be original. Sid can use the world wide web and thinks Snow Queen was part of a blood exchange. Mac realizes that so was Billy James and Maxwell Sheffield. Just because he was in that Disney movie, “Mom’s Dating a Vampire”…Sid is fascinated, Mac wants to solve his case.

Flack is relieved that Snow Queen has a bed, not a coffin. Imagine if they were investigating Abby from NCIS? Hmm, Gary Sinise vs. Mark Harmon. Anyway, Danny wonders why people turned to vampirism and is probably making a note for when Lucy hits her teenage years. Danny is surprised to find a used role in the fridge. So, he develops it. Stella and he spot Billy and an unhappy Keith. There was an older guy there and Snow Queen was by him in one of the pictures. Perhaps he was Snow Queen’s late night, older male visitor. Stella spots something in the picture and hypothesizes it might be the murder weapon.

I’d like to point out it’s been a half hour and Lindsay hasn’t shown up yet. Where is she, show?

Anyway, Mac intercepts Mr. Sheffield at the Regent Hotel. He shows Maxwell some pictures but Mr. Sheffield insists he doesn’t know anyone. So Mac inspects his left arm. He wants to know more about the scar and his “faith.” Mr. Sheffield reveals the older man is named Joseph. They met at a haven many years back—a safe place for the vampires. Joseph is a master and was keeping an eye on Snow Queen, as a favor to Mr. Sheffield. He reveals that when he and SNow Queen talked, she did sound off. Worried. He talks about the scar coming from a small, silver object--

“An ankh!” Danny reveals. Stella backstories that it’s the Egyptian symbol for life and death. Fitting.

New York! In the snow! We zoom into a haven. Some woman is with Joseph, probably about to join the cult. DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID! He sterilizes her arm and I think this became a goth thriller. What have you been reading and/or watching, writer? And did Joseph just compare himself to a god? Anyway, he cuts her, the others look on vaguely interested. Flack and Danny storm the meeting. Flack leads Joseph out, making sure he won’t bite. Danny picks up the ankh/murder weapon.

Now it’s Joseph’s turn in the interrogation room with Mac. Joseph owns a blood bank. Irony? And why is the episode filled with Brits and everyone approving on vampirism either British or a goth? Someone’s been watching BBC America on Supernatural Saturday again, hasn’t he? Joseph says he only cared for Snow Queen and we see her joining the cult, a very erotic scene. When Joseph says he’s deeply disturbed by Snow Queen’s death, Mac says, “You are deeply disturbed. I’ll give you that much.” ZING!

Hawkes tells Stella that Danny found Snow Queen’s missing ear part in Joseph’s fridge. Eww. Hawkes goes to study the ankh. He runs all sorts of tests on the thing and comes back: with Snow Queen’s DNA amongst a million other donors. Snow Queen’s blood is still recent and the ankh matches the puncture wound on Snow Queen’s neck. Mac and Hawkes are like “Yes, we got him!” And then Danny comes in to reveal that the ear part indicates it wasn’t Joseph. Mac figures it means Joseph had some help.

Seriously, where is Lindsay? I guess this was one of Anna Belknap’s episodes off?

Clouds! Zoom down into New York. Someone pulls up our key players: Snow Queen, Joseph, Keith, Billy and Mr. Sheffield. Stella and Danny want to add Dracula. Mac does try to keep an open mind. Joseph claims that the ear part was planted and is threatening to sue. Mac stares at Hawkes’ neck, then his wrist. They found Keith’s DNA on the ankh, but no scare on his wrist. He was only in one picture and the chapstick could’ve fallen out while he was running out of the park.

The writer’s studied his crime drama formula: Suspect #1 leads to Suspect #2/Red Herring #1 leads to Suspect #3/Red Herring #2 back to Suspect #1/The Guilty Party.

So back to interrogation! Keith and Mac talk again. This time, Mac asks about the haven. We go back to Snow Queen’s initiation. Keith stares at Joseph’s intimate gestures, Snow Queen’s erotic reactions. Keith thinks Joseph stole her from him. He was disgusted by the Sanguine Vampires. Mac thinks he took out the frustration on Snow Queen, attacking her in the park. He bit her ear and set up Joseph. Keith insists he was trying to save her. He pleads ignorance. Mac doesn’t like it as an excuse.

Mac goes back to the park to talk with Mr. Sheffield. He gives him Snow Queen’s last pictures. Where did they put Fiona? Mr. Sheffield loves his daughter’s work and as Mac walks out of the park, he sees Snow Queen taking pictures as Keith gets his mug shot taken. When did this become Cold Case?

Next week: Danica Patrick?

It’s been a while since I’ve recapped CSI: NY—laptop woes and then I never just got around to it. But I’m back! This was a pretty good episode, even if it rips off CSI: Mothership and Lindsay was a bit lacking. Not even an explanation. But whoever did the visuals was great and really got the beauty of the city during the winter.

Quote of the Episode:

“I guess you guys don’t want NYPD tattooed on your arms, do you?” –Billy James to Flack and Hawkes.