CSI:NY "The Deep"

'http://notesfromnancy.blogspot.com
Blogarama

Sometimes the only way to solve a crime is to jump in. When Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his team start the case on Staten Island, they get much more than they bargained for. After a skeleton pops up during a sailboat race between New Jersey and New York, Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) has to figure things out minus some visual clues.

He tells Mac and Det. Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) whoever the person is, he or she has been dead for a few weeks. Despite a full tank of oxygen and a regulator, asphyixation seems to be the culprit. In other words, the victim suffocated. Dr. Sid Hammerback (Robert Joy) later tells Det. Stella Bonasera (Melina KanaKaredes) trace evidence of cyanide was found in the tank. It's not long before the syringe is found, but Danny has to pull Hawkes out of the bottom of the East River after the doctor is trapped while they are looking for evidence.

The steetwise cop downplays off Det. Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) when she says Hawkes was lucky to have Danny around. He also downplays the doctor's gratitude, saying the outcome would have been the same if Danny was the one in trouble.

Mac, Stella, and Det. Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) arrest the culprit, but the focus shifts after Stella realizes the killings were actually part of a terrorist attack. A helicopter with a high-ranking passenger is scheduled to be blown out of the sky. Several tense moments go by while team members scramble to stop proceedings, and quickly. Mac finds himself looking at the detonator, but Flack radios him that the bomb has been defused.

On a personal level, Stella finds herself dealing with a love interest after Drew Bedford (Kerr Smith (Dawson's Creek) tries making a move on her after she questioned his boss during the investigation. She had to kill her last boyfriend in self-defense after he turned out to be psychotic ("All Access"). The advance is rebuffed, but a future possibility exists.

Mac continues to get phone calls at 3:33 a.m. Although they started when he was in London with Dr. Peyton Driscoll (Claire Forlani), nobody has ever spoken after Mac answers. ("Can You Hear Me Now?"). The question remains as to who or why.

Hallelujah, they brought back the theme song! AJ Buckley did not return this episode, which tells me Adam continues to be a recurring character. Will Kerr Smith? Time will tell, but I have to question the wisdom of Stella involved with someone who is about the same age as Danny or Adam. Lest one think I am being unkind, I also have problems with either of the latter two dating Stella. Flack would make a better choice. Of course, Mac is a great candidate! Too bad he's taken.
I liked the interaction between Danny and Hawkes. For all his streetwise demeanor, Danny is a good friend. Seeing his brother Louie shot has softened his edges a little bit. He and Hawkes are complete opposites, but they are becoming really good friends.