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Have you ever had one of "those" days? Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) does, on a regular basis as head of the NYPD crime lab. A young woman has been murdered. This is not unusual. However, eyewitness testimony is going to be a problem since most are mannequins. The cause is obvious, though, a bullet to the head.
Adam Ross (AJ Buckley) to the rescue! He tells Det. Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzzo) he has seen the victim before. "Venus" is a cyber celebrity, making a name for herself in the Internet website game Second Life. People who play are able to transform themselves into whoever or whatever they want.
Mac realizes he will need Adam's help to help solve the case. The technician is delighted, and gleefully sets up turning Mac into the character "Taylor". He asks Mac which gender he wants to be. The look on Mac's face is priceless! Even Det. Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) gets in on the fun, taking over when Mac attempts to portray a woman so he can get close to a suspect.
Watching Adam win his "battle" to get a huge break, Mac is impressed. He greets the victory with a smile and a strong handshake, just what Adam needs to continue on. Alas, things go awry when Mac has to raise his voice to get Adam to log off. Mac knows trouble is ahead when the firewall is not able to be utilized. Just as Adam follows orders, all the computer screens go black. Oops!
The list of victims is growing quickly, but catching the killer is tougher than it sounds. Mac, Stella, Danny, and Det. Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) race to a hotel when the next victim is a congressman. They take a SWAT team along just in case. However, only Mac has any luck getting close. It's not enough, though, and capture will have to wait for another day.
On the personal side, Mac tells Flack about Peyton ending their realtionship. He knew one of them would have to move if it continued. He belongs in New York, while she belongs to London. Stella, meanwhile, gets a package of rockclimbing equipment from Drew, her not-so-secret admirer.
Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) tells Mac his phone is now ringing earlier than the mysterious calls tend to arrive. Maybe it's important? He doesn't know about what was in the suitcase in Mac's office.
First things first. This case has not concluded, so commentary will have to be held until the end when I have all pieces. I will say this: this episode was cooooooool! Bringing the virtual world into the mundane world of a crime lab is brilliance personified. For a special treat, CBS is using its website to give viewers some interactive fun.
This technique has been used before when Stella started to find out just how twisted Frankie Mala was ("Hung Out to Dry"). BUT, the video attached to the link was a promo for the next episode. Racy? A little. Too intense for my taste. On that note, will Stella go out with Drew already? The stuff he sends do not lead to an adventure, just too short clips which are a jarring note to everything else. Okay, the chat with Mac worked ("You Only Die Once"). Drew's background is clean, so what's the problem here?
AJ Buckley did a really good job. Seeing him and Mac together reminded me of a close father and son relationship. Considering Adam's father was a bully, he needs male role models ("Some Buried Bones"). One question: why a "special guest star"? The title refers to someone who did the network a favor by showing up. Kid Rock on this show is a good example, or Glenn Close on Will and Grace.
Oh, will Peyton Driscoll (Claire Forlani) "show up" as Mac's mystery caller? I cannot believe she wouldn't leave a message, but anything's possible....
