What a long, boring episode! Cheesy attempts to create suspense, almost none of the elements that make CSI what it is, and actually repeats the same theme as an earlier episode! First, there was very little suspense. The flashback mechanism didn't work at all because we knew the outcome before we saw the danger. We see Sara struggling to get out of the trunk of a car, but we already know she doesn't get away. That's not suspenseful, it's just dumb.
Next, there was almost no science. In a very early episode Grissom uses infrared to not only find a women in the desert, but she was buried alive. Where was that technology while looking for Sara? I was actually getting interested at the point I thought Hodges might actually contribute and find Sara. But alas, no--just another dead end. Watching the team trudge through the desert was just monotonous. And then add a helicopter hovering 10 feet above the convoy of cars heading into the desert--what was the point of that? I guess it made a "cool" visual shot, but that's not at all how the helicopter would have been used.
Finally, how was this different than the desperate search to save Nick (except, of course, the Nick episode actually required forensic science to solve and this one did not). Both are two-part episodes. Both involve someone coming after the CSI team intentionally. Both put a team member in prolonged danger waiting for the rest of the team to find them. Both showed the victim showing their own resourcefulness to survive. Both lead the audience to believe the victim has been found only to shift gears and add a twist putting them in danger again. This was very repetitive.
I'm not even going to comment on the writing or acting. I didn't feel that much concern for Sara because I didn't see much concern from the CSI team. But had I been of the actors I would have had a hard time getting enthused about doing that show--again!
Next, there was almost no science. In a very early episode Grissom uses infrared to not only find a women in the desert, but she was buried alive. Where was that technology while looking for Sara? I was actually getting interested at the point I thought Hodges might actually contribute and find Sara. But alas, no--just another dead end. Watching the team trudge through the desert was just monotonous. And then add a helicopter hovering 10 feet above the convoy of cars heading into the desert--what was the point of that? I guess it made a "cool" visual shot, but that's not at all how the helicopter would have been used.
Finally, how was this different than the desperate search to save Nick (except, of course, the Nick episode actually required forensic science to solve and this one did not). Both are two-part episodes. Both involve someone coming after the CSI team intentionally. Both put a team member in prolonged danger waiting for the rest of the team to find them. Both showed the victim showing their own resourcefulness to survive. Both lead the audience to believe the victim has been found only to shift gears and add a twist putting them in danger again. This was very repetitive.
I'm not even going to comment on the writing or acting. I didn't feel that much concern for Sara because I didn't see much concern from the CSI team. But had I been of the actors I would have had a hard time getting enthused about doing that show--again!