S02.E17: The Promise

[Snazzy Daisy]

Synopsis:

Quote

When the body of a young girl who was killed over 40 years ago is discovered at the bottom of Lake Mead, Max Roby promises her mother, Raquel Williams (Regina Taylor), that the CSI team will finally find justice for her daughter.

 

Airdate: March 30, 2023

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by SnazzyDaisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

CSI: Vegas EP Anthony E. Zuiker and Guest Star Regina Taylor Preview the Series' Most Emotional Episode Yet

Zuiker asserts that this week’s episode is the most “emotional” of any of ’em.

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“Probably the best work of my career, with the very best actress I’ve ever worked with, Regina Taylor.”

“Rather than do a cliché mob story, I wanted to do something emotional for Paula Newsome, in terms of a big episode for her that was sort of racially charged.”

- Anthony E. Zuiker

 

Quote

“I read the script and I just started crying. It just struck me, the love this mother has for her child, and the relationship that grows between these two women during this journey of reclaiming this child’s body.”

“Raquel’s pain is one that has built up inside for so long, and it’s very primal."

- Regina Taylor

 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

CSI: Vegas | 2x17 Sneak Peek "The Promise"

 

 

[threebluestars]

So did Zuiker just forget he wrote Blood Drops and Gum Drops? Because I found those episodes way better than this.

[janeta]

Well, that was sad. -snif- And poor Beau having another dead child to deal with.

 

why were the two guys at the salt factory being so obnoxious?

[Grizzly]

Glad to have Greg there. He's so much better than Catherine and her angst. But let's be honest, there was no reason for him to be there. All of his lines could've been said by one of the other CSIs. He didn't bring a special skill set. Unless that anthropologist was on the original show. She did seem vaguely familiar. Liked his scene with Penny. Wonder if the mother was so angry because if she had handed over the cash box, her daughter might be alive. Did the stupid criminal even take the cash box? No hospital would clean up the bullet and then give it to the patient. Chain of custody? Don't think they can use it in court. With all that said, I was crying at the end.

[illdoc]

So...what happened is that teenager/killer is driving the truck with empty (?) barrels on it, sees the people with a cash box on a bench (in front of a church!), stops, gets out of his truck with his handy antique gun, tries to rob them, kills them both (or so he thinks), panics, tries to get rid of the bodies in the barrels when he's scared off, dumps the one body he had into the lake (losing his license plate in the process)? In present day, he's trying to gather the evidence before someone else finds it, gets the only incriminating evidence (the plate), but instead of just leaving he's, what, going to try to remove the barrel too?? BTW, the "we're going to find your fingerprints all over the murder weapon so confess" part? Why wouldn't his fingerprints be on the gun? It's his gun and has been for over 40 years! As to the "I recognize the diver as one of the descendants of the gun owner"? How about "Hmm {last name of dead suspect} sounds familiar. I examined the list of employees of the barrel/salt company from 40 years ago (they did ask for that list) and there's someone with that last name who would have been the right age." They bring up his picture and then "oh! he's the diver". Makes more sense, doesn't it?

[milkyaqua]

Yes, there were wholes throughout this whole epi but it was nice seeing Regina Taylor.  Agree that Greg's appearance was a waste as any of the other CSI's could have done what he did like I don't know, Park?  He was there at the lake and then just disappeared again.  Also, it's a CSI office, what are the odds that they wouldn't have someone on file who could do the reconstruction in the first place?

At least we didn't have Allie being her too usual wishy washy self over Josh though of course that meant we had to be subjected to Maxine and her family drama.

I'm not a monster and did tear up at the end because of course I knew Raquel would die.

[illdoc]

12 minutes ago, milkyaqua said:

Agree that Greg's appearance was a waste as any of the other CSI's could have done what he did like I don't know, Park?  He was there at the lake and then just disappeared again

Since Greg will be in multiple episodes, I think this episode was less of a "Greg's back---he has a storyline (such as "who framed Hodges" or "who killed Grace")" and more of a "We are introducing Greg back into the series with some lame excuse (filling in for someone on maternity)". I assume he'll have a bigger part in the next few episodes. BTW, did they even mention Catherine? Such as "she's taking a personal day" or something? 

[milkyaqua]

3 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Since Greg will be in multiple episodes, I think this episode was less of a "Greg's back---he has a storyline (such as "who framed Hodges" or "who killed Grace")" and more of a "We are introducing Greg back into the series with some lame excuse (filling in for someone on maternity)".

I suppose but I don't understand why all the previous versions of this show were able to weave in all of their characters and this version seems bound and determined to mainly focus on maybe three central folks.  It makes no sense.  It's fine to bring in former characters (and I'm hoping that Greg gets used wisely and doesn't experience a personality change like they seem to have done with Catherine) but they should be able to utilize the characters they have more cohesively and entirely.  They also need to cut back on the soap opera lives of these folks as well and try and have tighter cases with fewer holes that make sense.

[LadyChaos]

Im just glad he is back. I'm interested in learning how he knew the forensic anthropologist.

[Raja]

When Mrs. Williams was describing the 1982 lack of investigation I was thinking that no way was Dennis Quaid's Sheriff Lamb (Vegas) still in office.  You wonder when it turned around in time for Grissom and company to

10 hours ago, illdoc said:

gets out of his truck with his handy antique gun,

I was issued that same weapon, from 1982 until 87 when my unit finally reequipped with 9mm. Maybe it was not manufactured for WWI or WWII but maybe one of them was.

 

12 hours ago, janeta said:

why were the two guys at the salt factory being so obnoxious?

🤷‍♂️

With talk of mob hits before knowing she was a child maybe they did know about the end user of a few other barrels. Or just to have the audience look at the company as the source of the murderer/crime scene cleaner

Edited March 31, 2023 by Raja

[Snazzy Daisy]

This is by far, my favorite episode of the series.

Regina Taylor truly stood out as Raquel Williams with her 40yo, deep-rooted angst and mistrust of law enforcement. So many gut wrenching moments - when she walked into Max’s office, when she revealed to Max she was there and Phoebe died trying to save her, when she made Max promise to give Phoebe a proper burial if she didn’t survive the surgery.

I love the parallel scenes about mothers’ love at the end - Max watching Bryan created a pigmentation for Phoebe’s reconstructed face to match her likeness, plus Raquel and Phoebe’s happy memories. Max kept her promise when she arranged for Raquel and Phoebe to be laid to rest, together. A great soundtrack for these emotional scenes - Spaceship by Leanne Rimes.

Who else crying? 😭😭😭

I like seeing Dr. Milton Hudson again. Another tryout by TPTB?

With 4 episodes left, I hope we’ll be seeing Greg Sanders for the remainder of the season. I’d prefer him than Catherine. I love his interactions with Penny - the banter of 2 lab rats.

 

[lh25]

2 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

I love the parallel scenes about mothers’ love at the end - Max watching Bryan created a pigmentation for Phoebe’s reconstructed face to match her likeness, plus Raquel and Phoebe’s happy memories. Max kept her promise when she arranged for Raquel and Phoebe to be laid to rest, together. A great soundtrack for these emotional scenes - Spaceship by Leanne Rimes.

Who else crying? 😭😭😭

We were.  I get there were plot holes, but that ending really got to me. 

[Cotypubby]

Hated that episode. Why am I being forced to watch so much of Roby’s family drama? I don’t care about her ex or her son who weirdly hangs around the lab. Why was the mom so angry that they were trying to find out who her daughter was with the flyer? Why did she think the CSIs were supposed to already know her name and exactly what she looked like from just a skull?? I thought the ended with the son painting the face was so hackneyed and dumb.

[Raja]

36 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Why was the mom so angry that they were trying to find out who her daughter was with the flyer? Why did she think the CSIs were supposed to already know her name and exactly what she looked like from just a skull?? I thought the ended with the son painting the face was so hackneyed and dumb.

It was teased with the discussion of the undetermined ethnicity picture that the police artist produced but then didn't pound the point home. And then the mom switched up to the 1982 LVPD only sent a couple of patrol officers writing notes on a napkin to talk to a shot mom and a critical missing child

[Raja]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:47 AM, illdoc said:

In present day, he's trying to gather the evidence before someone else finds it, gets the only incriminating evidence (the plate), but instead of just leaving he's, what, going to try to remove the barrel too?

I was trying to figure did he pick up the hobby of scuba just in case he had to dive on his evidence dumpsite one day.

On 3/31/2023 at 10:41 AM, illdoc said:

Since Greg will be in multiple episodes, I think this episode was less of a "Greg's back---he has a storyline (such as "who framed Hodges" or "who killed Grace")" and more of a "We are introducing Greg back into the series with some lame excuse (filling in for someone on maternity)". I assume he'll have a bigger part in the next few episodes. BTW, did they even mention Catherine? Such as "she's taking a personal day" or something? 

As Greg was introduced as temporary night shift supervisor pressed into service by Dr Roby for this case and the new series takes place during the day like Miami and not at night like the original run I am guess they are preparing for the super case that  sprawls from day to night shifts.

[emma675]

I'm glad Greg is back but agree that anyone could have said his lines (free Chris Park!) and it was kind of a ham handed way to insert him back into the show. Is he still a CSI on a different shift and just took a sabbatical to write a book? It seemed like he knew who everyone was and what they did, but he didn't work with them regularly. 

I wasn't a huge fan of the case or the weirdness of forcing Max's ex husband into the episode or the over the top-ness of having the entire cast show up to the funeral at the end. But I did tear up. Regina Taylor is very talented. 

Also, yay, Dr. Hudson returns and the annoying sibling coroners are still gone.

[Raja]

38 minutes ago, emma675 said:

s he still a CSI on a different shift and just took a sabbatical to write a book? It seemed like he knew who everyone was and what they did, but he didn't work with them regularly. 

I heard it as Greg was out but coming back to sub in as the night shift supervisor.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Raja

[Lovecat]

This episode was like that show Cold Case, which I loved.  Plot holes or not, the ending got me.

[Snazzy Daisy]

The TVLine Performers of the Week: Paula Newsome and Regina Taylor

We were promised the most emotional CSI: Vegas episode to date. And that, it was. 

[LisaM]

Definitely teared up at the end. Regina Taylor... One of my long time favorites... So nice to see her again. Still a powerhouse.

[juliet73]

There definitely was a lot of plot holes in this episode, but it was one of the best ones since the series returned.  Regina Taylor knocked it out of the park!  I would have preferred if she didn't die at the end.  I agree with the others about Greg not being needed.  I didn't miss Catherine at all.  I liked that it seemed most of the supporting characters had equal time on screen.

On 3/31/2023 at 6:46 PM, Raja said:

why were the two guys at the salt factory being so obnoxious?

I think they were trying to make one of them the red herring. 

I totally forgot about the diver until they showed his pic.  Since they knew the gun belonged to someone older and showed all the family members it could belong to now, I thought they were going to do some genetic genealogy.  Instead, looking at pics of driver's licenses is all it took to solve the case.  Sigh...

[GiandujaPie]

Add me to those who didn't understand Greg's role. I understand he was brought in as a fill-in, but for who? Catherine? Is he a current employee who switched shifts? Or was he brought in off the street? 

I wish we could have found out about what he's been doing since the original CSI ended. Did he stay as a CSI and is now a supervisor? I was hoping we would find out that he had left CSI and found a niche as a writer/podcaster for old Las Vegas history and that he was brought in as an expert because there was a case related to that. 

One thing I always found frustrating about CSI was that no one ever seemed to be moving forward and onward, other than Sara and Grissom. We didn't need to have lots of personal drama about the characters, but it would have been nice if Nick or Greg had gotten married or gotten a steady love interest in the last few years. The characters by then were in their mid-30s/early 40s and were essentially the same people they were at the beginning of the series. It would have been interesting to see that Greg had moved forward with his life. 

[juliet73]

1 hour ago, GiandujaPie said:

Add me to those who didn't understand Greg's role. I understand he was brought in as a fill-in, but for who? Catherine? Is he a current employee who switched shifts? Or was he brought in off the street? 

I wish we could have found out about what he's been doing since the original CSI ended. Did he stay as a CSI and is now a supervisor? I was hoping we would find out that he had left CSI and found a niche as a writer/podcaster for old Las Vegas history and that he was brought in as an expert because there was a case related to that. 

From what I remember hearing, he was brought in as a fill in for an off screen character that had never been mentioned until this ep.  I don't think he is a current employee because he mentioned something about working on a book since he left CSI.  

It would have been nice to see Greg running the lab or at least having some type of supervisory role when the series returned instead of bringing him back halfway through season 2.  Then again, it would have been nice to see David as the medical examiner and Wendy and Archie promoted as well.  I feel like anyone from the old series who is brought into this series is wasted.  Brass was on the first ep and never spoken of again.  Hodges being framed was a lame storyline, Catherine with her daughter and dead student drama and now Greg.  

[LisaM]

I thought it was interesting that there was no mention of the brother/sister medical examiners considering that she almost died in the prior episode. Also no mention of how the temporary medical examiner came to be filling in. 

[Raja]

31 minutes ago, LisaM said:

I thought it was interesting that there was no mention of the brother/sister medical examiners considering that she almost died in the prior episode. Also no mention of how the temporary medical examiner came to be filling in. 

He had made prior appearance on the show. I guess no real need to explain having more than one doctor handling suspected cases seeing the murder rate in their Las Vegas.

[slowpoked]

On 4/5/2023 at 5:52 PM, juliet73 said:

Brass was on the first ep and never spoken of again. 

I thought Brass was killed or he passed away during the first season? I vaguely remembered there was mention of that. He was gravely ill when Sara and Grissom visited him.