By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
September 23, 2008
Beginning with a spectacular murder at the Statue of Liberty and ending with an unusual plea from a bank robber, the fourth season of CSI: NY moves along at a quick, exciting pace that belies its almost 15-hour run time.
Spread over six discs, all 21 episodes–which originally were televised during the 2007-2008 season–are included. Led by head CSI Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), the core group of Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap), Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) returns to solve compelling and often ghastly crimes.
Sticking true to the format of the popular CSI franchise, a crime is committed, the viewer is left to guess whodunit, and then Mac and his team come in to tell us what really happened. Sometimes the plots aren’t that difficult to figure out.
But in many instances–such as watching a horrifying stalker’s obsession with Mac build throughout the season–the viewer is left almost as unsettled as the victims.
One of the most powerful episodes of the season centers around Stella, who comes to the realization that her neighbor may have harbored (or kidnapped) a missing child. Kanakaredes succinctly captures the complex nuances of what it might feel like to wonder if you could have helped someone who lived right next door.
If being completely honest, an objective viewer might admit that CSI: NY isn’t wholly unique in terms of story arcs. However, Sinise is a compelling leading man who shares strong chemistry with the rest of the cast. Even when dealing with a convoluted storyline centering around his deceased wife’s son, he makes it work.
And when Danny goes through some personal turmoil, viewers sense that he will be OK, because he has his colleagues’ support.
The season finale falls a little flat, but it does offer a cliffhanger-style ending sure to entice viewers to tune in to the fifth season.
