It can’t be that simple, can it?
The team drew ever closer to exposing the mastermind behind the murders of electroshock patients on CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 13.
With another eight episodes this season, doesn’t it feel a little early to be wrapping up this storyline?
In a case that illustrates how rampant guns are in this country, a mentally-distressed woman shoots and kills a man who had come to her house to murder her.
What’s that pro-Second Amendment mantra? The only way to stop a bad man with a gun is a good, mentally-distressed woman with a gun?
What should have been a quickly closed case of self-defense became so much more thanks to Maxine’s eagle eyes.
Max noticed that Molly, the target of the intruder, had telltale signs of electroshock therapy on her temples. When Max confronted her about such treatment in her past, Molly accused her of reading her mind, a sure sign that she wouldn’t be the most reliable asset.
Indeed, there are thousands of former electroshock-therapy patients in Las Vegas that remain at no risk of being murdered or murdering anybody.
But the case was at the front of Max’s mind, so naturally, she and Penny searched for and found one of those “Keep Your Secrets. Cull the Rotten Fruit” in the would-be killer’s car trunk. Of course. Let’s just ignore the happenstance of all this.
It was enjoyable to see that Penny has gotten a new mentor in Max while Catherine is off trying to improve her family ties in Hawaii.
Since Beau, Max’s prized recruit, is being recalcitrant about fieldwork, Max must get Penny up to speed in a hurry.
Penny has the potential to truly blossom as a CSI. She’s one of those all-work, no-personal-life types, just like Allie.
And Penny is a bulldog when given an opportunity. She impressed Max by correctly describing the crime scene. Then she found an identifiable flaw in the mastermind’s printer, which helped to a connection to Dr. Auerbach later in the episode.
Having just dispatched her potential killer, Molly wasn’t buying into Max’s argument that she needed to be put into police protection. She saw it as a one-time thing, not a conspiracy.
Frankly, Max and Penny were also freaking out Molly by telling her about the dossier she had received. She was already concerned that they could read her thoughts, which wasn’t helping the situation. So, of course, she fled.
Max had to find a way to connect with Molly. Realizing that Molly was scared, she told Molly about the aftermath of her being on edge after she had been attacked.
Max being vulnerable also led Molly to be that way, giving Max the thick dossier of her psychiatric records that the mastermind was using to attempt to blackmail her.
Those records, from Molly’s therapist Dr. Auerbach, had the same printing defect as the other “Keep Your Secrets” cards. That sure makes Auerbach look guilty.
But finding the mastermind can’t be that simple, can it? Granted, no other likely suspects have popped up yet. But there’s still time, isn’t there?
We almost got to see the tender side of Serena in the other case of the week, the murder of an amateur archaeologist.
So far, Serena has come across as a graduate of the Jim Brass School of Wisecracking when it comes to displaying emotion.
But something about their finding a separate skull, likely female, was throwing her off her game. That, and being out in nature, which was something she didn’t appreciate, as much as Folsom was sucking it up.
It wasn’t at all surprising that nerdy Allie put the archaeologist’s discovery in context. It was a big deal, undoubtedly worth killing for.
And didn’t Serena slap down Allie when she commented that the deceased was semi-famous among the nerdy, and Allie piped up that she had heard of his work? Poor Folsom had to stifle a laugh.
Finding the rare Clovis antiquities opened up a whole museum full of suspects. My money was on the young, ambitious gofer. But in the end, he wouldn’t have had the academic gravitas to cash in on the find.
The museum director seemed an unlikely killer, as he was so much less fit than his younger colleague. But as Serena pointed out, anything is possible when money (and fame) are involved.
At least Max got Serena to open up about the cold case from Miami that still haunted her. However, Folsom must have been so confused when Serena started bawling after returning the skull. Hopefully, she finally explained herself to him.
Beau’s labwork protest will soon be coming to an end. Running tests is a tiny part of what goes into an investigation, and Beau is definitely a big-picture kind of guy.
His teammates have understood while doing their best to change his mind.
While respecting Beau’s decision, Folsom and Allie did their best to nudge him back into the field, although he didn’t seem to be budging.
Then, while he was reading the article about the victim’s discovery, it was evident by the look on his face that he regretted not being a more significant part of solving the case. So he’ll be back sooner rather than later.
To follow the electroshock killer case, watch CSI: Vegas online.
Do you believe Dr. Auerbach is the mastermind?
Had you hoped to learn more about Serena?
How many episodes until Beau returns to the field?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.