You knew we hadn’t seen the last of Gene Farrow.
CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 19 saw the return of Farrow, who was briefly a suspect on CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 2.
And what a comeback! Farrow crashed into the CSI lab, covered in blood and waving around a cleaver, begging Allie for help.
It was simpler to feel for Gene during his first appearance when his short time as a murder suspect led to his being fired from his job.
But even forgiving the way he made his entrance, Gene quickly dissipated any goodwill he may have accumulated, whining about how his life had gone to hell since he was falsely accused the first time.
Gene’s target Allie was feeling a little bit of guilt for the false accusations the last time around, but Serena wasn’t buying what he was selling this time.
Gene’s tale of two burglars breaking into his great-aunt’s house and torturing them to get into her safe was so outlandish that Serena was right to be skeptical.
Also, Gene was just so weird that it was hard to lend any credence to what he said happened.
Gene’s story became slightly more plausible as he slowly revealed the events of that evening.
He had had some of his bizarre haunted-house-enthusiast friends over for dinner that night. Someone may have dosed the punch, making his memory fuzzy. Joan’s husband kept gems in that massive safe.
So it was understandable that the CSIs were divided on Gene’s guilt or innocence. It was possible to view the murder from either viewpoint.
The problem was that the evidence wasn’t pointing to any particular suspect, whether Gene or one of the weirdo friends, frustrating the criminologists involved.
The CSIs’ other obstacle was Joan’s messy old house, where detritus reigned. All the secrets of the murder were buried there. If only they could dig them up.
Beating their heads against a wall, Folsom and Allie kept retesting their evidence and finally pieced together how Joan was murdered and who murdered her. It wasn’t by some mysterious burglars as Gene was attempting to spin it.
Not shockingly, Gene crumbled when confronted with evidence by Serena and Allie, the woman he had hoped would be his defender. Did he genuinely think he could outwit a lab full of trained criminologists?
Still, the reveal that a pathetic little man had killed his equally tragic great-aunt didn’t result in much satisfaction. Gene wasn’t worth the investment, one way or another.
Fortunately, a healthy dose of the CSIs’ personal stories was being explored.
First, Greg’s return to the crime lab appears to have ended.
That’s a shame, as he could have helped the series with its legacy problem. Greg could be that affordable legacy character who attracts the older viewers to tempt them to check out the lab’s new characters and adventures.
Only it didn’t work out that way. His stint as a substitute night supervisor coming to a close, Greg was eager to head to college as a step toward his new dream of becoming a criminology professor.
Then Greg announced that he was too late to register for the next semester’s classes.
That was the perfect opportunity for Max to invite him to hang around for a while longer. But instead, she made a call and found him the perfect job at a university in Chicago.
Not only was she sacrificing an experienced CSI, but she also lost her backup sounding board in Greg. She needs a spare since Catherine is wandering in and out with no discernible pattern, and she couldn’t possibly talk to her underlings about, you know, personal stuff.
Greg did come through for Max again as he told her about how he had once been attacked on the job and how therapy had helped him learn to cope.
Not surprisingly, Max was ordered to attend two sessions with a psychologist after she blew up at the bomb-squad supervisor on CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 18.
After Folsom was injured at a site cleared by the bomb squad, Max had good reason to tear into the officer. But she also had a history of blowing off counseling, so there was no escape this time.
Max’s shrink had an intriguing approach, first meeting with her at a shooting range, then a bocce court, in part likely to get her off guard.
As expected, she did the bare minimum in their sessions. But Dr. Franklin did get through to her, explaining that her problem goes back to before she was attacked and that she must learn to delegate.
Based on her comments near the episode’s end, Folsom will become her lieutenant. He unofficially serves in that role already, but she needs to learn to let go of the reins a bit more.
The only obstacle to Max’s plan is that Folsom is now distracted by family problems.
Josh fretted throughout this case because his mother, Jeannette, refused to take his calls. Allie got it because she inserted herself into Folsom’s situation. Serena didn’t understand because he wouldn’t tell her, and that lack of communication was a problem for them, wasn’t it?
Once the case was solved, Josh visited Jeannette and discovered that he’d read the situation all wrong.
But, by seeing her in person, he also found out that she was using drugs again, which is something else for him to worry about.
To revisit Max’s PTSD, watch CSI: Vegas online.
Did you care to see Gene again?
Are you sorry to see Greg go?
Is Folsom ready to move up in responsibility?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.