Crime Drama TV

Okay, let me start by saying that I will be discussing the entire show.  I will be giving spoilers, so if you’ve taped it or live in a country where it has not aired yet, stop reading when you hit the spoilers section.

Last night’s show started with the brutal beating of a Hispanic casino worker (I believe he was in maintenance, not that it really matters).  He was found dead on the scene and his wallet and cell phone had been stolen.  They get his cell phone number from his wife and supeona his cell phone records to track any calls made after his time of death.  As the CSI team processed the scene, cops were called to another scene where a female tourist had been beaten to a pulp, though she survived.  Again her wallet and cell phone were stolen.

 As the CSI’s evening progressed, they were called to a liquor store that had been robbed by a large mob of people.  The store owner couldn’t identify them, however, saying that they all had grotesque facial features and wore hoodies.  He was able to pull the hoodie off one and handed it in for evidence.

Meanwhile, Greg shows up at the CSI offices having completed his first court (jury) trial and he’s pretty revved over doing a great job.  He helps Sara process the foot marks on one piece of clothing and both are disgusted to find at least six different shoe prints, both men and women’s.

After he finishes up with Sara, Grissom asks him to change and go to the liquor store.  On the way, Greg witnesses a huge mob of people beating someone and calls for backup.  He pulls into the alley and turns on his lights and siren.  The crowd, all but one person, disperses and the one black guy wearing freaky white contacts approaches Greg in the vehicle.  Greg runs him down, but it doesn’t stop the rest of the mob from sneaking up behind the truck, smashing windows, pulling Greg out of the truck, and severely beating him.

 If you plan to watch the show, stop here.  If you feel asleep and missed the ending, I have good news, the rest of the show will follow.

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Sara, Nick, and Warrick arrive on the scene and Sara talks to a barely alive Greg, who is stable, and able to tell her a little bit.  Nick and Warrick gather evidence, but a heckler in the crowd really ticks Nick off so Nick attacks.  Warrick breaks it up, but the heckler threatens that he took pictures of the assault on his cell phone.  Warrick grabs the cell, offers to arrest all the people in the address book who are drug dealers courtesy of this heckler’s cell phone, and the guy backs off.  At that point, I had a strong feeling that the heckler was one of the mob, but he walked off and caused no more problems.

The story moves to the hospital where Greg is going to be okay, but he admits to Grissom that he’s never told his parents he left the lab and became an agent because they are over protective and wouldn’t even let him play sports as a kid because they didn’t want him to get hurt.  Meanwhile, the other beating victim asks to see Greg in person so that he can thank him for saving his life.

At the police station, a new victim comes in and tells them he was beaten by a large group of people wearing black hoodies, and his wallet and cell phone were stolen.  Grissom quickly determines that the guy was lying because his supposed beating occured out of range of the other beatings.  The guy fesses up that he lied and said his $10,000 was stolen because he owes a bookie.  Meanwhile, police trace a number made from the Hispanic victim’s cell phone and bring in a woman for questioning.  She’s no more than a teen and admits she and her friends have been crusing the street “Fanny Smackin’.”  Apparently it is all fun and games to beat a tourist and steal his/her money and cell phones.  Through this girl, they are able to find and arrest another girl.  In her car, they find the dead man’s cell phone and wallet.  They are able to pull up all text messages sent from the cell phone that night.

This second girl keeps her mouth shut and refuses to give any names.  Brass makes it clear that unless she speaks up, she’ll be going down for 1st degree murder.  He tells her not to speak, but to write a message similar to the ones that were sent out to gather the mob.  She finally complies and Nick sets up a text message from the computer using the ringleader’s cell phone as the originating number.  They set these kids up and have them drive into a warehouse.  Once all the kids arrive, the police move in, block the entrances, and arrest them.

It turns out the heckler is the only adult in the mob.  He obviously has a distaste for cops, and none of the kids show remorse for what they have done.  They find it “fun” and “exciting” to beat tourists up.  The Hispanic guy was their test run and they just happened to become over eager.

Meanwhile, Greg and the beating victim he saved meet.  Greg learns the black kid he hit with the truck has died and that guy’s brother stares at Greg in a rage.  It is apparent that that kid will be looking for revenge in future shows.

The show ends with Sara, Nick, Warrick, and Catherine discussing what makes these kids become so cold and evil.  Sara says it best when she says you cannot blame the parents that ultimately these kids have a choice to use their morals and say no, but they opt to do the heinous acts.  Grissom gives his opinion and the show ends.

Okay, having watched that show, I became horrified that there are kids out there that do target and beat tourists to within inches of their lives.  I hope this doesn’t go on in real life, but then I know that CSI takes stories from around the country and spins it into shows.  I did an online search of fanny smacking and all it came up with is a new “hobby” in which men or “boys” go to dance clubs, bars, or the likes and smack cute women on the butt.  This is still juvenile and unacceptable behavior, but not quite as bad as murder IMO.