Customer Reviews

CSI: Miami - The Complete Fourth Season

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This fourth season of the flashiest of the CSI franchises is packed with a lot of personal dilemmas squeezed in with the usual vicious crimes. David Caruso's cool Horatio has to deal with the return of serial killer Walter Resden; a romance with Eric's cancer-stricken sister; and the possible closedown of his lab. Emily Procter's lovely Caleigh finds herself discovering a few things about her Federal agent boyfriend and dealing with an incompetent replacement (Joshua Leonard) in the firearms division; Adam Rodriguez's Eric is ridden with financial problems, his ill sister and possible drug charges; Khandi Alexander's stoic coroner Alexx finds herself in the middle of the murder of a known pedophile, and possibly losing her job because she's doctored Ryan on the sly; and Jonathan Togo's Ryan finds himself injured in a confrontation with a killer and possibly losing his eyesight. Whew! It's all done in typical CSI fashion and I am a big fan of these shows, so I loved it. The crimes are all fascinating and the technical aspects right up there. If you like CSI MIAMI, you'll love this great season.

For the first 3 seasons, CSI: Miami was hindered by occasional clunky and uninteresting crimes and lack of character development.

But in Season 4, this show really takes off by adding subplots that set it apart from the other CSI shows and make the characters more interesting.

You now know Eric Delko has a sister who has cancer that he's helping get pot for. You see Ryan Wolfe's love and dedication to his job through the storyline involving a threat to his eyesight. Even coroner Alexx Woods has a meaty episode in which she's given an opportunity to work with another team.

These storylines are merely a backdrop to the thrilling cliff-hangers the writers/producers cooked up for this year: the identity of the mole in the lab and the continuing war against the Mala Noches.

All of these arcs are so well-handled that you'll be on the edge of your seat until the final episode of this season.

CSI:Miami, having evolved with some pains over the first three seasons, dips in quality in Season 4 after a very solid 3rd Season. Anyone who has watched the show realizes that Horatio, unlike Gil Grissom or Mac Taylor, is the true star of the show. The rest of the CSIs are entertaining, but the show is truly about him. This dynamic, when combined with the glamour and glitz of the Miami setting and crimes most foul, make this an entertaining CSI and reportedly the most watched show in the world.

Plotwise, season 4 gets too involved in personal character arcs to the detriment of the enjoyable crimes and mysteries. Horatio has a bizarre relationship and marriage with Delco's sister, a mole infiltrates CSI Miami, and the Mala Noche gang picks a fight that carries over into the fifth season and causes a death to someone close to Caine. These arcs were handled poorly, especially the storyline of the Mole, which when revealed was utterly anti-climactic, especially considering the Mole will be a series regular in Season 5.

Emily Proctor and Rex Linn continue to shine as Calleigh and Detective Frank Tripp. Adam Rodriguez has a sleepwalking performance as Delco, and Jonathan Togo as Ryan Wolfe does little to distinguish himself from Gregg Sanders on the Vegas cast. David Caruso continues his acting by mannerisms technique, perfecting the hands on hip move, the put on the sunglasses technique, the dramatic...pauses...every...four...syllables style that has made him the great scene chewing overactor of the year. Watching Caruso is a drinking game's worth of entertainment.

The extras of Season 4 are a bit pedestrian, with some audio commentaries, and three featurettes covering show production from shooting to post-production. If you are a fan of the show you will pre-order this one, those who don't like this CSI will be happy to know that Vegas and NYC come out within 30 days of this release.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

C.S.I.Miami USED to be one of my favorite shows...But this particular season the writers chose to concentrate on the private lives of the various charecters rather than on the crimes,and ended up with a soap opera with corpses...The balderdash plotlines alledgedly portraying the private lives of Caine,Delko,Wolfe,ect are ridiculous,to say the very least..For example,the romance between Delko's sister and Caine;She is supposed to have cancer and be undergoing chemotherapy,but she looks like she just walked off the cover of a fashion magazine...No hair loss,no pallor,no sign whatsoever that ,as Delko himself mentions in one of the episodes,"the doctors say she has only a few months left"..and ,of course,SHE is somehow involved in several of the crimes,either as a witness,a victim,or a corpse(she marries Caine and gets shot to death all in the same afternoon)..About as realistic as santa claus...Then there is the episode where Mr.Wolfe gets shot in the eye with a nail gun..if it was you,or me,we would wind up blind,at the very least,but this guy not only makes what is more or less an astonishing recovery,but does not even sport a visible scar...Talk about UNREALISTIC...The plotlines involving the crimes have gone from realistic to very very very unrealistic,and the fact that,apparently,most of them get solved before lunch deepens the unrealism...
This show has become a comic book,and a bad one at that.

CSI: Miami is one of the best shows on television today. Season four is by far the best season so far. Horatio, Calleigh, Eric and Ryan take us through another exciting journey in the life of Miami CSI.

I have been HUGE fan of David Caruso's for years and was thrilled when I heard he was going to be the lead actor in a CSI spin-off. Emily Procter was fantastic in the West Wing and I recember her from an early episode of Friends.

I would recommend this DVD set for anyone who loves great television.

Order your copy from Amazon today!!

CSI Miami is, according to Reuters, "the most-watched U.S. series around the world", and one can easily understand why.

American TV shows have been a vehicle used to spread and promote the American way of life (occasionally while glorifying it) for years. In my opinion, no other show conveys the essence of the American dream better than CSI Miami - and that's the source of its phenomenal success.

Police work and life in general have never looked so attractive and fulfilling; Florida, what a beautiful land, even more when all the females you ever get to see (cast members or random passers-by) are top models. The cars the police officers drive are fancy Hummers, the equiptment used for the CSI work is always on the top of the line. Most of the crimes are committed in the best and wealthiest neighborhoods, mostly by - you must have guessed - handsome/beautiful, charming and occasionally rich criminals. The poor victims seem almost good looking on their deathbeds. Add to that the amazing speed in which justice is served (usually within 40 minutes), and you get the most easily watched syndicated program in the history of television.

It should be noted that the creators of the show do not shy away from planting the expected crimes in places in which sometimes the most unusual, disturbing and bizarre types of behaviors found within the American society happen; from getaway promiscuous parties for bored wives, to arranged dates for men with shameless gold diggers going to one night stand meetings for men and willing women, and so forth. These outrageous and often sensational plot contexts undoubtly contribute to the appeal of the series no less than all the other elements.

The entertainment-value of the final outcome is undisputable. I've seen many episodes and was never bored or indifferent. The stories are interesting, engaging and fast-paced. David Caruso, the leading actor, plays well, has the necessary charisma and is famous for employing special mannerisms like no other. Even so, there's a downsize; when everything is said and done, more often than not, there is no special memory left in mind, there isn't a deep lesson, moral or intellectual stimulation that leaves its mark. Not much remains other than the general atmosphere of things which is -- a sort of a representation or maybe a taste of the American dream.

One of my favorite things about CSI: Miami is how it "remembers" what happened weeks, months, and even years before--and how it rewards long-time viewers who remember the show's history. Few other television shows in the past (though more recently have started this trend) have required the "cultural capital" about their own show to fully appreciate the intricacies of each episode. Obviously I couldn't have predicted the final few episodes and found each one was better than the next--I had actually missed the season five opener when it was broadcast, so I downloaded it from Unbox. I just had to see the resolution with Horatio and Riaz.

CSI Miami is one of the greatest shows out there. It's nice to sit back and watch these DVD's

C.S.I. Miami Season Four lives up to it's reputation, with riveting and shocking mysteries. The stakes are higher this time round as things get up close and personal for Horatio Caine and his forensics team. A totally enjoyable series. Highly recommended.

Nice to catch up on the fast paced, clever plots that I missed during the regular season due to the time the show is aired.