Barnes & Noble

The ratings powerhouse that is the original CSI remains one of television's not-so-guilty pleasures, and viewing all 23 episodes of Season 4 without the tension-breaking release of commercial interruptions will certainly keep DVD viewers in a constant state of suspense. The 2003-4 season brought new challenges to the forensic investigators of the Las Vegas Police Department, with interpersonal disputes occasionally making things tense for Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen) and his crack team. For example, in the season opener, "Assume Nothing," a series of double murders points to a serial killer, and team member Nick Stokes (George Eads) arouses Gil's ire when he discusses the case with an old friend who leaks details to the press and compromises the investigation. Previously, Gil has declined to date his subordinate Sara Sidel (Jorja Fox), and as the year begins, their working relationship appears to be affected. Later in the season, in "Butterflied," Gil becomes obsessed with catching the killer of a girl who resembles Sara. Ex-showgirl and ace investigator Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) has her own troubles in "Jackpot," which forces her to decide whether she wants to accept money from her corrupt father. And, of course, there are the usual bizarre cases to keep the team on edge: "Fur and Loathing," in which the victim is a man wearing a full-body raccoon suit, brings the investigators into contact with people who have oddball fetishes. In "Homebodies," Gil finds a woman's mummified corpse stashed away in a closet. One of the best episodes in the group, "Eleven Angry Jurors," is an old-fashioned "locked room" mystery: The lone holdout is murdered during deliberations in a sealed chamber. Some wags thought CSI started losing steam last year, but don't you believe it. This Jerry Bruckheimer-produced show is still running on all cylinders, as these 23 exceptionally engrossing hours demonstrate. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Some dangling plot strands left over from season three of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation were tied up in season four; others were not, and of course, new complications ensued throughout the latter season's 23 episodes. Facing surgery to correct (or at the very least forestall) his hereditary hearing loss, CSI team leader Gil Grissom (William L. Petersen) emerged from the operation somewhat better off, though his hearing was still not 100 percent. Struggling to overcome the death of her husband and relieved that injuries sustained by her daughter were not fatal, team member Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) nonetheless faced several other crises, not least of which was the discovery that unsavory casino owner Sam Braun (Scott Wilson) was her biological father; a hefty check given to Catherine by Braun for her indirect assistance in helping him beat a murder rap also caused a great deal of soul-searching on her part, not to mention an embarrassing situation when she came up for her annual departmental review. And the already seething tensions between Catherine and her fellow CSI'er Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) were exacerbated by decisions made from the top pertaining to job assignments and promotions. Sara's inner demons threatened to overwhelm her by the end of season four, culminating in a drunk-driving charge that figured into the season-ending cliffhanger. The regular cast remained intact, though there were hints that at least two of them would be gone before season five began due to contract negotiations. New to the series was Xander Berkeley as Nevada sheriff Rory Atwater, who was prominently featured in at least one episode that, in true CSI tradition, was "ripped from today's headlines." Some critics carped that the series' storylines were more gratuitously kinky than in previous seasons, with episodes involving modern-day vampires, a cult of fur fetishists, and the like. Also, there were those who felt that the personal problems of the major characters tended to impede the investigations to an excessive degree. But most viewers didn't mind, as witness the excellent ratings posted by CSI throughout season four. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 097368862142
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound
• Time: 16:34:00
• Sales Rank: 8,736

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Assume Nothing
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: All for Our Country
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Homebodies
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Feeling the Heat
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Fur and Loathing
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Jackpot
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Invisible Evidence
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: After the Show
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grissom Versus the Volcano
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Coming of Rage
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Eleven Angry Jurors
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Butterflied
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Suckers
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Paper or Plastic
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Early Rollout
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Getting Off
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: XX
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Bad to the Bone
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Bad Words
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Dead Ringer
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Turn of the Screws
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: No More Bets
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Bloodlines

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