What a fascinating couple: the legend of Experts and the youngest criminologist!
Catherine and Penny were in the spotlight in episode 4 of season 2 of CSI: Vegas.
So apparently Penny is more than a tech who mostly stays in the lab, like Hodges and Wendy in the original series.
But it was equally clear that Penny had never been present at a crime scene of this magnitude before.
And, after finding out his texts were being blocked by his estranged daughter Lindsey. Catherine was in precisely the right frame of mind to mother someone.
Maxine was still out of action due to injuries sustained during CSI: Vegas Season 2 Episode 3.
Folsom has proven himself to be fully capable of running a crime scene. But overseeing the investigation into the murders of an entire family is the perfect scenario for Catherine to step in.
It probably shouldn’t be said about a quadruple homicide, but solving the crime at the Casey mansion was just the distraction Catherine needed from her Lindsey problem.
She just barked missions and, knowing her reputation, everyone obeyed without question.
Catherine’s choice of Penny as inner support was odd. Perhaps subconsciously, she hoped to create the junior CSI that Lindsey had refused to become.
Penny quickly realized that there was a big difference between processing evidence in the lab and experiencing the crime scene itself.
Catherine did indeed recognize the look on Penny’s face and gave her specific directions, kindly giving her a task to complete out of sight of the bodies.
Still, Penny showed a natural aptitude for the job, uncovering evidence while vomiting in the bushes.
In fact, the notes Penny retrieved indicated a familiarity with the Caseys that an ordinary robbery team wouldn’t have had.
Penny had another moment of panic when she had to attend the family’s autopsies, threatening to quit. But, again, Catherine dissuaded her.
So Penny loves sifting through trash looking for clues, but hates the death that’s part and parcel of a criminologist’s job. That is problematic.
Back at the lab, Penny found a really strange clue: a little crocheted koala.
Catherine wanted to write it off as nothing important. But, noticing that she was talking to Penny as she too often did to Lindsey, Catherine let her take further tests.
It was weird when the koala’s DNA matched the DNA found in the bloody handprint left by one of the killers. Stranger still, the DNA came from the baby girl’s biological mother who was the sole survivor of the attack.
Then, to make things weirder, another family is murdered, along with the killer.
It took an eagle-eyed Chris to determine that there was another person in the Casey family photo, Justin, who ended up being the father, or at least the sperm donor, of the baby.
Justin provided many missing pieces of the puzzle. The deceased pregnant woman was a gestational carrier, the biological mother was Lucia, and the deceased killer was one of Lucia’s triplet sisters. No wonder there was so much confusion.
Max made a quick return to work from the hospital. She could tell Catherine wasn’t just exhausted from working the case. It was then that Catherine exposed all her worries about Lindsey.
Max knew that Catherine wouldn’t be of much use in the case until she took care of the personal matters that tormented her. So she made Catherine pause until she had spoken with Lindsey.
The brief conversation between Catherine and Lindsey went as badly as possible. Apparently Lindsey makes a living as a social media personality with an Onlyfans account, and Catherine has expressed her reservations about the profession.
As a former dancer/stripper, Catherine was hypocritical to take this approach, and the defensive Lindsey called it out. Lindsey also felt that Catherine was disappointed in her for not following in her mother’s footsteps as a CSI.
Both made little progress. But at least Catherine found Lindsey was fine if she was still mad at her. So she went back to work with her head a little clearer. Somewhat.
When the team and the police visited Lucia, they found her holding a shotgun at Darcy, her older and meaner triplet.
Darcy deserves everything Lucia planned to do to her. She stole Lucia’s first baby and put him up for adoption. The three sisters were the masked aggressors. Lucia thought they were stealing from the Caseys, but Darcy killed them all, including Lucia’s pregnant lover and then Justin’s family.
Catherine convinces Max to let her try to calm Lucia down. She hits Lucia with a stream of her consciousness, to which Lucia begins to respond.
But she hated the sisters who had taken everything from her, so she pointed her gun at Darcy. Catherine snatched it away from Lucia, but she always protected her from the rushing police. She had transferred her care from Lindsey to Lucia.
Catherine then downplayed what she said to Max. But clearly, she needed to get what she was feeling out of her chest.
It was heartwarming when Catherine cradled the baby and Lindsey sent those three words she longed to hear: I love you.
For a look back at Catherine’s return to CSI, watch CSI: Vegas online.
Did you like Catherine being in charge again?
Did Penny emerge stronger from this ordeal?
Who was more right, Catherine or Lindsey?
Comments below.
Dale McGarrigle is an editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
