Burn Out (2 Nov. 2006)

A pedophile arsonist maintains his innocence in the disappearance of two young boys, but he is also willing to help the investigation by giving Grissom insight on the potential kidnapper's mindset.

Director:

Alec Smight

Writers:

Anthony E. Zuiker (creator), Jacqueline Hoyt

Stars:

William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
William Petersen	...	Gil Grissom
Marg Helgenberger	...	Catherine Willows
Gary Dourdan	...	Warrick Brown
George Eads	...	Nick Stokes
Jorja Fox	...	Sara Sidle
Eric Szmanda	...	Greg Sanders
Robert David Hall	...	Dr. Al Robbins
Louise Lombard	...	Sofia Curtis
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Captain Jim Brass
Wallace Langham	...	David Hodges
Alan Tudyk	...	Carl Fisher
Clifton Powell	...	Terrance Crowley
David Ramsey	...	Gerald Crowley
Betsy Brandt	...	Dawn Hanson
Seth Peterson	...	Perry Haber

Storyline

A pedophile arsonist maintains his innocence in the disappearance of two young boys, but he is also willing to help the investigation by giving Grissom insight on the potential kidnapper's mindset.

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Plot Keywords:

pedophile | grandfather | missing child

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2006 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Paramount Network Television, Alliance Atlantis Productions, CBS Broadcasting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the pedophile is in the lab looking through the photos with Grissom, Grissom's phone beeps to signal a text but when the camera shows the phone, it is on vibrate as evident by the icon on the screen so it wouldn't have made a sound.

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Quotes

Carl Fisher: I never meant to hurt anyone. I need you to believe me.
Gil Grissom: I don't. You had choices. You made the wrong ones. And now this little boy... is gone.

User Reviews

Good Acting, And Not The Expected Ending

This was a very disturbing story, but an excellent one. It didn't have the ending I expected.

I've watched all the CSI stories to date, including the Miami and New York shows, and this ending surprised me, so kudos to the writers for going against the grain here.

Alan Tudyk is riveting as the prime suspect, "Carl Fisher," a child molester who is the number-one suspect when two neighborhood boys go missing. One of the boys winds up dead. Another suspect is the other boy's grandpa, who is nothing but a big bully.

Clifton Powell plays him. Powell is a veteran actor who has a long resume here on IMDb. He and Tudyk make this a particularly-fascinating episode. Beware, though: the subject matter is not pleasant.