Two things struck me about this story. One was that it became clear, particularly in the later scene between Langston and Stokes, that Langston is not Grissom. OK, there is an obvious distinction in that they were at opposite ends of the heap - Grissom was a Supervisor, while Langston is a newbie, low man on the totem pole(*) as a CSI1 - but Langston has compensations. He is the oldest member of the entire team (apart from Al Robbins, who is more an appendix to the team, although necessary), his years as a physician and teacher combined with an innate empathy have given him a "bedside manner" that we would all want our doctors to have (and so few do!). And he projects a fatherly personality. So it would be like falling into a black hole for him to fill the void of Team Counsellor so conspicuously ignored by Grissom. Grissom was a hands-off, sink-or-swim manager. Perhaps from his familiarity with bugs he felt it right to let his staff go their own way, making mistakes when they happened - as long as the individuals learned from these mistakes. Willows has been the effective psychological support from the start, and she now has her own problems increasing, with baby Lindsey making her way into womanhood, finally, and modelled on Catherine's own values of independence and intellect - not prepared any more to be tied to mother's apron strings. Then there is the problem that her father has died and left her a major part of his estate - he was previously an occasional embarrassment but now is a career stopper. No matter how she spins it, she owns a large chunk of Las Vegas. So, the team needs a shoulder to cry on, and Langston fits the bill.
The second thing to particularly strike me was how naturally Taylor Swift fitted in to the process. Her character was just there, with no timidity, no beginner's woodenness, no overacting (all too common even in experienced actors!). She did the job, made us smile and broke our hearts. I really enjoyed her performance. I hope that she enjoyed it too, enough to come back to some serious acting. She's a brilliant musician, and I love playing her music (rights paid!) for others to enjoy, but she has a real talent in acting also. It would be good for the world to see more of it.
(*)Totem poles were typically found in Washington State, British Columbia and Alaska. Often, the "low man" was actually the most important. The invaders got it wrong!
The second thing to particularly strike me was how naturally Taylor Swift fitted in to the process. Her character was just there, with no timidity, no beginner's woodenness, no overacting (all too common even in experienced actors!). She did the job, made us smile and broke our hearts. I really enjoyed her performance. I hope that she enjoyed it too, enough to come back to some serious acting. She's a brilliant musician, and I love playing her music (rights paid!) for others to enjoy, but she has a real talent in acting also. It would be good for the world to see more of it.
(*)Totem poles were typically found in Washington State, British Columbia and Alaska. Often, the "low man" was actually the most important. The invaders got it wrong!