A recent CSI Miami episode focussed on cyber-stalking. Briefly, a school swimming star (Candace Walker) is the subject of a website devoted to stalking and photographing her - consequently, she is being followed by dozens of amateur paparazzi - and at the beginning of the episode, her boyfriend is shot and killed with an arrow. A number of things stood out, and taken together, they left me with a very sour taste.

Candace Walker: For most of the episode, … READ MORE

I’ve posted before about how the writers of CSI: New York have handled stories involving Stella. The most recent episode I’ve seen, “The Thing About Heroes,” is another example - it finishes a couple of running arcs through the season - and includes what I found an excellent exploration of a couple a common tropes in stories about women.

First is the “next relationship after the psycho.” For a few episodes, Stella has been courted by Drew, a man she’d … READ MORE

Purtek’s essay - http://thehathorlegacy.com/juxtapositions-in-scenes-of-sexual-violence/
- made me think of two CSI episodes, one Las Vegas and one New York, featuring sexualised attacks respectively on Catherine and Stella. But while Purtek’s post highlights scenes that are completely unalike, this one is more the “couple of big differences” effect.

The Similar: Both start off as unconscious, having possibly been raped; both, when examined, prove not to be. Both have engaged in what pundits deem risky behaviours (Catherine: drinking in a bar … READ MORE

C.S.I. used to be one of the few shows I never missed, partly because of one of the main female characters. Sara Sidle was once that rarity on prime time television: a geek and proud of it, had no problem standing up for herself in any situation, obviously loved her job and was extremely good at it despite being in the male dominated field of forensics and law enforcement, and we never heard a word about her personal life. … READ MORE

This post contains minor spoilers for season 7 episode Leaving Las Vegas

I don’t watch CSI (original) anymore, but happened to catch last Thursday’s episode - Leaving Las Vegas because my favored show wasn’t on. In the episode, Catherine Willows, a CSI second in seniority to the supervisor, investigates a cold case, attempting to link a disappearance and different set of murders with her killer that got away years ago. The MOs are similar with the murders, … READ MORE