Once again I faced a decision of how to pick an episode out of a season's worth of shows to celebrate CSI's third year on top of the ratings. So, why this one?
Well, the episode features Pruitt Taylor Vince in a guest spot, and I've kept tabs on him ever since I saw him in the movie The Legend of 1900. That's not, however, what first drew me to it.
The reason was that the title "Swap Meet" reminded me of the track "Swap Meet Louis" by Sir-Mix-A-Lot, and I thought surely this would be an episode worthy of Sir Mix's pedigree.
Well, I suppose it was. Mix would surely approve of this tawdry episode featuring a group of swingin' marriage-partner-swappers suddenly faced with a murder within the group.
That's not what Vince was involved with, though. I'm now well aware that the template of this show is to offer up a pair of unrelated stories and therefore keep the in-depth storytelling (and long-term attention demands on the audience) to a minimum. Vince was really just around to shine a light on the disgruntled/industrious employees of crime scene clean-up crews.
As I finish my run of CSI, I can't help but think that having three years on top of the ratings is probably something Law & Order deserved a little more, in terms of quality of storytelling, but I can see how CSI's playbook of sex, drugs, and rock and roll rocketed it to the top.
