I really just want to take a brief moment to wrap up on my thoughts from my previous post. Maybe donate a few words to clarifying things that I said, and broaden on CSI as a whole. In class yesterday I feel that some of things that I hade previously mentioned were reemphasized - particularly the consistent structure of a cop show. Although there is a very specific structure this is another element that I would say can almost be related to our discussion about Lost. Now, obvioulsy these are very different types of series, but, I will say that they both create involvement for the viewers outside of the show. In CSI there is this constant change in who we think the criminal is, and this is the game, allowing us to work our minds and continuously try to path out which way the specific episode is going to end up.
There are usually several interegations, however each time we are placed in this room we find ourselves one step closer (or at least thats what we, as viewers assume). The episodes never revolve around just one plot. Not only is their the main crime, but also the lives/problems of the suspects, as well as the lives and problems of the officials who hold the power. It is also important to realize that there is always some sort of power and resistance - whether it be constant between characters in a show, or just in the specific episode. This is one example of how we see importance in plots of the show other than the victims, criminals, and interegations.
CSI is very distinct in how it invovles the viewer. The way show uses special effects... usually recreating the scene in a slow rewind model, it intrigues the viewer and recreates something to connect the entire investigation to.
Another interesting to me, that I had never thought about prior to yesterday was the actual narrative arc of the show. This is the thing that actually pulls us through the episode from beginning to end. Since this series is typically episodical I feel like narrative arc is very important - because each narrative has to come from a beginning to a close.
Another thing we brought up is the fact that there was a huge "star" on the show. Obviously viewers see this quite often, but I had never associated it to the first or last episode, or the times when the networks receive ratings. I think that it was a brilliant idea to bring in Justin Bieber because he has a very large following at this point - and it starts out the season in a way that he may come back. He did not add to the show for me, but I can say that a large group of people I know were very captivated by the fact that he made a debut. It was almost like, is he an actor... or is he performing to give more or different appeal to the show.
As S. Cohen says, "sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, the series interrogates what the science brings to the evidence table as the truths of a case so that justice may - or possibly may not - be well served" (31). The interrogation is simply a way for them to reinforce the "evidence" in the interrogation room.
Quote extracted from: S, Cohan. It's All about the Evidence.
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