I’ll preface this by admitting that I was not a big Sara fan. I think I turned against Jorja Fox after the first contract dispute. To me, “CSI” is more of an ensemble show, so even though I have my favorites, *cough* Warrick *cough*, I resented the impression I got that she thought she was more important than any of the others. Besides that, I kinda wanted Lady Heather to loosen Grissom up a bit. All that being said, I really felt for Sara tonight.

I remember thinking that Sara got her comeuppance the last time she ran into Hannah. She had an air of superiority, that know-it-all aura that really bugged me. This time, and it may have been because of her recent experiences, I saw a vulnerability in her. The writers did a good job of letting us go along for the final ride of Sara Sidle: CSI.

From the beginning of the episode when she was talking with Warrick about not sleeping, we saw a tired Sara. Not just a physically tired Sara, but emotionally tired. The first case, where she disassociated herself, was also another sign. Her final interactions with Hannah and her brother were a perfect way to say goodbye. Brandon was the one that got away and it was because Hannah played her.

She was determined to get them this time, and once she got Brandon, her determination to get Hannah was quite tangible. It was so important to her. But once Brandon committed suicide, her chance at Hannah was gone, legally at least. Making that little girl cry was one thing, but when her new teammate basically made her feel like crap, that was something different. She was losing her humanity, and she knew it.

That goodbye letter to Grissom almost had me in tears. It was beautifully done. Watching him read it, hearing her read it, and watching her leave in the taxi was a very fitting end to the episode, and a fitting end to Grissom and Sara. Although the letter ending was quite final, there’s that little possibility that at some point she’ll return.

Before watching “CSI” tonight, I was ready to say good riddance to bad rubbish. This episode made me say “Fare thee well, Sara”.