Synopsis  

In the season finale, after David Hodges goes missing the entire CSI team searches for any piece of evidence that can help locate him, clear his name and save the reputation of the entire crime lab.

Review  

Sara firmly believes Hodges was kidnapped, and while there is very little evidence, Hodges did manage to leave some. The brilliant lab rat that he is, Hodges knew how to make sure Grissom and Sara would find him. He left a partial note: TIN. This was meant to represent ‘Tiny,’ a gang member who worked with Wix.

The case follows a lot of twisted dead ends from there. With all hands working on the death of Guillermo Chaves (the rat from last week) and the hunt for Hodges, it’s frustrating. Finally the CSIs manage to trace down oils to a scent from the Mosaic Casino, but they check all 500 rooms and can’t find Hodges, or any evidence in fact.

Meanwhile, Wix is pushing to go ahead with the trial, using the video as justification. With a race against time, the CSIs manage to find evidence from Wix’s favorite pen that ties him to the murder of Guillermo. Wix continues to stonewall the investigation, so the lab goes back to the oils. In doing so, they determine the scene is not from the Mosaic, but from The Green Emerald, which has been closed since COVID.

Going through the closed, abandoned, casino, they don’t have enough time to search all the 1200 rooms. Instead, Grissom asks they use the switchboard to emergency call all the rooms, and find there’s no ringing in room 208. Hodges is there, alive by a thread. He tells the police everything, and Wix is formally charged with kidnapping, murder, obstruction of justice, and so on.

With Hodges saved, he’s found innocent and is home just in time to see the birth of his son, Max gets her job back, and Grissom and Sara take a ride on Grissom’s favorite rollercoaster.

As the episode ends, we see a gloved hand in an all white room, writing in a mysterious home-brewed language.

Notes  

• Sara and Grissom ride Grissom’s favorite rollercoaster together and share a kiss.

Quotes  

Sara: He’s alive.