The One Episode Of CSI That Did Not Age Well
Crime dramas have been and continue to be popular shows for viewers to watch and rewatch again and again. It's no secret that there are a few of these shows that lead the way for the rest of them in terms of popularity. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is a perfect example of this. The popularity of "CSI" has even led to a few spin-off series, including "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY." Recently, the show and much of its former cast have been given new life with the 2021 launch of "CSI: Vegas."
With 15 seasons and over 300 episodes, the showrunners have the creation of engaging and unique storylines down to a science. Though while most episodes of the show are great and keep audiences surprised, entertained, and even sometimes a little disturbed by the crimes themselves, not every episode has been a hit. Since the show's beginning in 2000, some of its episodes have not aged well.
A Season 9 episode falls short of concise and respectful details
In Season 9, Episode 18, "Mascara," a woman is murdered, and Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne) is surprised to discover that it's Sylvia Mallick (Aimee Deshayes), a former student of his. As it turns out, Sylvia spends her time researching unsolved crimes, and before her death, she was hanging around a facility that hosts Lucha Libre. Or as the show calls it, "Mexican wrestling."
The episode not only fails to follow a concise storyline but also paints Lucha Libre in a bad light and makes an attempt at throwing Vodou into the mix when the killer claims that the Vodou lwa Oggun, the god of iron, is responsible for his actions. This attempt comes across as misplaced in the storyline and a misunderstanding of the subculture of Lucha Libre. Overall, the episode doesn't come across as respectful of either culture and doesn't take the time to give correct details about the cultures used in the plot.
The episode has a rating of just 6.3 on IMDb, the lowest rating for an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" ever. Hopefully, if the episode were to air today, the proper research would be done and the depiction of both Lucha Libre and Vodou lwa would be more appropriate and accurate.