The Ultimate Horatio Caine Episode Of CSI: Miami
On the surface, "CSI: Miami" seems like an utterly ridiculous show. The early seasons were more realistic, according to some fans on Reddit (such as u/Elementaryfan). But as the show progressed and ratings began to spike during some of the more out-there episodes, the showrunners stopped asking their viewers to suspend their disbelief, as another Redditor opined, and went all-in on the most inconceivable storylines they could think of. The more over-the-top, the better. And they never looked back.
Over the course of its 10 seasons, "CSI: Miami" became known for several elements that served as hallmarks of its episodes — the color scheme, the unbelievable clues that help them pull a win out of unsolvable crimes, and everything that is the mythological figure known as Horatio Caine (David Caruso). There are so many Caine-centric episodes in the series that it's hard to pick out a truly ultimate episode for the character. But in Season 5, they pulled out all the stops for Caine to take out an epic international crime boss.
Caine travels to Brazil to take out a drug lord in Season 5, Episode 1
In Episode 1, Season 5, "Rio," Brazil's corrupt law enforcement system leads to Caine's arch-enemy, Antonio Riaz (Vincent Laresca) walking free. So, naturally, Caine violates all conceivable international jurisdiction laws in order to hunt down the man who murdered his brother. Caine saves the day in the end, shooting Riaz dead before he can murder Caine's nephew, but not before he pulls a disappearing magic trick, reappearing next to the world-famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue in lieu of a snappy one-liner for the show's intro.
Fans still consider this to be one of Caine's most epic episodes. u/Jay_Eye_MBOTH_WHY celebrated how the episode is all about Horatio Caine at his most over-the-top. u/Beall111 accurately pointed out how ridiculous it is that Caine could fly down to Brazil, take care of business, and then fly back to Miami to rejoin a local investigation that the team needs his help with all in a single day. But watching an episode like "Rio" isn't improved upon by asking silly questions like "how" or "why." Just pop the popcorn, pour the drinks, and enjoy the show for what it's worth.