The Finger

The writing really gets ramped up at this point. This is about as slick as any of the CSI episodes. Catherine Willows is the central figure. She is brought into a ransom plot, driving a desperate man to various locations, bringing money to the kidnapper and locating his mistress, who has lost a finger (kept in a box). The beauty of this offering is that we are pulled right and left with Catherine as she find sympathy for this guy. There are some neat scenes, including Sara's little date where Catherine hands her a finger in a glass of ice, leaving a clue for the gang.

The constructor Roy Logan goes to his bank to withdraw one-million dollar cash, with blood on his hands and a suspicious behavior. Then he speeds-up near a police car and is brought to the precinct. The CSI immediately investigates him, but he is released since there is no crime. He forgets his sunglasses on the table of the interrogation room and Catherine rushes after him to return them to him. Out of the blue, Logan receives a phone call and tells Catherine that is for her. She is threatened and forced to leave all her objects, including her cell phone, weapon, purse and wallet, on the sidewalk and drive Logan's sport car. She learns that Logan's mistress Amanda Freeman has been abducted and he received her finger, and the kidnapper requested one-million dollar ransom to release her alive. They stop in a restaurant to eat while expecting the contact from the abductor and Catherine sees Sara dining in a dating. She does not talk to Sara and puts the severed finger in a glass of ice on her table. Then they drive to the place informed by the abductor and he comes wearing a rabbit mask and Logan delivers the wallet with the money to him without requesting any proof of life of Amanda. When they find the spot indicated by the kidnapper, they find Amanda body. Meanwhile, the CSI works with the evidences provided by Catherine and Logan looking for suspects.

"The Finger" is, so far, the best episode of "CSI" with a well-written story and screenplay of a masterpiece plan. The viewer is lured until the ending of the episode wrongly guessing who might be the killer. I was misled along the story and probably most of the audiences will also be. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Dedo" ("The Finger")