Expect 'Ch-Ch-Changes', 'Speed Kills' And Some 'Rain' This Week

By Chris Wales
November 15, 2004 - 12:03 PM

See Also: 'Ch-Ch-Changes' Episode Guide

Three brand-new CSI episodes are in store for fans during this second week of sweeps � including the centenary edition of the long-running CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

First though, tonight's CSI: Miami back at its usual time of 10:00pm will be entitled "Speed Kills", and features the apparent crime of passion against a man who'd been speed-dating. Directed by Fred Keller ("Wannabe") and written by staff writers Sunil Nayer and Marc Dube, the episode was given the following synopsis byThe Futon Critic:

Richard Laken is found killed by a tire iron outside a lounge following an evening of speed-dating. The team discovers his car is covered with acetone, which traces back to one of the female guests. She reveals that she dated Laken and he dumped her, so she doused his car with nail polish remover for revenge, but she didn't kill him. Now, when Horatio and the team learn that Laken recently witnessed a serious assault at a Miami Heat basketball game, they are on the hunt for two perps instead of one.

"Speed Kills" will feature the following guest cast:

Mark Devine as Richard Laken
Deborah Zoe as Kelley Sloane
Marcus Chiat as Chad Gibbs
Susan Walters as Mary Kinnan
Debi Mazar as Rebecca Briggs
Rex Linn as Det. Frank Tripp
John Ales as Mike Tibbetts
Scott Williams Winters as Fred Kinnan
Brian Poth as Tyler Jenson
Boti Bliss as Valera
Vanessa Bell Calloway as Tonya Washington
Bradley White as Stanton Hayes
Steve Cell as Jack Webster

Later in the week on Wednesday at 10:00pm, new kid on the block CSI: New York will roll on to TV screens with "Rain". Directed by David Grossman, whose previous directorial credits include cult favourite Angel and the David E. Kelley legal comedy Ally McBeal as well as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's "Forever", the episode was written by co-executive producer Pam Veasey and was summarised by the Futon Critic as follows:

A Chinatown robbery by three men goes south when one security guard is killed and the other mistakenly fires shots at a gas tank, burning two of the robbers alive. While investigating the heist, Stella uncovers a kidnapping plot involving the bank�s manager. Also, the team must find new clues when the kidnappers' ransom drop spot is blocked by an unannounced police terrorist response drill.

"Rain" actually caught producers and Melina Kanakaredes (Stella Bonasera) in a rain storm in Central Park. The episode also features real footage of a police terrorist response drill that occurred during shooting. It will utilise the talents of the following guest actors:

Samantha Quan as Joanne Cho
Matt Bushell as Marvin Hummel
Alex Soi as Luther Willett
Kym Hoy as Nina Chang
Mark Kelly as Rob Bloom
Andre Ware as Tony Fenn
J. Scott Shonka as Handyman
David Guzzone as Kevin Moretti

The final instalment of the trio is Thursday's 9:00pm show in the form of original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's 100th episode, "Ch-Ch-Changes". Penned by Jerry Stahl, writer of many episodes including "Felonius Monk" and "Slaves of Las Vegas", the episode was directed by Richard Lewis and was summarised as below by the Futon Critic:

The CSI team investigates a transgender woman found brutally stabbed and mutilated. This leads the team into the fringe world of sex changes and transgenders in order to catch a killer.

"Ch-Ch-Changes" will feature the following guest cast: