‘CSI’ Chases Dr Jekyll With Instinct And Insight

This week’s episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, “Irradiator”, sends Nick Stokes (George Eads) and Dr Ray Langston (Laurence Fishburne) on the trail of Dr Jekyll. (Spoilers after the jump!)

While trying to solve a family’s murder, Nick and Ray follow their investigation to the house next door. They find surgical equipment in the basement that leads them to believe Dr Jekyll lives there. “We find some of his homemade surgical equipment that will make your hair stand up,” Eads told TVGuide.com. “The clues he leaves are literally something out of dinner theater. This guy’s dropping all these squirrelly clues all over the place. To decipher these clues, we call upon Nick’s instinct, but tap even more into Dr Ray’s insights into the criminal mind.”

The investigation will also lead the pair to a hospital, where Dr Jekyll has been impersonating a member of the staff. “Right when we’re about to catch the guy and bust in to see him torturing someone, he’s not there,” Eads said. “Realizing that he’s in this hospital we’re in and he’s in disguise, we end up running and chasing. It gets pretty intense.”

The actor has enjoyed the chance to work closely with Fishburne. “I’m running around with Laurence quite a bit, not necessarily as a teacher but as a foot soldier that pushes the story along when need be,” he explained. “The thing about our show is it’s a team effort. It’s an ensemble — we’re like the Justice League and everyone has their power. I told Laurence, ‘You know what your super power is now, and we can all come together as a team to contribute the puzzle.'”

Executive producer Carol Mendelsohn agreed with Eads. “It’s a joy for all of us to watch Ray and Nick interface and collaborate on cases together,” she said. “Langston has become part of the team, and I think it’s really become a family. I think it’s really firing on all cylinders.”

CSI fans can expect to see the show delve a bit deeper into Nick’s character as time goes on. “Through his work situations, I think they’ll get to know him better,” Eads explained. “When you’re talking about getting to know people personally, you’re starting to dive into their personal relationships or the way they like their eggs in the morning, which in the end isn’t really what this show is. I don’t know if we’ll ever really see Nick on a date or cooking dinner for a girl at his house.”

One thing fans will definitely see is Nick interacting with displaced children as season ten draws to a close. “I told the writers that I’d like to see Nick have to deal with a displaced child,” Eads said. “Maybe there will be a future in there because he’s more or less single on the show with no kids. He’s completely dedicated to work, which is noble. But at the same time, I think he’s craving that [family].”

Eads’ character has matured over the course of CSI‘s ten year run. “Nick’s emerging as a bit of a hero,” the actor explained. “He’s continuing to dive into dangerous situations, like kicking in the door of Dr Jekyll’s torture dungeon, but he’s also softening and taking a child that’s crying and offering him candy. He’s got a lot of endearing qualities. It’s fun to play a heroic character that has no fear.”