"CSI: Miami": HUH?!

For the past few weeks, I have been saying that “CSI: Miami” is on a hot streak.

I would say that streak ended last night with an episode that made very little sense to me.

It’s possible, however, that I was still reeling from last night’s “24,” so since I know there are a lot of “Miami”/Ryan Wolfe fans out there, maybe you can help explain it to me…

When last week’s episode ended, the team had just learned that the Russian mob was watching their every move and that they were all in danger. Delko was trying to get a hold of Wolfe, but he had already been captured by the Russians after they made sure his Hummer would have a flat.

But when last night’s episode opened, it was the next day. Ryan was trying to clean himself up after his ordeal while in another home Delko and Calleigh were enjoying their morning like they didn’t have a care in the world.

So, within the first five minutes, things already didn’t make sense. What happened to Horatio’s concern for Wolfe? Did no one notice that Wolfe didn’t arrive wherever he was going? He was in his CSI Hummer, not his personal vehicle. Didn’t anyone notice it by the side of the road? And then what happened to it? Did the Russians move it and then bring it back?

And was that house supposed to be Wolfe’s? YIKES! I think he’s spending too much money on those suits…

As the scenes unfolded, we learned more and more about what happened to Wolfe. We had been led to believe this whole thing was all about the Russian mob getting back at Horatio and the team, but instead the show went down that same old road with Wolfe’s gambling. Apparently, Ryan had taken on his sponsor’s debt and thus far had been unable to pay it off (That was all explained in an earlier episode. Probably the last episode in which Wolfe got any real camera time.). So when the Russians’ threats and tooth removal didn’t get Wolfe to go along with them, they threatened his sponsor’s son’s life which made Ryan agree to interfere with a murder investigation.

Here’s the next thing that didn’t make sense. When Ryan showed up at the crime scene, wouldn’t Calleigh or Delko have asked him where he was when they were trying to call him? Or at least given him the heads-up that the Russians were after them? And since they’re forensic investigators whose job is to look for the smallest details, wouldn’t they have noticed Ryan’s lip and wondered if that had something to do with him going missing?

But no, not even a “Mr. Wolfe [sunglasses off], is everything okay, son?” from Horatio.

So, of course, Wolfe goes into full-on shifty mode—a mode he has used WAY too many times on the show before—and starts messing with the crime scene, including hiding a key piece of evidence in his coat pocket.

But when the evidence leads to one of the Russian henchman being arrested, the mob ups the ante and kidnaps Wolfe’s sponsor’s son.

Now we move on to the next thing that didn’t make sense. Wolfe’s sponsor, Mark (the usually yummy Josh Hopkins), left Miami with his son, Billy, because they were in danger from the Russians. But when he hears Wolfe has taken on his debt, he feels guilty and comes back, yet doesn’t tell Wolfe he’s back. And, even though he is in danger from the Russians, Mark takes his son to a public school and just drops him off without making sure he gets into the building safely.

HUH?!

The kidnapping forces Wolfe to blatantly sabotage an interrogation making him look absolutely ridiculous in front of Delko, who has never been much of a Wolfe fan anyway.

However, if Delko is as great of a CSI as we’re led to believe then wouldn’t he have put a few clues together? Wolfe does something completely idiotic that damages a case the day after he disappeared and then reappeared with his lip cut up and a tooth missing? Sounds fishy to me…

Now, I should say that Calleigh did start putting some of the clues together after Ryan made another completely boneheaded move, but her presumption was that Ryan was gambling again. It never occurred to her that there could be something more sinister at work, even though one of the Russian mobsters tried to kill her the day before.

Finally, when Mark shows up to find out what happened to Billy, Horatio gets clued in on what’s going on and starts trying to find him. Fortunately, Wolfe had done some actual CSI work in addition to his sabotage and was able to help Horatio out. Why Wolfe didn’t just go to Horatio in the first place, I have no idea seeing as how he’s Superman and would no doubt have found a way to help Wolfe. But then we wouldn’t have gotten to see the shifty Wolfe that the writers are clearly so found of showing us.

But Horatio didn’t take Wolfe off the case or order him not to do any more sabotaging, so Ryan kept it up. But when the Russians decided that Wolfe hadn’t done enough they called him so he could hear Billy die.

If there was one saving grace of this episode it was this scene as Wolfe could only listen in horror to what was happening. Jonathan Togo made the most of his camera time as he conveyed the moment beautifully. And when Horatio picked up the phone to let Wolfe know that Billy was alright, Wolfe’s slump to the floor with everyone watching was a classic moment.

But did Calleigh and Delko witness that scene so they could know what Wolfe had been going through and why he had screwed up their investigation? No. That would have made too much sense.

Which leads me to this. With Billy safe, Wolfe gave Calleigh and Delko the missing evidence they needed to solve the case. Understandably, they were furious with him for hiding it. Wolfe told them there were “extenuating circumstances” but he didn’t tell them what they were. Why not? Did he think they wouldn’t understand? And why was Wolfe so surprised when Delko threw him out of the lab? I would’ve done the same thing.

At the end of the episode, we learned that this was indeed the Russians trying to get back at Horatio’s team—just like the Mala Noche in previous seasons. They had gone after Ryan because they suspected him to be the weak link. But Horatio said, “They underestimated you, didn’t they?”

But did they? Yes, Ryan gathered evidence from his own clothing that allowed Horatio to find Billy and yes, he did keep the evidence he took instead of destroying it. But he still helped the Russians and in the process turned Calleigh and Delko against him—AGAIN!

So now what? Will Ryan have to face another review board? Will all of his cases get reopened

again? Will he lose his job again? Will we have to watch him and Delko face off at every crime scene again?

If you haven’t figured it out, Ryan Wolfe is my favorite character on this show and has been since he took over for Tim Speedle in season three. So I’m getting really tired of the show constantly picking on him and recycling old storylines to do so.

Why didn’t the Russians go after Horatio by kidnapping Kyle? Or why didn’t they go after Delko by kidnapping Calleigh? Why did the writers once again have to make Wolfe the outsider by forcing him to go against the team?

I mean, do they want him to be a part of this or not?

Honestly, I think I’d rather he not get any screen time than to have to keep seeing this…

You can watch the episode for yourself at cbs.com…

Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS