Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: The C.S.I. franchise
Likes: "C.S.I. Miami," David Caruso, Emily Procter, Khandi Alexander
Dislikes: Repetition in the franchise
Hates: Florida weather

The Show
The third season of "C.S.I. Miami" went a long way toward tying up some loose ends for the Miami crew. For some reason, this series, more so than Las Vegas or New York, loves ongoing plotlines that are told over long stretches of time. Thus, the fourth season of "C.S.I.: Miami" tells its smaller tales of crime alongside the personal stories of Horatio Caine (David Caruso) and his group of investigators.

Much like its New York sibling last year, "C.S.I.: Miami" was focused on corruption in Season Four, though not in anyway by Caine's choice. His lab under siege by federal investigators and infiltrated by an unknown mole, he has to defend himself and his people from harsh accusations. Things don't get much better, as suspicion spreads over whom the informant is and uncomfortable questions rears their heads, testing the group's loyalty and pitting the C.S.I.s against each other.

The office troubles affect the C.S.I.s personally, as Erik Delko (Adam Rodriguez) and his sister Marisol become a big part of the show, with Marisol coping with health problems that put Erik in the crosshairs of Internal Affairs. She also becomes involved with Caine, which sets up the final episodes of the season, and leads into the beginning of the fifth year. To say that knowing Caine isn't the easiest way to happiness is an understatement.

Change was rampant this season, starting with a stunning new look in the lab. The redesign is tied into the arrival of Natalia Boa Vista (Eva La Rue), a DNA analyst with a grant to investigate unsolved cases. She also has an interest in the men in the office, which leads to more trouble for the C.S.I.s. Though Boa Vista isn't the most complex or interesting character to hit the C.S.I. family, she has potential and isn't hard on the eyes either. Adding her to a show featuring Procter and Alexander gives the series the hottest female line-up in the franchise.

The physical hotness, a key attribute that makes Miami so unique among its brethren, isn't the show's strength though. It's the depth of the stories that make it stand out from the crowd. Lengthy plots, such as the C.S.I.'s battles with the Mala Noche street gang, and the terrifying injury to C.S.I. Wolf (Jonathan Togo) and his recovery, provide the kind of storytelling that used to be reserved for feature films.

Among the standout episodes, aside from the excellent season-ending two-part arc "Rampage" and "One of Our Own," are the "Grand Theft Auto"-inspired "Urban Hellraisers," the intricately plotted "Fade Out," as well as the possibly-Scott Peterson-inspired "Double Jeopardy." One that will interest C.S.I. fans is the fantastic "Felony Flight," the first half of a crossover with "C.S.I.:NY" (the second part is on the recently released second season of that series.) The great thing about the episode is that it is more than a stunt, as Caine's cloudy history is part of the case, making it an important part of the series' backstory.

The DVD
While I'm all for consistency in packaging when it comes to DVDTV, I hoped Paramount would switch to the book format used by "C.S.I.:NY." Instead, we got another acetate wrapped stack of clear disc trays, in an acetate slipcase. The only change from Season Three is the use of double-sided trays which shrinks the depth of the box. The acetate box once again provides little shelter for the contents, as two of the four trays were cracked before the set was opened. The seven discs have animated anamorphic widescreen main menus, carrying the same design as the previous set, with episode selections and language set-ups. Audio is available in English 5.1 and Spanish 2.0, with closed captioning, but there are no subtitles.

The Quality
The anamorphic widescreen transfers on these DVDs are gorgeous, with bright, vivid color, excellent detail and a complete lack of dirt or damage. After watching these episodes in HD and on DVD, it's easy to say these disc look tremendous and as good as you're going to get until HD breaks through.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks are faithful to the original broadcasts, with the majority of the crystal-clear dialogue sitting center-channel, and some atmospheric effects joining enhanced music mixes in the surrounds. Don't expect any dynamic sound treatment, but the whole thing is clean.

The Extras
This set has six audio commentaries, like the previous release, but there's something about the episode selection that bugs me. The six episodes selected for commentary are all found on the first three discs of the set: "From the Grave" with writer Elizabeth Devine, director Karen Gaviola and make-up head Cheri Montesanto-Medcalf; "Prey" with writer Corey Miller and director Scott Lautanen; "Felony Flight" with Devine, Lautanen and creator Anthony E. Zuiker; "Urban Hellraisers" with producer Don Tardino, director Matt Earl Beesly and DP Eagle Egilsson; "Shattered" with Lautanen and writer Ildy Modrovich; and "Payback" with writer Marc Dube and director Sam Hill. While there are some good choices here, like "Felony Flight" and "Shattered," why no commentary for the important final two episodes? Why not talk about one of the big cases, like "Driven" or "Double Jeopardy." It just feels like these tracks, which are mostly enjoyable, could have been spread out a bit.

A note: Miller and Lautanen make mention of reading the reviews of their commentary and actually do a nice job of changing things up a bit, in response. Nice to know they follow the critiques.

A trio of featurettes finish off the extras, following in the tradition of previous "C.S.I." sets by looking at how the show is made. The three pieces, "Creating Feature Television," "Producing Feature Television," and "Finishing Feature Television," running a combined 35 minutes, combine to explain how the series progresses from script to the finished episode, which in this case is "Driven." These kinds of extras have been done on C.S.I. box sets before, but they don't feel rehashed, and are actually a quality look at the making of an episode, with plenty of interviews and on-set footage.

The Bottom Line
"C.S.I.: Miami" has grown on me, though the frequent junior-league Scarface storylines I could do without. What the show does best is investigate crime among the beautiful. and when it sticks to that realm, it does very well. The DVDs bring the show home, again, in top-notch quality, and throw in some interesting extras for the show's fans. There are better points for jumping into this series, but it's a good starting point for the uninitiated.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.