C.S.I.: Miami--The Complete Second Season

The first C.S.I. spin-off continued to establish its own identity and gain ratings momentum in the 2003-04 season, during which a number of truly superb episodes aired. Of the previous year's principal cast members, only Kim Delaney failed to return; back on hand were David Caruso as chief investigator Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne, Rory Cochrane as street-smart cop Tim Speedle, Adam Rodriguez as underwater recovery expert Eric Delko, and Khandi Alexander as crisply efficient coroner Alexx Woods. Another familiar figure in the second season was Sofia Milos, playing Detective Yelina Salas, whose relationship with Horatio--initially professional, but gradually becoming more than that--develops throughout the 24 episodes collected in this seven-disc box set. Among our choices for this collection's best: “Blood Brothers,” the season premiere, in which a glamorous model is murdered during Miami's Fashion Week; “Dead Zone,” centering on the mysterious slaying of a flamboyant treasure hunter whose missing partner becomes the chief suspect; “Big Brother,” which finds Horatio coming to grips with his older sibling's murder as he tries to protect the nephew he's never seen before; and “Innocent,” the season finale, which pulls the team into the seedy milieu of big-time pornography when they investigate the killing of a popular adult-film star. Working off an already perfected template, C.S.I.: Miami suffered a less rocky opening season than many other TV dramas, but these second season episodes nonetheless show considerable improvement, primarily in the furtherance of a romantic subplot and the evolving dynamic between secondary characters, each of whom receives many opportunities to shine throughout the year. DVD extras include audio commentaries on seven episodes, and four featurettes totaling nearly one hour. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)