JUMPING THE SHARK

Well, CBS might as well have had the Fonz on his water-skis last night during the season premier of CSI. Last season left us with Sara Sidle (played by Jorja Fox) trapped under an overturned mustang, left to die, in the middle of the Nevada desert -the final victim of the "Miniature Killer". The finale left us wondering if she was going live or die -as Fox's contract had expired at the end of the season.

Personally, I was hoping that the final curtain would fall upon the whiny CSI. I have never been a fan of her character, and at this point, it is high-time someone on the show loses the battle with the Grim Reaper. You may remember Nick being buried alive two years ago in Quentin Tarantino's CSI directorial debut, "Grave Danger". Well, Nick made it out relatively unscathed. In 2006, Captain Brass was shot and on the verge of death but.... lo' and behold... he made it, too. Now it was Sara Sidle's turn. My 4-month wait (from finale to premier) had me positive that they would not save yet another character from certain death. Clearly I was wrong. Wow. CBS must really think we are a bunch of half-wits to believe such drivel. Well, I'm sorry, but we're not all Survivor fans.

Not only did Sara get herself untied and out of the trunk of a moving car, attacked the killer from the back seat, and escaped a near coyote attack; she escaped from under the overturned car that had been strategically placed on her unconscious body, trapping limbs and breaking bones. Huh? Not only that, but she made it wandering through the desert, dehydrated and disoriented in 110 degree weather for an entire day. She did have the presence of mind, however, to leave a trail of little stacked rocks for her teammates to find her -she is, after all, a CSI, first and foremost, you know. Forget the fact that she'd be completely delirious from heat exhaustion -not to mention the shock from the pain from the broken bones, etc. Right... who COULDN'T survive all that? If you haven't seen the episode yet STOP READING NOW. Okay, I warned you... The hour ended with Sara unconscious in the desert, but of course, she was located by the team just in the nick of time. In the Med-Evac helicopter, she woke up just as Grissom grabbed for her hand. Hold on... ....Wait.... sorry about that. I had to vomit. I thought I was supposed to be watching CSI, not "As The World Sucks".

Now, don't get me wrong -We all know that I will continue to watch the show, as my Grissom addiction is far stronger than any aversion to ridiculous story lines could ever be. I will, however, have to complain about each and every lame plot twist, so beware of the impending rants. At this point, it looks like they are inevitable.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What did you think of the CSI season premier? If you don't watch CSI, what about the kick-off episodes for other shows? Any disappointments?