CSI: Miami (TV Series) Darkroom (2006) User Reviews

Eva and Jonathan's Screen Times Definitey Up This Season

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 5 December 2007]

Some guy is kidnapping girls, preying off their shallow desires to have their faces shown off as famous models. He's a photographer and a good one and they fall for his line via the telephone. One of the girls is found dead, however, and another one that is missing turns out to be "Natalie Boa Vista's" sister. This "Natalie" (Eva LaRue) sure is getting a lot of air time in this season, almost as much, if not more, than series regular "Eric Delko" (Adam Rodriguez). Emily Proctor's role as "Calleigh Dusquense" also seems to be down a bit from previous years, but this is just the eighth episode of the season. Boa Vista and Jonathan Togo's "Ryan Wolfe" have had bigger roles this season, so far.

This show is mostly talk up to the last five minutes when Horatio and the police move in on the killer.

I'm sorry if I am being repetitive in these Season Five reviews about the photography, but I am continually stunned by how stylish this looks, week-after-week. It's always been that way but the camera tricks and the computerization makes almost every scene unbelievably colorful.....at least on the DVDs, which is the only way I watch TV shows anymore.

CSI: Miami - Darkroom

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 13 September 2015]

Solid "Boa Vista episode" of CSI: Miami once again proves the show was nailing it out of the ballpark. Boa Vista's model sister is kidnapped by some deranged serial killer with a penchant for strangling his victims (models considered "unclean") and dumping them in certain areas like trash. A safe in a currently unused resort has B&W photo layouts for models, as well as, their panties as trophies stored in it. One of the photos inside the safe belonged to Natalia's sister, and she's rightfully concerned when blood found on a toll bill paid by a kidnap victim ties to her own DNA. Not helping matters is an on-again/off-again detriment to the Miami-Dade CSI team, news journalist, Erika Sikes (Amy Laughlin) who reports that Boa Vista's sister is currently a possible kidnap victim, potentially endangering her in the process. A necklace tied to the sister is found as is a surprise survivor: a virgin no less! Interestingly, the lovely Elisabeth Harnois was that virgin, later to be a wonderful new character, the daughter of CSI: Las Vegas director, Conrad Ecklie, named Morgan Brady. Even cooler was the casting of the kidnap victim's fiancé, played by Cirroc Lofton, Jake Sisko of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The spotlight is on modeling, with the dangers that might arise when young women "put themselves out" to all these independent camera photographers realized in the plot throughout. Also how desperation to make it as a star can be further dangerous if you encounter the wrong kind of photographer. The swallowing of a key and a willingness to remain silent is an interesting development involving Harnois' "traumatic victim". One small detail like an insignia on a letterhead tied to an upholstery company could actually jumpstart the case! The Horatio Caine character had a knack for eyeing the little details that can often resuscitate a case languishing. The letterhead was no different.

The close of the show leaves us knowing that the killer was a journeyman, so all those photos in the safe is a disturbing insight into just how many he possibly killed across the country. It is a chilling getting-off-place that leaves more questions than answers. At least Horatio got the killer. This is another example of how the writers were truly interested in pushing Boa Vista's character into factoring more prominently in subplots and the main plot of the show. The opening toll booth scene with the babes in orange skirts and knee high socks operating it is quite an grabber.