Directed by Alec Smight
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker, Christopher Barbour, Richard Catalani, Carol Mendelsohn, & Don Mc Gill
A direct follow-up to the previous episode, "Ms. Willows Regrets." The CSI team must say goodbye to colleague Catherine Willows after she makes a life-altering decision.
Tropes used in this episode:
- Faking the Dead: Laura Gabriel, Mark's wife, is initially thought to have been killed by the Cleanup Crew so Mark can cover up loose ends. It's later revealed that she's actually the mastermind and faked her death to implicate Mark and get rid of him.
- Not Me This Time: Although Mark Gabriel did create the Cleanup Crew to take care of his rivals, he is not behind their recent killings; it's actually his wife, Laura, who's responsible.
- Occam's Razor: Sara invokes this, pointing out that Catherine is ignoring the obvious answer that this all started after her "old friend" she hadn't seen in years "just happened" to run into her at a party and mentioned her husband's criminal activity.
- Redemption Equals Death: Agent McQuaid has a change of heart and delays the Cleanup Crew gunning for Catherine, getting killed in the process.
- Spotting the Thread: D.B. knows to come to Catherine's rescue because the resignation letter meant to dissuade him would have been out-of-character for her.
