Directed by Kenneth Fink
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker & Evan Dunsky
Gil finds a third miniature crime-scene replica at a murder site, and CSI tries to find a link between the three otherwise-unrelated murders. Meanwhile, Grissom and Catherine find a man (played by Matt Malloy) caught from the waist down in cement beside a woman who was stabbed to death. Even after a long search, it only makes sense after he tells his story, confirming his bitter uttering that his whole life is incredibly unlucky.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: Max Sullivan, the man caught in cement, suffers from a string of incredibly bad luck; as he's being interrogated, he relates the incident to one where he got his daughter a puppy, and later backed out of the driveway. The investigator expects him to say he killed the puppy. He replies, "No, I ran over my daughter. Ten years later, and she still walks funny."
- Butt-Monkey: Chronically unlucky Max Sullivan, who at one point states that "The worst day of your life is still better than my best day."
- Constructive Body Disposal: Max attempts to bury his wife in fresh cement at a construction site.
- Dude, Not Funny!: After hearing Sullivan's Motive Rant, which highlights how much of a Butt-Monkey and Lethal Klutz he is, Catherine can't stop herself from giggling at just how absurd the situation is. And a very solemn Grissom says a Schiff One-Liner about how awful it must be to live with such bad luck, which kills her giggling fit.
- From Bad to Worse: Max's day. Causes two accidental murders, his car breaks down while moving a body, he gets stuck waist-deep in concrete while disposing of it, and his wallet is stolen before the CSIs find him.
- Lethal Klutz: Max. He accidentally kills his wife and somehow decides that the best thing to do is bury her in fresh cement at a construction site... where he gets stuck. It gets worse when they delve into his backstory. He also accidentally murders his neighbor. And when he was a kid, he accidentally murdered his grandma by falling asleep in a rocking chair on top of her oxygen line. Some characters find his antics funny but Grissom is just disturbed.
- X-Ray of Pain: A shot showing a piece of glass from a broken bowl stabbing a woman in the gut and curving upward into her heart is included.
