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Original Air Date: Jan 07, 2011

Maria – TwoCents Reviewer
maria@thetwocentscorp.com

A clown walks into bakery and shoots a man dead. Not very funny. Although, when the cops try to arrest the killer, the streets are suddenly full with clowns. Turns out, the killer offered to pay a bunch of people to turn up dressed as clowns and distribute flyers. Smart killer.

Maybe not that smart. He did leave behind the gun next to Gino Cressida’s body and he ditched the clown costume where it was easily found by the police. There were traces of cyanide on the victim’s clothes and ash, dust and human bone was found inside the clown shoes. However, CSI stuff shows that the gun left at the scene of the crime was not the gun that was used to kill Cressida.

Adam Ross has been trying to identify the clown, but the man in charge of clown registry really isn’t cooperating. To my surprise, and possibly the surprise of many a Firefly fan, it is Shepherd Book (Ron Glass) playing ‘Anal McGillicutty’, as Ross dubs him, which boss man Mac recalls when talking to the man. How dare ‘Mr. McGillicutty’ tell Jo Danville to “save it, Kentucky”? True, as he points out: “not all clowns are happy” but Ron Glass provides a one-scene wonder.

He also provides the CSIs with the identity of the clown (only after Adam had sent him a subpoena though). Danny and Don are sent over to Stan Ridgeway’s place. They show some self-preservation and continuity, but thankfully, there isn’t a death-defying chase (this time). Stan has been tied up by the killer. The killer paid Stan for his time and use of his clown costume before knocking him unconscious with the butt of a gun and leaving behind quite a bit of evidence.

That includes more of the mystery dust/ash/bone/concrete found at the scene of the Cressida murder, as well as a fingerprint left in the clown make up. The print comes back to Bobby Renton, but his prints were only on record for a minor incident and then it seems as though he disappeared. Jo Danville figures it out and asks Mac if he’s received a call from the FBI. Bobby Renton is part of the FBI’s Witness Protection Program.

There’s also a nice little backstory which is first introduced by Jo Danville telling her mom on the phone that she does not want to be set up on another blind date. A nice little moment and it paves the way for the entrance of her ex-husband: FBI Agent Russ Josephson (played by David James Elliot). Agent Josephson informs Mac that Bobby Renton’s transfer into Witness Protection was actually on request from the NYPD, a favour for Detective Don Flack.

Don exclaims that he could never see Bobby as a killer. He tells a tale of how Bobby testified against three PCP dealers who killed his friend. He had to leave his pregnant girlfriend in order to protect them.

Meanwhile, Lindsay interrupts a discussion between Jo Danville and her ex-husband Agent Josephson. He still seems enamoured with her but she wanted to pursue her career and not just be a housewife, or ‘Jo Josephson’. There isn’t time to dwell on that though because Lindsay has been able to piece together the bullet that had shattered inside the baker, Gino Cressida. The same gun was used a couple of days ago in a shooting in Memphis. Bobby Renton was in Memphis.

Elmo Vidivic was tortured before being killed. Somehow, Mac reaches the correct conclusion that Bobby Renton must have been after the name of the guy who put a hit out on him. That guy was Gino Cressida. Vidivic had traces of Ether on his body. Ether and Cyanide are components of PCP, but Mac still wants a stronger link. Cressida’s bakery uses up a lot more electricity than it should. The bakery is a front for a PCP lab. Not only was Cressida supplying the PCP dealers with their drugs, but he was actually the Godfather to one. That provided the emotional connection for him wanting to see Bobby dead for testifying against his Godson.

Having killed those out to kill him, the CSIs wonder why Bobby Renton is still in New York. The answer is simple: his girlfriend, Ainsley McCrea, and son. Whilst Flack is talking to Ainsley, he received a secret signal which made him know where to find Bobby. I still don’t understand that.

Meanwhile, the CSIs know where to find Bobby because of the trace found on the clown costume and at Stan’s place. The ash, bone and concrete are consistent with an abandoned crematorium. Teams are dispatched, but not before Flack is threatened at gunpoint and Bobby makes a run for it. Flack is able to bring him down with a flying tackle from the first story to the ground. Don has a deep conversation with Mac and then decides to take Bobby to see his son for ten minutes before taking him to be booked, since he did kill his would-be-killers.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of that ending. The boy is now four/five and has never seen his father before. To see him for just ten minutes, that’s really not ideal and might be more agony for Bobby. I am pleased with Jo Danville and her ex-husband Agent Josephson, because I love their chemistry and really hope I see more of them in the future. The plot was solid, but l was disappointed with the ending.

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