CSI: NY
Officer Blue
Episode Number: 9

Season Num: 1

First Aired: Wednesday December 1, 2004

Prod Code: 110
Writer: Anthony E. Zuiker
Director: Deran Sarafian

Cast and Crew

Star: Hill Harper (Dr. Sheldon Hawkes), Melina Kanakaredes (Detective Stella Bonasera), Eddie Cahill (Detective Donald "Don" Flack, Jr.), Gary Sinise (Detective Mack "Mac" Taylor), Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer), Vanessa Ferlito (Aiden Burn)

Recurring Role: Sonya Walger (Jane Parsons)

Guest Star: Terry Kinney (District Attorney Tom Mitford), Jim Metzler (Dr. Huff), Allen Payne (Willie Chancey), Gabriel Casseus (Jerald Brown), Paul Carafotes (Detective Charlie Thacker), Kanin Howell (Lenny Starks), Erin O'Connor (Mandi Como), Elle Fanning (Jenny Como), Barry Del Sherman (Richard Smockton), Jude Ciccolella (Nick Vicenzo), Denice J. Sealy (Raquel Trinidad), Joleigh Fioreavanti (Pizza Girl), Charles Hutchins (British Tourist), Ara Anton (Pedestrian), Juddson Keith Linn (Officer Valasquez), Stig Eldred (Thug #1), Kevin "Repo" Thomas (Thug #2)
 

After mounted officer Valasquez is shot down in the park, Mac goes looking for the bullet that killed the officer only to learn that it is lodged in the horse's spine and cannot be removed without being fatal to the horse. The investigation leads them to a local street vendor, but stalls when the D.A. asks Mac not to do anything to risk the horse until after the woman who donated it has a chance to say goodbye. Aiden investigates the body of a young man, Lenny Starks, who was found face-down, dead in the street. Aiden traces the young man to a local pizza parlor where she faces intimidation from the bookies who use it as a gambling front.



Notes

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Rumoured to revolve around the shooting of a mounted NYPD officer. His beloved horse, nicknamed Officer Blue, contains a vital piece of evidence that could catch his killer -- but extracting it could kill the horse. (October 27, 2004 - CSI Files)

In the B-plot, Aiden Burn reportedly investigates a murder at a pizza parlour. (October 27, 2004 - CSI Files)

Marks the first appearance of Paul Carafotes in the recurring role of Detective Thacker. (November 24, 2004 - CSI Files)

This episode was nominated for a Golden Reel Award by the Motion Picture Sound Editors organisation. (January 25, 2005 - CSI Files)

Reviews

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Kristine Huntley - CSI Files

Chris Fullman - Music Recap (Music Recap)

Karyn L. Barr - Entertainment Weekly - C
 

Notes

By Caillan
October 27, 2004 - 8:43 AM
See Also: 'Night, Mother' Episode Guide


Mac Taylor faces an ethical conundrum in the tenth episode of CSI: New York's first season when a key piece of evidence ends up lodged inside a beloved NYPD horse.

In the episode, entitled "Officer Blue", a mounted policeman, Officer Alcomo, is shot when he tries to adjudicate in a stoush between a British tourist and a local sidewalk salesman, according to CSI Files sources. The bullet which killed him is deflected into his trusty horse, nicknamed Officer Blue. The horse survives the attack because the casing is lodged in a specific part of its neck where the bullet does not kill the horse, but merely slows it down. Extracting the bullet from Officer Blue would mean almost certain death for the beloved animal.

Mac doesn't want to do that just yet, preferring to work with other evidence the CSIs can gather up in the meantime. It appears Officer Alcomo was shot from a neighbouring building, and the sidewalk fight was likely a set-up to distract the police officer. The team find a fingerprint belonging to Richard Smock, an animal activist who has been vocal in his discontent about the NYPD's use of horses, on the sixteenth floor of the building -- a perfect vantage point for a hit. Smock denies he had any part in the shooting, and it seems he's telling the truth. Mac notices that he suffers from Graves' Disease, which causes hand tremors that would have made him a poor marksman.

The next suspect on the list is Willie Chaney, the street salesman who was arguing with the tourist. Their altercation was caught on camera, and the footage clearly shows that Willie deliberately provoked the tourist into a fist fight. However, Willie couldn't have shot the police officer as all his actions were recorded on tape -- he must have had an accomplice. The bullet lodged in Officer Blue could provide a vital lead, but is Mac prepared to order the horse to undergo an operation that could kill it?

In the B-story, Aiden Burn investigates a flaming hot crime at a pizza parlour. The victim, Lenny Starks, was found stabbed to death on the street, with curious burn marks on the side of his face. The blazing trail leads back to the local pizzeria, where Aiden finds the owners are not too willing to help her investigation.

Please note that this plot information has not been confirmed by CBS or Bruckheimer TV and until such time you should treat it as you would any other rumour from an unofficial source. The details are based on an early draft of the script and aspects of the episode may change before it goes to air.

"Officer Blue" will likely air in late 2003 or early 2004.

 

By Caillan
November 24, 2004 - 10:31 AM
See Also: 'Officer Blue' Episode Guide


CSI: New York's equivalent of CSI's Detective Vartann and Miami's Detective Tripp is to be introduced on the show next week.

Detective Charlie Thacker, played by Paul Carafotes, will make his debut in the December 1 episode, "Officer Blue", according to the Somerville Journal, Carafotes' hometown newspaper. The character, described as a "Westchester hunk", is slated to appear in three episodes initially with the option for further guest stints, Carafotes said.

Carafotes, who played a Casino Manager in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's "XX", said scoring roles on the competitive Hollywood scene has always been a challenge. "It's a struggle — like life," he said. "It's never what you thought it would be." His credits include parts in films such as Fight Club, Blind Date, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and All the Right Moves, and guest appearances in Without a Trace, Chicago Hope and NYPD Blue.

His family has been a bedrock of support even when there wasn't much acting work on offer. "When I've been down, my family and the structure of my life there has helped me deal with the slings and arrows," he said, adding there was always light at the end of the tunnel. "It's a funny business. There's ebb and flow."

The complete interview can be found here at the Somerville Journal.
 

By Christian
January 25, 2005 - 5:37 PM

Monday's repeat of CSI: Miami's "Legal" tied in the Nielsen ratings race with a new episode of the NBC show Medium, as both shows received a 10.2 rating with a 16 share. However, Zap2It reports that Medium managed to defeat CSI: Miami in terms of total viewers.

The William Petersen Appreciation Page reports the interesting rumour that the original CSI may no longer be filmed in the show's current studio complex in Santa Clarita next year, but may instead move to the larger Universal Studios in Los Angeles itself.

The WPAP has also been updated with several new features related to William Petersen (Gil Grissom). There are new screencaps for the Twilight Zone episode Need To Know, which featured Petersen, and for the fifth-season CSI episodes Who Shot Sherlock? and Snakes. Finally, there are some new images of William Petersen at the recent TV Guide Awards.

Over at JFO, there are new photos of the appearance Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) made at the Kern County Crime Labs Open House in Bakersfield, California.

Toronto Sun TV critic BILL BRIOUX recently bumped into CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, and managed to get confirmation that the producers are planning to lighten up the tone of CSI: New York. Zuiker also admitted that they were still trying to find their way with the show, but that things weren't as bad as with CSI: Miami, where they ended up having to write Kim Delaney (Megan Donner) out of the show after just half a season. You can read the original article here.

Yahoo has a new photo of former CSI: Miami cast member Rory Cochrane (Tim Speedle) arriving at the premiere of the new Robert DeNiro film Hide and Seek.

Yet more schools are finding that their students have become more interested in forensic science following the debut of CSI: Davis High in Utah, profiled in the Deseret Morning News, Pittsford-Mendon High School in New York, profiled in the Clarion-Ledger, Science North in Sudbury, who you can read about in Northern Life Magazine, the University of North Texas, written about by the North Texas E-News, and finally the Manatee Community College, profiled in the Manatee Herald.

According to a press release from CBS parent company Viacom, the company is launching a three-year public education initiative to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS issues. CSI: New York is named as one of shows that are incorporating HIV/AIDS themes in upcoming episodes as the result of briefing sessions on the topic for the creative teams behind those shows.

Meanwhile, there are also more real-life forensic experts who have been talking to the media about how their line of work differs from the glamour seen on CSI. There's the investigators at the Kentucky State Police crime lab, who've been interviewed by the Courier Journal, the Mississipi father-and-son coroner team of Doug and Butch Benedict who have been profiled at the Hattiesburg American, and finally the attendants of a forensics conference in Indianapolis, who you can read about in the Indy Star.

This Saturday, Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) will be performing with his Lt. Dan Band at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California. The show starts at 8:00pm, with doors opening two hours before that. Tickets can be purchased here at TicketMaster.

MediaWeek reports that CBS will be moving its new reality show Wickedly Perfect from Thursday at 8:00pm to Saturday at the same time, just three weeks after the show debuted as the CSI lead-in. CBS will be plugging the hole in their schedule with - you guessed it - repeats of the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, meaning that for the near future fans will be able to enjoy a double CSI header on Thursday night.

Did you know that the $55,000 Hummers used by Horatio Caine and his team on CSI: Miami were donated for free by General Moters? Read all about it in an article on the ever-increasing trend of product placement.

The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People recently announced the nominees for its 2005 Image Awards. Both Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown) and Hill Harper (Dr. Sheldon Hawkes) were nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series category, while Harper was also one of the celebrities who presented the nominations. Meanwhile, Khandi Alexander (Alexx Woods) is up for an award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The awards will be presented on the 18th and 19th of March in Los Angeles. Thanks go out to 'ThisIsMe' for this!


The sound editors of the three CSI shows have received a combined total of seven nominations for the Golden Reel Awards, the annual awards presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors organisation. In the Best Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement for the Short Form category, both the original CSI's "Down the Drain" and New York's "Outside Man" were nominated. In the Sound Effects and Foley for the Short Form category, all three shows received one nomination: the original CSI for "Down the Drain," New York for "Officer Blue" and Miami for "Lost Son." In the Music for the Short Form, only the original CSI's "No Humans Involved has a shot at an award. Meanwhile, Miami benefited from the fact that its "Crime Wave" episode had a length of 90 minutes, and thus was eligible for all of the Long Form categories, by also snatching a nomination in the Best Sound Effects and Foley for the Long Form category. The full list of nominees can be found here, while the actual awards will be presented during a ceremony on Saturday the 26th of February.