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Last night’s CSI marked the end of an era. After nearly 12 years of watching her use science to put bad guys away, we had to bid farewell to Catherine Willows, the Queen of Forensics and the heart and soul of the CSI team. I’d love to be able to compose an eloquent review to express my thoughts on Marg’s final scenes as Catherine, but I must confess that I’m struggling to find the right words at the moment.
Click for screen captures from Willows in the Wind
I thought that the writers did a wonderful job with Marg’s send-off. There were just so many Emmy worthy moments throughout ‘Willows in the Wind’ as Catherine and D.B. Russell tried to elude the folks who wanted Catherine dead. Where ‘Ms. Willows Regrets’ was action packed from start to finish, last night’s episode was a bit more reflective as Catherine and D.B. sought shelter at her former place of employment. Marg’s scenes with Ted Danson were particularly well done as the former ‘Goldilocks’ told D.B. about her past as an exotic dancer and about how she found her way to the field of Criminalistics. D.B. took the news all in stride and seemed to respect Catherine all the more for hearing of her background. Marg and Ted have such incredible onscreen chemistry and I think that’s one of the things I’ll miss the most with Marg leaving the show. I didn’t think her chemistry with William Petersen could be topped, but Ted was definitely giving him a run for his money in that department.
As far as the actual storyline, I’m probably the only one, but the story’s resolution came as just as much of a surprise to me as it did to Catherine. I never suspected for a moment that Laura was the one who was pulling all of the strings and that Mark Gabriel was actually innocent. I felt terrible for Catherine that one of her own best friends would betray her like that, but she’s right. If Laura truly knew her as well as she thought she did, she should have known known better than to mess with Catherine in the first place. She got exactly what she deserved.
And now comes the part that’s the hardest to write about — the scene where Catherine calls the family meeting and tells her team that she is leaving. “There comes a point in one’s life in which one feels compelled to make a change.” I’ve watched this scene three times now and have cried each time as soon as Marg’s voice breaks. I know it has been mentioned in interviews that Marg tweaked her final words to the team after the writers had originally penned them, and I believe it because every word was so genuine and heartfelt. That wasn’t acting; it was raw, real emotion: “You are all family, which is why this is the hardest decision I’ve ever made…How could I leave this place? How could I leave all of you?” There’s no doubt in my mind that those words were as much Marg’s as they were Catherine’s, if not more so. I don’t think I’ve ever had a scene from a television show affect me as much as that scene did.
Marg visits Rachael Ray to talk about why she is leaving the hit series CSI, what she will miss most about playing the character of Catherine Willows, whether or not she’s opening to returning to the show at some point in the future, and about what she plans to do next, including a possible visit to Buenos Aires in the spring!
From RachaelRayShow.com: After 12 seasons of crime solving, Marg Helgenberger is saying farewell to the long-running hit CSI, but before she goes she’s got a confession to make about her last days on the set!
Click for a preview of the episode!
As always, check your local TV listings for airtimes. It airs at 10:00 A.M. ET here on ABC, but your listing may be different.
I haven’t slept in nearly 36 hours and I’m still on a bit of an adrenaline rush from today’s events, so forgive me if I ramble a bit, but as I’m packing to head back home, I had to pause for a moment to share a few thoughts on Marg’s ceremony.
This whole trip has been one of the most surreal experiences of my life, not just because I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Marg’s ceremony, but also because I was able to share the experience with five of my closest friends from around the globe, friends who I never would have known in the first place if it hadn’t been for our mutual admiration of Marg.
Because we had traveled so far to see Marg get her star (over 33,000 miles round trip between the six of us), we were determined to be there early enough so that we didn’t miss a thing. We trekked through the pouring rain over to Musso and Franks at 6:30 A.M. Our determination paid off as we actually beat the Walk of Fame setup crew there and got to see them uncover and polish Marg’s star.
We patiently waited and watched as the ceremony preparations took shape, praying unsuccessfully for the rain to stop. As we waited, we were fortunate enough to meet Ana Martinez, who is the queen of the Walk of Fame, and just a super nice lady. We also got to meet Marg’s manager, Nancy Sanders, who was so tickled that we had all been there for so long and had traveled so far to see Marg, that she actually pulled out her cell phone and called Marg to tell her about us. The first of many surreal moments.
The ceremony itself was rather difficult to see because of all of the tarps and tents that had to be set up to protect the invited guests, but it was still very moving and I was glad to have gotten to witness it in person. Dana Delany and Jorja Fox both gave lovely speeches, and Marg’s speech was just perfect. Surreal moment #2 was when she actually gave a shout out during her speech to my friends Lynette and Jen who had traveled from the UK to attend the ceremony.
Surreal moment # 3 came after the unveiling when Marg actually sought us out. She took photos with all of us, signed autographs, and was just too sweet for words. I was so touched that she would take time out of her special day to make sure that our day was special as well. She is truly a star.
Marg posing for a photo with me
I look like a drowned rat in this picture, especially compared to Marg, but I don’t care. I never thought in a million years that I would get to meet my role model, so this photo is something that I will always treasure.
I’ll have more to share from the ceremony once I make it back home and get settled, but in the meantime, here is the video that the Walk of Fame site has released from the event:
We’re just a few short hours away from Marg’s ceremony. I’m in L.A. with five of my closest friends from the Marg/CSI fandom and we just couldn’t resist trekking over to Hollywood Blvd this afternoon to catch a sneak peek of where Marg’s star will be located.
Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, but we will be there for the unveiling rain or shine. And for those who have asked, no, I will not be interviewing Marg for the site. I’m not a journalist; I’ll be there strictly in my capacity as a long-time fan cheering on my role model as she gets her much deserved star.
Take a look at the first preview CBS has released for Marg’s final episode of CSI, ‘Willows in the Wind.’ Thanks to Shane for making the clip available.