The Unexpected Human Response: CSI and Blue Bloods

Every now and again, an episode delivers a scene that is memorable for undermining expectations yet remaining utterly human.

I'm not referring to the many, many, many episodes where "you thought the solution was X, but really it is Z-5 squared, ha ha ha!" 

I've always admired stories that unfold organically, so the ending isn't a big shock.

The scenes I'm referring to here are when characters are allowed to showcase their very individualistic, human idiosyncrasies in a refreshing way.

CSI, Season 1, "Evaluation Day"

Two girls (played by Kari Lee Pratt and Shonda Farr) are caught joyriding in their underclothes. Wrapped in blankets, they are interviewed by Brass and Catherine Willows. Anna Leah, Kari Lee Pratt's character, does most of the talking. She reports how freaked out she and her friend got by the guy they were playing strip poker with.

Anna Leah: This guy was weird. Like, way weird. I was thinking that he was going to pull a Silence of the Lambs on me and tell me to "put the lotion in the basket."

The line and its delivery is hilarious. But then the scene gets even better. Anna Leah pauses and tries to look grave. Then she smirks. Her friend glances at her and starts to giggle.  

It is a great human moment. The reality of their situation hasn't sunk in. It may never sink in. The night was just one long roller-coaster ride. 

Five years later, both actresses reprised their roles as friends Anna Leah and Lori out on the town. 

Blue Bloods, Season 2, "Moonlighting"

In Season 2, Jamie goes undercover to get dirt on the inner workings of a mafia family. To escape detection, he swallows a thumb drive but gets beat up anyway. At Sunday family dinner, his two nephews gaze at his swollen jaw and black eyes in astonishment.

The viewer expects outrage from the other family members. How could someone do this to our Jamie?! And outrage was likely expressed at one point. But during dinner, Frank and others begin to tell stories about all the things Jamie has swallowed over the years since he was a kid: a confirmation locket, pearl earrings, key to the liquor cabinet. Family dinner erupts in laughter as even Jamie contributes a few memories.

Every moment in time is connected to something else--even swallowing a thumb drive in an important police operation. How human!