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My Storytellers Unplugged essay Let Me Be Brief, a short (of course) discussion of flash fiction, went up yesterday. If you’d prefer, you can listen to the equally brief podcast or subscribe in iTunes

I’m having a very lazy weekend. Very lazy. On Friday, I caught up on CSI, Grey’s Anatomy and Without a Trace. Grey’s was pretty much more of the same, though I think some of the characters are starting to rediscover and reinvent themselves and perhaps the two-hour finale will lead to more of that. Here are my thoughts on CSI, behind the cut.

I think they projected the ending too much with all the slow motion idyllic cinematography as everyone left the coffee shop. It would have been a much bigger shock if they hadn’t tried so hard to make it seem like everything was okie dokie. Also, the announcement a few weeks ago that the actor would be leaving the show sorta ruined things. The season finale of NCIS a few years ago, where one of the main characters was shot by a sniper in the final frames, was a far bigger surprise because there was absolutely no clue it was coming.

That being said, Warrick’s final scene was one of the most gruesome deaths I’ve ever seen anywhere. The anguish and realization on his face and throughout his body was amazing.

I’ve been binging on Banacek, the 1972-73 mystery series starring George Peppard and featuring every sexy TV actress from the era as the weekly objects of his, um, affections. The “impossible” mysteries still hold up reasonably well after all this time, though the one about the stolen computer wouldn’t quite work, since the computer in question was the size of a room. The chauvinism is very much of its era, and yet the show is self-aware of its sexism and makes fun of itself. There are also more deep character insights than I had remembered. They’re few and far between, injected among the more formulaic elements, like Jay’s episodely attempts to crack the cases and the obligatory hysterics from the insurance investigators who object to Banacek being brought in, so when they pop up from time to time, they’re surprisingly poignant. Given the lack of household recording abilities back in the day, there are a few episodes I’ve never seen before. The first three are the ones I’ve remembered the most clearly over the years, but all it takes is seeing the first few minutes of some of them to trigger memories. The one about the stolen wedding carriage, for example. I had completely forgotten it, but as soon as I saw the fight break out on the pier, I remembered everything that would happen next—up to a point. Though I often remember the “how-dunnit,” I generally don’t recall who or why. Peppard is a delight. He looks like he’s having a ton of fun at times.

I’m reading and enjoying John Connolly’s new book, The Reaper, though I’m not sure the story has actually started yet two chapters in.