CSI - “Burn Out”
The screencap above is not from CSI. It’s from the short-lived sci-fi series Firefly. I just want you to have this image of a grown man playing with dinosaurs in your mind, so you might begin to understand why “Burn Out” makes my soul weep.
In “Burn Out”, two boys are missing and the team is in a rush against time to find them. Nick works an arson that happens to be connected; the victim is a convicted pedophile (played by Alan Tudyk) whose house was set on fire by a neighbor who suspected him. The CSIs are a little suspicious of this story and when they dig further, the truth is revealed.
The boys were hanging out with Alan Tudyk’s character because the one boys’ gandfather, who watched them after school, was a strict man. The night they went missing, the grandfather had knocked the other boy around and hit his head on a wall. They ran away to Alan and since the boy’s concussion went untreated, he suffered a seizure and died. Knowing that this looks really bad, Alan hid the boy’s body and the other boy ran away. He’s found safe and sound, but Alan’s character goes to jail.
Make no mistake; Alan Tudyk is an amazing actor. In fact, this episode really showcases his range really well. But in my mind, he is Wash from Firefly. So seeing him talk about seducing young boys? More than just a little disturbing to me. This is a fantastic episode, but it’s one that I would really prefer not to see again. I’ll stick to watching my Firefly DVDs.
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