I'll put my thoughts in a new thread since the old one is beefy enough as it is.

I liked this piece. It isn't going topple my current favorites in my mental index, but I liked it all the same. There is a definite shift in tone and atmosphere which took some getting used to, but not every story should be Experts and Co VS The Evil.

One thing that struck me was Gryphon's role in the story. My first reaction was that he was somewhat superfluous. He just seemed to wander around, banter with the CSI people, then wander off again. It was like he didn't know what he was doing there. After thinking it over, and looking at the dates in which Locard's takes place, I changed my mind on this being a negative. If somebody I'd loved for 400 years were taken from me as abruptly as Kei was, I wouldn't know what to do with myself either. So in context, this makes a lot of sense for Gryphon to act this way. I'm surprised he jumped back in as soon as he has.

The CSI crew:
Can't say much as to the accuracy of the characters, since I only got hooked during the first season but it got abandoned with a lot of shows when I moved and had no cable. One thing I can say is that Grissom seems to be as sharp a cookie as I remember him being but Catherine being more upbeat, but that could just be my memory. I was surprised that Grissom and Sara went along on the arrest of a guy that wipes out terrorist cells by himself. Regardless, I thought a good job was done in creating the feel of the show, and how the cast resolves story through a combination of deduction, attention to detail, and lucky breaks. Oh, and the scene where Sara imagines everyone ragging her about turning down Gryphon was comedy gold. I imagined Sara looking quizzically up at a thought bubble that appears above her head and said scene occuring.

Mephron, the One Man Plague on Big Fire:
I was completely floored when it turned out that Mephron was the killer. The first description of the revolver made me think Hellboy was really really really mad about something. Then after it turned out the suspect was human, I was clueless, and thought maybe some rogue from St. Ignatius. Even after that got somewhat confirmed, I still had no idea. When all was revealed, I was dumbstruck. I like that when that happens, but always feel chagrined that I didn't spot anything and feel glad I'm not a cop. And is that the same Jackal from Hellsing, because if it is Mephron has some strong wrists and forearms and shoulders....

Again, I enjoyed this piece, tone shifts and all.

------
Jon Helscher

Leo: (July 23—Aug. 22)
Your credulity will be stretched to the limit by the circumstances under which only you can control the giant robot.