Gil Grissom/Catherine Willows (CSI)

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Willows/Grissom (CSI)

Title: The Yin/Yang Phenomena

Pairing: Grissom/Willows

Fandom: CSI

Author: marco

Website: N/A

Spoilers up until season 5, with a weeny bit of season 6 (we are still seeing season 5, and from the spoilers I got, I’m glad we do)

Note: This is my particular analysis of the ship, so don’t worry if you don’t agree with me, fellow Grillows/Graveshifter/Parental. I’ll stay true to the show, and forget about CBS’ website info (the show already proved those info to be wrong, so…)

The Yin/Yang Phenomena

 

Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows are a couple than can be seen even when the authors don’t mean it. Confused? Well, I hope you’ll understand more after this small treaty.

 

Lab Personnel: Plot Summary and characters.

 

CSI hasn’t a really convoluted and complex week-after-week plot, as it is about a team of night-shift Crime Scene Investigators (CSI in short), who solve the crimes they get assigned to. It’s also not very realistic about the role of CSIs in the investigation process (sometimes they seem to have authority even on Homicide cops, when it is the contrary in real life), but that’s not the reason of this manifesto.

 

The reason are two ‘perfectly flawed’ characters such as Catherine Willows and Gil Grissom.

 

Gil Grissom

 

Gil Grissom is the most charismatic character of the series; the reason the Las Vegas Clark County Crime Lab is one of the best in the Country.

 

Born in California, Grissom lost his dad in mysterious circumstances when he was 9 years old, and his mother kept on buying presents for her dead spouse’s birthday for years, in a gesture of grief (episode 6x10, ‘Still Life’). This is probably the main reason he has made almost a mission of his job; to find out the truth about strangers’ murders to relieve the pain due to not knowing it about his father’s one.

 

At 25, he was the youngest coroner in the county of Santa Monica, and is an authority in the field of Forensic Entomology; these things have earned him ‘cutesy’ nicknames such as ‘Bugman’ and ‘Gruesome Grissom’.

 

It’s still unclear the why he arrived in Las Vegas, but he’s cited as the main reason the LV Metro County Crime Lab is 2^nd only to Quantico’s FBI one in terms of efficiency, and believe me, that isn’t just wasted ink; Nick transferred from Dallas just to work with Grissom, just to make an example.

 

Problem is, while he was so occupied with his professional life, he completely disregarded his personal one; he kept secretive, enjoying more science experiments that dates. For evidence of that, look at the relationship he had in Season 1 with Forensic Anthropologist Teri Miller, and at its dismal ending in ‘To Halve And To Hold', where he got up during a dinner to answer to a call from the Lab, and when he went back to the table, Teri was gone, knowing he would never leave the job for her.

 

In Season 2, the producers began to write weak ‘geek’ scenes (scenes with shipper Grissom/Sara content) based on the popularity of the pairing and sometimes these scenes backfire (notice the tone in which Petersen pronounces the infamous ‘Since I’ve met you’ line - an ad-lib by him, by the way, - in Primum Non Nocere)

 

In Season 3, two interesting plot developments (and a completely revolting one) got in play for him; Grissom began to suffer from an acute form of Othosclerosis, which would have disabled his hearing, and his fascination with Lady Heather, played by O.C. vixen Melinda Clarke, a very literate dominatrix which he meets for the first time for the case of a murdered young woman, who turned out to be an employee of hers, and for the second time during the case of two murdered male escorts, though even there, there was the certainty that Grissom would never embark in a relationship with such a woman, and it’s not because of her job; his interest is just psychological, almost clinical. The othosclerosis problem was solved (or was it?) in the season finale ‘In The Box’, where Grissom gets surgery. And guess who he thanks for ‘Being there.’

 

He thanks Catherine, whom he has met while she was still a dancer at the French Palace, put under his wing as she began her journey from lowly Lab Tech to CSI Level 3, protected from her (abusive?) husband Eddie (though the only reference to violence is in ‘Too Tough To Die’, where he basically pushes Catherine against a wall) and helped with her daughter Lindsay.

 

The one he enjoys working with.

 

The one whose tush he misses. (King Baby)

 

The revolting development which I was talking about earlier is the self-degrading puruit of Grissom by Sara, with some scenes that make one think about Sara’s thick-headedness, like the one where she asks him to dinner and gets a curt ‘no’ as an answer, then she insist (because she wants to give it a try and then ‘see what happens’) and gets a ‘no’ again. The answer is motivated by an ‘I don’t know what to do with this.’ (from the 3^rd season finale). Sadly, this behavior will last for all of Season 3.

 

In Season 4 the biggest change he goes through is growing a beard; that is, until episode 12, the infamous ‘Butterflied’ which previews made many a Grillows’ heart go into shock.

 

The case is the one of a young murdered nurse who looks exactly like Sara. At the end, Grissom gives a speech to the murderer in the interrogation room, in which he says that he couldn’t do what the guilty man (played by Kyle Secor) did, that means having a relationship with a much younger woman. Then we pan to the other side of the glass, and see Sara, who’s heard it all. She’s going to come a little apart from now on.

 

The episode was promoted as a heavily ‘geek’ episode, but ended up being more Grillows; as an example, it’s Catherine to point out that the victim looks like Sara.

 

Season 5 is kind of a turning point for G and C: the night shift is broken up by the new Head of CSI, which is (for what reason, I don’t know) Conrad Eckley, the worst criminologist ever, into two; swing shift (starts at 16:00 and ends at the time Night Shift starts) with Catherine as supervisor and Nick and Warrick as CSIs, and Night Shift, where Grissom is the supervisor and Sara, Greg and the new entry Sophia (don’t worry about her, she won’t stay for long) are the CSIs.

 

The G/C innuendos get more than just that: Grissom openly says he missed Catherine’s tush (behind) in ‘King Baby’, and Cath helps him dress up in ‘Formalities’.

 

And also, this division could be kind of a blessing in disguise; now they’re equals, and no-one would suspect Cath of ‘getting advantages because she sleeps with the Boss’ if they were dating.

 

But at the end of Season 5, after a terrifying experience in which Nick Stokes was kidnapped and buried alive, Grissom says he ‘wants his team back’.

 

Does this spell D-A-N-G-E-R for our fave couple? I won’t tell…

 

Catherine Willows

 

We don’t know really much about her before she came to Vegas either; she is from Montana, was raised by a single mother and when she was a teenager moved, for whatever reason, to Las Vegas, where she became an exotic dancer at the French Palace, and a pretty memorable one, if she says so.

 

That’s also where she met Eddie, the man who later became her husband and father of her daughter, Lindsey. Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t work out very well, as Ed was an alcoholic and Catherine became a drug addict, and in the end they divorced, with Catherine getting custody of Lindsey.

 

She has faced some serious drama in season 3 and 4, such as finding out her mentor tinkered with a crime scene, causing the killer of her friend Stephanie to go free, discovering family friend Sam Braun was actually her biological father (and wanting to be a grandfather for Lindsey at all costs, including blackmailing Catherine), Eddie being killed under their daughter’s eyes and unwittingly causing the CSI Laboratory to explode.

 

Thankfully, the drama seems to be over for her, and she even gets promoted to Head of the swing shift.

 

The request Grissom makes, after having saved a buried alive Nick Stokes, to ‘have his team back’ may muddle up the waters again…

 

Evidence: Grissom/Catherine Scenes.

 

Grissom and Catherine interact a lot, both in and out of the job, but particularly notable are those scenes:

 

In episode 3, ‘Crate ‘N Burial’, Catherine is worried because Lindsey doesn’t want a party for her birthday, and esposes her concerns to Grissom, who had shown up earlier in the break room with a ‘Little Chemist’ for the little lady, finishing with telling him she thinks her daughter is doing this because of her example, and that she’ll end up like her. Grissom replies (more like ‘stammers’) ‘Then she’ll grow up well, I mean, look at you.’

 

At the end of Season 3, as told above, Catherine is there for Grissom when he needs to be operated to avoid him deafness, and in Season 4 she is the first to give him a very warm ‘Welcome back’.

 

One of the most amusing scenes, though, occurs when Catherine is speaking about her life, work and everything, and ends up commenting on her sexual life (or lack thereof).

 

Catherine: Write this down; I haven’t had sex in six… no, seven months.
Grissom: How can I help?

 

Grissom then corrects himself and says he meant ‘how can I help you advance in your career’. Yeah, right.

 

And also in all the scenes they have together (crime-related or not) there is such an atmosphere that makes one think if those two are just friends or a married couple.

 

DNA Analysis: Why Grissom/Catherine

 

Grissom/Catherine is the ship that will never die; no matter how GSR the situation can get, there’s always a shred of hope, a ‘light over the Frankenstein place’, so to speak. It has beaten out Lady Heather, Teri Miller, and don’t worry about Sara; she’ll be out of the way eventually (and not because I hate Sara - I don’t! It’s just that they’re way too much alike, being in a relationship will only damage both of them)

 

Second: they are always together in the promo pics, and you know what they say about detectives that sleuth together…

 

Third:The Yin always goes with the Yang: they don’t call it Yin/Yang for nothing. Think about it; would you really like a Yin/Yin? Or a Yang/Yang for that matter?

 

Fourth: It’s the only ship that makes a grown adult male argue with teenage girls (GSRs, obviously; what else would we have had to fight about?) with all his heart, and make a fool of himself. Enough said.

 

Case Files: Fanfiction and helpful resources.

 

I can give you two addresses that should quench your thirst for Grissom/Catherine; two, and a Yahoo!Group.

 

http://www.graveshiftcsi.com - the official website of the Graveshiftcsi Yahoo!Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/graveshiftcsi/): you can find everything you could ask for: ratings for episodes based on their G/Cness, transcript of G/C scenes, and as obvious… fanfic. Lots of fanfic. If you’re a Grillows, this is the ‘Way To Go’.

 

Look especially for Platypus by Erin , Gone in 60 secs by DJ , Catch Me When I Fall by Anne , Return to Jackpot by Ercila , Glimpses by Anne , 15x20 by DJ , Lindsey's Party by coolcatz (still WIP)

Smut (PWP):
Heat Rash by Angela, The Closet by ZsaZsa

Fulfillment by Star Journeying - a great post-Time of Your Death fanfic and has a reworked version of Way To Go. Its still WIP though.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

 

The other one is for a little site… really new, but beautiful, and Italian (more power to it!) It’s at http://shootingstars.altervista.org. There is also a (small) fanfic archive, at http://sstarsfanfiction.altervista.org/

 

And there is also www.FanFiction.net; just put Grissom/Catherine, Grillows or Parental in the search engine and enjoy! Quality may vary, though.

 
[ <b>mood</b> |  accomplished ]

Comments

[slm4gsr.livejournal.com]

Very thorough analysis. I can't say I necessarily agree with it, but good for you for taking the write such a detailed commentary.

Anyway, the reason I'm commenting is to give you a heads up regarding one of your statements:

"In Season 2, the producers began to write weak ‘geek’ scenes (scenes with shipper Grissom/Sara content) based on the popularity of the pairing and sometimes these scenes backfire (notice the tone in which Petersen pronounces the infamous ‘Since I’ve met you’ line in Burden Of Proof)

The line "Since I've met you..." is from the episode "Primum Non Nocere" (not Burden of Proof). Also, the line was not written into the script by CSI writers or producers - it was actually an ad lib spontaneously thrown in by William Petersen.

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Well... thank you for correcting me! I hope I did not offend anyone with the 'Sara' comment in the final section...

[slm4gsr.livejournal.com]

No offense taken. Generally speaking, I don't find negative comments about a fictional character particularly offensive.

I will, however, take issue with a comment you made about a group of actual people:

It’s the only ship that makes a grown adult male argue with teenage girls (GSRs, obviously)

I don't think I've ever met a teenage "GSR". Quite the opposite actually - the people I've encountered who "ship" GSR are mature, highly educated adults.

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Well, I meant that it was obvious that I argued with them because of the ship, it was not meant as a derogatory comment.

[vickysg1.livejournal.com]

I like your analysis!!

[sweet-nonsense.livejournal.com]

Really great analysis, loved it ♥

[waffus.livejournal.com]

I loved it! But I have a correction (sorry!):

"Catherine: Write this down; I haven’t had sex in three… no, four months."

It's "six...no, seven months", not "three...no, four months". I wouldn't have mentioned it, but I saw it as the longer Catherine went without, the more Grissom would have had the urge to help her (advance in her career, of course *snickers*).

Otherwise, this was an informative, supported, and very analytical (and in the good way, too, unlike analyze to death the books in English class) essay. You had your facts straight, with the exception of one minor error, and it was understandable. You presented your information to us in a damning way, really, because it just seals what has been known by many, many people: CGR really is the most supported 'ship, at least evidence-wise. It may not be the most major 'ship, but we have the components, the chemistry, and the clips here and there to make it work. The characters are slightly a like I suppose -- the white dot in the black could be the traits belonging to Grissom that Catherine has too and vice versa -- but not completely a like, such as Grissom and Sara. When you have two extremely similar people, the result you have a lot of head-butting, a lot of arguing, because even though their interests many mimic each other greatly, their opinions probably do not. And because Sara is overly stubborn, you know she's going to have a field day of debate when she's with someone who just will not agree with her. And although Grissom, on the other hand, can see it from all sides, you really need both people in the relationship to be able to see each others' opinions without bias.

I know there's a quote that says something like, "When you have an opinion, the best thing you do is go find someone who disagrees" (God have mercy on my paraphrasing), but you should also find a person who disagrees and who can also see the other side of the argument. Otherwise, things will begin to crumble, and in the end, one or both of the people will be hurt.

(And I know Catherine be pretty steadfast when it comes to her opinions, too, but she is able to the other side of the argument. And she is also completely in-sync with Grissom, if I must add a random comment.)

Anyway, I'm rambling incoherently here, so I'll just say this: Thank you for the analysis, and I'm glad there are CGR 'shippers out there like you who are able to string together the evidence still and turn it into something productive. You've actually inspired me to do my own analysis, so thanks there, too. :)

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads-up and the rambling, I really appreciate it.

I inspired you? Damn. Wow. I never inspired anyone before.

[blushingsigh.livejournal.com]

Oh damn that was so very awesome. I really enjoyed this thorough essay. You pointed why most CGR fans enjoy CGR so much and why it rocks so hard. Btw, I'm a teenage girl XD.

[goddesscath.livejournal.com]

hey, well I'm from graveshiftcsi (aka The Graveyard)... better known there as Danni and therefore I'm a Grillows-shipper...

have to say, I love your analysis and have to say, just my opinion ^^

[(Anonymous)]

*thumbs up* very , very great analysis ! I'll always love C/G , no matter what .... thanks for sharing (and send your essay to TPTB) !!!

[coolcatzz.livejournal.com]

awesome analysis.

i must also add that gil's slip about offering to help isn't just one sided. in butterflied cath tells him THEY need to get him in the shower...at his place. same backtracking only she initiated the freudian slip.

and,squee, you listed one of my fics. thank you. wow.

[goddesscath.livejournal.com]

off topic: love your ava coolcatzz and keep your story up, need to read more of it..

[(Anonymous)]

That was a very interesting read. I'm very glad you had posted that, I love reading stuff like that.

The only thing I'd like to point out is a bit about the character's background. From watching CSI many of us have learned that what they post on the offical website and what they show on screen often contridicts each other. From what I've heard on CSI I tend to believe Cath grew up in LV instead of what they posted on the site as Montana.

Also on the site they say Gil's parents divorced when he was 5, but in "Still Life" Gil reveals to Cath (also another thing is it's usually Catherine he opens up to.) that his father died when he was 9. Which I see you did include that screen bit.

You can never really tell with CSI's TPTB.

Loved your analysis!

[(Anonymous)]

I Loved this Analysis!! It is concise, brief enough, but to the point. And a GOOD point it makes. I especially like the comment you made, "Grissom/Catherine is the ship that will never die;"

That is so true. No matter what the writers do the chemistry between the two characters is there and can't be denied.

As others are critiquing your work, I might add that other than some grammatical errors, in the 7th paragraph, last sentence, the title of the Season 3 finale is "Inside the Box" as opposed to "In the Box".

Other than that, It is a wonderful essay and I too wish you would consider proofing it, doing a final draft, and then sending it on to 'The Powers that Be'.

RSM Texas Aggie; Sorry, I don't have an LJ nor a URL but you can find me on Graveshift Yahoo Group or Talk CSI.

Great Analysis

[graveyardintern.livejournal.com]

That was very thorough and almost much like an essay. I've tried to see what TPTB are thinking at every possible angle and still can't, for the life of me, reason the strange finale. The Yin and Yang phenomenon. Now that's one that doesn't change.

Your analysis did highlight most of the reasons why some of us become a "shipper" of this pairing and it was very correct..in a sense. I hope you keep supporting Gil and Catherine. :D

[autumn-burn.livejournal.com]

and don’t worry about Sara; she’ll be out of the way eventually (and not because I hate Sara - I don’t! It’s just that they’re way too much alike, being in a relationship will only damage both of them)

Thank you! I, too, don't hate Sara. But I can never in a million years see their relationship being happy or healthy. Catherine is a much better match for Grissom.

I really enjoyed this manifesto.

[http://users.livejournal.com/blatfink_/]

Wow this was a great dissertation of the Gil/Cath relationship. xD Of course you've chosen the best symbol for GC. TPTB nailed it when they thought of yin/yang as a description of G/C in Slaves of Las Vegas. (and also Marg and Billy described their characters as such).

"Also, the line was not written into the script by CSI writers or producers - it was actually an ad lib spontaneously thrown in by William Petersen."

Im not yet sure about this though, but in the Primum Non Nocere Dailies, Billy said he said the 'since I met you line' so that he could get Sara off Grissom's back. I have to find the dailies again though and check it.

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Well, I had the same idea. Guess great minds think alike, huh?

[mystical_journey]

Thank you for such a detailed analysis of the G/C relationship. I totally agree with you and don't need to explain more. The one thing I will mention is that I found Sara to be a very arrogant unlikable character in season one. Her personality improved in later seasons, but she still was too much of a broody character even other members in my family disfavored.

Your essay will definitely keep me going as a Graveyard G/C writer....with a smile on my face.

SJ

[sassygirl.livejournal.com]

I adore CSI to bits and back when I hadn't watched it, a close friend told me to sit down and watch it and she said that it was sweet as Grissom and Catherine were obviously made for each other! This was back in season 2 so seeing this essay made me grin!

Very well written and I enjoyed it. I just worry a little about the future of the show now.

[dotchan.livejournal.com]

Fellow Grissom/Willows shipper here.

I no longer remember the order of episodes that I saw some of this stuff in, but what I call the Eddie Moment (tm) was one of the definitive firsts that I took as signs of a relationship. Though "men who hurt women" was already established as one of Grissom's hot-button issues, when he charged down that hallway at Eddie, this was one of the first times I had seen Grissom be visibly upset at anything. (Notably, Eddie already assumes Grissom and Catherine to be in a relationship, because even though he backs off well before Grissom gets to him, he walks away with a potshot at Catherine.)

Roommate and I joke that Grissom and Willow are "Exes with Benefits", whereas Sarah is the hot stepdaughter that Grissom ended up dating (to their mutual detriment). (I would have been fine with GSR if they let Sarah grow up and get over herself a little. As much as her life sucked for her, she isn't an emo teenager any more! It was so frustrating to see her act like one.)

[thewaughnman.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Thanks for the comment.

[erinm-4600.livejournal.com]

I choose to believe Most everything past Season Five was a bad dream. Well, except for one or two scenes.

But, Hoorah, I say. Hoorah!

I know what the producers and writers want me to see... but, really.. the blame goes to Billy and Marg. :)