If you’re buried alive inside a glass container for hours on end, it will turn your psyche into a broken mess. This is exactly what former CSI star George Eads, noted for playing Nick Stokes in the original series, recently talked about experiencing the same in the Season 5 finale.
In an interview with GQ, Eads opened up about working with director Quentin Tarantino and how the filmmaker managed to pull out the emotional gravity from him, saying:
He leans over and he whispers in my ear, ‘On this one, I want you to imagine your mother is watching you die, saying goodbye.’ I said, ‘OK.’ So we hit record, and he starts going, while we’re rolling… ‘Hush little baby, don’t you cry.’ I get chills now just thinking about it.
And the final product managed to show that in all of its vivid glory. This two-part finale is also often considered one of the best TV episodes of all time, which was only possible thanks to Tarantino’s love for the series.
Quentin Tarantino’s Love for CSI Made the Season 5 Finale So Exceptional
The episode, titled Grave Danger, was the product of Quentin Tarantino’s tried and tested formula, something that he uses in almost all of his films. But what truly made the episode stand out was that the legendary director was a fan of the series himself.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Inglorious Basterds director revealed his approach to directing the two-part Season 5 finale. Tarantino admitted that, though it was a change of pace for him working on TV, his love for the show and cinema encouraged him to make the episode feel like the viewers were watching a film. He said:
It wasn’t a challenge in that regard because … I like the show. I just wanted to do my episode of it. So the format was all the stuff I embrace. I just wanted it to be bigger, to feel in someway like a ‘CSI’ movie.
Thus, with a passion for the art and a deeper connection to the series as a whole, Tarantino made an impact with just two episodes, the likes of which entire seasons aren’t able to.
How CSI’s ‘Grave Danger’ Episode and Kill Bill Share the Same DNA
Since both parts of the Kill Bill duology came years before ‘Grave Danger,’ it’s no wonder Tarantino used the same bloody, gory expression style that we saw in his films featuring Uma Thurman.
The episodes boast of similarly exaggerated black-and-white hallucination sequences that give them a surreal feeling, while the use of death, blood, and gore gives them an almost horror film feel when these scenes flash on screen. In fact, the glass coffin confinement resembles the burial of The Bride in Kill Bill Vol. 2.
Lastly, as stated by Tarantino himself, the episodes felt more like watching two parts of a film rather than installments of a TV series. And since it was the director helming them, his signature direction and filmmaking DNA were passed down to them. Here’s more information on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
What are your thoughts on the ‘Grave Danger’ episode of the series’ Season 5? Tell us in the comments below.
You can watch Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 by renting or buying on Apple TV.
