This seventh season finale was advertised as revealing the Miniature Killer (who's been a thorn in Grissom's side from the season opener), but not before he claimed a CSI for his last victim. Well, we did find out the identity of the Miniature Killer, as well as his motivation and how he got the layouts of his murder sites. And I suppose being abducted does constitute being a victim. However, after a whole season of wondering who the Miniature Killer is, ending on a cliffhanger seemed like a letdown, particularly compared to the great, largely self-contained season finales from seasons 3 through 5 ("What's in the Box," "Chimera," and, of course, "Grave Danger," which had a similar premise).
To be sure, there are some chilling scenes in this episode, particularly the miniature hand moving under the toy car and the flashback to the Miniature Killer's first murder, including the way the victim's father tells it through his ventriloquist dummy, but I doubt inserting the shot of the overturned car in the rain and the arm clutching from beneath the wreck (or even opening with it) before going to the scenes in the convenience store could have made the teaser any more confusing than it already was, and it would have heightened the sense of dread and made the episode as a whole seem less like one long teaser for the next season premiere. Maybe we'll find out some relevance to the guy with the switchblade in his belt and the girls shorting out the microwave, but I'm not holding my breath.
To be sure, there are some chilling scenes in this episode, particularly the miniature hand moving under the toy car and the flashback to the Miniature Killer's first murder, including the way the victim's father tells it through his ventriloquist dummy, but I doubt inserting the shot of the overturned car in the rain and the arm clutching from beneath the wreck (or even opening with it) before going to the scenes in the convenience store could have made the teaser any more confusing than it already was, and it would have heightened the sense of dread and made the episode as a whole seem less like one long teaser for the next season premiere. Maybe we'll find out some relevance to the guy with the switchblade in his belt and the girls shorting out the microwave, but I'm not holding my breath.