Directed by Marshall Adams
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn, Christopher Silber & Zachary Reiter
"Means to an End" is the 9th episode of Season 8 and the 171st overall. It originally aired December 2, 2011.
An important witness in the case against John Curtis is murdered. Jo confronts him at last. BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW!
Tropes for the episode:
- Alone with the Psycho: Jo confronts serial rapist/killer Curtis in the apartment of a previous victim of his, whom he'd come back to kill after she finally got the nerve to testify against him.
- Disposable Sex Worker: When a call girl is murdered, Adam makes a joke about a possibly dissatisfied customer. Lindsay calls him out on it.
- It Works Better with Bullets: Subverted. After beating Jo, Curtis makes a show of pushing each bullet out of the magazine of her gun before allowing her to pick it up. She then says, "They always forget the one in the chamber," and shoots him. He gets back up, and she picks a second bullet up off the floor, chambers it, and puts him down for good.
- Killing in Self-Defense: Jo kills Curtis after he knocks out both her and a previous victim of his, and is still threatening Jo after she regains consciousness.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Frank Waters, a former FBI agent who also worked on the case in D.C., is so devastated when he realizes his latest attempt to bring Curtis to justice has resulted in the death of another person that he commits suicide.
- Oh, Crap!: The look on Curtis' face when Jo tells him he left a bullet in the chamber of her gun when he allows her to pick it back up after he empties it.
- Street Walker: The victim is a hooker whom Agent Waters had recruited to help frame Curtis because he'd been let off on a technicality.
