Directed by David Von Ancken
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn & Adam Targum
"Clean Sweep" is the 10th episode of Season 8 and the 172nd overall. It originally aired January 6, 2012.
A badly burned corpse is first believed to be that of a cage fighter but things are not as they seem.
Tropes for the episode:
- Author Tract: Gary Sinise is a known veteran's advocate in real life, and while the subject comes up fairly regularly throughout the series, this episode is one of the more notable examples, particularly Jo and Mac's conversation about the many homeless veterans in the US.
- Due to the Dead: At the end of the episode, Mac uses his military connections to ensure that a dead homeless Marine is laid to rest with the full military honors he deserved.
- Gone Horribly Right: Someone trying to fake his own death does such a good job that the evidence can't rule him in or out as a murder suspect.
- Immoral Journalist: Early in the episode, Mac is approached by a female reporter who openly flirts with him, tries to get him to give an official comment on her speculations, and even goes so far as to ask him point-blank if he would compromise his own values in order to close a case.
- Plot Allergy: Downplayed. Through a prank of Flack's, Mac is (harmlessly) revealed to be severely allergic to blueberries.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: The burned man turns out to be a twice-wounded former Marine who saw combat in Afghanistan and came home so traumatized he began self-medicating with alcohol and ended up homeless.
- Shipper on Deck: Both Lindsay and Jo make comments to Mac about him possibly going out with the reporter who flirted with him at the crime scene. He brushes Lindsay off and insists to Jo that the woman's unethical tactics are a turnoff. He never does go out with her.
- Starting a New Life: The person trying to fake his own death is doing so to elude a relentless stalker.
- The Unreveal: Mac receives a lovely flower arrangement at his office. Just as he begins to open the accompanying card, the Immoral Journalist above arrives, interrupting his progress. He tells her he can't accept the flowers; she denies sending them, saying it's not her style. Later, Lindsay asks Mac if the woman sent them. He doesn't give her a straight answer but since he keeps them, (knowing Mac's integrity) it probably isn't her. The true sender is never revealed.
- Your Favorite: Subverted. Based on what Flack tells her, the reporter brings Mac a blueberry Danish and coffee the way he likes it. Not only is he severely allergic to blueberries, but he also tells her he had given up caffeine a year earlier. She looks over at Flack, who is holding back a laugh.
