Directed by Eric Laneuville
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn, Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt
"Seth and Apep" is the 15th episode of Season 9. It is the 195th overall and originally aired February 8, 2013.
Continuation of the story begun on CSI's episode 13.13, "In Vino Veritas." D.B. Russell returns to NYC with Mac, bringing back someone who can help them locate Christine, who has been kidnapped.
Tropes for the episode:
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: The names of the Egyptian kidnappers aren't actually Egyptian, but from another Arabic-speaking country.
- Attack the Injury: Mac tries to get one of the kidnappers to reveal Christine's whereabouts by squeezing the man's arm where he had just been shot right before being apprehended. It bleeds, but unfortunately the guy is tougher than Mac expects and still refuses to talk.
- Bound and Gagged: Christine and Sean, the brother of the guy who manages her restaurant, are both abducted, tied up, and temporarily gagged.
- Call-Back: Upon receiving a severed tongue in a package, Mac gets the same stunned look on his face as he did in the season 4 premiere, "Can You Hear Me Now?" when a victim died from the same mutilation.
- Covered in Kisses: When Mac finds Christine, he can't stop kissing her face and the top of her head.
- Cry into Chest: When Mac reaches her, Christine breaks down crying and buries her head in his chest.
- Exact Words: Flack and D.B. buy time for Mac to find Christine by heading Federal Marshalls off at the pass, telling them the Egyptian murderer they're after is at another precinct due to a mix-up and will be brought to them. As they lead the Marshalls away to get coffee while they wait, D.B. says, "Why, I'll bet our guy's walking him out the precinct right now." Cue Mac leaving with the handcuffed man in tow.
- False Roulette: Mac uses Russian Roulette as a ploy to get information out of one of the perps, but doesn't let on that his gun is empty. He dry fires between the man's eyes three times before he freaks out and tells Mac he'll take him to Christine.
- Finger in the Mail: The kidnappers send Mac a tongue to the precinct, knowing he'll think it's Christine's. It turns out to be Sean's.
- Hidden Wire: Jimmy, Christine's manager, wears a wire under his shirt while trying to get the kidnappers to reveal where they're holding her and Sean.
- Hostage Situation: Christine and Sean are held against their will for a couple of days. Their abductors use them as leverage first to get Sean's brother to steal some diamonds to pay off their debt. Then they kill Sean and threaten to do the same to Christine to try to force Mac to let their leader, Zane, go when he is arrested.
- I Have Your Wife: Well, girlfriend anyway. The kidnappers make Christine give Mac instructions over the phone before talking to him themselves.
- It Works Better with Bullets: When Jo asks Mac about one perp's claim that Mac made him play Russian Roulette, Mac replies, "It's not much of a game if the gun is empty."
- Once More, with Clarity: As Mac explains his game of False Roulette to Jo, the audience is treated to a different angle of the scene in question, now showing him palming the bullet.
- Tongue Trauma: The perps cut Sean's tongue out and send it to Mac. When he finds Sean's body later, the man's chin is covered with blood from the severed arteries in his mouth.
- Trapped by Gambling Debts: Part of the back story from "In Vino Veritas" is that Jimmy and Sean owe $50,000 to Zane and his crew from gambling debts they've accumulated.
