CSI: Vegas ended Josh Folsom’s life as viewers know it on Sunday night—and started a whole new journey for someone who’s become the best procedural character on television.
In Season 3, Episode 2, “Rat Packed,” Folsom faced a review board headed up by ex-colleague Nora Cross and Undersheriff Zhao to learn whether or not he’d still have a job at the Las Vegas Crime Lab after nearly murdering Kahn Schefter. After Folsom’s boss Maxine Roby and even Folsom himself were highly critical of his actions, it was no surprise that the board wanted him fired. However, Max’s vehement objection led to leniency… from the higher-ups, not from her, as she informed her right-hand man that he’d be returning as the lowest-level CSI.
Folsom’s career and his family life, such as it is, are at their absolute lowest point. Yet CSI: Vegas made this huge defeat something that is going to propel Folsom forward in a way that other genre characters just aren’t. And almost as impressively, in a time when viewers are hypercritical of procedurals, it took a theme that’s almost always butchered in TV crime dramas and showed everyone how it’s done. Folsom’s storyline isn’t just important to him, it’s not just important for CSI: Vegas, but it says something about the genre as well.
WHAT HAPPENED TO JOSH FOLSOM?
“Rat Packed” is the effective conclusion to the CSI: Vegas storyline Jason Tracey had the guts to start in Season 2. Audiences now know that Folsom didn’t kill Kahn, and that he’s not losing his job. That factual disposition would be the end of the story on any other show. But it’s not here, because the point of Folsom’s arc was never about his job with CSI; the question truthfully was “What happened to Josh Folsom?” And that’s still happening, and will probably play out through the rest of Season 3.
There is an incredible amount to unpack in this episode, as Marisa Tam’s script and the performances of Matt Lauria and Paula Newsome do a wonderful job of subtly tying together the loose threads that Tracey started unraveling. Folsom’s physical opposition in “Rat Packed” is the review board, but it becomes clearer every time the episode cuts back to his storyline that the real opposition he’s fighting is himself. He’s not the person to defend himself; audiences saw that in the Season 3 premiere, when Serena Chavez begged him to say something. He defends everyone else to the end of the world, but he doesn’t extend that same grace to himself. So it is beautiful, heartwrenching yet also cheer-worthy when Folsom’s fate comes down to his own words.
Even though it’s Max who earns him a second chance, CSI: Vegas gives the sense that her argument is at least partly motivated by seeing him fall on his own sword, and hearing how much that affects him. He says what she’s been waiting for him to say. (Notice Newsome’s very subtle nod of approval in reaction to Lauria’s tone-perfect monologue, and Lauria’s emotional look as Newsome delivers Max’s appeal. Neither character needs a demonstrative moment; that’s not who they are, and both actors recognize that.) And it’s important that “Rat Packed” makes him fall on that sword. If he hadn’t done that first—if he’d just been saved by Max or if the team had found some way to outsmart the insufferable Nora—it would have undermined Josh as a character. It would have cheapened Jeanette’s death, because it would’ve said he went through all of this for nothing.
Instead, there’s a massive knock-on effect and it’s one that Folsom himself will be proud of. Eventually.
Josh Folsom is not the man he was in CSI: Vegas Season 2. He likely never will be again. There’s always going to be a piece of him missing after Jeanette’s murder, and there’s going to be a learning process that comes out of his being demoted. His career is something he’s understandably very proud of; he’s worked his way up to being Max’s number-two in the lab and was on the verge of being promoted to shift supervisor. It’s also a large portion of his identity. Josh Folsom has defined himself by what others say about him and what he isn’t; his role as a CSI is the biggest way that he can prove he’s not like Jeanette or Trey Cahill or anyone else he grew up around. Now all of his accomplishments over the last several years have basically been erased.
However, as implied when Folsom takes the news of his demotion on the chin, it’s an opportunity for him to get reacquainted with that upstanding side of himself and his commitment to the job. He feels like he lost himself, and so he can start at zero and build himself back up again, rather than being thrown right back into the fire. This is his recovery period—although, as anyone who saw the promo for the next CSI: Vegas episode already knows, that doesn’t mean the show is going to take it easy on him. It just means that he has the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the job he loves and the reasons why he’s so passionate about it. His perspective in the lab will change, too, now that he’s become a victim of crime and not just a crime-fighter; no one can argue that Folsom wasn’t also victimized by Jeanette’s death.
But Josh Folsom’s story has always been about growth. Even before the events of CSI: Vegas, audiences know that he fought to evolve past his circumstances and be a different person. It’s referenced again in “Rat Packed,” when he defiantly tells Max that he’s Jeanette’s son and Jeanette would have burned the world down. Folsom is good at this. He built himself up into a CSI career he was proud of, and now Season 3 can be about him building himself into a man he’s proud of, too. Because there’s a lot to love and respect about Josh Folsom—even to viewers watching at home.
WHY FOLSOM’S CHARACTER ARC MATTERS
Josh Folsom isn’t the first person to get in trouble or lose a loved one even in the CSI franchise. Those two stories are common TV crime drama tropes, to the point where they’ve lost their impact, because the audience knows what’s coming. The loss creates a fantastically emotional episode for the actor involved, but the show moves on by the next week. And rarely do procedural characters face any kind of lasting consequences for their actions, unless the actor is being written off of the show. There are numerous TV crime drama heroes who realistically shouldn’t have jobs, but they do because the genre format demands a return to the status quo.
CSI: Vegas‘ biggest strength is that it does not accept those conventions. Tracey and his writing staff follow Max’s reminder that “actions have consequences” rather than bend the world to suit their characters. That’s impressive storytelling, but moreso in this genre, which deserves some of the criticism it gets for being stale and out of touch. “Copaganda” is a hot term in modern TV because of so many crime dramas following the same pattern. However, with “Rat Packed,” CSI: Vegas establishes itself as the exact opposite. Folsom is held to answer, and he will continue to be held to account by himself and those around him, even if officially his Internal Affairs case is over. The script doesn’t hold him up as a hero or focus on how terrible things are for him; it’s always aware that his actions put him in that position, and while fans can be glad he’s still around, they don’t have to forgive him. They just have to understand him. In essence, the audience is reflected in Maxine Roby.
Folsom’s storyline is reminiscent of the great work Martin Compston has done as Steve Arnott in the BBC hit Line of Duty. These two characters have pushed back against the “copaganda” stereotype and also the limitations of the crime drama genre by being fully realized individuals who are also deeply flawed and who actively overcome those flaws as they go on. Compston’s portrayal of Arnott is the single best TV crime drama hero on the airwaves, but what Matt Lauria is doing with Folsom is very close behind. Both actors share a thoughtfulness that naturally elevates any script and a willingness to step completely into their roles, and they’re backed up by two incredible writers in Jed Mercurio and Jason Tracey.
However, what’s happening with Folsom is almost more impressive, because Line of Duty is specifically about stopping police corruption and has never adhered to the “case of the week” format that American network TV relies on. Tracey and Lauria are faced with these very specific preconceptions, and they’re making a show that doesn’t necessarily even have to touch these topics. Yet they’re still delivering a character who is timely and honest. Josh Folsom isn’t a perfect hero, and his story isn’t going to fix everything that can be improved about crime dramas, but this is the different and more authentic story that critics have been calling for. CSI: Vegas probably wasn’t thinking that big-picture with this storyline, but it’s turned out a product that at the very least shows that the procedural genre can do some great things, and proves that not every crime drama is parroting the same idea.
HOW CSI: VEGAS LETS FOLSOM OWN HIS JOURNEY
Another key part of Josh Folsom’s CSI: Vegas storyline is that it’s his storyline. It has deep effects on the other characters, but those characters do not drive or adversely effect what happens to him. They don’t take away from what Folsom (and Lauria, by extension) accomplish.
Fans of the Josh/Allie relationship were likely over the moon by the touching scene in “Rat Packed” where Allie finally had a heart-to-heart with Folsom and encouraged him to tell his own story. That’s a wonderful moment, and one that has a clear place in the episode because it’d be weird if Folsom’s partner and best friend didn’t show up for him in his worst hour. But the moment is as much about Folsom as it is about Allie. Folsom’s ability to open up to Allie is what reveals how much he’s focused on what other people think and say about him—which is everything he’s been subject to for pretty much the last three episodes. She doesn’t convince him to change his mind; she says what he already knows and just needs to hear from someone else. Contrast that with the scene in CSI: Vegas Season 3, Episode 2, “Scar Tissue,” in which Serena expressly told Folsom not to say anything. Serena wasn’t necessarily wrong; both characters were trying to look out for him. But Serena was focused on protecting Folsom’s job, while Allie is more acutely aware of Folsom’s emotional health.
The purpose of the storyline is what kind of man Josh Folsom is and what kind of man he wants to be, and that means it has to rest on his shoulders. He needs to work on himself. It’s not his journey if Allie gives him the answer or Max saves his job, or if CSI: Vegas follows another procedural pattern by using his trauma as fuel for a romantic storyline (which was why the breakup between Serena and Folsom in “Scar Tissue” felt so awkward). Folsom will lean on the support of his friends and colleagues, and as multiple people have already pointed out, his behavior does affect them. But CSI: Vegas also doesn’t skimp out with the “found family” trope. Max is allowed to vehemently disagree with Folsom and be angry at him, and Allie supports him but doesn’t condone him. The show is wise to explore how one person’s actions change the entire Crime Lab, especially when the lab has already been rocked by the scandal that took place in CSI: Vegas Season 1. It’d be ignorant to pretend that this is just Folsom’s problem. But it is one that only he can fix.
When Folsom tells Max that he’s Jeanette’s son, her measured response is “And you walked away from that life because there was no future there.” That choice of words is both terribly saddening and inspiring. He’s telling her that he made the decision Jeanette would have made, looking back at his past; she’s reminding him to look forward to his future—the thing he’s standing there fighting for. But the implication is also that the choices Jeanette made took away her future. That being his mother’s son would mean ending up exactly like his mother. As much as Josh loves Jeanette, he can’t be her. And choosing not to be her isn’t dishonoring her memory or letting go of her or pretending that his past doesn’t exist. It’s deciding who is Josh Folsom, not for her or for Max or for Allie or for Serena, but who is Josh Folsom for himself?
That’s not a question he’s ever had to answer before. He’s gone from phase to phase of his life, focused on the task at hand, moving past the baggage but clearly never dealing with it. He no longer has a choice. There is literally nothing left but to move forward. By going scorched earth, CSI: Vegas has also set Folsom free of all his traumas and the notions he has about himself and his responsibilities. He now only has to take care of himself and define himself. That’s probably the hardest thing he’s ever going to do. But he was never going to get there if there was anyone else to focus on, because he values other people so much more than he values himself. This is now his time, and that’s worth celebrating even if this arc is so difficult for him and so emotional to watch.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to love about what’s happening with Josh Folsom and CSI: Vegas. Setting aside the big-picture stuff, there’s the fact that this is an idea that could have been just unnecessary trauma for Folsom, but it’s the most organic way to explore a character who’s never stood still across two seasons. He’s always been growing, always been pushing forward, and now audiences understand why. It’s a wonderful showcase for Matt Lauria; Folsom wouldn’t be the character he is if any other actor were playing him. Lauria isn’t just talented, but he brings the heart that Folsom needs and the emotional intelligence to fully embrace the journey Folsom is on. And it’s a storyline that’s deeply moving and wonderfully uplifting, because through all the pain and the mistakes, Josh Folsom is a survivor. He’s someone who wants to keep doing better, and the audience knows in their gut that they’ll see him get better. Especially in a genre where so much stays the same, it’s going to be truly wonderful to watch Folsom reach his full potential and see how much more Lauria will do with him when he gets there. There’s nothing Josh Folsom can’t do—he just has to find the evidence to believe in himself.
CSI: Vegas airs Sundays at 10:00 p.m. on CBS.
