It’s taken a lot of willpower to wait before writing this post, but just in case somebody is running behind on watching the Tivo, I didn’t want to ruin it for you.

I’ve been a big fan of CSI: since the very beginning. The original one set in Las Vegas, I mean. It gets a little weird every now and then, and the writers seem unsure about what to do with Grissom (Lady Heather? Sara? a giant female cockroach?) — but overall, it’s been consistently good, and I’ve generated quite a bit of emotional equity in the central cast.

That, I suppose, is why I feel so cheated by the last ten minutes of this past week’s episode. They finally put Warrick’s legal troubles to bed, only to have him get shot in the head by the slimeball undersheriff.

I don’t understand how nobody has figured out yet who the high-level mole is in the department. This guy has been causing everyone grief for how long now, and while you might be able to cut some slack to nurses or teachers for not recognizing criminal behavior in their midst, it seems to me that criminalists who crack tough cases as a matter of routine would see through this guy in a New York minute. It’s maddening.

Moreover, the abbreviated season caused by the writers’ strike means too much stuff crammed into too few episodes for nice neat bows on all the loose ends. Oh, sure, I expected a season-ending cliffhanger, but since it’s no secret that Gary Dourdan was on his way out after having legal problems of his own, being arrested on drug charges, I fully expect Warrick to be dead come fall. That, and three or four head shots at point-blank range from a cop.

As much as I would miss it, maybe it’s time for CSI: to just go away. Get out before you die the slow, painful death of stale plots and predictable outcomes. The past couple of seasons have shown some slippage, and with Jorja Fox and now apparently Dourdan bailing out, the handwriting is on the wall. What’s next? Catherine moonlighting by selling car insurance? Brass reveling a secret passion for tournament bridge? Nick winning a spot on Survivor? Or maybe we can just catch the slimeball and have him blow up the lab. No, wait — somebody already did that.