The CSI: Miami Scene That Went Too Far
"CSI" had a meteoric rise to the television top when it premiered on CBS. The procedural crime drama consistently pulled in millions of viewers, which is why it was no surprise that it managed to spawn numerous spin-offs. One of the most successful spin-offs to the franchise is "CSI: Miami," which trades in the main series' Sin City location for the famous Floridian city and stars David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine.
"CSI: Miami" still took the central criminal science theme from its older sibling, and much like "CSI," the series wasn't afraid to showcase some of the worst and downright disturbing crimes ever committed for its episode plots. But in terms of tone, "CSI: Miami" is a much different sunglass sporting-beast, primarily thanks to Caine. The CSI Miami team lead's punchy one-liners often delivered at the beginning of each episode, jabbing the overall vibes into comedic territory. However, in Season 5's "Curse of the Coffin," Caine throws a comedic haymaker. "Curse of the Coffin" contains stolen gold and the threat of magical curses, which makes it perfect as a Halloween-themed episode for the series. But in addition, the episode's use of a car bomb delivers the one "CSI: Miami" scene that probably went too far.
The Burn Baby Burn scene is Caine at his most ludicrous
Caine is an expert at explosive forensics, and he owes it to his background in bomb disposal. This is probably why the most memorable scene in "Curse of the Coffin" involves him, as the team discovers a bomb within a car. Caine races down the highway, parks at a deserted beach, and calmly walks out of the vehicle in an action-movie strut. As the car explodes behind him and his trademark sunglasses sit on his face, Caine coolly delivers the line "Burn, baby, burn."
Some fans on the "CSI" subreddit believe it's quite the outlandish scene, as u/Elementaryfan listed it as the most "... cringeworthy Horatio Caine/CSI: Miami moment, in all of ten seasons." Another Redditor agreed, writing, "Yeah, pretty much, and I'm usually a Horatio stan." The fumble with Caine's sunglasses also didn't help the scene to be taken seriously. u/bhind45 noted that Caine wears his sunglasses while driving the car and briefly takes them off when he parks — but puts them back on as he slowly walks away.
The scene is hilarious for all the wrong reasons. Still, it also serves as a perfect example of why "CSI: Miami" can be a bit divisive among the franchise's fans, as some love it when the spin-off unashamedly ventures into ridiculous territory. However, we're not sure if that's how bomb experts properly diffuse car explosives in the same manner as Caine. The character may be based partially on a real LAPD bomb expert, but his unflinching walk away from the explosion in the scene is anything but real.