Sara Sidle is missing, and the team is going over clues from the car, the killer’s house, and the miniature to try to find her. Between scenes of interrogation, CSI-ing, and everyone getting upset are flashes to Sara’s scene (she’s alive but about to drown from all the flash flooding in the desert).

It turns out that the Miniature Killer, Natalie, was waiting at Sara’s car after Sara ate at a vegetarian deli that she frequents. Moral of the episode: Eat meat. And stop parking in parking garages (open parking lots with lots of lighting are not as conducive to murder and kidnapping). One more (they just keep coming to me, it’s a gift!): don’t let the head of a forensics lab fall in love with you. At Sara’s car, the Killer pops up and tazes Sara. Sara yells, “Don’t taze me, put a car on top of me, leave me in the middle of the desert, and make a miniature of my death scene, bro!” Mini Girl yells at her, “I’m not your bro, ho!”

Sara gets resourceful and breaks out of the trunk and into the car and puts up a good fight. Mini Girl regains control and ties Sara up good this time. What? I totally didn’t see it coming. Natalie makes Sara drink “water.” Sara, spit it out! Don’t drink anything offered by an enemy! Sara is knocked out by the “water.” Before she is knocked out, she starts telling Natalie that she knows all about her. She tells Mini Girl, “I do know what it’s like to be alone.” And to never smile. Ever. They have so much in common! It’s like they were meant to meet like this. Mini Girl is un-fazed and waits for Sara to shut her yap and pass out.

Mini Girl puts Sara in a low-lying area, puts the car on top of her, and makes it rain outside. Sara doesn’t even wake up until Mini Girl is crushing her arm with the car. Her arm and foot are pinned under the car, so she has quite a time getting out. Eventually the rain water floods the car, ky-yotes consider eating Sara, and Sara starts struggling to get out. She does free her hand and foot with the help of the rear-view mirror just as she’s about to drown — it’s like the countdown clock stopped at 0:01! Sara takes off across the desert and realizes it’s very… deserted. And dark.

The investigation: Nick and Warrick search Natalie’s house, which is full of sketches and dolls. They decide Natalie has a photographic memory. Gil hears a weather report about the flash flood and pours water over Sara’s crime scene mini. He realizes that she’s going to drown and that he’s very morbid. The team are, of course, working with no lights on. Because lightbulbs are for amateurs… like Thomas Edison. Gil narrows the search area. They swab Natalie’s head wounds for DNA, and the psychiatrist talks psychotic break and says she could end up with schizophrenia. Warrick decides Sara got out of the car, but Gil is positive that Natalie completed the miniature, so he knows Sara is in the desert. They get a pinpoint on the general area and start searching. Nick is still at Natalie’s and starts having flashbacks to a conversation with Sara, when she said sometimes it’s just your day to die. Well, now that we know how it ends, I guess I can stop watching. Nick sees a phone number near the desk, and he can see it just fine, so he shines his flashlight on it. Brass goes to the towing yard on the note, which is run by that one guy who always plays either a druggie or a homeless man. You know the guy I mean. That guy tells Brass where he towed the car to, and all hands are on deck in the desert. By the time they get out there, it’s heat of the day, and things aren’t looking good for Sara. The car has been buried by the flood, her CSI vest is with the car.

Flash to Sara walking through the desert in daytime looking like a drunken pirate. She gets to high ground and sees that there is nothing around anywhere. To save energy she throws herself down a hill. She gets up and leaves very distinct footprints. Gil and Katharine are following the footprints, and they find that Sara has been leaving little rock statues. Sara is still carrying the rear-view mirror, which is how I figure they’ll find her. Gil spots a hiking shoe that could easily match Sara’s monster shoe print, and he finds a body. He and Katharine dig up the body, and they’re like, “Yay! The dead guy isn’t Sara! It’s some other dead guy, which is totally awesome!” That guy was backcountry hiking and camping and got caught in the flood. Case solved. That’s gotta be record time for them.

Grissom starts to feel hopeless. Sara is still walking and whispering multiplication tables aloud. Her shiny mirror is in her back pocket, and she finally face plants, leaving the mirror in the sand throwing out some nice shiny reflections. Don’t envy me. I can’t help it I’m so smart. Nick and that blond chick with the accent (does anyone know her name?) see the flashes and call the team in. Sara is unresponsive. Well, what a waste of an episode. Guess there’s no hope left. They put her on a helicopter anyway, I guess to get her to the morgue more quickly, and Gil jumps in with her.

Wow! I can’t believe it! She opened her eyes! That’s unbelievable! And when she opens her eyes, she sees her love Grissom, holding her hand.

I swear if I hear that 1-2-3-4 iPod nano song one more time, I’ll smash my own nano into pieces in protest. That’ll show ‘em!

Hey, you can win the miniature of Gil’s office. And help people.

I hate those AT&T texting commercials. “IDK, my BFF Jill?” But the one with the grama texting her BFF Rose is kinda cute. And that’s the nicest thing you’ll ever hear me say about AT&T.

So. Do y’all think the whole thing with Jorja Fox walking off the set last season was just to create buzz for this season? We think so.