TMC
03-10-2022, 03:43 AM
https://www.looper.com/794177/the-one-episode-of-csi-miami-that-did-not-age-well/
Delko for the Defense's negative portrayal of intersexuality has aged badly
If anything has aged terribly on shows that were popular in the aughts, it's their depictions of topics such as gender representation and sexuality. "CSI: Miami" was not immune to this issue — and the problem was so widespread across "CSI" and its spinoffs that The Advocate took note of the franchise's multiple negative depictions of intersex and transgender characters in a 2012 article. The negative portrayal of intersexuality in "Delko for the Defense," Episode 11 of Season 8 of "CSI: Miami," was so notable it earned a rebuke from GLAAD at the time it aired. But to modern eyes, it's even more antiquated.
The episode centers around the return of former cast regular Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), who is working as an expert for defense attorney Adrianna Villani (Jo Champa). Villani decides that defending Zach Finley (Eric Jungmann), a homeless man who has been accused of murdering an heiress named Summer Davenport (Alina Andrei) would be a good career move. What seems like a simple case changes to a much more complex one when the team learns that Summer was raped. They try to match the DNA found on Summer to Finley, but find nothing — and learn through forensic testing that Finley has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) (http://www.isna.org/faq/conditions/ais), which means he is physically incapable of raping Summer. The search begins for her killer, and the team begins to consider the possibility that two people committed the crime — one assaulting Summer, the other murdering her.
Delko for the Defense's negative portrayal of intersexuality has aged badly
If anything has aged terribly on shows that were popular in the aughts, it's their depictions of topics such as gender representation and sexuality. "CSI: Miami" was not immune to this issue — and the problem was so widespread across "CSI" and its spinoffs that The Advocate took note of the franchise's multiple negative depictions of intersex and transgender characters in a 2012 article. The negative portrayal of intersexuality in "Delko for the Defense," Episode 11 of Season 8 of "CSI: Miami," was so notable it earned a rebuke from GLAAD at the time it aired. But to modern eyes, it's even more antiquated.
The episode centers around the return of former cast regular Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), who is working as an expert for defense attorney Adrianna Villani (Jo Champa). Villani decides that defending Zach Finley (Eric Jungmann), a homeless man who has been accused of murdering an heiress named Summer Davenport (Alina Andrei) would be a good career move. What seems like a simple case changes to a much more complex one when the team learns that Summer was raped. They try to match the DNA found on Summer to Finley, but find nothing — and learn through forensic testing that Finley has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) (http://www.isna.org/faq/conditions/ais), which means he is physically incapable of raping Summer. The search begins for her killer, and the team begins to consider the possibility that two people committed the crime — one assaulting Summer, the other murdering her.