Nick Stokes

Nick Stokes
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation character
George Eads as Nick Stokes.
First appearance	The Pilot
Portrayed by	George Eads
City	Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation	CSI
Rank	CSI Level 3
Position	Nightshift CSI
Seasons	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Nicholas "Nick" Stokes is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Stokes is portrayed by George Eads and appears in the majority of episodes. (He is missing from "Blood Lust" from season three, "Jackpot" and "Butterflied" from season four, "Committed" from season five, "Spellbound" from season six, and "Genetic Disorder" from season twelve.) Eads also agreed to appear in season 14. He has appeared in 292 episodes.^[1]

Character background

Nicholas "Nick" Stokes was born in Dallas, Texas to Judge Bill Stokes and Lawyer Jillian Stokes. He is the youngest of seven with at least one brother ("Revenge is Best Served Cold"). As a child, he showed athletic and academic potential and played football ("Bloodsport"). Overall, he had a happy childhood and had a close relationship with his parents. Nick's father calls him "Pancho," and Nick, in turn calls his father "Cisco," both characters from the television show, The Cisco Kid ("Grave Danger," season five). In Grave Danger, Grissom calls Nick "Pancho" to calm him while rescuing him from a coffin that has been rigged with explosives.

Nick's early life was not without pain; however, he was molested at age nine by a female babysitter (he revealed this information to Catherine Willows in "Overload"). Although it is never again directly addressed in the show, the manifestation of the trauma can be seen whenever the character has trouble investigating crimes against children, especially during episodes such as "Blood Drops", "Gum Drops", "Turn, Turn, Turn", "418/427", or "Unleashed".

Nick attended Texas A&M University, where he pledged at a fraternity ("Pledging Mr. Johnson", season one). After leaving college, he joined the police department and took a job with the Dallas crime lab and specialised in hair and fiber analysis.

Feeling that he would not be able to match his parents' considerable academic achievement, Nick decided to leave Texas for Las Vegas, Nevada. In Las Vegas, Nick found that he could "be his own man" and in 1997, he joined the successful CSI team under the leadership of Gil Grissom.

Career

Nick has a natural empathy with the people affected by the crimes he investigates; in contrast with many of his colleagues, who prefer to keep an emotional distance. On occasion, Nick's empathy causes friction his colleague Warrick Brown and with his supervisor, Grissom, but Nick defends his approach and it often proves beneficial to the case. Nick has a good command of Spanish; he frequently deals with cases involving Hispanics and the Latino community.

In Season Six, Nick grows a moustache then shaves it off. He has had a variety of hair cuts, such as a mop-top and a shaved head.

In the season five, double episode directed by Quentin Tarantino "Grave Danger", Nick is kidnapped and buried alive in a glass coffin rigged with explosives. He was previously stalked by Nigel Crane, a cable technician, who threw him from a second story window ("Stalker") in season two.

Nick is characterized as something of a ladies' man, but the only onscreen romance over the course of the series is a brief affair with a prostitute named Kristi Hopkins and a date with Dr. Robbins's niece ("Bittersweet"). His celibacy might be explained by a running gag that whenever Nick is with a woman, misfortune befalls someone else. For example, he has a one night stand with Kristi, and she is murdered later that night ("Boom"), resulting in him being a suspect. Also, Nick and Catherine go to a club together then shortly after Nick meets a woman at the club, Catherine is drugged and abducted ("Built to kill" part one). Again, during breakfast with the team at a diner, Nick eyes a pretty waitress and stays behind to get her number, while Warrick leaves. Shortly afterward, Warrick is murdered ("For Gedda"). In the Season 13 episode, "Play Dead", Nick refers to a girlfriend in passing when talking to his dog, Sam.

Catherine turns down an offer to move into Grissom's office and offers it to Nick. He accepts it after some thought, then, in turn, decides to share the office space with Greg Sanders and Riley Adams. ("The Grave Shift"). Grissom's infamous "fetal pig in a jar" is placed in the room by Hodges, who says that "it is where it belongs". Nick is promoted to assistant supervisor after Sara Sidle advises Catherine that she needs a "number two". Nick handles tarantulas and takes Grissom's old tarantula under his care (season ten premier). However, Nick's promotion, is compromised after the CSIs tried to apprehend serial killer Nate Haskell in Los Angeles ("Cello and Goodbye"). Nick and Dr. Raymond "Ray" Langston are apprehended by the LAPD for going beyond their jurisdiction, when Nick used his gun in attempt to apprehend Haskell. Haskell kills Tina, but Ray is implicated in her death.^[2] Nick returns from a work-related trip to find that he has lost his office to new CSI supervisor D.B. Russell (Season 12 premiere).

In the Season 12 finale, "Homecoming", Nick announces to his colleagues that he is quitting his job at CSI, as he is no longer able to stand the widespread corruption in the department. He then walks out of the room and appears to be heading out of the building. In the Season 13 premiere, "Karma to Burn" following a drunken confrontation with police, he is convinced by Sara Sidle to return to the team.

Relationship with colleagues

Nick is an affable man, friendly even to David Hodges. Prior to Warrick's death, the duo are good friends and Nick sets up a college fund for Warrick's son. Nick colludes with Greg and Hodges to kidnap Henry for his birthday celebrations ("Appendicitement"). Nick defends his colleagues. For example, when Greg is beaten, Nick becomes angry at a bystander ("Fannysmackin"). He shares a good-natured relationship with Gil Grissom. When a new investigator Ray Langston takes his first case, Nick acts as his mentor, giving him tips and helping with the investigation. Nick flirts a little with Catherine Willows, his good friend and co-worker, who becomes something of an "older sister" figure to him. When Nick learns of Willows's resignation, and she says goodbye, Nick cries and tells Willows that she will always be with them at CSI ("Willows in the Wind").

In the episode "Forget Me Not" Nick reveals to Sara that he and everyone that worked with Grissom liked having them together to at least hang on to him but realized that if the relationship is over, it's over.

References

External sources

• Nick Stokes Biography.