It remains a tale of two investigations.

It didn't look good for Hodges on CSI: Vegas Season 1 Episode 2 as the evidence implicating him kept piling up.

But while the old team investigated the allegations about their former colleague, the new squad had a fresh case to handle under extreme scrutiny.

Let's face it: the ongoing storyline is more interesting because it involves the characters that viewers already know (to say "and love" would be a stretch where Hodges is concerned).

Just to properly handicap them, politicians and administrators around Las Vegas were warning Maxine not to let Hodges' old coworkers anywhere near the investigation.

A warning which, of course, they blithely ignored. Maxine and her team have a day-to-day job to do, which gives Gil, Sara, and Brass plenty of wiggle room.

It was laughable to watch Internal Affairs detectives attempt to figure out what they were looking at as they investigated the storage facility supposedly belonging to Hodges.

But as Gil watched them struggle, he did determine that the staging of the locker was just too perfect, with special touches that could only have come from Hodges.

While all the equipment could have been purchased anywhere, the personal tchotchkes had to have belonged to Hodges.

It was encouraging to see that the gossipy, snide Hodges had evolved thanks to the love of a good woman. Of course, being charged and booked was bound to knock the sarcasm out of him as well.

It was also great that Brass didn't hesitate to razz Hodges despite his current perilous situation. More Brass can only make things better.

Gil noted the personal items he had seen led Hodges to remember that he had discovered things missing after he and Emma had moved.

Even after Gil and Sara struck out after searching the garage, Gil still had his a-ha moment seeing the poster for the missing dog.

Has Grissom always been this pedantic? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Follow the evidence.

Sara opted for a more human path. "Hodges is innocent. Now how do we prove it?" In other words, the exact opposite approach to Gil.

Now, where will the evidence that is the remains of Brewski the dog lead them? Might the blood in his teeth find a match in the CODIS database?

Maxine seems willing to working with them, appearing above the fray while coming up with ways of sneaking them both onboard. (There's probably no official role available for the almost-blind Brass.)

She's already proven that she has no hesitation to involve Sara in a current case since Sara remains credentialed. Sneaking Gil in the backdoor as an entomological specialist was clever.

Now that they're making some headway on how, Gil, Sara, and company now have to start concentrating on who and why. There are so many possibilities from all those seasons.

Unfortunately, suspicion of Hodges is making things harder for the current team, as the media and politicians are following their every move.

The case of the week felt like vintage CSI, with straight-laced people enjoying a walk on the wild side among the kink for which Vegas is known.

It started sad when two respected physicians were gunned down on their wedding day.

But CSI is never that simple, is it? Before long, a leaky SUV led to a swingers' club and it came out that the pair were swingers, along with one of their colleagues.

Stop me if you've heard this before: Someone was doing something upon which society frowns. So of course there are hidden cameras and they are being blackmailed.

That's nothing new. CSI itself must have used that storyline at least once a season.

It was a nice twist having the obvious villain, the Arab owner, eliminated from contention thanks to his mini-strokes.

Since his assistant Christy had already explained how important she was to the club's operation, it wasn't a real shock when it got revealed she was behind everything.

It was comical to listen to Gil ooh and ahh over the new facilities, especially that nifty dark light that Maxine and Hugo had jury-rigged, which pretty much blew the case wide open.

It promises to be fun with the socially inept Grissom and Hugo interact more in the future.

Now, what to make of Allie and Folsom, this generation's Gil and Sara. She has just moved in with her boyfriend. And yet, there's undeniable sexual tension between them.

Calling it chemistry would be a stretch, however, because they're so awkward together. Maybe they shouldn't keep getting thrown together in the field.

There was another young CSI tech named Penny this time out. Does that mean that Chris Park from CSI: Vegas Season 1 Episode 1 is gone or will the techs just be rotated? My vote would be for him since he had more personality.

Hodges playing a prominent role reinforces the importance of the lab techs. Wouldn't it be great if Wendy could return? However, with the four veterans back, there may not be a talent budget to show the lab techs at work.

To revisit the growing attack on the Las Vegas lab, watch CSI: Vegas online.

How do you like the new Hodges?

How can Gil and Sara continue their investigation on the down-low?

Who is behind this attack on the CSI lab?

Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.