Lady Heather
Encyclopedia
Heather Kessler, also known as Lady Heather, is a fictional character
on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, portrayed by Melinda Clarke
.
This recurring character is a professional dominatrix
and a potential romantic interest for then regular CSI supervisor Gil Grissom
, as well as romantic rival to CSI forensic scientist Sara Sidle.
As of 2011, Lady Heather has appeared in a total of 6 episodes of CSI.
. He has written some of CSIs most controversial episodes, which have also sometimes been the most watched.
Melinda Clarke has said that she became interested in Lady Heather because of the contrasts the character has :
As noted in "The Philosophy of TV Noir" , Lady Heather is an "inspired variant" on the classic film noir
femme fatale
, with different aspects of her personality being explored over the course of multiple episodes.
Bill Keveney of USA Today nominates Lady Heather as a favourite of viewers, crediting "her ability to read the usually opaque Grissom".
Steven Cohan explores in his book on the series, Lady Heather as part of the show's "questioning of identity and the status of normality".
, a murder occurs at Lady Heather's fetish club
. When meeting her, Gil Grissom
becomes instantly interested in her. They have tea, where she lets him know that she has a daughter, Zoë, who's studying at Harvard
.
William Petersen
has said that his character, Grissom, becomes attracted to Lady Heather because they are "both anthropologists. He's fascinated by her science, [a look at] the sexual psyche of human beings."
During the episode, both characters express attraction to the other, and the sexual tension starts to build up, but nothing noteworthy occurs.
. This time, two murders, apparently unrelated, lead the CSIs to her club. The team is surprised to know that her business is going better than ever, and that she now has a website: LadyHeather.com, that she described as "Voyeurism in a Brave New World". To parallel the narrative of the episode, the real life URL pointed to a Lady Heather page, with a redirect to the official CSI page at cbs.com. The original page has since been taken down, but the URL still redirects to the CSI site.
In this episode, Lady Heather opens up a little bit more to Grissom, telling him that she has diabetes. During this episode, it is insinuated that Grissom might have slept with Lady Heather. They are both seen at her house at night, with Grissom approaching her in an intimate way, then it cuts to the next scene where they are both having tea during the day, wearing different clothes. The scene is very unclear, but William Petersen has said that his character did sleep with Lady Heather.
Near the end of the episode, Lady Heather becomes a suspect, and although she is later cleared, she seems disappointed that he ever suspected her, and their relationship is damaged by Grissom's suspicion. Their intimacy is subdued until the 4th episode containing Lady Heather.
In 2006, four years after Lady Heather's second appearance, she comes back in CSIs season six
.
This time Lady Heather's daughter Zoë has been murdered, and her body has been mutilated and dumped in the desert. She tells the CSIs that Zoë's father left her when she was pregnant. Heather also says that while Zoë was at Harvard, Zoë began seeing a psychiatrist and became pregnant with his child. Lady Heather's reporting of the psychiatrist to the AMA led to the estrangement of the mother and daughter.
As the episode unfolds, we learn that Zoë subsequently dropped out of college and eventually returned to Las Vegas. Zoë continued to abstain from contact with her mother, who did not know that she was in town until her face showed up on the news in an effort to identify her after her death. At Zoë’s autopsy, Doc Robbins
was unable to determine whether Zoë had given birth to her child due to decomposition already occurring.
Racked with grief, Lady Heather sleeps with the main suspect in the case so as to obtain a DNA
sample from him. When it has been confirmed that he is in fact Zoë's murderer, Lady Heather abducts him and takes him to the desert where she starts whipping him until Grissom comes and stops her. Grissom stops her with a safeword
- in "Lady Heather's Box," Lady Heather explains to Grissom that in a domination relationship, the slave is in control. This use of the domination code by Grissom points to the mutual understanding of the characters, and perhaps to the nature of the relation once enjoyed by both. The safeword indeed makes Heather stop and she takes brief solace in Grissom's arms.
Heather is arrested for assault, but is eventually released from jail by a judge, allegedly a client of hers. Her story is left unresolved.
, a year after the team last saw Lady Heather.
This time she has been the victim of what appears to be an attempted murder. She is reluctant to say who her attacker was. After another murder takes place, the truth is revealed: Lady Heather has hired an ex-cop to find her granddaughter, Allison, and when he finds her, Lady Heather attempts to gain custody of her. Jerome, Zoë's father, has also learned of Allison’s existence and has sued for custody. Even though Heather sold her business in an effort to prove she could be a fit guardian, the court denied her custody
and visitation rights
.
Feeling that she had nothing left to live for, Heather sells the right to kill her to a man who has fantasized about killing women. She uses the money to set up a trust fund for Allison.
Her relationship with Grissom takes another turn, eliminating the sexual tension and evolving into a deeper, loving friendship. He is so deeply concerned about her state of mind that he spends the night at her house. Grissom meets with Jerome and asks him about the trust fund. He figures out that Lady Heather obtained the money from selling the right to kill her. Jerome is shocked. Grissom arranges a meeting between Jerome, Allison, and Lady Heather.
The episode ends with what seems to be a happier Lady Heather; she is no longer the cold vixen seen during her first appearance.
, two years after Lady Heather's last appearance, Grissom, depressed and grieving over the loss of his relationship with Sara, pays an unexpected visit to Lady Heather, who has become a registered psychologist and practicing therapist.
The ostensible excuse for the visit is in connection with a murder that appears to be related to an S&M session gone wrong, but Heather suspects there is another reason, both for the murders and for Grissom's sudden reappearance in her life. It would appear that she is correct on both counts; the episode ending is ambiguous, both in terms of the solution of the case, and in regard to the ever-changing and undefined nature of the relationship between Heather and Grissom.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, portrayed by Melinda Clarke
Melinda Clarke
Melinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...
.
This recurring character is a professional dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
and a potential romantic interest for then regular CSI supervisor Gil Grissom
Gil Grissom
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
, as well as romantic rival to CSI forensic scientist Sara Sidle.
As of 2011, Lady Heather has appeared in a total of 6 episodes of CSI.
Character creation
Lady Heather was created by writer Jerry StahlJerry Stahl
Jerry Stahl is an American novelist and screenwriter, He is best known for his memoir of addiction Permanent Midnight. A film adaptation followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role....
. He has written some of CSIs most controversial episodes, which have also sometimes been the most watched.
Melinda Clarke has said that she became interested in Lady Heather because of the contrasts the character has :
"a multidimensional person who hadn't been seen, a dominatrixDominatrixDominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
who was much more evolved — enigmatic and empowered".
As noted in "The Philosophy of TV Noir" , Lady Heather is an "inspired variant" on the classic film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, with different aspects of her personality being explored over the course of multiple episodes.
Bill Keveney of USA Today nominates Lady Heather as a favourite of viewers, crediting "her ability to read the usually opaque Grissom".
Steven Cohan explores in his book on the series, Lady Heather as part of the show's "questioning of identity and the status of normality".
Slaves of Las Vegas
In her first appearance in 2001, during CSIs second seasonCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 2)
The second season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 27, 2001 and ended May 16, 2002.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
, a murder occurs at Lady Heather's fetish club
Fetish club
A fetish club is a nightclub, bar or other entertainment hub which caters to clientele interested in some of fetish fashion, bondage, dominance/submission, and/or sadism and masochism...
. When meeting her, Gil Grissom
Gil Grissom
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
becomes instantly interested in her. They have tea, where she lets him know that she has a daughter, Zoë, who's studying at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
William Petersen
William Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
has said that his character, Grissom, becomes attracted to Lady Heather because they are "both anthropologists. He's fascinated by her science, [a look at] the sexual psyche of human beings."
During the episode, both characters express attraction to the other, and the sexual tension starts to build up, but nothing noteworthy occurs.
Lady Heather's Box
In 2002, a year after Lady Heather's first appearance, she appeared again in CSI in its season threeCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 3)
The third season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 26, 2002 and ended May 15, 2003.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com.-See also:...
. This time, two murders, apparently unrelated, lead the CSIs to her club. The team is surprised to know that her business is going better than ever, and that she now has a website: LadyHeather.com, that she described as "Voyeurism in a Brave New World". To parallel the narrative of the episode, the real life URL pointed to a Lady Heather page, with a redirect to the official CSI page at cbs.com. The original page has since been taken down, but the URL still redirects to the CSI site.
In this episode, Lady Heather opens up a little bit more to Grissom, telling him that she has diabetes. During this episode, it is insinuated that Grissom might have slept with Lady Heather. They are both seen at her house at night, with Grissom approaching her in an intimate way, then it cuts to the next scene where they are both having tea during the day, wearing different clothes. The scene is very unclear, but William Petersen has said that his character did sleep with Lady Heather.
Near the end of the episode, Lady Heather becomes a suspect, and although she is later cleared, she seems disappointed that he ever suspected her, and their relationship is damaged by Grissom's suspicion. Their intimacy is subdued until the 4th episode containing Lady Heather.
Pirates of the Third Reich
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 6)
The sixth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005 and ended May 18, 2006.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
.
This time Lady Heather's daughter Zoë has been murdered, and her body has been mutilated and dumped in the desert. She tells the CSIs that Zoë's father left her when she was pregnant. Heather also says that while Zoë was at Harvard, Zoë began seeing a psychiatrist and became pregnant with his child. Lady Heather's reporting of the psychiatrist to the AMA led to the estrangement of the mother and daughter.
As the episode unfolds, we learn that Zoë subsequently dropped out of college and eventually returned to Las Vegas. Zoë continued to abstain from contact with her mother, who did not know that she was in town until her face showed up on the news in an effort to identify her after her death. At Zoë’s autopsy, Doc Robbins
Al Robbins
Dr. Albert "Al" Robbins M.D. is a fictional medical doctor in the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by actor Robert David Hall...
was unable to determine whether Zoë had given birth to her child due to decomposition already occurring.
Racked with grief, Lady Heather sleeps with the main suspect in the case so as to obtain a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sample from him. When it has been confirmed that he is in fact Zoë's murderer, Lady Heather abducts him and takes him to the desert where she starts whipping him until Grissom comes and stops her. Grissom stops her with a safeword
Safeword
A safeword is a code word or series of code words that are sometimes used in BDSM for a submissive to unambiguously communicate their physical or emotional state to a dominant , typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary...
- in "Lady Heather's Box," Lady Heather explains to Grissom that in a domination relationship, the slave is in control. This use of the domination code by Grissom points to the mutual understanding of the characters, and perhaps to the nature of the relation once enjoyed by both. The safeword indeed makes Heather stop and she takes brief solace in Grissom's arms.
Heather is arrested for assault, but is eventually released from jail by a judge, allegedly a client of hers. Her story is left unresolved.
The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix
Airing in 2007, this episode takes place during CSIs seventh seasonCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 7)
The seventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 21, 2006 and ended May 17, 2007.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-References:...
, a year after the team last saw Lady Heather.
This time she has been the victim of what appears to be an attempted murder. She is reluctant to say who her attacker was. After another murder takes place, the truth is revealed: Lady Heather has hired an ex-cop to find her granddaughter, Allison, and when he finds her, Lady Heather attempts to gain custody of her. Jerome, Zoë's father, has also learned of Allison’s existence and has sued for custody. Even though Heather sold her business in an effort to prove she could be a fit guardian, the court denied her custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
and visitation rights
Contact (law)
In family law, contact is one of the general terms which denotes the level of contact a parent or other significant person in a child's life can have with that child...
.
Feeling that she had nothing left to live for, Heather sells the right to kill her to a man who has fantasized about killing women. She uses the money to set up a trust fund for Allison.
Her relationship with Grissom takes another turn, eliminating the sexual tension and evolving into a deeper, loving friendship. He is so deeply concerned about her state of mind that he spends the night at her house. Grissom meets with Jerome and asks him about the trust fund. He figures out that Lady Heather obtained the money from selling the right to kill her. Jerome is shocked. Grissom arranges a meeting between Jerome, Allison, and Lady Heather.
The episode ends with what seems to be a happier Lady Heather; she is no longer the cold vixen seen during her first appearance.
Leave Out All the Rest
2008, in CSIs ninth seasonCSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 9)
The ninth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on October 9, 2008 and ended May 14, 2009.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-References:...
, two years after Lady Heather's last appearance, Grissom, depressed and grieving over the loss of his relationship with Sara, pays an unexpected visit to Lady Heather, who has become a registered psychologist and practicing therapist.
The ostensible excuse for the visit is in connection with a murder that appears to be related to an S&M session gone wrong, but Heather suspects there is another reason, both for the murders and for Grissom's sudden reappearance in her life. It would appear that she is correct on both counts; the episode ending is ambiguous, both in terms of the solution of the case, and in regard to the ever-changing and undefined nature of the relationship between Heather and Grissom.
Unleashed
Melinda Clarke reprises her role as Lady Heather in the Season 11 episode "Unleashed". In this episode, she is now a sex therapist. She helps Sara and Dr. Langston solve the case of a woman mauled to death by a mountain lion. The victim, a co-founder of a women's shelter, was a patient of Lady Heather.Episode Links
- Season 2CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 2)The second season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 27, 2001 and ended May 16, 2002.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
episode "Slaves of Las Vegas"(11-15-2001) - Season 3CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 3)The third season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 26, 2002 and ended May 15, 2003.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com.-See also:...
episode "Lady Heather's Box" (2-13-2003) - Season 6CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 6)The sixth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005 and ended May 18, 2006.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
episode "Pirates of the Third Reich" (2-09-2006) - Season 7CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 7)The seventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 21, 2006 and ended May 17, 2007.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-References:...
episode "The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix" (5-10-2007) - Season 9CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 9)The ninth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on October 9, 2008 and ended May 14, 2009.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-References:...
episode "Leave Out All the Rest" (11-06-2008) - Season 11CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 11)The eleventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 23, 2010 and ended May 12, 2011.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:- U.S. Nielsen Ratings :-External links:...
episode "Unleashed" (04-07-2011)
External links
- Lady Heather at the CSI Wiki character page