It seems like every procedural show has a slow-burn pairing. CSI teased Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle for seven seasons before they officially started dating.
Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria) and Allie Rajan (Mandeep Dhillon) have danced around their relationship for three seasons. Has the endless teasing of their romance become too much, or do you enjoy Josh and Allie’s relationship?
If someone had asked that question in CSI: Vegas Season 2, I would have responded that the love triangle with Serena was a horrible look, along with teasing their relationship. However, the two of them now stand a chance at a real relationship.
Josh and Allie worked right away as partners, and there was believable sexual tension between them. They were billed as a young Grissom and Sara in many ways, though long-time CSI fans didn’t appreciate that.
Allie was more methodical and tightly wound and needed to learn to experience other outlets besides work before she ended up like Grissom. Josh had a messed up family life, was loyal to his co-workers, and treated them like Sara did.
In Season CSI: Vegas Season 1, so much time was devoted to Grissom and Sara and clearing David Hodges that the series didn’t flesh out the new characters much, although we learned that Josh loved horses and why he went into forensics.
The main issue was that Josh and Allie acted clueless about their feelings towards each other, even though everyone else could tell they were crushing on each other. It seemed juvenile, not like two adults.
To worsen things, Allie had a dull and controlling boyfriend named Mark, yet only had eyes for Josh. On the other hand, Josh seemed unaware of Allie’s feelings, and he was so clueless that he started seeing Serena Chavez while Allie was at a seminar in Los Angeles.
Did he honestly think he dumped Mark for no reason, and she would return, and they would be buddies like nothing had changed? Either Josh was more clueless than most men, or he thought he was God’s gift since seeing him in a triangle with Allie and Serena was torture.
No one likes playing the third wheel, and in the first half of CSI: Vegas Season 2, Allie played that role while Josh and Serena seemed blissfully happy. You had to give Allie credit, though. She had enough respect to tell Josh she only wanted to be a professional colleague.
The problem was that there were too many sparks between Allie and Josh, and even Serena knew whether those two were thrown together at work or whether Josh trusted Allie more about his family issues.
Even though Matt Lauria mentioned that “Josh’s greatest disappointment of all of that is that Allie might see that he potentially could be a murderer,” she was also the person who stood by the most after Jeannette died.
That was when their relationship shifted. There is nothing like a tragedy to bring a couple together and show you who’s really in your corner. Some of their sweetest moments featured Allie touching his hand or embracing him in support.
Sometimes, these intimate moments speak more about a couple’s growing connection than a steamy kiss.
Without any interlopers in their way and only interpersonal drama, Josh and Allie have the potential to become an angsty and interesting couple. While neither of them had officially voiced their intentions, their feelings were fairly clear.
No one was hiding anything anymore. It was time to lay it all out on the table.
Even though Josh didn’t kill Kahn Schefter, he attacked him brutally, and Allie is now the CSI shift supervisor. Besides the complications of dating his boss, Josh has always wanted to shield Allie from his life. He wanted to disappear from it, and now it’s even more chaotic.
When Josh returned to the lab in CSI: Vegas, he was determined to follow the rules until Allie was trapped in an abandoned hospital.
Then, all sense disappeared, and all he wanted was to race in there and rescue her like a knight in shining armor.
However, Allie Rajan is no shrinking violet. This episode showed her strength and vulnerability and how Josh was there to calm her anxiety and restlessness over the phone.
It highlighted how they brought out the best in each other and how well they knew each other, like when Josh recognized Allie and left them a message in blood when Calvin kidnapped her.
It was disappointing that Serena rescued Allie, and Josh didn’t get to check on Allie until later at the lab. That was the perfect time for a romantic moment.
While CSI: Vegas will always be more about the cases, many fans also tune in for the character development and the relationships.
It’s time to give Josh and Allie their moment before the endless teasing becomes too much.
Season 2 became tedious except for a few minutes, so hopefully, the series strengthens their connection this season. A slow burn only works for so long.
What do you think, CSI: Vegas Fanatics?
Do you like Josh and Allie’s romantic relationship or prefer them as professional colleagues only?
We’d love to hear your opinion, so let us know in the comments below.
CSI: Vegas: Season 3 airs on Sundays at 10/9c on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount Plus.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.