The battlers: From Las Vegas, CSI Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox). Doesn’t call herself an atheist, but isn’t sold on the idea of a higher power.

From Miami, Field Trainee Natalia Boa Vista (Eva LaRue). Hasn’t qualified yet, but backup is on the way.

From New York, Det. Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap). Knows glucose is murder on pleather.

The battleground: Self improvement.

The battle: It’s the brunettes’ turn. In Miami, Natalia runs into her abusive ex-husband at a particularly gruesome crime scene. He’s a cleaner now. “I got an extra pair of overalls in the back of the van here, in case you want to get dirty,” he tells her creepily. She doesn’t get dirty, but manages to pull some prints off the lock of a briefcase, impressing Calleigh mightily. “You got ‘em!” she exclaims. Even more impressive is the adipocere–soap formed from decomposed human fat–to which the prints lead.

Investigating a crucifixion in a Las Vegas church, Sara takes time out for theological musings with her boss and beau, Grissom, as self-described “secular Catholic.” “Sometimes I think we make up God just to have someone to blame for our mistakes,” she says.

In New York, the whole team is working on the death of a suicide girl, one of a group of annoyingly punk nude models. Lindsay, who says “I’m no good with mothers,” peers in on Danny’s interview with the girl’s mother and then pokes some holes with high heel shoes. She then interviews some of the girls: Fractal Suicide, Nixon, Sawa. “Missy’s the only sane one in that gaggle,” she tells Danny.

Sarah’s knowledge of auto detailing helps solve the crime in Vegas when she discovers blood on a car brake peddle, Natalia finds even more adipocere, and Lindsay gets over her fear, offering a comforting hand on the shoulder of a grieving mother. We’ve all grown a little bit this week.

Homicide girl: Lindsay, the most underrated CSI of all time.

Season rankings: Las Vegas, 2. New York, 2. Miami, 1.