Lady Heather

CSI character
csi_serie=CSI: Crime Scene Investigation


image_size =150px
caption=
color=#ccccff
name=Lady Heather
born=
city=Las Vegas, Nevada
job=Professional Dominatrix
family=Daughter, Zoë (deceased) Granddaughter, Allison (Lives with ex-husband / paternal grandfather)
seasons=, , , ,
portrayer=Melinda Clarke
first=Slaves of Las Vegas|

Lady Heather or Heather Kessler is a fictional character in the popular TV series "". She is portrayed by Melinda Clarke.

Character creation

"Lady Heather" was created by writer Jerry Stahl. He has written some of "CSI"'s 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 dominatrix who was much more evolved — enigmatic and empowered". [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-07-csi-kink_x.htm Why not 'CSI: Kink'?] , "USA Today", February 7, 2006]

Appearances

Lady Heather has appeared in four "CSI" episodes. The first was "Slaves of Las Vegas", from .

"Lady Heather"'s second appearance was in the special "Lady Heather's Box".

She reappeared in CSI three years ago, in the episode "Pirates of the Third Reich".

Her most recent appearance was in the episode "The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix".

"Slaves of Las Vegas"

In "CSI"'s , 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." In fact, during the episode, both characters show themselves attracted to the other and the sexual tension starts to build up, but nothing noteworthy occurs. ["Slaves of Las Vegas". Jerry Stahl (writer) & Peter Markle (director). "CSI". CBS. 2001-11-15. Season 2 Ep. 8.]

"Lady Heather's Box"

A year after Lady Heather's first appearance, she appeared again in "CSI" in its . 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 even has a website: LadyHeather.com, which she called "Voyeurism in a Brave New World" (the website is a genuine one, but redirects to the official "CSI" page at cbs.com).

In this episode, Lady Heather opens up a little bit more to Grissom, telling him that she is a diabetic. 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 not sleep with Lady Heather.Fact|date=April 2008 At the end of the episode, Lady Heather becomes a murder suspect, and although she is later cleared, she seems disappointed that he ever suspected her, and their relationship is damaged by Grissom's suspicion. ["Lady Heather's Box". Josh Berman, Ann Donahue, Bob Harris, Andrew Lipsitz, Carol Mendelsohn, Naren Shankar, Eli Talbert, Anthony E. Zuiker (writers) & Richard J. Lewis (director). "CSI". CBS. 2003-02-13. Season 3 Ep. 15.]

"Pirates of the Third Reich"

[
Gil Grissom (William Petersen), struggling with Lady Heather (Melinda Clarke) during her third appearance on ""]

In 2006, four years after Lady Heather's first appearance, she comes back in "CSI"'s . 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. She also says that while Zoë was at Harvard, she began seeing her own psychiatrist and became pregnant with his child. Lady Heather reported the psychiatrist to the AMA, which led to a mother-daughter estrangement. Zoë dropped out of college and eventually returned to Las Vegas, though she continued to abstain from contact with her mother, who did not know that she was in town. At Zoë’s autopsy, Doc Robbins was unable to determine whether Zoë gave birth to her child.

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. [ [http://www.csifiles.com/news/020206_01.shtml CSI files/TV guide - Lady Heather To 'Lose Control' In 'Pirates Of The Third Reich'] Retrieved on 2007-November 10. ] ["Pirates of the Third Reich". Jerry Stahl (writers) & Richard J. Lewis (director). "CSI". CBS. 2006-02-9. Season 6 Ep. 15.]

"The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix"

This episode takes place during "CSI"'s , 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. However, Jerome, Zoë's father, has also learned of Allison’s existence and 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 and 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 deep and 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 got 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 a happier Lady Heather; she is no longer the cold vixen seen during her first appearance. ["The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix". Jaqualine Hoyt (writers) & Alec Smight (director). "CSI". CBS. 2007-05-10. Season 7 Ep. 23.]

Appearances

* episode "Slaves of Las Vegas"(11-15-2001)
* episode "Lady Heather's Box" (2-13-2003)
* episode "Pirates of the Third Reich" (2-9-2006)
* episode "The Good, the Bad, and the Dominatrix" (5-10-2007)
* episode "Of Inhuman Bondage"

References

* [http://www.csifiles.com/news/020206_01.shtml Lady Heather To 'Lose Control' In 'Pirates Of The Third Reich'] , CSI Files, February 2, 2006
* [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-02-07-csi-kink_x.htm Why not 'CSI: Kink'?] , "USA Today", February 7, 2006

Footnotes

External links

* [http://csiwiki.cbs.com/page/Lady+Heather+Kessler Lady Heather] at the CSI Wiki