Wendy Simms (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

For the cyclist, see Wendy Simms (cyclist).

Template:Infobox CSI character Wendy Simms is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Liz Vassey. She first appeared in the sixth season episode "Secrets and Flies", broadcast on November 3, 2005.

Casting

Vassey appeared on a recurring basis until the tenth season when she was promoted to series regular. She was also added to the opening credits. On June 1, 2010, Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly reported that Vassey's contract option had not been picked up and she would be leaving CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Vassey's departure came at a time when several of the show's actors negotiated their own contracts and Ausiello thought this might be a sign of a big cast shake-up.

Storylines

Simms is a DNA Technician and worked in San Francisco, California for a time before moving to Las Vegas to take the DNA tech position ("Secrets and Flies"). In the seventh season episode "Lab Rats" she helps David Hodges investigate the case of The Miniature Killer. The two characters have an ongoing rivalry. Hodges complains that Simms tries to take over everything and thinks she's "too cool" for the lab. Simms insults Hodges by calling him "freakboy" and "loser" but praises his investigation methods. Wendy is apparently something of a klutz and has a reputation for being clumsy around work. In the episode "The Theory of Everything" it's revealed that she is a huge Star Trek fan.

Later, she is disappointed when she learns Hodges lied to her about Grissom asking the lab techs to investigate the Miniature Killer. In an interview with TV Guide, Vassey comments that her character must have been a nerd during her high school days. In the article, actor Wallace Langham, who plays Hodges, noted that his character has a crush on Simms. In the episode "Lab Rats" there is an unfinished sentence by Wendy where she says "I can't believe that for half a second I actually thought I might-!" and gets defensive when Hodges asks what she meant. A later episode, "You Kill Me", sees friction created between Hodges and Simms when she discovers that Hodges has been working on a CSI-based board game that included a caricature of Simms as "Mindy Bimms, the clumsy yet buxom DNA Tech". (The "buxom" reference ties into the eighth season episode "The Chick Chop Flick Shop", in which Wendy reveals that she was once paid $600 for a cameo role in a horror movie after she left college; a later viewing of the film in the episode leads to a discussion about Simms's breast size.)

The 2009 episode "A Space Oddity" reveals that Simms and Hodges share a liking for the 1960s science-fiction TV series Astro Quest, with Wendy attending a fan convention wearing a costume based upon a uniform from the series. This causes Hodges to have various fantasies with them being characters in the show, something that affects his work, which he blames on Wendy. During the subsequent investigation of a murder at the convention, the two appear to make a connection, with Simms at one point inviting Hodges to her house to watch some Astro Quest episodes. Hodges calls a halt to the flirting after Catherine Willows suggests a relationship between the two would result in one having to change shifts. Also, his fantasies affect his work. They argue, with her stating "It's good you're having fantasies, because it means you're not as oblivious as everyone around here seems to think!" This reveals that many other CSIs have noticed the tension (one even advising Hodges to make the first move). The episode ends with Wendy realizing Hodges returns her feelings for him after decoding something that he said to her in one of the fictional languages (Velikan) of "Astro Quest" which reads "We were made for each other." But Hodges will not date her as it would interfere with his work.

In the episode "You Kill Me," Wendy emphatically tells Hodges that she turned "35 in October," putting her birth in 1972.

In Season 10, Wendy Simms first appears in the opening credits as a main character. In the episode "Field Mice", Henry asks Wendy for a date, and she agrees. Pranks then start following Henry, and he believes Hodges is responsible. It is revealed at the end of the episode that Wendy is responsible for the pranks, because "what she should want in a man isn't what she does want." When confronted by Catherine and Henry, Wendy tries to confess, but Hodge interrupts and takes the blame. Henry asks Wendy for a rain check on their date. She agrees, but after Henry leaves, she tells Hodges that she and Henry will never be a couple. After a meaningful look at Hodges, she exits the room. Then Wendy turns around, rushes back to Hodges, and kisses him passionately.

In Season 11, Vassey returned as a special guest star in the episode "Pool Shark" before leaving the show. She said goodbye to the team, including Hodges. She visited her sister in Portland and has decided to join a CSI team there and work in the field. She did not tell Hodges until right before she left because she did not want him trying to convince her to stay. She does not want to leave because she wants a relationship with Hodges, but feels she has to leave because the job is such a great opportunity.

External links

• Template:IMDb character