ly , ▁witness ing ▁a ▁couple ▁kiss ing ▁when ▁a ▁woman ▁is ▁about ▁to ▁catch ▁them ▁in ▁the ▁act . ▁ ▁Mac ▁briefly ▁left ▁the ▁NY PD ▁and ▁the ▁Crime ▁Lab ▁following ▁the ▁events ▁of ▁episode ▁ 7 . 2 2 ▁" Exit ▁Str ategy " ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁work ▁for ▁a ▁private ▁DNA ▁Lab ▁working ▁to ▁identify ▁those ▁who ▁per ished ▁in ▁the ▁ 9 / 1 1 ▁attacks , ▁partly ▁to ▁honor ▁the ▁memory ▁of ▁his ▁wife , ▁Cla ire . ▁ ▁However , ▁his ▁ret irement ▁papers ▁are ▁later ▁" p ul led " ▁and ▁he ▁is ▁re inst ated ▁to ▁the ▁lab ▁as ▁seen ▁in ▁episode ▁ 8 . 0 2 ▁" Ke ep ▁It ▁Real ". ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁e ighth ▁season ▁finale , ▁" N ear ▁Death ", ▁Mac ▁is ▁shot ▁during ▁a ▁rob ber y ▁gone ▁wrong , ▁he ▁finds ▁himself ▁in ▁lim bo ▁between ▁life ▁and ▁death . ▁As ▁he ▁f ights ▁for ▁his ▁life , ▁the ▁team ▁strugg les ▁to ▁keep ▁their ▁emot ions ▁in ▁check ▁as ▁they ▁process ▁the ▁evidence ▁and ▁bring ▁the ▁shoot er ▁to ▁justice . ▁The ▁first ▁and ▁last ▁" lim bo " ▁scenes ▁feature ▁Mac ▁and ▁Cla ire ▁are ▁great ▁together . ▁As ▁with ▁" Ind el ible ", ▁the ▁pair ▁has ▁a ▁comfortable , ▁bel iev able ▁chem istry ▁that ▁makes ▁Cla ire ' s ▁death ▁even ▁more ▁po ign ant . ▁During ▁her ▁first ▁scene ▁this ▁week , ▁Cla ire ▁explains ▁to ▁Mac ▁that ▁he ' s