I was going to give this episode a B- until about 40 minutes into it, then decided to bump it up to an A- The episode took a while to really take off, and it ended pretty abruptly (I was actually expecting another scene, not the ending credits), but Spoiler: Third eppie spoiler there were a few really good character moments -- not as much as I could have hoped for, and few as endearing as the ones we've already seen this season, but they did alright. A little too much DL-family-exposition for my tastes, but I could overlook that. Personally, I much more preferred the scene where Stella and Lindsay swap info on their childhood pen-pals, even if it was short :lol: I loved that! (Although I had a pen-pal too when I was a kid, and could never tell anyone :shifty And Flack! Okay, he's officially tied with one other character as my favourite now...thankfully, the Cliff Angell addition to the cast wasn't just for the drama potential of finding Flack with a random hookup girl. They had a great exchange in the police precinct, and then...aw, I didn't even like Angell, and I still could've cried during one of the final scenes where Flack was just outside her house, could see her family inside, but just wouldn't go in. You could really tell he was in pain, and he's not getting over it any time soon. And the Flack-Angell flashback they showed from S4 was one of my favourites, so that got extra points from me. I'm honestly happy to see that Danny isn't so much wallowing anymore about his being in a wheelchair, and more just hell-bent on getting out of it already. I think the prediction of him later pushing himself on his legs (and winding up straining himself in private after the action is over) is a good one...anyone pushing themselves that way would probably at least gain disapproval from their physical therapist. But on the other hand, I'm kind of peeved.:shifty: I mean, a little wallowing doesn't seem like so much to ask for, and the storyline is getting a bit unrealistic now that it seems to be all about pushing himself to walk again. IMO, he was just a little too accepting of his disability. And I'm sorry, the Haylen/Adam dynamic is fast becoming a favourite with me, too :lol: I was all :guffaw: when he called her an "evil, job-stealing blonde", but the way she managed to get herself hired was really clever. And she wasn't at all pushy or show-off-y (at least, not with Adam) so it came off much better. But she's still skating a fine line with me -- she could easily become the Mary Sue I'm dreading, so I'm waiting to judge whether I like her or not. The case: This took a while to really grip me -- I actually stopped paying attention at some points during the episode, because things weren't going anywhere fast. But yeah, it grew on me later. It's getting a little worrisome, how I'm actually sympathizing with all these criminals this season, but I really liked that they show you who the killer is (even if it takes away any mystery). They show us that he struggles, and that he has someone who really cares about him -- and possibly might know exactly what he's doing -- and it just made him more human. I am coming back later! These are just the first things that grabbed my attention, but for now I'm still sticking with my A- grade.
So we're still doing single case episodes and this one moved a little slowly, but going into it knowing it's a multiple episode story I'll cut them a little slack. Pretty quickly we learn Danny and Lindsay are raising a ten month old. So either they've adopted or this is around March 2010? Good to know time is still not a fixed concept in the CSI universe. The slice of married life banter between these two is horrifyingly bland enough to convince me never to marry, but mostly inoffensive. Except when there's talk about diapers. Bad jokes and general griping about that particular weed in their little garden of Eden makes me want to evacuate my bowels too. And Lindsay proves her asinine little stories still don't go anywhere unless someone there is willing to spur her into an explanation. That's probably the first familiarity we've seen in the girl this season. Speaking of the little chameleon I guess she did some laundry since she's sporting a matronly and flourished little blouse, and not so much the trendy 80's band tees. As for Danny it's nice to check up with HIM when we're talking about his current condition, so points for that. Still, I feel like he's going to be walking again before they've even really explored what he's going through. There's so many unanswered questions and missed opportunities here, I can only shake my head and sigh. It does bother me an awful lot that since he's been confined to a wheelchair the writers can't be assed to step up to the challenge and find ways to include him in the episodes as much as he would be if he were walking. I'm sure as soon as he walks again his screen time will be incredibly more abundant. Adam's worried about his job security but maybe Lindsay should be the nervous one since Becall is vying hungrily for the role of the obnoxious blond around here. First of all, I can't believe Mac hired her that fast after saying 'let me think about it'. What did he mean, over lunch? She's working in the lab before anyone has even changed their wardrobe. Fine. Good for her she found a way to get her foot in the door and not cost the lab a penny. However, it's more than a little grating that she approaches the situation with her beliefs firmly rooted in the assumption that the ONLY reason Mac didn't follow up on her resume is due to budget issues. Confidence is great, hun. But maybe consider the possibility he just didn't think you'd mesh well with his team --yuh know, since you showed up angling for one of their jobs and all. Overall I'm still undecided on the girl, but whether or not I like her personality isn't going to be what makes her an asset or a set back to this show anyway. Question of the day: How does someone put a compass in a pocket without getting a print on it? Uhh, with a glove maybe? I'm sure there's about 100 more answers to that actually. Is it just me or is Mac's "intriguing" line of questioning getting less and less poignant? While the case thus far is a little more interesting, and Ulrich is pulling his weight we're already going down that Mac vs Super Villain road, with these cat and mouse games he can't seem to stop involving himself in with his nemesis of the week. And furthermore why are all these criminals going out of their way to communicate with the law they know to be chasing them? When was the last time we had a crook who DIDN'T want to get caught, or play head games with the cops? How about someone who just wanted to get away with it? It's not just NY I'm condemning for this. It seems to be the hottest trend in crime drama right now because I think I've heard all this bullshit about "the killers message" and how "he wanted us to find this" so much lately I might just puke. I have a hard time believing every felon the NY crime lab has pursued lately has been looking to make some kind of political or philosophical statement. Shit, can't anyone just be a law breaker anymore? What happened to motives like lust, greed, carelessness, and good old fashioned crazy? Thankfully this episode keeps it's head above water with a hearty dose of Flack! It feels like they allotted the most of their good writing budget to his side story too, but I'm reluctant to complain about that if it means such good things for Don. Eddie can do so much more than they typically give him and he never lets us down when they finally give him something to sink his teeth into. This one is no exception. Angell's father comes for a visit to the bullpen and manages to convince him to join the family for dinner, and give him a good natured berating for his "ugly mug", which simply couldn't be more laughable when he's radiating sex appeal with his newfound scruff! Wow. So it's perhaps a little odd that Stella is the first one to point out his MASSIVE change in demeanor over the last ten months, and I can't help thinking it might have helped if she'd muttered that in Don's ear instead of Mac's. Also, while I sensed his reluctance to join them for dinner ('cause Cahill's capabale of making you feel it without saying it) I was a little surprised to see he stood them up! That I think says a lot considering Don's typically been a stand up guy when it comes to social obligation. The end of the case slips away without being all that suspenseful, except for having left me with the unsettling feeling that Mac is about to make this personal. I guess "widowed" wasn't listed in the 2nd vic's paperwork, but hey, at least they managed to get Sid on screen for a minute there. I've been missing the good Doctor.
Stella sounded like she was reading from a teleprompter at the beginning. :wtf: Sheldon is a sexy beast in his glasses. (Well, all of the time, but especially in glasses. Rawr!) :devil: Messer Family Time™ bores me, I'm not going to lie. I just...don't give a sh*t. Sooooo booooooring. I don't know if it would be better or worse to see them waxing poetic about diaper changes with their colleagues rather than (apparently) spending every available moment on-the-clock together talking about themselves. Also, if they don't have a cheesy montage of Danny learning to walk with Lucy, I'll be very surprised. This is TV, can they really avoid the urge to do that? They've made Lucy old enough for it to be feasible within the next few months. I'm going to keep a pillow near the desk in case I want to slam my head against it within the next few episodes. Haylen is...really annoying to me. I'm sure they're going for enthusiastic, but I'm getting rabidly ambitious with a hint of ego. I'm all for the girl going for what she wants, but it's rubbing me wrong to see her acting like this in the second episode she's in. A more gradual introduction would have been preferable - but I hope she at least checks for polyps while she's that far up Mac's arse. :shifty: Sheldon, meanwhile, is so mean - don't tease Adam like that! I'll be over here in my corner, interpreting that scene in a deliciously slashy way. (It's better than being annoyed that everybody is just so amused by Adam's worry over his job security. *sigh*) I really want to like Haylen, I do. Hopefully once they've shoved her into the mix, she'll settle in and I won't clench my teeth every time she's on screen. *sigh* The stuff with Flack was good - it's nice to see continuity, and the flashback of Angell was bittersweet. *hugs Flack and Angell's dad* As for the case itself - I knew they were setting things up for an open ending, so I wasn't too invested. I'm curious to see where things go, but I hope it doesn't turn into yet ANOTHER Mac-Taylor-Vs-All-the-Big-Bad-Baddies-of-the-World storyline. Overall, the episode kind of dragged case-wise, but the personal stuff with Flack was worth watching.
I can sum up what I thought of this episode in one word: BORING. I found it so BORING that I'm giving it a D-, which is better than it deserves. It deserves an F- but since there's no F- I'm giving it the lowest minus grade there is...D-. EDIT ADD ON. To me, watching an ice cube melt would be more exciting than this episode.
Which scene? I missed that, but then again I can only actually remember one line from her all night... Noooooo. :scream: I never even thought of that. T_T This show hasn't been known for taking me by surprise. Ever. But I have to admit I didn't see that little P.S. from Sheldon coming! I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I wonder if it was even scripted or just something Hill ad libbed. ^_^ ETA: I'm pretty sure there's an F. Which I'm also pretty sure is lower than D-, no?
During the whole beginning at Ellis Island, Stella sounded like she was just reciting information. :wtf: (I think Hawkes sounded the same way at one point. *scratches head*) (Also, that tour guide woman was horrendous - I'm glad she only had one scene.)
Alright so it was a little slow, I was intrigued at the beginning...and well...I guess that is where it stayed: I don't like Haylen...or whatever her name is...she's annoying...she can leave now. Sheldon looking yummy as ever in that shirt and glasses Flack, oh my heart broke in two when Angell's dad walked in...I think Flack's heart broke all over again when he said that Angell's birthday was coming up...he did love her, and he is obviously has a long road ahead of him. Speaking of Flack, I am loving the laid back look on him...more scruff please...thank you How come Mac is not concerned about Flack? Stella seems to be and I am pretty sure the others are, even if we haven't seen it. Yes it'll take some time for him to heal, but this is very out of character for Flack...wake up Mac, stop saving the world and look at your friend. I gave the episode an A only because I wanted to reach out and hold Flack when he was thinking about Angell...
Hmm...I'd actually heard Lindsay say "10 week old daughter", rather than 10 months. I just don't see how that much time could've passed -- hadn't it just been a month since the bar shooting in "Epilogue".
^I was going by roxi's comment that she was 10 months old. I don't remember what Lindsay actually said. (I wasn't paying attention.) I had a random thought a minute ago. You know what bums me out? I like Stella, but I'm not really invested in her as a character. I don't like Lindsay (understatement). As it stands now, I don't like Haylen despite wanting to do so... They killed the only female character I really liked! [/random]
Lindsay said 10 MONTH old daughter. Regardless of what she said, Lucy wouldn't be walking soon if she was ten weeks old. Babies don't start walking until around a year old. If she was ten weeks she wouldn't be doing more than laying around. Ten week old babies can't pull themselves up. They can't even sit up or roll over.
^ I thought Danny was going on about Lucy crawling, wasn't he? Okay, I guess I wasn't listening as closely as I thought, but if he was talking about her crawling...it's a little early, but I think it's still possible. I just hate the idea that it's been ten months and things are, well, like the way they are (with the characters, I mean).
I enjoyed this episode. I like Skeet Ulrich and thought he did a good job with the character. It was a bit slow getting started but, realizing that it was a multi-episode plot, I was okay with moving forward slowly. Didn't like the tourguide any better than Faylinn and didn't like Haylen any better than before. I think I will just pretend she isn't there...although watching Adam sweat over her moving in on his territory is kinda fun to watch. I think Mac thinks so too! The time jump made me have to rewind (thank you DVR) and rewatch a scene or two because I was busy trying to figure out when they jumped forward. Mac said Haylen found the undocumented print a couple of weeks ago so the only time I can think that they jumped forward was between GFD and Pay Up. If there was a time reference in Pay Up I don't remember it. I guess it depends on how much time Dunbrook's son spent in jail awaiting his hearing. Skeet Ulrich's character reminded me of a Dean Koontz character. He doesn't go out in the daylight and lives in a sort of time warp of his own. I like how they incorporated Sid into this ep at the end and also liked how the killer sort of disappeared into the night. I like the moments between Danny and Lindsay but then I have always been a fan of these two. Sorry, can't help it. I like the moments between them even more now that they are acting like a real couple. They are much warmer towards each other now and I am glad both Anna and Carmine seem to be comfortable in their roles. I had my doubts last year that the actors were invested in the storyline but they haven't let me down yet. Also liked the penpal conversation between Stella and Lindsay. Maybe finally these two will become friends??? The conversation reminded me a bit of the hopscotch conversation Lindsay had with Mac in the time traveling episode. My heart hurts for Don Flack. I was not invested in the Don/Jess pairing but he's doing a good job of making me believe he cared for her and is at a loss as to how to fill the void. He seems very....displaced. Once again, Stella cares from a distance. I can't wait to see the emotional fallout she is carrying around. She appears to be perfectly okay but, as we already know, she ain't! This gets an A- but only because of the time jump hiccup. Otherwise it was great and I am excited to see what comes next.
I was mostly annoyed by the crime scene cleanup lady...I hope she gets a little less annoying as time goes on. Yeah Mac needs to look at Flack for a bit...Flack needs a hug. (ok that came out sounding funny lol) CSI is known for time jumps. CSI LV Lindsey anyone?