Mac Taylor's Love Life *SPOILERS*

yeah, me neither, it's never really been an issue for me to the point that i've hardly noticed it. it is a bit different with aubrey because i knew before she came in about the age thing, but it's still not really an issue. and i was kinda surprised about peyton too :lol:

i agree too, from his side it certainly never seemed to be the perfect relationship or anything, it seemed pretty one sided, with her doing most of the running, and him really only doing the running after they'd had a row over him pissing her off! although i suppose there was that bit where she got injured and he seemed to suddenly care a lot more than he ever had up until (or indeed after) that point. even the london thing, he only really seemed to go because something traumatic happened and she'd offered him a way to go and have some down time.

yeah i've wondered the same - partly that it would be interesting to, like you say, have her at fault as opposed to him. not that i ever thought he was particularly at fault before, she was over pushy and him not wanting to be coupley at work seemed pretty valid. even the hawkes thing, ok, he flew off the handle but again it was a reasonable judgement as hawkes' boss and probably not peyton's place to get involved in that at all.

the other thing that would interest me would be if they could change her to the point where she realised how much she messed up last time and make her realise that it was a mistake to push mac into things like she did last time, maybe they could redeem her a bit. it would be quite interesting if they had her having turned over some new leaf and him realising that actually, without her constant pressure, he was interested again and had him doing all the running. i'm not saying i want them together because i don't, but it could be an interesting idea.

 

That episode where she was injured and he was running all through the lab to get to her? SO weird, I completely agree that did not mix with the relationship the show had established at the time. I do think Mac cared about her, don't get me wrong, but definitely not to the same extent that Peyton seemed to care about him. Looking back on it, it's very clear that the entire relationship was there just to open Mac up to dating again.

Thank you! :lol: I have watched "Murder Sings the Blues" about forty times and to this day I still don't get what the basis of Peyton's anger was. She came in already talking about her findings with Hawkes, and let it slip that Hawkes knew the vic before Mac would've even had the chance to stop her, or tell her he didn't already know about that. So how did he "make her an accomplice" in getting Hawkes in trouble? She did that herself (unintentionally). And it wouldn't have made sense for Mac to stop her once she'd already suggested that Hawkes had a relationship with the vic that could potentially compromise the case; that's the kind of stuff Mac needed to know, as Hawkes's boss.

Anyway, if there was a reversal of the dynamic in their relationship from S3, I'd really be interested in seeing that

 

I agree. I always thought Stella could be in her forties as well, so when they established she was in her thirties I was like . And Peyton, I suppose the actress mixes things up here, but I always thought Peyton was only like a year younger than Mac if not the same age. She looked his age. Her being, what was said?, a DECADE younger than him blows my mind.

Aubrey, out of all of them seems the youngest by far, but again that could just be her actress. That's just what I think anyway. She looks the youngest to me.

 

yeah it definitely came out of the blue. and never seemed to be returned to either. it was like one moment of "OHMIGOD" sandwiched between weeks of not a lot.

yeah i agree, and even if he did care he showed it far less (which, well, probably suggests he didn't!). the only time i thought he did, well, not the running but something getting that way, was on his birthday ep, when he went to the vending machines as planned and she was late and he said he thought she might not be there - that was the only time i got any real impression that he was worried about what else she might be up to or whether she was interested or whatever (and even that was because they'd had a row, so may well have been a guilt thing as much as anything else - or even a "ohnoz! i wanted a birthday cake and now i've jeopardised it!" thing :lol. most of the time she was so blatantly interested that it got a bit too much, definitely for us and apparently for him too!

yeah, i agree completely - she was the one that made the faux pas, not him. she shouldn't have been discussing whether hawkes knew the victim anyway - i guess it wasn't really a secret, apart from to mac, but it never quite fit into the rest of mac & peyton's conversation in that scene anyway, that she should suddenly bring it up like that. and even so, how mac chose to deal with the hawkes situation was down to him, as hawkes' boss, and no one else. sure it was stupid to chew him out in front of half the lab, but the decision was probably the right one. and one that peyton had no place whatsoever in getting involved in. so why on earth he decided to try to apologise to her was always beyond me (although at least she had the decency to admit she was at fault).

 

I voted for Stella. *gasp, shock*

Although I do like Mac and Aubrey. They have a sweet innocence about them. They aren't all 'hot and horny' for each other. They don't constantly 'have to see each other' and that sort of thing. It's very sweet and genuine. Actually I wouldn't mind seeing them as a couple. It would be refreshing for Mac to date someone outside the lab and Aubrey doesn't have to be a regular character.
She is my second choice behind Stella.

Peyton. I've said it before. She's not my favorite. She has a snobby quality about her and sometimes I even thought she talked down to Mac. It's not because I wanted Mac to be with Stella, it's was just the way she came off that made me not like them together.
Now that she is returning possibly to restart what she and Mac had, it will be interesting to see how it goes. She actually did get to know him pretty well knowing that he wouldn't leave his job and follow her to London for very long. I guess that's something in her favor.

Stella is my choice for Mac. I love the sort of relationship they have. They are both supportive to one another. Melina was right on when she said Mac and Stella are Yin and Yang. BUT...
Like everyone else has said, it would indeed ruin what they have if M/S were to jump in bed together or BAM! all of a sudden be a couple who are kissing the lab hallways. I would rather see them flirt and have that 'fondness' the producers described them than to see the show go down that route.

 

Yes! Exactly.

 

I agree it would be nice for Mac, or any character on the show, to have a proper relationship with someone outside the lab. Apart from Danny and Flack's odd casual girlfriend (that woman who called Dannny in some s2 ep, and the one Flack was with in You Only Die Once) I think the only person who's actually dated outside the lab is Stella, and look how well that turned out - one psycho (2 if you count Drew but I don't because Stella was never interested) and the fireman who was in, what, 2 episodes? And was little more than a pretty face.
I do think Mac could do with dating someone outside of his work, though, and Aubrey seems perfect for that role- she doesn't work for the lab or the NYPD, but given the kind of job she's in, she's more likely perhaps to understand about long hours and such, and also perhaps to share Mac's desire to help people.
I'm getting tired of tv shows' tendency these days to hook characters up with other characters from the workplace. I know it happens, and sometimes, it's very well done, and there's great chemistry between the 2 characters (and the will they/won't they aspect can be a big aspect of the show) but at the same time, come on, there are other people out there, and a lot of people date people who they don't work with.
Actually, my ideal ship for Mac would be with Jane Parsons, from s1/s2, I just think they had lovely chemistry. But seeing Mac with someone unconnected to the lab would be a refreshing change, IMO. I liked Danny/Rikki for the same reason, she wasn't from the lab or the NYPD.

 

yeah, i agree

yeah, they really did, i was watching necrophilia americana again the other day and they were lovely together. also that bit in officer blue when he's making the 3d bullet is really cute. they were very sweet together, but i also think i'd rather he was with someone external, who could be a break from the lab!

 

Team Stella, its obvious that they have feelings for each other. And they make the best match IMO anyway lol

 

that's because she had such an obvious almost high school crush on him!!:lol: (*cough* although who could blame her...?! ) and yes, i did find it adorable on both their parts :adore:

and i thoroughly approve of this external yet 'in-the-field' approach with Aubrey. quite frankly i think this is the type of relationship that would work the best for any of them in the lab.... *pokes TPTB in case they're getting any other ideas*

 

During the first few years , I think GS/Mac looked very young -- even as young as 40/41 years old – whereas his lady friends (Peyton, Stella, etc.) looked like they could be in that mid-thirties age range, so the difference was not that noticeable. These days, if I just watched the show with no background information, I’d put Mac’s age at late forties (maybe about 48) with Peyton and Stella more in the late thirties rang, so that’s about a ten year age difference. Like CSI Jade, I think Aubrey seems the youngest of all Mac’s potential love interests (past and present) – she looks like she could be in her mid-thirties –so the age difference with Mac is noticeable, but not in a way that makes me start to feel squeamish.

I probably should’ve used a different word than artificial in my previous post – I think “awkward” is probably closer to what I intended. In the office scene, I think GS/Mac does a good job of showing that he’s interested, even a bit intrigued, by Aubrey. However, MA/Aubrey comes across as a bit awkward and perhaps nervous. (If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was up to something in that particular scene.) However, I think the intent was probably to show that the relationship is still in the early stages and they’re not quite comfortable with each other.

That’s what I was trying to convey earlier, and it ties with some of the discussion on chemistry in the D/L marriage thread. The writers have done a good job scripting the relationship so far – giving Mac and Aubrey some cute scenarios and developing the relationship at a realistic pace. However, they haven’t had much time together onscreen, and the dynamic between them is still a bit awkward, so I wouldn’t say, based on those two appearances alone, whether they have romantic chemistry (or even basic chemistry for that matter). That said, I’ve seen the clip for the upcoming episode, where they are having pizza (6.22?) – they do seem more natural together in that one and the chemistry seems promising.

So far, I’d say I’m at the same place with Aubrey as I was with Haylen at the beginning. I haven’t seen anything to make me dislike her but also haven’t seen enough that makes me feel I want to see her on a regular basis, especially if it’s at the expense of one of the regulars. But we’ll see how things develop.

 

I agree it would be good to get a break from the lab love-interest wise.
Oh, I love the bullet scene in Officer Blue, it's one of the first times we see Mac open up a little bit, or at least not seem so cut off and alone.

I certainly couldn't blame her! Poor Mac, as usual when women interact with him in a way that's more personal than professional, he was a bit nervous, it was cute.

I agree that the 'external yet 'in-the-field' approach with Aubrey is very good, and definitely one they could use for other members of the team as well. *pokes TPTB - like Hawkes! - poke* While in-the-lab relationships have their good points, one thing 'external' relationships have, I think, is that it reminds us that the characters have lives outside the lab and the team.

 

not me

aah yeah i get what you mean, yeah, that makes sense really. i think they are a bit awkward in a "this is a new thing and neither of us know quite what the deal is yet" kind of way, which may be owing to lack of screentime together or may just be their way of portraying a very new and as yet undefined relationship - after all, that's what it is, as far as we've seen nothing's actually *happened* between them (although that may just have been implied off screen) so i guess a bit awkward in that sense is about right.

 

Arright. Sorry, but this is gonna be long. Even for me :lol:. My apologies ahead of time. I guess the lulls between eps is where I catch up .

Stella seems relevant to include in the discussion as a friend and colleague. Not so much as part of the triangle arc. Three being Mac, Aubrey and Peyton. Even as a friend I don't get the impression that Stella will factor into any of it, beyond being someone Mac might speak to about it. The interviewer inserted Stella where PV had not. PV answered in a very typical way.

Sure, yes, if you like Mac and Stella, dandyo, if ya don't, dandyo . Not exactly the point of the triangle scenario in question as currently set up by the writers .

That would feel a rather cheap way to end it . I think I'd rather see the inference of the city carrying on, regardless of those who police it, that the characters truly do reside in context for the show, even as they have served as the lens to focus the view.

Well, I just gotta say here that the inclusion of personal material is not the only corner where soap operatic melodrama might arise from. The series has certainly managed to hit cliched and eye-rolling heights in episodes where relationships weren't a factor at all. I think the writing overall needs to be tightened up, to be sharper, no matter what is being covered.

Hmm. Lots of points in there .

I agree about the show needing a kick and needing more challenging cases (for the characters and viewers both). I don't think it should jettison the inclusion of character-related material, but might perhaps sharpen how it's integrated. Flack still wins on that front this year. I don't actually think that S6 has been over-saturated with characters' personal material. I might tweak how some was written :lol: but not that it was there. Whatever is ailing the series, I think it stems from a noticeably flagging logic and consistency within the criminal framework that the show rests on. The cases alone have never been what drew me to NY, but they used to be ...juicier somehow, if also more tightly tied together by the ep's end. A tautly written balance and integration of characters and cases is what I'd love, whatever each component broaches weekly. I've said elsewhere that the characters need to be challenged, that if they, and we as viewers, are being run thru inanities to fill airtime, it's a waste. It's because we are attached to them that we want them to have good stuff to tackle. (To borrow from CM, Rossi: "...why do you care?" / Prentiss: "...because you do.")

I also think there's been a trend of wanting to have uber-nemeses on the show, big villains where personal stakes can be raised and drawn out over several eps, even clliffhangers. Cabbie Killer, Joe, Dunbrook, Compass Killer, Grave Digger, the dusting off of Shane Casey. NY could be in danger of adding Stunt Villain to it's substantial collection of other Stunt Variant options.

Dunbrook was among the better imo, it was an interesting and nice change up of mini-twizt to have him be a solid nemesis w/o being the villain, or at least the main villain. Shades of grey are interesting too. </random related abstract hmm>

Sometimes NY feels as though it's oversimplifying itself. </random related lateral hmm>

I think Danny's all but coded as a character. He's been in a coma for nearly as long as Louie. Mebbe the doomhanger will give him a bit of a charge. If not, his orange sweater will.

I would have mixed feelings on the possible introduction of a new Regular or Regularly-Recurring-Main-Not-Secondary Character. Sid and Adam are on rotation as it is, and Sheldon's only just starting to get to more to do and deal with. Were it to happen, I think I'd rather someone along the lines of a Sinclair or Gillian or Quinn, someone who can be a counterpoint, not necessarily a new team member. Wondering too if this can in part be addressed thru the likes of S5 multi-ep but contained guest appearances, where characters could fill a wide variety of roles and stances without being tied in. While a new voice could be good, I don't think the show managed to even present Haylen as a viable possibility. Had I not known of the spoilers, I'm not certain that I would have thought the show was seriously testing her out as a new character of any kind, I would have thought she was just there to push a few buttons. And she kinda was.

I think Aubrey and Peyton were solely intended as recurring but within specific arcs, Peyton then and both now. It could be that neither one of them will be an issue at all in S7 and the single sofa will emerge the winner . The show could simply wring as much dramz out of the triangle crap as possible and move everyone along to get back to its Status Quo sooner rather than later next season.

I think the show's current Status Quo is what actually needs some serious tinkering..

I don't think Mac's personal stuff was intended to be anything other than his extended mini-arc, (much as Danny's and Flack's each crossed over more than one ep.), with his dilemma-wot-isn't arriving penultimately. It is kicking up a fair bit of dust in shipping lanes, granted :lol:, but I still can't see trying to make more out of it than would seem to be warranted.

I also think that while Aubrey's scenes in general have been limited, they've been knitted in pretty well. That whole "In The Field" thing people have mentioned. She was also even a plot pivot in RIP Marina, where she brought the clothes to the labs; that scene also happened to be backed by a minimalist but nice layer of character background for her, and had nice interaction with Mac; moreover it was prefaced with the really fun scene she had with Adam. That was a pleasant surprise of an inclusion, and far more than I was hoping or expecting of a mini-recurring LI character . There could be more promise in her potential inclusion than might seem on the surface :lol:.

I think the procedural stuff is such an incredibly familiar rhythm to viewers that the content within that framework needs to be stepped up, the show can't just blandly rely on the gadgets and multi-syllabic words to fulfill it's mandate. Still, I don't think giving the characters personal material or issues to deal with while/due tackling weekly investigations detracts from this, in fact one can help the other. I think there's room, and cutting it from the mix altogether would thin out the show and make it rather anonymous. It would also be easy to get lost if the show ignored the "NY" part of its name, which, implying the city and the characters as part of it, supplies the fodder for it all to begin with.

A background character is still a better option than putting the leading man, or any main character on the show, in a serious relationship with another main character on the show, when you're a procedural show. Sometimes less is more.

Care is a curious choice of word. By that I take it you essentially mean interested or engaged by. How much I'd Care I'd hafta wait and see . I did say early on after Pot of Gold, that I liked the little we'd seen of Aubrey, enough so that I already felt kinda bad that she could find herself as part of the triangle circumstances :lol:.

I did like Peyton, for the most part :lol:, and whatever I had issues with I was prepared to either accept as part of her character or chalk up to another wish to grasp and shake the odd lapel in the writers' room . I also liked the fact that Mac was being challenged by a variety of personal material in S3, by his relationships with Peyton and Reed as much as I liked either Peyton or Reed. In a way the characters and the relationships were one and the same, if that makes any sense. There were moments on the show that made me empathize or sympathize or both, (mebbe one 'size does fit all :lol, but how much that equates with Caring...? :lol:. Dunno.

It will also be interesting to see what they've written for Peyton and how she comes across now that the anchors of being a love interest and NY ME are both in the past, and moreover, secondary to the case scenario that's brought her back.

Backtracking, I thought Rose provided a cute scene and a Significant Moment for Mac. To a lesser degree, I think Aubrey's hit that mark and moved beyond, given that he took it upon himself to ask her out after their deli encounter and literal exchange of words. (Something he'd not likely have done before Peyton, and even Gillian). In another related side step, I also liked Danny & Rikki. My point is that I like what all these scenarios brought to the table in a few concise scenes, I like they were from the outside world, I like that it changed things up a bit while still being connected to the work-related realm and not just tacked on. I think these character moments were well integrated and didn't detract from the cases or overwhelm their respective episodes. It is possible.

I think having Aubrey introduced and getting to know her at the same time as Mac gets to know her may mean that people can warm to her in her own right, and I think the scene with Adam was great in part for that reason. We're also not starting off as viewers trying to catch up on what brought them together as we were with Peyton. [That implication was clear, that it didn't matter so much as that the relationship gave Mac new circumstances to deal with and balance].

(NY in general doesn't always seem keen on answering Hows and Whys so much as expecting people to be impressed with the presentation of whatever is instead prompting said queried response </another random but somehow related hmm>).

Aubrey serves a similar purpose, I doubt she'll score reams of screen time, and I don't expect we'll see enough of Aubrey to Care deeply about her, not in terms of learning much about her months of bad days etc. But mebbe getting to know her and like her character and interaction with Mac as screen time is enough to hope for. I suppose I'm also very happy that Mac and Aubrey's early days have not in fact been rushed to reach a more serious status in order to up the ante of Peyton's return. The restraint is refreshing .

Last. Beyond the question of how successfully or not a show may write and depict characters and relationships, I think there is an element of personal affinity and taste, which characters one may or may not gravitate towards to begin with, else I'm certain that the Couch would not have made it as a poll option, alongside Stella :lol:. Dare I do it? Yep, I durst . Lindsay. The character who's both full time and part time at the same time (but in NY's Relative Experience of Time, anything is possible! ) ...Do I care about Lindsay being a love interest for the past three seasons? ...No. Am I interested or engaged? ...No. One could enter into a discussion as to whether she's been integrated meaningfully since she and Danny got together. She's not a character I have Cared much about whether she's been front and centre with full screentime or whether she's more recently been "relegated to a background /peripheral character who only shows up occassionally" :lol:. (And yes, how much Danny may be a love interest or currently relegated could also be a discussion ).

Stella's never been the elephant in the room for me :lol:. Sorry, I do understand why some would so love to see them paired, but I was never one. It is entirely possible that Mac will emerge single yet again, but that still doesn't mean Stella somehow defaults into being the predestined Someday option or alternative.

I don't necessarily disagree here. I think Mac's family is basically found in the lab and team, but I could say the same of the other characters. While we're starting to learn tidbits of the others' families, no one seems to be portrayed as particularly close to theirs. Besides perhaps Sid. I also think the show has written scenes to indicate a friendship with Sid, and that the show can't devote much time to implying there are solid long-term friendships outside of work; eps that have had Sheldon running into an old friend, or having the guy in Criminal Justice be an old friend, it's hard to make that suddenly fit seamlessly. Stella is also among the closest in age to him, at least if I go by my sense of time and not the show's :lol: (I would have put her in her forties), has near-parity on a professional level, and oh yeah, they've been partners for years . So yeah, I see them as close. Doesn't mean I think Mac and Stella are Meant For Each Other .

I don't think their friendship is ambiguous :lol:. I don't think a closeness or fondness equates with something "more," or with some aspect of their interaction needing to be shifted or altered or written around if either sees somebody. I don't think that friendship or sustaining it would somehow be compromised.

This? This I basically agree with, but think these are also the things that have been focused on to the point of formula with him, that have kind of relegated him to a certain function within episodes, perhaps because the case material in question doesn't challenge him much in how he has to go about it. I think he does need to be challenged more as a character, so that following the evidence means a convoluted riddle to unravel, protecting the integrity means confronting team members, budget cuts, politics, up to date equipment & tech, etc. again, it also means being held accountable, not just for his own actions or non-actions, but for those of his team (a la "how many grenades are you willing to jump on for your people"), pursuing justice might mean challenges in balancing the letter of the law and fallout from doing so, that sort of thing.

But I also think the added emotional component his being in a relationship could bring could be interesting and give him some added depth. I mean that while Mac could be implied as being in a relationship with dialogue and occasional scenes, the fact he's taking a chance on one could add subtext to how he deals with people and cases generally.

The show has used his past relationship with Claire to that effect. And no I'm not saying that the loss of one's wife is not a deeper internal pivot point for a character, I'm only saying that a character's emotional state of being or balance is also part of what they bring with them. Being single and singularly driven, so to speak, has made Mac a bit of a dull boy, and one who could remain a largely predictable functionary even if the show was able to step up the cases. Mac is not as unpredictable a soul as PV might like to hint at, not in how he's come across in the last while.

The age thing hasn't been an issue for me, I tend to agree with Maya there. (The only time it was, was when some had speculated/hoped that Ella might be a candidate for the Known and Familiar. And even then it was because there were so many other issues going on with her the whole picture would have been more than a little disquieting ).

I did pokingly point out however, the actress playing Aubrey is around 40 and not in her twenties, but I don't think we yet know how old Aubrey is supposed to be; also pointed out that, if one goes by the show's calendar, that Stella could possibly be younger than Aubrey :lol: and so I was wondering how that was supposed to lengthen the list of all the things that supposedly make Stella the more appropriate match for Mac .

I don't know if Peyton was supposed to be the same age as Claire Forlani, etc. I'll also just say that any prospective age difference between Stella and Adam wasn't what led me to tweak my eyebrows at that pairing either.

I have no idea how old the characters are all supposed to be. I have a greater issue with the show's fluid arithmetic and temporal practices than I have in the appearance of presumed convention and/or propriety, at least as seen in casting :lol:.

(...and Ha. Still made the limit. )