Grade 'Tales from the Undercard'

Discussion in 'CSI: New York' started by vegaslights, May 6, 2010.

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How would you grade Tales from the Undercard?

  1. A+

    4 vote(s)
    9.8%
  2. A

    2 vote(s)
    4.9%
  3. A-

    3 vote(s)
    7.3%
  4. B+

    6 vote(s)
    14.6%
  5. B

    13 vote(s)
    31.7%
  6. B-

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  7. C+

    3 vote(s)
    7.3%
  8. C

    4 vote(s)
    9.8%
  9. C-

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  10. D+

    2 vote(s)
    4.9%
  11. D

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  12. D-

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  13. F

    1 vote(s)
    2.4%
  1. vegaslights

    vegaslights Brute

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    Thought I'd fill in for Top!

    What'd you guys think of tonight's episode?
     
  2. Faylinn

    Faylinn Adam Fangirl Super Moderator

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    I guess everybody missed the thread? :lol:

    The episode was alright. Parts of it were pretty boring. Nice to see that nobody was left out.
     
  3. Lime Sweet Pea

    Lime Sweet Pea Dead on Arrival

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    I gave it a B.

    There were a lot of moments I liked. For some reason, it reminded me of the older episodes though I have no idea why.

    I enjoyed that Hawkes seemed to being a lot more than usual. I like that :). I also enjoyed Flack and Danny questioning the doped up guy. Flack's facial expressions were priceless.

    But I guess its just that while it wsa a good episode, it wasn't very memorable. I also didn't know why Mac seemed so connected to the victim. I mean, sure, he seemed like a nice guy but Mac seemed a little too hurt in my opinion. I don't know, maybe I missed that scene.:lol:

    Not bad, I just won't remember.
     
  4. Top41

    Top41 Administrator Administrator Moderator Premium Member

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    Top is a total dip. :lol: :p (But also on a much-needed vacation, so perhaps a forgivable dip? :lol: ) Thanks to Shane for starting this and Fay for pinning.

    Umm... maybe a B? I liked the emotional undercurrent of the episode, but I wasn't really blown away by it. Also, seriously... what is Mac not a fan of? Between race cars and boxing, how does this man get any work done? :p ;) In all seriousness, I thought his reaction to the vic was a nice touch. I really felt bad for Joe.

    Nice also to see Danny wake up from his own zombie coma to show a little life when talking about the wiseguys. Not much, but for Danny these days it's a lot. He looked like a scared little kid in that pot dealer guy's apartment--good thing Flack was there. :lol:

    Adam finding Colby's name and address and his cute little self-satisfaction over it--such a win!
     
  5. ~Sarah~

    ~Sarah~ Lab Technician

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    They need to pick a few things Mac enjoys and stick with them. He can't like everything.

    The case I guess was sort of interesting, to me it wasn't obvious who the killer was for a lot of the episode which was a plus.

    I know they switched up the order and all, but it would have been nice to have some follow up from last month's episode.
     
  6. Geeno

    Geeno Pathologist

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    I really like the episode! I was entertained the whole hour. The case was interesting. I agree that why Mac is a fan of a lot. Why not Adam or Flack. But it's okay. I thought it suited Mac's personality especially the sort of dramatic ending.

    It's always nice to see them complete in an episode. I was like "ooops, there's Lindsay" then "here's Sid" and "oh, as well as Adam." It's such a relief seeing them appear one by one especially this season because of "budget cuts". It's really a plus for me.

    I chuckled on the scene where Danny, Lindsay, Hawkes and Adam rushed to Mac's office to compete who has the best finding. :)

    I like the ending. I realized how great Jon as a man and a fighter was. Just what Mac realized. How about murder on one side and accident on the other? I couldn't remember any episode appeared like that at least on CSI and CSI: NY. I'll scan through all episodes, see if I can remember. (Well, maybe there were. The situation on tonight's episode was a little bit complex and different.)

    All in all a great installment. Feels like the classic episodes are back. This is an A for me.

    Next week's episode looks surprising. Can't wait. :)
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2010
  7. Maya316

    Maya316 Lab Technician

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    Entertaining, if a little on the dull side. I liked the different interplays between all the characters, just wish the case hadn't been done so...well, exposition-y again. I don't think it resonated much with me, because I really don't have much to say about it, but it was well-done.

    I did like that little moment in Mac's office where they all competed over telling him info, and Adam and Hawkes's little dialogue earlier on. :lol: Another plus, I totally recognized Dan Cooper from CSI:Miami :lol: (playing a different character, obviously, but it was a highlight).

    Going for a C+ with this one.
     
  8. Plenilunio

    Plenilunio Lab Technician

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    Remaining as spoilers-free as possible seems to be working. I found the episode entertaining. Not the best thing ever, but quite decent. The body in concrete reminded me a bit of a NCIS episode and a bit of Star Wars. Then it all turned into Fight Club with cameras and the Internet. Some things didn't add up, but I'd switched my brain off, so I just shrugged them off.

    Just one thing really bugs me: what about Danny's missing badge? Not a single mention! But then again, it's the only thing that identifies him as a cop, why should anyone care?
     
  9. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    i actually really liked this ep, it reminded me of some of the older eps from the earlier seasons which is a good thing.

    plus points:

    i loved when adam was telling hawkes about the weed and went all stoner geek on him, that was funny - i don't think any of the other characters could've pulled that off.

    the archaeology stuff, it was really good to see hawkes and sid working together with their little chisels and brushes :D

    interesting case - when they first went to see coach it crossed my mind it was him but then i didn't think it was so it was nice to have a little surprise at the end.
    - edit, why is my spoilering not working?!

    but the biggest plus point for me was mac - well, obviously ;)

    actually i thought the mac in this ep was quite similar to "old" mac (ie from s1-2) in many ways: partly his obvious dedication to getting answers, but with a personal connection to the case rather than just wanting justice. the obvious sadness he had over this guy throwing his life away - actually that reminded me of "american dreamers" a bit, i guess the kind of pointlessness aspect of it.

    i thought the scene of him in the apartment was excellent - one of gary's big strengths is that sometimes he acts best when there's no dialogue at all, and that was one of them. he's very good at saying a lot by saying nothing and it was lovely to see him get the chance to do that.

    i liked his scene with the coach at the end - not being in the mood for games was just the right attitude to take, it sort of reflected the coach's earlier stance yelling at the boxers, although it was less overt. i think they both realised that neither of them would stand for excuses.

    this season's really brought out mac's sportsgeekiness too! like others have said, is there anything he's not a secret fan of?!

    and i loved when he casually slipped in a vonnegut title :D

    minus points:

    how did hawkes not know what salvia was - he's a doctor ffs! i knew what it was! i'm not a doctor, or a drug fiend, but it's not like the holy grail of drug knowledge or anything, it's not exactly some massively guarded secret. it just surprised me that a doctor would have no idea.

    no word on danny's badge - wtf?!

    i gave it A-, from spoilers i wasn't expecting to like this ep so much, but i was very pleasantly surprised.
     
  10. csinynut

    csinynut Hit and Run

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    I really enjoyed this episode. Althougt i'm not a big fan of boxing and all the ultimate fighting stuff, i tought the backstory of the "Gladiator" and the way he was betrayed was really heartbreaking .

    I enjoyed the team work like i haven't enjoyed it for a long time. Everybody was there which was really cool.

    On the minus side :
    Mac's speech at the end really rubbed me the wrong way. It nearly ruined the entire episode for me.

    Way too much Hawkes. Is there anything this guy doesn't do ?

    I give a B
     
  11. tobinhr

    tobinhr Hit and Run

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    I went with a C.

    On the plus side, there was a nice balance of screen time. Loved Adam. He makes me laugh. Everybody worked together. I also like the boxer. He was a believeable character, nicely written.

    On the minus side--concrete just waiting to be poured? It sets in 48 hours and it's about four feet deep? So for 48 hours the workers didn't think about this appearing-from-nowhere concrete? Remind me not to hire NYC contractors. ;)

    Stella needs a bit of support. The girls were a bit distracting this week.

    I like Mac, love Gary S's acting, but the ending reminded me too much of Horatio. (Long, non-verbal scenes; lots of pensive gazes..) I was waiting for him to whip out a pair of sunglasses.

    Never enough Flack. Never. Ever. :lol:

    Tobin
     
  12. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    Pretty decent ep. A little slow in places, but not bad. :)

    Why was Lindsay outside squinting instead of wearing sunglasses like M&S were? :lol:

    Adam- "Put this in your pipe and smoke it." :lol: and then "What up?" :lol: I loved Sheldon's smile when Adam told him he had an address.

    The scene with Danny, Flack and Colby was funny.

    Was anyone else reminded of Han Solo incased in the carbon (Empire Strikes Back/Return Of the Jedi) when they finally uncovered the front of the victim's body? Even the hand pose and the way the mouth was opened looked very near to Han's. :lol:

    I love how those shades in that office building darken at the touch of a button. I want some! :lol:

    Whale bone. "That is weird. You win." :lol:
     
  13. Dreamboat

    Dreamboat Rookie

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    This episode was okay. Not great, but okay.

    I liked that all the characters were in it. I liked the little competition in Mac's office. I liked Adam explaining about the pot.

    I really liked Ken Moreno's portrayal of Joe "The Gladiator" Carthage. He did a beautiful job, especially when he showed how happy he was to be back in the game.

    I liked the opening scene with the fight and the blood spraying all over even though it was not realistic. After a day, the blood wouldn't have sprayed like that. And the entire pouring concrete to hide the body bit was puzzling. How did either Terry Gines or Al Branson know about the construction site and that the cement was ready to be poured. Did I miss something?
     
  14. La_Guera

    La_Guera Lab Technician

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    Usually on Thursdays, I take an hour or so out of my day--and precious writing time--to opine on the latest episode of CSI:NY, but sitting here in front of my keyboard, I find I cannot bring myself to give a shit about the show at this point, and I'm certainly not inclined to critique it. The show has become so heavy-handed, cloyingly moralistic, and indifferent to its internal integrity that even when the heroes are right, I find myself wanting to bludgeon them with a rusty piece of rebar.

    The "writers"--and oh, my God, do I use that term loosely--are so lazy and bereft of ideas that they're resorting to self-plagiarism. The old "blood that turns out not to come from the expected source" ploy that opened the episode has been done before and to greater effect in a previous episode involving a miniature poodle dropped from a third-floor window(the urban golf episode, I think, in S3.). The shady manager who murders his beloved client/protege to save himself or avenge a perceived wrongdoing has made an appearance in S1's "Grand Master", a far superior and markedly less trite entry in the show's oeuvre. This episode was a treacly, overweening exercise in cliched writing from start to finish.

    And yet, it might have been watchable were it not for two things: the complete and willful failure to acknowledge Danny's gross misconduct and its fatal consequences for the prison guard in "Redemptio" and Mac's infuriatingly overbearing soliloquy at episode's end.

    I liked Joe Carthage. For once, the show presented us with a likeable victim, a down-on-his-luck former boxer earning an honest if ignominious living in a grotty dive and doing his best to look out for others muddling along in the same boat. I liked him from the moment he took up for the harassed waitress at the bar, and the more I learned about him, the angrier I became at his death. It wasn't fair, and I wanted to see somebody go into the legendary and proverbial sling bollocks-first. When it turned out to be his trainer, I hated the prick. I didn't need Mac to launch into a tiresome, self-righteous screed about what an asshole the killer was because I already knew it.

    Yet we were treated to the screed in all its embarrassing, scene-chewing glory. I know it's Gary Sinise. I don't care. In fact, I've gone from loving Gary Sinise to longing, yearning to punch him in the face every time he puts on his Mac suit and opens his mouth because I can't shake the suspicion that these annoying, condescending screeds are written specifically to pander to Gary Sinise and his prodigious actor's ego. Mac's contempt for the murderous manager in "Grand Master" was poignant and satisfying because it was organic and genuine, the natural reaction of a seasoned, world-weary cop who's seen far too much of the dark deeds that men do. His contempt for the trainer in "Tale" was a ham-fisted, bloated bit of pompous self-indulgence. Mac wasn't a hard-bitten cop angry and disappointed by the senselessness and depravity of a crime, but an angry god passing judgment on an irredeemable sinner. It's gauche, excessive, and undermines the emotional resonance the show is trying to achieve. By the time Mac was gazing reverently at the poster of a young, healthy Joe Carthage, my eyes weren't dewy with emotion, but bulging with rage and rolling so hard that they were taking panoramic snapshots of my colon.

    And it's hard to take Mac's butthurt seriously when Danny Messer has suffered exactly zero blowback for his decision not to report a stolen badge, a decision that contributed to two murders and a prison riot that allowed an unhinged serial killer to escape with the aforementioned badge. If this were anyone on the other side of the thin, blue line, Mac would be railing about responsibility and the consequences for failure to act on that responsibility. He might even have threatened to charge them with negligence or accessory to murder. Yet he has yet to even rebuke Danny. Danny hasn't been suspended or confined to lab duty, and no mention has been made of any pending disciplinary action. It makes Mac a hypocrite and the writers look like finger-chewing incompetents.

    I'm tired. I'm tired of suffering through forty minutes of ludicrous pablum for the four minutes of Flack goodness and manpretty. I'm tired of having my intelligence insulted. I'm just plain tired of waiting for things to get better. It's not even fun to froth at the shows by-now predictable flaws, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to waste two hours of my week just because I like the camaraderie of the fandom.

    D
     
  15. CSI Cupcake

    CSI Cupcake Police Officer

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    Well, I had a review all written and it disappeared when I scrolled up to vote.

    So I will say this: BLAH. I fell asleep 40 minutes into the episode so it must have been a yawner. I gave it a C just because there wasn't anything horribly BAD about it, with the exception of the concrete slab that apparently two men and a small concrete mixer managed to construct in one evening that looked to be at least 18 inches thick and smooth on top.

    I could go on and detail more but this episode really didn't move me enough to care.
     

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