Women in CSI: NY (Main Cast)

During the first season I started a thread like this, and the basic idea of it was about how cool it was that the women of CSI: NY were tough and capable, even more so than the men on the show much of the time. It was the men who got emotional and weepy, not the women. Stella was tough all around, and when cases got to her it was usually because they frustrated her or made her mad. Aiden was tough enough to go back to a seedy mob-owned pizza parlor to get evidence even though they tried to intimadate her. In short, it seemed NY had some of the best writing for women on TV.

Fast forward a year, and it feels like a different show. The writers found a way to victimize almost every woman on the show in one way or another. Stella was attacked by her boyfriend. Aiden was murdered (and possibly raped). Nothing happened directly to Lindsay, but the writers gave her clunker lines like "Looking at her makes me feel so vulnerable" every time a young, female victim showed up in the morgue. That, and she had a fit over what happened to Stella in "All Access." Lindsay's character, too, started off better--she was tackling suspects at the start of the season.

Did this bother anyone else? It seems to me like they went for every cliche in the book when deciding how to terrorize/victimize the women in the main cast this year.

All access wsa one of my favorties of second season-- not because of stella's case, I just liked the eppy. I thought Stella's story wasn't bad neccessarily, but I don't know if we actually needed it. I guess it was a "it could happen to anyone" story line, but I didn't really like seeing stella go through that. I dont want to see that happen to her or Lindsay again.

Actually I was thinking about this the other day. One of the reasons I loved CSI:NY so much was because it was different to other things I watched. Whereas in other programs (including the othe CSIs) the women always seem to be emotionally unstable, and have always had something in the past that made them screwed up, neither Stella or Aiden seemed to have this.

Now though they really do seem to have hit all the cliches. Domestic violence, (possible) rape, vulnerability, it's all there.

I feel like I'm watching a different show.

Let's face it. The tough feeling we got in Season One is gone. Zip. Zilch.

I miss Aiden dearly because she was the city. She was the Brooklyn and Stella was the Manhattan. And when the two came together, they were able to kick some serious butt.

But now that Aiden's gone, we have Lindsay who comes all the way from Montana with no "new york attitude" with her. It makes the show feel really light and happy go smiley! No. EW.

Let's not forget Aiden's quote from Supply And Demand when she tazzered that suspect in the jail cell "Yeah, that's gonna hurt like a bastard" GUH. WOMAN. Come back. She was so New York that when I watch Lindsay now, I can't help but not take things seriously anymore. And the problem is that now Lindsay's got some serious past or something that probably will be something to make her look bad and that's goes all the way back to your point.

Stella was amazing in Season one. She was seriously the glue that held the team together. Now it feels as though she has backed down and vanished into the crowd.

I miss Season one. I miss it so much that I'm so tempted not to stick around for season three. The writers need to laern that we fell in love with Season One.

So go back.

I'm done. Going to go hide now.

I agree but...I think a person needs to be trully strong so as not to treat bad to her friends because of what happen to her..I mean somebody could easily after what happened to Stella for example be mean and a ''bitc*'' ,not caring about her behaviour just giving an excuse to her own self that she has the right to do that because of what she's been through..Stella still respect herself and the people around her...Aiden too after Mac fired her she didn't give up and yes she found the guy that rape that woman and she kind of fought about what she believed..

I think this ''case'' have equally good sides,the same logical and correct

This is a great thread!

As much as I hated what they did to Stella in All Access, I was so chuffed that she came out of it still one top class biatch. She didn't come out of it as a needy, vulnerable or depressed woman. If they had done that to her I would have been really angry.

I loved the episode Heroes, it was really moving how the team were about Aiden, especially Hawkes, but what annoyed me was that they couldn't find any other way than actually killing Aiden. I wasn't pleased with how they left her just being "fired" and no one had any reactions to it. But there were other ways to write her off!

They seemed to leave Lindsay alone though I noticed, maybe because they thought she was still "too new" or something, and didn't "deserve" it. Or they wanted her to look strong even though she's a newbie thing, and next season they'll let her have it.
Gah, i'm just spiteful when it comes to Lindsay, so I'll leave that alone

Now that I spend my evenings watching S1 on DVD, the differences between the two seasons are especially glaring.

What happened to those strong women who wouldn't think twice about taking down a suspect, putting their superiors in their places (Stella to Mac and Aiden to Danny), or just being great presences on screen? It was almost as if the writers took this drastic anti-feminist turn this past season to put them in their place.

Then they brought in Lindsay. There is a place for people like her in the world, I'm sure, but her character development has been uneven. There are some moments of true brilliance in her performances, but most of the time she comes off as this little girl lost in the city - and her petiteness has nothing to do with it.

I hope they go back to the badass women in this coming season - I need some role models!!

^ yah, i feel the same. i think that tptb decided that people, read 'the strong lead females', were in need of problems and breakdowns. i think it was downright poor writing and lack of imagination. all in one season the women have all been attacked and are seen as vulnerable etc. i really hate that stella had to be tied up and hurt, but i am glad, as L2MS pointed out, that she came out of it a strong person. if they had made her all needy and stuff i would've been seriously pissed. #

okay so one of the team members got hurt. they could've left it at that but noooo, firing aiden was not enough. she had to die which shows that she couldn't protect herself. that one was probably the WORST way to write her off. wait, she was ALREADY written off. so they bring her back and kill her?!?! WHAT'S THE POINT?! they could have made it someone that aiden knew, and brought aiden in for questioning or something... GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

and this lindsay chick just pisses me off. at first she was okay. until she started changing characters like she changes her clothes. as Top said, she was all 'tackling the suspect' and 'country girl carries a knife' and then suddenly she's miss emotionally distressed and vulnerable. geez, the writers better make the new detective lady a strong character!

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*nod* Even the suggestion about having her kill Pratt would have been interesting, and at least she'd be alive, though in jail.

I am glad that I am not the only one who feels this way. I remember, back in the good old days of Season One, when I was so excited that CSI:NY had such strong female characters. They were smart, strong, capable of taking care of themselves. And now....where have they gone? What has become of them?

I realize that Vanessa chose to leave the show, but I still don't see why they had to have her go the way she did. With a pathetic little whimper. And then, to bring her back only to kill her off completely. That just wasn't right at all.

And Stella, where do I start with Stella? "All Access" was the worst. It was a total assassination of Stella's character. I thought this was a smart, strong woman. And she doesn't even have the common sense to do something about the fact that this guy made illicit video of her,without her consent, and published it on the 'net.

It just seems to me that the women on this show became more and more cliche as the season went on. I miss the old Stella. I miss Maka. I miss the strong women of this show. And I can't help but wonder if we will ever see them again.

Recently Elyse's CSI board had Gerald McCoullough (Bobby Dawson on CSI/V) as a guest, and one thing that he said is that letters from fans have a HUGE impact on what the writers etc. do as far as storylines, etc. How about sending emails via the CBS feedback button, or if anyone has any addresses/emails for any writers or TPTB, perhaps share them so everyone can let their opinions be heard? For all we know, the writers are getting nothing but a ton of letters complaining that the women are too "tough" and could they please show a more vulnerable side, blah blah. And if they aren't getting comments favoring tough no-nonsense women, then perhaps they're simply not realizing that there are a ton of fans out there who prefer that over the "vulnerable woman" (gag).

IMO, we shouldn't even have to send letters, emails etc. promoting the joy and beauty of tougher women/role models on TV, it should be a given in this day and age. But unfortunately that's not always the case, and many shows are guilty of demeaning or victimizing their female characters, not just the CSI franchise, so that kind of repugnant storyline is going to be around on TV for awhile, until the fans speak up and out against it. So, if anyone is able to scrape up some emails or addies for some writers or showrunners on NY, could you share them? I'd love to drop them a line... (Hey, every little bit helps. Season hasn't even started yet, so nothing is written in stone. There's certainly time to let our voices be heard, and perhaps plant the seed for some future changes). I do know that a ton of fans wrote letters/emails complaining vehemently about the petty, childish little catfights between Cath/Sara/Sofia on CSI/V, and suddenly the catfights were dropped, and the women started getting along pretty peachy... maybe we can make the same sort of mark, here?

i have a question, i didnt see the first season of csi ny and the first episode i saw was cool hunter so i want to know if Aiden is alive or dead cause i'm confused on that one.

yes she is-was alive but from the beggining of that season Mac fired her and she wasn't actually on the show!Aiden is found dead in the episode heroes-I think so,correct me if I'm wrong-by the man who was part of the reason Mac had fired her!

I actually liked the episode where Frankie went nutso and tried to kill Stella. The only part that bugged me was that she had to be wearing some skimpy little sundress (nothing wrong with wearing a dress, but what, she couldn't wear jeans in the episode?).

I think why I don't have a problem is that I have had friends get in over their heads in relationships. Usually it's nothing to the extent with Frankie, but people get fooled a lot by someone their dating.

I never cared for Aiden and I liked Lindsay better at the beginning of the season. At first it seemed like they had a plan for her, but they decided to throw it out the window at some point.

I don't watch CSI:Miami very often. I wish Emily Proctor's character moved from Miami to NY and joined the cast

I love this thread already!

I couldn't agree more on the butchering of the lead female characters the writers made us go through the second season. New York is a tough city, to borrow a quote, "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere" - New York, New york, Frank Sinatra. In season 1, almost all of the characters reflected New York, whether it's the Upper East Side or Manhattan area. Now, it's just as if the characters are watered down version of their former selves when they aren't completely distorted, that is. I've said before and I'll say it again, I do not like what they did with CSINY. I prefer it dark and complex and tough and opinionated, just like it should be. Give us back the CSINY we fell in love with, darn it, and if it's not too much trouble, the characters too, unharmed and canon. Please.