Dear Writers... (Have something you want to say?)

Dear Writers,

I don’t know if in the end you were responsible for removing Danny’s pathetic second to last nail in the coffin phone call to Lindsay from “Heart of Glass” or if it was some other power. I for one would like to applaud you for the act, for finally looking at what has become of a beloved character, and the show as a whole. The idea that you actually considered having a phone call to the not missed Lindsay as part of the framework for an episode shows that the D/L fauxmance has taken over the show to a frightening degree, a degree made even more frightening by the fact that the actors lack discernable chemistry for many. Now, since we have saved Danny’s character from the second to the last nail in his coffin let us help him avoid the last nail by keeping him in New York. If you insist upon sending him to Montana, I will have to ask why you have gone out of your way to assassinate his character so thoroughly and completely.

Maka, Stella, Aidan, Peyton, Angell, the girl on the subway, the ballerina/trophy wife from “Tanglewood”, the pedophile from “Recycling”, Adam, Flack, the lab microscopes, Mac, any of these people and inanimate objects have better chemistry with Danny than Lindsay, so please, please stop it. Stop it, so that we can see a return to the team, something we’ve seen in the last few episodes without Lindsay to turn it into a show about a team of CSI’s and detectives along with a poorly written tween soap opera starring Danny and Lindsay.

I’m sure the idea behind Lindsay was to find a cute farm fresh character that would appeal to those that lived between the two coasts, sadly, the actress does not imbue Lindsay with anything resembling warmth or vitality, in fact, the character’s scenes are generally as harsh and as vacant as the environs of Antarctica. I won’t insult you by pretending that I care whether or not you flesh her character out or give her some life outside of Danny because quite frankly that opportunity is forever lost and if it hadn’t been lost by the end of season 2 it was dead and buried after that lifeless declaration to Mac and Stella about the faces of her four massacred friends. Any of the other actors on the show would have turned that line into a master class on acting.

What I want from you is the cohesiveness of season 1 and part of season 3, for my sake we’ll pretend that with a few exceptions season two did not happen. You need to reestablish the right balance of dark and light, the cases that were smart enough to be cases and studies on these characters we have come to respect. The intermingling of the two can result in dramatic and amazing episodes – “The Fall”, “Raising Shane”, “Run Silent Run Deep” (hampered only by the need to inject that silly Lindsay through the glass eye contact and the inclusion of a B storyline), “On the Job”, and others. You can be brilliant, so be it. Take these characters deeper explode their backgrounds, their demons, their eccentricities, their secret pain. I want to see Flack’s father and hear that story, to discover more about Hawkes drive and the past that made him the man he is, to know about the circumstances that led Stella to an orphanage, to know if Louie is six feet under or still languishing in a coma, to know Danny’s dark secret, to know about Adam’s childhood, and I want to know any and everything about Sid.

I don’t want my intelligence insulted, I don’t want the actors’ talent wasted, and I don’t want you to make it up as you go along any more. A great foundation was laid for most of these characters go with that, it is where the show's true strength rests not in the soppy stabbing me in the eye Danny/Lindsay garbage. I know it can be difficult to admit you’re wrong, so to make it easier, I’ll do it for you, you are wrong when it comes to the fauxmance. Keep Mac and Peyton, they are acting like adults and I haven’t been forced to dislodge them from my throat - not once.

A final word of warning, if you keep up some of your past antics I’m going to ask that you pay my ophthalmologist co-pay because eventually all of this eye rolling is going to cause some permanent damage. Never forget though that I love you in the roughest toughest way possible - tough love is underrated.
 
JDonne - I applaud you for your post!! Major props!
You summed up exactly what I was thinking! Let's just hope the writers read it and DON'T send Danny to Montana and cut the D/L schmuk!!!!
 
MichelleK said:
JDonne - I applaud you for your post!! Major props!
You summed up exactly what I was thinking! Let's just hope the writers read it and DON'T send Danny to Montana and cut the D/L schmuk!!!!

Thanks! I do hope the writers read and take notice.

Kelleigh said:
You don't know what you are talking about.

Well, there you have it. The depth of this statement is no doubt the second shot heard round the world.
 
Dear writers,

Thank you for developing Mac. Showing that he can be an asshat (Mac being a shit to Peyton, exhibit A) makes him more real for me. Please have more people stand up to him. It makes him more interesting.

Also, please have more dynamics between the characters (and not just as love interests). One thing that attracted me from the start was their seeming cohesiveness as a team. It's not obvious to me now. S1 is still my favorite (even with the Danny-drama :rolleyes: ) because of that.

As chaos has pointed out, please do not forget about the other characters. I'm the biggest Macwhore around but even I'm getting a bit tired of the Mac focus. I want to know more about Flack and Hawkes. Strike a balance, is all I'm asking.

I have a question, do the actors have inputs on their characters? I'm just curious. I know Gary hammers some stuff out with Zuiker but I'm not sure if that's because he's a producer as well so he has more control.

Lastly, thank you for introducing Reed. I think he's been a wonderful addition to the cast.

Sincerely,
Ranma

~~~

I know we're probably not even a drop of a bucket in the ratings system (there's like what, 15M viewers every week and we're not even 1M on this board? Not to mention that some of us don't live in the US. Does anyone have the numbers?) but that was fun. I'll get my thoughts organized the next time.

Thanks for putting this up, Fay!
 
Kelleigh said:
You don't know what you are talking about.

Not constructive at all. Don't make judgments about other posters simply because you don't agree with them. Thanks.

fly_casual, as much as I may have snickered, I think constructive criticism will likely go much further. I haven't lost all hope by any means--the writers did give us the fantastic season one after all. It was the network that demanded a "lighter" show.

JDonne said:
Dear Writers,

I don’t know if in the end you were responsible for removing Danny’s pathetic second to last nail in the coffin phone call to Lindsay from “Heart of Glass” or if it was some other power. I for one would like to applaud you for the act, for finally looking at what has become of a beloved character, and the show as a whole. The idea that you actually considered having a phone call to the not missed Lindsay as part of the framework for an episode shows that the D/L fauxmance has taken over the show to a frightening degree, a degree made even more frightening by the fact that the actors lack discernable chemistry for many. Now, since we have saved Danny’s character from the second to the last nail in his coffin let us help him avoid the last nail by keeping him in New York. If you insist upon sending him to Montana, I will have to ask why you have gone out of your way to assassinate his character so thoroughly and completely.

If Danny doesn't end up going to Montana I will cheer. I don't hold out much hope. However, I am thrilled the phone call scene was cut. Does Danny really need to be pining for Mary Sue Monroe while she's gone? Please. There's more to Danny than this stupid "fauxmance" (as someone called it :D ) with Lindsay, even if there isn't more to Lindsay than Danny.

Maka, Stella, Aidan, Peyton, Angell, the girl on the subway, the ballerina/trophy wife from “Tanglewood”, the pedophile from “Recycling”, Adam, Flack, the lab microscopes, Mac, any of these people and inanimate objects have better chemistry with Danny than Lindsay, so please, please stop it. Stop it, so that we can see a return to the team, something we’ve seen in the last few episodes without Lindsay to turn it into a show about a team of CSI’s and detectives along with a poorly written tween soap opera starring Danny and Lindsay.

Yes, please! I think the past two episodes have shown us how much Lindsay takes away from the show. Without her, the team feels cohesive and unified. The actors shine. The soap opera elements not only aren't necessary, but they detract from the show and the characters.

I’m sure the idea behind Lindsay was to find a cute farm fresh character that would appeal to those that lived between the two coasts, sadly, the actress does not imbue Lindsay with anything resembling warmth or vitality, in fact, the character’s scenes are generally as harsh and as vacant as the environs of Antarctica. I won’t insult you by pretending that I care whether or not you flesh her character out or give her some life outside of Danny because quite frankly that opportunity is forever lost and if it hadn’t been lost by the end of season 2 it was dead and buried after that lifeless declaration to Mac and Stella about the faces of her four massacred friends. Any of the other actors on the show would have turned that line into a master class on acting.

I think you're right--Lindsay is meant to be a proxy for any non-New York/big city fans of the show, but she's such a wretch of a character and portrayed so poorly that she fails at both. Surely another actress could capture the emotions of a small town girl adrift in the big city. That actress isn't Anna and that character isn't Lindsay.

What I want from you is the cohesiveness of season 1 and part of season 3, for my sake we’ll pretend that with a few exceptions season two did not happen. You need to reestablish the right balance of dark and light, the cases that were smart enough to be cases and studies on these characters we have come to respect. The intermingling of the two can result in dramatic and amazing episodes – “The Fall”, “Raising Shane”, “Run Silent Run Deep” (hampered only by the need to inject that silly Lindsay through the glass eye contact and the inclusion of a B storyline), “On the Job”, and others. You can be brilliant, so be it. Take these characters deeper explode their backgrounds, their demons, their eccentricities, their secret pain. I want to see Flack’s father and hear that story, to discover more about Hawkes drive and the past that made the man he is, to know about the circumstances that led Stella to an orphanage, to know if Louie is six feet under or still languishing in a coma, to know Danny’s dark secret, to know about Adam’s childhood, and I want to know any and everything about Sid.

Yes please!

I don’t want my intelligence insulted, I don’t want the actors’ talent wasted, and I don’t want you to make it up as you go along any more. A great foundation was laid for most of these characters go with that, it is where the show's true strength rests not in the soppy stabbing me in the eye Danny/Lindsay garbage. I know it can be difficult to admit you’re wrong, so to make it easier, I’ll do it for you, you are wrong when it comes to the fauxmance. Keep Mac and Peyton, they are acting like adults and I haven’t been forced to dislodge them from my throat - not once.

I love Mac and Peyton even more now that they're out in the open. Adults might be private about a new relationship, but once they're officially together and the relationship is on solid ground, why bother hiding it? I love how naturally they transitioned from the beginning stages to a solid romance.

A final word of warning, if you keep up some of your past antics I’m going to ask that you pay my ophthalmologist co-pay because eventually all of this eye rolling is going to cause some permanent damage. Never forget though that I love you in the roughest toughest was possible - tough love is underrated.

:lol: I suppose it is. ;)
 
Before I start, great post JDonne! ;)

JDonne said:
I don’t want my intelligence insulted.

Exactly my feeling too, and I mean in every sense of the statement, not just pertaining to the D/L drivel. How many time in 'Heart Of Glass' alone did the CSI's touch evidence without wearing gloves? They spend so long teaching us these the importance of these things, and dedicated many outcomes of stories/cases to do with the proper handling of evidence, yet they think we're just going to ignore them breaking one of the fundamental rules of evidence collection? They are really only hurting themselves by doing this. What happens the next time they want to make the turning point of a case something to do with following crime scene protocol or something of that nature? No frequent CSI follower will buy that shit! They're breaking the most basic rule of continuity. Seriously, how hard is it to make somebody slap on a pair of rubber mits before they touch something? :mad:

I try to stay out of this debate, but I want to mention D/L briefly. I just watched 'People With Money' and I have to say, I didn't half mind Lindsay in that episode. Perky, happy, overexcited-about-her-work Lindsay is so much better; not only does it make her a much more likeable character, but it's something that Anna pulls off quite well.

Seeing these Linday-less episodes have really opened my eyes to how bad the relationship is for the show. For the most part, I just blocked it out. I do not miss it one bit, in fact, I'm much happier without it, if anything the D/L scenes and dynamic are actually a detriment to the show, and always seem really out of place and pace with the rest of the show.

I'm not the only one who seems happier either. Doesn't Danny seem a lot more lively lately? It's very refreshing. That is the type of Danny that I find intriguing, not the supposed love-sick teenager TPTB seem to be trying to turn him into. Carmine just seems so re-energized. I feel Anna is at her worst during their scenes too. I find her alot more bearable without the drama that it brings, and quite frankly, I think the chemistry between her and Danny is the weakest out of any two characters in the show. Like I said, see 'People With Money', her interaction with Mac is actually quite interesting and enjoyable.

So let's think about this: If the D/L 'romance' is bad for Carmine, bad for Anna, bad for the characters of both Danny and Lindsay, and the majority of fans seem to be totally against it, then what are the positives of having this a part of the show? To me, it just seems TPTB got so enamoured with the cliche of the country girl/city boy dynamic that they fail to see how bad it truly is.

Personally, I think the show is better off without it, but I realise that it's unlikely the NY folks are going to give up on this anytime soon. So, all I'm asking is that they push it on the backburner for a while, give Lindsay a chance to put this horrendous 'dark secret' storyline to rest, some time to get back to her chirpier, much more endurable attitude of Season 2, and a opportunity for her to build some character away from Danny. For Danny, it would give him the chance to re-cultivate the wonderful relationships he shares with the rest of the team, which have pretty much been abandoned since Season 1. It also gives the writers a chance to explore the newer dynamic of Danny and Jennifer Angell. It seems to be an itch they want to scratch, but I really think it's a bad idea to do that the same time as trying to push D/L as well. I don't want Jennifer to be reduced to an obstacle for them, and to be honest I'd be much happier if they steered clear of any type of love triangle all together.

But most of all, I think it would give the writers a good opportunity to find their footing with the pairing again. It's never been something I've personally been a fan of, but I think the way they handled it early Season 2, with Lindsay having a crush on Danny and him being pretty much oblivious to that fact was much better. Since then, they've just seemingly got lost in it, and have just been digging themselves into a hole ever since.

Honestly, I think the relationship could be way past saving in a lot of people's eyes, and maybe I'm just being overly optimistic (wow, there's a first) but I think a good portion of time away from it, perhaps a whole season, a little character-tweaking, a little re-evaluation of where it's going, and it might become a whole lot more bearable for the masses.

Who knows? Maybe the total re-write of the 'Heart Of Glass' scenes is a good sign. Maybe they are already taking a step back a really looking at what they're doing with these characters. If you are, writers, for the love of God please keep it up!

Apart from that, as others have said, I want more focus on other characters. I love Mac and Stella, and I know that they are the leads, but I want to see more of the others. I want more Hawkes, I want more Adam, I want more Hammerback, Peyton, and Angell! And lots more Flack especially, Eddie's so talented. Use him! I'm not talking season-long arcs here, just a few more Hawkes/Flack-centric episodes, and for the latter few, more scenes that are longer in length and give us some personal information. You have some real diamonds-in-the-rough with these characters, so keep polishing them. You can still develop these character in the background whilst focusing on other stuff, y'know.

Oh, and I really want a few Flack/Angell scenes. Really badly! From what we know of their personalities and attitudes, I get the feeling they'd have really good chemistry together. It just seems because they're the only detectives, they never work the same case and therefore we haven't seen anything of them together. That doesn't mean we can't perhaps see a little bit of them at PD or something of that nature. As much as this show is about the CSI's, I love seeing the detectives too. I like seeing how they work, their opinions on the forensics portion of police work, and their sometimes differing opinions to the CSI teams and their approach to the job. If you look at all the CSI shows, the detectives really add something to the show. Exploit the hell out of it! I hope I'm not the alone with this opinion...

So, yeah, make it happen! :D
 
JDonne said:
I don’t want my intelligence insulted, I don’t want the actors’ talent wasted, and I don’t want you to make it up as you go along any more.

As usual, loving every word you are uttering. But that, ^ up there, is everying distilled into it's essence. Yes, at times I am feel insulted by the writing. Yes, the actors' talents are being wasted in favour of tween soap opera. And yes there is a distinct feeling of the writers making a lot of stuff up as they go along.


A great foundation was laid for most of these characters go with that, it is where the show's true strength rests not in the soppy stabbing me in the eye Danny/Lindsay garbage. I know it can be difficult to admit you’re wrong, so to make it easier, I’ll do it for you, you are wrong when it comes to the fauxmance. Keep Mac and Peyton, they are acting like adults and I haven’t been forced to dislodge them from my throat - not once.
I'm actually very much enjoying the Mac/Peyton relationship. I suggest the writers stick with that one, and do away with 'the other'.


A final word of warning, if you keep up some of your past antics I’m going to ask that you pay my ophthalmologist co-pay because eventually all of this eye rolling is going to cause some permanent damage. Never forget though that I love you in the roughest toughest way possible - tough love is underrated.
Of course, or we wouldn't be watching the show at all :lol: And as for all the eyerolling ... mine are getting so tired :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


CSI_Ali said:
Seeing these Linday-less episodes have really opened my eyes to how bad the relationship is for the show. For the most part, I just blocked it out. I do not miss it one bit, in fact, I'm much happier without it, if anything the D/L scenes and dynamic are actually a detriment to the show, and always seem really out of place and pace with the rest of the show.
I think the difference between the Lindsay-less episodes, and what has gone before, has been quite dramatic. It IS an eye-opener ... I can only hope (probably optimistically to no avail) that it opens the right eyes.

We all know Lindsay is coming back. I don't mind that she is coming back if only they took her back to being perky-Lindsay, and let her be a member of the team instead of nothing but a so-called romantic interest for Danny.


Oh, and I really want a few Flack/Angell scenes. Really badly! From what we know of their personalities and attitudes, I get the feeling they'd have really good chemistry together. It just seems because they're the only detectives, they never work the same case and therefore we haven't seen anything of them together. That doesn't mean we can't perhaps see a little bit of them at PD or something of that nature. As much as this show is about the CSI's, I love seeing the detectives too. I like seeing how they work, their opinions on the forensics portion of police work, and their sometimes differing opinions to the CSI teams and their approach to the job. If you look at all the CSI shows, the detectives really add something to the show. Exploit the hell out of it! I hope I'm not the alone with this opinion...
Ooohhhh now there is something I hadn't thought of ... but I like the idea ...
 
Excellent post as usual, JDonne. You don't hold back on the 'tough love,' and I for one love you for it. :lol:

I definitely want to echo the call for more scenes between the detectives. We saw Scagnetti(?) in "Not What it Looks Like" busting in at the end with Flack and company, but other than that we don't see the detectives working together. Surely some of the cases would require more than one detective. Or maybe one of those episodes where cases are connected, and we could see the detectives from both cases working together and comparing notes...Definitely a great idea. :D
 
To the writers, directors, creators, network folks and whomever else make up TPTB:

The last two episodes have made it painfully obvious that the Lindsay character is not needed and is a detriment to the show. She hasn't been mentioned by anyone, and the team is working together more effectively and cohesively without her. The man who we're supposed to believe has a crush on her is acting like she never existed. If that doesn't scream unnecessary, I don't know what does.

Like others who share my opinion, I am not under any delusion that the Lindsay character will be written out of the show. We just want a better storyline than some romance better suited for the Disney Channel. I would also prefer Danny staying in NY; but if you find it absolutely necessary to send him to Montana, do it because Lindsay asks him for support. Danny told Lindsay he'd be there if she needed him, so that would at least make sense from the angle that he's keeping his word. Danny chasing after Lindsay because he misses her or has romantic feelings for her would be a continuation of the ridiculousness that has plagued the pairing from the beginning. Admit these two characters don’t belong together and cut your losses.

I often watch the show with my folks. Once, out of the blue, my step-father said, “I really like the guy with the glasses (Danny), he is a great character. One of the best characters I’ve ever seen.” My step-father started watching CSI: NY because of my mother and me. He usually enjoys making fun of shows we find entertaining. To me, his statement proved the appeal of the character and Carmine Giovinazzo’s portrayal of that character runs deeper than what I would have expected. Please restore Danny to the character with which viewers connected. There is a way to mature Danny without killing the spirit in which he was created. I have faith that those involved with the show can find that way.

Continuity is also a sore spot. A big example is Stella’s behavior after “All Access.” In that episode she tells Flack she never brings men to her apartment so she always has a safe place. We saw her go back to her apartment and then pack a bag for a hotel after realizing she couldn’t stay there. Since then the only reminder we have that anything happened to her is the anger she felt toward a woman who falsely reported a rape and her empathy for a woman who suffered years of abuse. Everything else has been business as usual. We’ve seen nothing of her dealing with the trauma of what happened. Is she seeking help? Did she go back to her apartment, or did she move? If she did go back, what keeps her feeling safe being there? I realize CSI: NY is mainly a procedural show, but it’s also been made clear that it is the part of the franchise that focuses more on character development. I’m not asking you to have procedure take a back seat to character drama, but please at least finish what you start. Again, you’ve found a way to strike a balance in the past; it shouldn’t be too difficult to continue that balance without sacrificing quality.
 
PerfectAnomaly said:
To the writers, directors, creators, network folks and whomever else make up TPTB:

...
Continuity is also a sore spot. A big example is Stella’s behavior after “All Access.” In that episode she tells Flack she never brings men to her apartment so she always has a safe place. We saw her go back to her apartment and then pack a bag for a hotel after realizing she couldn’t stay there. Since then the only reminder we have that anything happened to her is the anger she felt toward a woman who falsely reported a rape and her empathy for a woman who suffered years of abuse. Everything else has been business as usual. We’ve seen nothing of her dealing with the trauma of what happened. Is she seeking help? Did she go back to her apartment, or did she move? If she did go back, what keeps her feeling safe being there? I realize CSI: NY is mainly a procedural show, but it’s also been made clear that it is the part of the franchise that focuses more on character development. I’m not asking you to have procedure take a back seat to character drama, but please at least finish what you start. Again, you’ve found a way to strike a balance in the past; it shouldn’t be too difficult to continue that balance without sacrificing quality.

Amen to that. Also along the lines of continuity: I will suspend my disbelief at the length of time that might have actually passed between Flack getting blown almost to pink dust and his recovery, but I *really* cannot buy that he was running down suspects and jumping around as though he had never suffered a grievous injury. The man should have been back at his desk with a cane for a long time after suffering injuries like that, yet we only got casual mention of it in a single episode. Even if you don't make overt mention of it, at least you could have toned down his athletic bouncing around after suspects!
 
Amen to that. Also along the lines of continuity: I will suspend my disbelief at the length of time that might have actually passed between Flack getting blown almost to pink dust and his recovery, but I *reall* cannot buy that he was running down suspects and jumping around as though he had never suffered a grievous injury. The man should have been back at his desk with a cane for a long time after suffering injuries like that, yet we only got casual mention of it in a single episode. Even if you don't make overt mention of it, at least you could have toned down his athletic bouncing around after suspects!

Amen. I didn't want them to cut him out of the show for several episodes, but it would have been nice to see him confined to a desk and bitching mercilessly for an episode or two. Or moving gingerly. It's sad when fanficcers have a more realistic grasp of injury than professional writers.
 
Dear CBS,

Stop it with the stunt casting. I'm tired of turning on my favorite shows to find that coherent stories have been scuppered so that the celebrity of the moment can mangle their way through poorly-written dialogue.

This is especially true of CSI:NY, which is subjected to the horror on an almost weekly basis. If you have to saddle your show's fortunes on the Celebrity of the Week a la Scooby Doo, then things are clearly amiss. You have, with the exception of Anna "Makes Me Wanna Take A" Belknap, a top-notch, incredibly talented cast. Use them Trust them. Let them do their jobs for you. You won't be disappointed.
 
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