Things You Don't Want to See in S4

I was going to post this in the spoiler thread, but it wasn't entirely appropriate for it, so I made another thread. The squee and speculation over the hidden meanings behind the S4 promo pic got me thinking: what don't you want to see? What storyline would send you running for the exit, barf bag in one hand, remote in the other?

I'll launch the opening kickoff.

There's been much speculation on TalkCSI about the hidden meanings of the CSI:NY S4 promo pic. Flack is holding a gun in a towel while Hawkes shines his flashlight on it. Some fen have speculated that this could mean Flack is involved in a coverup. I have no doubt that Eddie Cahill could and would knock such a meaty storyline out of the park, but I hope this never happens. Why? Oh, let me count the reasons:

1-Much of CSI:NY's meat turns out to be tofu. We've seen it happen again and again. TPTB invent the fabulous beginnings of a storyline, with tons of drama and "Oh, NOEZ" suspense. Danny shoots a cop. Danny has a shady brother. Danny's brother gets turned to oatmeal. Flack gets blown up. Flack has to deal with the reality of dirty cops. Stella is exposed to HIV. Stella's DNA turns up at an old Philly crime scene. All rife with juicy possibility for angst and major character development. And what happens?

They fizzle. Each and every damn one. They spend maximum effort on buildup for minimum payoff. It's like being on the cusp of a monumental orgasm, only to have your partner-or plastic friend-shift and ruin the whole rhythm. Danny's shady brother remains in limbo, Flack is A-OK after having his intestines exposed, and Stella is HIV-free because the writers can't be arsed with that level of continuity.

But the worst case of big-buildup, no bang was Lindsay's Deep, Dark Secret. They contort her character from smarmy, independent, and capable to a wilting flower whiny emo kid to accommodate the storyline, and then they never give us the story, just a half-assed patchwork of soap opera cliches. The fact that Lindsay was the only survivor of a diner massacre was secondary to engineering the smoldering passion of her and Danny's Tru Wub. The problem is that the Tru Wub is a wet blanket of lackluster acting that diverts attention from more deserving actors and backstories. Danny went out of his way to mention that Hawkes was taking extra shifts because of money problems in S3. Was this ever addressed again? No. They had more important things to address, like bad sex on a pool table.

2-I have zero faith that TPTB could successfully execute a Flack coverup. They're to unwilling to follow things to their natural conclusions. If Flack committed a coverup and were discovered, he would have to be fired and arrested, and I doubt TPTB are open to losing such a dynamic character. They'd inevitably hatch some cockamamie reason why he shouldn't be fired, and after an episode, everyone would embrace him. Flack is too good a character to be so mishandled, and I'd rather see him underused than misused.

3-Besides, you know how it would go. Flack would discover that Miss Plastic Happy Tits is the bankroll for the Irish druglords from "Snow Day." Because he's thinking with his other white meat, he conceals this knowledge. Because of his concealment, an innocent dies. Wracked with guilt, Flack eventually confesses to Mac, who delivers a lecture about the Integrity of the Job. You know, because the sermonizing after "Consequences" didn't take. Flack is suitably stricken, and by S5, everything is hunky dory.

Now, I could get behind a storyline wherein Flack discovers his father was dirty and tries to bury that, but even that's problematic as to resolution. At least that would have a deeper, more understandable motivation than "OMG, my Barbie doll is Teh Eefil, WOE."

Which is why it will never happen.

 

You're dead on with TPTB's inability to follow a story to a satisfying conclusion, and your argument for why Flack shouldn't be involved in a cover-up convinced me. With the show's track record the outcome could be horrific.

As for what I'd like to avoid in S4 . . .

--Lindsay continuing her imitation of Sybil

--The document specialist being Frankie 2.0

--Danny continuing to be p***y whipped by Lindsay

--Hawkes being under utilized

--Love interests taking the spotlight from cases and character development.

--Bad stunt casting (i.e. Sasha Cohen) and casting too young for the part (i.e. 18 year-old Lindsay and Stella's foster mother)

--Returning Mac to exactly the way he was before the Dobson incident. He got a taste of playing politics to save his own ass, don't return him to Super!Mac with the rest of the team like it never happened.

--Unsatisfying resolution of potentionally great story lines. (AKA: What LaGuera said)

That's what I can think of right now.

 

One word: Lindsay.

 

1) Lindsay
2) Another All Access with Stella
3) Neutered!Danny. When he got with Lindsey it was like when I got my cat neutered, he just lays around, not doing anything.

 

I agree with all four posts above. :lol: I would actually love to see Flack deal with issues pertaining to his legendary father. It'd be great to finally have some insight into Flack's family and past. TPTB has such a fantastic opportunity to do that with Charge of this Post, but noooo, they made Flack temporary Superman and healed him up just like that with no aftereffects whatsoever. Let us hope season four will give us more Flack with more good storylines for him. Eddie is more than capable of pulling it off.

So, yeah, no misusing of Flack for foolish plots that go nowhere and ruin his character. I think I'll bludgeon somebody if they f**k with Flack's character. He's about the only character on the cast left who hasn't been compromised for the sake of ratings. (Yet.)

And yeah, why the hell is Stella's new boyfriend Frankie v.2?! What, is this supposed to tell us that Stella has awful, awful tastes in men? C'mon, she's way smarter than that. You'd think she'd learn from being tied up in her bathtub by a psycho and slicing up her hands with a razor blade. Give Stella somebody normal, damnit. Melina is definitely able to pull off regular, everyday life with a regular joe and make it interesting!

No more psychotic boyfriends for Stella. Period!

And of course, I have absolutely no interest in seeing more Scrunch Face. Unfortunately, Scrunch Face still needs Mr. 'Look! I'm in a tank top now! Please don't let the Nielsen ratings drop more this season!' to prop her up after two whole seasons, so I'm afraid Scrunch Face will be dominating the screens for some time. I have even less interest in seeing her attempt any emotional scenes. *erases court room scene in season three from brain*

 

Lots of great stuff has been said so far. Forgive me if I echo some of it.

What don't I want to see in season 4?

1. Lindsay? Why? Because the b*tch led to the downfall of the best written character on television. His meaty storylines were substituted for fluffy crap better suited to daytime soaps.

2. Bad stunt acting. Sasha Cohen sucked. Hard. I've laughed out loud as a result of piss-poor acting on this show. The award for one of the show's shittiest performances goes to Sasha. Not all stunt casts have been bad -- Chris Angel was terrific. Still best to just avoid any guest star who doesn't act for a living.

3. A continued lack of continuity. TPTB create some great starting points and then utterly fail to follow through. At this rate, I suspect we will learn that Louie survived the ass kicking when Danny takes a day off to attend Louie's funeral in season 40 when Louie dies of old age.

4. No more idiotic romantic choices for Stella. She's a smart, tough woman. Stop playing her as the victim.

5. A season 4 wardrobe for Carmine. Seriously. Just skip it altogether. It's totally unnecessary. Wanna keep the fangirls talking? Give us a little somethin' somethin' to talk about.

 

I don't want to see CSI:NY turn into CSI:90210.

But if S3 is any indication, it probably would at some aspect.

 

TPTB under utilize the talented Carmine Giovinazzo. Less Lindsey more angst...

 

I originally posted this to my LJ, where I waffle at great length about any subject, but I thought I'd put it here, too, since it pertains to my earlier objections to the Great Coverup Theory and Flack.

So pictures of Flack's Barbie doll have started cropping up on the 'Net, and I have resolutely avoided them. I'm operating under the assumption that if I close my eyes, jam my fingers into my ears, and scream, "LALALA!", it won't happen. Mature? No, but it's the only coping mechanism left in my arsenal; the others have been battered to smithereens by shoddy continuity and the heinous crime of character assassination. If the rumors of Flack flirting with Angell are true, maybe Barbie will be a one-off whom we'll never see again. If she's not, that doesn't speak well of Flack. In fact, it paints him as an opportunistic asshole. But then, if he is involved in a conspiracy this season, they'll have no qualms about divesting him of the rest of his decency.

Decency. That's what bugs me about the notion that Flack might be involved in a coverup. Flack has always been the Everyman, the street cop with a juco education(Flack says high school and may have been grandfathered in because of his dad, but NYC police regulations require two years of college or military service) and a fine sense of fundamental decency. You don't hit women or children. You don't cheat on your spouse. You don't prey on the weaker and defenseless. You don't kill. You respect the law and revere the badge. If Flack were to engage in a coverup, his decency would be tainted, and the contempt he showed criminals would ring hollow because he could no longer claim the moral high ground with any conviction.

Actually, this should be true for Mac as well after "...Comes Around", when he knowingly concealed knowledge of a crime in order to hoist his sanctimonious ass out of the sling, and for Stella after "Cold Reveal", when she allowed a murderer to flee because she was her "sister" and the killing was "justified." Neither can or should be allowed to sit on the high horse, and yet, both their saddles are still firmly in place because while the show craves the adrenaline high of Teh Drama, it wants no part of the requisite fallout. It wants its viewership to have the recall and critical thinking capacity of lab gerbils that have repeatedly undergone shock treatment. So Mac and Stella retain their crowns as Our Intrepid Heroes even though they are as duplicitous as the crooks they catch.

Flack was the only true Good Guy left, and if he immerses himself in a coverup to save his job, his girlfriend, or his father's reputation, he'll be as tarnished as Mac and Gerrard and Stella. No more white hat, and no more credibility in his snark. Just another little Napoleon full of empty words.

Another TV hero bites the dust. One can only hope that fannish interpretation has been warped by Squee Goggles, and that there is no Great Conspiracy 2007.

I want my TV hero, dammit. All the real ones are gone.


If Flack stays out of the mud, and the gratuitous sex stays off my screen, I'll count S4 as a victory.

 

Exactly. Danny has a girl and now suddenly Flack is the Stud of New York? I mean, yes, we asked for more of Flack but not in such a way that we have to see him making-out with a girl and all - that detail can be left off-screen. We want to see Flack the character, not Flack the horny guy. I don't want to turn on to the show and get sick of looking at Flack because sometimes he's the one that got me through some of the harder-to-swallow episodes.

Now this is my biggest fear. That he would risk his job and people's lives because of a girl. That'll be the day when I'll quit watching CSINY:Bold And Beautiful.

 

Bloody hell. If they go the route of Flack covering up a crime for his girlfriend ... that is a new, all-time low for CSI:NY. That is so out of left field for his character that it's ... oh, I forgot, well-maintained characterization isn't CSI:NY's thing, is it? What, is it the in-thing now to destroy the good characters of the show?

Okay, now at the top of the list of things I don't want to see in season four ... Flack's character getting f***ed for ratings.

Oh, and if I could add to the list, I hope to God Mac's stepson, Reed, doesn't end up becoming like the son of a certain sunglasses-loving redhead detective on another CSI show. Anybody who watches CSI:Miami will know what I'm talking about. *headdesk*

 

rofl. :lol: I totally agree with you there...there is no other way to describe it...neutered pretty much covers it. Bravo!

I know this isnt the Anti-Lindsay thread so i wont go too deep into my reasons why i dont want to see her in s4...but i will say that her storylines, acting, and the fact that she has to be propped up by another character after TWO YEARS (resulting in the assasination of HIS character in the process) is more than enough reason for me not to want her back.

I also don't like the idea of Flack covering up a crime...i've heard some stuff floating around about that and its so unbelievable that he would ever do something like that. He didnt cover up for his mentor, someone he's known longer and had a better relationship with than any new girl friend he has, and it would be so grossly out of character for him...and plus he'd get fired, and since he's one of the more charismatic and talented actors/characters, that would pretty much kill CSIny for me.

...and STOP turning stella into a victim!!!! She's a CSI, she's a smart and capable woman--can't any women on CSI:NY actually have a good storyline involving a love interest that doesnt turn into High School Fluff (DL) or a gruesome disaster? (all access). She was smart enough to ditch Frankie when she thought he was psycho even though he came back later, and because of that i don't believe she'd go back with another guy this soon, ecspecially a crazy one...give her someone NORMAL!

I don't want to see Hawkes getting ignored this season, either...there was great stuff with him that could have been explored, and it was ignored to make room for Lindsay's Deep dark secret and the D/L love thing. The same goes for Sid, and Adam as well--he's a regular now, and i'd hate to see him get stepped on the way Hawkes has been.

Finally...i don't want to see the lack of continuity this season...can we PLEASE find out if Louie is alive or dead? It's so blatantly obvious that writers dropped the ball on this one its embarassing...

thats it for now =]

 

CSI:NY for me is the "teen soap opera" of the CSI shows.

If they are to push the romance aspect this time on Flack, well... that doesn't surprise me at all.