I think some other people have already taken the words out of my mouth but... It's hard to see it as cheating in the first place when Danny described it as "getting back together" as if they had not been together, at least as far as he was concerned, when he slept with Rikki. Secondly, ANY regrets Danny has for sleeping with Rikki when they were struggling with Rueben's death shouldn't have anything to do with Lindsay and ought to come from the fact that they both used sex to stifle the trauma of a much more life altering event. And lastly, I fail to see how Danny's previous relationships have any bearing on his potential ability as a parent. Those are two entirely different arguments, but if you insist on reaching for connections here you could at least suggest that how he handled himself when Rueben was in his care is a clear and negative indicator of how he might turn out as a parent. If that is your argument then Lindsay's "I know you" comment is an even more unnecessarily petty and caustic remark in saying that he screwed up as a babysitter and one kid wound up dead, so we can all see he'd be a terrible as a real parent. Petty, vindictive, immature.
About my review: I am a committed lurker, but post infrequently on this board. In general, I prefer to look at the episodes as a production, rather than question the character’s actions. So, in lieu of questioning why Danny would tell strangers (WHO’S DAUGHTER WAS JUST MURDERED!!?), all his business. I defaulted to “He’s fictional. Why does Danny do anything?” A- I really loved this episode. There were lots of ‘gifts’ within it that easily make it my favorite of the season, so far. Note, that does not mean it is the best episode, but it distinguishes itself by having a point of view instead of following an oft flawed formula. I applaud the willingness to play with the format and structure of the episode. Also, it was suspenseful. At 25 minutes in, I still wondered “where is this going?,” a rarity in my CSINY experience. Even knowing Lindsey’s situation up front, it progressed in a way that prolonged my curiosity. The whole episode came together at the 45-minute mark, as it should. NY has a tendency to beat me over the head with climatic moments; the promos usually give away too much or don’t live up to their promise. This was a nice change of pace. The sweeps casting of Michael K. Williams was impressive. (Zuiker probably !/@#% himself when he scored that guy). Anyone who’s seen The Wire knows Williams is very good and very consistent. It’s refreshing to see a suspect’s acting on par with the leads, as opposed to merely holding his/her own. The interrogation scene was seamless and engaging rather than a means to an end. Was it my imagination, or did Cahill (pitch perfect as usual) and Sinise seem a little perkier during that scene? Giovinazzo is always interesting. Even when the show bores me, he is worth watching. Though I’m sure many will disagree, I found him to be much more nuanced in The Box than in Child’s Play. Perhaps Danny’s secret lasik surgery calmed his ass down ☺. I would like to go on record suggesting Giovinazzo audio commentary on the Season 5 DVDs. Also of note • AJ Buckley during Adam and Stella’s scene: We’ve seen a variation of this reaction from Adam, yet it doesn’t get old. Adam is inherently loveable. • Hawkes (or as Adams says “Hocks”) and Sid’s scenes: Sid out of the morgue was a nice change… and logical as it was an extraordinary case. To TPTB: don't get crazy with this idea and ruin a good thing. I love Mazzy Star, but the pensive motorcyle ride was, if not over the top, poorly sequenced within the episode. However, I was relieved that the episode did not end with Danny and Linsday holding hands "walking into the sunset." Lack of resolution, however short lived, is much preferred. I even found the expected-clairvoyant-crime summarizing-speech by Mac tolerable because the episode took me on different journey. (A note about Mac - Although Sinise is the star, I enjoy the show considerably more when he’s not at the center of events. Seasons 2-5 Mac, is very one dimensional and wooden. I don’t question Sinise’s talent, but I find the character annoying, sanctimonious, and largely uninteresting.) CSINY was supposed to be the character driven show of the franchise, but they rarely find a healthy balance between forensics and feeling. Overall, this episode did. I don’t recommend following this format every week, but it’s a relief to know they still understand the value of risk and change, even in formulaic network television. It also makes the intelligence of Season 1 overshadow subsequent seasons a little less. That said, I’m fairly certain Lindsey will give birth during May sweeps. I am preparing myself for the melodrama, accordingly. When I revisit this episode, I’m sure I’ll find flaws, but what’s important is The Box got me excited, and as faithful as I’ve been to the series, I don’t get excited about it much. I look forward to reading the other reviews, especially La Guera’s brilliantly crafted critiques. I suspect they will differ greatly from mine, as I seem to enjoy the episodes many of you despise.
If a baby can be a magic cure all for personal and relationship problems s/he can also ruin lives. Sometimes being a parent can be the worst decision someone makes. Not everyone is cut out to be a parent. Although I think Danny will make a good father, being tied to Lindsay for the rest of eternity isn't going to do him any favors.
If you're really submerged in the drama that argument is a bit of a cop out don't you think? While I agree with you, there is nothing I enjoy more than the occassional and well designed deviation from a formula, I think there's an important distinction to be made between suspense - wondering whats going to happen next, and wondering where this is going which I find more akin to disorientation. That was probably my favorite part of the episodes crime-plot. (I'm not sure which to consider the A & B plot here seeing as how they connected on so many levels and by the end became hard to distinguish as first and secondary) As much as I LOVE a smug Mac Taylor, I don't think I've ever seen him quite so complacent. It looks good on him.
I'm sticking with my D- but there was one bright, funny, memorable moment in this otherwise waste of time episode. The moment was when Mac and Flack were in the interrogation room with that big black guy named Reggie and Reggie banged his own head on the table then threatened to tell the DA that Mac and Flack beat him to get a confession. I loved how Mac called Reggie's bluff. Mac: Now it's my turn to play the teacher. Today's lesson: Conservation of energy and the first law of thermodynamics. Now pay attention here. It states that energy can be transferred, but it can't be created or destroyed. Reggie: What does this have to do with anything, bro? Mac: Well, it means you just bought yourself some pain for no reason, because if I or Detective Flack grabbed your head and slammed it into the table like you just said, there would be a transfer of energy to the back of your head and a bruise would form in the shape of a hand. Flack: True that. Mac: So, Reggie, you just gave yourself a beat down for nothing. We'll talk again. (Mac chuckles as he gets up out of his seat) :guffaw: Mac should go to Miami and give Horatio that same lesson. Ron Saris pulled the same bang-his-own-head-on-the-table stunt on Horatio then threatened to tell the DA Horatio did it.. One difference, Ron's forehead didn't bleed after he did it. Horatio ended up just standing there and Ron walked. I guess now we know who's smarter...Mac or Horatio...Mac.
Actually, I don't think it's a cop out. For me, assessing character intent and critiquing finished product are two separate endeavors. That's one of the things I enjoy about reading the reviews, we're all coming at it from a different angles. Perhaps my word choice is misleading, but if I was disoriented I would have said so. "Where is this going" is different from "I am confused, get me out of here."
To everyone: I haven't quite had time to read through all the posts in this thread yet, so I'll just say that I hope you're all playing together nicely. This episode was always going to create lots of discussion and both positive and negative feedback was likely, so of course we want discussion, but please do it calmly, and don't get personal. That is all.
Wow, It's 1 am here, and already we are on page 4. *Sigh* shoulda guessed this woulda been the most watched ep of the season so far. Quick review. I actually kinda liked AB's performance. Another story for another thread and another day. Um, she knew for HOW LONG? Why wait so long to say anything? And, her belly? Sorry, it was WAY obvious here. She isn't just a few weeks along. She's much further along. Alas, this is TV, and during these little breaks that we get, suddenly 2 months will pass. That's how we get to the end of 9 months in what, 3, maybe 4 months? Loved Danny's reaction, esp. as he grew warm to the idea. He will be a great Daddy. More Flack in jeans, please. Bring back the glasses, Danny can't see his baby very well. We need man-hugs when Danny tells Flack. PLEASE GIVE US ONE MAN-HUG! Yes, please ease up on the grey hair issue. Here I sit at 31, and I am really showing the aging process quite well. I know mine is genetic. My Dad was grey early, and so were others in the family. It's useless to fight it. For me, getting color done doesn't do a thing. Trust me, I tried it for years. I hope it works for others, tho! Oh, the case. I figured it out with 15 minutes left in the ep. YAY ME! I usually figure it out just as they are getting ready to reveal it. I am sooooo slow. "Adam, you're the best." (Adam stutters! Aww, that's cute!) Mac didn't have an over-bearing primary role in this ep. Love Mac, love Gary as an actor, but this was nicely balanced. More eps like this (with balance) please. Eh, the baby will grow on me, I'm sure. Loved Hawkes and Sid working together. Fay, you're right about subtelty. They could have held hands in at least one other ep this season, but NO. Why do that? What about continuity? What about Adam's job? We can assume by now that he is here to stay, but HELLO! Let's get some continuity here. *Sigh* That's too much to ask for. Gave it an A+. Let's hope it continues to get better. The End. Happy Thanksgiving y'all! Edit: Who is this Michael Williams or whoever that melgeo mentioned? I don't recognize the name, but apparently he is a great actor who doesn't get enough recognition? I like all the guests in tonight's ep.