Grade 'Yahrzeit'

Discussion in 'CSI: New York' started by Top41, Apr 29, 2009.

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How would you grade Yahrzeit?

  1. A+

    52 vote(s)
    52.5%
  2. A

    32 vote(s)
    32.3%
  3. A-

    6 vote(s)
    6.1%
  4. B+

    5 vote(s)
    5.1%
  5. B

    1 vote(s)
    1.0%
  6. B-

    2 vote(s)
    2.0%
  7. C+

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  8. C

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  9. C-

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. D+

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  11. D

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  12. D-

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  13. F

    1 vote(s)
    1.0%
  1. La_Guera

    La_Guera Lab Technician

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    Dear CBS,

    Please to be shoving your blatant, clumsy-fingered emotional manipulation up your root cellar. I'm not talking about the episode proper, which was surprisingly effective and duly respectful of an exceedingly emotional and painful time in human history. I'm talking about the disclaimer that appeared at the beginning of the episode. "Tonight's emotional episode"? Really? Were you so insecure about the quality of the episode that you decided to prompt the viewers as to how they should feel? A simple "Tonight's episode deals with the Holocaust and will contain offensive language, graphic violence, and racist ideas. Viewer discretion is advised.," would have sufficed and certainly wouldn't have smacked of a blatant Emmy grab. You might as well have put Lenkov, Mendelsohn, and Zuiker on screen with a placard that read, "Dear Emmys, please notice us."

    That said, the episode lived up to the warning. The goblet full of gold teeth was the most wrenching, deeply disturbing scene in the episode and was ten times more effective than Mac's frothing and holy-roller rant on in the final interrogation. "Please tell me those aren't what I think they are," Flack said, and conveyed a more credible disgust with one line than the whole of Mac's howling.

    I've taken several courses on the Holocaust and Nazi Germany as part of my German studies, and I've seen more pictures than I ever wanted to of mass graves and sunken bodies and hollow-eyed survivors, and it's dreadful. It makes you want to vomit or cry or both, but after a while, you become inured to the black-and-white, two-dimensional horror. They're just pictures, statistics, documentation of the past. You look at photos of Auschwitz and Dachau and Treblinka, and they're just buildings and plots of lands. The reality of what happened there is at a clinical remove.

    And then you see a small mountain of gold teeth or a warehouse full of human hair or a room full of crutches and eyeglasses and wheelchairs, and you remember. Oh. Six million Jews who were alive aren't anymore, and neither are millions of gays, Catholics, disabled people or Romany. They all went to God on a cloud of ash or returned to the earth under a blanket of lye. When confronted with evil on such a large scale, it can be overwhelming.

    The sight of Mac with those teeth in his palm was an Oh moment of tremendous power, and I wish there had been more of that and less rubber-faced over-emoting by Mac. Gary is capable of emotional nuance, and I wish he'd chosen to display it.

    I was also uncomfortable with the saga of Mackenna Boyd Taylor. I've no objection to the idea. American G.I.s certainly did liberate the death camps, and many did express great revulsion for what they found in them. One outrage American commander ordered the townspeople of a nearby village marched into the camps to see what the Nazis had done while the villagers had been happily sleeping in homes confiscated from Jews. So, I buy that Big Mac liberated Buchenwald.

    What bothered me was that the story was used to further propagate the legend of Mighty Mac and His Awesome Nobility. It was less about the kindness of Mackenna and more about the fact that we viewers are supposed to believe that Mac's super perfect awesomeness was a genetic gift from his father. "Remember, kids, Mac is just as cool as his old man. Even cooler. Because his father was a hero, that makes Mac one, too. Also, it makes him infallible and grants him the right to lord over others." The idea that character traits and morality have a genetic basis is a contributing factor in the Holocaust, and I don't think they should've handled the revelation that way. Plus, I found it hard to believe that someone just happened to mention Mac's father during an interview. As the archivist noted, a paltry number of Holocaust victims survived the war, and old age has whittled their numbers further still.

    Ed Asner was brilliant as Abraham Klein/Klaus Strauss. I bought into him completely as the affable clockmaker forced to sell his dead wife's brooch to keep his business afloat, and therefore, his revelation as a Nazi war criminal was pitch-perfect. His leer when he realized the jig was up was a clinic in superior acting, and his "Wir haben alle toten sollen" made the scene with its quiet, unrepentant malice. Ed Asner stole that scene from Sinise's frantic mugging and gesticulating, and I wish he'd been more prominent in the episode.

    And I certainly could've done without Mac trotting out the God card again. Since when his Mac been a God-squadder? He's been an open-minded agnostic as far as I could tell. Now he's Mr. Jesus man? Why? Who decided to retcon that trait into the character? God had nothing to do with outing a war criminal. It was the simpler answer of greed. Why isn't that sufficient anymore? Why does police work and the limited justice it provides now need to operate under the aegis of the Lord? If anything, that possibility casts doubt on God's ultimate perfection, because if God were perfect and God were the provider of justice, then the justice He provided would be perfect. It isn't. He doesn't. Stop dragging Him into your flimsy TV show to bolster your flagging credibility.

    So, Hawkes had an Uncle Frank with whom he was especially close? Yet we've never heard of this life-shaping Uncle Frank and his annual summer visits until now. Typical NY tell and no show. I would've liked to know more about Uncle Frank, and it certainly wouldn't have killed them to mention him before now with a throwaway line or two sprinkled over the seasons. And no, Danny's vague, "Oh, yeah, I remember you told me about him," doesn't count. I don't have a timeshare in Messer's head(And thank God, because If I were privy to him and Lindsay bumping uglies, I'd projectile vomit out his ear.).

    Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased to see the usually self-involved Danny reaching out to Hawkes, but where was his concern for Flack when the latter was under investigation earlier this year, or several years ago, when Flack nearly died? Why is he suddenly Mr. Reliable? Is this a sign that he's learning from his mistakes, or is it more shoddy writing? Either Flack and Danny's best friendship was nothing but fannish wishful thinking, or the writers decided to retcon that into Danny-Hawkes bestest budship after they botched COTP to launch the leaking dinghy, the U.S.S. Dindsay.

    I'm torn about Danny's altercation with Elgers. I don't blame him for drubbing the douchebag, because I wanted to do the same. However, his attitude with Hawkes in the aftermath painted him in a less than flattering light. He seemed offended that Hawkes wasn't falling over himself in gratitude for pounding Elgers into the concrete on his behalf, and his childish, "So you're takin' the high road?" made it sound like Danny had done it in expectation of praise, not because that's what such virulent bigotry deserves.

    Dear Danny,

    As the victim of the racist incident, Hawkes gets to decide how to feel about it and your reaction. Your implication that he was being a haughty, ungrateful ass because he didn't condone your actions is unbecoming and just as off-putting as Elger's overt racism. Hawkes doesn't owe you anything because he didn't ask you to fight for him. The end.

    Also, smooth move, losing two weeks' pay with a baby and its additional expenses on the horizon. I'm sure Lindsay will be thrilled. Dumbass.

    La Guera

    I wish we'd seen more of the IAB investigation. Frankly, that story deserved its own episode, since this one was clearly meant to be a Very Special episode.

    But there'll be no time for that, what with the Most Important Event of the Season. You know, because popping out a screaming watermelon is more important than the death of a fellow officer or the schism between Mac and Stella or the fact that Danny might get sued into the floor. The DL pandering has gotten absolutely craven, and it's smothering what little potential the show has left.

    A for the episode, but D for the shameless Emmy-whoring and DL pandering.
     
  2. Poppet

    Poppet Police Officer

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    Overall I though it was an excellent episode.

    I did find it strange that the voicemail message was the full 48mins long, mine cuts out after about 2 mins.

    Whilst Hawkes might have been morally right that Danny shouldn't have responded to Elgers, having been to Auschwitz I am with Danny all they way. I did like the interaction between Hawkes and Danny in this episode, we got to see Hawkes in a totally different light to normal.

    I also though the guy who plays Elgers did an amazing job, I do hope they come back to him.

    Did I hear right that Abraham/Klaus grew up in Strasbourg, Germany? Strasbourg is in France? although it came under German rule in 1940 for a few years, between 1918 and 1940 (presumably when Klaus was growing up) it was French.

    And where was Stella? she hardly appeared at all. Thinking about it, it was a very Mac centric episode. Mac centric episodes often annoy me, I get all 'where is everyone else?' but not this one, I didn't even mind his rants.

    I had been very nervous about this episode considering the subject matter but I though it was handled brilliantly and a good twist at the end. The best episode so far this season in my opinion.

    On a side note when I was at Auschwitz the guide told us that a couple of weeks earlier a German tourist had collapsed after seeing a photography of some SS soldiers on the platform separating the Jews into two line - one for the camp and one for the gas chambers. The tourist had just recognised one of the SS soldiers - it was his dad! Obviously he knew he dad had been in the army, all German men were, but he never knew what he did. And this may sound weird but if you ever get the chance to go to Auschwitz, you should go - it will change your life. No photographs or video footage can really show you what it is like, you need to stand there and see the sheer scale of it.
     
  3. Princess_Laurie

    Princess_Laurie Witness

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    A+, because I was in tears at the end of it, and episodes rarely make me cry anymore. The entire episode was powerful, Ed Asner was amazing. The thing that really got me was his son, David I think his name was, at the end. He looked so broken.
    The only part that kind of made me twinge a bit was Danny. I love Danny, and I love his recklessness. Most of the time. But, really? Loosing you're job for two weeks? You're going to have a kid, Danny. Think about that next time.

    Other than that, it was an absolutely amazing episode. Mac was fantastic, and I loved the bit at the end with the women.

    Of course, Adam was fantastic too. The fist thing with Mac was awesome. :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2009
  4. JellyBelly

    JellyBelly Lab Technician

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    A+
    Great episode but damn heartbreaking. I knew Abraham had killed the guy but had no clue who he really was. It's not often this show suprises me anymore.

    I think it's that element of surprise that has prompted me to reflect on more than just the emotional impact of this story. In fact, the one thing that kind of (but didn't really) bugged me is the whole black and white aspect of the story. WWII = evil German's and heroic American's. Naturally, those are the dominant themes but I like it when the grey bits are explored more. I guess it just made me question how many members of Hitler's youth had willingly participated and how many had been forced to participate in heinous crimes with little or no choice.

    Obviously they chose to have Abraham/Klaus being inherently bad as showcased splendidly by Asner but a part of me would have liked to see a more complex outcome. The whole nature vs nurture dichotomy in terms of his father's position would have been a interesting angle.

    All that being said, my issue is more to do with how 'the war' is portrayed in general terms by Hollywood as opposed to this episode which I thought was almost perfect.
     
  5. Faylinn

    Faylinn Adam Fangirl Super Moderator

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    Excellent post, La Guera - it was full of thoughtful, interesting comments as usual. :)

    Welcome to the board! :)

    Yay for delurking! :)

    I didn't even think about that, but you're right. :wtf:

    You know, when Adam wasn't around to do the tedious jobs for the first half of "Green Piece", they all waxed poetic about how much they appreciated him - but there hasn't been a comment about being short-handed since Lindsay left, or when Sheldon left (aside from Adam picking up the slack*), and then Danny gets suspended and Mac is So Proud of him using excessive force on a suspect (albeit a douchebag) that he doesn't even mind that 1) what Danny did was pretty stupid, and 2) it's just him, Stella and Adam until Hawkes gets back from his uncle's funeral?

    Oh, that's right, it's because DL is involved. I guess Mac is temporarily expanding his bubble of indulgence to include Danny as well as Lindsay. :rolleyes:

    * I almost wrote 'Adam picking up the slash' and giggled. Oh, brain, you're so bad. :p

    Very good point. Even though what he was saying was disgusting, I'm glad they didn't water it down to be PC.

    Wow, you're clearly nothing like me - I'm like the human water hose. Doesn't take much to make me cry. :eek:

    Mwuahahaha, the slash is everywhere. :devil:

    They really fit a lot of stuff into this episode. The story didn't seem to suffer for the time they devoted to the character development. Two characters got some development, but we still got to see some science (and even a dead pig reconstruction).

    As I said in the review thread for this episode - as much as I love our regulars, I think the guest stars were the real gems in this one. There were some phenomenal performances all around, from Ed Asner and Matt McTighe especially, but Rita Zohar and Shelley Berman did a great job with their scenes as well.

    ETA:

    I agree. These shows tend to concentrate on those aspects of the war and not delve much deeper than that. This episode was done well, but in general I wish they'd show more.
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2009
  6. Ceindreadh

    Ceindreadh Pathologist

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    Oh thank goodness I wasn't the only one rolling my eyes at Mac in this ep. I was at the point where I half wished that Ed Asner's character was innocent (and at that point I was thinking that maybe the son had done it to cover up for his father), just to put Mac's nose out of joint.
    (and I stopped watching CSI Miami because I felt the same way about Horatio. Fortunately CSI NY has other reasons to keep me watching *cough*Flack*cough)
     
  7. nattybatty55

    nattybatty55 Nadalaholic

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    Well i loved this episode! I hadnt read the spoilers this time and didnt know any of what happened but the nerd in me loves the topic of the Holocaust. I always think its an interesting thing to watch a program revolved around because of the extreme things that occured, As horrific as they are I think the way the writers approched it was done very well. The character's reactions were great, I liked how the Danny/Hawkes scene with Elgersshowed the problems that still arises aswel as showing what happened in the past.

    I really liked the interaction between Mac and Adam, Gary and AJ always play out those scenes really well... bothe actors were great throughout the ep. although there wasnt much Flack/Stella I liked how the ep revolved around the history rather than the characters (in some way).

    The reflection of the clock guy (forgot his name) was quite eery as it changed as he knew he was caught. And the Mac scene with the video was well done even though I thought the thing with his father would come up at the end of the ep, but i thought it was a great way to round of the ep.... both ending scenes were :)
     
  8. _Hush_

    _Hush_ Winchester Inc.

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    There's a Strassburg in the North-East of Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), a Strassburg in the centre-West of Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen) and one in Austria (Kärnten). That I know of. And it wouldn't surprise me if there were more, (e.g. in Poland, etc.). Just my two cents on this one. :)

    I was a bit held back about his episode. The Holocaust has been used too much to dramatize a series just for the sake of tragedy. This time it was ok. Abraham turning out to be of the Hitler Jugend himself was a pretty good turnout. It showed the aftermath of the war, when Nazi's were afraid to be caught and thus had to turn to pretend to be a part of their 'enemies'.

    Mac's father being one of the soldiers liberating one of the camps was believable. Far-fetched? Sure. But plausible. Gary Sinise's reaction on when the man mentioned his father's name was memorable. It showed a side of Mac we're not used to. An emotional side, where only few have access to.


    Overall, one of the best I've seen this season. A+
     
  9. Zipster

    Zipster Witness

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    Absolutely incredible episode. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not the best episode of the season for me, but close. With the subject matter being still after all this time so sensitive, I was pleased to see how a US show played that out.

    My Grandfather was a POW in WWII so It was good to see a good CSI episode, with a nice CSI twist at the end!

    A+
     
  10. ~Sarah~

    ~Sarah~ Lab Technician

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    You have a point in a way there - because I'm pretty sure it was the Soviets who liberated Auschwitz and they did talk about Auschwitz but never mentioned that it was the Soviets who came in there. However, I think Mac said his father was with the 6th Armored Division and they liberated Buchenwald - which is correct. They were under Captain Frederic Keffer and took part in it.

    Although, in my opinion the main cause of the Hitler's rise to power was the Treaty of Versailles - blaming Germany for WWI (which was not really true) and making them give up land, and pay other countries which lead to financial problems in the country and allowed the Nazi Party to come into power.
     
  11. OldGuise

    OldGuise Hit and Run

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    Gave this episode an A.

    Seeing rich white people at an auction is not exciting. Good thing that wasn't really the focus of the episode. I'm getting sick of the upper crust of Manhattan.

    Danny smashing Elgers's face in was cool to see. If I had been in Danny's position, I probably wouldn't have left the guy with such minor injuries, so I think his ability to hold back his rage was pretty admirable, even if it did take Hawkes's influence for him to do so.

    Matt McTighe does a great job as Michael Elgers, but I thought he seemed a bit uncomfortable when he delivered one or two of the racial slurs. Other than that, it was a pretty great scene. It's easy to hate Elgers. The whole time, I felt like Flack was at least imagining punching him in the face, if not seriously considering it.

    Getting some insight into Sheldon's personality and background was great, too. He's got some very honorable ideals. Also, he looked really good in his suit.

    Mac kind of over-emoted a couple of times, but for the most part, he was fantastic. Loved his and Adam's brofist.

    And Adam. I just love Adam. He's fantastic.

    When Ed Asner's character, Klein, said, "Wir haben alle toten sollen," I'll admit that I cursed loudly at my television. I felt bad for his son, but seeing the old guy in cuffs was awesome. That's what you get (but less punishment than you deserve) for being evil.

    The ending scene was grand. Very emotional. Reminded me how cool Hebrew sounds.

    Basically, the entire episode was amazing.
     
  12. CdfSjaI

    CdfSjaI Prime Suspect

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    I just moved and was cut off from my internet/cable services, but I have seen the episode on youtube and YES, I cried! Those flashbacks of the family did it for me and the testimonies. AMAZING acting in this episode by everyone.

    Ed Asner was Flawless :thumbsup:. And ended up being the bad guy. I really didn't see that coming. The first time I he was on I totally believed his story, and i'm not really gullible. And then that line at the end, "we shouldn't killed them all" or something, made me want to punch him in the face, although he is elderly. He's a terrific guest star!! One of the best on CSI:NY

    Definitely one of the most memorable CSI:NY episodes, i think it's the first tv show that has made me cry, other than some Cold Case stuff. Which actually this episode, kind of reminded me of CC. Anyway, A+ TPTB:)

    My only complain: I want more Sid!!!

    Oh, and poor Sheldon, i'm glad for more storylines from him. They're really packing it though. He already had something in Prey. No complaints just an observation. I'm all for Sheldoness:drool:

    And the only thing that I found "cute" about D/L references with Mac is that Danny said "bambino" I LOVE it! El Italiano
     
  13. celtess

    celtess Rookie

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    the best episode forever
    I love Gary for the lasts scene
    I think of my grandfather who is a resistant
    This episode is so fabulous
    I don't have a words for decribes this
    It's just amazing
    THX for the productor, they don't forgent the last word'swar
     
  14. Yumi696

    Yumi696 Rookie

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    La Guera, you said it absolutely perfectly. It was like you read my mind or something. I really liked this episode overall, especially with the sensitive subject, and it made me cry buckets, but I wish that Adam, Sid, Don, and Hawkes could get more character development as opposed to it always being Mac and Stella. And I did like the fact that we gained some more insight to Sheldon's character, but I wish it was a continuous process and not just a one-off. But overall heart-wrenching and amazing.
     
  15. Catu

    Catu Police Officer

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    A+
    I was in tears at the end!
    Emotions were all over this episode, Danny hitting the guys face, Sheldon and his uncle`s death and Mac, the last scene was so touching!! Great epi!:)
     

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