Character Development/Screentime Discussion

[Desertwind]

Hopefully he'll leave CSI in a body bag... or even better, a Riley-exit "yes, he's gone"

A body bag, that's harsh, and comparing him to Riley, that's a far stretch, she never bonded with the team, he has since the beginning. I like his character and everything that he's presented since the onset, I hope I'm way off, and he stays till the "fat lady sings". And I hope Sara, Nick, Greg, and all the rest of the CSI, and team [and the lab rats too] stay until that happens~

 

[Sinclair]

Hopefully he'll leave CSI in a body bag... or even better, a Riley-exit "yes, he's gone"

A body bag, that's harsh, and comparing him to Riley, that's a far stretch, she never bonded with the team, he has since the beginning. I like his character and everything that he's presented since the onset, I hope I'm way off, and he stays till the "fat lady sings". And I hope Sara, Nick, Greg, and all the rest of the CSI, and team [and the lab rats too] stay until that happens~

I'm always amazed and confused when you say that Riley didn't bond with the team. I felt she did and was a great addition to CSI, it's a shame they got rid of a strong female character yet again.

Grissom excepted her, Doc and Riley had a funny first meeting; same for super dave. Greg also seemed to get more screentime with Riley around and watching 'Let it Bleed' showed a neat sense of humour. I also thought her and Ray were like the newbies that were sticking together whilst they found their feet.

 

[Desertwind]

Well as the saying goes, to each his own, fans see different things, I saw zero bonding between her and the team she was [the character], snippy, smug, and took to many chances, without asking first [should I do this or not] as a newbie. And she's the only one that ever got in Rays face and on his case, and he was a gentleman and walked away, without any confrontation. And she couldnt stand Catherine, gave her a bad exit interview, which stunned Cath. I did enjoy the ep. where the kid held them hostage, but she to me always seemed to work on her own and a to beat with a different drummer. Like she was the only one there. My take on her character. And bottom line, they let her go, didn't they?

 

[DJRideout]

I believe the only reason why Riley got in Rays face was due to the fact that he stepped out of line and was reckless himself as well. Sure coming to the aid of an injured person, as a doctor, was good of him, but police procedure is police procedure. Secure the scene then assist. He stepped right in her line of fire while the victim STILL held a gun in his own hand. Who knows what could have happened.

I also recall that the character of Riley came in as a CSI level 2 before Ray was even a part of the team. But as for her departure? My take from the scene where Catherine found out about what was said....was the fact that Riley left....and not let go.

But I do agree that everyone has their own opinions and views of all the characters. And thats what makes all these discussions interesting

 

[Desertwind]

I believe the only reason why Riley got in Rays face was due to the fact that he stepped out of line and was reckless himself as well. Sure coming to the aid of an injured person, as a doctor, was good of him, but police procedure is police procedure. Secure the scene then assist. He stepped right in her line of fire while the victim STILL held a gun in his own hand. Who knows what could have happened.

This is again, due to intrepretation. I thought she was out of line, it was his call, and the guy was wounded hardly a threat, when he jumped in that hole/crevice, but he coulda have been, so it was I guess it was reckless on his part. I was just stunned at the time, the way she shouted at Ray. If this were reversed, would he have yelled at her?

 

[Robinjn]

I also recall that the character of Riley came in as a CSI level 2 before Ray was even a part of the team. But as for her departure? My take from the scene where Catherine found out about what was said....was the fact that Riley left....and not let go.

The character Riley may have left, but it was because TPTB let actress Lauren Lee Smith go. I think that may have been what Desertwind was saying.

 

[DJRideout]

well like the saying goes..."When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" Had it been anything other then a suspect that they, the LVPD, were chasing, or a completely different scenario altogether, then yes....it would probably of been his call...as a trained doctor. But it wasn't. And personally speaking, I don't think that that particular scene should have been interpenetrated any other way. But again, to each their own, and that is totally cool.....but if you think about it, wouldn't you, if you were a member of any police force, wouldn't you like to have the scene cleared and safe of any harm before proceeding to tend to an injured suspect? I sure as heck would. And as a newbie, if you broke department protocol, and stepped out of line, then yes, you would be reprimanded for your actions.

And as the more experienced member of the team, Riley had the call. If it was reversed? If Ray didn't yell at her, then he should have. I'd consider that poor leadership skills as the experienced CSI, if he didn't.

But at the end of the day, it's just a television program bending the rules just enough to give us the best drama, angst, action...whatever possible.

Robinjn, yeah I am aware that it was most likely tptb that let the actress go, but I was just going by what DW had posted....referring to the characters.

 

[Desertwind]

Tough call DJ, I'm not sure what I'd do, but she was new herself, I just thought at the time she was out of line regardless, she could have gone "Ray, what are you doing" but she was bossing him around, [which he ignored] he's stepped out of line in "Dr. Who", going behind their backs to keep investigating Jekyll, and Cath sent him home like a naughty child, he gets angry like they all do at times. And he ran amok, ripping the photos off his walls, and Nick came over to calm him down, which he did. Then Greg and Sara brought hin food.. Impulsiveness is hard to control sometimes. Here's a link as to why Lauren left~

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/07/lauren-lee-smith-leaves-csi.html

 

[vegaslights]

I believe the only reason why Riley got in Rays face was due to the fact that he stepped out of line and was reckless himself as well. Sure coming to the aid of an injured person, as a doctor, was good of him, but police procedure is police procedure. Secure the scene then assist. He stepped right in her line of fire while the victim STILL held a gun in his own hand. Who knows what could have happened.

This is again, due to intrepretation. I thought she was out of line, it was his call, and the guy was wounded hardly a threat, when he jumped in that hole/crevice, but he coulda have been, so it was I guess it was reckless on his part. I was just stunned at the time, the way she shouted at Ray. If this were reversed, would he have yelled at her?

Riley was out of line? :wtf: Riley was a CSI 2, and since Ray was a CSI 1 at the time, she was perfectly in line to make that call. It was in everyone's best interest to wait until the scene was secured. She was looking out for her teammate.

Zap2It:
"When we brought in the character of Riley, it got lost in the shuffle a little bit because we had lost Warrick, we had lost Sara, and then in the middle of last season Grissom finally left," Shankar tells TV Guide. "I think, as a result, the character never quite found its footing in terms of the rest of the gang."

So in a way I guess you can blame her departure on Langston, right? So much time was spent on a character that no one really has any investment in, thus pushing Riley into the background. Which really is a shame. The Nick/Greg/Riley pairing reminded me a lot of the earlier days between Warrick, Nick, and Sara. And I don't really appreciate the way they wrote out her character. It all seemed very... tacked on, I suppose.

 

[Desertwind]

What I found annoying about this character [and I'd never heard of this actress] is that Nick and Greg were so genuine and real towards her but what I observed is she seemed to smirk and talk down to them as if she were better than they were. I realize the writers give the characters the dialogue, but it didn't work with her, and them. Ray however immediatley bonded with all of them and they with him. Not my opinion, but a fact in "Family Affair" [Nick::"You aren't required to wear a tie:rommie:] and has progressed successfully, them all growing closer to him as the episodes have continued, & as the writers have shown the fans, they all just clicked. And on Nick, Warrick and Sara they all clicked as well, and truly loved each other, and no comparisions with them and Riley to me. Who I liked was Ronnie, she was enthusiastic, bubbly, so into the cases and was good with everyone. Also Mia, very professional and right on target. Also got along with all the team~

 

[Ladybronco]

So in a way I guess you can blame her departure on Langston, right? So much time was spent on a character that no one really has any investment in, thus pushing Riley into the background. Which really is a shame. The Nick/Greg/Riley pairing reminded me a lot of the earlier days between Warrick, Nick, and Sara. And I don't really appreciate the way they wrote out her character. It all seemed very... tacked on, I suppose.

Tacked on, that's exactly the way I feel. It seemed like when the writers wrote the first ep of S10, they knew they had to address her leaving, as well as leave a means open for Sara coming back, so they made up the poor exit interview as a reason. I never felt like Riley had a problem with Cath during S9, it was just a means to stir up the team and explain her leaving, rather than the way Ronnie just vanished with no mention, lol. As a character, I never had a problem with Riley, and I thought she had some fun scenes with every body.

 

[Desertwind]

But Riley left in S/8, Ray [LF] didn't arrive on the scene till S/9, in ep. 9 or 10, so I don't think one had to do with the other. And who ever heard of Lauren Lee Smith anyway, no offense intended. I guess fans had heard of her in Canada, but not the majority. I was more stunned when Liz Vassey was let go, that was a shocker. What real explanation was given for her departure? the real reason

 

[sharp52092]

What I found annoying about this character [and I'd never heard of this actress] is that Nick and Greg were so genuine and real towards her but what I observed is she seemed to smirk and talk down to them as if she were better than they were. I realize the writers give the characters the dialogue, but it didn't work with her, and them. Ray however immediatley bonded with all of them and they with him. Not my opinion, but a fact in "Family Affair" [Nick::"You aren't required to wear a tie:rommie:] and has progressed successfully, them all growing closer to him as the episodes have continued, & as the writers have shown the fans, they all just clicked. And on Nick, Warrick and Sara they all clicked as well, and truly loved each other, and no comparisions with them and Riley to me. Who I liked was Ronnie, she was enthusiastic, bubbly, so into the cases and was good with everyone. Also Mia, very professional and right on target. Also got along with all the team~

How did she talk them down? :wtf: And so what if you've never heard of an actor/actress there's a million of them out there, how many of them did you know when you started watching CSI or when they joined CSI

And the tie comment was in The Grave Shift and referenced in The Two Mrs Grissoms

But Riley left in S/8, Ray [LF] didn't arrive on the scene till S/9, in ep. 9 or 10, so I don't think one had to do with the other. And who ever heard of Lauren Lee Smith anyway, no offense intended. I guess fans had heard of her in Canada, but not the majority. I was more stunned when Liz Vassey was let go, that was a shocker. What real explanation was given for her departure? the real reason

Now Ronnie was last scene in season 8 in Goodbye and Goodluck, Riley was last scene in All In, left off screen between All In and Family Affair, I'm guessing during that time was when she and Catherine were butting heads

Liz yeah it was a shocker, dumb move too CBS, Wendy got an offer to become a CSI in Seattle like she was wanting, and Liz was let go due to Sheen wanting more money, the economy, and any other unknown reasons

 

[vegaslights]

But Riley left in S/8, Ray [LF] didn't arrive on the scene till S/9, in ep. 9 or 10, so I don't think one had to do with the other. And who ever heard of Lauren Lee Smith anyway, no offense intended. I guess fans had heard of her in Canada, but not the majority. I was more stunned when Liz Vassey was let go, that was a shocker. What real explanation was given for her departure? the real reason

Sara left in season 8, not Riley. Riley was in all but 2 episodes during season 9, and did not return for season 10.

 

[Ladybronco]

No, Riley started in the 3rd ep of Season 9, and she and Ray overlapped from Ep 9 on. Season 8 was entirely with Warrick. I do feel that it was Ray's character that pushed Riley into the background, once he arrived, they were too invested in his character to care about her much. I don't mind Ray, but I do hate the way that the other leading actors were shoved in the background to make way for him. There's no way that Nick, Cath and Eric should have had that much decreased screen time, nor been made to look like Ray knew more as a CSI 1 or 2, than any of them as a level 3 CSI. I bow to his medical knowledge, but not his crime scene skills. That said, I've come to enjoy him more in S11, as long as they work as a team, and not as Ray-centric episodes all of the time. The Cross Over eps of S10 were highly imbalanced. I was only a CSI NY watcher when they first aired (and I did watch all 3), but as as non CSI watcher, I would have assumed that Ray was the only character on the show. When I watched the eps again this year, after having become an original CSI fan, the only ep I had an interest in was the Vegas wrap-up, and only so I could see Nick, lol.

P.S. Sorry Vegaslights, I didn't see your post when I was typing my novel :lol: