Eh, I won't assume it's Angell 2.0 until we see more of the character. It would be nice if she came in and wasn't a love interest, just because that's so obvious, but I won't be the slightest bit surprised if she and Flack have chemistry (at the very least) - and tbh, it would be good for Flack to flirt a bit and maybe move on. I loved Angell (still love her), but if this is the show's last season (or even if it's not), it would be nice to see a bit more personal stuff woven in for all of the characters.
IDK about budget cuts, but it might have to do with how large her part is and whatnot - plus, Angell had been around for a while. Maybe the amount an actor is paid depends on how long they've been on the show? I have no idea how any of that works, so ignore me. :lol:
(Although if money is an issue, I'd rather see 20 episodes this season with just the core cast and without as many bells and whistles, rather than 18 episodes with more actors and fancy effects and whatnot.)
Re: Lindsay's injury, my first thought was that it might be one more thing to make her and Danny talk about leaving the city to raise Lucy - although if they stay in the same line of work, they'll be in danger whether they live in NYC or the middle of nowhere. (Or perhaps one or both of them will consider a change of career? IDK IDK, we'll see.)