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Slight Newbie here. Question. Are there any close female relationships in any of the CSI shows? Like "my best girlfriend is also my coworker" relationships? Because I keep seeing people all over the fandom being all about the fact that Lindsay and Stella aren't all that close, and I'm just shrugging here. They certainly get along a lot better than I remember Sara and Catherine getting along (who, half the time, barely seemed able to tolerate each other even on the job), and while I'm not exactly a regular viewer of CSI Miami, I don't recall ever seeing Calleigh with any female friends at all. She got along with Alexx, and maybe that tawny-haired girl (sorry, I just know that her actor's first name is Eva), but not on a personal level. It's something weird I've noticed in all three shows. Especially when you consider the great guy relationships we get, like Warrick-Nick, Flack-Danny, etc. Not exactly unique to CSI:NY.I think Stella and Lindsay have had some decent scenes together but don't seem especially close. I wonder if MK and AB struggle a bit with their scenes because they’re not exactly sure what the relationship between them is supposed to be – close friends, big sis/little sis, mentor, etc.
Personal opinion speaking, but I think Lindsay and Stella already provide a fairly effective girl-power dynamic. I have gotten from my scanning of this board that this isn't exactly a popular opinion here, but I also have to say that I've only been CSI-NY-internet board-hopping since mid-February. Which means I can't sum up the number of differing opinions I've seen on all those boards, and thus a lot of my working knowledge is going from consistencies I've seen on the show -- and assumptions I'm making from those consistencies. I'm assuming that the writers wouldn't keep coming back to a dynamic that just didn't work, and Lindsay and Stella have been the sole CSIs on enough cases that there can't be much of a problem with their dynamic.So what role can Lindsay actually play in this team, especially among the women? Stella is the maternal goddess type….She’s experienced, tough, and attractive, can hold her own with the guys, and even gets to be the nurturer when needed. And if the new CSI is anything close to her description, she will be smart, spunky, curious and attractive. (Maybe she’ll even be able to team up with Stella occasionally to create that girl power dynamic.) I’m not sure how well Lindsay will fit into this picture.
The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw "new female CSI" was Sofia Curtis, who was inserted as a new character without anyone having to die or disappear in terms of screentime. She was a recurring character, even if she didn't show up in every episode. I'm half-laughing, half-cringing at the horror the poor actress who ends up having to carry off the personality of this new CSI will go through. The role is one that, imo, first went to Lindsay Monroe (and Belknap tried to carry off); say what you like about Belknap's acting, but character-wise she wasn't given a very good deal to begin with. She did well in the beginning, (IMHO, I still think Lindsay Monroe is all of those things), but the moment the writer's try to give said Mary-Sue an actual storyline, things will inevitably go awry. The character will start to grate. People have to understand that the thing about spunky, curious, attractive, endearing characters is that the other characters on the show will also find them spunky and endearing et al, will become fond of them, and will feel compelled to let things (like, say, bad behaviour or left-out evidence) slide that they would slap down on other characters for. Sound familiar?Yes, I don’t really think they’ll kill one of the regulars – at least not right away, but it’s possible they will use season six to introduce the new character (and see how she does) while somehow phasing out one of the regulars. In Lindsay’s case the stay at home solution is an option, but off the top of my head, I can’t really think of a show that’s done something like that. Characters who are married/engaged/involved do occasionally leave shows but seems like there’s usually a break-up, separation, divorce, or death involved so that the show and characters can move on.
I personally think this is what gives Lindsay the human touch separate from the Mary-Sue, which is what made me like her better. At the very least, it made her more reminiscent of other CSI characters, who seem to get that either character quirks or traumatic past events don't just shake your game once before never bothering you at work again. I'm not saying that I like it when Lindsay screws up -- it grates, and it doesn't make her an excellent CSI. But I like knowing that she does screw up, if that makes sense.I guess if it was just once, it would be one thing. Stella messed up in "Open and Shut." Danny was a brat in "The Dove Commission." But with Lindsay, it happened over and over again--if she wasn't shirking/messing up her job like in "All Access," "Oedipus Hex" and "Silent Night," she was bitching about not getting to the cool stuff, like in "Manhattan Manhunt."
Lindsay could decide after the shoot out, that having two people from a family in a risky job is a bad idea. Or she could be injured and unable to work. Doing it either way, rather than going down the emotionaly cliched route of killing her off, would leave the door open for guest shots.
...The other thing is that the last spunky, curious, etc, character we had was Angell. I hated her from the get-go, and I don't feel that I was alone or even in the minority with this. I mean, they brought recurring characters Adam and Sid into the main cast, even though comparatively, Angell wasn't that far behind them in joining the recurring cast. And she gets booted off? Because of budget cuts - which, if this new character story is true, starts looking like a really flimsy excuse? I can't help but feel that if the fan response to her was as positive as it must have been for Adam (and Sid, though he may simply have been necessary), she would have become a series regular regardless of budget.
Well I am wondering if maybe EV or her agent decided it was time to get her added to the main cast with an associated bump in salary and said "do it or I'll walk" and TPTB decided with budget cuts they couldn't afford that, but they could afford a newer, less experienced i.e. cheaper actress and so they wrote out Angell.
Didn't the 'budget cut' story come from EV or her reps? It sounds to me like a tactful way to explain things.
I don’t watch the other CSI’s on a regular basis so can’t really speak to how they handle the female relationships. I have noticed a similar trend in a few other shows with male-dominated casts – seems like the female to female relationships (especially between leading and supporting characters) sometimes get short-changed for whatever reason.Slight Newbie here. Question. Are there any close female relationships in any of the CSI shows? Like "my best girlfriend is also my coworker" relationships? Because I keep seeing people all over the fandom being all about the fact that Lindsay and Stella aren't all that close, and I'm just shrugging here.
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I think they have had some decent scenes together – some of the ones that come to mind from this season are their lab scenes in the doll episode and their work together in “Rush to Judgment.” So I wouldn’t say there is a problem with their dynamic when it comes to working together. That said, I can’t think of many scenes between them (work-related or otherwise) over the last few seasons that stand out as powerful and that make me really look forward to seeing them onscreen together. I don’t get that girl-power vibe from seeing them together, but as you indicated, it’s a matter of personal opinion, and I can understand that you might see it differently.Personal opinion speaking, but I think Lindsay and Stella already provide a fairly effective girl-power dynamic. I have gotten from my scanning of this board that this isn't exactly a popular opinion here, but I also have to say that I've only been CSI-NY-internet board-hopping since mid-February. Which means I can't sum up the number of differing opinions I've seen on all those boards, and thus a lot of my working knowledge is going from consistencies I've seen on the show -- and assumptions I'm making from those consistencies. I'm assuming that the writers wouldn't keep coming back to a dynamic that just didn't work, and Lindsay and Stella have been the sole CSIs on enough cases that there can't be much of a problem with their dynamic.
With the Diakos case, I think Angell was also involved because she is a detective, and it would be more believable to have her helping Stella in an undercover operation. I can’t really see the Lindsay of the last few seasons in that role even if AB hadn’t been pregnant. And I did think Stella and Angell were quite effective together and had a good dynamic onscreen.This begs the question of why it was Angell who then worked with Stella on her Diakos Moby-Dick case, but it's kind of obvious. They may have written the pregnancy into the storyline this time, but Lindsay as a character tends to disappear into the woodwork regardless whenever Anna Belknap is pregnant.
I agree that those types of characters can grate at times, but I think some fans (and I am usually one of them) can live with them if they are believable and actually contribute something unique and interesting to the team. Then it makes sense that the other team members might like them or cut them some slack as well. I think one of the main problems with Lindsay is that regardless of how she started, she is not really that same spunky/ attractive/endearing character any longer, so seeing the others indulge her and let things slide seems too contrived and artificial.People have to understand that the thing about spunky, curious, attractive, endearing characters is that the other characters on the show will also find them spunky and endearing et al, will become fond of them, and will feel compelled to let things (like, say, bad behaviour or left-out evidence) slide that they would slap down on other characters for. Sound familiar?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens re: the new character’s status to better understand the budget issues. Personally, I think one thing that may've hurt Angell’s status is her role as a detective….Longerr term, TPIC may simply feel they cannot sustain two regular detectives in the cast. I agree it will look (and feel) bad if they simply cut Angell and bring in a new character, but I will be surprised if that’s all that happens. Like others have mentioned, I’m sort of expecting someone else to leave or drastically cut back appearances, and in that case, there could be some sort of cost savings. Guess the picture will be clearer by July, which is not that much longer.…, Angell wasn't that far behind them in joining the recurring cast. And she gets booted off? Because of budget cuts - which, if this new character story is true, starts looking like a really flimsy excuse? I can't help but feel that if the fan response to her was as positive as it must have been for Adam (and Sid, though he may simply have been necessary), she would have become a series regular regardless of budget.
I agree that would be interesting and give Lindsay a shorter term development arc , which could add some depth and give her something different to work with.The scenario of Lindsay deciding to step back would fit with the previous spoilers about someone's life being changed, as well as the change to the line-up. It's actually a good opportunity for some continuity and for them to dig a little deeper into Lindsay's character, drawing parallels between Angell getting shot in the diner, the gunman shooting at them in the bar, and Lindsay's past. They probably won't go there but it'd be interesting to see.
CSI Las Vegas had nine regulars at one point. But in my experience, it's hard if not impossible to make any one character seem awesome and likeable to everyone -- even harder if they're there to basically replace a character that viewers are at least used to, if not fond of. New characters are held to a ridiculously high standard, another reason I don't think the addition of this one is a good idea.That would be 9 regulars. The only way i'm totally accepting this is if someone is offed in the cliffhanger. The other option, is that they better make this an awesome character, likeable character.
This is going to tie into something else I want to say, but I agree that Lindsay doesn't have a close emotional connection to anyone other than Danny on the team. It's one of the defining things I see in her character. I was a fan of the original CSI for a while before I liked CSINY, so I tend to link Lindsay to Sara Sidle (who likewise had no emotional ties to anyone other than Grissom on the team -- and at least D/L seems healthier than that connection). This "no friends" thing sometimes seems to come across as a shock to a lot, but to me it's little more than a re-used character flaw.It’s more as a missed opportunity for the characters, especially Lindsay who could benefit from additional personal connections, imo. As indicated in another thread, one of the problems I see with Lindsay is that she really doesn’t seem to have a close emotional connection to anyone else on the team except Danny. Yes, she commiserates about what happens to others but usually isn’t the one to offer any direct support or comfort . Considering all the stuff that’s happened to Stella, e.g., there have been several opportunities for Lindsay to show support for Stella, which might’ve helped establish a bond between the two and also softened Lindsay as a character. But, nothing like that really happened between the two, and when the writers put them in personal moments now, it sometimes come across a bit awkwardly.
True, I didn't consider this. Lindsay's not great with undercover, and while I wasn't a fan of hers, I did like the way Angell was able to effortlessly play off of Kolovos.With the Diakos case, I think Angell was also involved because she is a detective, and it would be more believable to have her helping Stella in an undercover operation. I can’t really see the Lindsay of the last few seasons in that role even if AB hadn’t been pregnant.
But you have to admit that some fans -- quite a LOT of fans, actually -- don't think so. Quite a lot of fans still see Lindsay as that spunky/attractive/endearing character, and thus don't think it's that surprising to see the other characters indulge her. I'd wager a lot that a huge chunk of those fans are still the same ones who were able to live with Lindsay from the beginning because they see her as believable, and certainly contributing something unique to the team (well, I do, anyway).I agree that those types of characters can grate at times, but I think some fans (and I am usually one of them) can live with them if they are believable and actually contribute something unique and interesting to the team. Then it makes sense that the other team members might like them or cut them some slack as well. I think one of the main problems with Lindsay is that regardless of how she started, she is not really that same spunky/ attractive/endearing character any longer, so seeing the others indulge her and let things slide seems too contrived and artificial.
Sorry, I know I took this quote out of context, but I do have to bring up a pattern I've noticed. I don't quite agree that Lindsay's role has changed from lab-oriented to action-oriented, but I do think it fluctuates. More specifically, I think it fluctuates from action-oriented when Anna Belknap isn't pregnant, to lab-oriented when she is, which is a little frustrating, to say the least. But she was certainly action-oriented enough in Season 4 and 2, not so much in S3 and 5.Over time, she and her role have changed, though, and she seems to have become more lab-oriented and less action-oriented.
I'm actually open to the idea of a new CSI, but not with this supposed budget cut crap that apparently makes them kill a recurring character but can still hire a new regular. That would be 9 regulars. The only way i'm totally accepting this is if someone is offed in the cliffhanger. The other option, is that they better make this an awesome and, likeable character.
You know, when I first read the spoiler about a character "dying and forever changing the NY family", I thought it was the producers listening to the fans and killing Lindsay to make Danny go bananas :lol: Because we surely asked for it repeatidly on the forums! I could totally like a Danny struggling with the loss of his wife and being a single father. It would give Carmine more material to work with than what he had for S5. But I don't know... two persons grieving the loss of a lover simultaneously... seems that it won't be Anna leaving the show. But like you mentionned, Lindsay is part-time so they will need back up.And with all this Anna/Lindsay stuff, I do know that she has a lot of fans and all but I just don't like how Anna delivers her lines or portrays her character. The character is not good to begin with, but Anna doesn't help matters either. I'm sure she's a lovely person, but as an actress, she's just not very good IMO. I hope Lindsay does decide to sort of "quit" i guess, she's already part time as mentioned in Grounds For Deception. So they're going to need more help either way.