Danny & The Blue Flu

[meeyka]

I agree entirely!! I was literally waiting for Mac to go to Danny's apartment,bust down the door like some deranged kung-fu master,and go ballistic on him!!

Is it too late to write this scene in somewhere? :thumbsup::guffaw:

how about the beginning of the next episode? :lol::lol:

 

[ladyhunter]

and it's hard to believe to Mac "The integrity of the lab is paramount" Taylor wouldn't have a problem with that. He's always prided himself on the team's dedication to justice, and in this case, a team member thwarted that justice to bolster his ego. Mac should have lost his mind. But he didn't because the writers were bound and determined to make it all about poor, victimized Danny Messer.

This I totally agree with. I'm a die-hard Mac fan and even this storyline was beyond believable.

The problem I had with Danny calling in with the 'blue-flu' is that he doesen't seem that way. Sure, Danny is unpredictable and sometimes volitile. I watched an episode with him and Aiden and Danny kept pushing at a suspect while Aiden told him to stop. He said he was reacting to the evidence and she said. "no, you're just reacting."
So, he's impulsive, but Danny isn't the type to let a criminal walk or anything else happen in the lab. He is constantly proving himself to Mac (especially what someone said about Mac telling Danny that he was advised not to hire Danny).

So, why would Danny 'all of a sudden' find the need to stand up for what's right while Lindsey and the others didn't? I guess they had to have someone have the 'blue flu' to make keep the storyline going, but Danny shouldn't have been the one. Of all the people, FLACK would have been a better choice since he was a uniform cop and isn't part of the lab.

 

[Poppet]

The whole thing about the case being thrown out of court because Danny was there, was a ridiculous story line with the sole purpose of making Danny look bad. There is no way a solid case would be thrown out of court because the CSI was unable to attend. Depsite what the writers of CSI would like people to believe, forensic evidence which requires an expert to explain on the stand is almost never used as the pivotal part of the prosecutions case. It is there as a corroborative tool. Juries are very unlikely to convict someone on technical evidence they don't fully understand themselves, as they can't be sure beyond reasonable doubt. I think TPTB, with their conservative ways, just put that in to sway people to the 'side' of those that turned up for work.

As for the pay lag - it's one thing to say work now and you'll get paid at a later date, but I don't know of any mortgage lenders who have such flexible repayment scheme. If you don't pay on time you risk losing your home, as they guy who attacked the major said. People under the threat of eviction tend not to concentrate too well on the jobs, and when those people carry guns that can be dangerous.

I would have like to know how Flack felt about the whole situation, I know we saw him turn up for work but I don't think that really told us anything. It would have been a much more interesting episode if it have been flack-centric.

 

[Curiosity]

I voted , "No." Based on what we were shown in the CSI world, I think Danny was wrong in what he did and also how he did it.

Leaving his co-workers in the middle of a crime scene and then sitting at home while they (including the mother of his child) had to take on extra work made him seem self-centered and selfish. I guess if he had at least offered to help Stella and Hawkes process the scene before going home with the "flu," he might've come off looking a bit more sympathetic. But no, he just walked off the job, which was disrespectful to both his colleagues and the victim(s) of the crime that had just been committed.

And the weak speech he later gave Stella didn't help his cause -- it sounded like he was parroting someone else's words and that his actions had more to do with pride than principle.

I also blame the weak writing in part for Danny's poor showing. I don't think the writers did a good job of presenting the circumstances surrounding the pay lag and showing the full impact on the officers, so it was harder to simply assume that they were justified in taking the blue flu action at this time.

Although neither option is desirable in these tough economic times, I think there is a difference between not getting paid at all and in having part of one's pay deferred for a week or so. The one detective said that he was in danger of losing his home, but with the state of the housing economy, there could've been several factors impacting his mortgage and ability to pay.

I just think the writers could've done a better job of presenting the "sick" officers' POV and possibly that might've made Danny's actions a bit more understandable and sympathetic.

Does that seem out of character to anyone else? I mean, I could see Mac supporting it in theory, but when it affects the outcome of a case--like Danny's absence did with the court case--I just don't see him having much sympathy.

Yes, Mac's words of "support" did seem out of character to me.

Mac is a former Marine....Of all the team, he should understand the concept of duty, responsibility, and sacrifice in service of others, even when that service is sometimes not acknowledged or appreciated. (And lest he forget, he has a scar to remind him of it everyday.) So no, I don't believe he would condone the actions of Danny and others who called in sick, especially if it led to more innocent people being vicitimized or justice deferred.

That said, Pod!Mac has made a few appearances already this season, so it's not surprising to see him show up in the same episode in which we learn Danny comes from a family of cops.

 

[Ceindreadh]

I'm pretty sure when Mac was talking to Dunbrook he mentioned that he supported the cops that didn't come in for work - something about standing behind their convictions if I recall correctly.

Yes, but Danny didn't not show up. He showed up and left, and then no-showed a court appearance. The criminal walked because of it, and it's hard to believe to Mac "The integrity of the lab is paramount" Taylor wouldn't have a problem with that. He's always prided himself on the team's dedication to justice, and in this case, a team member thwarted that justice to bolster his ego. Mac should have lost his mind. But he didn't because the writers were bound and determined to make it all about poor, victimized Danny Messer.

I agree entirely!! I was literally waiting for Mac to go to Danny's apartment,bust down the door like some deranged kung-fu master,and go ballistic on him!!

And of course, it's not just that one case. If I were Mac, I'd be thinking about the next time Danny sits up in a courtroom giving evidence and the Defence attourney starts questioning him about his honesty - because of course, the jury is going to have to believe that he's telling the evidence honestly - and Danny gets asked if he really did have the flu or if he lied about it to his boss.
I know that calling in sick when you're not isn't exactly on par with lying under oath, but defence lawyers will take any opportunity to make the prosecution witnesses look bad, and this is handing an opportunity to them on a plate.

As for the pay lag - it's one thing to say work now and you'll get paid at a later date, but I don't know of any mortgage lenders who have such flexible repayment scheme. If you don't pay on time you risk losing your home, as they guy who attacked the major said. People under the threat of eviction tend not to concentrate too well on the jobs, and when those people carry guns that can be dangerous.

But they are getting their basic pay on time, right? The overtime/bonuses etc that's being delayed, that's all extras.
So basically their normal salary was going to be on the same delay it would have been since they'd started, so they don't have the right to complain about that.
Now if their normal pay was suddenly hitting a longer lag, then they'd be entitled to stop working, if for no other reason that that original lag would have been part of their contract and if the City breaks the contract with the workers, then the workers aren't obliged to adhere to its terms either.

 

[~Sarah~]

As for the pay lag - it's one thing to say work now and you'll get paid at a later date, but I don't know of any mortgage lenders who have such flexible repayment scheme. If you don't pay on time you risk losing your home, as they guy who attacked the major said. People under the threat of eviction tend not to concentrate too well on the jobs, and when those people carry guns that can be dangerous.

But they are getting their basic pay on time, right? The overtime/bonuses etc that's being delayed, that's all extras.
So basically their normal salary was going to be on the same delay it would have been since they'd started, so they don't have the right to complain about that.
Now if their normal pay was suddenly hitting a longer lag, then they'd be entitled to stop working, if for no other reason that that original lag would have been part of their contract and if the City breaks the contract with the workers, then the workers aren't obliged to adhere to its terms either.

I don't think they are getting their money on time. I think the issue was the NYPD was not getting paid when they were supposed to - and they didn't know when they would receive their money (Gillain said "at a later date" but there was never any set date - which I think was really an issue, they didn't know when they would be getting paid). At least that's the impression I got from watching this episode.

 

[calleighspeedle]

I voted no. Danny shouldn't have left his co-workers in the lurch like that, I mean afer months of evidence and the case finally gets to court and it's thrown out of the window because Danny didn't testify and leaving it up to Hawkes. I can't blame Stella for being pissed about it.

 

[Poppet]

As for the pay lag - it's one thing to say work now and you'll get paid at a later date, but I don't know of any mortgage lenders who have such flexible repayment scheme. If you don't pay on time you risk losing your home, as they guy who attacked the major said. People under the threat of eviction tend not to concentrate too well on the jobs, and when those people carry guns that can be dangerous.

But they are getting their basic pay on time, right? The overtime/bonuses etc that's being delayed, that's all extras.
So basically their normal salary was going to be on the same delay it would have been since they'd started, so they don't have the right to complain about that.
Now if their normal pay was suddenly hitting a longer lag, then they'd be entitled to stop working, if for no other reason that that original lag would have been part of their contract and if the City breaks the contract with the workers, then the workers aren't obliged to adhere to its terms either.

It was never stated in the episode whether the pay lag was applied only to overtime or if it included a percentage of the normal wage - the term pay lag can mean either situation, so we don't know for sure. There is a company in my area at the moment which is paying it's workers 80% of their wage on their normal pay day and the other 20% 2 weeks later. Since the guy said he would risk losing his house, I got the impression the pay lag included a percentage of their normal wage aswell.

 

[Robin]

I have mixed feelings. I think Danny was a big jerk for walking away from a crime scene. I can understand not wanting to work for free.

 

[SaraBeth18]

Well, in a way I can see how it was wrong to just walk out but danny stood up for what he believed in. With the baby coming I can understand why danny and lindsey would need the money but I just dont know about it.

 

[kinkapoodles]

While I want to support Danny or any officer who chooses to do that, what really gets me is Danny saying he comes from a family of cops. Since when???? I can hardly see a son who is a father of a cop ever getting involved with the Tanglewood boys, much less be one like Louie. I don't see how the TBs would have trusted him at all. Danny told Mac they were the younger generation mob. I just wonder if there's another reason they brought it up OR if they're just continuing their path of turning Danny into Carmine.

I can also see Stella POV about being old school and working anyway. That makes me understand why Flack worked that day because he's very old school and we KNOW he comes from a long line of cops so he was probably taught you protect the people of nyc at all costs.

With that said, I picked Maybe...I have mixed feelings.

 

[Sagemint]

I have a somewhat mixed opinion about it. (But mostly I agree with Hawkes)

I thought it was inconsiderate that he did just show up to the crime scene, then left with a phone call. As someone said eariler it would have been better to process the scene, then leave. But if I were in Danny's shoes I would ignore the call and go right to work "blue flu" or not.

I'm not the type of person who would get involved in the "stand" as a Police Officer would be doing with just a phone call. It seems just like "if your not with us, your against us" type of thing and I find it controlling, based on past expericences I've had. But that's just me.

Sure it's good to stand up for your rights, but in most cases you have to think about the people who are getting hurt in the way of you standing up for that right.Most people don't think about it, and most are torn which I think Danny was but followed up with the "blue flu" boycotting. (If I offend anyone calling it that I appologize)

 

[Yumi696]

It was so out-of-character for Danny to do that. I don't know what the writers were thinking.

I have mixed feelings too. I don't think he should've left, but I also don't think it's fair that they have to work for free. Hmmm... I don't know. It was a really weird episode.

 

[miss_blue]

The only flu that was there was the one that got into the writer that thought of that line. And for the countless other people who helped that atrocity making to the final cut.

Weird behavior is weird. And also out of character. Miles away. Maybe we should start a thread "Bring back Danny Messer".

 

[Yumi696]

Yess! With the whole Lindsay fiasco, the blue flu, etc. etc. his character is starting to look so obviously out-of-character it's ridiculous.