Episode 9x08 - ' Happy Birthday' **CONTAINS SPOILERS**

[hiphugger17]

I just have to say that rogue cop Horatio is way over the top and it should just stop. He's been threatening suspects, throwing them out windows and now this . Geez... I know it's a TV show and it's entertainment but it's also police brutality and it's getting quite old.

I think this is the first episode of the season I've been really invested in. I've been kind of bored honestly. But this was different, it wasn't a murder, and it kept me wondering how all these people were connected. I especially liked Calleigh with the mom and the baby. Those scenes were very sweet.

 

[Ninja0980]

Have to agree with several others here about Horatio. If nothing else, these guys/gals are going to be facing charges that could put them away for life. I highly doubt that they're not going to mention that they were thrown through a window or threatned with death in an effort to save their own skin.

 

[nsynckal]

Hey I need help.. This is related to this thread.. I just wrote a long reply about my thoughts on the episode and this box came up over a smiley face and I clicked on it and then the whoole thing was gone. Does anybody kno what happened? I'm still fairly new to posting. Is there anyway to retrieve what I wrote? Somebody please helo???

What kind of box was it? I mean was it like an ad banner or just a blank box?

It was a white box that had handles like you could adjust the size.. Like in the paint application on most computers. I dunno. It didn't direct me away from the page but my whole post was gone.

I'll prolly just have to rewrite it, which sucks, but I had to go to work and didn't have time to rewrite it then so I just thought I'd see if anybody knew what happened and/or could help me. O man.. I had the everything I wanted to say perfectly written out.. O well I'll just have to rewrite it.

If you know what that box is please let me know.. and an FYI to everyone else.. if it pops up.. DON'T CLICK ON IT! lol

 

[nsynckal]

Hey I need help.. This is related to this thread.. I just wrote a long reply about my thoughts on the episode and this box came up over a smiley face and I clicked on it and then the whoole thing was gone. Does anybody kno what happened? I'm still fairly new to posting. Is there anyway to retrieve what I wrote? Somebody please helo???

What kind of box was it? I mean was it like an ad banner or just a blank box?

That's weird. It does sort of sound like a take-over ad or some glitch.

I do know that if you right-click and choose 'undo', some things might return but if you were directed away from the page, it's likely that you'll have to re-write your post. I find that it's always good to copy what you've written so far, especially if it's long and paste it into a word document until you've finished your post in case things like this happen.

I wasn't directed away but I had to leave for work so I didn't really have time to try and retrieve it.. I kept the link to the actual page I was on and didn't delete anything from my history so now that I have time maybe I can retrieve it. If not I'll just have to re-write it which sucks! I just thought I might get lucky and somebody would know WTF happened. I will def take your advice about copying and pasting in the future. Thanks!

 

[Carolyn318]

Hey I need help.. This is related to this thread.. I just wrote a long reply about my thoughts on the episode and this box came up over a smiley face and I clicked on it and then the whoole thing was gone. Does anybody kno what happened? I'm still fairly new to posting. Is there anyway to retrieve what I wrote? Somebody please helo???

One of the virtues of copy and paste. I always move the cursor to either the start or end of my post. Then I press and hold down the left click button then scroll over everything in my post. Then when I've got everything in my post highlighted, I let go of the left click button and move the cursor to the middle of the post then click and release the right click button. When the menu comes up I right click copy and PRESTO...I have a copy of my post. In fact, that's what I'm gonna do when I finish this post before I post it.

Now about this episode. I loved it even if the last 5 minutes did make me cry. Just one thing: Did anyone get that prayer Calleigh said wrote down word for word? I would love to have a copy of it.
If I rated this episode the way we do in the CSI: NY section of Talk CSI, I would give it an A+. :bolian::thumbsup:<---means 2 thumbs up.

 

[nsynckal]

Ok so I wrote my thoughts on this episode earlier today... There was a lot but it was exactly what I wanted to say and then something happened and it was gone. So because it's been driving me crazy all day and I really want to share my thoughts.. here it goes or what I remember of it anyway.. hopefully...

-I can't recall many (if any) times when H called Eric brother. But I suppose since it was Marisol's birthday and Eric technically is his brother in law, it was appropriate. I liked that all he said was that he had to say hi and he knew that Eric would know what he meant. And you could hear the emotion in his voice. Nice to see H's emotions for something that affects him. He is always the advocate for the victims but rarely shows that things affect him.

-Loved the scene with Walter and Natalia walking into the middle of the street. ( Although like someone else said, I wish it would have been Ryan instead.) But them both yelling at the guy honking was funny.

-Poor Frank! The first thing I thought was OMG Frank not another car! And him saying "I just washed this damn thing." :guffaw: Soo funny. I love Frank and we def need more of him this season!

-More of Eric running!!! :drool: And him knocking that guy out in the club! So hot! :drool::drool::drool: LOL
-But predictably here comes H, hiding behind the bar, to save the day. I agree with someone else who said and I know I've said it before that it's getting kinda old watching Eric and/or Ryan chasing these guys down and H pops outta nowhere, ready to shoot, and stopping them in their tracks. But I guess if that's what we have to deal with to see them running it's not so bad. Just getting kinda old. But H is always the hero so it's not a big surprise.

-I think Eric is acting out and showing a lot more aggression this season. I know he's always been emotional and shown his emotions but I feel like it's gone to a whole new level. Maybe the whole E/C mess, , has something to do with it. Plus with it being Marisol's birthday, I'm sure it was worse. Especially considering Memmo is still on the run.

-And obviously we have seen a whole new H this season, which is what I read anyway. But I agree with someone else who said that maybe it goes a little too far sometimes and that he def wouldn't be getting away with as much if Stetler was still around. I never did like Stetler but H being as aggressive as he is being is not really realistic.

-I loved the Ryan/Walter scene. They crack me up together. And Walter saying "Delko layed that guy out!" HA! Yea he did. LOL I can't help but show my love and appreciation for Eric/Adam.

-I loved the scene with Calleigh at Heather's bedside. It was sooo great to see more of Emily, and obviously having her sit at the bedside made it possible. I also love that we got to see a softer side of Calleigh. And the prayer was soooo sweet!

-Ryan on the phone! That was so funny! :guffaw:Him explaining that it's his job to ask the questions. LOL And I also love Eric and Ryan scenes. You can def tell that they have gotten better but there is still this underlying tension from back when Ryan was new. But I think they work well together.. I love the playful jabs and general way they are with each other. It's like they are on the same page but just don't wanna admit it. Does that make sense to anyone?

-Another great scene... Eric and H double teaming (lol I don't know what else to call it) that guy. Angry Eric is soooo hot! :drool:
-And when H remembered the knife... DAMN they were tearing that evidence up! LOL And then when Eric matched the tool marks and just said: "Son of a bitch." OMG.. you know I'm gonna say it... HOT! LOL

-I was so sad when they figured out it was the husband. Although I kinda had a feeling about him, the reason why was just disgusting!

-And Calleigh praying while Heather was in surgery. And it was kinda like she was praying for the husband and his son and the other two guys cuz it showed them while she was praying. I liked the prayer being a voiceover.

-And Calleigh holding the baby was soo sweet! I think it would have been a good, kind of tribute, to Calleigh, because of it being the 200th epi and a way to give her something important when she hasn't been seen as much, although for a good reason, if Heather would have named the baby Calleigh. Maybe I'm just a sap but Calleigh was with her the whole time and reasurred her and even her "best friend" wasn't there and was being a bitch on top of that!

-I think H's scene at the end at Marisol's grave was fitting. Although I never really bought their relationship, mainly because it happened so fast and I don't feel like we got enough info to fully believe in it, she was his wife and one of his best friend's sisters. Also the flashback was really cute. Adam looked so young! And it made me miss the longer hair even more, I'm glad he's growing it back out. And him talking to her and saying happy birthday just kinda brought it together. It makes sense to me that they would have something so important to H be a big part of such a monumental episode. And it tied in the title... Marisol's birthday, the baby being born (happy and healthy) and it being CSI Miami's "birthday."

-My favorite scence by farn though was Eric at the church. I love Eric/Adam so much but it's more than that. I feel like once H and Marisol got together, Eric's relationship with her wasn't as important. I mean obviously his relationship with her was deep. He took care of her and sacrificed so much for her...almost losing his job! But, once again, here comes H and all of a sudden he's taking care of her and it's like Eric didn't matter anymore. I mean obviously he did but it was different. And then after she died whenever they've had anything about her on the show, from going to Rio up to Memmo escaping, they've always focused more on H's feelings than Eric's. But I loved the church scene because obviously that was Eric's way of paying his respects to her and remembering her. I mean we've heard, several times, that he's Catholic but never really seen it (besides him not touching the little coffin). But this really showed that and that was obviously his personal way of connecting with Marisol. I seriously lost a few tears at that and then a few more watching all of the ending scenes.

-Overall I think it was a great episode, better than most we've had recently, and did the show justice, esp being that it was such an important episode, 200 baby!!! LOL I feel like everyone had a good amount of screen time, although I would have liked to have seen more Ryan than Walter and def more Frank!

So that's what I think. LOL Maybe nobody cares but I love talking about CSI Miami with other fans and really wanted to share my thoughts, esp after my previous attempt to do so got deleted and that bugged me all day. I'm sure I forgot something that I probably wrote before but eh.. I think I wrote enough. LOL :lol:

 

[Desertwind]

This was a poigant heartwrenching episode. Thw whole thing from beginning to end. So the snake dad/husband was the culprit. How horrible. He didn't want the baby Natalia, [boy is she drop dead gorgeous and that figure] kicked a.. and Calleigh so sweet with the prayer. Horatio was so right on with that slime-ball, and [the many pieces if you don't tell]:wtf: and the poigant ending with the prayer and Eric at his moms graveside, and Horatio at his wife's Good episode for sure~

 

[MiamiWolfe]

Another very watchable episode. I didn't see the twist coming.

Random Thoughts:

--Natalia's back!!:thumbsup:

--Although there wasn't enough Ryan, he looked smokin' in that tight tee:drool: and I enjoyed every scene he was in.

--"I just washed this damned thing" I love Frank!!:lol::lol:

--This is the Calleigh I love: kind and compassionate, and she looked so natural holding the baby.

--Nice to see Eric and Ryan working together without attitude.

--There was a lot of action. And another chase scene. There seems more body slams and smackdowns this year than before, to me anyway.

--I wouldn't have guessed it was the hubby and the unborn child would have been the reason. A little lame. I have never been married so correct me if I am wrong:

1. Wouldn't they have discussed the whole kid thing BEFORE they got married, especially since Chapman was so opposed?!

2. Why not just try and prevent the pregnancy? Smacks of shutting the barn down after the horse was stolen.

--More Dark Horatio. He seems almost burned out and fed up especially after everything he's seen and have dealt with.

Not too bad of an eppie overall.

 

[Country233]

I will preface this response by saying my feelings on society are unorthodox and it has nearly gotten kicked off over at the NY board. But this Miami episode had many levels and showed many ills of society. All of the people were pretty evil except the victim but this show makes me see the reasoning behind their actions even though it was wrong.

While I would never condone the best friend’s part in the woman’s attack, women seem to like to brag when they are pregnant and it does get old. Same goes with engaged or other happy people. Unless you are really close to someone, your pregnancy, engagement, or wedding is nothing special. But people want to brag about it all the time.

The son I could see his problem with the dad and stepmom. Sure the dad was down-right evil but being the first batch kids and then getting a baby sibling. Sure the stepmom wasn't totally wrong for wanting an older man, but the extra kids are baggage.

I believe people are naturally evil and this show pretty much went with that. I figured the husband did it.

I personally do not think I will ever trust a man enough to marry because I believe he will kill me. And I would definitely not have kids to be stuck with after the husband gets tired of being married. This episode pretty much had all my fears shown

 

[CSI_Natalia]

I'm torn on this one.... the review posted on the main page pretty much took most of the words out of my mouth.

I am afraid of the direction the show is going in...Especially at the cost of the (little) character development we were getting.

While the prayer Calleigh said was nice, I thought it seemed a little random, and forced. -- I also thought Natalia could have had a more sentimental role in this episode, it kind of makes no sense for her character to not have had a deeper reaction to an abuse case...

I loved the scene at the end, but again, it seemed kind of random. I am glad that CSI Miami is at least remembering its history and in doing so, making the characters' lives a little more realistic... but with little mention of Marisol in previous episodes/seasons since her death, I would have liked a little more build up to make sense out of this episode culminating with Horatio at Marisol's grave.... I would also really like more nod to the tight sibling relationship Delko (supposedly) had with Marisol. ... It worries me that this scene was just a segue for TPTB to jump into the chase of Memmo Fierro... I just feel like this whole storyline is going to end up going nowhere...it will conclude and then be dropped once again.... It feels like we're just going around in circles and being jerked around by TPTB...

as many of you have said , it seems like horatio is losing it... I wonder if TPTB are angling his character this way...or is it just the opposite? Do they think they have him portrayed as a super-hero?.... From my point of view, it's as if they're heading towards Horatio becoming too worse-for-wear from the job, and almost like they might replace him at the end of the season.... I doubt that's what's going on, but if it were any other show, that's how I'd see it...

 

[Delynn]

Another very watchable episode. I didn't see the twist coming.

Random Thoughts:

--Natalia's back!!:thumbsup:

--Although there wasn't enough Ryan, he looked smokin' in that tight tee:drool: and I enjoyed every scene he was in.

--"I just washed this damned thing" I love Frank!!:lol::lol:

--This is the Calleigh I love: kind and compassionate, and she looked so natural holding the baby.

--Nice to see Eric and Ryan working together without attitude.

--There was a lot of action. And another chase scene. There seems more body slams and smackdowns this year than before, to me anyway.

--I wouldn't have guessed it was the hubby and the unborn child would have been the reason. A little lame. I have never been married so correct me if I am wrong:

1. Wouldn't they have discussed the whole kid thing BEFORE they got married, especially since Chapman was so opposed?!

2. Why not just try and prevent the pregnancy? Smacks of shutting the barn down after the horse was stolen.

--More Dark Horatio. He seems almost burned out and fed up especially after everything he's seen and have dealt with.

Not too bad of an eppie overall.

Love your thoughts and agree with most of them (especially involving Natalia; Frank and his car :lol:; and how Ryan looked!)

Still not a big fan of Delko and Ryan's interaction. Too much abuse handed out by Delko over the past couple of years for me to ever believe that he placed any real value on Ryan.

While the actor who played the husband did an excellent job, the idea was a little lame. Not to have discussed something that important before marriage and then to go to such extremes after the fact, is a little far-fetched.

As far as Horatio's darkness, it's not fun to return to that and I'm not sure of the purpose. I was just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with him and now they're pulling him back down.

His actions with the parole officer didn't really bother me, but they seem to be moving him into an area that, as they have touched on in the recent past, that is the exact opposite of everything his character stood for in the beginning. I know that a lot has happened since we were first introduced to Horatio, but IMO that is the true test of a hero - how he retains his ability to function with all the adversity he's been forced to endure.

And I'm sorry, but if Horatio's going to be held to the fire for violence, then Delko is right there with him. Delko broke the guy's collar bone to begin with. Walter finding it cool was a little distasteful to me. And I didn't find Ryan's reaction to be jealous at all - as some have felt. To me Ryan simply looked unimpressed.

 

[MiamiWolfe]

Love your thoughts and agree with most of them (especially involving Natalia; Frank and his car :lol:; and how Ryan looked!)

Still not a big fan of Delko and Ryan's interaction. Too much abuse handed out by Delko over the past couple of years for me to ever believe that he placed any real value on Ryan.

I agree with this; I don't believe that Ryan and Eric will ever be anything other than coworkers, but seeing them inteact without Eric's snapping at everything Ryan says or does refreshing.

While the actor who played the husband did an excellent job, the idea was a little lame. Not to have discussed something that important before marriage and then to go to such extremes after the fact, is a little far-fetched.

My point exactly!! Whether or not to have children is such an important decision and with the husband so opposed to it, I find it a little hard to believe he wouldn't have said SOMETHING to the new wife

As far as Horatio's darkness, it's not fun to return to that and I'm not sure of the purpose. I was just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with him and now they're pulling him back down.

His actions with the parole officer didn't really bother me, but they seem to be moving him into an area that, as they have touched on in the recent past, that is the exact opposite of everything his character stood for in the beginning. I know that a lot has happened since we were first introduced to Horatio, but IMO that is the true test of a hero - how he retains his ability to function with all the adversity he's been forced to endure.

While it seems to get DC a chance to stretch as an actor, IMHO it isn't doing anything for his character. I can see him becoming angry at a situation, and even though he is a human being, as a law officer he should hold himself to a higher standard. It is almost as if he is becoming what he hates, and that is not the Horatio I like. Just my opinion *shugs*

And I'm sorry, but if Horatio's going to be held to the fire for violence, then Delko is right there with him. Delko broke the guy's collar bone to begin with. Walter finding it cool was a little distasteful to me. And I didn't find Ryan's reaction to be jealous at all - as some have felt. To me Ryan simply looked unimpressed.

I concur.

 

[Delquesne]

Hello all,

I haven't visited this section of the board for a few months (since there are much friendlier places to be for Eric/Calleigh fans like myself), but I thought I'd pop in and share my thoughts on the momentous 200th episode of CSIM. I really enjoyed "Happy Birthday" ... lots of action, etc. But the best parts were the emotionally-revealing scenes. I loved the scenes with Calleigh and the pregnant victim ... and to see Calleigh holding the baby at the end was just beautiful. Great irony -- considering that Emily's pregnant in real life, and the guest actress playing the expectant mother most likely was not. I also thought the end scenes with Eric and Horatio paying tribute to Marisol's passing were very touching and well done.:thumbsup:

On the downside, although "Happy Birthday" was one of the better episodes so far this season, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a "love letter to our audience" like O'Brien did in the recent TV Guide article. Any episode celebrating CSIM's history that doesn't contain a single E/C moment, is an incomplete episode, IMO.:shifty: To many E/C fans and even some casual viewers of CSIM, the evolution of Eric & Calleigh's relationship and eventual romance are such a major element of the show, that completely omitting any reference to E/C (even their friendship) during the 200th episode of CSIM was a major miss, in my view. Maybe this episode was a "love letter" to some fans, but not to many others for the reason I just stated.

I just have to say that rogue cop Horatio is way over the top and it should just stop. He's been threatening suspects, throwing them out windows and now this . Geez... I know it's a TV show and it's entertainment but it's also police brutality and it's getting quite old.

I completely agree with Nativity17 and CSI_Natalia on this point. That scene of Horatio, Natalia and the suspect in the backseat of the Hummer made me very uncomfortable, and not in a good way. I guess the writers were trying to "humanize" Horatio by showing that he's not always perfect all the time. But I think they took it too far, and it seemed somewhat out-of-character. Although I do agree with the concept of making Horatio less like a super-hero and more "real," I can't see the character so suddenly doing a 180-degree switch and becoming a semi-dirty cop who tortures suspects without regard for the law. It's one thing if a fleeing or combative suspect is injured in the course of being apprehended. (Pretty much all apprehended perpetrators complain about dislocated shoulders, bruised ribs, etc., etc. ... especially the ones who were resisting arrest and/or assaulting/shooting at police). But it's quite another thing to brutalize a suspect who's already in custody and restrained (e.g., in handcuffs), just to get info out of him. I saw that as a major character misstep on the writers' part

, which didn't do justice to the Horatio that the audience has come to know and love.

 

[hiphugger17]

Delquense
It's one thing if a fleeing or combative suspect is injured in the course of being apprehended. (Pretty much all apprehended perpetrators complain about dislocated shoulders, bruised ribs, etc., etc. ... especially the ones who were resisting arrest and/or assaulting/shooting at police). But it's quite another thing to brutalize a suspect who's already in custody and restrained (e.g., in handcuffs), just to get info out of him. I saw that as a major character misstep on the writers' part

, which didn't do justice to the Horatio that the audience has come to know and love.

Yep I agree 100%. It's one thing to harm a suspect in the heat of a pursuit and quite another to inflict harm when he is already in custody, by locking yourself in the car with him so nobody sees you. Eric may be no saint and gets on suspects faces and all that but this specific situation I think it's not comparable to what Horatio did.

 

[Country233]

Delquense
It's one thing if a fleeing or combative suspect is injured in the course of being apprehended. (Pretty much all apprehended perpetrators complain about dislocated shoulders, bruised ribs, etc., etc. ... especially the ones who were resisting arrest and/or assaulting/shooting at police). But it's quite another thing to brutalize a suspect who's already in custody and restrained (e.g., in handcuffs), just to get info out of him. I saw that as a major character misstep on the writers' part

, which didn't do justice to the Horatio that the audience has come to know and love.

Yep I agree 100%. It's one thing to harm a suspect in the heat of a pursuit and quite another to inflict harm when he is already in custody, by locking yourself in the car with him so nobody sees you. Eric may be no saint and gets on suspects faces and all that but this specific situation I think it's not comparable to what Horatio did.

Yeah Horatio's actions were too much but I think that pretty often. He isn't my fav on the show