Grade 'Child's Play'

[dutch_treat]

PerfectAnomaly said:
I think Danny has some responsibility for not keeping a closer eye on Ruben and making him his first priority while Ruben was in his care. I also feel the parents of Sam and the friend hold some responsibility as well. I know the episode didn't bring that into play at all, but while watching the flashbacks my first instinct was to say, "Where were the parents while these two kids, one of whom can't swim, were out trying to use a cardboard submarine?"

I agree about the parents not preventing those kids from playing with their submarine, but on the other hand you cannot watch them 24/7 and kids can come up with the most ingenious ways to do something they know their parents wouldn't let them; I know - I have great and very responsible parents but there have been quite a lot of times when I came home soaked and muddy because while playing with my friends I ended up in some ditch.

I disagree about Danny. Unfortunately there's very little you can do to keep a kid safe from a flying bullet. I'll elaborate on opinion about that in the "Was Danny responsible"-thread.

I don't agree that she went after him, unless you're talking about showing up at the morgue in the first place.

No, I meant after Mac gave his advice. Maybe it was just because I wanted her to talk to Danny, but I kinda assumed that she went to talk to him since she headed off in the same direction as he did.

mandy9578 said:
What the heck was wrong with Lindsay? I mean, doesn't she have a sensitive bone in her body? I guess not, since Danny didn't even run to her for comfort. And like what most of you have previously mentioned, it's like she wasn't even affected at all. It would have been nice to see her confiding in Flack and Stella what had happened with Ruben but alas we didn't even see that one. It would have made her character more sympathetic.

Well she did admit that she is not great with emotional stuff; so I guess that is what is 'wrong' with her.

But I feel like there was a bit of strange editing in this episode too. Or maybe there's also something 'wrong' with Flack and Stella Because I think that both Flack and Stella must have known about Danny's situation and yet there they are together with Lindsay laughing about childhood memories.

Could've been that all three were laughing and joking to keep themselves from thinking about Danny, but that's strechting it...

- Eye tatoows!?!?! Errr, sounds painful to me!

Txs (not!) for reminding me Natty. I had blocked out that part of the ep...I hate the combination of pointy things and eyeballs - they show that way too often.

 

[CSI808]

A+

When Danny cries, I cry. He did such an excellent job in this episode.

I, like some, was afraid that the comic part would take away from Danny/Carmine, but it didn't.

I really enjoyed and laughed at the interaction with Flack and Lindsay talking about Larry and how Stella was at such a loss... such a mom to the kids And the only thing she could contribute were the sea monkeys... :lol:

Question... the conversation between Lindsay and Mac over Danny... does this mean Mac knows!? Because to me, he made it sound like he did.

Overall, one of the best episodes I've seen this season.

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

dutch_treat said:

PerfectAnomaly said:
I think Danny has some responsibility for not keeping a closer eye on Ruben and making him his first priority while Ruben was in his care. I also feel the parents of Sam and the friend hold some responsibility as well. I know the episode didn't bring that into play at all, but while watching the flashbacks my first instinct was to say, "Where were the parents while these two kids, one of whom can't swim, were out trying to use a cardboard submarine?"

I agree about the parents not preventing those kids from playing with their submarine, but on the other hand you cannot watch them 24/7 and kids can come up with the most ingenious ways to do something they know their parents wouldn't let them; I know - I have great and very responsible parents but there have been quite a lot of times when I came home soaked and muddy because while playing with my friends I ended up in some ditch.

You're right, kids are gonna find a way to get into trouble. The kids in the flashback were not old enough to be going anywhere without adult supervision, though, IMO. So the parents would be responsible for not knowing where their kids are and what they're doing.

I disagree about Danny. Unfortunately there's very little you can do to keep a kid safe from a flying bullet. I'll elaborate on opinion about that in the "Was Danny responsible"-thread.

Danny could've kept Ruben from taking off on his bike after Ruben just said his mom didn't allow him to ride alone. Had he done that, Ruben probably wouldn't have been shot at all as Danny was a ways behind him when the shot was fired.

dutch_treat said:

PerfectAnomaly said:
I don't agree that she went after him, unless you're talking about showing up at the morgue in the first place.

No, I meant after Mac gave his advice. Maybe it was just because I wanted her to talk to Danny, but I kinda assumed that she went to talk to him since she headed off in the same direction as he did.

Regardless of going or not going in the same direction as Danny, there were no other scenes with Danny and Lindsay together. If TPTB want to do a flashback scene in a future episode, then great; but if it's not shown on screen it didn't happen.

 

[Lorelai]

A+

Just finished watching it, so hope I’ll make some sense:


At first I thought that having a light funny case on this episode was not a good idea, but now I think it was good to balance the tragedy.

Bottom line : Carmine & Eddie stole the show! Again.

Oh, and Jacqueline Pinol, you are fantastic!


- Ruben is adorable
- Danny, you so forgot about the kid's bike But it was adorable of you to pretend you didn’t . They look so sweet together!
- Anthony Tavera (Ruben) is amazing! ( He acts like a total pro. Talent – you got it, or you don’t! ) I love him. Don’t you just wanna hug him?
- Only a cute little thing like Ruben could actually get away with waking Danny up at 7 am.
- Awww ! So sweet the moment between Rikki & Danny. They seem so close and comfortable. The way she said morning by waving her hand at him. Coffee? This 3 looked so pretty and happy. Kinda like a family! Again : Awww!
- The pretty image we get only makes the things that follow even more tragic..
- The bad moment! God, there where just a chain of bad moments. Kid not keeping close, the damn phone call (who had to freaking call him at 9 am?), Danny answering, kid out of sight, Danny worried about the car and boom! Danny sees Ruben, thinks he is OK, sends him home…

- Sid with an itch? Priceless!
- LMAO at Flack showing the cuffs to that guy!
- Sid, u are hilarious! Love ya!
- Danny still happy : “this astio… thing…”
- The scene where Danny sees Ruben dead… Wow! In 3 seconds going from smiling to shock! And the way his voice broke. Poor babe, is heartbreaking seeing him trying to grasp what happened. He saw him running his bike home…
- Danny talked to Mac… it was useless, but we all know how Danny feels about Mac.
- But he won’t talk to Lindsay. Apparently Danny learned something from SD. Run from Lindsay, or forget about your pain cause u gotta comfort her instead!
- Dear Lindsay, if you are not good at this (or anything else for that matter) just stay out of it! Thank you!
- Danny won’t comfort her, so she turns to Mac! Mac, of all the people! LOL SHE is not good at this.
- Dear Danny, you should apologize to your true love for the way you’re pain is affecting her! [/sarcasm]
- Danny hesitated before knocking at the door. How do you tell a mother her son is dead?
- The scene between Rikky and Danny in the hallway: Now that’s what I wanna see! Perfect! Just perfect! The hope of seeing scenes like this keep me watching this show! THANK YOU! It was beautiful!
- Hmmm Next scene. I’ll excuse Stella & Flack. They probably don’t know about Danny. Actually I’m sure they don’t, cause Stella is such a mother hen to Danny, and Flack .. well, he’s Flack, there’s nothing he won’t do for Danny. If they knew, they would not be so lighthearted and making jokes. But Lindsay? WTF? Unbelievable!

Yeah, she really feels for Danny. Just wrong and out of place. Anna’s acting was ok though.
- “innocent young eyes” ? Yeah right, Flack!
- What?? Flack in a private school? With nuns and all that! Hmmm…
- The shirt and evil Flack tie are being attacked! ZOMG! Flack is *not* amused! LOL
- U talk funny Flack : “shtick u in lock up” LOL
- Hey ! Dude. No one can be prettier than Flack!
- Super!Flack! Love him! Girls get out! Me gotta catch the bad guy first!
- Errrrr….. When Stella, Flack and Lindsay got to that warehouse the sun was shining bright! 2 minutes later, Flack is chasing the guy on the roof and it’s pitch black dark outside! Time sure flies when you’re fighting crime, huh?
- DUDE! Flack can FLY! LOL
- Stop, drop and roll, you sonofab*tch!
- Adam trying to tell Sid he’s wrong, without telling him he’s wrong… Adorable, much?
- Adam to Hawkes: “places that you and I go…” LOLZ (happy Fay?)
- Dear blond actress who’s character shot Ruben, Go back to acting school! Thanks!
- I kinda feel bad for Benjamin.
- The scene in the church was again, fantastic. Both Danny and Nikky saying so much without one word! Watching Danny is heartbreaking! He’s there for her, sharing her pain! He gets it! Even if she blames him! He blames himself more! He didn’t even dare to touch her or gave her a hug! I think he doesn’t think he’s worthy of that! Even the fact that he didn’t sit next to her, but behind one row!
- This is how hitting the bottom looks like… The guilt of making a stupid mistake and knowing you can never make it better, a wasted life and a broken heart of two people you care about.
- Talking to Mac didn’t help him. I think it made things worst.
- Bottom line: Danny was alone in this: Flack and Stella not knowing, Hawkes pushed in the background, Mac & Lindsay just better off… He got no comfort. That’s sad, because Danny is always there for everyone, even the strangers he meets on the case he’s working.

Overall this episode was great! I hope we’ll see some continuity!
Now, off to read you guys!

 

[nattybatty55]

Question... the conversation between Lindsay and Mac over Danny... does this mean Mac knows!? Because to me, he made it sound like he did.

In my opinion I think he does. Maybe he has not been told but has guessed- I'm not sure. But I think he does

 

[leftnotrace]

• favorite part of this episode? "danananananana BATFLACK! BATFLACK!" because honestly, the running and the leaping and the "stop, drop and roll, you sonnovabitch" was pretty amazing.

• sid + iching powder is somehow comedic genius. why haven't we ever doused an ME in iching powder before?

• wow, doc hawkes...i wish you'd get that physical with me, too, but i have no problem watching you manhandle danny.

• i agree with the others about this: rikki, rueben and danny really did have a comfortable and touching element, and it only added to this very emotional episode

• laughing larry gave me a HUGE creeper vibe.

• adam ( whom i adore more than any other character ) was spot-on once again. i like the quiet way he took over the bodega case, and the scene with sid was just precious -- adam is the kind of guy that appreciates book-learning, and he is always so respectful to hawkes, sid and mac -- which is a great contrast to his banter with danny. would love to see him and flack have a scene one day. let's have the tech visit the field again, that's always fun. "but guys, this is YOUR job, remember?!"

• lindsay's reaction to danny's obvious need was unfortunate -- who IS good at that sort of thing? it doesn't matter if you're the world's best shoulder to cry on or not, i thought these two were the manifestation of true love, isn't that what zuiker said? so what's the deal with this? you have a hot night on the pooltable and then what, it's over? but i've never liked the pair, so i guess i'm biased.

• one more time: BATFLACK! :devil: and BatFlack's wonderful jeans. :devil:

• i felt bad for the guy who lost his best friend, wife, and son all because of laughing larry's tricks, but wow -- that one was a little left-field until he explained it. still, i thought the scene with the guy in the interrogation room was quite powerful, and i liked stella's reactions.

• hawkes: completely unconcerned with hospital-guy's pain. that's how you know he really was a doctor. :lol:

• adam: PLEASE WEAR THAT SHIRT MORE OFTEN, KTHXBAI.

• i loved the ending scene. carmine handled that with a very light, very gentle touch, and danny's reaction was almost painful to watch. it was awesome.

• i used to love mac. now sometimes i can't hardly stand him. how did we get from hard-working, tough-but-fair, lonely bossman to completely self-righteous, rules-don't-apply-to-me, inter-office dating, emotionally-stunted tyrant? okay, so that's not entirely fair, and gary sinise is doing an amazing job with the character ( i have loved him since my early youth, i swear ), but mac's motivations are no longer very clear to me.

• THANK YOU LORD, derek is of the dearly-departed. stella, hunny, you can do SO MUCH BETTER. ( ...i nominate batflack? )

• tptb: please please please please please USE HILL HARPER MORE. plllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeee! i thought he really could have been the one that danny could have turned to, and their scene in the morgue was so good, even if it was just hawkes hauling danny out of there...PLEASE! he deserves it. just like aj buckley and robert joy deserve spots in the shortened opening credits.

 

[MarineGirl#1]

OMG, I can't / refuse to believe you all had the chance to see it. I envy yuu all. But I got my hands on it, althought I wouldn't be able to see it until tomorrow. You guys, you made me o so curious :devil:

 

[nattybatty55]

Get on it Jools! :lol:

 

[audrina]

dutch_treat said:

PerfectAnomaly said:

But I feel like there was a bit of strange editing in this episode too. Or maybe there's also something 'wrong' with Flack and Stella Because I think that both Flack and Stella must have known about Danny's situation and yet there they are together with Lindsay laughing about childhood memories.

Now see, I thought the same thing. Maybe the order of scenes were jumbled? If not, I blame writers ... they should have been joking so much in the wake of Danny's grief ... ALL of them. Good point about Flack and Stella.

As for Lindsay, I still think she was showing she cared. I can think of times I knew someone I cared about had soemthing awful happen to them, and I worried how to approach it, mainly because I didn't want to make things worse. I personally believe that she would have followed him, and that we don't see everything these characters do. But, if she didn't, she may have realized Danny needed some space, needed to focus on what happened to Ruben and solving the crime to bring his mother and himself some closure.

 

[Lorelai]

Since I was kinda hard on Mac on my review, I wanna emphasize on a little something character = / = actor. Yeah, should be obvious, but I've read things (not necessarily here)that freaked me out.

*puts on the Captain Obvious hat*

The way I feel about a character does not affect the way i feel about the actor. And the way I feel about an actor does not affect the way i feel about the character.

Example:

Mac/Gary. Not so fond of Mac lately. I don't like him as much as I used to before, but Gary is amazing! I love Gary as an actor, and I think that this show is really, really lucky to have him. It just wouldn't be the same without him!

Stella/Melina. Love both. Not related. Period.

Lindsay/Anna. Lindsay is the worst character to ever make it on a prime time show. Anna just happens to be a bad actress 90% of the time. She's decent the rest. Would I like Lindsay if Anna were a great actress? Nope, but it might be easier to watch. Would I like Anna is Lindsay were a wonderful character? No, I would probably think it's a waste. Period.


* takes off the Captain Obvious hat* :lol:

• i loved the ending scene. carmine handled that with a very light, very gentle touch, and danny's reaction was almost painful to watch. it was awesome.

He was there for her. Without touching her, without having to say anything! Just there. Not in your face but with you. And I loved how he still went to her, knowing she might blame him, or hate him, or scream at him and ask him to leave. Once again Danny proves his loyalty!

Anyway, at the end I thought it was very sad that Danny had lost Ruben and also looked to have lost Rikki as a friend, and I really wonder how much she blames him and if she can forgive? This should play heavily on Danny's mind and his guilt at what happened deserves to be fully explored in the next few weeks. I'll be very disappointed if this storyline isn't played out to it's full potential.

God, I hope they won't drop this storyline like they dropped Louie's.

 

[Kam]

First off, I shouldn't've watched this at this certain time of month. I'm not one to usually cry at shows or what not, but it never fails when its that time and then it's a kid who's dead.

So I sniffled like crazy, thank god for the comic relief with the itching powder or I'd've been a goner and've missed most of the episode due to crying.

Unfortunatly during a rewatch since I knew the ending I wasn't so lucky because both cases emphasized the other. The relief is slaughtered via knowing why.




I'm actually in the boat where I don't blame Danny for his actions. He had no idea what was going on, whether there was another gun man or not. Just shots fired and this kid he's supposed to protect in the middle of it. I think he just wanted him out of the danger zone. That he wanted the kid away from the crime scene.

That would be my first instinct anyways with my baby brother.



Also, hello Flack. Nice to know you don't care too much about being blown up in a firework warehouse.


And for some odd reason I really wanted to start crying when I found out fireworks are illegal in New York state. I understand the reason... but I was still stuck on Rueben's death and that started a mini aw fest.


I really liked the episode, and I really liked how Carmine acted.

One thing that got to me was when Danny went to go tell Ricki that her son was dead. I don't know what it was but at the beginning of the scene I was entirely way to annoyed at Danny.


One last thing, when Hawkes is questioning Danny about what happened I instantly thought back to 'On the Job' and wanted to pat him. He kept his head on straight this time. Good boy.

 

[Dawni]

I have to give it an A... although i am going to rewatch and give betetr review on it as few things. But after a good night out with friends watching this didn't sink in as easily... need fresh eyes.

But...

Danny and the first scene...he looked amazing specially with not much sleep.

The mac/lindsay scene i liked cos at least she is honest i know some feel its always about her self centred, but truthfully i'd be like her if that happened i thought it was nice because she obviiously didn't know details but still wanted to offer soem comfort.

and Flack was great... never fails to make me smile.

will add more when i rewatch and can take it in.

 

[Clytia]

A-

Great episode! Everyone had good screen time!

Enjoy Carmine, Eddie and Anna's acting in that episode!!!

I liked that Flack/Lindsay/Stella case best. The banter between them is priceless.
Laughing Larry case keeps me intrigued and the ending ...The talk through the interrogation window was so heartfelt, Laughing Larry's face when he realized ....I really loved that scene...

- I liked Flack and Lindsay’s conversation about Laughing Larry as kids, it was great!

- Lindsay/Stella/Sid scene in the morgue... lol
- Sid itchy from the powder...lol

- I liked Sid and Adam's scene.

- I really love Lindsay and Stella’s interactions.

- Anna/Lindsay scenes were a lot better than what she's had lately.

- The Mac and Lindsay scene was perfect, seemed so real, heartfelt, not too much...and fit the characters as well.

- Flack's Panic at the Disco line...huh lol

Not really care about the other case; I was just looking forward to seeing Danny's story. Maybe the fact I know the spoilers...

Carmine was really great in this episode!

I don't know exactly why, but I feel like I would have buy more Danny's story in CP, if there had been more development. I don't know why, there were so great potentials in this story...And I feel like there were missing parts, or more things to do, maybe...
I loved Danny and Ruben's interaction, but I feel that Danny would have act like this with any other child...There were things implied that Danny and Ruben (and the mother) were close, but I would love to see more of those things, things that made Ruben different from any other kids.
...But still, Carmine's acting was really great, he did well with what they gave him...And the acting of the kid and the mother were great too!
I saw more things about Danny blaming himself, than Danny being sad because of the loss of someone he cared about. Anyway, I feel it was well in this way. After all, IMO, Danny is the one responsible!
Danny was the adult there, the one who was supposed to be taking care of a ten old boy! Plus, he's a cop; he knows how things can turn wrong in a second...
It was a series of unfortunate events. Yes, but he was a bit responsible! Even so, I don't thing he must be blaming for that...
But he should be blame for what's happen after that! He should have checked to see if Ruben did get home right, or call his mother and ask for him...
Yeah, right then, Ruben seemed ok. But Ruben was on his responsibility, he should have been 'sure' he was ok...and not just figure he was. He let Ruben alone. That's for me, what Danny did really wrong.

I loved the last scene between Danny and Rikki, tell so much without any word...

 

[Leftyguitar]

^good point about Danny doing mouch better trying to kkep it together than On the Job.

Also, I loved the whole BatFlack thing!
I remember thinking that Flack was making methink of Batman in Kevlar! :lol:

I'm just glad that I wasn't the only one thinking that.

I just wish that I knew it got so dark all of a sudden.

ANd while I'm here. Danny/Carmine was great! This is one the best episodes of the season.

On a side note, they should use itching powder more often.

 

[Kimmychu]

leftnotrace said:
lindsay's reaction to danny's obvious need was unfortunate -- who IS good at that sort of thing?

Since we are specifically talking about Danny here, there is someone who has proven repeatedly to be Danny's support and pillar of strength through the man's worst times on the show.

Flack. (Trust me, I'm not saying this only because I'm a shipper. )

Just look up On the Job and Run Silent Run Deep. In OtJ, everyone was suspecting he'd killed a fellow cop during a shootout that he was somewhat responsible for instigating, and Flack was pretty much the only person who was there to listen to Danny and console the guy and even let Danny vent his frustrations on him. And in RSRD, Danny's brother was beaten nearly to death ... that's right up there with Ruben dying, probably higher up because it's his brother. And Flack was there for him too, and Danny definitely didn't push Flack away. In fact, Danny's expression and nod at him said volumes about Flack being there in his time of need.

Anyways, I'm just saying all that because I don't quite agree with the notion that Danny pushes people away when he's at his lowest. It's canon that he literally goes to Flack when he needs a shoulder to lean or just an ear to hear his thoughts, and he's also been shown to go to Mac too and allow his vulnerable side to be exposed, like in RSRD.

So yes, it is interesting to me that Danny would choose to brush off Lindsay during such a time, what with their supposed relationship. (Supposed, because I've hardly seen anything that proves they're even in one for the whole season.) Even more interesting that she would go to Mac (of all people!) for advice on how to relate to people lol and then after that ... do nothing. Her laughing and joking with Flack and Stella after that just ended up making her scene with Mac awkward in the sense that it showed she obviously didn't try to approach Danny again, even after getting the advice from Mac to just tell Danny what she said to him.

As for Flack and Stella being jokey and all that, I believe they were behaving that way because they didn't know about Danny's plight. There is no way in hell Flack would behave like that if he knew the kind of distress Danny was experiencing at the time. Like in the past, he would have gone looking for Danny ASAP and stayed with the guy if Danny wanted that.

Seeing as the whole Lindsay/Flack/Stella banter happened after the Danny brush off, can anyone explain to me why Lindsay apparently didn't tell Flack and Stella about what was going on with Danny?