Grade "Epilogue"

[Carrieattheprom]

I don't really think Danny is scuzzy is this episode. True, his hair is longer and he's grown a beard, but I would hardly put him at wino-level of unclean.

The fact of the matter is, his life has been radically changed by his experience. Yes, he's lucky to be alive at all. Yes, he could learn to get about in a wheelchair for the rest of his life if this weren't tv land and the writers obviously plan for him to recover.

What matters is that his life has changed right now. And right now, he's trying to focus on the one thing he knows he can still do: use his brain to analize crime scenes. Maybe he can't be out in the field chasing down perps, and maybe since his apartment isn't wheelchair asseable groming takes a bit longer than normal, but his mind still works, and he knows it.

Speaking as someone with her own history of medical problems, I can tell you that while you're experincing it, it doesn't matter that other people have gone through this and are managing just fine, or that there are people out there who have it even worse, or that I'm just plain lucky to be alive. What matters is that it's happening to you. That maybe you're not as strong as others are. You feel helpless and depressed.

As far as Adam and Stella goes, I don't get the level of rage being leveled at them. Let's have some perspective people, these are t.v. characters, not real, okay? I mean yeesh...

And I actually liked the fact that the shooting had nothing to do with the team. We've had plenty of "It's personal" cases in past seasons, and no doubt we'll see more in the future. It feels more realistic that the team just happend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happends in real life.

 

[Maya316]

Originally Posted by Carrieattheprom:
And I actually liked the fact that the shooting had nothing to do with the team. We've had plenty of "It's personal" cases in past seasons, and no doubt we'll see more in the future. It feels more realistic that the team just happend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happends in real life.

That's an angle I hadn't really looked at before, but yeah, I completely agree. I think I ended up liking the case in this episode more because it didn't necessitate dragging into a season-long storyline (considering how many other things in this episode are almost guaranteed to become season-long storylines, it was a great contrast); and it was probably the most unexpected conclusion that shootout could've been given. I'd seen every theory about who was behind the shootout over the summer - from Dunbrook to a lone military-guy that escaped the raid to FBI to someone-looking-for-that-USB-stick-from-S5 (lol, my theory :lol. Having it be completely random and non-personal was a definite twist, and a bit shocking.

 

[Robin]

An enjoyable episode.

I was kind of grossed out by the Stella/Adam paring. I like both characters but not as a couple.

Can't believe that Danny is up an about (and working?) only three weeks after being shot. Not too pleased with him lying to Lindsay about his chances of being able to walk again.

The episode went by surprisingly fast. Glad that this story was solved in the first episode and didn't linger throughout the entire season.

 

[Half]

I gave the episode a B.

Adam/Stella: I just... don't like it. It's not the coworker factor, it's not the younger-guy-going-for-an-older-woman thing (which people that know me know I don't like for reasons I don't actually know), but I just can't see them as a couple. At all.

Danny/Lindsay: I mentioned it before, but I actually liked them in this episode. Lindsay was supportive, not selfish, optimistic, and protective. Which is pretty much everything that she hasn't been up until now. And while I didn't really like the fact that Danny lied about his prognosis, Lindsay didn't get mad or huffy, which saved that scene for me.

Flack: Putting aside my visceral any-woman-that-isn't-Angell-is-bad reaction, I really don't know how I feel about his storyline. I like the way that he seems a bit, what's the word, underdressed? But I'm not sure I like him rebounding.

Haylen: Erh. I really, really wanted to like her because I actually liked Sarah Carter as the bitchy prosecutor on Shark. I don't mind her voice. And, at the moment, I don't mind the character... I'm just hoping that TPTB doesn't go down the road that is right in front of her, which is a sneaky, backstabbing job-thief. She has the potential to be a sweet character who only wants to work in the lab without stealing someone elses job. My problem is that I know TPTB and how they work on the CSIs, and I have a bad feeling that they'll go for the character that they feel will cause the most drama, whether it's good or not.

 

[FlackFan01]

Overall it was a good episode! I really liked the emotion that came through. I liked how they all felt the need to get back to work despite what they have just been through.

I am not known for being a huge fan of Lindsay, but I thought AB did a great job in this ep. Carmine was absolutely magnificent. I am sad that Adam and Stella didn't follow through with more than one night. I think they would make an awesome couple! But I like how they both handled the situation with maturity.

Can't wait for next week.

 

[Curiosity]

I think by trying to compare Adam/Stella to Mac/Stella, we're all just going in circles. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what Mac/Stella is or isn't, professionally or personally, in practice or in theory - certainly not with regards to the relationship TPTB have created between Stella and Adam.

Not necessarily. It doesn’t matter whether TPIC have linked the relationships or not….People who watch will analyze, compare, and make reference to Stella’s other relationships, actions, and behaviors. Not because they’re all shippers; but because that’s part of how they come to define and understand the character – through her relationships. And Mac/Stella will probably continue to get focus because it’s one of the key relationships in Stella’s life.

Comparing the relationship to a relationship that never happened isn't doing much to help us discuss Stella/Adam itself. Who's in charge, who has more power, etc - all of that is relevant (and worth discussing), but I think we're wasting time trying to say whether it's better or worse than Mac/Stella.

Sorry, it wasn’t my intent to get into the better or worse debate. Someone else brought up Mac/Stella in the other thread, and I was trying to point out that the discussion (which made its way over here) was about more than just the boss/subordinate issue. It was branching out into the question of equality, which is one of the issues some have with Adam/Stella. Mac/Stella may not be a romance, but it is a relationship that exists, and because some view their level of equality as very different than Adam/Stella, comparisons will no doubt be made.

Fair enough, but not every relationship takes place between people with equal experience, maturity and/or self-confidence. Even if people want to argue that an unequal relationship isn't a good idea long-term, that doesn't mean it isn't realistic or that it's automatically a horrible thing.

Agreed. On the other hand, just because a relationship can be called realistic (in the sense that I can probably find an example of it in the real world) doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to “go there” with certain characters, especially if it can’t be done in a credible way for those particular characters.

Well, she has now. *shrug* It's gotta start somewhere. Sometimes things are gradual, sometimes they're sudden.

Yes, she has, and it’s canon now. Doesn’t mean what led up to it will be viewed as adequate or believable. There are plenty of continuity and consistency issues in the CSI world, especially when it comes to romances like D/L, which has been roundly criticized.

TPTB have expected us to assume a heck of a lot about Danny and Lindsay's relationship over the past several years (as an example) - believable or not, that's how we have arrived at baby time and pep talks about umbrellas.

Yes, which is exactly why some folks are skeptical of a pairing like A/S, which doesn’t have much build up and is introduced in a rather superficial way.

Fact is, the stuff with Adam and Stella has taken up all of two scenes, and we're only one episode into the season. We're all sitting here talking about a lot of *ifs* and *it seems* and *if they don'ts*, but they haven't even had a chance to expand on things or explain what happened. It's really not fair of us to say 'They didn't tell us everything all at once in one episode that had so much else going on.' They have to save some stuff for the rest of the season.?

Everyone will have to decide for him/herself what is “fair” in this regard. I can only speak for self, but I don’t expect to know everything at this point – just some basics that would provide some context around Stella and Adam’s motivations. Some seem to think it was a matter of comfort/grief; others that it was just a spontaneous, fun, “live for the moment” thing. It only takes a couple of sentences for that, which can easily fit into one or two scenes in the first episode.

My guess? We'll find out the 'whole story' when their tryst becomes known to someone else (ie Mac). But hey, I could be wrong.

Possibly. My guess is that they may've floated this relationship out as a test balloon and will look at audience reaction from internet, focus groups, and whatever other sources are available to decide if and how to proceed. So we may or may not find out, depending on whether they think it will help or hurt the show.

Until something actually happens on the show, we're just talking in circles. :lol:

And that’s part of the fun – all the speculation and guessing.

 

[MoonyGirl]

Thumps up indeed!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: I really liked the ep. Only that it was been a month since the shooting bothered me at first but thank god those flashbacks were good.

That part where they showed Mac in his office being tired and frustrated was great scene. Gary did an awesome job in it.:bolian: Although he did that all the time but... :hugegrin:

I liked Danny too. Somehow that wheelchair thing didin't feel "that bad" to me. Course it's frustrating to Danny him being " a action man" But that thing what he manage to do in the end made me smile and say "you'll pull this through"

Adam and Stella...:vulcan: well if ya ask me writes should have re-think that vision! :angryrazz: Since it happened I guess it's just gotta be cool with it even though I'm still pissed.:brickwall: But that converstation between those two made me feel slightly better and that last scene between Mac and Stella made that eppie worth watching. "Smacked rules" :thumbsup:

I'm waiting enhusiasticly next episodes! A Good start! :angel:

 

[carminelove15]

This whole Adam and Stella thing is odd to alot of us, but they have to try and make things new in the show. If Stella gets another boyfriend all we will wonder when is her going to use her, or hurt her. Her hooking up with Adam is 1) A shocker!!2) we know Adam would not hurt her.
My guess is if they put Stella and Mac together its going to be the last season of the show or somthing. Like on Bones with Booth and Brennan after 4 years of dancing around eachother they have yet to get together and they writers still dont plan on putting them together atleast not yet. I think thats what there going to do to you Smacked fans if they are going to put Mac and Stella together it wont be till later on in the series.

 

[Zipster]

Excellent start to the season! Loved it.

 

[Andromeda]

Hi, loved the episode all in all; the much anticipated and feared Adam/Stella-thing wasn´t half as bad as I´d expected, I can live with it if TPTB really think they need a story like this. And interesting that I´m not the only one who thinks that Haylen seems a bit sneaky. Anyway, my first impression of her is that she might be the kind of type who´ll pursue her career ruthlessly and with not always fair methods.

 

[Cyn-B-Demented]

Spent the rest of the week being excited of coming on TalkCSI and read everyone's thoughts of the season six's premiere!!! I made my short comments in the S6 Spoiler thread but let's see what else can I add in this conversation that has not been already said lol (though mission if you ask me)

First of all, like most people here, I thought the premiere was great. I loved it! On another site, someone said the premiere made sense as a follow-up to the S5 finale because it was more emotional driven than crime/procedural driven -- which I have to agree. If it would have been the other way around, I would have felt like the writers dismissed the emotional shock of being in the middle of a shoot out, having your friend severely injured, etc. These people know how to be rational about stuff like that but they're still human and I liked how it has been shown.

Which brings me to Adam and Stella. Shocking indeed, but I'm glad they seem to keep it only a one night stand. I would have never thought that Stella would do anything like that with a coworker (she's got her ethics too) but let's say Adam was an easy target (because he has been having a crush for a long time). Not that he really cared if he was being used or not, they both got what they wanted (apparently). Maybe Adam wanted to continue the casual sexing after work :lol: but he would never tell Stella after how she put a stop to it LOL

Then, there's still Stella and Mac. When they were having the conversation in his office, I couldn't help but think that she probably slept with Adam because she's been waiting for so long for that kind of attention/love from Mac and it just never happens despite all the opportunities that comes along. I had the impression that she was "desperately" trying to reach for him, for his help and support. She wanted Mac to be there for her but instead she found Adam because, well, he wouldn't mind and like most girls she found substitute in the wrong man and probably regrets her mistake/sidetracking.

Haylen. Not sure how to spell her name but whatever. Didn't like her fashion :lol: but I'm definitively looking forward to see her on-screen. I was relieved she wasn't like I expected her to be : annoying, goody-to-shoe, trying to impress the boss, etc. She just seemed very ambitious, to put it that way. Also, I thought it was cool that she was working for a cleaning crime-scene service! Maybe it's because I watched Sunshine Cleaning and loved it so much lol Anyways, I like how they didn't try to make her too much of a Mary-Sue right from the start. After her scene, I couldn't help but to think out loud : "So, that's how she becomes a person of interest?!" Really.

Flack, Flack, Flack... after a month and he looks this good? Thinking of Angell all the time and drinking?! Well, I'd love to look this fresh if I was alcohol binging and mourning. So, either they're going to completely make this less dramatic than it should be or they want him to go through all the bad phase of grieving and nonacceptance slowly... Like digging through his pain an episode or so at a time. Who knows. But the spoiler about Flack didn't made me too hopeful about any story line for him regarding his grief, yet Hill said he wouldn't be dealing the most healthiest way. Was he talking about the drinking?! I'm curious. But no high hopes.

D/L. First episode they didn't bother me. I was utterly surprised to see Lindsay that positive about Danny's physical and mental situation. She did not complain one time and she really stepped up to the plate when it came to talking to him about not giving up and kicking his butt. He really needed to hear it and it's nice that it was Lindsay that has done it and not Mac or Flack. The couple need some communication strength between them. And it showed her support for him. If she wouldn't have done it, we would all be complaining about how she dismissed Danny's struggle and that she didn't care about her husband. The ending was cheesy but it didn't felt too much. It actually fit with everything that has happened in the finale and the premiere. I loved the rain bit because I'm like that Garbage song, but it made Danny smile so why be against it? We had a nice shot of his little fangs lol And where was he anyways? At the lab? His house meaning D/L house or they're still not living together? That's the only thing I didn't get.

Phew. Well. Can't wait for next week's episode!

 

[CSI:NYchick]

?

 

[CdfSjaI]

Just wante to add my two cents. Having posted for a while.....

Pretty good episode. Usually I figure things out quite quickly but it did keep me guessing on the ep for a bit. I actually embrace the fact that it was not out-of-this-world AWESOME PREMIERE! It was just normal. Like getting back into rhythm. Loved it. Subtle is definitely what I like.

From what i'm reading, i seem to be going against the majority in this Adam/Stella thing. But, I ADORE them together. Major cuteness, and I'm just a sucker for quirky/unexpected couples.

The new girl: HATE her (at least from this one episode, but I will keep having an open mind, it is her first ep afterfall) Her voice!!:shifty: Like nails on a freakin chalk board:scream: I just wanted someone to shut her up. I just don't buy her as this clean up technican crap. But that would be the actress's fault not the character.....We'll see....

Flack: WTF? I've read a few spoilers on him, and well without giving away anything, let's just say i'm excited for a deep focus on him. Grieving is different for everyone. Not liking this "girl friendly" Flack. But I am loving the character/emotion intricacy.

Still don't like Lindsay....Sorry. I was only partially sold during her 10% chance speech. I feel like it might not ever happen either. It did leave however, reach levels of sincereness and unselfishness, that she's never reached before. Good progress, i guess. Loved her scene with Lucy though, I did think that was quite cute.

All for now, I have many more thought but not time to write them down

 

[Jag Lady]

I gave it a B. CSI NY is always good, imho, but there were so many things missing here, and I have to agree that it was more emotions than the classy forensics drama that I've come to love.

Why did the thing with Craig T Nelson suddenly go away? The writers spent a long time building us up to this, and now like it's nothing.

It's very OOC for a former Marine like Mac to make a case "all about him."

Can we kindly knock off the bedhopping between co-workers? If I want to watch that, I'll tape soap operas. I sensed that Adam has had feelings for Stella, and people mourn in their own way, but this has been going on for way too long. And Mac would look like a hypocrite after his relationship with Peyton if he tried to enforce a no-fraternization policy. We like to think that somebody has professional standards somewhere.

Writers and producers, please get over the idea that a season premiere and a finale have to be "explosive". I really feel like they threw Angell on the altar of sacrifice (not to mention an actress's job, and those are hard enough to come by as it is!) in the name of ratings. If the show is good all through the season, then trust me; people will keep tuning in. If the show has pretty fireworks in the beginning and the end and then is crappy the rest of the season, then you just wasted your money, not to mention the careers of some fine actors.

As a husband and new father, I think Danny was worried about being able to provide for his family. It was good to see that little ray of hope at the end, as small as it was. Lindsay is choosing to love and stand by him.

 

[talkingtocactus]

It's more about the dynamic and the depths of feeling, and the implications of the scene at the end of 'Grounds for Deception. Why ignore that? I'd love to see more developed from that alongside everything else this season.

i'm inclined to agree, not from a general smacked pov, but because those scenes from GFD really did seem to be going on a certain direction which now appears to have been forgotten about. maybe for me it's more of a continuity thing?!

For better or worse, TPTB decided to have them sleep together, and I can only imagine that they'll revisit the relationship in some way, shape or form later in the season - whether as a temporary arc or a more permanent thing remains to be seen. Comparing the relationship to a relationship that never happened isn't doing much to help us discuss Stella/Adam itself. Who's in charge, who has more power, etc - all of that is relevant (and worth discussing), but I think we're wasting time trying to say whether it's better or worse than Mac/Stella.

yeah, i agree, even though i just made the comment above this! but yes, i wasn't totally freaked by stella/adam and although i'd like to see mac/stella at some point (but only if it was written properly, please!), i don't see how this really has a massive bearing on them. obviously the idea of mac getting jealous is an interesting one for me (for entirely cerebral reasons, you understand:guffaw::devil, but i don't think comparing one ship to the other makes much sense.

Fact is, the stuff with Adam and Stella has taken up all of two scenes, and we're only one episode into the season. We're all sitting here talking about a lot of *ifs* and *it seems* and *if they don'ts*, but they haven't even had a chance to expand on things or explain what happened. It's really not fair of us to say 'They didn't tell us everything all at once in one episode that had so much else going on.' They have to save some stuff for the rest of the season.

My guess? We'll find out the 'whole story' when their tryst becomes known to someone else (ie Mac). But hey, I could be wrong. Until something actually happens on the show, we're just talking in circles. :lol:

agreed. it's hard to base conclusions on 2 minutes of screen time. it'll be interesting to find out how they play it, i suspect you're right about it being the result of someone finding out - and i hope it is mac, because as above, although i don't think it's productive to keep comparing mac/stella and stella/adam, i think it will undeniably have an impact on mac one way or another - be it on a purely professional level, or on a more personal one.

This whole Adam and Stella thing is odd to alot of us, but they have to try and make things new in the show. If Stella gets another boyfriend all we will wonder when is her going to use her, or hurt her. Her hooking up with Adam is 1) A shocker!!2) we know Adam would not hurt her.
My guess is if they put Stella and Mac together its going to be the last season of the show or somthing. .

yeah, i agree. i think if stella/mac is going to happen, it might take a bit more waiting! i think you're right about adam being a nice guy too - it could be interesting to see stella in a relationship where she potentially has more control, and with a guy who is lovely and shies away from bullying, lying and such.

Then, there's still Stella and Mac. When they were having the conversation in his office, I couldn't help but think that she probably slept with Adam because she's been waiting for so long for that kind of attention/love from Mac and it just never happens despite all the opportunities that comes along. I had the impression that she was "desperately" trying to reach for him, for his help and support. She wanted Mac to be there for her but instead she found Adam because, well, he wouldn't mind and like most girls she found substitute

i think this is plausible, definitely! again, i don't know whether stella/mac will ever get together, i'm inclined to think it wouldn't happen til the very end, but then as i said above, GFD really did seem to be going in that direction so i hope they don't just drop that tension. i think stella was probably trying to "contact" mac during this one, but i don't know about the regret thing, or even adam being "wrong", it's entirely possible that if this was a substitute thing that she took that decision of sound mind and is quite happy to live with it.