Grade "Grounds for Deception"
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roximonoxide
Lab Technician
Oh my...
Mac went impossibly easy on Stella over this. I'm getting awfully tired of the picking and choosing they're doing that winds up only making Mac look like a total hypocrite. Also irritating that it's hardly explained why Mac felt obligated to follow her halfway around the world, but then, this show has a bit of a habit of doing that.
I really thought Angell was going to have a little more to do with this plot seeing as how Stella dragged her into it but they weakly write her out as being out of town. No off the books investigating for me this week thanks, I have a trip planned!
Honestly, as much as I wasn't ready to believe faux-Greece was going to be all that convincing I was hoping this episode would take me away from this season's obvious shortcomings for a while but they just can't seem to let it go, and despite my hopes that once she'd squeezed out that little bundle of something or other, things would get a little better. Maybe we could hear a little less about it for a while. Instead they're dragging every Danny or Lindsay scene through the mud. Seriously, they're toting this baby around the f@%king lab all day? I don't even know where to begin explaining the ridiculousness of this. I'm supposed to buy that this illegitimate little family is the crime solving Brady Bunch now? That the lab doubles as a daycare? What a giant steaming load of the worst writing the CSI franchise has ever seen. Every moment with Danny or Lindsay or that god forsaken spawnling is like a tasteless fanfic. The way things are going what can we expect for Danny and Lindsay next season? Perhaps farming kittens in Montana with a whole litter of babies all of which will be raised to be super-CSI's! I taste bile.
"that woman over there looks a lot like the woman in your photograph."
I actually laughed out loud at this line and it's insipid hyper-convenience.
The painting Stella tore from its frame to return to Greece when she realized it was stolen property was annoying. They reference it in the course of the show like we're supposed to be remembering it from another episode, but I don't recall it coming up before. It may very well have just been something I missed, anybody else remember it being mentioned prior to this episode?
The from the moment Stella is in Greece they really seem to have her dressed up like a tourist, swapping brightly colored sundresses and what not from scene to scene. Really most every move they make in the course of the plot is bogged down, because I can't stop thinking how all of this has international incident written all over it and Stella and Mac are both retarded if they think they have some obligation to police the world. Furthermore we see the Greece officials catering to their little manhunt but honestly their evidence seemed pretty weak to inspire this much cooperation on the part of the greek government.
I also can't tell if Mac is here "offically" or not. I doubt if this investigation had become official on any level the US and Greek governments wouldn't have sent Mac Taylor off to deal with it.
At it's climax I started to gain some interest in Stella's back story, hearing about her mom and I guess that Papakota was her father? Did I hear that right? So why was she ever in foster care as a child? When did he put her in it? And when did he take her out of it? I think they're fudging some time lines again. It's too bad the whole revelation is undercut with this gun slinging action sequence with Mac and the Prof's brother.
Ultimately a pretty weak episode.
Mac went impossibly easy on Stella over this. I'm getting awfully tired of the picking and choosing they're doing that winds up only making Mac look like a total hypocrite. Also irritating that it's hardly explained why Mac felt obligated to follow her halfway around the world, but then, this show has a bit of a habit of doing that.
I really thought Angell was going to have a little more to do with this plot seeing as how Stella dragged her into it but they weakly write her out as being out of town. No off the books investigating for me this week thanks, I have a trip planned!
Honestly, as much as I wasn't ready to believe faux-Greece was going to be all that convincing I was hoping this episode would take me away from this season's obvious shortcomings for a while but they just can't seem to let it go, and despite my hopes that once she'd squeezed out that little bundle of something or other, things would get a little better. Maybe we could hear a little less about it for a while. Instead they're dragging every Danny or Lindsay scene through the mud. Seriously, they're toting this baby around the f@%king lab all day? I don't even know where to begin explaining the ridiculousness of this. I'm supposed to buy that this illegitimate little family is the crime solving Brady Bunch now? That the lab doubles as a daycare? What a giant steaming load of the worst writing the CSI franchise has ever seen. Every moment with Danny or Lindsay or that god forsaken spawnling is like a tasteless fanfic. The way things are going what can we expect for Danny and Lindsay next season? Perhaps farming kittens in Montana with a whole litter of babies all of which will be raised to be super-CSI's! I taste bile.
"that woman over there looks a lot like the woman in your photograph."
I actually laughed out loud at this line and it's insipid hyper-convenience.
The painting Stella tore from its frame to return to Greece when she realized it was stolen property was annoying. They reference it in the course of the show like we're supposed to be remembering it from another episode, but I don't recall it coming up before. It may very well have just been something I missed, anybody else remember it being mentioned prior to this episode?
The from the moment Stella is in Greece they really seem to have her dressed up like a tourist, swapping brightly colored sundresses and what not from scene to scene. Really most every move they make in the course of the plot is bogged down, because I can't stop thinking how all of this has international incident written all over it and Stella and Mac are both retarded if they think they have some obligation to police the world. Furthermore we see the Greece officials catering to their little manhunt but honestly their evidence seemed pretty weak to inspire this much cooperation on the part of the greek government.
I also can't tell if Mac is here "offically" or not. I doubt if this investigation had become official on any level the US and Greek governments wouldn't have sent Mac Taylor off to deal with it.
At it's climax I started to gain some interest in Stella's back story, hearing about her mom and I guess that Papakota was her father? Did I hear that right? So why was she ever in foster care as a child? When did he put her in it? And when did he take her out of it?
I think they're fudging some time lines again. It's too bad the whole revelation is undercut with this gun slinging action sequence with Mac and the Prof's brother. Ultimately a pretty weak episode.
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ErinElizabeth
Rookie
Even as a DL shipper I have to agree with roximonoxide, having the baby in the lab is utterly ridiculous. Having her around evidence and chemicals?? And then there's the fact that they're supposed to be working!
I mean, it's one thing to bring the baby in for a visit to the breakroom or one of their offices but this was crossing the line. I'm a little shocked they'd go that far from realism for the sake of some fluff scenes.
I'm sure I'll think they're cute in the moment but the fact that it's so ridiculous and unrealistic kind of kills it.
I mean, it's one thing to bring the baby in for a visit to the breakroom or one of their offices but this was crossing the line. I'm a little shocked they'd go that far from realism for the sake of some fluff scenes.
I'm sure I'll think they're cute in the moment but the fact that it's so ridiculous and unrealistic kind of kills it.
PerfectAnomaly
Resident Smart Ass
Gee, I can hardly wait to watch it. It sounds like Melina was trying her hand at fanfiction instead of an actual TV script. Please tell me Danny and Lindsay have at least named the spawnling.
It sounds like Melina was trying her hand at fanfiction instead of an actual TV script. Please tell me Danny and Lindsay have at least named the spawnling.roximonoxide
Lab Technician
^^ Yah, funny thing actually. It's Lucy. Danny's suggestion, not surprisingly.
ErinElizabeth
Rookie
Gee, I can hardly wait to watch it.
OMG I completely forgot that Melina wrote this! Well that's disappointing...
LpoHeartsNick
Rookie
I think its supposed to be like "Louie" his brother.
Huh?
Huh?
PerfectAnomaly
Resident Smart Ass
Lucy is a good name if you completely forget the woman who shot Ruben was named Lucy.
I guess TPTB did. :wtf: But, yeah, Lindsay has been nothing more than an incubator for the whole thing so it doesn't surprise me Danny's name won out.
Half
CSI Level Two
Oh, wow. I haven't watched the episode yet, but I have to comment on the convenience. "What are you talking about? I did this entire thing by myself. This has nothing to do with the cop that's out of town."
I just want to know how this comes up. Just random conversation, or does Mac know that Angell was involved?
LittleMesser... in the lab? ...:wtf:
roximonoxide
Lab Technician
^^ After Stella hands over her badge they all do a little running around in New York because that's where they found the corpse of the guy who Stella and Jess shipped off to Cyprus which is what starts this whole thing... They find him dead with Stella's address in his pocket.... at the showing of a Greek play in the park hosted by none other than their favorite fictional University. Chelsea U.
Stella winds up in the bull pen looking for Jess and asks Don of her whereabouts, where Flack tells her Jess is out of town for a few days and presses Stella for information since, as he puts it, he knows Jess is involved in this and he is concerned for her. Stella gives him a message to give to her about stepping back from this and that's the only mention we get of her. Not so much as a moment of screen time.
ETA:
Mac doesn't seem to know that Angell was involved at all.
Stella winds up in the bull pen looking for Jess and asks Don of her whereabouts, where Flack tells her Jess is out of town for a few days and presses Stella for information since, as he puts it, he knows Jess is involved in this and he is concerned for her. Stella gives him a message to give to her about stepping back from this and that's the only mention we get of her. Not so much as a moment of screen time.
ETA:
Mac doesn't seem to know that Angell was involved at all.
She's killed off in the first 10 minutes of tomorrow's ep and they couldn't even give her a role in this plot that she's been involved with since the beginning.
Yumi696
Rookie
I'm currently watching it... not liking the stupidity of having a baby in the lab. And Lucy Messer... the name doesn't flow. But my main criticism is the fact that she's in the lab. WTF?? It's not a daycare. She's surrounded by guns, chemicals... so many things harmful to a child. I cannot believe how stupid it is.
And the episode, so far, is just really boring. As soon as I saw the Professor, I had suspicions about him, and when he showed up again in this episode, I knew it. No suspense whatsoever. Maybe Melina's just not made for script-writing.
And the episode, so far, is just really boring. As soon as I saw the Professor, I had suspicions about him, and when he showed up again in this episode, I knew it. No suspense whatsoever. Maybe Melina's just not made for script-writing.
I've been watching the first 15 minutes of this, but I really don't have much to say.
The dreck with The Messer Family is ridiculous and totally farts in the face of any logic and rules that exist in real life. Yes, we know this is the Magical Spawn Of Gawd, but can we at least try to apply some level of believability to this story?
I really want to be positive about this episode because Melina wrote it (and who knows who edited it after she penned it), but I'm having a hard time. It's not total shite, but...I'm just not impressed. I love you, Melina, but I'm kind of sad to say that I prefer the regular writers.
Wow, that's one way to get me to appreciate the writers.
I truly don't think I have ever wanted to stab every character in the eye as much as I do in these ridiculous lab scenes. :brickwall:
Defense Attorney: So, Detective Messer, you say you ran this test with your infant daughter on your hip?
Danny: Aaaaaay, she's my bambino.
Defense Attorney: Are you effing insane?
The plot itself isn't horrible - a bit out-there, but not horrible. However, I think it's better for a movie than a TV show like this. There was no build-up for some of this stuff. This is more 'National Treasure' than 'CSI'.
***
I've been watching without commenting - if this wasn't part of CSI:NY, it might be interesting, but I just keep thinking how far-fetched it is and how they completely rewrite Stella's backstory whenever it's convenient. Also, she's 34 years old? Um, no. Why must they make these characters so much younger than the actors? 1) It's ridiculous, 2) I don't buy it, 3) it makes it less realistic for them to have all of the experience we're expected to believe that they have, and 4) what's wrong with the actors' actual ages?
Overall, it was an exciting episode - but a bit too much of a departure from CSI:NY for my liking. As I said before, it felt like a National Treasure type of movie rather than an episode of a forensic crime drama.
At the end, I saw the grounds and went 'IT'S THE GRIM!' Harry Potter FTW, y/n?
Otherwise...C-ish for this one, I think. Not horrible, but not my cup of tea - or should I say coffee.
Preview: Looks exciting. Hopefully it won't disappoint (unlike tonight's episode, unfortunately).
The dreck with The Messer Family is ridiculous and totally farts in the face of any logic and rules that exist in real life. Yes, we know this is the Magical Spawn Of Gawd, but can we at least try to apply some level of believability to this story?
I really want to be positive about this episode because Melina wrote it (and who knows who edited it after she penned it), but I'm having a hard time. It's not total shite, but...I'm just not impressed. I love you, Melina, but I'm kind of sad to say that I prefer the regular writers.
Wow, that's one way to get me to appreciate the writers.
I truly don't think I have ever wanted to stab every character in the eye as much as I do in these ridiculous lab scenes. :brickwall:
Defense Attorney: So, Detective Messer, you say you ran this test with your infant daughter on your hip?
Danny: Aaaaaay, she's my bambino.
Defense Attorney: Are you effing insane?
The plot itself isn't horrible - a bit out-there, but not horrible. However, I think it's better for a movie than a TV show like this. There was no build-up for some of this stuff. This is more 'National Treasure' than 'CSI'.
***
I've been watching without commenting - if this wasn't part of CSI:NY, it might be interesting, but I just keep thinking how far-fetched it is and how they completely rewrite Stella's backstory whenever it's convenient. Also, she's 34 years old? Um, no. Why must they make these characters so much younger than the actors? 1) It's ridiculous, 2) I don't buy it, 3) it makes it less realistic for them to have all of the experience we're expected to believe that they have, and 4) what's wrong with the actors' actual ages?
Overall, it was an exciting episode - but a bit too much of a departure from CSI:NY for my liking. As I said before, it felt like a National Treasure type of movie rather than an episode of a forensic crime drama.
At the end, I saw the grounds and went 'IT'S THE GRIM!' Harry Potter FTW, y/n?
Otherwise...C-ish for this one, I think. Not horrible, but not my cup of tea - or should I say coffee.
Preview: Looks exciting. Hopefully it won't disappoint (unlike tonight's episode, unfortunately).
Half
CSI Level Two
~Oh look, Angell! That's the last we'll see of you in regards to this plot, isn't it?
~The play is kind of confusing. What exactly is it supposed to be?
~Wow, the murder is part of the play! Or not.
~Angry!Mac.
~Yes, Mac, and you didn't run off to Chicago to chase your own case.
~Look! Fake!Greece! Oh wait.
~Crap! Kolovos?! How the hell did he get out of that container?
~So... I should feel absolutely no remorse for this guy?
~Adam's, like, "Yeah, great, move along now."
~Although "Watch out, Blake, here comes Daddy!" was kind of funny. It was probably just because it was Adam's line.
~Is Stella the first person other than Flack to call Angell by her first name?
~Okay, this episode won me over just with this scene. It's a nice scene between Stella and Flack, and quietly references F/A. WIN!
~Erm, no, I think without you we'd be perfectly fine.
~Ohmygodshutup.
~Flack and Danny care, Stella, but they're not going to just forget about him.
~"We lost him." And now you lost Stella.
~Oh no. Run for your life! Stella is pissed.
~Way to leave the evidence behind, Stell.
~Hold on. Where the hell did this plaster come from? I think I missed something when I went to put my laundry in the dryer...
~I've never been to Greece, but Fake!Greece doesn't seem too fake.
~Ooo! Look how convenient!
~They look annoyed. You'd think they'd be at least somewhat happy to get the painting back.
~Not a fan of that dress, Stella.
~I love that in the flashback the brother's face is fuzzed out, even though we know who he is. Mac and Danny don't, though, so it's surprisingly correct.
~Wow. Fail, Stella. Fail. And you're lucky that Mac was there to break your fall.
~I like Mac quietly making sure that Stella remembers that she doesn't have a gun.
~Little Stella!
~All of Greece is their lab! Hee.
~Mac, you're going to burn yourself.
~So... he's Stella's father?
~Aw. Hug.
~How did the audience never see the third person?
~Hee. Very subtle Stell.
~The shippers! I hear them! Ahhhh! (I'm teasing, I swear. Don't kill me.)
Grade: B. The overall story was okay. The D/L stuff drove me crazy. But I liked having a Stella-centric episode.
ETA: Fay-- Harry Potter FTW!
THE GRIM IS COMING FOR YOUR SOUL!
~The play is kind of confusing. What exactly is it supposed to be?
~Wow, the murder is part of the play! Or not.
~Angry!Mac.
~Yes, Mac, and you didn't run off to Chicago to chase your own case.
~Look! Fake!Greece! Oh wait.
~Crap! Kolovos?! How the hell did he get out of that container?
~So... I should feel absolutely no remorse for this guy?
~Adam's, like, "Yeah, great, move along now."
~Although "Watch out, Blake, here comes Daddy!" was kind of funny. It was probably just because it was Adam's line.
~Is Stella the first person other than Flack to call Angell by her first name?
~Okay, this episode won me over just with this scene. It's a nice scene between Stella and Flack, and quietly references F/A. WIN!
~Erm, no, I think without you we'd be perfectly fine.
~Ohmygodshutup.
~Flack and Danny care, Stella, but they're not going to just forget about him.
~"We lost him." And now you lost Stella.
~Oh no. Run for your life! Stella is pissed.
~Way to leave the evidence behind, Stell.
~Hold on. Where the hell did this plaster come from? I think I missed something when I went to put my laundry in the dryer...
~I've never been to Greece, but Fake!Greece doesn't seem too fake.
~Ooo! Look how convenient!
~They look annoyed. You'd think they'd be at least somewhat happy to get the painting back.
~Not a fan of that dress, Stella.
~I love that in the flashback the brother's face is fuzzed out, even though we know who he is. Mac and Danny don't, though, so it's surprisingly correct.
~Wow. Fail, Stella. Fail. And you're lucky that Mac was there to break your fall.
~I like Mac quietly making sure that Stella remembers that she doesn't have a gun.
~Little Stella!
~All of Greece is their lab! Hee.
~Mac, you're going to burn yourself.
~So... he's Stella's father?
~Aw. Hug.
~How did the audience never see the third person?
~Hee. Very subtle Stell.
~The shippers! I hear them! Ahhhh! (I'm teasing, I swear. Don't kill me.)
Grade: B. The overall story was okay. The D/L stuff drove me crazy. But I liked having a Stella-centric episode.
Damn convenient coffee table there. Hiding who gets shot. I hate it, even though I already know.
Aw, Flack. I already know that I'm going to be crying...
Aw, Flack. I already know that I'm going to be crying...
ETA: Fay-- Harry Potter FTW!
THE GRIM IS COMING FOR YOUR SOUL!
ErinElizabeth
Rookie
Ugh I gave it a D. This ep just suspended reality waaaay too far for me to be accepting. First there's the baby in the lab and then there's Stella's backstory. This whole "Luke I am your father and your mother was you with a blonde wig on." *dies tragically*
Not to mention her backstory is totally different from what it was in season one.
I suppose the Mac/Stella stuff we got was worth something though.
Meh I wasn't that excited for this ep anyway. Tomorrow night looks like it's gonna be fantastic though!
I also did like the Mac/Lindsay scene and the "God of fertility" part was funny/cute when Danny put his arm around Lindsay.
Not to mention her backstory is totally different from what it was in season one.
I suppose the Mac/Stella stuff we got was worth something though.
Meh I wasn't that excited for this ep anyway. Tomorrow night looks like it's gonna be fantastic though!
I also did like the Mac/Lindsay scene and the "God of fertility" part was funny/cute when Danny put his arm around Lindsay.
Hum, I actually quite liked this episode.
I can definitely agree though that having the baby in the lab is beyond ridiculous. I could understand if Lindsey had just brought her by for a visit to everyone or so since the lab's one big family, but to stay and work? I can't imagine that happening in a real facility.
I did laugh when they showed the picture of um...Professor P. and the others. The woman looked TOO identical to be the person they said she was.
This episode DID make me wonder however, if there'll be more Stella and Mac scenes in season 6...
I can definitely agree though that having the baby in the lab is beyond ridiculous. I could understand if Lindsey had just brought her by for a visit to everyone or so since the lab's one big family, but to stay and work? I can't imagine that happening in a real facility.
I did laugh when they showed the picture of um...Professor P. and the others. The woman looked TOO identical to be the person they said she was.
This episode DID make me wonder however, if there'll be more Stella and Mac scenes in season 6...