Grade 'Hostage'

[Rad]

^^Where is Joe/Douglas taking Mac? Was he really in on the robbery all along? What happened to the guy who actually robbed the bank? Does Joe/Douglas really even have a family? Why was the bank manager's wife killed? Why that particular bank? Where did the shooter get that kind of a weapon (or did they already address that question and, like the surveillance footage, I missed it)?...

I think there are quite a few questions to be answered in the premiere.

Yeah, I agree! As far as cliffhangers go, its b'cos of these questions that we'll be looking forward to S5. Mac in jeopardy is really not a factor. Compared to last season's finale, this was meh. & I gotta say that having a doozy of a cliffhanger in Criminal minds, comparitively, this fell short.

That said, the cast did not disappoint. Flack.......mmm, mmm, good! Sid, oh Sid, "come into my lair".....that was just too good :lol:. We are actually seeing more & more of Hawkes & for that I can only be grateful. Hopefully, they'll have more Hawkes-centric episodes in S5.

Drama-Llama (BTW, whoevever came up with this deserves an award) was totally missing, but I can understand how frustrating that might be to D/L fans, especially after spoiler reports. Of course, this only means we have more of Drama-Llama (Help, I cant stop saying it) to look forward to in S5.

 

[MBGrissom]

I thought it was a superbly crafted storyline, reminded me much of "Trapped" from S1. And me being more of a Mac Fan than a Danny Fan, I enjoyed this one slightly more than Trapped.

That said though, both Trapped & Hostage are perfect as regular season episodes, not as a season finale, as Hostage was. As far as writing and acting, I give Hostage an A+. But since it wasn't season finale material IMO, that drops my overall grade down to a B+.

Sinise rocked his role as usual, as did Eddie Cahill and Melina K. Glad we did get to see some Adam, Hawkes & Sid, and mercifully No Sign Whatsoever of D/L, which was a plus.

Elias Koteas gave an amazing performance as Joe, and he reeled me in at the end, same as he did to Mac, and made me believe his tearful story about his family. Ironic, one of the few times that Mac goes against his grain and actually trusts his gut feeling (even though the evidence led him in that direction, too) he ends up being horribly wrong!

Finally, loved the new techy gadgetry, CSI NY never disappoints, with keeping up with new tech stuff & lab toys! :thumbsup:

I guess after the past 2 seasons of NY delivering OTT mega action-packed finales, this one was a bit more of a letdown than it should have been in comparison. I really shouldn't judge it against it's predecessors in that respect, but one can't help but do just that. Like I said above, as a mid-season cliffhanger, perhaps over the Christmas holidays or something, this would have rocked, IMO. It was tightly written, directed and acted. But as a season finale, I found it a wee bit lacking.

 

[Lampdor]

'D' cuz it's craptastic.

This episode wasn't finale worthy. The actors were great and the storyline was good, but I don't think it needs to be a cliffhanger, one hour would have been enough.... I got bored halfway through, it just seems to drag on and on and on. Yet I finished watching it just in case something awesome might happen. I think I wasted an hour of my life and I can't get it back.

The virtual body scan was cool, but it's like a rip off of Bones.

Waaaaay too Mac-centric for my liking and not enough of the "squints" :lol:

Of course Stella was worried about Mac, why does that guy even ask?

Having a bad Posh hair cut is bad enough, but when the heck did Lindsay get bangs? I think the stylist have it in for her too. :lol: Speaking of, thank God there's no D/L or else I would have given it a big fat freaking 'F'.

 

[Twinkletoes]

I wonder if the absence of any D/L stuff in this episode - despite the promise that there would be - suggets that the writers still have no idea what to do with them as a couple.....

 

[Elsie]

I think this thread is really interesting! I love the differing points of view and opinions of this episode. :thumbsup:

^^Where is Joe/Douglas taking Mac? Was he really in on the robbery all along? What happened to the guy who actually robbed the bank? Does Joe/Douglas really even have a family? Why was the bank manager's wife killed? Why that particular bank? Where did the shooter get that kind of a weapon (or did they already address that question and, like the surveillance footage, I missed it)?...

I think there are quite a few questions to be answered in the premiere.

Yeah, I agree! As far as cliffhangers go, its b'cos of these questions that we'll be looking forward to S5. Mac in jeopardy is really not a factor.

Whilst there are lots of unanswered questions (although some of those were answered in this episode), I'm personally not convinced that, in terms of a cliffhanger, unanswered questions such as those would be enough to draw people in. Don't get me wrong I am most definitely looking forward to the season 5 premiere, but not because I'm that bothered about any of those things. I think, after spending a long time saying that they really need to get back to the cases and not focus on the dilemma's of the main cast so much, I have realised that episodes such as these, especially as a finale, only really work if there is some sense of suspense or believable danger for at least one member of the cast. :lol: And I'm just not feeling that for Mac. Anyway, that's my opinion on it. :lol:

Waaaaay too Mac-centric for my liking and not enough of the "squints" :lol:

I've no idea what the 'squints' are, but in terms of it being Mac-centric (which it most definitely was) I think Fay said it well in the spoiler thread (don't worry, this quote isn't spoilery though):

IMO, the premiere will probably include the others more (keep in mind that I haven't read the spoilers for it), but this part will have more Mac--like the finale is about Mac's side of things and the premiere is about the others getting involved more later on, maybe...I'm not sure how I feel about it, but that's the nature of a two-parter sometimes, and this is pretty much a two-part story spanned over a finale and a premiere...

I'm thinking that's how it will play out. And, if it was anything other than a finale and premiere with a three month gap I think it would work perfectly as a great double episode.

I wonder if the absence of any D/L stuff in this episode - despite the promise that there would be - suggets that the writers still have no idea what to do with them as a couple.....

I've no idea. But it really wouldn't have fit in the episode so I have to say that I'm glad they didn't try! Although in my opinion, if they still haven't decided what to do with them as a couple they may as well give it up as a lost cause.

 

[La_Guera]

The CSI:NY finale was television meatloaf, serviceable but bland. Nothing made me long to heave my twisted frame from the cradling vinyl bosom of my titanium overlord, shake my palsied fists, and do my best Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes, but it was flat. Just there. In fact, now that the entire season is behind me, I can say that "Admissions" should've been the finale, at least in terms of emotional impact.

There were positives. Elias Koteas was a wonderful bad guy, and it did my little heart good to see Mac be finally, unequivocally wrong. I can't remember the last time one of Mac's fabled gut instincts blew up in his face. The decision to chase Dobson certainly didn't play in his favor, but he wasn't categorically wrong about who Dobson was or about his guilt. Mac was plain wrong about Joe here, and that was refreshing. It will be interesting to see what the fallout from his decision will be. S5 spoilers indicate that others will be affected by Mac's decision to trust Joe, and if that's so, then Mac should face personal and professional consequences. If Joe turns out to be guilty, then Mac will undoubtedly begin to question his once seemingly infallible judgment.

Flack in Kevlar was yummy, indeed, for my underbelly tummy. Mmmm.

It was nice to see the team placing their concern where it belonged: on the affected team member, but then, this was Mac and not just lowly homicide dick Flack, who's just the utility man. No, I'm not still bitter about the gross indignity of COTP. Whatever gave you that idea?

I was less than enamored of the three-minute Cisco commercial crammed into my crime procedural with all the finesse of a teenage boy plundering his first secret valley. It was obtrusive and clunky, and the acting stunk. Melina usually nails Stella, but that segment sounded like she was reading from cue cards or a teleprompter.

Since the episode was the first in a two-parter, assessing its success or failure is impossible. Only when the case is resolved will I know whether the resolution was worth the tedious buildup.

Tentative B-

 

[xfcanadian]

I gave it an A :thumbsup: I didn't give an A+, because it just wasn't as good as Snow Day, but still a solid eppy.

The writing and case for this was fantastic! I didn't find it predictable, and as someone who does not read the spoilers, was on the edge of my seat. Sinise showed why he is the star and is a rocking actor. Well done. Out of any of the CSI's, he is the perfect and most believable one to be put in that situation. Don't forget, he is a former marine with battle experience. So it isn't a stretch for him to calm in something like that.

The cliffhanger wasn't so much about Mac being in danger, but its more about how is he going to get out of the situation and solving the rest of the case. I think the second parter will definitely make the case even better. As i said before, the writing on this one was fantastic, all the characters were professional and focused on their job, and you could feel the tension as they were running out of time.

This was a different approach to a finale for New York, the first cliffhanger, and no character story lines. But we have had some heavy character story lines all season...so it was a nice break.

S5 spoilers indicate that others will be affected by Mac's decision to trust Joe, and if that's so, then Mac should face personal and professional consequences.

Ahhh....use spoiler boxes!

 

[La_Guera]

I gave it an A :thumbsup: I didn't give an A+, because it just wasn't as good as Snow Day, but still a solid eppy.

The writing and case for this was fantastic! I didn't find it predictable, and as someone who does not read the spoilers, was on the edge of my seat. Sinise showed why he is the star and is a rocking actor. Well done. Out of any of the CSI's, he is the perfect and most believable one to be put in that situation. Don't forget, he is a former marine with battle experience. So it isn't a stretch for him to calm in something like that.

The cliffhanger wasn't so much about Mac being in danger, but its more about how is he going to get out of the situation and solving the rest of the case. I think the second parter will definitely make the case even better. As i said before, the writing on this one was fantastic, all the characters were professional and focused on their job, and you could feel the tension as they were running out of time.

This was a different approach to a finale for New York, the first cliffhanger, and no character story lines. But we have had some heavy character story lines all season...so it was a nice break.

S5 spoilers indicate that others will be affected by Mac's decision to trust Joe, and if that's so, then Mac should face personal and professional consequences.

Ahhh....use spoiler boxes!

If a mod deems that worthy of a spoiler box, I'll gladly edit the post, but that assertion is a bit of a "duh", IMHO

 

[Lampdor]

I've no idea what the 'squints' are, but in terms of it being Mac-centric (which it most definitely was) I think Fay said it well in the spoiler thread (don't worry, this quote isn't spoilery though)

Tee hee, I got "squints" from Bones, and it refers to the rest of the scientific team.

 

[Top41]

I think that comment was vague enough that it doesn't warrant a spoiler box.

I gave the episode a B+. It was so Mac-centric, and I'll be the first to admit Mac isn't my favorite character, but I think if any character was put in that situation, it would probably be about the same. The problem was Joe--the writers went so far out of their way to make him non-threatening for the big reveal at the end that I didn't find him scary at all. I wasn't worried about Mac because I didn't think the guy would hurt him. That made for a good surprise at the end, but most of the episode was pretty dull or at least not suspenseful because of it.

It's not that it was a bad episode--it just wasn't a particularly exciting one. I think I'd be fine with it as a regular installment, but as a season finale it's got to live up to "Snow Day" and it just didn't.

Loved seeing Adam Baldwin--I seriously love that guy! I hope they can get him back next year, because I sensed sparkage with Stella. Stella attracted to a guy who's not a psychopath--OMG! :lol:

There's not really much for me to say about the ep...it was pretty ho-hum. The only strong finale this season was really the CSI one, IMO.

 

[Daquien]

It didn't fit much Mac to be so naive and buy that story without checking it out first but it's good that they cheat on him from time to time.

Maybe it would have been better if they had showed the 2 parts together.

 

[eveninstarz14]

Isn't Mac a former Marine? In my mind, an ex marine and head of a CSI lab would not be so damn trusting that quickly! Plus can we re name the show The Mac Taylor show and be done with it? :lol:

Enjoyed the return of Adam though! He provides a great spark to the show!

This finale seemed really lackluster and the premiere be really good to make up for this episode.

 

[GregNickRyanFan]

I agree that the CSI LV finale was the strongest and most shocking of the three finales. I totally wasn't expecting that ending at all.

I too gave NY a C- because I thought it was kind of lame as a season finale. It was a decent episode, just not a good finale.

As for the questions it left, none of them are really that important to carry over to a new season. I could care less if Joe really has a family. The bank manager's wife was killed because the criminals didn't want any witnesses. Stella stated that in the episode. "They don't want to leave any witnesses and that includes Mac." I'm pretty sure Joe was just using Mac to get away from the SWAT team and all outside the bank.

This episode was kind of too much like that mini-series that was on SPIKE. Can't remember the name of it, but it starred Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizomo (sorry, I know that's spelled incorrectly) and I think Robert Torti was in it too. Only, they changed the ending a little. On the Spike show, the bad guys had someone kidnapp Donnie's character's pregnant wife. On NY, they had Joe pretending that the bad guys had kidnapped his wife and child and then it turned out he made that all up.

I did like Mac being wrong because it makes him more human. How many times have we seen Horatio be wrong? :lol:

 

[snickerdoodle]

I gave it a B. As a season finale, it wasn't very edge of your seat exciting, but it was done well. I do wish they'd built the suspense and left us with an episode that made us anxious for S5 to start.

I did find myself getting irritated at the fact that it seemed to be all Mac with some Stella and Flack, leaving the rest of the team as "garnish" to the episode. I understand why it was so Mac-centric, not a huge issue, but it would have been nice to see the others do more.

I can't express how grateful I am that there was no D/L drama. It would have been so inappropriate for the episode and have really shot any momentum the episode did have.

 

[Ticamo77]

The story itself was intriguing though. You have this bank robber who goes to rob a bank only to find that it has all ready been robbed earlier that day and gains a dead body for his troubles. :lol: I thought it was interesting. Then you get the story of how his family is taken hostage by the real robbers, you feel for the guy. He’s cowering on the floor with Mac holding a gun over him and you just feel bad for him.

I can honestly say that I never saw it coming. My mouth fell agape when I saw the house empty. Elias Koteas was awesome in the finale. He played his part perfectly. You wanted to believe him as the reluctant bank robber. His amateurish actions leading up to the final reveal had me fooled. I really didn’t think he was in on the robbery.

Even though I liked the episode, I can’t help but think this was a ‘throw together and toss in a The Usual Suspects Ending’ finale. It was just what I expected coming off a strike induced shortened season. The other actors weren’t in it much because they were probably off shooting scenes for next year’s episodes. That only causes me to worry more because Hawkes was in this episode more than Danny and Lindsay… If he gets shafted next season, I’d be very annoyed. :censored:

I’d give it a grade, but since I’m with everyone else, in Cliffhanger Overdose, I just can’t give it one yet.