Grade 'Hostage'

[hyburn8]

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 thought the EXACT same thing as I was watching this episode. The Spike mini-series was "The Kill Point". I really enjoyed that.

I think Top hit it on the head in her grading when she said that the writers went out of their way to make Joe seem non-threatening so I personally didn't have the sense of drama that I feel should go along with a season finale. Like others, I am looking forward to S5, anxiously.:thumbsup:

I gave it a B.

 

[GregNickRyanFan]

I thought the EXACT same thing as I was watching this episode. The Spike mini-series was "The Kill Point". I really enjoyed that.

The Kill Point, that's it. Thank you. It was driving me nuts that I couldn't remember the title. I too enjoyed that show. I almost hated to see it end. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought about that series during the NY finale.

 

[csimania19]

this episode is not bad at all. though i must admit snow day was a better season finale even if it wasn't a cliffhanger.

is it just me or does everyone look extra good in this finale? flack and danny look really good! flack's eyes IMO are bluer than usual. what is wrong with me? LOL.

mac. amazing. very calm the entire time. a true CSI. stella great. no D/L drama. nice. love sid's lair! hawkes and adam great as usual. flack. good composure. the hostage rescue team commander was nagging him to death. good thing he didn't punch the guy. plus the commander had this weird gasp-y voice. hostages looked like hostages too. hahaha. "joe" was great. didn't expect that everything was a total lie.

is there something going on between brett and stella? they have something. hahaha. if ever this progresses through season 5, let's hope brett's doesn't turn to be a bad guy like frankie and drew. hahaha. stella deserves someone who she doesn't have to eventually kill! :lol:

the cliffhanger element. well it kinda worked. i wasn't all "i can't sleep just thinking about what could happen!". i was just sort of like "it ends there? ugh. great." may this storyline have a good ending. they just have to. i don't think they would have us wait for 4 months just to end up watching a lousy continuation.

season 5 countdown... starts... NOW.

 

[miss_blue]

B- only because I love NY and I couldn't give it a C. The only thing that saved this episode was the bank robber. What an amazing performance form Elias Koteas (sp?). He was the only reason I watched it till the end. I wanted to see what happened to Joe, not with Mac, and I want to see what's Joe's really story and not if Mac makes it.

Too much Mac is too much. The rest of the team was just forgot. I can't even remember at which moment they appear, because it was all about Mac. I completely agree that Snow Day was a great finale, was all about Mac, and still had the whole team involved.

The most ironic thing is that from the team Hawkes got the most amount of screen time :lol: I loved Melina's performance in Hostage. She flawless portrayed genuine concern, and she was also the leader who handled everything. Sid is amazing. The man has 2 minutes on episode, but you still manage to remember him. I guess we all stepped into his layer :lol: Also, that hologram thingy, I think it's a bit too much (reminded me of Bones - I thought it was weird there too, but when I saw it in NY I giggled :lol

All in all, I didn't expect Snow Day, but I was disappointed with this one. I'm sorry but the only 'cliffhanger' for me is the fact that I want to know about Joe. I will not lose sleep over the summer thinking about whether Mac makes it or not.

ETA: Adam's comeback was in a bang :lol: I loved him. Also, no DL in the finale, that was good, it wouldn't have been the place for those two to start being all emo about their 'relationship'

 

[Caprian]

B- only because I love NY and I couldn't give it a C. The only thing that saved this episode was the bank robber. What an amazing performance form Elias Koteas (sp?). He was the only reason I watched it till the end. I wanted to see what happened to Joe, not with Mac, and I want to see what's Joe's really story and not if Mac makes it.

Too much Mac is too much. The rest of the team was just forgot. I can't even remember at which moment they appear, because it was all about Mac. I completely agree that Snow Day was a great finale, was all about Mac, and still had the whole team involved.

The most ironic thing is that from the team Hawkes got the most amount of screen time :lol: I loved Melina's performance in Hostage. She flawless portrayed genuine concern, and she was also the leader who handled everything. Sid is amazing. The man has 2 minutes on episode, but you still manage to remember him. I guess we all stepped into his layer :lol: Also, that hologram thingy, I think it's a bit too much (reminded me of Bones - I thought it was weird there too, but when I saw it in NY I giggled :lol

All in all, I didn't expect Snow Day, but I was disappointed with this one. I'm sorry but the only 'cliffhanger' for me is the fact that I want to know about Joe. I will not lose sleep over the summer thinking about whether Mac makes it or not.

I totally agree with you miss_blue and I am happy that somebody finally spoke out my thought about this hologram thing. It is too much for me too. I can't help it but for me this is too weird.

 

[GregNickRyanFan]

flack's eyes IMO are bluer than usual.

I noticed that too! I thought it was just me!

the commander had this weird gasp-y voice.

His voice kind of sounded like Ben Vereen to me. For anyone who doesn't know, Ben Vereen was one of the judges on "Your Mama Don't Dance".

is there something going on between brett and stella?

Who is Brett?

 

[Missing]

Pokes head in... finds alot of funny and amusing comments...likes thread and decides to post.

*takes deep breathe and let's it out slowly*
OK now to this episode. Of the 2 CSI shows I watch, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, this year CSI: Miami had the better finale. I was like: OMG!!! Someone shot Horatio!!! I was fit to be tied...down that is...Monday night. This episode I was like: I'm starting to feel bad for this guy. Then the ending happens and I'm like: Oh man. This guy just put one over on Mac. Dang. Notice NO !!! Well this CSI: NY finale didn't make me feel !!! like the season 3 finale. At the end of CSI: NY's season 3 finale I felt like this: WOW!!! Could someone please come peel me off the ceiling?!?!?! And posted something to that effect. This one I didn't feel that. In fact, when I finish this post and grade this episode, I'm gonna go watch Horatio get shot again. More !!! to it then the end of this episode.
My overall grade for CSI: NY's season 4 finale 'Hostage': B

Right with my thoughts and yes I watched H get shot a few more times.
Mac really had to be pissed at himself for falling for the guys story. And how come he didn't figure it out when the guy patted down Mac right before getting into the car at the end. Why would the guy pat him down but to get the bullet and what would he want with the bullet Mac. Mac must have been having a brain fart at that time because if I caught that then he should have. But then there would be no cliffhanger either unless Mac got shot --yes Mac should have figured that out and then turned on the guy and the guy would have raised the gun and the cops would have had a shootout and Mac gets caught in the crossfire --much better ending.
Ok so sorry about that rant. I will settle down now. It just that CSI shot Warrick and Miami shot Horatio and Mac was close.

 

[Daisy]

When I read the spoilers at first my first thought was: "Not again a Mac-centered season finale." Can't the writers come up with something else for a change? I know Gary Sinise is the lead star, and I like him, but hey, there are more characters on the show! But the storyline turned out a lot better. I thought it was just a simple robbery gone bad, but it was far from that. A lot of twist and turns and a cliffhanger. So in the end, I gave it a solid B.

Not the best season finale of this year (unlike last season, now I liked Grey's and NCIS more), but a lot better than the season finales I saw last week. I'm looking forward to September to find out how this will end! :thumbsup:

But I still hope the main character in the next season will not be Mac for a change. Not because I don't like Mac/Gary Sinise (I do, a lot), but the focus is a bit too much on him lately. He gets al the good storylines, while others have to deal with stupid love triangles for example

 

[jolein]

A bit late but better late then never

I liked the episode,gave it an -A,though I think it`s tough to rate this one just because it`s a 2 part episode.

While i`m not a big Mac fan,he was the most fitting character.
Mac,is always the one who seems to know everything and is always right,to see him in this situation is something new.

I don`t compare it to last years final cause for me every episode/finale/premiere is new,plus I feel for this season the final fitted.

 

[privatename]

This is going to be a completely shallow post so my apologies.

Quote:
flack's eyes IMO are bluer than usual.
I noticed that too! I thought it was just me!

I thought it, too. Also, at the beginning of the episode when Flack was telling the released hostage to come to him, was anyone else thinking "I'll come to you Flack!"

is there something going on between brett and stella?

Who is Brett?

Brett was the guy from Homeland Security that told Stella about that special gun that allowed there to be one entry wound but two bullets. I don't know if there is something going on, but could you blame her if there was. He is very easy on the eyes. If they want Stella to have a love interest at some point, I think he would be a great choice -- as long as he doesn't turn out to be a stalker or freak.

 

[GregNickRyanFan]

at the beginning of the episode when Flack was telling the released hostage to come to him, was anyone else thinking "I'll come to you Flack!"

I was!

Does anyone have a screencap of Brett? I can't remember what he looks like and I don't have my tape right now cause I sent it to my Dad to watch (he doesn't get CBS).

 

[Faylinn]

I don't have a screencap, but I have Adam Baldwin's IMDb page.

 

[Surreal_44]

I think the episode was an A-.

What I really liked about was that it wasn't as intense as many other season finales have been. I love drama, but at the same time I get tired of the Usual Suspects: Someone gets shot, someone dies, there is a massive explosion, huge gun battle and very little well-written plot to go along with it.

This was a far more interesting approach, because the case seemed to be so mundane at first and gradually the stakes became higher and then Mac makes a huge mistake.

And he gets kidnapped! To me that's vastly more exciting than simply getting shot or blown up, because we don't really know what the kidnapper is truly capable of. We didn't suspect that he was anything more than a victim himself, and look what's happened. Who knows what the guy will do to Mac or to anyone else who gets in his way?

A lot of people are correct; there is no urgency (at least for us -- I would guess most viewers of CSI aren't as nuts as we are ) on whether or not Mac is going to be all right or not. We know he will be all right -- eventually, at least.

What is urgent is what is driving "Joe", and what he will do in order to get away or to complete his mission. Who is he? What does he want? Who is he working for, and why? And what will he do with Mac now that he's managed to escape the bank?

That is more exciting to me than "Snow Day" which is a blast to watch but plot-wise it feels a bit contrived, especially since all the characters seem to have sort of become retarded in order to allow the story to go forward.

One other very fun note:

-- Flack, in flack. Yummy. And thankfully it hid most of what looked like a very fugly tie.

 

[MissKraft]

With the closing, of the finale, CSINY has proven ( once again ) why I vote it my favorite out of the three series...

...for it is "human".

I quite enjoyed the plot twisting, which is also the main reason NY puts itself on top of my list. The writers, quite superbly, created a manipulative personality within the "gunman". Having control for half of the episode, only to imply to be a helpless victim when Det. Taylor turns the tables on him ( did you notice the disbelief on Mac's face? ). After Mac "buys into" his story, the episode closes with a 'jaded' CSI team and Mac with a gun to the back of his head.

Is our "gunman" a pro, or just someone with truck-loads of low cunning? Hard to tell, eh?

We cannot give all the credit to the "gunman" though, as the Det. Taylor character was also written superbly. Using the "gunman's" demands against him, and taking into the account the pleas of the hostages, Mac tried to keep the playing field level. True to his character, he devised a plan to remove the "expecting" mother out of the bank. Quite rewarding, such as the man is. The " you have to be kidding me" expression , on Mac's face, as the guman pleas not to be shot. As we all know now, honor seems to have a failing... trust.

Well, all in all, this was quite a cliffhanger. It is turning out to be difficult to wait for the next season. I am sure, our beloved cast, will be fine...

I just have this "collateral damage" thought stuck in the back of my mind...

 

[xfcanadian]

What I really liked about was that it wasn't as intense as many other season finales have been. I love drama, but at the same time I get tired of the Usual Suspects: Someone gets shot, someone dies, there is a massive explosion, huge gun battle and very little well-written plot to go along with it.

thats what i liked about it...all the eppys don't have to be OMGDRAMA!11!!, even the finales. NY went outside the box a little with this one, which is unusual for american dramas. The story was the draw, not the character story lines, and the cliffhanger wasn't really about whether Mac lives or not, but more of how is he going to get out of the situation and what is the case all about. All season people have been complaining about Mac being too perfect...well he makes a huge mistake, and people complain about it :lol:. Can't win i guess. But in Mac's defense, he did take the bullets away, he should have known the guy might have more hidden, but the fact that he emptied the clip tells me that he didn't entirely buy the robber's story.

Also, i suspect the second part may feature more of the team, since Mac is now out of the Bank.