Grade "Manhattanhenge"

[Messers fan]

A nice chase to end this arc I liked it

It was a real team episode everyone are involved and Adam Woh now he is taken seriously good to see it

""Adam you don't have to worry about Haylen you are really part of the team:lol::lol::lol:""

I think Danny wasn't ready for that chase...too soon Mac should have known that, but Danny looks so happy to be back.

The end at the restaurant show us a very friendly team, but it is obvious that Danny's back hurts so why anybody except Lindsay ask him if he is OK ????

Lindsay showing a pic on her cell phone "probably Lucy" to Stella and Hawkes was cute

I give A+ because it is such a team, and I like them

 

[talkingtocactus]

I was surprised at how much I was just able to sit back and enjoy this one. Yes, it was basically a simple "chase the killer" episode, but I actually liked the pacing--it was intense and fast without throwing a ton of information at us.

yeah, i pretty much felt the same. considering there wasn't an awful lot of substance, ie it really was just a giant chase scene (it's already a chase scene! they're already chasing! [/true west]) i enjoyed it more than i thought i would.

i had a few comments, some positive, some negative, most just observations i guess...

1: i agree that flack could've related to eckhart's "chat" with his wife, but i also agree with whoever said that maybe it was still too raw for flack to get the connection, whereas with mac it's an older "injury" so he would've perhaps been more able to draw that link in a coherent way, and i thought he did so quite nicely, it was there but not too overplayed. also i think it helped that mac was standing directly in front of hollis and could therefore see who or what he was trying to talk to - flack was a bit behind and to the side so it may not have been so obvious from a purely technical point of view.

i thought something similar when mac and flack were in the sewer with the music playing, i liked that bit a lot. it was kind of eerie and atmospheric and i thought the song choice (even though i don't like that song that much) was perfect, given that they are the two that have lost wives/girlfriends. in fact i liked that mac and flack seemed to be the driving forces on the case, it linked them both nicely to eckhart's situation.

2: the time line. this is what i put on my facebook: dear csi ny writers. PLEASE deal with your screwy timeline. it's december already? how exactly? i assume that lucy messer is now a toddler, mac's still a marine, flack's been back to normal for years, and stella is in fact 27, seeing as how she gets younger each year. i love csiny but really, you HAVE to sort this out before the entire fan community goes bonkers trying to remember what f**king day it is! ta. also regards timing, they were doing the final chase scene at just before dawn, so what, about 5.45-6 am, and *all* the shops were open? i know it's the city that never sleeps, but really, that seems a little unlikely. london is a 24 hour city and at that time in london, a few shops are open but nowhere near all of them. also it's never that crowded.

3: danny's running about - i agree that putting him on a long, intense chase seemed a little silly but maybe he pushed for it, stubborn git that he is

i agree that maybe the sea legs comment was a reference to lt dan, that was quite funny

i also liked that lindsay finally made reference to what happened to danny, albeit obliquely, it made you realise she hadn't just moved on.

4: i worked out who the 4th victim was really early on. i guess again having been in similar situations (ok, i don't go around killing people but i've had delusions and stuff so...) it seemed fairly obvious. as for people saying they should've just left him to it, that crossed my mind too but more out of sympathy to him - i had a hunch he wasn't aware of what he'd done in a real sense (and i think they confirmed this with him going "what have i done?" at the end), and i think it would've been an easier route for him to take than endless psych evals/treatment. as for why they psych eval him before the arraignment, well they need to know (a) just exactly what condition he has and what form (ie paranoid schizo, delusional schizo, how far it's affected by ptsd and/or the shrapnel in his brain etc) and (b) how far gone with it he was, just how far his own agency could be taken into account. these illnesses have a habit of changing course and i think it was probably a wise idea!

5: they really do like rats on csi:ny don't they? i think they should rename it csi: rat city :lol:

6: i really thought mac telling adam to ask if he needed help was a cue for haylen to show up, in a way i'm glad it wasn't, adam i think needed to re-assert himself, but on the other hand i think it could've worked if they'd had to work together and been forced to get along!

7: i loved the end scene - sure it was cheesy but it was nice cheesy. i liked that danny made a reference to the pain by asking for ice, and that lindsay and he seemed to be happy at least at that point. i wondered whether flack should be drinking though! the look stella threw to adam was quite cute, and even more so was adam's reaction - i agree they really should do something conclusive with that storyline, either end it properly or take it somewhere, don't just leave it hanging. i liked sheldon's comments about his apartment, and it was lovely to see mac being casual and relaxed, it doesn't happen often! also i agree with whoever said that that scene nicely linked back to the scene with the shootout in s5.

overall i really enjoyed it, much more than i expected, given it was just a chase ep. i really empathised with the killer, on many levels, including the mental chaos, and i thought they depicted that side of it pretty well, they didn't make it too ridiculous. i liked mac throughout (there's a shock for you!:lol:), i liked how he went from angry intense mac to relaxed happy mac. i thought all the others chipped in nicely, and it was nice to have an ep where it was a genuine team effort with everyone making a significant contribution and working well together.

i gave it an A, it would've been more but that timeline issue really bugged me:lol:

 

[Flack-Angell]

OMG THE ENDING : D best team moment EVER!

and when mac chased hollis XD :guffaw: OMG, I laughed SO HAAAAAAAARD :guffaw:

 

[smurfy]

I gave it an A+ cuz Skeet's acting (I'm transparent -- he's my fav actor and everything he does is awesome). Even thought the episode was 90% predictable, I still got choked up at the end, so that says something. And, Josie Davis, once again -- held her own opposite Skeet and made the scene more powerful. Kudos.

As for the predictability of this episode, on one hand, I like how the victims were just random. No rhyme or reason to it. Eckhart is just a crazy nutter who thinks he sees bad people, but really they are not who he thinks they are. Just delusional figmants of his mind. That is rare on a show where viewers always want a REASON for everything. It has to be wrapped up in a neat little bow. A is to B, B is to C, therefore we can solve the answer.

However, since CSI NY and all the CSI shows are not really written for the real world, I would have rathered it be something more strategic, yet hard to imagine. For instance, someone suggested that Eckhart was killing all the people who survived the massacre -- the innocent victims. This would have been far more powerful, the killing of innocent victims, and then ending with his own death. It would highlight how tragic, senseless and uncomprehensionable it is to take innocent lives. The rationale (besides the fact that he is a bonkers-schizo) would be that if his wife didn't get to live that day, then no one there should either. It isn't a logical explanation, but crazy people aren't logical. Flack, who worked the initial massacre could have recognized the third victim and placed him at the tragedy years before, then pieced together how all these 'random' people knew each other. They were all at the surveyor's office 2 years before and survived the attack. Now Eckhart was finishing the shooter's job -- killing all the innocent people that got to go home to their families that night. Psychologically, it could be akin to Stockholme syndrome of a sorts where he, due to the Post Traumatic Stress disorder, associated with the Killer and is finishing his business.

The guy in the hoody being chased was a waste of time. I knew from the moment they saw him crouched that it wasn't the CK, and so it was just a time filler for me. Of course, the writers want to stress how Danny can now run (only a few months after being shot - whatev).

One part of me thought the opening sequence of Flack and Mac searching the lair was anticlimatic and long, but, in a way, since this is not usually how CSI shows are -- they usually have a chase scene or an explosion or something to catch the audience's attention, it was almost sneaky and clever in that you were ASSUMING something was going to happen. That can either work in the writer's favor if done well.......or fall flat. I didn't mind that scene so much and it didn't bother me like the ridiculous chase scene.

Loved the Manhattanhenge aspect. You think you know everything about the world, and then you find out some quirky fact that is new and interesting. I like to learn new things that I can randomly repeat in conversation at the odd party, and so, this was a plus.

Still, the dialogue is stilted and boring and, unless the Compass Killer escaped his new Mental Institution and shows up on a future episode, sadly, I don't think I'll watch another CSI. But it was fun seeing Skeet two Wednesday's in a row.....

 

[Maya316]

B+.

I missed some parts of the episode because people were talking while I was watching (so if I start asking dumb questions sometime during the review, that's why ), but on the whole I liked what I saw. This episode reminded me of "DOA for a Day", and "Taxi" -- the way the whole team got in on the action. Loved that, I have definitely missed it. LOL at this:

Originally Posted by KnitNut:
Because you can put the entire NYPD and crime lab to work on one case, one guy who'd committed all of three murders, tear up the floor of the computer room so that you can now watch every street in NYC on security cameras (causing untold numbers of ACLU lawyers to start sharpening their fangs) and, and tell Danny to "take down" an unidentified man in a sewer tunnel, which by Danny's reply means to shoot him in the back, so long as you are Mac Taylor and royally pi$$ed off.

It's so true! :lol: Those Manhattenhenge-sunlit streets have got to be a free-for-all for criminals, because it really seemed like the entire NYPD was focused on this one case...but I found it entertaining anyway. Especially Flack driving up on the sidewalk. 'Cause driving laws only apply to civilians anyway.

Danny giving up his jacket was very cute, but wasn't this the episode that Flack was supposed to ask him how he was doing after the chase? Why on earth would they cut it out? Someone watching with me last night was wondering how Danny was up and running at all, since she was under the impression that he was supposed to be in a wheelchair...you'd think it'd make more sense to keep Flack's line in, because it would've helped explain things just like this.

I agree about the zillion lawsuits likely piling up because of the crime lab's playing Big Brother, keeping over half the city under surveillance; but at the same time, watching Adam work the computers again was definitely hot :lol: I loved that sequence. Thought Mac was a little harsh on him (if some of the cameras don't work at night, I don't see how Adam's supposed to control that), but I guess that might've been him taking the case personally.

I was ridiculously fond of the hardware-store clerk by the end of his scene Don't know why, he was kind of a jerk; but it's been a while since we've seen a non-suspect just be a typical jerk, it was funny. And having Flack and Danny work that scene made it better, they played off of him so well.

I caught Lindsay's moment of self-identifying with the Compass Killer too (even more interesting, the way she kept identifying with his rage). They could've taken that whole anger quirk of hers in such an interesting direction this episode, but gah. Guess not. Missed the moment where she was showing off her cell-phone to Hawkes and Stella (double gah :scream, but I really enjoyed the scene where Stella brought her coffee; that was cute. On that note, though -- how does everyone know that it's December 5th in this episode? Did they say it, or hint at it somewhere? Chalk that up to something else I missed! But especially if Manhattenhenge is supposed to take place in May/June, one would think the writers wouldn't want to call attention to the fact that they've got the wrong date for this phenomenon.

I really liked the Manhattenhenge sequence, though; crazy-bright, but so gorgeous.

I also think I would've liked the Eckhart confrontation scene a lot better if Flack had been the one to talk Hollis down, rather than Mac...I get why it might've made more sense for Mac to talk him down (the pain is too fresh for Flack; not to mention that after his actions in "Pay Up" and in the last episode, he probably isn`t the one to talk Eckhart out of his rage and guilt). But on the other hand, I agree with everyone who said it woul`ve been a great ending for Flack`s arc if he had been the one to talk him down, it really would`ve shown that he`d come full circle, and it would`ve given closure...for him and for us viewers. Dammit, another missed opportunity. And I`m sorry -- a huge part of what I like about Mac is his whole Claire issue and his grief, don`t get me wrong -- but if he plays that card one more time...:scream:

Hmm, guess they're making the vanishing-rounds again -- no Sid this time? :shifty: I'd get it if they just didn't have any bodies to process (thus no reason to visit the coroner's office), but not having him in that final scene knocks this episode down from an A. Sorry again He`s just as much of a team member as anyone else who was there; Doc Robbins was in the team scene in CSI Vegas (so it`s clearly not a "CSIs only" issue); and if they could invite him out for drinks in "Pay Up", they could invite him out for dinner.

The team scene...team scenes are the new black with the CSI franchise this year :lol: I liked it a lot, I`ve definitely missed these scenes, and they all looked to be having a lot of fun (especially when talking about Hawkes` new place) -- but at the same time it felt jarring, maybe because it`s been a while since we`ve seen one. I couldn`t help comparing it to the other shows` team scenes -- it was a lot more natural than the one in CSI:Miami`s "Hostile Takeover", but not as easygoing as the bowling one on Vegas last week, imo.

 

[talkingtocactus]

On that note, though -- how does everyone know that it's December 5th in this episode? Did they say it, or hint at it somewhere? Chalk that up to something else I missed! But especially if Manhattenhenge is supposed to take place in May/June, one would think the writers wouldn't want to call attention to the fact that they've got the wrong date for this phenomenon.

haha yeah they mentioned it specifically several times! but i agree, it's not hard to find out that this phenomenon *doesn't* happen on dec 5th but according to hawkes it has done for the last 2 years at least. i see the writers are now moving celestial bodies just to fit their story:lol::lol:

And I`m sorry -- a huge part of what I like about Mac is his whole Claire issue and his grief, don`t get me wrong -- but if he plays that card one more time...:scream:

i dunno, i don't think he does play it that often, i think sometimes other people play it for him (notably stella) and i think it gets mentioned sometimes but i don't think he really shoves it down throats. the only time it was this prominent before that i can think of was way back in blink - i actually don't think it comes up that often, but then mac can't do much wrong for me so maybe i missed it

 

[Plenilunio]

Lisa and Maya: I'm impressed. According to Wikipedia, Manhattanhenge's dates are:

The dates of Manhattanhenge are usually May 28 and July 12 or July 13 (spaced evenly around Summer Solstice). The two corresponding mornings of sunrise right on the center lines of the Manhattan grid are approximately December 5 and January 8 (spaced evenly around Winter Solstice).[1] As with the solstices and equinoxes, the dates vary somewhat from year to year.

I know, it's Wikipedia, so its reliability index is about -1 in a scale from 0 to 10. However, it seems at least there was one thing right about this episode.

 

[Jade_Nolan]

And I`m sorry -- a huge part of what I like about Mac is his whole Claire issue and his grief, don`t get me wrong -- but if he plays that card one more time...:scream:

i dunno, i don't think he does play it that often, i think sometimes other people play it for him (notably stella) and i think it gets mentioned sometimes but i don't think he really shoves it down throats. the only time it was this prominent before that i can think of was way back in blink - i actually don't think it comes up that often,

Agree!!! I think the writers have indirectly played the card because there have been a fair number of "my-significant-other-was-killed" plot themes, and we all immediately draw a parallel to Mac and Claire whenever it happens. But Mac himself barely mentions it. And then only usually when it's dragged out of him. He's much too private and reserved to wave his own personal tragedy card around.

but then mac can't do much wrong for me so maybe i missed it

:hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin:

 

[talkingtocactus]

Lisa and Maya: I'm impressed. According to Wikipedia, Manhattanhenge's dates are:

The dates of Manhattanhenge are usually May 28 and July 12 or July 13 (spaced evenly around Summer Solstice). The two corresponding mornings of sunrise right on the center lines of the Manhattan grid are approximately December 5 and January 8 (spaced evenly around Winter Solstice).[1] As with the solstices and equinoxes, the dates vary somewhat from year to year.

I know, it's Wikipedia, so its reliability index is about -1 in a scale from 0 to 10. However, it seems at least there was one thing right about this episode.

ah well there ya go - i was thinking of the sunset dates i guess so hey, maybe they did get something on their timeline right! however, they did have to chop almost 2 weeks out between air date and date of events so hey, still a screwy timeline as far as i can so

And I`m sorry -- a huge part of what I like about Mac is his whole Claire issue and his grief, don`t get me wrong -- but if he plays that card one more time...:scream:

i dunno, i don't think he does play it that often, i think sometimes other people play it for him (notably stella) and i think it gets mentioned sometimes but i don't think he really shoves it down throats. the only time it was this prominent before that i can think of was way back in blink - i actually don't think it comes up that often,

Agree!!! I think the writers have indirectly played the card because there have been a fair number of "my-significant-other-was-killed" plot themes, and we all immediately draw a parallel to Mac and Claire whenever it happens. But Mac himself barely mentions it. And then only usually when it's dragged out of him. He's much too private and reserved to wave his own personal tragedy card around.

yeah it's inevitable that it'd come up but i don't think it's that often and definitely not from him.

but then mac can't do much wrong for me so maybe i missed it

:hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin::hugegrin:

indeed

 

[Maya316]

Lisa and Maya: I'm impressed. According to Wikipedia, Manhattanhenge's dates are:

The dates of Manhattanhenge are usually May 28 and July 12 or July 13 (spaced evenly around Summer Solstice). The two corresponding mornings of sunrise right on the center lines of the Manhattan grid are approximately December 5 and January 8 (spaced evenly around Winter Solstice).[1] As with the solstices and equinoxes, the dates vary somewhat from year to year.

I know, it's Wikipedia, so its reliability index is about -1 in a scale from 0 to 10. However, it seems at least there was one thing right about this episode.

LOL, count me as impressed :lol: But I`m proud of them! So does that mean Manhattanhenge happens about four times a year, or does the one in winter have a different name? I`m also going to have to check -- I could`ve sworn that they caught Hollis Eckhart around sunset, rather than sunrise, but I might`ve missed that too.

And I`m sorry -- a huge part of what I like about Mac is his whole Claire issue and his grief, don`t get me wrong -- but if he plays that card one more time...:scream:

i dunno, i don't think he does play it that often, i think sometimes other people play it for him (notably stella) and i think it gets mentioned sometimes but i don't think he really shoves it down throats. the only time it was this prominent before that i can think of was way back in blink - i actually don't think it comes up that often,

Agree!!! I think the writers have indirectly played the card because there have been a fair number of "my-significant-other-was-killed" plot themes, and we all immediately draw a parallel to Mac and Claire whenever it happens. But Mac himself barely mentions it. And then only usually when it's dragged out of him. He's much too private and reserved to wave his own personal tragedy card around.

I agree about his privacy and reserve, but I think I remember him mentioning Claire in Green Piece and Greater Good (with Maris`s mother?). Although it`s true that Claire rarely gets referred to by name, at least not by him...my issue is just that it`s been coming up a lot lately; which it never used to, not nearly as much, because Mac is intensely private about it. His unwillingness to talk about Claire was part of what really made that story of his for me, so seeing or hearing it get mentioned this often is somewhat taking away from that factor.

 

[talkingtocactus]

^ maybe, but also he's been opening up more generally the last couple of seasons so maybe it's just symptomatic of that, that he's just more able to talk about stuff, including that, especially if he thinks that stuff might be able to help/reassure others. which seems fair enough.

 

[FieryRed]

Hey All,

I can't say I was thrilled by the episode although I loved the team dinner at the end! For me they are the best CSI team.
Now, I like the consept of compass killer but I was expecting most dramatc ending but was an ok one.
I general I didn't like the camera's everywhere and checking all faces for remote resemblence that bother me a lot fictional or not... I am not going to analize it further I think you understand me.
Anyway I gave the episode a C because I didn't find it interesting. I ope the next one will be!

 

[Faylinn]

Was I the only one who thought Adam might, against his better judgement, bring in his blonde nemesis and form a bond with her when Mac suggested "another set of eyes" might be helpful?

LOL, every time I see or hear the word 'nemesis', I think of the third(?) season of Heroes, when Hiro would call Daphne "Nemesis!" :lol: [/dork]

 

[Dreamboat]

The Manhattanhenge idea was clever and I liked the way they worked it into the story but there wasn't enough plot for the hour (42 minutes) so there was way too much padding - the sewer scenes and the ending restaurant scene (although I loved it) were too long. Also, the time, effort and manpower that were expended on a guy who had killed only three people were more than excessive.

Sid should have been in the restaurant scene. He's a part of Team Taylor, too. Danny was incredibly (miraculously) athletic for a guy who just stopped using a cane.

I like this show and I love the characters, but this episode was a bit of a fizzle.

 

[LVNYfan1113]

I'm not bothered by the timeline issues in this episode. Maybe, this episode was originally set to air next week (Dec 2, nearer to Dec 5). Maybe tptb don't want to waste the nice lead-in from Criminal Minds' 100th episode so they decided to air them together yesterday. I think there will be no CSI: NY repeat next week because of Grammy special. I remember 'Pay Up', which was set May 20 (Angell's death) as seen in Dunbrook's headline but the episode, was aired May 14 (thursday) because of CM's 2-hour finale on the 20th.

I like the episode. Hollis as the last victim is predictable but realistic. Sometimes, the most obvious thing to happen is the most realistic and natural. It would be off if Hollis haunted for another innocent victim. I think that's too much. His last scene with Mac is perfect. I like it. The acting is of course very good. The last scene was so fantastic. I smiled the whole scene. At least, the team gathered for a celebration and not because someone close to them died (Aiden and Angell).

All in all, an episode deserving A+.