Hey, we got off easy - Horatio would have bounced.
:lol:
Right. So. Caught this ep on the fly more than able to sit down to watch. And I say that cos there hasta be
some explanation, and that might be part of why, ...dang it, ...I liked the ep :wtf::lol:. I'd been holding an ambivalent trepidation with this one, hoping for the best and dreading the worst, and it surprised me. It came down on the side I'd hoped it would.
Peyton's return was tied up firmly in a case, suds were minimal. Not bad for overhyped Bermuda issues.
.
That's not to say the ep didn't suffer NY's usual tendencies. The premise of the ep, the Rear Window nod, was obviously an idea so favored in teh writers' room that the content was firmly hammered into place to serve it, denting logic and consistency along the way. So long as that was understood from the outset, the ep flew well within that envelope, and therein was fun and entertaining. Knowing the Rear Window vibe, it was also an ep I was prepared to accept simply as a ride, and wasn't taking it very seriously. Mebbe I mighta felt differently had I not been multitasking w/ other things and just been sitting there watching, but, eh, it's one of a rare few this season I wouldn't mind seeing again.
So. I came in after the first teaser chase was already well under way, at the point where Mac didn't tell the guy to turn around and kneel with his hands atop his head fingers interlaced etc to cuff him, no, in order to have Mac laid up, he got tossed. It seems even that's not enough for some people, who have commented that Mac never gets hurt, always get his man etc
. Here he was injured, didn't still get up or roll over to take a shot etc, and the dude got away. Fallible Mac, or a step in the right direction. Seemed this one was a victory scored by the anonymous redshirt crewmen in catching the guy. Last word, with Danny going from 10% to walking in four eps, I'm glad the show at least had Mac still laid up at home a week later, limping, wincing and wearing a cast :lol:
For that matter. I was also impressed that NY acknowledged the passing of time with a subtitle
.
Goal achieved, by the first act Mac was marooned in his apt., and I thought it was interesting he didn't seem to want to be a workaholic while at home, with his response to the paperwork Stella brought him. There was a disappointing and blase exchange between them about Shane Casey and Danny etc., and so passed the last real opportunity to address that before the finale rolls around. The rest of their exchange was fun and a good illustration of their friendship and ease. Was a scene that had some good character tidbits mixed into the opportunity to showcase their dynamic; Mac not knowing what really went on during daylight hours, that orange chicken seemed a reasonable (nay, fabulous) breakfast to them, that Mac was grounded every other weekend, and that he was, cast-impeded or perhaps just generally, chopstick challenged (I don't see Stella so suffering, somehow :lol
. Also had the first introduction of more premise establishment hammered into place, voyeurism/surveillance. A bit uncomfortable. Necessary to set the plot underway, and so what are ya gonna do. I would suggest however, dude, buy a frickin teevee if ya don't have one among yer toys.
Mac, of course, alone witnessed the suspicious exchange, but I think that was also necessary to make the unravelling of it more interesting than if Stella had also been in the room at that point.
The homicide scene quickly followed with the so-called human-canary, and things were underway.
Lindsay. Neither cute nor funny. But can see the opportunities the writers are trying to provide.
First suspect, first interrogation scene. F*ck me. Was that Danny, ...inna real shirt? And a jacket??? :lol: Mebbe I was imagining things. Was certain I saw him in a white shirt though, and seeming a bit less scruffy. Also a step in the right direction.
Mac and Adam provided more fun, and I always like what the two near polar opposite personalities bring out in scenes together. More tidbits in Joe Namath and an antique ball chain machine. Random but fun, and it's probable that Adam would be the only character to notice or say anything about either. Lol'd literally at Adam's "...was he dead?" line, when Mac recognized the face of the homicide victim in the file, having seen him earlier.
Aaaaaand, Peyton made her silent, grand entrance. Dun dun dunnnnnh. And here I grew apprehensive as to where the show was gonna go ...and here I was surprised. I dunno why, three years after the fact, Mac would still have her old number on his phone. Regardless. I thought how she was brought in was interesting, as was Mac tracking her down somehow. He definitely is reaching out more. Inverse to Rear Window's Jeff, Mac was also now anything but a passive observer, consigned to paperwork, the transition to active participant was made.
I liked the jousting between Peyton and Mac, and the mutual semi-interrogation, which on Mac's part then became more pointed beyond the personal, or rather, was heightened because it was personal to him, because Peyton was involved. I thought there was also some humor, and a rather snappy play back and forth in how their early scenes went down, it did feel like there was a familiarity and ease that resurfaced. Peyton also didn't bow under Mac's early barrage, and stood her ground. Good.
Ep proceeded, poison determined. Peyton's character was then used to push the story forward, essentially investigating on Mac's behalf by phone. Liked the acknowledgement of the issue of voyeurism & spying, complete to "...not even a misdemeanor"
. Even as Peyton herself played a part in furthering the investigation, still an ME after all, she continued to resist jumping to any conclusions and defended Kevin. I liked that the show had Peyton as the voice to counter Mac, and made him work to prove his interpretation of his observations. I didn't really have any issue with Peyton lifting prints etc., surely she'd been to enough crime scenes to have picked up a few things herself. Didn't have issues with Stella and Peyton's greeting. Not after three frickin years :lol: Close or not. They seemed friendly enough in eps like People With Money etc. Whatever. Wasn't something that bothered me. The bewildered expression that flickered across Stella's face initially was fun though
.
Onto the wasps. Trained wasps. Who knew. Wasn't expecting that, and while far-fetched, it was different, which I appreciated, and mebbe had a kernal of truth within the notion, tho liberties were no doubt taken. Was also good to see Peyton mixed in with the whole team thru out the ep. Liked that Adam was on the spot again :lol:.
Bye bye birdie was discovered, of course, and hello Sheldon, never a dull moment for you these days. Sarin pinpointed, but not yet if it was accidental or murder. Answered soon enough with the discovery of Hedge Island and the Germ Lab.
I'd guessed that sooner or later Mac was gonna be noticed himself, and hoped the show might keep him a bit more in the realm of Jeff in terms of being vulnerable. But. Well. No :lol:. Of course not. Hot head Mac wasn't arming for defense after being spotted, he was trying to pick up the chase by heading to the apt. where they'd just said that inadvertantly encountering a single drop of the poison could kill you in seconds, and oh yeah the warrant had only been requested moments before. I suppose it wouldn't be the first time a warrant was jumped. So. What are ya gonna do. Ground him and the writers for the weekend I suppose
.
Conservatory. Buy a vowel.
. Anyone who didn't fill that in within a nanosecond... :lol: but well done Adam. Man he does bring such a spark to episodes. I hope he's in more next season. Next plot mallets, foregone conclusion the Conservatory would conveniently be housing the charity event Peyton was to be attending with Scott.
Regardless of the predictability on that front, it prompted a change of pace in scoring for the ep, which I liked and appreciated. Not only in being different in tone for NY, but also in mixing the event onscreen with the soundtrack. Nice to hear some strings get some focus too.
Flack, Danny and Mac, and then Peyton undertook to find Scott. The ep didn't push matters by having Mac himself in pursuit but using the security cameras instead, and directed Flack and Danny as they chased the - ...crap, was gonna call him an "unsub" :lol: Suppose that's also cos, beyond Charge of his Post, the ep reminded me of CM's S4 ep, Amplification.
The ep ended cyclically on a few levels. Mac got tossed from height to start the ep, it ends in another confrontation up high. Mac got bullrushed, Flack got a face full of grit. No ubercops in this one. Even gave Danny a bit to do there for a change. Ep also ended back in Mac's apt., to end as it began watching window teevee.
Interim, was kinda disappointed that Scott was a rather conventional raving extremist with a prototypical mission statement. Not as substantial a role as I was perhaps expecting Gale Harold to have. He turned out to be surprisingly un-menacing. There were two moments I'd hoped he might get more to do within, where I wondered what more he might be capable of, a) where Peyton was snooping and nearly caught, and b) where Mac was snooping, and was spotted. It mighta been interesting to push the potential dark edge a bit further, to feel some sense of danger for them more. Rear Window was a thriller, and while the ep was fun, a thriller it was not.
In closing out the ep. I liked that the crap manner in which the show ended the relationship and cleared it from the decks in S3/4 was addressed. I liked there was an apology, that we got to finally see a chink in Mac's shell in that he did have some deep feelings tucked away about it all, though he was never given material that really addressed them till now. Liked also that Peyton still stood on her own even within that acknowledgment. Thought Claire Forlani did well with helping tidy up the writers' mess with all that, not the friendliest or easiest place to play from, but probably a fun challenge nonetheless. Pulled it off well.
Was a minor *burn* moment in the non-kiss :lol: and a rather fun follow up after the fact. Did feel bad Aubrey was mentioned as "just a friend," and wasn't sure if that was more a deflective comment, especially as Peyton hinted that they'd started out the same way and perhaps knew better what that could mean. Guess we'll find out in S7, unless the decks simply get cleared again. Tended to read that scene as one more of closure than possibly starting something anew. Noncomittal, and not surprised to see the show take that route. Glad all the triangle stuff was hugely overhyped for what made it onscreen. Have to say that while I still don't like the notion of a triangle, that Aubrey's introduction & integration, and Peyton's return were concisely & well written. A good dynamic on both fronts as played this season, and thankfully minimal suds. And this ep was contained. Not much to be left hanging about here. Another step in the right direction.
Thought it was fun to do an ep inspired by Rear Window. The paradox of compartmentalized urban isolation. The film had a nurse named Stella, and we had colleague Stella here
. I suppose the show and the movie both had noncomittal issues :lol:. Liked the instances the show took advantage of scoring opportunities. I don't think the ep was meant to be a deep homage but a fun and entertaining nod. I liked that it seemed to consist of two halves, Mac's observations and suspicions, and the actual homicide, both worked to somehow meet in the middle. The pacing was decent, and my interest didn't flag, perhaps because I was doing more than just sitting there watching it
. I liked the ep being different from the usual in reach and style, even if it fell prey to some of its' usual tendencies.
Was far more than I was hoping for from this one. I was unexpectedly entertained. Would take a second viewing perhaps to figure if it was as easily consumed as it seemed to be.
Graded it in the high B realm.
I know.
Surprised the absolute f*ck outta me too :lol:
I only hope the finale manages to surprise me in an equally pleasant way.
