Grade 'Right Next Door'

How would you grade Right Next Door

  • A+

    Votes: 22 24.7%
  • A

    Votes: 25 28.1%
  • A-

    Votes: 10 11.2%
  • B+

    Votes: 8 9.0%
  • B

    Votes: 7 7.9%
  • B-

    Votes: 3 3.4%
  • C+

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • C

    Votes: 3 3.4%
  • C-

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • D+

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • D

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • D-

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • F

    Votes: 9 10.1%

  • Total voters
    89
Faylinn, I totally agree and I think you said it better than I ever could.

MacsGirlMel, having a Bones cross over would be so awesome!
 
Excellent episode, but it did leave a couple of questions unanswered for me.

As someone who has had a heel get caught in a grate before, I'm grateful I never tripped and fell into a plate glass window. What a way to go!

Bonnie has clearly needed some psychological intervention long before now. Someone must not have diagnosed her depression right after she was forced to give up her baby, and she must not have any close friends or relatives to question why she suddenly had a 9 year-old child appear out of thin air. That poor kid, all that time trying to get Stella's attention and she didn't notice! Regarding the fire though: did they ever explain why the sprinklers never activated?

It was great to see Adam and Mac reach out to comfort Stella, and surprising that it took Mac a couple of days to tell her to go sort herself out. He said it himself that he had to work up to it, but you're the boss. Make her do it!

The scenes between Danny and Rikki were, as Faylinn pointed out, realistic. It makes me wonder whether Danny and Lindsay were in a relationship after their pool table horizontal tango. I wonder if he tried to make a go of it, but she continued to send him the same mixed signals that led up to the relationship. She clearly thought there was more to it than he did, but it was not well done of her to automatically expect him to turn to her in his grief. We've seen Danny express his emotions before in the face of personal trauma, but they were always away from the office and to a single well-chosen individual: Flack in the diner, and Mac outside the hospital. It makes sense that he would turn to Rikki in his time of grief having shared the experience of Ruben's death with her. The scene between them was poignant and sweet and real. I even doubt that the sex was spontaneous or an alcohol-fueled pool table romp.

Anyways, I've rambled enough. I really liked the episode, and not for the drah-ma either. The twist with the kidnapped kids was well-done, and the title tied in nicely with both Stella and Danny's stories this episode.

p.s. Faylinn, the female vic from the fire died from a ruptured spleen that she got in the car accident. Hawkes and Sid determined that she was walking around for days with it and simply dropped dead.
 
Honestly, I'm intrigued by the Danny/Rikki situation. I think it's realistic--not perfect (in fact, it's kinda f*cked up), but realistic. They have known each other, but they never really knew each other. Now that their lives have crashed together like this, they're seeking comfort and companionship--I think it could be interesting to see if Rikki's assumptions are correct, that Danny will one day realize he's not to blame and want to walk away from Rikki. Honestly, they might say it's just sex, but that kiss at the end of the scene was not casual. There was some real passion there. I would be intrigued to see how that might develop. An imperfect beginning to a relationship (not Ruben's death, because that is a tragedy--just the way the relationship itself is starting), but a beginning nonetheless.

I don't think Danny cheated on Lindsay. I think there was a lack of communication between the two of them about just what kind of relationship they even had. Lindsay used the word "girlfriend", but Danny seemed surprised--and guilty--to learn that she felt the way she did. He even said that they should talk--whether they do or not remains to be seen, but given "Child's Play", I doubt it.

I don't think Danny is a bad guy, I think he's just a guy. As Carmine said ages ago, he's 'doing the things young guys do'--that doesn't make him a monster or a cheater. I think they are both responsible for the way things go between them, and he can't be expected to read Lindsay's mind.

Now, I'm no fan of Lindsay, this much is true. I think she has a right to be hurt that Danny doesn't seem to feel the same way she feels about him--that's just human nature, it's understandable. However, I think she's acting childish. Danny gave her excuses about why he didn't want to meet for lunch (and they were obviously excuses, although it's possible that he did have to do those things), so she acts bratty to him the next day? And her monologue--ugh. I hardly think the workplace is the appropriate place to begin with, but the stuff she said--she basically expected him to turn to her after Ruben's death. It's a two-way street, Lindsay--she says she knows what it's like to lose someone, but then she expects him to come to her?

I don't know, I just really don't care. I think Lindsay is acting like a 16 year old girl. I don't hate Danny for being with Rikki, either. If I thought he 'cheated' on Lindsay, I might be angry, but I can't hate him for making the wrong assumptions. I think what's going on between him and Rikki could turn out to be a mistake, but that's hardly a reason to hate them both for making the decision to seek that kind of comfort with each other.

If Danny shoves Rikki away for Lindsay, though, then I'll be mad at him. Because Lindsay is a grown woman, and he shouldn't hurt Rikki because he and Lindsay can't communicate.

Then why did he feel the need to lie about it? I've got to the bank, fix my bike, etc... I mean c'mon! Srsly? Then, he comes in to work and she's the bad guy because he thinks that she's still mad because he forgot her b-day.
Correct me if I'm wrong but he was the one who went after Lindsay, she turned him down a couple times before she gave in and he seems to remember him not liking it very much when Lindsay stood him up.
If he lost interest and doesn't want to be with her anymore, he should just tell her. His grieving doesn't make his cheating okay. Lindsay deserved the truth. I want the truth to come out and I want him to break it off. No, I want Lindsay to break it off with him.

I'm not a D/L shipper so I don't really care what happens to them. I didn't mind them being together and now I really don't see a point to it, he screwed that up.

I think it's about time other people got some loving. How about Hawkes, Flack, and Adam? Don't they deserve a little love too? I also want Stella to find happiness again.
 
So I know I'm a noob and therefore my opinion is completely worthless but here it is.

I honestly don't think Danny knew he was cheating on Lindsey. If no one tells a guy, especially a guy like Danny who probably hasn't had a serious girlfriend ever, that they're in a relationship, they probably won't know. He seemed genuinely surprised when she used the word "girlfriend" in her speech and it really did upset him when he realized that he had hurt her. So I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt until we see what happens.

In other news: Adam was so sweet in this episode. I think he really wanted Stella to know that even though he may not be as big a part of the team as the rest of them that he still really cares about her. And it was kind of heartbreaking when he was like flipping out when he figured out that it was Jason who needed help because he knew what that felt like.

Gah iTunes needs to get this episode up now so I can watch it again.
 
Pretty good episode as far as they go. This one had me intrigued more so than the last couple of eps. I don't what it is/why but it seems like NY (at least compared to Miami & Vegas) dropped the ball for a while there...but this ep picked it back up scored some definite points in my book.

I think I am going to have to re-watch it though for the main "crime" storyline simply because being a D/L shipper (yeah, I know:rolleyes:!), I was a little distracted at times. Needless to say I missed a bit while I was stuck on saying "Danny, you asshole!" repeatedly.

As far as it goes, it IS an intriguing plot twist (the Danny/Lindsay/Rikki), but I am right now anything but what my user name suggests!!
Regardless of opinions on D/L and Lindsay's character itself, Danny screwed up big time. No woman (or man for that matter, I guess, it happens to them too) deserves to be cheated on like that. Yes, I am choosing to believe that they are/were in a BF/GF relationship and Danny knew that and Lindsay knew. And Danny knew exactly what he was doing. Like I said, regardless of what you think of Lindsay (I'M not really a big fan of her myself sometimes), bottom line she didn't deserve that.
Shirtless Danny or no;)!!

Ok, so rant about that over...and moving on to greener fields:

From what I actually caught of the major line (shame on me:)!) I felt pretty bad for Stella having lose her home there. That's devastating in itself :(. It does make you wonder who's really living next door to you, no? Unfortunately (or may fortunately with some people...), it really does a lot of the time boil down to "hallway relationships" with your neighbors (sidewalk relationships in my case ;)). I know it's in Stella's character to feel guilty for not realizing what was going on next door to her, but come on, you can't just go around suspecting everybody your whole life.

All in all pretty damn good episode!

Although, as I think someone mentions (sorry, I forget who and am to lazy to open another window to look) the goldfish didn't boil. I am curious about that. Would they really not fry or was this just a liberty the writers took to give Hawkes something to go on? I have a feeling I'm in for some Google-ing tonight ;)!
 
StellaMac said: Then why did he feel the need to lie about it? I've got to the bank, fix my bike, etc... I mean c'mon! Srsly? Then, he comes in to work and she's the bad guy because he thinks that she's still mad because he forgot her b-day.

She's the bad guy because once again, she has initiated inappropriate behavior at work. Mac asks her to catch Danny up on the case and she leaves in a snit. Even Hawkes looked askance at that one.

Correct me if I'm wrong but he was the one who went after Lindsay, she turned him down a couple times before she gave in and he seems to remember him not liking it very much when Lindsay stood him up.

Actually, she was the one who initiated the flirting after Danny teased her with the name "Montana" a few times. Then, when he started to look interested, she started sending mixed signals. Her behavior was erratic and confusing.

If he lost interest and doesn't want to be with her anymore, he should just tell her. His grieving doesn't make his cheating okay. Lindsay deserved the truth. I want the truth to come out and I want him to break it off. No, I want Lindsay to break it off with him.

I kind of agree with you, but not completely. I was fully expecting him to fess up, but when he didn't, it cemented my belied that there was no relationship beyond friendship with them. And, if there was, then he should 'fess up, but not at work. In their line of work, distractions are a problem and the workplace is not the place for that kind of discussion.

I'm not a D/L shipper so I don't really care what happens to them.

Your signature says otherwise...

I think it's about time other people got some loving. How about Hawkes, Flack, and Adam? Don't they deserve a little love too? I also want Stella to find happiness again.

Hear hear!! Absolute truth. I hope we can move beyond the madness and get some meatier storylines for the rest of the cast.
 
I love stella episodes so much, I loved the end when she was talking with jason/austin.
Ahh, Danny, I dont feel bad for him at all, my loving for his character took a hit tonight and not just because he was cheating (and I just cant see him with rikki at all, it made me cringe watching that) but his whole nonchalant attitude with Lindsay when he said 'why do u got to make such a big deal out of not wanting to go to lunch', when he basically lied to her face and we know what lunch for him was all about, no guilty conscience whatsoever there! If he doesnt want to be with her just tell her, obviously it irritated him that she seemed/was mad that he hasnt wanted anything to do with her, if thats the case get her off your back, break it off and you wont have that problem. He is not an idiot, he knows he's in some sort of relationship with lindsay, what exactly it is, guess they do need to talk.
I liked the idea of D/L in the beginning thought it was cute, but I feel like the writers didnt know what to do with them, so its come across odd. but tonight I got to go with lindsay on this one!
anyways, not enough flack for me, but there is never enough!
 
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Well, it's the second episode since the strike and it's another solid B from me.

The episode was predictable, but it still held my interest, due mostly to some amazing performances.

Flack - He was great this episode. So supportive of Stella. I found his anger at the Sean guy compelling, but was a little surprised that he handled Bonnie much differently. I think he knew the pissed off homocide dectective wouldn't work with her because of her obvious mental issues. I loved his smile at the end when the little girl was reunited with her parents. And Flack called Hawkes! Flack needs to call Hawkes more often.

Mac - Again, the support for Stella was wonderful. I know shippers were probably mad when Stella turned him down on his offer to stay in his apartment, but I just love these two as friends. They have such a solid relationship and it's nice to see that between a man and a woman without romance being brought into it. And his scene with the little girl at the end was so powerful. Without speaking a word Gary Sinese showed such care and compassion as he carried her out of the building and pointed out her parents. I also loved the compassion and gentleness he showed when talking to Austin's mom. Another very powerful scene.

Hawkes - Hill Harper just keeps proving that Hawkes needs more screen time. I loved that Encyclopedia!Hawkes was back when explaining the fish and TOD to Danny. And his quip to Mac, "my man's getting sneaky," was surprising and awesome. And Flack called Hawkes! Flack needs to call Hawkes more often.

Adam - It was so sweet the way Adam expressed his concern for Stella, and I loved that he was the one to figure out the notes were from Austin and he was assertive enough to stop Stella to tell her.

Stella - Melina owned this episode. She was absolutely amazing. Her heroism in saving Austin, her determination with the case, her guilt when finding out the little girl was the abducted girl and her guilt and grief at realizing Austin was trying to get her to help him, they were all played perfectly. The last scene with Austin almost brought me to tears and I don't cry at TV shows very easily. I also liked that they finally cleared up that she did indeed move after she had to shoot Frankie. They should've shown her dealing with that as part of her healing process, but at least they took this opportunity to let the audience know what happened.

OK, now on to the albatross that is Danny and Lindsay. Again, it was predictable, and I didn't like some of it; but I didn't throw anything through my TV either. As much as I hate that they are using Rikki as a plot device, I really liked the exchange between her and Danny in Danny's apartment. Rikki and Danny both know that they are just turning to each other to ease the pain of losing Ruben and in Danny's case to absolve himself from guilt. However, their pain and emotion is so strong they continue to turn to each other. That to me is very human and makes them sympathetic. Although the line about Danny being someone Rikki smiled at in the hallway really didn't make sense considering she trusted him to take care of her child for a day.

What baffles me is that since "Snow Day" we've seen no evidence of Danny and Lindsay being in a relationship, even before Ruben was killed. Now all of a sudden Lindsay's "Danny is acting strange" radar is pinging like mad. Now all of a sudden Lindsay is calling herself Danny's "girlfriend," and calling him her "best friend" and professing that she's "in love" with him. What also baffles me is how Lindsay was never shown trying to be supportive of Danny through his grief over Ruben but now all of a sudden she's the caring, supportive girlfriend who's being pushed away.

Her little monologue was just wrong on so many levels. First, she seems like she's going to be sympathetic to Danny's grief over Ruben, but that doesn't last long. It turns into being all about her lightning fast. To say she understands what Danny is going through really grated on me. Yes, she knows what it's like to have people she cared about die and she knows about survivors guilt. She doesn't have a clue what it's like to feel responsible for the death of a child who was in her care. To compare the two like they're the same just shows how insensitive she is. Then she delivers the most ironic line ever when she makes sure to tell Danny how she's tried to be there for him to lean on when "you've decided to do it all on your own." If I remember correctly, Danny tried to be there for her when she was going through her trauma in S3, and he didn't even know what that trauma was. She pushed him away, and stood him up which is way worse than declining a lunch invitation, and offered no explanation. Danny gave her space and let her know he was there for her when/if she needed him. He didn't whine/rant about how she wasn't letting him help her. And her telling him not to pass off her behavior as a clingy girlfriend when that's exactly what she was acting like was laughable as well.

These things are the writing, and TPTB never seem to be able to do anything more than a half assed job when it comes to this pairing. I'm not sure if TPTB are trying to paint Danny as a bad guy or if they are trying to show that the situation is complex. I personally see it as complex, but it's no secret that I would take a flawed Danny's side over Lindsay's any day.

With the writing doing her no favors, you'd think Anna Belknap's performance could drum up some sympathy/empathy for Lindsay. Instead, she just makes Lindsay come off as the self-centered, whiny, bitch she alway is. That's pretty sad when it appears TPTB are having her "boyfriend" cheat on her behind her back. She just never convinces me she's hurt by Danny's behavior. She just seems pissed that Danny isn't being all about letting her help him. And, as usual, any emotion she is trying to convey doesn't reach her face so even when she manages to sound hurt it's not believable. I really wanted Danny to tell her to STFU, even though I understood his avoidance/guilt.

I wish this would have been resolved in one episode. The fact that we were left at Danny apologizing and telling Lindsay they had to talk just doesn't bode well. I really hope they aren't going to make Danny all guilty and make Lindsay's selfish rant/confession of love the thing that snaps him out of his grief and makes him see that he really loves her too. I really hope this plays out as Danny and Lindsay ending up just friends, but I'm not holding my breath. And as much as I know that Rikki and Danny can't be together in a romantic relationship, I really hope this wasn't the last we see of Jacqueline Pinol. In three episodes of the show we've seen Danny connect emotionally to a woman, which is something he hasn't done with Lindsay in almost three entire seasons.
 
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Then why did he feel the need to lie about it? I've got to the bank, fix my bike, etc... I mean c'mon! Srsly?
Lying would imply that he said 'No, Lindsay, I didn't have hot sex with Rikki in my bed last night and wake up this morning cuddling her before going to make her an omlette. I spent the night alone, humping my pillow.' What he did was make excuses to get out of having lunch with Lindsay--not the same thing.

People sometimes make excuses if they don't want to do something. Srsly.

Then, he comes in to work and she's the bad guy because he thinks that she's still mad because he forgot her b-day.
Nobody said she was the bad guy because he misunderstood--my point is that we're talking about two adults here. They should be able to communicate with each other, and if misunderstandings occur because there is a lack of communication, that's not entirely his fault.
 
This episode (and the posts that accompany it) shoved me out of longtime lurker status to first time poster. I apologize for what is sure to be a long post.

B+. Overall, I enjoyed the episode. Season One aside (which is a different and better version of this program), I think this is one of the better episodes. As with last week’s show, the pace has improved and the plot had enough twists that I didn’t determine the culprit before the 30-minute mark (this has happened more times than I care to count). What initially drew me to NY is the attempt to balance character development and the requisite procedural content. I am a fan of both, and though I don’t watch a lot of television, I do watch NY faithfully. It would be impossible and problematic for every crime to involve a member of the team, but it seems NY is best when the team members are impacted. Praises due to Stella’s bad karma, because it paid dividends in the form of lovely moments for Flack, Adam and Mac. I’m usually annoyed by Mac’s sanctimony and coldness. Tonight he seemed more human than automaton, a pleasant surprise. Cahill, as always, is so grounded and steeped in his portrayal of Flack. His scenes are seamless. He and Melina are a pleasure to watch because they are so consistent, and consistency is not the hallmark of this show.

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that Stella was allowed to work a case where she was a victim in the crime? Conflict of interest anyone?

TPTB continue to waste Hill Harper’s time. Hardly a new thought, I know, but come the f*ck on. All the commentaries on the DVDs talk about what a superstar he is, yet they continue to “put baby in the corner” each week. Has anyone else noticed that most of his screen time this season has been in process montages? Who is his agent?

As for D/L, it’s what initially started me watching the show. The first episode I saw was the “Holly’s case.” Say what you want about Lindsay/Anna, but I believe that final scene in Love Run Cold is one of Carmine’s best. It’s his most understated and shows subtlety and a reserved vulnerability that we rarely get to see from Danny. Danny’s a lot of things, none of which are subtle. I don’t ship D/L. All the bad fanfic has drummed it out of me, and the D/F & F/S fic is more to my taste. However, I enjoy the D/L scenes, because I enjoy watching actors make choices on how to play the relationship. As for tonight, Danny lied to Lindsay. Love her or hate her, he lied. Relationship or not, he still lied. He’s not wrong for the sex with Rikki, he’s wrong for lying about it, and turning it on Lindsay. How difficult is it to say, I don’t want to have lunch with you. Or better yet, I don’t want to have anything with you. If things were so casual, why lie? That’s really what “young men do” and I think we saw that in Carmine’s portrayal. There was bravado, petulance, deceit and remorse. Let’s be honest, some men like the chase, and Danny hasn’t had to chase Lindsay for a year. Danny also likes a fixer-upper and, apparently, a little dysfunction. When he got in bed with Lindsay, he got in bed with potential awkwardness in the work place (I know this goes both ways). This doesn’t mean I enjoy Danny any less. He’s fictional. Logic need not apply. As for Anna, I don’t think she’s as bad as many think. I think the character is poorly written and unfortunately for her, she has to own that every week. Did Lindsay make it “about her?” Sure. I can’t really fault her for that this time. She’s hurt and he doesn’t care enough for it to matter.

Now to completely devalue my previous attempts at depth and intelligence:
1. Kudos to Belknap for getting back to the pre-baby body. I hear it’s really hard.
2. Eddie Cahill is quite possibly the most beautiful man I have ever seen.

It has been my pleasure to join you on this board. Faylinn and La Guera, I am a long time fan.
 
Welcome to the board, melgeo. :)

Eddie Cahill is quite possibly the most beautiful man I have ever seen.
Eddie is gorgeous--I was staring at him in the interrogation scene with Bonnie and thinking that he is just a beautiful specimen of manhood. So gorgeous, even with a dubious tie (it looked poop brown in the interrogation scene to me, even though the color was revealed to be different in the light).

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that Stella was allowed to work a case where she was a victim in the crime? Conflict of interest anyone?
Yes, especially when it was revealed that her neighbors, who she knew, were involved. It wasn't about some stranger in the building, which wouldn't have been so bad--although I still say it being her building should have made it hands-off for her.

TPTB continue to waste Hill Harper’s time. Hardly a new thought, I know, but come the f*ck on. All the commentaries on the DVDs talk about what a superstar he is, yet they continue to “put baby in the corner” each week. Has anyone else noticed that most of his screen time this season has been in process montages? Who is his agent?
Hill is INSANELY underutilized. He does as much as he can with what he gets, but he deserves way more. When the writers took a look back during the strike, I hope they realized that. I hope we get surprised with something good for him (and for Flack) in the next few episodes--or at the beginning of S5 at the very least because there is a limited amount they can do this season and I understand if they have to put some stuff off.

As for tonight, Danny lied to Lindsay. Love her or hate her, he lied. Relationship or not, he still lied. He’s not wrong for the sex with Rikki, he’s wrong for lying about it, and turning it on Lindsay. How difficult is it to say, I don’t want to have lunch with you. Or better yet, I don’t want to have anything with you. If things were so casual, why lie?
I think making excuses to avoid her is believable, though--maybe he doesn't want to say he doesn't want to have lunch with her because he does like her, and he knows she likes him--but he doesn't quite realize the extent of her feelings until she actually tells him.
 
[/quote]I think making excuses to avoid her is believable, though--maybe he doesn't want to say he doesn't want to have lunch with her because he doesknows she likes him--but he doesn't quite realize the extent of her feelings until she actually tells him.[/quote]

His choice is plausible, just not honorable. Danny is a mess... and a little ADD, I think:rolleyes:

Apparently, I don't have the hang of this quoting thing
 
Gave it a B+. It would have been more if a certain shirtless HOTTIE didnt shack up with the neighbor lady! i was seriously thinking wtf!:wtf: I sued to be a D/L shipper but their chemistry has fizzled. And even with that, I wouldnt blame Lindsay for slapping Danny when she finds out. There is no excuse. Maybe it was an easy way for the writers to end these two.

Stella was feeling the love tonight! GO GIRL! And even though I have never shipped her with someone, I totally loved how Mac was after her place burned down. And Mac offering Stella to stay at his place~ I felt giddy for Stella/Mac shippers.

*leaves drool buckets for those :drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool: over a shirtless Danny! :devil:
 
melgeo said:
Apparently, I don't have the hang of this quoting thing
Heh. It messed up because you put the / in the beginning brackets--you only put that in the end tag. ;)

His choice is plausible, just not honorable.
People make excuses all of the time, though, so I doubt it was really a conscious choice. I'm guessing he's been avoiding her a lot lately, and if she hasn't seemed to mind, he's not going to change the way he acts toward her. I'm sure now he won't make bad excuses to avoid her, but at the time I doubt he even thought twice about it. So I'm not sure honor has anything to do with it.

ETA: Oh, and by the way, I think we need to send some flowers to John Dove--the man did say we'd see Danny shirtless after the show came back, and the show came through. :p Now, about Flack... ;)
 
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