Grade 'Right Next Door'

[mandy9578]

A.

I love it when the entire team just work one case together. So that really was a plus.

Stella really owned the episode period. It was finally a relief to see another Stella-centric episode, which is really great since last week we barely saw her. She is such a rock, and totally independent when she refused Mac's offer for her to stay at his spare bedroom. I like how she takes everything in stride, getting down to business of finding out who started the fire in her apartment building without missing a beat. I love how she was so kick ass in this. And that last scene with Jason/Austin really tugged at the heartstrings, her emotions in that scene really came across the screen. Melina really gave a powerful performance in this one.

Loved the nod to the Mac/Stella friendship in this one. It was really cute seeing Mac and Stella sharing a friendly, comforting hug.

Haha, Adam was so cute! Yeah, I agree that it does come across as if he's got a crush on Stella. He was so sweet in his concern for her. Their scenes together were really fun and light, quite a contrast to the D/L scenes.

I love how Flack was really commanding when he interrogated Sean Nolan...Getting so protective and concerned saying someone he cared about was a neighbor of Sean's. I love that he got into Sean's face when he said that. In contrast, I love how he went all "soft" when he interrogated Bonnie. I guess he just figured out that he wouldn't get anywhere if he was more aggressive with her.

I really like the chemistry between Danny and Rikki. And what happened between them is so realistic. People cope with the grief of losing someone in different ways. So this was how Danny's coping mechanism kicked in, I can totally understand how he and Rikki turned to each other for comfort. IMO, I don't believe he cheated on Lindsay. Probably he thought he and Lindsay were just casually seeing each other while Lindsay had the mistaken impression that were an exclusive item. So there.

...And now on to the monologue of doom. OMFG! I was cringing throughout the entire spiel. I can't believe that in the short span of Lindsay knowing Danny, she calls him her best friend. WTF? I wonder if Danny feels the same about her...Clearly not! I thought it was totally unprofessional of her to give Danny the third degree while they were at work. It really gets my goat that Lindsay went on about trying to be a shoulder for Danny to lean on in his time of need and then she turns around and made everything all about her. She truly is so self-centered and so self-absorbed. Totally a WTF? moment.

 

[privatename]

I liked this episode a lot. It wasn't completely about slick technical devices and it wasn't about trying to be ultra-hip. It seemed much more real than many of the CSI:NY episodes of late. A real case with real twists and turn. A woman kidnapping children because she lost one herself is a believable motive and the two children starting the fire because then the police would come to save them also seemed believable. As children they would not have foreseen the full-scale tragedy that could result from their actions. I do wish Stella had told that little boy at the end that the woman in the fire died before the fire occurred -- that might have eased his guilt a bit.

I also really loved all the character moments and interactions. Very nicely done by all --- with one glaring exception

So much of what I wanted to say about the D/L scenes in this episode has already been posted by others who are far more eloquent than I am. So, I will just state that IF D/L are in an exclusive relationship then what he did with Rikki was wrong. It is understandable, however, and it doesn't in my eyes make him some evil unredeemable person. He made a mistake, a big one, but we all make mistakes and he is in a very emotional state right now and not thinking all that clearly. As he himself said, he just wants this hurt to go away.

As usual, I think Lindsay came across as self-centered and whiny. It is all about her and how Danny didn't turn to her like she wanted him to even thought she admitted that she is no good dealing with someone else's grief. The writers did not do the character any favors, but I agree with others who posted that another actor could have made Lindsay come across as much more sypathetic and likeable.

Also, I really hope that TPTB don't use this "bump" in the road in order to all of a sudden make Danny see the light (she lurrrrves me) get over his grief and go tripping off into happy land with Lindsay. That would just about make me give up this show.

 

[TylerDalton]

I wonder how many people criticizing Danny here are females? lol. Instead of typing why I don't think Danny should be crucified I'll just refer you to Brad Paisley's song "I'm Still A Guy". :lol:

Well, the vast majority of regular posters in here are female so you can't really make a comparison. However, wanting to crucify Danny is more likely to be down to whether or not our interpretation of Danny and Lindsay's relationship suggests that Danny has in fact 'cheated'. I'm not sure that men are more likely to be accepting of other men cheating, because that's 'what men do'? Nor that all women will think that men who cheat are scum regardless of the circumstance, that's far to generalised in my opinion.

The main thing I was getting at is, looking at it from a guy's perspective, it was pretty obvious that Danny assumed any relationship he had with Lindsay was over. Most guys, like Danny, would have assumed that any relationship he and Lindsay had was over given all of the mixed signals she had been giving him. IMO, Danny probably started making excuses out of guilt as why not to goto lunch with Lindsay because he just then realized that she believes they are still in a relationship. Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I condone cheating by any means. Danny obviously thought it was over between him and Lindsay and thus he had moved on; I certainly don't define that as cheating. Danny is sort of in between a rock and a hard place right now. He doesn't know how to tell Lindsay that he thought the relationship they had was over without hurting her. As far as the storyline goes, I think this is a good road to go down; because this is something you could easily see happening in real life.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way I really wish the writers would give the whole relationships thing a rest every now and then and focus more on the actual cases. I have no problem with the writers having storylines to develop characters, but I don't believe these storylines should start to overshadow the cases and the science that the show is based on.

 

[Lampdor]

Can I just ask how is this D/L thing a "bump" in the road, it's more like a titanic size rock to me!?!

 

[MBGrissom]

Second excellent post-strike ep in a row, color me excited! :thumbsup: I gave it an A-.

What a wonderful thing, to see a Stella-centric episode without it involving a psycho boyfriend, or some creepy guy playing her for a fool. Melina delivered an exceptional performance in this ep, loved it.

Also loved the interaction between she and Mac, especially when he first arrived at her burned-out apartment. It's so nice to see the CSI franchise writers give us a man-woman relationship that doesn't tip-toe into the Realm of the Romantic. Stella and Mac's strong, unwavering friendship is truly priceless.

Loved seeing Hawkes' return to our favorite Lab Smarty-Pants! :lol: Although it still wasn't nearly enough... More of that, Please, Writers! I was also tickled pink at Adam's scenes, the chemistry between he and Stella was fun and sweet. He was so pleased to be able to help her!

Eddie Cahill delivered yet another stellar performance. Loved every second of him in this ep. And as others have mentioned, the drastic difference in his tactics in the two interrogations... it spoke volumes about his character and the way he thinks. I love it when the writers give us this kind of subtle insight.

As for D/L... well, I'm not a fan of their romance, I thought they were much more interesting as simply friends. I think that if I had tuned into CSI NY for the very first time last night, and had never seen these characters before this ep, I probably would have found Danny callous and lacking in integrity, and Lindsay's reactions to be wholly sympathetic. However, I have tuned in before and I know these characters, soooo... I found Danny's actions to be understandable. Not necessarily likable or entirely excusable, but understandable. I just wish I didn't have a sneaking suspicion that Rikki will be relegated simply to "Plot Device", here. She and Danny found comfort in eachother's arms in their respective grief, but IMO, I don't see the writers carrying it beyond that. I do hope I'm wrong, but I suspect this will allow D/L to "clear the air" and start anew, blah blah blah...

I didn't mind Lindsay's speech in the lab. I do wish they didn't have her launch into it at work, but that's just another example, IMO, of why workplace romances are often a Not-So-Hot :lol: I got the impression that her comment about "Let's do lunch? It's my turn to buy..." was the writers' attempt to make us think that they have had dates, lunches etc. offscreen that we haven't been privy to, therefore establishing Said Relationship. :wtf: And as for her comment about him not letting her be there for him after Ruben's death, well that was downright silly, since the writers never showed us that she tried being there for him. Had they shown us even one scene at some time, even as a flashback, of Lindsay trying to be there for Danny and him shunning her attempts at support, then it would have sat much better with me. But even with those two glaring missteps on the writers' part, I didn't find her entire speech unrealistic or unlikable, just...flawed. :lol:

The two kids broke my heart, and as others have mentioned, I loved the scenes at the end, with Stella/Austin, Mac with Austin's mom, and Mac carrying out the little girl. Wonderful!

 

[Elsie]

I can't believe that in the short span of Lindsay knowing Danny, she calls him her best friend. WTF? I wonder if Danny feels the same about her...Clearly not!

Danny's bff is Flack, surely Lindsay knows that? :lol:

I do wish Stella had told that little boy at the end that the woman in the fire died before the fire occurred -- that might have eased his guilt a bit.

I know what you mean. I kept expecting her to tell him that it wasn't his fault and that he hadn't killed anyone.

The main thing I was getting at is, looking at it from a guy's perspective, it was pretty obvious that Danny assumed any relationship he had with Lindsay was over. Most guys, like Danny, would have assumed that any relationship he and Lindsay had was over given all of the mixed signals she had been giving him.

I see your point, women can be very confusing, and I think that Danny finds women confusing sometimes. :lol: I'm not personally sure that she has given him mixed signals, at least not in anything that we have seen on screen this season. We haven't seen her being there for him since Ruben's death, but I got the impression that at least part of that was down to Danny pulling away from her, that's what was suggested in the monologue and through Danny closeness to Rikki. If anything he has pulled away from her, not the other way around. The Danny/Lindsay interaction from the rest of this season might not have suggested they were in a relationship, but neither did it suggest to me that she was giving him any mixed signals.

Danny obviously thought it was over between him and Lindsay and thus he had moved on; I certainly don't define that as cheating. Danny is sort of in between a rock and a hard place right now. He doesn't know how to tell Lindsay that he thought the relationship they had was over without hurting her. As far as the storyline goes, I think this is a good road to go down; because this is something you could easily see happening in real life.

I don't think that their relationship was defined enough to say that he thought it was over. They may not have even been in that type of relationship, at least on his part, to warrant the need for it to even be over. Unless it is defined in a future episode that they were in fact in an exclusive relationship and that he knew and deliberately cheated on her then I too wouldn't define what he did as cheating. I don't think he wanted to hurt her, and he did look a little bit confused when she confessed that she loved him. I think he was surprised to hear that.

 

[StellaMac]

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.

Actually my signature says Mac/Stella Shipper and open to a bunch of others ships. There's a difference.

I wonder what happened to the girl we saw Adam wake up with a couple of episodes ago? They had great chemistry.

 

[kkennedytx]

Best I can give it is a "B". I liked the twists that both victims were accidents, not murder. I was upset that some of the spoilers didn't come true (ie, Flack comforting Stella after the fire). I don't care about the Danny/Lindsay stuff but it was great to see shirtless!Danny and learn that he can cook (at least omelets).

I loved Stella--stayed cool, calm, and collected during the fire. Got the boy out safely and went down the hall banging on doors to alert all her neighbors to get out. Also appreciated that we didn't get a gratuitous negligee scene! Also liked the comment referring back to when she killed Frankie and that she'd moved into this apartment after that incident. Nice continuity.

I'm still bugged big time that the CSIs have to take the lead in EVERYTHING! What's the point of having Flack around if he's not going to be utilized as the front-line cop working with the CSI? Then of course, we have Mac, who's turning into NY's version of HoCaine--I quit Miami because it became the "David Caruso Show"; guess I'll soon be turning off this show, too, because I'm not interested in watching the "Gary Sinise Show".

 

[Dragonfly]

I give this one an A. Lost a point for extreme predictability. Even so, it kept my interest.

~Poor Stella. Poor kids.
~Adam is so awkwardly adorable. Or is that adorably awkward?
~Bonnie is seriously disturbed. Very realistic 'bad guy'.
~Hawkes, still, is being underutilized
~There are more thoughts, but I just got up and can't remember anything else

And of course, there's the whole Danny/Rikki/Lindsay thing, so here goes:
I don't think Danny is a bad guy for this. Yes, the whole thing with Rikki is somewhat messed up, and may very well end badly. BUT... He honestly doesn't see it as cheating. He doesn't see himself as 'in an exclusive relationship' with Lindsay. Lindsay may see it that way, but, as has been said previously, their communication skills need work.
After her little monologue, Danny seemed genuinely surprised to learn that she felt that way, and even seem to feel bad about upsetting/hurting/whatever her (hence "we should talk").
So no, Danny is not the bad guy here. I don't think there is a bad guy here. Granted, I think Lindsay could handle things a bit more maturely, but it's an adult situation, and these are the kinds of things that happen in real life.


So, overall, this was a good episode, and one of the most realistic. Two thumbs up.

 

[LpoHeartsNick]

I don't think people are being very fair to Lindsay.
I completely feel for her, she was right, Danny and her are like best friends even before they got together and now Danny is just brushing her off and banging his neighbour.
It is going to break her heart when she finds out that he 'confided' in Rikki instead of her.
Danny is a jerk-off for doing that to her, and I am actually not diggin' his character anymore.
Good job writers for turning Danny into an A-typical guy.
I get that his and Rikki's situation is messed up, but come on!
I think the writers have shown Danny and Lindsay as in a relationship... they obviously dont show it all because the show is based around their jobs and if they were to be having sex on the light table in the lab it would be a little more then frowned upon.
Danny obviously knew he was in shit because he was acting like a coward... which kind of proves that he was in a relationship with Danny because he was trying to hide it... bike into service? PAH-LEEZE!

I am so on Lindsay's side.
GO TEAM LINDSAY!

 

[LpoHeartsNick]

Also, Anna's acting tonight was bang on.
I loved the way she played the line "Oh is that what this is about?"
All attitudey and shit, she's AWESOME!

 

[privatename]

It is going to break her heart when she finds out that he 'confided' in Rikki instead of her.

I get that she will be hurt and that she wants him to talk to her, but it isn't about her. Leaving aside the fact that Danny slept with Rikki because Lindsay doesn't know that yet, he didn't do anything wrong. It isn't about Lindsay or it shouldn't be. If Danny isn't ready to confide in Lindsay no matter what their relationship is, but instead prefers to talk with Rikki who is experiencing the same loss (although of course in a different way) then that is his right. And she is being very selfish and self-centered to treat him like he is a bad friend because he won't talk to her just because that is what she wants him to do. Some best friend she is.

 

[flackfan_82]

*sigh*...okay, my brain is worn out after a long busy night shift and reading all these posts! great conversations though...as I expected, the discussion is ripe with opinion...

The Stella-centric storyline was refreshing. Well played, although i do agree that the case was a conflict of interest for her. She needs some good stuff to happen to her now...I think enough shit has been flung her way. Perhaps Adam should swoop in and save the day for her??? I sense a wee crush, *pleasant surprise* - not that this office should be encouraging romance...clearly they should re-examine their policies and take a cue from Miami Dade Police Dept...tee hee :lol:.

I loves me some Flack interrogation :drool:...I would just eat him up in that room, lol...sexy hunk of man meat that he is...lol...:drool: - let's get on that shirtless scene for him already...:drool:

God bless those fish for surviving the fire, as miraculous as it was*:borg:freaky deaky zombie goldfish with super-reflective heat shields...muah ha ha ha!*...if it weren't for them we may not have seen Hawkes at all this week!!! And is it just me, or does Hawkes seem to be incredibly intuitive about Danny and Lindsay's *cough* 'relationship' - picture little air quotations a la Joey from Friends... seriously, the man seems to pick up on the awkward tension that everyone else ignores or misses altogether...such an intelligent man should not be so wasted performing menial lab tasks:scream:...you have a medical degree Hawkes!!! still enjoyin the pay cut? :wtf:

Well now...Danny and Lindsay...what can I say that hasn't been said. The whole thing has left me feeling lukewarm and slightly disappointed. It was all very realistic, though I don't condone any of it.

Despite the fact that they are, in fact, adults, the downfall in communication is not suprising or uncommon. It happens all the time, and all it takes is for one or both of them to not say what they feel for the misunderstandings to start. Relationships are messy and complicated, especially when you don't talk. Lindsay has a right to be upset with him, clearly his excuses for skipping lunch were LAME... I would have had more respect for Danny if he'd been straight up with her...or even just left it at "I'm busy..." But she should not have gone off on him at work. It was an inappropriate place. Although I felt for her, and I think Anna did an okay job with her delivery, Lindsay should be a little more professional at work. (I have seen similar unprofessional behaviour at my workplace, and really, there is not place for it...leave it in the bedroom, or in this case, on the pool table :guffaw

Danny and Rikki have some serious chemistry, but I gotta wonder if that route will leave them both feeling a bit more empty and guilty down the road. It's certainly no more than a small band aid over a large bleeding cut. That made me a little sad, for both of them...

I don't really know what else to say about it...It's still all so very speculative...as much as we've been given, so much more has been left up to our imagination. Ugh...

Okay, I'm off to bed now...overall this Episode was great

 

[La_Guera]

Oh, sweet Jiminy, but I can't wait to see the sticky fansplosion of outrage over certain elements of this episode. In fact, I await it with salivatory glee. It won't hold a candle to the legendary, never-ending Wanketnams of Potterfen, where the casualties mount and the levels of epic butthurt make Astroglide and Preparation H manufacturers bust a nut, but it will be a firestorm akin to every orangutan at the zoo engaging in a public circle jerk and poo-flinging shotput extravaganza. In other words, I've got the popcorn and crystal meth ready.

Case-wise, this was solid. Everyone was on their game, working together to solve the case. I liked that the scene that set the wheels in motion was never anything more than an unfortunate accident. Too often, crime dramas resort to the ridiculous plot twist wherein the accident wasn't just an accident, but a nefarious murder, dun dun dun. Letting this be an accident was a nice touch.

Stella was amazing in this episode, pure and simple. From rescuing Jason Dillard nee Austin Tanner with a door-shouldering that would make Flack proud to her stricken, guilty horror when she realized the true purpose of the glory hole Jason had drilled into her apartment, Stella was fabulous. It was clear from her tearful conversation with Austin Tanner/Jason Dillard that she felt as though she'd failed him. Cops are supposed to respond to those cries for help, to rescue kids in trouble, and Stella, bless her, missed the cry for two years.

Danny underwent the same guilty realization with the death of Ruben Sandoval, but unlike Stella, his error in judgment can't be undone. Ruben is still dead, and no matter how many times he plays ride the salami pony with Riki Sandoval, that's not going to change. Even the Healing Power of Sex has its limits. It can't raise the dead except in terrible badfic the likes of which I do not want.

In typical Danny fashion, he's coping very badly. Sleeping with the dead boy's mother is just...gross. Even if Danny thought it was a good idea, I don't understand why Riki would. Four episodes ago, she couldn't stand to touch him, now she can't stop trying to catch his trouser hamster? Egad. And Danny sounded disgustingly and hair-raisingly cavalier about Ruben's death for someone who's supposed to be wrangling with the senselessness of his death. "Ruben's dead, and we can't bring him back," should've been a gut-wrenching line, one that should have ground the ugly nubbins to a halt like a knee to the groin, but it sounded like a skeevy pickup line, an impression worsened by the fact that Riki hardly slowed down in her bid to slip the Danno from his sausage casing. Do these writers have the faintest inkling of how real people behave?

And Lindsay...

One line could've changed the tone of the D/L drama. If they'd mentioned that the lunch date wasn't the first that Danny had declined rather brusquely, I would've been in her corner, because man, was he an asshole. But since we've been given no such context, I can only presume it was the first, and thus, despite her protests to the contrary in her later yowlfest, Lindsay emerges as a clingy, suffocating girlfriend.

"I feel like I've lost my best friend." Once again, it's all about Lindsay, and frankly, given that her three best friends were shotgunned in a diner, that's insulting and creepy. Being blown off for a date should not equal the violent murders of three friends.

But let's be fair here; Danny acquits himself no better. He's as much a needy, self-involved narcissist as Lindsay. He's proven time and again that it's all about Danny, an angst army of one who seldom considers the feelings of others or the long-term ramifications of his actions for himself or other. He's Lindsay. The only difference is that he has charisma and a shiny set of tackle in his Jockeys that lures all the fangirls to the yard like Nemo's dad to the bright, deadly light of the anglerfish. In this instance, I can't entirely fault Lindsay, and I refuse to give Danny a pass because he's pretty when he pouts and preens.

Oh, Flack. ~sigh~

I love Flack, and I'm sure he's a good detective, but they never show it, and I'm getting tired of his-hot-headed, contemptuous interrogation technique and his Knievel-esque leaps that his tenuously-based conclusions require him to make. If he's supposed to be such an awesome detective, then why is he so consistently wrong? Can't he have one hunch that turns out to be right? If he isn't right occasionally, his constant finger-pointing and swaggering is going to become irritating posturing. In fact, he's reached the tipping point.

His brain power, please to show us it, TPTB.

I actually liked Mac tonight. He was human, and quite chivalrous with his offer to let Stella stay in the spare bedroom. The coffee was nice, too, though I could've sworn earlier spoilers indicated that it was Flack who rushed to the scene.

And hee on Stella's snoring confession. Now I want a fic where the gang bands together to investigate strange sounds coming from the breakroom and finds Stella asleep, sawing logs like a Maine lumberjack. Awesome.

B+

 

[CSIMandy]

This episode was good. I suspected that Bonnie was upto no good when she wouldn't open the door all the way, it was obvious that she was hiding something. I'm glad that both kids were reunited with their parents

Danny and Rikki, I like them together. I actually wanted them to get together! I think it's understandable that they've turned to each other, both are grieving for Ruben. It's obvious that Danny still blames himself for Ruben's death. As for Lindsay, it looks like Danny never thought of her as a girlfriend. Lindsay talked about wanting to help him through his grief but I've never seen her try. I remember when Ruben died and Danny was a wreck, she told Mac that she didn't know what to say to Danny now all of a sudden she's saying she knows what its like to lose someone. It seems to me only now Lindsay is starting to reach out to Danny but it's too late IMO. I would like to see more of Danny and Rikki together.