Grade 'The Party's Over'

[csifangurl]

I give this one a B+ And that's only because Adam's scene's with the deputy mayor's son saved it.

I really enjoyed those scenes. Adam is the sweetest ever. I love how he coaxed the kid out from his hiding place and then later how he talked to him in the interragation room. I really feel bad for the kid. Knowing someone in my life who has OCD, I sympathize with him.

And it was interesting how it almost seemed like it might be that Adam has it too. It would be interesting if they went down this road with him. I guess we'll have to wait and see though.

I agree with a few others who commented on Stella's dress too. It did seem a bit much for a charity event. A cocktail party maybe, but not the sort of event she was attending.

And what the hell is up with Danny's comment about "Being from a family of cops"??? :wtf: Since when???

Honestly, TPTB really need to remember their own characters' background history! They are slacking big time with this lately. :shifty:

And Craig T. Nelson's character seems very interesting. He really comes across as someone that you don't cross in anyway. I will be very interested to see what strings are attached to that bail out money for the NYPD.

Oh and I did very much enjoy Mac in the opening chasing down that guy and using the plastic bag for handcuffs. Very clever. :thumbsup:

 

[Curiosity]

I agree with many of the comments already made.

While there were several moments and scenes I liked, the whole thing just didn’t gel together very well. Like others, I thought they tried to include too much (the case, blue flu / budget issues, introducing a recurring character), and the blue flu storyline in particular would’ve benefited from more time and depth. (For example, I would’ve liked to see more direct interaction between Hawkes and Danny re: their differing viewpoints and the resolution.)

Although the case itself was rather straightforward (except for a few odd elements), I thought the best parts of this episode belonged to Adam. I’m glad they gave Adam a more serious and substantive role in the case and thought AJ Buckley did a great job with the material, especially his last scene with the boy. Very well done.

I also liked the interaction between Mac and Dunbrook. When hearing that Craig Nelson would be a “nemesis” for Mac, I was a bit worried that the whole thing would be cartoonish and over the top….But I think both actors played off each other well, and there’s enough ambiguity and mystery about Dunbrook to make the character interesting (although I also think he’s involved somehow with the missing flash drive).

The Stella/Danny scene was good too, but I couldn’t help feeling that it should’ve been Flack (who actually does come from a family of cops) having that conversation with Danny. Another opportunity missed to explore the relationship and differences between Danny and Flack further.

Now the not so good….

Danny and the blue flu – I know the issue is more complicated than what was shown, but to me, Danny really did come across badly here. Leaving his colleagues on a crime scene and then staying home while the mother of his child and all his other friends and team members are still working? And the rationale he gave Stella for his actions just didn’t sound that convincing. Not his best day.

And although on the surface it seems like such a small thing, the stuff about coming from a “family of cops” did throw me for a loop. I agree with others that various hints and dialogue from previous episodes indicated his family leaned more towards the criminal element. I actually wondered if this particular subplot was originally intended for Flack, and there had been some hasty rewrites that didn’t get enough scrutiny.

I also thought it was odd that no one (including Flack) tried harder to find out which Adam the 13 year old boy was waiting for and that they left him sitting alone in that police station for (apparently) hours. And once Flack realized who the boy really was, did he not tell Mac and Stella that he had been waiting specifically for Adam? I know they were shorthanded and a bit frazzled but still….


Another odd moment was Mac calling Stella when he was delayed from the ball – presumably to tell her about the blue flu situation. Seems like that call should’ve gone to Gillian. Could there have been rewrites involved here as well?

Speaking of Gillian, I still have mixed feelings about the character. I have liked some of her scenes but at times have found some of Julia Ormond’s acting mannerisms to be distracting. I am very glad the writers have (seemingly) dropped the Boss / Subordinate romance angle because I don’t think the chemistry is there. But with that element gone, I see her role as somewhat redundant because she seems to take the scenes with Mac that either Sinclair or Stella would’ve filled in the past. If this was in fact her last appearance, looks like she’ll probably just disappear into character limbo and perhaps we’ll find out what happened to her when Mac’s next boss shows up.

Re: the fireman….Seems a bit too boyish and lightweight to be taken too seriously, but I suspect that’s really all the writers need from this character. I doubt this is intended to be a serious, developmental relationship for Stella – more a way of rounding out the character and showing that she does have a personal life. The fireman may get one more episode (to reach the total of three that these recurring love interests seem to get), but I don’t expect him to hang around long term given the structure and format of this show.

And to end on a more superficial note (and because Stella is one of my favorites), I’ll comment on the dress. I didn’t like it – too trendy for that type of function and for a woman of Stella’s maturity. Too short and way too much cut out of the top – so much that you could see flesh along the side of her body -- not the most flattering look. I wish they had chosen a more classic look for her.


Grade = C.

 

[AbbyD]

And Craig T. Nelson's character seems very interesting. He really comes across as someone that you don't cross in anyway. I will be very interested to see what strings are attached to that bail out money for the NYPD.

I adore Craig T. Nelson when he's being a smarmy bad guy. He just does it so very well! He always manages to exude an aura of enjoying himself immensely!

He makes it fun for us to watch him being bad. :devil:

 

[Half]

Spoiler: Spoilerish, but if you don't know what happens in "Green Piece", where have you been?

Well, it's rather obvious, guys. Danny's comment about being from a "family of cops" clearly refers to him and Lindsay since he knows that she'll marry him, and he assumes that his child will grow up to be just like him. I wouldn't expect any different from TPTB, come to think of it... *frowns*

I didn't notice the thing with Hawkes. I suppose it's possible that he was hovering in the background and then decided to come in when he had to say something. *laughs*

 

[flackie_boo]

flackie_boo said:

Okay so, isn't it possible that Danny does, in fact, come from a family of cops, and Louie was just a big rebel. If you wanted to get real into it, what if when he was younger his family lived in the tanglewood area because his father was undercover there and Louie happened to get mixed up in it, and Danny came to know the kids in the neighbourhood and know all about them. And so on, and so forth.

Oh, they could explain it, and I'm sure it could be a really complex and interesting storyline - but I don't have that much faith in the writers at this point.

Once again, we're left scrambling to rationalize new facts and reconcile them with the old information. It feels like they're adding to the clutter of unanswered questions and dangling plot threads. Louie's fate is still a mystery, they dropped the whole Ruben story arc like a hot potato - I don't anticipate getting any complex, juicy answers about Danny's past any time soon.

So they could make it work, but I'm not holding my breath.

(Heck, I'm still waiting for them to explain Flack's reaction to Moran mentioning his father in "The Fall". At this point, I assume that what we know right now is all we're going to know - if they provide more information down the road, that's fine, but I'm not assuming it will come. And that goes for any storyline, not just this one.)

Danny's shady background was one of the more interesting things about the character, and it was filled with possibilities. Now casual viewers (and newer viewers) will likely only remember that he's from a family of cops, so this kind of wipes away a lot of the intrigue of the character IMO.

For me, it feels like they're whitewashing the character's backstory out of convenience or because perhaps they want it to be different than the original plan - five years into a show isn't the time to create a blank slate. Five years into the show, they should be building on established facts and filling in the blanks.

that's true, all of that's true. I really don't understand whats going on with the writing in this show, it's almost as if they don't know what the other writers have written. So they just go ahead and write it, not knowing that another writer already gave a little bit of insight into that characters background and it's completely different from what they're writing. I'm sure they all have a basic idea of how to write the characters, but they seem to all be writing different things. I don't even pay attention to season one any more, it's just cancelled out, none of it has really been brought back up and things have changed, character traits and characters have changed. Danny especially.

I guess we'll have to go with the flow of Danny coming from a "family" of "cops" until he comes from a family of neurosurgeons, or something else like that.

I think the writers need to sit down and look at the histories they've given to each character, and how different they are. And how things change just like that, how Mac's wife died at two possible times, in the accident and after it. They just have to get it straight, we have all these little tidbits of information flying around, some not commingling with others causing huge plot holes and a lot of confusion for people who have watched the show since season one.

 

[Half]

In all three shows it seems like the writers forget things in their first seasons. Heck, look at the first episode of CSI as compared to all of the other episodes. Grissom's completely different, and Catherine had a sister. Sometimes I just think that continuity isn't always important. Which is true for most TV anymore. I swear, they need a fan or someone that actually pays attention to edit and proofread their episodes...

 

[Ceindreadh]

Random thought: If Stella was still in her party dress because she hadn't had time to change, then how in the hell did Studly Fireman Hotpants have time to not only change, but go out on a fire call? I think the firehouse was secretly a TARDIS.

Stella probably didn't have anything to change into (it's not like CSI's bring a set of overalls to the scene to avoid cross contamination...that only happens in real life)
Fireman dude would have had his firefighting clothes in the firehouse. I'm just puzzled that he would have been called in. Was there a 'red flu' going round as well as the 'blue flu'?

I was delighted to see that Flack was on duty even if it took us most of the ep before he showed up. I had been afraid that the reason we weren't seeing him was because he had the 'flu'.

 

[Carrieattheprom]

In all three shows it seems like the writers forget things in their first seasons. Heck, look at the first episode of CSI as compared to all of the other episodes. Grissom's completely different, and Catherine had a sister. Sometimes I just think that continuity isn't always important. Which is true for most TV anymore. I swear, they need a fan or someone that actually pays attention to edit and proofread their episodes...

Some changes can be good, people's personalities can change with time and experience(not always for the better.)

But it seems like NY really has problems with contiunity. In season one we were told that Stella grew up in an orphanage. Then in that Cold Case crossover episode we find out she was in foster homes.

In the time machine episode, Flack mentions catching grief from a brother, but doesn't mention a sister. This season we were introduced to Sam, Flack's sister.

In Tanglewood and Run Silent Run Deep, we learn the Messer family has some connections to the Tanglewood gang. Brother Louie is beaten into a coma and we haven't had any update on his condition since.

In On the Job, we learn that people tried to talk Mac out of hiring Danny.

Now we're told that Danny comes from a family of cops. Look, maybe it was his hot-headed personality at the academy that made people try to talk Mac out of hiring him, but it's doubtful.

 

[AbbyD]

I guess we'll have to go with the flow of Danny coming from a "family" of "cops" until he comes from a family of neurosurgeons, or something else like that.

LOL

In the next episode, we'll discover that Danny Messer isnt really Danny Messer. It is revealed that he was born Tex Hutchinson, in the Bitter Root Mountains of Montana. The only son of a wealthy cattle baron, at a tender young age he was kidnapped by gypsies.

dah dah dah

The dastardly gypsies spirited him away to New York City where they sold him to a criminal family on Staten Island. His new father, a rising you mafioso, is assassinated in a car bombing.

The tearful young widow finds she can no longer afford 2 sons, so young Tex (aka Danny) is sold to a kindly police family.

Tune in next week for our continuing saga.....

 

[Carrieattheprom]

LOL, AbbyD! Now there's a show I wouldn't mind watching!

Seriously though, I can't figure this show out anymore. We have truly beautiful moments like Adam with that little boy, that even manages to stay true to contiunity(Adam's dad being a 'bully', so Adam's able to relate to this kid). And then we have Danny's weird comment about being from a family of cops, and it just seems like a completely different show.

 

[flackie_boo]

I guess we'll have to go with the flow of Danny coming from a "family" of "cops" until he comes from a family of neurosurgeons, or something else like that.

LOL

In the next episode, we'll discover that Danny Messer isnt really Danny Messer. It is revealed that he was born Tex Hutchinson, in the Bitter Root Mountains of Montana. The only son of a wealthy cattle baron, at a tender young age he was kidnapped by gypsies.

dah dah dah

The dastardly gypsies spirited him away to New York City where they sold him to a criminal family on Staten Island. His new father, a rising you mafioso, is assassinated in a car bombing.

The tearful young widow finds she can no longer afford 2 sons, so young Tex (aka Danny) is sold to a kindly police family.

Tune in next week for our continuing saga.....

Oh how I would pay to see that series! lol

On another note, I though the eppy was great. It was definitely unexpected, I really didn't think it was going to be the kid, it was something different for a change!( it's rarely ever the kid in any show)

 

[SpeedyMeg25]

I guess we'll have to go with the flow of Danny coming from a "family" of "cops" until he comes from a family of neurosurgeons, or something else like that.

LOL

In the next episode, we'll discover that Danny Messer isnt really Danny Messer. It is revealed that he was born Tex Hutchinson, in the Bitter Root Mountains of Montana. The only son of a wealthy cattle baron, at a tender young age he was kidnapped by gypsies.

dah dah dah

The dastardly gypsies spirited him away to New York City where they sold him to a criminal family on Staten Island. His new father, a rising you mafioso, is assassinated in a car bombing.

The tearful young widow finds she can no longer afford 2 sons, so young Tex (aka Danny) is sold to a kindly police family.

Tune in next week for our continuing saga.....

Ha. That's hilarious Abby! :lol:

With the way that everything has been shaken up and changed around on the show lately, that may end up being what actually happened. You never know with this show...

 

[fm62]

LOL, AbbyD! Now there's a show I wouldn't mind watching!

Seriously though, I can't figure this show out anymore. We have truly beautiful moments like Adam with that little boy, that even manages to stay true to contiunity(Adam's dad being a 'bully', so Adam's able to relate to this kid). And then we have Danny's weird comment about being from a family of cops, and it just seems like a completely different show.

I think it was just that the writers were so blinkered with only being able to see one side of the dispute in this storyline that they couldn't thnk of a decent reason for Danny to have 'blue flu', so came up with this ludicrious reason.

The story was written as bad, screw-up Danny doesn't do his duty, so that they left themselves with no way to validate the story. Danny clearly didn't know why he chose that direction and seemed embarressed and apologetic about his decision.

They should have had clear, logical reasons for both those who stayed and those who chose to leave. I don't fully understand the storyline, but can see valid arguments on both sides (3 sides, some may have just feared the consequences), but I got the impression that I was being told what to think, which really, really annoyed me. Law and Order (original) used to do those really preachy stories and it stopped me from tuning in. I hope this show doesn't plan on going the same way.

I'm about a hairs breath away from giving up on this show anyway.

 

[_Hush_]

Hey, I think I missed something. The scrabble tile drenched in the blood that made a stain on the collar, how did it get to the crime scene? I mean, I know it's from the bord in the kid's room, but scrabble tiles don't stick to your clothing, especially not one of that size. Or did I miss something?

 

[~Sarah~]

Hey, I think I missed something. The scrabble tile drenched in the blood that made a stain on the collar, how did it get to the crime scene? I mean, I know it's from the bord in the kid's room, but scrabble tiles don't stick to your clothing, especially not one of that size. Or did I miss something?

He carried it around with him as a reminder of his mother (I think).