Grade 'Unfriendly Chat'

[Natasha Romanoff]

^I don't think 7 is the age kids go to proper school in most states. Here it's 2 years earlier than that. In the US pre-school is normally two classes - 3-year olds & 4-year olds, then when the child turns 5 they go to Kindergarten, age 6 they start 1st grade and upwards to 12th grade. However, if a parent doesn't think their child is mature enough to start Kindergarden at 5 then they can wait a year and enroll the child the following year.

Although pre-school isn't required, it's not run by the state or anything. The pre-school I went to was at a Methodist Church and it was like only two days a week or something I think.

Ah right, see I'm British and don't know that much about the American school system. In the UK kids start Primary school at 4 sometimes 5 if they were born from September onwards, and then at 11 they leave primary school and go onto high school which they leave at 16 after doing GCSE's.

In the US it depends on the county/city.
For me it was K-6 (Elementary School) 7-8 (Middle School) and 9-12 (High School). Other places have 7-12 (Secondary School). There's now way it's always broken up - it's not even consistent within the same state. We have SOLs (Virginia Standards of Learning) that you take at various points. In New York they have the Regents Exam. Every state does their own thing. But pretty much the graduating age is 18.

Ah right I didn't know that either. It's pretty much the same for everyone in the UK, unless I'm wrong. And like I mentioned before pre-school is usually from about 2 - 3. And we also have SAT'S here in the UK, those are at 11, 14 and I can't remember if they get taken at another age.

And I love the music in this episode, I've downloaded that song that Sass was playing and have it on my iPod, I keep wanting to repeat it.

 

[Maya316]

I almost feel bad for not having as much to say about this episode earlier :lol: Given the spoilers, I was expecting great; it's not like it actually let me down or anything, I had a good time watching, the case itself was better than last week's, entirely interesting, and had an earlier-seasons feel to it - but I still found it kinda unremarkable on the whole. I'm remembering a lot of the things I thought were awesomecakes and teh suxxors just by reading this thread, tbh :lol:

Jo:

What bother me and bothered my sister a lot more (who really doesn't watch CSI) is Jo. I understand introducing a new character is hard but that doesn't mean you leave the other characters just sitting around. Adam barely knows Jo but they insisted on her being the one in all his scenes when I'd rather have maybe one of the regulars with an established background with each other. Someone who knows Adam and they can talk it out.

She's comes off as pushy, and suprememly better than everyone else. I'd like it infinitely better if they slowly bring her in and not suffocate us with it.

Okay, I seriously love Jo. Her scene with Adam and the way she handled him is one of my favourite moments from the past three seasons at least. And that moment at the end with Mac is one, too, hilarious. At this point, I like her at least as much as I liked Stella, which I'm completely blown by :lol: I even love her profile-y FBI bit (there was one moment at the end of the ep where she mentioned Garcia's computer and I thought NY was making a link to Criminal Minds' Garcia - which would be the most brilliant crossover in the history of crossovers :lol: - till I realized she just meant the criminal Garcia).

All that said, I can feel that they might be laying it on a little thick with her. There is kind of a sense that she can do anything...I'm attributing a huge amount of credit to SW for Jo not being annoying to me, because I could see how it might seem like they're forcing her on the audience a bit. I'm starting to think that might be standard new-character-syndrome, but imo they really don't need to do it in this case. Jo's cool all on her own :lol: This was the first strike to bug me.

Adam:

:adore::adore::adore:
AJ was brilliant. ADAM was brilliant, the story totally worked; I completely bought that he was that touched and that affected by the girl's death even though he'd only known her through a computer screen for maybe 5 minutes. That fits with his character, even though it would probably be harder to buy, with any other character or in real life. In that sense, I can kind of see why the team wasn't as sympathetic as they could've been (imo), but still think they should've worked on that. Strike two. I was actually kinda with Adam on the hacking point, and am not sure if he should've gotten the chewing-out or the suspension considering how many other dubious ways CSI's have gotten info in the past -- I don't remember exactly how it played out in the episode, but I was confused about why they couldn't have just gotten a warrant that would legally allow them to do what Adam did. (Or maybe they did, I think Jo got the FBI to step in and get them the info in the end.)

And now each of the first two eps has had DL. They process scenes together, they work in labs together, they do interviews together, they have their DL bantery scenes together, they seemingly appear by default together. They are chronically irksome.

Yep, this I remember making me scream and switch the channel. Strike Three. I loved seeing Lindsay in interrogation again, but they need to get the hell away from each other now :scream::scream:

No laughing. It's bad.It's been a while since I could honestly call myself a fan of Danny's when even in old reruns, I spend so much of his screentime wishing he'd just evaporate. It's more a culmination of factors than anything, but too much is too much. That one scene in the locker room where he and Hawkes were teasing Adam was the most I've even halfway enjoyed the guy in a long time. So imo, there is something huge to this:

He just seems to have a whole different, much more energetic and fun vibe when he's with other characters outside of DL.

SIIIIIIDDD:

Strike Four. :shifty: I get the budget cuts, was still disappointed, though.

On the whole it got a B. Not bad, not the greatest either, though.

 

[Lori K.]

SIIIIIIDDD

AHHH yes dear SID wasnt he that dear man who kind of grows on ya with his creepy place and charming smile? I think he needs to talk to Ednas handlers she seems to have clout with someone cause all her friends are getting a gig!:lol:

 

[talkingtocactus]

Not really about what they "had" to pay so much as what they probably offered/agreed to pay. Not surprising that shows are needing/willing to augment budgets here and there with such things. Gadget placement is easy I guess, but even KFC and the like have made it into prime time shows :lol:. Show bidness.

yup. i know it's pretty much the norm, but it was only made legal here fairly recently (within the last 5 years or less i think) so to us brits it still seems kind of odd that companies can be so blatant about it, and tv/film cos too.

(PS. Just saw a vid via twitter on how chicken McNuggets are made. If you're luvin' your spleen and general sense of well being, do yerselves a favor, y'all: Be afraid. Be very Afraid).

been watching jamie oliver have we?

that's one way of putting it :lol::lol:

Lateral understatement amuses me :lol:

and me

I agree. We may share dimsum on this point .

i don't share my dim sum with anyone

I "kinda hope not" too, and that anything played between them is understated, and without substantial intent. A little charge maintained is fine, and flirty banter is viable as a method of interaction. In doses . I'd be somewhat unenthusiastic seeing the show move beyond that that. And I'd definitely rather not have more inter-office stuff going on just in general; I'd rather see overt relationships partnered from people outside the labs/precinct, just to keep them from being a perpetual presence

,

totally agree (dammit!), i'd much rather they had at least something resembling lives outside the lab, rather than conducting *everything* therein.

While understandably on the backburner, if revisited at all, there is still the matter of what they started for Mac last season. Gimme one comment in an ep addressing some irreconcilable dispute suffered in the past five months between Mac & Aubrey over the best pizza in town , and dandyo, go forth and roll !tension

i think that's fair. otherwise it would come across as "hey, let's just try mac with every woman that wanders by, just for the hell of it" - it would be far more sensible to at least try to wrap up the previous one before starting another. unless of course we're about to find out that mac is actually a total cad

At some point it would also be nice to find out not just how and why Jo left the Bureau, but also how she came to the NYPD's notice, and why was selected to be hired over other candidates to step into the open position; also whether it was Mac and/or Sinclair who brought her in.

i get the impression we're going to find out the former anyway, it's been brought up once already and i think that suggests it might be an element of intrigue for them as well as us, so likely to be answered. not sure about the latter tho. i suspect mac didn't bring her in as he didn't know who she was and didn't he say he'd heard lots about her, which seems a bit distant if it was him doing the hiring.

I agree again. I'll even share my Pocky .

no need, i have mikado and they're nicer

I'd forgotten that wee bit. Was a nice contrast not just of their approaches but their personal backgrounds. A bit of pseudo down-home folkish wisdom, so to speak, salted into a sci-heavy realm. I can also guess Mac's father rarely came out with stuff quite like that :lol:.

yeah, it was a nice little contrast and done in a friendly way but i can see it being used as a set up for !tension further down the line - in fact a lot of jo's methods are being deliberately set up as so contrary to mac's usual way of doing things (her dropping the files - she's messy, he's neat; her quoting daddy not einstein etc etc) that i think it could make for some disagreements in the future - which is great!

u. uUUuuuUu. U. uu. ...dang. Still nope.

...show-off...

you mean shöw öff?

All that said, I can feel that they might be laying it on a little thick with her. There is kind of a sense that she can do anything...I'm attributing a huge amount of credit to SW for Jo not being annoying to me, because I could see how it might seem like they're forcing her on the audience a bit.

i agree, it's a credit to her that given the amount she's been in every scene, she hasn't become annoying. also she seems to be doing *her* job - in contrast to langston who came in on csi as a rookie and was doing expert stuff within seconds *and* being in every single scene. maybe they learnt something?

 

[Elwood21]

you mean shöw öff?

Heh. Precisely sö . See if I öffer yöü any öf my dimsüm or pöcky in fütüre :lol:.

been watching jamie oliver have we?

no, apparently s/o else is equally horrified :lol:.

in fact a lot of jo's methods are being deliberately set up as so contrary to mac's usual way of doing things....that i think it could make for some disagreements in the future - which is great!

This is the kind of thing I was both sort of expecting and hoping for when we started to get fed spoiler bits about her character schematic and a potential friendly rivalry. I'm hoping some of the bigger arcs will provide opportunity for some butting of heads when the stakes are more personal and less abstractly related to a given case.

So far, at least where the two supervisors are concerned, it's been about establishing a united front despite their different approaches. It's been interesting to see how they've portrayed the quick acceptance of each other and mutual respect on banter and more serious levels. I think this is in part why I'd like to know more of how she came to their attention, and who was the driving force to bring her in. I also think that the latter Chat conversation, beyond providing the Nexting humor, was a pretty frank and casual exchange on a peer/confidant level. An interesting dynamic for me so far .

I'm attributing a huge amount of credit to SW for Jo not being annoying to me.... I'm starting to think that might be standard new-character-syndrome, but imo they really don't need to do it in this case. Jo's cool all on her own :lol:

I agree about SW, and also the syndrome. I'm hoping the show and the exuberance settle down. There's also part of me reconciled to the likelihood of having to pry mallets from cold, dead hands :lol: Whaddaya do.

(there was one moment at the end of the ep where she mentioned Garcia's computer and I thought NY was making a link to Criminal Minds' Garcia - which would be the most brilliant crossover in the history of crossovers :lol: - till I realized she just meant the criminal Garcia).

:lol:. I completely had the same moment and got all ridiculously happy for a sec :lol:

I was actually kinda with Adam on the hacking point, and am not sure if he should've gotten the chewing-out or the suspension considering how many other dubious ways CSI's have gotten info in the past

Gotta disagree there. I think the discrepancy in who's been reprimanded for what at various points is valid as a bone of contention, but I also think the circumstances in this ep did warrant Adam getting chewed for it.

they need to get the hell away from each other now :scream::scream:

No laughing. It's bad.It's been a while since I could honestly call myself a fan of Danny's when even in old reruns, I spend so much of his screentime wishing he'd just evaporate. It's more a culmination of factors than anything, but too much is too much. That one scene in the locker room where he and Hawkes were teasing Adam was the most I've even halfway enjoyed the guy in a long time. So imo, there is something huge to this:

He just seems to have a whole different, much more energetic and fun vibe when he's with other characters outside of DL.

I like Danny, though he was never been my favorite character, and I think he was formerly more important as a core of the show, but the tone of the show has altered (DL being a part of that), and so has how they've all become used. Lindsay was ok in S2, but was also not a character I gravitated toward. DL has done neither any favors. We may disagree on certain points within Culminating Factors, but I'd be happy to enlist you in abetting my stripey scarf campaign in a common goal .

 

[GregNickRyanFan]

Finally watched the episode. I thought it was a pretty good episode all things considered.

Jo: What is it with you boys?
Flack: Snakes and tails and puppy dog tails. hehe. Jo and Flack have a nice banter.

Poor Adam, he was so traumatized by seeing that girl die.

I figured the girl was about 19, so I wasn't too far off; they said she was 20.

Jo: That's all fun and gigabytes until someone is killed.

:lol: at the boy trying to get Mac to tell him the answers to his homework.

Jo showing the soldier NYC was sweet.

Adam fights better than I expected him to.

The conversation Lindsay and Danny had about Lucy and the computers made me laugh. Of course Daddy Danny wouldn't want Lucy on the computer. Loved Danny saying "damnit" when Lindsay said there was a computer lab in Lucy's pre-school and she knows how to use the I-phone.

Jo and Mac at the end were cute. "Not if I next you first". :lol:

 

[tobinhr]

I gave it a B.

It was Jo heavy I love Sela Ward, but her character is a know-it-all. On the other hand, I loved the soldier/NYC, the joke about duct tape, and the simultaneous cut off of Mac at the end.

Case was OK. Sass wasn't very sympathetic, but oh well.

Flack's hair. Good lord, did they shellac it? I like the overall look, but it looks like there was some serious hair gel/hair spray going on there. PTB, pleeeeeeeze get the man to a stylist.

Tobin

 

[Country233]

I gave it a B.

It was Jo heavy I love Sela Ward, but her character is a know-it-all. On the other hand, I loved the soldier/NYC, the joke about duct tape, and the simultaneous cut off of Mac at the end.

Case was OK. Sass wasn't very sympathetic, but oh well.

Flack's hair. Good lord, did they shellac it? I like the overall look, but it looks like there was some serious hair gel/hair spray going on there. PTB, pleeeeeeeze get the man to a stylist.

Tobin

Yeah, Jo being a know-it-all really irks the hell out of me. I mean, sure she is ex-FBI but that doesn't make her a sage. And when she condescends Mac that really irks me