Horatio and Stetler - past, present, future

[Jag Lady]

I agree. Somehow I'm not surprised they'd do a Dan Cooper with the recurring character who's been on there the longest (making his debut in the premiere of S2) because they've just gotten that sloppy since S5. But Geez Louise, that was lamer than I thought!

Love him or hate him, Rick is not a murderer. And how could he have possibly gotten into Ryan's apartment? I agree with the possibility of Ron Saris holding his leash, but I truly don't think these writers don't care anymore.

Somebody please tell me why he couldn't retire or be transferred? And please don't give me that bs about a prison break. I'm done with it.

But to his credit, DLS did a beautiful job on his final scene; so good I had to watch it twice.

Enjoy the finale, y'all. They just burned their last bridge with me.

 

[Ajbuckly]

Not with Stetler himself, who was great, even as a disillusioned cop, but with the resolution of it all. I guess they're going to go with the same non-follow-up formula they did with Dan Cooper (never fully explaining why, after wanting so badly to be a CSI he suddenly went bad) and Tara Price.

But reading through this thread, I think what bothers me is a) Stetler's been on the show a lot longer than those two, and b) like someone said earlier, it's kind of important for these characters to have an "archenemy", I guess, who isn't evil and fights on the same side they do. Every one of the CSI shows has/had those characters -- Gil Grissom had Ecklie, Mac Taylor had Inspector Gerrard and Chief Sinclair. Interestingly enough, those last two characters have also vanished from CSI:NY, but while I miss them, their departure didn't leave me with the same bad taste that Stetler's did. Maybe because they were portrayed in (fairly) sympathetic ways, and it really bothered me that Stetler was written off as an irredeemable "bad guy". None of the other arch-nemeses on the CSI shows have been handled that way, and it soured an otherwise-cool episode. Even Ecklie's had his redeeming moments where he goes to bat for the CSI team, and he's probably the most effective arch-nemesis of all three shows; the others (from what I've seen) try to discredit or punish team-characters, but Ecklie's the only one whose ever kind-of succeeded.

Miami has been getting better this year, imo, but they copped out with Stetler. Even if the actor asked to leave the show, I think they could've been a little more creative with his exit, like giving him a more solid motive. IIRC, they didn't even explain why he decided Nevins or Eric Delko had to die. Eric said that if it hadn't been him investigating the lab, it would've been someone else; being the Assistant State Attorney, can we assume the same could be said for Rebecca Nevins? Was he planning to kill off the entire State Attorney office? It was just really sloppily done.

So true - so true I allmost get so upset, I will start to rant

And what amazed me the most .....I am not a prof. writer - but still know a bit about storyline structure and drama- build - up. So as writer: why close doors on a character with so much potentiale and as you"say" the Ecklie to our Horatio. Who do they have left as "archenemy??
Saris who has been gone/off - screen for so long.??? IMO we are lacking thoose types of villans storylines need at times.

And they cut the one character that could be off and on as they pleased. A character that as you say are both a bit bad and a bit good....And an actor that could make it belivable?

 

[ruby&theheadmen]

I've been watching AMC's show Mad Men and been imaging that it was DLS walking around in those cooler than cool, iconic 1960's suits rather than Jon Hamm- such a feast for the eyes that would be! I would have loved for Rick to have walked into the lab dressed that way; now we may never see him again. We've lost all of the great people- at least we'll have fanfiction!

 

[RoscoeTrek]

I AM IN A STATE OF SHOCK.... NEVER COULD I HAVE IMAGINED TPTB TO COP OUT STETLER IN THE WAY THEY DID!!!

Why the hell did it have to be Stetler? How on earth could he have made an explosive like that? Why did they survive Sully? Why? WHY? WHY?

This was so untimely & I AM SO DARN PISSED!!! Never saw it coming & now I'm just gonna hold my breath & watch things go down spiral. ITS so true, the team will NEVER be the same again! Thought I could trust the old order of things, but no everything needs to get slapped back into your face.

Back to the basics?! How basic has this gotten? Kickin out a guy who whenever at a point in time appeared seemed to reunite the team; & now all hope is lost? All coz their common enemy had to be dunked in an untimely manner? Absolute BS!

 

[Ninja0980]

Something tells me Stetler won't go away that easily... if nothing else, who knows what stuff on the team he's hung onto just for this occasion.

 

[Solitaire]

I really didnt like the way they got rid of Stetler. As mentioned before, there was no build up, no inclination at any point that Stetler was a dirty cop. Sure he was jealous of H, and could be a little petty, but that was all down to a bruised ego. That he was capable of murder, no I dont believe that for a second. They didnt even explain the stealing all that well. Maybe if they had I would have bought that, but never murder.

He was always by the book, and just doing his job with regards to the team, and really with some of there track records they needed a bit of watching! TPTB thought up this diamond thing and then tried to think of the most random person it could be. I knew Stetler had something to do with it when he and H seemed to be working together, and H asked him what he should do. I thought it was too good to be true.

 

[CSI-AJ]

He was always by the book, and just doing his job with regards to the team, and really with some of there track records they needed a bit of watching! TPTB thought up this diamond thing and then tried to think of the most random person it could be. I knew Stetler had something to do with it when he and H seemed to be working together, and H asked him what he should do. I thought it was too good to be true.

Thank you!! this is what I've been saying as well which why I don't understand how some people think Rick got his comeuppance for stuff other than what he did in this arc.

 

[Jag Lady]

I for one could accept the fact that Rick was going to get written out, but GIMME A BREAK!! :scream: I've been looking around at the different fan sites, and seems like a lot of people were ticked off at this, even those who really didn't care for the character. It was totally stupid and unbelievable.

Rick was not capable of cold-blooded murder. He couldn't have set off that bomb. Did anyone besides me notice that Horatio didn't show much emotion either to Rick or to Rebecca Nevins?

Couldn't he just have been transferred, retired, or just do like Gideon on Criminal Minds--ride off into the sunset, knowing where he was going when he got there?? Why does everyone on Miami have to be killed, thrown in prison, or just go psycho?

I have to agree with the reviewer. Rick Stetler gave Horatio some balance. Now I think we'll be dealing even more with a comic book hero as well as, well, you know. Well, let me rephrase that. Somebody else will be dealing with all that. I'm finished with it.

I think Rick was the last of them. The old Miami is gone. :angryrazz:

 

[HnStetlerfan]

He was always by the book, and just doing his job with regards to the team, and really with some of there track records they needed a bit of watching! TPTB thought up this diamond thing and then tried to think of the most random person it could be. I knew Stetler had something to do with it when he and H seemed to be working together, and H asked him what he should do. I thought it was too good to be true.

Thank you!! this is what I've been saying as well which why I don't understand how some people think Rick got his comeuppance for stuff other than what he did in this arc.

Some fans have always had this irrational hatred of the Rick Stetler character. It was like they just needed someone to hate in their lives, and they picked him. It's sad!

 

[Delynn]

Some fans have always had this irrational hatred of the Rick Stetler character. It was like they just needed someone to hate in their lives, and they picked him. It's sad!

That's because some fans can only see black and white. Rick was a bad guy because he worked for IAB. Rick was bad guy because he was upset he didn't get the job over Horatio. Rick was a bad guy because they made it appear that he physically abused Yelina (something we never saw and she never admitted to, btw).

I saw a multi-faceted character. Yeah, he admitted to Horatio that he was upset that he didn't get the job Horatio got. He was human. He drew IAB. Not a police officer's dream job. Every cop hates Internal Affairs.

It's been pointed out by more than one person that Rick could have taken every one on that team down at one point or another - and would have been right and doing his job.

I saw evidence that Rick truly tried to help on multiple occassions. In Ambush no one will ever convince me that Rick wasn't truly worried about Horatio's extradition and what was going to happen to him.

Everything isn't black and white. There is a lot of gray in this world. Some people just live in a very rigid world.

What they did to Rick was horrible and had absolutely no basis in his character history. Rick always worked withing the law - unlike a number of the team themselves. To make his exit one of dishonor and shame is inexcusible.

 

[Jag Lady]

He was always by the book, and just doing his job with regards to the team, and really with some of there track records they needed a bit of watching! TPTB thought up this diamond thing and then tried to think of the most random person it could be. I knew Stetler had something to do with it when he and H seemed to be working together, and H asked him what he should do. I thought it was too good to be true.

Thank you!! this is what I've been saying as well which why I don't understand how some people think Rick got his comeuppance for stuff other than what he did in this arc.

Some fans have always had this irrational hatred of the Rick Stetler character. It was like they just needed someone to hate in their lives, and they picked him. It's sad!

It came from the early days when Horatio was the protector, the sympathetic one who always cared for the women and children. Rick Stetler was his rival. Real simple--love the hero, hate the nemesis. And NOBODY pulled off that formula better than those two, imho.

In the early years I too hated Rick Stetler for that reason. But as I got to study his character--yeah, he could be pretty snarky--he truly cared about that department and about people. He was just waiting for Horatio to slip up. That final scene in "From the Grave" was very telling. Rick had a look on his face that said he could sympathize with Horatio's pain.

*sigh* It's all gone now.

 

[Ninja0980]

IAB cops are ALWAYS shown as bad guys on cop shows. I can't think of a single show where they haven't been shown as anything else.
They're always out to get the main hero, are complete jerks in completly "justifiable" shootings or other actions and deserve all the contempt they get for daring to investigate their fellow cops.
I for one, hate it. As Dr. Tara Price and several other cops throughout this series and others have shown, there's a reason IAB exists. And it's not just to be a thorn in other cop's sides. It's to keep them honest and weed out the bad ones.
I've noticed with several characters on CSI Miami that they either have them killed or arrested for a crime to ensure they don't return. Stetler is just the latest to follow this trend.

 

[Grissom rules]

I still can't believe that Stetler was behind the diamonds theft and the assasination of Rebecca Nevins.I'm sad things gone that way because that had to be(unfortunately)Rick's last apperance with the show.Thanks for everything David Lee Smith!!!

 

[bill_az]

Numerous characters in CSIM have "gone away" only to return in some strange twist...cue Raymond, Jake, Clavo Cruz, The Malo Noches, and don't even get me started on Brazil.

Don't forget, there is still the corrupt Judge Ratner is still out there. He let a dead-to-rights serial killer walk (Ramsden???) to settle a score with Horatio. Is it beyond possible that he would let the murder rap go on some technicality, and enlist Stetler's help in bringing down the lab? Stranger things have happened. :shifty:

IAB cops are ALWAYS shown as bad guys on cop shows. I can't think of a single show where they haven't been shown as anything else.

Mainly because there is a kernel of truth in this belief. While most department employees don't openly despise or diss them like Horatio does, all of them have a lingering mistrust. Not necessarily because they hate them as people. But any IA division goes against the free-reigning interest of much of the rank and file. Don't forget it was the internal departments in the NYPD and LAPD that exposed huge corruption operations going on. And Chief Gates' Gang Task Force was shut down by the same people.

Any self-contained police unit is usually very tight-lipped. Stetler suddenly "showing up" and knowing all the facts is rare--it's a TV plot convenience. They handle their problems between themselves, more like season 1 of The Wire.

 

[Jag Lady]

I still can't believe that Stetler was behind the diamonds theft and the assasination of Rebecca Nevins.I'm sad things gone that way because that had to be(unfortunately)Rick's last apperance with the show.Thanks for everything David Lee Smith!!!

Well said, Grissom Rules. Don't try to believe it; it's unbelievable. Too many loose ends, and there's no way he'd set off a bomb like that. I'd like to think he's taking the fall for someone like Ron Saris or a rogue FBI agent, but I think this current crop of writers just can't be bothered anymore.

IAB cops are ALWAYS shown as bad guys on cop shows. I can't think of a single show where they haven't been shown as anything else.
They're always out to get the main hero, are complete jerks in completly "justifiable" shootings or other actions and deserve all the contempt they get for daring to investigate their fellow cops.

My husband worked the Internal Affairs side of the Army for several years, so I can relate. IA is there not only to protect the public from corruption and abuses of power, but to protect the officer from false accusations as well as abuses of power from above. Seasons cops and commanders know this.

Incidentally, in my town we had a police officer pull over and rape several female drivers before he was locked up. You can be sure IA had a lot to do with getting that guy off the street and protecting the public.