Horatio and Stetler - past, present, future

arcadian7

arcadian7

Witness
to continue discussion of the possible return of Rick Stetler, we've started examining the past relationship between Horatio and Rick as we ponder what might happen as per Corey Miller's interview.

We've mentioned Rick's being a woman abuser and discussed his jealousy of Horatio for getting the Lieutenant's job.

Had Rick gotten help in the form of anger management? It's possible. We don't know for certain. When Rick showed up at the end of "From the Grave", what was on his agenda? Was he looking for more dirt on H or was he genuinely concerned? We didn't see much of him through the time when Marisol died - did Rick let up on H knowing the man had been to Hell and back? We don't know. Does Horatio trust him? Doubtful. Would Horatio trust him? Maybe... but as it stands right now, he doesn't - he knows Rick has a particularly unpopular job to do, but would he trust him? We haven't seen any particular interactions to determine that at this stage.

So, it will be interesting to see what Corey is leading us to think...
 
I think the interaction between Horatio and Stetler is great. Stetler is one of the only people who can actually get under Horatio's skin. Sure, lots of suspects and such might annoy Horatio, but he always stays calm. With Stetler, I'm always feel like H's about to punch him in the face. Actually, that would be pretty cool if he did. :lol:
 
I think that Stetler has a lot of respect for Horatio. He has actually shown concern for H. I think Stetler wants to put the feud between them in the past, but H just wont do it. I think it is the whole Yelina issue that H just can't forgive him for. It would be good to see an epi where the two of them are forced to work together, and Rick maybe apologises to H, and the pair call a truce..
 
solitaire said:
I think that Stetler has a lot of respect for Horatio. He has actually shown concern for H. I think Stetler wants to put the feud between them in the past, but H just wont do it. I think it is the whole Yelina issue that H just can't forgive him for. It would be good to see an epi where the two of them are forced to work together, and Rick maybe apologises to H, and the pair call a truce..
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I think Stetler has been told to back off of H. I know the rest of the staff respects H but Stetler is one to just lie in waiting for the right time to attack.
 
I just realized that:

The early seasons Horatio was sweet and Stetler was horrible

In the middle seasons Horatio was still sweet, but kinda changing, and Rick was still horibble, but becoming nicer

Now seasons Horatio is sorta ticking me off, his one liners are mostly corny, but still I can't hate him. Rick is becoming more truthful now, and the audience tends to like him more, he's ALMOST no longer the guy we love to hate, but we can still hate him.
 
Horatio has always been the kind of guy I love because he's the epitome of what a good dedicated guy is... Stetler, he just reminds me of a guy lying in wait for that right moment to pounce. He might be trying to be nice but part of me doesn't trust him - just as H doesn't trust him. I honestly think H's stance with Stetler has to do with his past - he's got trust issues, that's very apparent - and no, he won't let go of what Stetler did to Yelina and how he's always poked his nose into things that he shouldn't have.

I look forward to seeing Stetler come back... I was chatting with a friend on another board that perhaps Horatio is going to get involved again with Julia and Stetler becomes aware that she's not all she's cracked up to be - maybe he'll be the one to break the news to H that he's mixed up with a real viper.
 
arcadian7 said:
solitaire said:
I think that Stetler has a lot of respect for Horatio. He has actually shown concern for H. I think Stetler wants to put the feud between them in the past, but H just wont do it. I think it is the whole Yelina issue that H just can't forgive him for. It would be good to see an epi where the two of them are forced to work together, and Rick maybe apologises to H, and the pair call a truce..
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I think Stetler has been told to back off of H. I know the rest of the staff respects H but Stetler is one to just lie in waiting for the right time to attack.
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I tend to disagree with this. Sure, Rick has some resentment towards H. He thought he deserved to be Lieutenant more than H, and he initially was very bitter. But I think deep down he does respect him. I think maybe he wants to be Horatio. Dating Yelina was to this end.
Most of the problems between them have arisen when Stetler was just doing his job. Which he has to do, although if he had been doing it properly Horatio would have been hauled in front of his bosses ages ago, the amount of people he shoots!:borg:
 
well, that's Horatio's job - to be a cop as well as a CSI. He has to use his weapon when it's a matter of life and death - only once have I actually seen him do something inappropriate with a weapon - his behavior with Antonio Ruiz... but I can sympathize with what he did - the guy was a low life using kids to run drugs and he was a murderer and of no use to society. It doesn't excuse what Horatio did at all but I do understand the length with which he went to find justice for more than just Marisol's murder. But that's a whole other conversation.

For Stetler, I just don't trust the guy... yes, he has to do his job but he's let his jealousy get in the way of doing his job - I know it's past stuff but it really keeps Horatio from finding any way to trust the man. H knows Rick has a job to do - and it's not a well-liked job at all. However, I can remember the epi where Eric was blamed for spilling acid and ruining evidence when it wasn't his fault at all. Horatio did stand up for Eric because he is in charge and whatever happens is a reflection on Horatio as a supervisor. Rick let his petty feelings cloud his ability to do his job.

Recently, Rick 'appears' more likable... only time will tell if he's truly going to be a good guy or not. As much as I defend H, Horatio does need to get into therapy to deal with his own emotions - which he conveniently avoids doing. That much with Rick I do agree with - Rick does know Horatio needs to talk to a pro about his troubles.
 
I'm really glad I found this thread. One thing I think has been sorely missing in this season is the Horatio/Rick love/hate relationship.

I think the writers originally brought Stetler in as a nemesis and to tweak Horatio by dating his sister-in-law. But when you look at Rick's debut in "Blood Brothers", you can't help but think there's a lot more history to their relationship. Apparently they've known each other for quite some time, and it's not just the promotion thing.

I usually get stepped on by pointing out another thing in the Horatio/Yelina/Stetler love triangle. Though there's never an excuse for hitting a widowed mother (except to defend yourself), I believe Yelina was never completely fair with Rick. She either wanted a man, any man, to love her, or she was trying to get back at Horatio for stringing her along. You could see it in her eyes. Every time she was with Rick and Horatio was around, she turned and looked at him as though to say "I wish it was you!" Rick was always a substitute. I believe the man is somewhat insecure to begin with, and that can't possibly help things. I'm sure behind the scenes there were a lot of "comparisons."

On top of that, I have a husband who worked Internal Affairs for three years. I know what Rick Stetler is going through. You get pressure from the brass and resentment from the rank and file. But it's IAB's job to make sure the cops do their job.

Arcadian7 makes a good point in the final scene of "From the Grave." Judging from his eyes, though, I believe the man was genuinely concerned about what H was dealing with.

I really wish they'd bring Rick Stetler back. I miss those old-fashioned pi$$ing contests he and H used to have. Besides, DLS is such a talented actor, and he really brings something to the show I believe has been sorely missing this season.
 
I miss Stetler too. His relationship with Horatio brings out the best of the show, IMO -- they're both complicated characters, they've both got demons in their past, they each have a reason to resent the other, and the ever-changing dance around that thing is fascinating to watch.

Stetler resents that Horatio got the promotion he wanted, and believes Horatio got it because of office politics rather than merit. (And there might be some truth to that -- even though Horatio wouldn't have pulled strings, the higher-ups who owe him favors might have decided on their own to reward him.) Horatio resents Stetler's treatment of Yelina, and I suspect he resents that there was a relationship at all; he feels a taboo against getting romantically involved with his former sister-in-law, but there did seem to be a whiff of dog in the manger going on.

Maybe we should drop by the CBS message board and mention how much we miss the Horatio/Stetler interaction. I know they ignore campaigns, but they do pay attention to what fans say when they're just chatting with each other.
 
Hi Alamance and mirium. Those were excellent posts. :beer:
I still can't believe CBS/TPTB dropped the ball in such a major way by having Rick Stetler be absent this season. A part of me still hopes he'll show up in the season finale--that Horatio will turn a corner and Rick will be there, saying, "Horatio..." in that certain way he does.

As far as going over to that CBS message board, it seems to be a real haven for deeply disturbed "tweener tots." There are very few cool fans over there, and the board has some strange glitches. But...I might be convinced to post there, if you think it might really make a difference. The thing is, though, TPTB supposedly already lurk here on this forum. And it would make sense, too, because this forum has the best layout and the most fans of all the forums that I know of.
 
Thanks, HnStetlerfan. Good to see you here, Mirium.

In a way, if TPTB are going to have Miami evolve and change, much like Vegas has, I'd hope that The Rickster would eventually get that promotion to Lieutenant. What's it been now, about six or seven years? Maybe he should make another run for it. And if they really must write him out, I wish they'd at least transfer him to another department or something. It bothers me that he just sort of disappeared. I can think of at least three epis in S7 that he should have been in. I understand Eric is supposed to get into some legal trouble over his birth certificate. If that's the case, Rick should DEFINITELY be in this one, and in a major way.

but there did seem to be a whiff of dog in the manger going on.
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Never heard that one, Mirium! And I think I remember the epi you're talking about. Somebody actually put a bunch of H/Y/S scenes on YouTube. Let me know if you want to know what to search for.
 
Stetler making lieutenant, that would be a great episode! And they could explain his absence by saying he took leave time to study for the exam!

I'm sorry to be a wet blanket, but I had a PM convo with one of the moderators there two or three years ago (they do exist, although it took a productive rampage on my part to get one's attention) and he explained that no one reads most of the threads; CBS hires a company to run the board, and that company "mods" by (theoretically) responding to Violation Reports; there's also someone who compiles statistics on topics and gives those statistics to TPTB, but it's not a detailed report. If there's a sudden spike on one topic, TPTB might have someone check whether the sentiments are for or against; they might not. They're very unlikely to monitor the bajillion independent fan boards, simply as a return-on-cost problem.

They do, however, see the convos on the CBS forum as an unprompted reflection of what The Fans care about. I'm not saying they're right, but it's about the only way I know of to get CBS's attention short of a Jericho-magnitude campaign. So a good strategy would be to start a thread on Stetler and fill it with lots of short posts (to increase the total) by as many posters as possible. Posts by vigilantes count in the total, so let them squall! :lol: If CBS discovers it's a campaign, they'll discount it, so copy-and-pasting your comments from here to there would give them a nice natural-sounding expression of your passion. :bolian: I started a thread there http://www.cbs.com/forum/posts/list/0/39643.page#637855 to get the ball rolling, in case anyone cares to try my suggestion. :cool:
 
Thanks, Mirium. I'll have to do it this evening, as my time with the computer is limited in the mornings. Disregard my other pm.
 
And yet another cast list for a new episode has come out that David Lee Smith isn't going to be in even though the storyline screams out for Rick Stetler's presence. (See in Spoiler Thread) :rolleyes: :confused:

Rick making Lieutenant and/or something else happening that causes him to be put in charge of the lab seems like a popular idea with Rick Stetler fans. It's an exciting idea, and there would be lots of angst and tension as they all tried to get along somehow.

I'd like a story development that puts BOTH men in charge of the lab, something that will force them to work together. And if Rick is going to come back, I want him to be on the show more. I don't want him only to be brought back to be given the Cooper treatment. I'd rather have him not come back at all than for that to happen. So hopefully TPTB will come up with an excellent way to bring the character and actor back on the show that will give him more screentime and give us Stetler fans reason to smile.
 
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