Wow lots of new folks around. Welcome.
I agree in a way that he might think that as he's lost so much, he doesn't have that same self-worth he had in earlier seasons--perhaps because he thinks it's his fault or whatever goes on in the writers' minds. In all honesty, they're the ones (along with DC) who have recently fed us this information. Personally, I don't feel he's lost enough to just not care and go out like Miami's resident John Wayne.
The wife storyline was poorly laid out and I have a hard time believing he could just fall in love with someone (who just so happens to be dying anyway
) and then be so broken up about it two weeks into the relationship. In a sense with his brother, he'd already lost him prior to the show even beginning so we have an already established grief/loss. His 'second' death didn't seem to affect him at all thank God. That whole thing was a bit cheapened by 1) a different actor playing Ray and 2) the fact that he'd already 'died' once.
I think Speed's death, initally broke him apart from the team. For starters, we were introduced to both characters for two years and watched them grow and develop so it makes sense that this working relationship/friendship/mentorship or whatever you'd like to call it put Horatio in a bit of shock when it was so suddenly stripped from him. Moreso because not only did the audience feel Horatio's grief but we actually understood it. (At least I did) It could be seen why Horatio might have thought it was his fault or why he seemed traumatized and plagued by it. He was actually there when it happened and it was very quick without much time to process. It was the one time that he seemed utterly helpless as the man devoted to protecting his team. He was visibly torn and it was nice to see some vulnerability. It all started to snowball from there--because I'm not in any way saying that 'only Speed's death caused him to do A and B which led to action C'.
The fact that he's being showcased as invincible, almost god-like and very removed by placing himself on a plateau, makes him seem more like a male version of a 'Mary Sue' and not a character with depth that elicits powerful reactions in the fans. (aside from slight annoyance)
I really believe we're being given what the writers want us to see and we're rarely able to interpret the character. There's no discovery, no hunger for information, just the direct explanation that "I've lost everything." Which by the way, is supposed to account for his out-of-character actions.
It's made me not care for the character at all because there's nothing left for me to be interested in. I haven't seen anything new, just a bunch of his bitching about how he's lost everyone he's loved. Well, no, he hasn't. Clearly he still has Yelina, Ray Jr, Suzie, Madison, Eric, Calleigh, Ryan, Alexx, Natalia, Kyle etc whether it be love or friendship or just a common bond. I don't know why the writers want to place him on a platter of dark, solemn, and 'self-removing' - if you will -tendancies. Give the poor guy some prozac and stop treating him like everyone's worst Fan Fiction nightmare.
Don't get me wrong, I love the character to tears but it gets me a little miffed when each week he's turning into a emo 17 year old with 'problems, man. Like, no one understands me.' I've invested a lot of time into the show, I expect some sort of consistancy with characterization.
^^ I too, miss the fun he used to have with his team, however little the moment may have been. We know he has a sense of humour, cares about his team and ultimately strives for justice. For some reason the balance tipped after season three and I started seeing a rift between a man who clearly wasn't perfect but was essentially level-headed and more of a human being to someone whom has evolved so much for all the wrong reasons into an unrecognizable shadow of his former self.
Bleh, people I've spoken to who've seen the show for about ten minutes give or take a commercial break, believe he's just a farce. I would have adamantly disagreed three years ago but it's a little sad to think that the only reason he's become such an iconic character in television is because of his shades and one-liners.
But on a happier note, I was watching 'Witness to Murder' on A&E today and I remembered how my grandfather (he's almost 80) had been watching that episode when it aired and he really got into the show because of the way Horatio handled the case. His "At the end of the day, he just put you away for life" was repeated during dinner and it made me smile. :lol: He seemed so impressed by Horatio.
Picture time! Because I feel bad about having everyone sift through my long-winded opinionated post.