Count me as another one who misses Danny's clashes with Mac, and the depth both Carmine and Gary brought to those scenes.
I got this from another thread, and thought this part would be interesting discussion for here:
Also, as mentioned elsewhere on the board, and as you've mentioned very eloquently, Danny has a truckload of issues, as well.
He reads very well for Dependent Personality Disorder. He's always with/ trying to seek approval from the ones who treat him worst, with the exception of Flack, who in "All in the Family" had to really get on his case and get borderline nasty with him, then Mac in Season 1. He can't stand disapproval, whether it's from males or females. He has trust issues, and uses his sexuality in an unhealthy manner.
What do you guys think? Are Danny's trust issues normal for someone who has the background he does (what we know of it at least)? Do you think he uses sex in an unhealthy way?
I think he has abnormal trust issues. Here are the traits of Dependent Personality Disorder which can be found at the Mayo Clinic's website. They wouldn't C/P nicely like the NPD ones I put in the Lindsay thread.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/personality-disorders/DS00562/DSECTION=symptoms
Excessive Dependence on others to meet your Physical and Emotional Needs
It's been said that Danny is the show's "Damsel in Distress." How many times has he needed to be rescued to save him from something, oftentimes his own self?
"Trapped" where he gets caught in the Panic Room.
"OTJ" where he defies Mac, mostly because he feels that Mac doesn't have his back.
All the times he's called on Flack to come an help him, or that he's had to...."All in the Family" comes to mind most clearly. Although the bar scene in "...Comes Around" is a close second. Then there's "Snow Day."
Tolerance of poor, even abusive treatment to stay in relationships
Lindsay and all the things that have gone on between the two of them. The Monologue of Doom, Tolerating her standing him up, Going to Montana for her, then when she says he's hard to love, he's wanting her to come over so they can talk.
Then, there's the fact that Flack really had to jump on his back in "All in The Family" to get him to see reason. My feeling is that if Flack hadn't gotten borderline nasty with him about bringing Rikki in, I'm not sure he would have done it.
What seems to be his continuing hero worship of his brother Louie, even after the events that were portrayed 15 years prior in RSRD seem to bear this out as well.
Unwillingness to independently voice opinions, make decisions, or initiate activities.
Not so sure on this one. Sexually, the stuff with Lindsay in "Snow Day," the scene with Rikki in "RND" seem to bear this out.
Otherwise, especially with Mac in OTJ, and Flack in "All in the Family" he comes across as a bit defiant.
He definitely doesn't seem to want to disappoint anyone. Not Mac, not Lindsay, not Rikki, not Louie. It seems that Disapointment=Abandonment.
Intense fear of being alone
I definitely see a fear of being alone and abandonment. Notice that after Lindsay's Monologue of Doom, and her saying she had to get over him, he started being more receptive to her, and over the next two episodes tried like mad to talk with her about what was going on, culminating in the scene on the phone where he sounded like a drunken werewolf. (kudos to whoever I clipped that from, BTW, it's appropriate)
Also, not wanting to disappoint. He can't bear to be a disappointment/have disapproval/not be okay with others, A la Mac in "What You See is What You See." When Mac said "We'll see" when Danny asked if they were okay, I thought Danny was gonna cry. See Disappointment=Abandonment above.
Urgent need to start a new relationship when one has ended
I know this was discussed in another thread, but the scenes at the end of "Personal Foul" I believe, with the drunken phone call, and where Rikki told him she was moving, it seems like they were switched. It almost felt like Rikki said she was moving, and he called Lindsay. Didn't someone in that thread point out that there was an object that looked like it was blurred out, that could have been the sugar Rikki brought over?
It almost seems like because Rikki let him go/left him, he wanted Lindsay.
Also, Aiden (RIP) was the one he had the tightest bond with in Season 1. They flirted, they joked, they were pretty much best of friends. Then, when Lindsay came in, Danny started flirting with her/joking with her and calling her Montana. Seems like she was a replacement for Aiden in more ways than one. (Though Aiden had the sense to draw the line with Danny, and say she was out of his league)
Also, it was mentioned in the "Is Danny a Slut" thread that Danny can't stand disapproval, which I've noted here.
If sex or his sexuality is something he can use to gain approval, Danny will. The bet in "Snow Day" Rikki in "Right Next Door." He even said to Rikki that what they were doing may not be right, and certainly wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but they were comforting each other. I think that if Rikki had been up for another romp in "PF," Danny would have gone for it.
I won't say that he definitely does or doesn't, because even trained professionals who know the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
http://dsm4tr.org) back and forth can misdiagnose, a social work grad student with experience in the mental health field and geriatrics can certainly do so too.
I will say he does have issues with trust and abandonment, stemming from his upbringing. I think the incident with Louie really scarred him deeply. I don't think they're quite normal. I know
Top41 has said she feels he's one of the most damaged men on television. I'd tend to agree. He is damaged, and has a truckload of issues.
Happy discussion!
