Stella/Melina #7 'Cause everything sounds better in Greek

Choose New Stellarina Thread!

  • Stella/Melina #7: 'Cause even Athene and Aphrodite worship her.

    Votes: 2 6.1%
  • Stella/Melina #7: The perfect combination of brains, looks, and personality.

    Votes: 2 6.1%
  • Stella/Melina #7: a goddess came down to earth !

    Votes: 8 24.2%
  • Stella/Melina #7:Athene in her mortal form.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stella/Melina #7: Zeus' gift to Hollywood.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stella/Melina#7 'Cause she is the angel that enlighten our hearts

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stella/Melina #7 'Cause everything sounds better in Greek

    Votes: 11 33.3%
  • Stella/Melina #7: Because she´s the Greek Goddess of Crimonology

    Votes: 1 3.0%
  • Stella/Melina #7Because she´s the heart and soul of the CSI-team

    Votes: 2 6.1%
  • Stella/Melina#7 Because Lady Liberty speaks in Greek!

    Votes: 6 18.2%
  • Stella/Melina#7 Because she is the light and soul of NY Lab

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stella/kelina#7 Because we all love Rambo Stella

    Votes: 1 3.0%

  • Total voters
    33
  • Poll closed .
I write the interview if someone want to translate it.

Un restaurant, à mercredi matin, dans la banlieue de Los Angeles à Shermann Oaks. En exclusivité mondiale depuis son départ Mélina Kanakaredes nous révèle pourquoi elle a quitté la série qui l’a rendu célèbre.

À la surprise générale vous quittez les experts Manhattan que s’est-il donc passé?

Mélina : six ans s’est déjà une belle aventure la façon dont tout cela s’est déroulée m’a également déboussolé ce fut un choix difficile que j’ai fait un peu rapidement, vu la façon dont les événements se sont déroulées. En fête, je pensais plutôt prendre cette décision à la fin de la septième saison. Et puis, j’ai voulu passer à autre chose. J’avais de nouvelles envies. Mais je garde le souvenir de six années formidables avec une équipe d’exception.


Qu’en avez-vous songé, pour la première fois à quitter la série ?

Mélina : dès la fin de la cinquième saison.
Mais finalement tout s’est précipité, il y a trois semaines juste avant le début du tournage de la septième saison.

Jusqu’à quant courait de votre contrat ?

Mélina : fin de la septième saison.

Étiez-vous en droit de l’écourter ?

Mélina : Disons que l’on est venu me demander de revoir certaines clauses de mon contrat ; c’est à ce moment-là que j’ai décidé de passer à autre chose.

Les producteurs souhaitaient revoir votre salaire à la baisse ?

Mélina : oui ! Je n’étais pas prêt à faire cette concession, dont j’ai dû faire un choix. Ils ont ensuite changer leur fusil d’épaule et le salaire n’était plus un problème. Mais moi, je m’étais résolue à partir et je n’avais plus envie de revenir là-dessus.

Ont-ils alors essayez de vous gardez à tout prix ?

Mélina : oui mon contrat revenait finalement à son état initial. Mais je me suis posé cette question : est-ce qu’une histoire d’argent doit m’empêcher de faire ce dont j’ai vraiment envie ? Mon envie, c’est d’écouter mon cœur. Ma réflexion a continué durant toutes ces années avait-je réussis à construire un personnage en donnant le meilleur de moi-même artistiquement ?
A faire de Stella une héroïne qui force l’admiration ? Oui, mais en tant qu’actrice j’avais aussi le sentiment d’avoir tout donné. Je ne souhaitais pas continuer juste pour l’argent. On m’a offert l’opportunité de partir, je l’ai saisie. On ne m’a pas demandé de partir, Disons plutôt, que la production a essayé de m’imposer des choix un peu étrange.


Ses choix concernaient-ils votre personnage également ?

Mélina : lorsque je suis revenu pour la sixième session Stella n’était plus entourée de ses subordonnés. – je trouvais cette situation difficile dans la mesure où cela ne l’aurait certainement pas accepté. En même temps, je comprends la direction que souhaitait prendre les scénaristes à la fin de la cinquième saison. Tout le monde s’était fait tirer dessus à la suite de cet événement, le parcours de tous les protagonistes avait pris une direction un peu dingue. Mais cela s’est arrangé au fur et à mesure des épisodes.

Sincèrement, je ne reviendrai vous pas pour apporter une fin cohérent au parcours de Stella, le temps d’un ou deux épisodes ?


Mélina : Pour l’instant, rien ne va dans ce sens, mais sait-on jamais… j’ignore comment les scénaristes expliqueront son départ. J’espère simplement que cela sera fait avec goût.

Vous avez donc tournée votre dernier épisode au printemps sans savoir que c’était terminé. En gardez-vous un souvenir particulier ?

Mélina : non. En revanche, deux épisodes avant le tout dernier Stella vit pas mal d’aventures. Ce sont des épisodes très physiques et émouvants, puisqu’ils marquent le départ de marine. En plaisantant ailleurs, j’ai d’ailleurs dit à Pam veasey la productrice de la série : « tu m’en veux ! » d’abord, je me fais lyncher par des sales types, ensuite, je me retrouve dans un accident de voiture, fracassée. Mais cela reste un excellent souvenir tant son action était à son apogée et cela a permis de montrer de nouvelles facettes de la personnalité de Stella.

Aujourd’hui quels sont vos projets ?

Medina : je viens d’acheter les droits de la biographie d’Elisabeth kubler Ross, une psychiatre qui a créé les premiers hospices aux-Etats-Unis avec trois autres médecins. C’était une femme, au destin passionnant. Je rédige un scénario de son histoire. Je vis également de nombreux scripts qui m’ont été envoyés depuis l’annonce de mon départ.

Comment réagissent vos filles, Zoé 10 ans et Karina 7 ans ?

C’est un point que je souhaite clarifier : je n’ai pas quitté la série pour m’occuper de mes enfants.. J’ai accepté par de jouer dans cette série parce que je savais que je pourrais passer du temps avec mes filles, tout en faisant le métier qui me passionne. Être maire est le cadeau le plus beau que j’ai pu recevoir, mais j’ai aussi besoin de travailler d’ailleurs je fais comprendre à mes filles que les deux sont compatibles. Maintenant, on espère qu’une chose : pouvoir suivre le prochain feuilleton auquel je participerai car elle n’avait pas le droit de suivre les experts Manhattan.

Pour conclure, dans quel état d’esprit vous sentez-vous ?

Mélina : je suis ravi à l’idée d’entreprendre quelque chose d’autre. C’est un nouveau départ je suis en accord avec moi-même c’est le plus important.


Entretien : Franck Ragaine à Los Angeles.

Thanks! Here's a translation I did using a free online translator. I haven't even read it yet so hopefully it makes sense! ;)

A restaurant, in Wednesday morning, in the suburbs of Los angeles in Shermann Oaks. Exclusively worldwide since his departure Mélina Kanakaredes reveals us why she left the series which made it famous.

At general surprise you leave the experts Manhattan what therefore happened?
Mélina: six years a nice adventure already belongs the manner all that took place also confused me it was a difficult choice which I made a bit fast, saw the manner events takes place. In holiday, I rather thought make this decision at the end of the seventh season. And then, I wanted to pass to something else. I had new desires. But I keep the memory of six great years with a team of exception.

What did you think, for the first time to leave series?
Mélina: from the end of the fifth season.
But finally everything rushed, three weeks ago just before the beginning of the filming of the seventh season.

Until quant runs of your contract?
Mélina: at the end of the seventh season.
Were you entitled to bobtail it?

Mélina: Let us say that they came to ask me to see again certain clauses of my contract; it is at this instant on that I decided to pass to something else.

The producers liked to see again your wage in fall?
Mélina: yes! I was not ready to make this concession, a choice of which I must have made. They have then change their gun of shoulder and the wage was not any more a problem. But I, I had resolved to leave and I did not any more want to come back thereupon.

Have they then try of you keep at all costs?
Mélina: yes my contract returned to its initial state finally. But I settled this question: must a history of silver prevent me from making what I really feel like? My desire, it is to listen to my heart. My cogitation went on during all these years me has achieved to construct a figure by giving the best of myself artistically? To make of Srella a heroine who forces admiration? Yes, but as actress I also had feeling to have given everything. I did not like to go on only for silver. They gave me opportunity to leave, I grabbed it. They did not ask me to leave, Let us say rather, that production tried to impose me of choices a bit strange.

Did his choices concern your figure also?
Mélina: when I came back for the sixth session Srella was not any more encircled with her subordinates. – I found this difficult situation as much as it would not certainly have accepted it. At the same time, I understand direction that likes to take the scriptwriters at the end of the fifth season. Everybody had made pull following this event over, the course of all protagonists had taken a bit crazy direction. But it arranged according to episodes.

Sincerely, I shall come back to you not to bring the end consistent in Srella's course, time of one or two episodes?
Mélina: At the moment, nothing goes to this sense, but as it is never known I ignore how the scriptwriters will explain his departure. I hope simply that it will be made with relish.

You therefore turned your last episode in spring without knowing that it was ended. Do you keep a particular memory?
Mélina: no. On the other hand, two episodes before very last Srella saw quite a lot of adventures. These are very physical and emotional episodes, since they mark the departure of navy. By joking elsewhere, I besides said to Pam veasey the producer of series: « you want me! » first, I make lynch by nasty types, then, I meet in a car accident, smashed. But it remains a very good memory so much her action was in its peak and it allowed to show new facets of the personality of Srella.

Today what are your plans?
Medina: I have just bought the rights of the biography of Elizabeth kubler Ross, one psychiatrist who created the first almshouses In - the United States with three other doctors. It was a woman, in exciting destiny. I write a scenario of its history. I also saw numerous scripts which were sent to me since the announcement of my departure.

How react your daughters, Zoé 10 years and Karina 7 years?
It is a point which I like to clarify: I did not leave series to be in charge of my children.. I agreed by to play in this series because I knew that I could spend of time with my daughters, while making the job which enthralls me. To be mayor is the nicest present which I could accept, but I also need to work besides I make understand to my daughters that two are compatible. Now, they hope that a thing: be able to follow the next serial in which I shall participate because it did not have the right to follow the experts Manhattan.

To conclude, in what frame of mind do you feel?
Mélina: I am enraptured at the idea of undertaking something else. It is a new departure I am in keeping with myself it is the most important.

It sounds to me like CBS did everything they could monetary wise to keep Melina and that she's been thinking about leaving for a while and took this opportunity to do it. I wouldn't go so far as to say she was jumping off a sinking ship, but she definitely wanted out. This just makes me all the more unhappy that she's not allowing for a satisfying departure for the character.
 
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I am sick of businesses using this recession as an excuse to cut and bend good employees. It has happened where I work as well and then I see finances used for less prevalent things in my place of business and AHEM... Charlie Sheen! Is this not the second time Melina has been asked to forego a pay raise? And as far as her character is concerned they have screwed with Stella this season. you are totally right Axatullux they have dismanteled her. They have written Adam poorly, left out Sid, screwed with Flacks big storyline killed off Angel gave Mac Hawkes "love interest" story and what are we left with? Well the finale of course, our lovely Messer family whom they have been shoving down our throats since Anna got pregnant:scream: They have ruined Danny, and Lindsey? well lets just say I use to like I truely did but when something is "forced" on me it gets rejected REALLY fast. I'm sad and disgusted and I hope I dont get in trouble again but the timing of all of this just seems so wrong and has left a bitter taste in my mouth.So many posters have written so eloquently on this subject it is such a shame that a show that consumed my very heart with joy has now become the wormwood of my life.:( Forgive me TOP I could not help myself My fingers just started flying and would not stop if I have offended anyone I am truely sorry.
 
My God. I sure as hell do not blame Melina one bit, now that some light has been shed. I was really pissed off at how they dismantled Stella during the sixth season and now there's little to no reason to be in front of the TV this fall now except for Desperate Housewives and NFL Football. :(

It's gonna be a long and cold fall and winter now for me. :(

This is the first time I literally have watched a TV Show literally self-destruct right before my eyes and man, it is like vomiting up something that I previously liked to consume.

The TV is going to be collecting a lot more dust than it did last year, that's for sure. :(
 
To be honest I tried to read the badly translated interview and I really didn't understand exactly what she was trying to say.

It would be nice though if she stated what they had done to her character that she disliked. About all I got was
At the same time, I understand direction that likes to take the scriptwriters at the end of the fifth season. Everybody had made pull following this event over, the course of all protagonists had taken a bit crazy direction.
sounds to me like the sleeping with Adam thing.
 
To be honest I tried to read the badly translated interview and I really didn't understand exactly what she was trying to say.

It would be nice though if she stated what they had done to her character that she disliked. About all I got was
At the same time, I understand direction that likes to take the scriptwriters at the end of the fifth season. Everybody had made pull following this event over, the course of all protagonists had taken a bit crazy direction.
sounds to me like the sleeping with Adam thing.

Yes i understand this for my part (she seems to speak about this relationship)

It seems like I wasn't the only one. When it became clear that Stella/Adam storyline will not be addressed anymore, I had an impression that it's because Melina didn't like it. They dropped the storyline and she still has a bad feeling about it? I don't know.. didn't she get storylines focused only on her in season 6? Stella was brave and heroic and had more responsibilities than anyone except Mac. I think she has no reason to be piqued about the direction that tptb wanted to go with Stella. :confused: but who knows?
 
Thanks for the interview and translation. It does shed some light on the contract issues and reasons MK left but also raises some questions about what really was going on behind the scenes during season six and the subsequent hiatus.

It sounds like MK’s contract was originally set to go through season 7 but the producers wanted to renegotiate certain parts, which opened the door for MK to say yes or no to continuing on the series. I’m still not clear on the timeline but seems like by the time they finally decided to go back to the original contract terms, MK had already decided to move on. And seemingly some part (maybe a significant part) of her decision was based on questions and/or concerns about the direction and approach the producers/writers had taken with Stella after season five. Reading between the lines, perhaps she wanted Stella to be a heroic, admired figure but didn’t feel like the material was accomplishing that.

And yes, although the translation is a bit murky in this part of the interview, I suspect she is referring at least in part to the Adam/Stella liaison. It also seems like she might be alluding to the way Stella behaved towards her colleagues. Even though Stella had previously held a nurturing, caring role on the team, she seemed curiously removed from what was going on with Flack, Danny, and perhaps even Mac to some degree.

They did drop the Adam/Stella stuff pretty quickly, but IIRC, prior to that, PV had been hinting about a storyline involving Stella living life to the fullest, taking more risks, etc. So I had the impression they originally had intended to do more with the Adam/Stella storyline or perhaps some other questionable behavior on Stella’s part but ended up dropping that angle for various reasons. And once they dropped it, seems like they didn’t quite know what to do with Stella.

Personally, I don’t think MK/Stella had much meaningful material in season six. She really didn’t stand out much in the episode Battle Scars, which, from what I remember, originally was supposed to be an Stella-centric episode. And IIRC, the role they gave her in Criminal Justice originally was supposed to go to Mac (based on early spoilers). She did get a chance to shine in the Marino Garito episode, and she had some nice scenes in Death Houses and Second Chances, but I can’t recall much more (where she had a prominent, critical role) off the top of my head. It did seem they were trying to play up Stella’s supervisory role more, but that felt more adhoc to me (as opposed to being a deliberate development arc) and just seemed to result in more scenes where she just walked around asking other team members for results. In any case, I can see why MK might’ve been concerned about the future direction of Stella.

All water under the bridge now, though. From the article, it’s still not really clear to me why the two parties couldn’t figure out how to do one or two episodes (with MK involved) to provide some closure for Stella. Don’t know if MK didn’t want to participate or if the producers thought it best to move on as quickly as possible with the new character. If I am interpreting the article (and translation) correctly, the interviewer asked MK about this issue, and she responded that there was nothing happening along those lines, but who knows? So on the bright side, perhaps that is an indication that MK might not be totally closed off to coming back at some future point to give Stella more meaningful closure.

All things considered, I think they made the right choice in
simply giving Stella a new role and moving her to another city while still keeping her in the CSI universe.
It gives them some flexibility to use the character again in some capacity (assuming MK is open to the idea) on NY or even one of the other CSI’s.

For my part, I certainly will miss Stella as a key part of NY and hope to see her again at some point in the CSI universe.
 
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She lost her writing skills or her mind or whatever it was that once made her write good stuff ;).

I guess it would be just her fresh point of view on things ;) I think it's bound to happen when you work with something for so long and don't "get out". You get a sort of tunnel vision.
I guess, another problem was the way characters were heading... or they made them head. As it didn't make sense. Whoever knows why's that...

Yes, the plan was always for MK to write this one episode to solve the whole case. So I agree, either they should have given her a second episode or should have helped her to cut it that way that it would fit into one episode, after all they are (allegedly) the professional writers which she isn´t.

Question is, how professional they are. I mean, you can learn the profession of script writing - who of those who write the show did and who just did learning by doing?
Since very simple concepts of writing weren't followed it makes me wonder... however, that could also be because it wasn't a major budget production. After all, it always comes back to money.

I don´t mean PV has to fire herself necessarily :D, but just to take a step back and let others do the writing for her, at least for a while. But you´re right, she´s probably not critical and doesn´t consider her stuff as bad, or at least would never admit it.

Well, she's still among the producers, she's listed as executive, as far as I know.

I agree, these jobs should be separated, the producers should take care of the maintenance of the show, and writers should write the storylines.

I guess another problem is that everyone wants a piece of the cake and everyone wants to have a say in everything. People have problem with authority, everyone wants to have the last word, wants their idea to be done etc, etc. It's sort of like a government... and the actors are paying the price.

Yeah, why should she get less than GS, she did the same work, the same job, had the same amount of studio time in most of the episodes. But this problem of worse payment for women exists still in most other professions, too.

Exactly what I thought. Unless it has to do with GS having done the better job prior to CSI NY. That does factor into it as far as I know. But still, you don't really approach someone after all those years and ask for taking back on salary because after all those years and with the popularity, the actor is "worth" even more. It's absolutely insane.

And I agree, a person like him, who in private really seems to be a complete a...., shouldn´t earn that much money and shouldn´t even be in the show anymore. After all it´s a family show, watched by many children, too, and I feel with his drug, alcohol and violence problems he´s not the right cast for the show.

It's setting the wrong example. Certainly, it gets CBS attention and surely good ratings because people want to see "the guy who was arrested".
So, again, it comes back to money but what is everyone supposed to think? That it's cool to get arrested because afterwards you earn millions?
No one will ever admit if that were the case, however, they asked Helgenberger for a pay cut, they asked MK... according to Helgenberger they already got a cut last year (though I suppose that only concerned the Vegas cast) though why again? There can be only one reason. They need money elsewhere for other productions. Simplest rule though: If you don't have the money you can't produce. (otherwise I'd already have started on my own dance show :p)

If CBS concentrate their power and finances on a single, not even super talented guy like Sheen and let other shows fall behind for him, including some of their finest actors, then yes, let there be justice and NY drown finally after S7 ;).

11 seasons for the original is a long time... I think some things get old and while L&O is still running, they do get old too. Things get repetetive, so maybe they should concentrate on new stuff and just drop the CSI series altogether.

Maybe the offers already came flying in when she still was with CSI NY, so fingers crossed that we´ll soon hear some good news ;).
Yes, maybe she´s just gathering new strengths and sorting out which offer to accept and which direction to take.

Well, whatever "numereaux" was translated from. "Several" would be my pick, however, it could still be "a few". I doubt it was "a couple".
But according to that interview she seems to have some offers and I doubt she'd just say so.

Well, I think MK is as honest a person as Helgenberger is, so I suppose if she had stayed for the money she would have admitted it, too.
But usually I´d say she wouldn´t stay, even if she´d really need the money, but what do I know? I don´t know her in person and there could always come circumstances that are unpredictable, like Helgenberger had to find out.

We got the answer to that question.

Yes, I could imagine that MK wasn´t overwhelmed when she read the script for RIP MG, why can´t they let Stella solve a case without putting her in peril? "Criminal Justice" was the exception to that rule and Stella was great in it, even without having to fight for her life ;).

I think that's a general problem, they put the characters in categories and let them there. So Mac always gets the self-righteous things, Stella the empathical ones, Danny the ones which are a little shady and Hawkes always gets set up :p
That's what makes it so one-dimensional, they're not exploring other sides of the characters enough. The private stuff they're throwing in doesn't help either, somehow.
But I feel that in a way MK managed to make Stella versatile nevertheless. Don't know why it didn't happen as much with the other characters.
Maybe MK gets involved differently with her character. She's a woman after all and I think she'd have a very different connection to her character than GS because of their personality.

True, they let her write GfD and that was it, nothing was ever mentioned again, not one word about how finding out about her mother changed her emotionally in the due course of time, let alone that the close bond between Mac and Stella wasn´t continued consequently. Maybe MK felt disappointed and not well appreciated and it added to her decision to leave.

I wouldn't be surprised... I would.
But there were so many things which they didn't follow in S6 or just followed on a side line... It's weird, if you think about it. It's almost like it was a different show, all of a sudden, as if they had a new set of writers.

Yes, in a way CG more or less deliberately revealed the truth.
Well, he had to say it´s smooth because of political correctness, I assume. If he had said it´s a brutal transition he might have gotten into trouble :D.

I'm tired of political correctness and certainly not a fan of it.
Besides we're all not stupid and can do the math, right? So could they please stop?
I mean, look where political correctness got HH. MK stated explicedly that it's got nothing to do with her daughters... Makes HH look not too good. Poor guy.

I remember that interview well and thought of it instantly when I read the news that she left. Though I´d still presume that she wouldn´t do a last minute exit, only if things really went totally wrong, which they obviously did.

Very obviously. How CBS can open the door for something like that I won't understand. They should know what she's like and that she could make decisions like that rather quickly. So they knew what they could lose, didn't they? Did they really think CSI NY was so great that she would stay?
Though the question no one's asking - and which I think is solving the bigger question - is: why did she not come back for at least one or two episodes? (and what are the odd choices she's talking about?)
I was amazed how much she was saying without saying anything. It's a lot of what we said before anyway and I also wondered why she brought the PV thing up again. That was a little weird. In any case, the network clearly screwed up.

NY was always tailing the others with everything, I think. I don´t know how they would cut the shows, just finish them when nothing works anymore :D.

Yes, well, I would have liked for them to drop it after season 7 anyway because it's always better to get out on a high (well... things are relative, aren't they? ;)) than to let it fade out and know one remembers. But I think that too is a general problem that people hardly ever find the right point to stop.
I think CSI Vegas should have stopped some time ago, for example.

If they didn´t think it was such a good news, then they won´t admit it.

Maybe they should keep quiet though. I mean, they should know fans are upset and that giving the impression that MK isn't missed wouldn't go over well. Shouldn't they?

I found it rather tasteless and also disrespectful to present SW the day after they announced MK´s departure; it felt as if it didn´t really matter to them that Melina was gone, it was just like "Well, the show must go on, so what".

Sure it must and I don't expect any of the actors or whoever to mourn. BUT it's not about them in that case, it's about the fans. We make or break them because we provide the ratings or we don't.
Another general phenomen, it often gets forgotten when big money gets involved and CSI NY seemed to have forgotten it especially during the last season. Not the actors but the writers did many unpopular choices - killing Angell, Stella and Adam, Mac and Aubrey and Peyton...
This was just another unpopular choice though I guess it was a no-win situation for them. People would have been upset and the replacement of SW might have drowned a little had they announced it later. The way they did it now people are upset because MK isn't respected.
In a way though it's also as if they don't acknowledge MK's achievement and/or her talent.
Like CG said in his interview, one out, one in. As if it doesn't matter who's filling that vacant spot. So by saying so, they're saying that it's an unimportant position which is so not true. It's, for the majority, one of the key positions.

Well, they didn´t sound too upset IMO, it was more like phrases and giving the asking fans something to calm, which of course didn´t work.

Not quite ;)

Unfortunately they squeezed Melina in particular :D.

That's because she's so slim. She squeezes easily :D

We as wise fans on the other hand saw exactly what went wrong and therefore were the ones who learnt for them, but of course, they´d never listen to our advice, would they ;)?

That question was answered a long time ago, wasn't it? ;)
But somehow that's often the case that those with an outside point of view see what's wrong or part of it but the ones on the inside are just too blind to see or don't want to see it or whatever. Ever since I realized I have been trying to figure out why.

She was just allowed to serve him food and drink at his apartment when he was on sick leave :D, something daft like that, but everything else that had made this such a special friendship was being shut off. I don´t know, maybe they wanted to put the focus off from the Mac/Stella- chemistry, for whatever reason, but whatever it was, it was the worst idea ever.

I have a theory for that. Yeah, I spent too much time analysing. But to me it always felt like they were scared of their own actions. That once they realized they had taken a step too far they took two steps backwards. So, they had GFD, they had Death House and they had Second Chances and it seemed to me like they freaked and they needed desperately to get away from the Mac-Stella thing again. So they brought in Aubrey and that triangle to sort of show that Mac and Stella are just friends. That it didn't make sense didn't really matter.
That's the impression I got because it often happened. It was like we were thrown bait and then it was a century backwards.
Also, as I said before, they needed to build up to that triangle and Stella wouldn't have fit in there, so she needed to drop out of the picture.
That triangle was probably one of the most stupid things they ever came up with.

Yes, they will say as excuse that it´s a show about those who are still in it and not about the has-beens, but that would be poor. I mean it isn´t ask too much if they show from time to time scenes where Mac or Adam call Stella and have a few words with her, but I fear it is actually asked too much.

If they're smart they'd do it... Not saying anything more ;)

They meant him to be the perfect man in whatever he does and whatever he decides and that´s dull, because I don´t want a superman, but just someone who is human and fails sometimes like everybody.

Yeah, my friend and I called him SuperMac ;) It reached the point of being ridiculous and being not credible anymore. Unfortunately.

it was like a fun episode and then Mac spoilt the ending with being the way he is and treat Stella like a silly girl that he lets talk and talk, but doesn´t really listen.

Let's be fair - it wasn't Mac's fault, really... but yeah... it was just one of those things that somehow wasn't happening before...

To be honest, can´t really remember this one with Stella at the college, but funny enough it´s the one to be re-run tomorrow, so I will watch it again to see the mess ;).

How convinient ;)

OK, she was in command of the others, but it felt as if she was also more under Mac´s command again. Dunno how to explain it properly, but sometimes I really felt strongly reminded of S1.

Well, she always was under Mac's command ;) I think it felt more like he relied more on Stella to lead the others. So it was like everyone was reporting to her and she was reporting to him, almost.
Yes, I noticed that lack of presence and wondered about that. But then when she present she was still more present than she had been in season 1 even though she didn't have a lot to do. But she had a different aura and was seen with and acted with differently than before.

RIP MG was just not a surprising or thrilling story, they could have done it so much better, but I guess they didn´t really care; Stella had to have "her" episode as with every season, so they scrabbled something together that wasn´t very imaginative.

The problem was, in a way, RIP MG wasn't really new. It's been done before. But then a lot had been done before. The triangle hadn't but it wasn't really what that show needed or needs.
Back to the basics, I think that would be good for now.

Maybe he doesn´t want to and I agree with GS loving the military stuff and Mac is the same, so maybe there´s a lot of Gary in Mac, like there was a lot of Melina in Stella, but while latter was great and exciting, former is just terribly boring.

That's not nice :p
But I know what you mean.

So maybe he just doesn´t want to do much, so that leaves Mac as a bland, predictable character and it seems like they don´t mind much as he´s the boss and just has to command his team and be heroic.

As I said, they're both different characters and I think MK is a lot more passionate in general.
If you think about it, that someone like GS became an actor doesn't even really fit him. If you look at his background and all. It is a strange sort of thing. I think if I met him without knowing who he was I'd never assume he was an actor.
But I guess he's got different goals as to where he wants to take a character.
I do have my opinions about them but won't say here because that goes too far into speculation and all.

Absolutely; Melina did her job so great that she gave us the illusion Stella is real, and that shows what a brilliant actress she is. Chapeau, Melina!

Agreed!!

Well, Lori has answered that one ;).

Yes, so a quick thanks to her ;)

Stella was closer to everyone else than Mac was, except Lindsay, these two never got warm with each other.

Yes, but that, too, was a writing mistake because it was set up in season 3 when Lindsay said she could need a friend and Stella offered friendship. Then AB got pregnant and Lindsay went to Montana and afterwards it was all but forgotten. But Stella was still closer to Lindsay than Mac and I sort of always thought that off-screen they had gotten closer. Not that close but well, the professional friend sort of thing close, so I still didn't know why Mac was asked to be Godfather.
I mean I know why but thinking it were reality I don't :p

Sometimes I really think they didn´t realize what a great team of marvellous characters they had created when they hardly gave them space, but it was in the end always centered around Mac.

My words. So much potential... and so much of it wasted.
NY had the best developed characters, characters with such great personalities... they'd be perfect for books.

That´s the point, they would have done it in their usual rushing way like they do with most storylines. After two episodes they would have stopped searching for Stella and declared her missing for good :lol:.

Well, yes, I wasn't talking about that when I talked about that she could go missing. I was actually thinking how I would do it ;)

Oh, how could I forget evil Katrina, ah, she´s still free and storming around somewhere, but our heroine Stella will finally find her and blow her out :D

We're so mean :p

Good point. It´s like they think New Orleans is so deteriorated and broken from what´s happened that they can use it for their silly plans to write out Stella as the heroine to save the city.

Well, it is. Certainly. I'm considering the US my second home and I love New Orleans, so I know quite some bits of what's being going on after Katrina but that would be too political for here and now.
However, the problems are much much deeper than anything that would justify Stella wanting to transfer there because she thinks she can help and the people need her. They have so many other worries than the head of the crime lab.
New Orleans doesn't need a different head of the crime lab to solve their problems, they need something much more powerful and important than that. The crime lab is so insignificant in what's going on... Stella will probably be busy solving more murders in the French Quarter because some drunken guys bashed each other's skulls than anything else :p
 
To be honest I tried to read the badly translated interview and I really didn't understand exactly what she was trying to say.

It would be nice though if she stated what they had done to her character that she disliked. About all I got was
At the same time, I understand direction that likes to take the scriptwriters at the end of the fifth season. Everybody had made pull following this event over, the course of all protagonists had taken a bit crazy direction.
sounds to me like the sleeping with Adam thing.

I'm sorry for the double post but I didn't have any characters left in the other.

This passage is actually talking about the shooting, that everyone had been shot at at the end of season 5 and it was making the characters take a direction that was a little crazy. And she means crazy in a way of... not good. "Dingue" also translates with "nuts".
She was talking about all of the characters, not just her and Adam.
Some of the parts of the interview don't make much more sense without an online translation. ;) As I said, she says a lot without saying much. Everything's rather vague.
The online translation is largely the same with what I came up with. Of course, she didn't ask Pam Veasey if she wanted her... :p
 
I guess it would be just her fresh point of view on things ;) I think it's bound to happen when you work with something for so long and don't "get out". You get a sort of tunnel vision.
I guess, another problem was the way characters were heading... or they made them head. As it didn't make sense. Whoever knows why's that...
I agree, it´s getting diffucult to create inspiring storylines when you´ve been involved with the same show and its characters for so long.
Yep, and MK very obviously thought the same ;).
I guess, they tried to bring in something what they thought was fresh and renewing to the show, that´s why they changed the direction of the characters; but unfortunately it lead rather to a dead end.

Question is, how professional they are. I mean, you can learn the profession of script writing - who of those who write the show did and who just did learning by doing?
I have no idea if any of the producers who so much love to write have learnt this as a profession or were just eager to have their creative input in the show. Anthony Zuiker might be a prof and Peter Lenkov, but both now don´t write anymore for NY.

Well, she's still among the producers, she's listed as executive, as far as I know.
Yes, and she could well remain an exec, but just stop writing :p.

I guess another problem is that everyone wants a piece of the cake and everyone wants to have a say in everything. People have problem with authority, everyone wants to have the last word, wants their idea to be done etc, etc. It's sort of like a government... and the actors are paying the price.
Well, too many cooks spoil the meal, so maybe less would be more and they should sort the work strictly into writing and producing separately. It showed very much in S6 that apparently many wanted to have their say: a lot of storylines were started but never finished, it was like a big chaos. Hayden came, Hayden left; Aubrey came, Aubrey (probably) left, Peyton returned, but might vanish again, Sheldon´s love interest never happened as well as his arc, etc..

Exactly what I thought. Unless it has to do with GS having done the better job prior to CSI NY. That does factor into it as far as I know. But still, you don't really approach someone after all those years and ask for taking back on salary because after all those years and with the popularity, the actor is "worth" even more. It's absolutely insane.
GS came to NY with a sort of Hollywood-career, so maybe that made the difference of his payment.
Agree, especially since all actors had accepted a pay cut before, why should MK do so again, they should have instead offered her a payment increase to honor her work.

It's setting the wrong example. Certainly, it gets CBS attention and surely good ratings because people want to see "the guy who was arrested".
So, again, it comes back to money but what is everyone supposed to think? That it's cool to get arrested because afterwards you earn millions? Simplest rule though: If you don't have the money you can't produce. (otherwise I'd already have started on my own dance show :p)
Exactly, it´s like Sheen is getting rewarded by CBS for being a bad boy, more so since I heard that he wanted to leave the show, so they offered him 1,5 Mio $ per show, and of course, he accepted. They should have fired him instead, but money and ratings are more important than morale.
I think all CSIs had pay cuts, CBS justified this with the economic crisis, well, looks like they needed the money for their "really" expensive productions.
Money rules, it´s just like that.

11 seasons for the original is a long time... I think some things get old and while L&O is still running, they do get old too. Things get repetetive, so maybe they should concentrate on new stuff and just drop the CSI series altogether.
I agree, nothing can last forever anyway and they´d better stop the shows before the viewers stop them by not watching anymore.

Well, whatever "numereaux" was translated from. "Several" would be my pick, however, it could still be "a few". I doubt it was "a couple".
But according to that interview she seems to have some offers and I doubt she'd just say so.
Yes, I guess she will be busy a lot even without NY. The offers obviously arrived instantly after she left, as if some producers or directors were eager to get her for quite a while and just waited until she eventually was "free" again.

I think that's a general problem, they put the characters in categories and let them there. So Mac always gets the self-righteous things, Stella the empathical ones, Danny the ones which are a little shady and Hawkes always gets set up :p
That's what makes it so one-dimensional, they're not exploring other sides of the characters enough. The private stuff they're throwing in doesn't help either, somehow.
But I feel that in a way MK managed to make Stella versatile nevertheless. Don't know why it didn't happen as much with the other characters.
Maybe MK gets involved differently with her character. She's a woman after all and I think she'd have a very different connection to her character than GS because of their personality.
Totally agree, as a team I always found the NY the most homogenic and fitting, but when it got to the indivual person and their personal lives, it got tricky very often, because there were and are hardly any surprises, they are often predictable in their thinking and acting. That doesn´t exclude Stella, because she had very often the same stereotyped stories, but MK probably approached her character in a different way and maybe it´s also because Stella´s background was always appealing to me: the orphan who fought her way through all difficulties.

I wouldn't be surprised... I would.
But there were so many things which they didn't follow in S6 or just followed on a side line... It's weird, if you think about it. It's almost like it was a different show, all of a sudden, as if they had a new set of writers.
Yes, absolutely, there were so many breaks, twists and unfinished storylines, very detached from all other seasons.

I'm tired of political correctness and certainly not a fan of it.
Besides we're all not stupid and can do the math, right? So could they please stop?
I mean, look where political correctness got HH. MK stated explicedly that it's got nothing to do with her daughters... Makes HH look not too good. Poor guy.
Yep, political correctness sucks and leads to nowhere, except to embarrassing situations. HH had better either said nothing or just the truth.

Very obviously. How CBS can open the door for something like that I won't understand. They should know what she's like and that she could make decisions like that rather quickly. So they knew what they could lose, didn't they? Did they really think CSI NY was so great that she would stay?
Though the question no one's asking - and which I think is solving the bigger question - is: why did she not come back for at least one or two episodes? (and what are the odd choices she's talking about?)
I was amazed how much she was saying without saying anything. It's a lot of what we said before anyway and I also wondered why she brought the PV thing up again. That was a little weird. In any case, the network clearly screwed up.
Yes, and when they realized what damage they had done, it was too late.
Hm, yes, Melina didn´t really reveal much, anyway nothing new that we hadn´t already guessed :lol:. I suppose she wants to be polite and discreet and not bring up dirty dish, in case there might be some. Didn´t she say that they wanted to discuss other aspects of her contract with which she wasn´t too happy? Maybe that´s got something to do with why she chose not to return for one or two episodes, or they chose not to let her.
And maybe the PV thing pissed her more off than we might think, that´s perhaps why she brought it up again ;).

Yes, well, I would have liked for them to drop it after season 7 anyway because it's always better to get out on a high (well... things are relative, aren't they? ;)) than to let it fade out and know one remembers. But I think that too is a general problem that people hardly ever find the right point to stop.
I think CSI Vegas should have stopped some time ago, for example.
That´s so true, sometimes they miss the right time to end a show on high level and often formerly great shows then get remembered only for their crappiness at the end. Maybe they should have ended Vegas when Peterson left.

Maybe they should keep quiet though. I mean, they should know fans are upset and that giving the impression that MK isn't missed wouldn't go over well. Shouldn't they?
Usually they should, but I have the feeling that from the moment MK left, they pushed her aside to save what´s left of the show to save; so they try to forget her as quickly as possible and go on they want the fans to do the same and concentrate on the show again. The thing is that MK is missed by the fans, but I doubt that those at CBS do miss her too much, this is a very disposable business.

Sure it must and I don't expect any of the actors or whoever to mourn. BUT it's not about them in that case, it's about the fans. We make or break them because we provide the ratings or we don't.
Another general phenomen, it often gets forgotten when big money gets involved and CSI NY seemed to have forgotten it especially during the last season. Not the actors but the writers did many unpopular choices - killing Angell, Stella and Adam, Mac and Aubrey and Peyton...
This was just another unpopular choice though I guess it was a no-win situation for them. People would have been upset and the replacement of SW might have drowned a little had they announced it later. The way they did it now people are upset because MK isn't respected.
In a way though it's also as if they don't acknowledge MK's achievement and/or her talent.
Like CG said in his interview, one out, one in. As if it doesn't matter who's filling that vacant spot. So by saying so, they're saying that it's an unimportant position which is so not true. It's, for the majority, one of the key positions.
Yep, like I said, if it were for CBS, they´d just want to continue and forget the fuss as soon as possible. For them the problem is solved, they got SW, so why bother? But I hope the rankings will tell them why they should bother. Like you said, popular shows can only survive if they stay popular and keep their fans. Any unpopular decision can destroy a show, and there were quite some in S6, and I agree that not the actors but the writers are to blame.
I totally agree, to me this quick announcement of SW joining the show was as if they were not only disrespectful, but also sort of "punishing" MK, as if to say: "You left, now look how we get on without you, we already filled your gap."
It wasn´t nice of CG to say this, because this was the co-lead who left, not just a recurring or other character. Though I liked Aiden and Angell a lot and would have loved them to stay, that was different.

That's because she's so slim. She squeezes easily :D
:lol:

That question was answered a long time ago, wasn't it? ;)
But somehow that's often the case that those with an outside point of view see what's wrong or part of it but the ones on the inside are just too blind to see or don't want to see it or whatever. Ever since I realized I have been trying to figure out why.
Yep, it was ;).
I think people who watch things with the outside point of view are more objective, they have more distance and can therefore see things that those involved on the inside don´t want to see or can´t see.

I have a theory for that. Yeah, I spent too much time analysing. But to me it always felt like they were scared of their own actions. That once they realized they had taken a step too far they took two steps backwards. So, they had GFD, they had Death House and they had Second Chances and it seemed to me like they freaked and they needed desperately to get away from the Mac-Stella thing again. So they brought in Aubrey and that triangle to sort of show that Mac and Stella are just friends. That it didn't make sense didn't really matter.
That's the impression I got because it often happened. It was like we were thrown bait and then it was a century backwards.
Also, as I said before, they needed to build up to that triangle and Stella wouldn't have fit in there, so she needed to drop out of the picture.
That triangle was probably one of the most stupid things they ever came up with.
I agree, they have started things that never were continued, maybe for the reason of being scared of their actions. They start with something and then it´s probably "oh, oh, can´t do this, that´s too tricky".
I didn´t need an Aubrey and Peyton back to know that Mac and Stella were friends, really great, close good friends. But it seems that they felt the need to emphasize this as if they were afraid of misunderstandings.
I totally agree, this so called love triangle was a totally useless obsolete idea and it ended in the mess we have now.

If they're smart they'd do it... Not saying anything more ;)
Oh oh, IF they are smart, IF only :D.

Yeah, my friend and I called him SuperMac ;) It reached the point of being ridiculous and being not credible anymore. Unfortunately.
Your friend is absolutely right ;). It´s especially awful that he seems to have an answer to really everything, as if he´s a living encyclopedia, I mean nobody can know everything and he´s not an exception :D.

Let's be fair - it wasn't Mac's fault, really... but yeah... it was just one of those things that somehow wasn't happening before...
Yes, it was the fault of whoever wrote it ;).



How convinient ;)
No, because I was wrong, this episode will run next week ;).

Well, she always was under Mac's command ;) I think it felt more like he relied more on Stella to lead the others. So it was like everyone was reporting to her and she was reporting to him, almost.
Yes, I noticed that lack of presence and wondered about that. But then when she present she was still more present than she had been in season 1 even though she didn't have a lot to do. But she had a different aura and was seen with and acted with differently than before.
Yes, but in the beginning she was often just standing there in awe of him when he investigated ;).
True, she seemed to have the closer link to most of the others and Mac relied on that.
Well, if I understand this interview right, she sort of complained that in S6 Stella lost somehow the touch to the others, like that she didn´t ask Danny or Hawkes personally how they were e.g., but asked Lindsay and Mac. And that´s true and it was never explained why she behaved that way and I think MK was annoyed about this. So maybe she had a different aura compared to S1, but it didn´t help, it felt sometimes as if she didn´t belong.

The problem was, in a way, RIP MG wasn't really new. It's been done before. But then a lot had been done before. The triangle hadn't but it wasn't really what that show needed or needs.
Back to the basics, I think that would be good for now.
Yes, it was more or less a predictable story. The triangle, oh well, it would rather belong to Bermuda :D.
Yes, back to the roots, maybe that would help.

That's not nice :p
But I know what you mean.
Well, sometimes I´m not nice :p.

As I said, they're both different characters and I think MK is a lot more passionate in general.
If you think about it, that someone like GS became an actor doesn't even really fit him. If you look at his background and all. It is a strange sort of thing. I think if I met him without knowing who he was I'd never assume he was an actor.
But I guess he's got different goals as to where he wants to take a character.
I do have my opinions about them but won't say here because that goes too far into speculation and all.
Oh, yes, I think that, too, MK seems a lot more passionate and vivid, it was as if she had put much more enthusiasm into her character than GS does with Mac.
To be honest, I haven´t checked GS´s background yet, so I can´t comment on that; gotta catch up ;).
I imagine we might perhaps have the same opinions considering where he wants to take his character, but I don´t want to say here, either, for it´s really speculation, but might be much objected by others.

Yes, but that, too, was a writing mistake because it was set up in season 3 when Lindsay said she could need a friend and Stella offered friendship. Then AB got pregnant and Lindsay went to Montana and afterwards it was all but forgotten. But Stella was still closer to Lindsay than Mac and I sort of always thought that off-screen they had gotten closer. Not that close but well, the professional friend sort of thing close, so I still didn't know why Mac was asked to be Godfather.
I mean I know why but thinking it were reality I don't :p
Yes, in S3 it seemed (but only for a short time IMO) that eventually Lindsay and Stella might make friends, but this didn´t really continue or work out. I can´t really remember any closer scenes between them in S4, and remember how she talked of a friend´s pregnancy, while she had no problem to go to Mac with Danny and tell him straight away. At their wedding she didn´t even let Stella hug her properly, she grabbed the bunch of flowers and just let her lay an arm around her. This may just be a little thing, but I found it weird. OK, maybe it´s just Lindsay´s way, maybe she´s more the distant person, after all Danny had a hard time, too, until he got closer to her ;). I think Stella and Lindsay did OK, but they weren´t really friends, though I would have expected she´d ask both Mac and Stella to be godfather and -mother.

My words. So much potential... and so much of it wasted.
NY had the best developed characters, characters with such great personalities... they'd be perfect for books.
Absolutely, great potential, but somehow no one there who could use it to its full extent.

Well, yes, I wasn't talking about that when I talked about that she could go missing. I was actually thinking how I would do it ;)
So you should better write the script ;):

We're so mean :p
I like that :D.



Well, it is. Certainly. I'm considering the US my second home and I love New Orleans, so I know quite some bits of what's being going on after Katrina but that would be too political for here and now.
However, the problems are much much deeper than anything that would justify Stella wanting to transfer there because she thinks she can help and the people need her. They have so many other worries than the head of the crime lab.
New Orleans doesn't need a different head of the crime lab to solve their problems, they need something much more powerful and important than that. The crime lab is so insignificant in what's going on... Stella will probably be busy solving more murders in the French Quarter because some drunken guys bashed each other's skulls than anything else :p
I agree, after all Stella is not a politician, what other can she do in NO than to hunt the bad boys, investigate and do the same she did in NY? It´s not that they are waiting there for Stella Bonasera :D.
 
At their wedding she didn´t even let Stella hug her properly, she grabbed the bunch of flowers and just let her lay an arm around her. This may just be a little thing, but I found it weird
Not a little thing IMO. They have always tried to lift Lindsey into something she wasnt I find her selfish and cold and my favorite part was when she got snitty with Stella and Stella pulled "the boss" card on her.:thumbsup: The writers try so hard to make Lindsey something she is not. She has no humor, no wit, no personality and is spoiled and snitty. Melina on the other hand Oozes with life and it just comes so easy for her because she and Stella are so much alike. I dont know if it is the character or the actress but something is sorely lacking.
Yeah, my friend and I called him SuperMac ;) It reached the point of being ridiculous and being not credible anymore. Unfortunately
Mac was at his best in season one and two after that .... he took on a power of...:confused: I dont know what:lol:
Yep, political correctness sucks and leads to nowhere, except to embarrassing situations. HH had better either said nothing or just the truth.
Im in.
And as far as Carmine he seemed abit cold with his reply:rolleyes:
 
CSI and the Two and a Half Men I don't think are in the same boat - they do have different production companies. NY: Alliance Atlantis, Jerry Berkheimer & CBS. Two and a Half Men: Chuck Lorre Productions, The Tannenbaum Company, and Warner Bros. Television. The funding is probably not the same everywhere - I think comparing Gary Sinise's salary with Charlie Sheen is apples and oranges.
 
God. Altough maybe I'm misreading it but it just seems like this forum has become less civil since the news of Kanakaredes leaving the show. It is absolutely sad and very upsetting like few fictional character departures ever have been.

To see how they just ruined the characters, literally turned season 6 into a travesty and then this, just turns a show that I looked forward to every Wednesday Night, even scheduling other events around it, into a wormwood that now will have me steer clear of the TV on Friday nights. :(

If they decide to make a CSI:NY comic book series, they should completely discard everything after "Grades for Deception" because I felt that was probably the last flash of decent episode writing. Now with Melina/Stella having gone, there's little reason for me to be coming home at night, except taking the dogs out. :(

As for me, I've hijacked Stella, taken her OUT of the CBS universe, brought her into my own universe, gave her mutant powers, the ability to control gravity, and now make her so powerful she can destroy anyone who gets in her way, if she decides to go to the other side of the law.:devil: Hell, I'd love to see Gravity Mutant!Stella literally teaming up with Magneto against the forces of Good. :evil::devil::evil:

A poster before me said it best, CSI:NY really went downhill fast, and went from a show that brought joy to my heard to one that has become a complete wormwood. It all began with the death of Angell. Then came the disaster of Adam/Stella was the first bomb that blew up in the ships hull and "Vacation Getaway" was the iceberg that sliced the ship wide open. Stella jumps off the ship and into a different reality plane altogether so CBS cannot do any further damage to her.

They might as well have stopped at "Grounds for Deception" and ENDED it there! :mad:
 
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