Was Danny abused as a child?

Not sure if this'll make much sense, but... I was just rewatching On The Job when I thought of something - in the scene when Danny's in the hospital, he not only lies to the doctor so he can get out of there faster, he also seems extrememly agitated and nervous. We know from The Dove Comission that he was beaten up when he was young, and he probably had to go to the hospital for that - maybe his behavior in On the Job stems from a hatred of hospitals. I have a friend who had a bad experience and has actually been diagnosed as being afraid of doctors. So, it seems to me that Danny must have been hurt pretty badly when he was a kid, and maybe more than once - otherwise, why would he be so agitated?
 
Not sure if this'll make much sense, but... I was just rewatching On The Job when I thought of something - in the scene when Danny's in the hospital, he not only lies to the doctor so he can get out of there faster, he also seems extrememly agitated and nervous. We know from The Dove Comission that he was beaten up when he was young, and he probably had to go to the hospital for that - maybe his behavior in On the Job stems from a hatred of hospitals. I have a friend who had a bad experience and has actually been diagnosed as being afraid of doctors. So, it seems to me that Danny must have been hurt pretty badly when he was a kid, and maybe more than once - otherwise, why would he be so agitated?
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That's a good point. He could be afraid of hospitals because he's spent so much time in them and they bring back bad memories.

The cop theory seems logical. It would be a great storyline if the cop turned up as a suspect in a case danny was investigating.
 
The cop theory seems logical. It would be a great storyline if the cop turned up as a suspect in a case danny was investigating.
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I think it would create more tension if Danny actually had to work with the cop rather than be investigating them. This would be more likely to send him into emotional shut down because if they were a suspect he could pour all his energy into finding them guilty.

This might also be a way for Mac to find out just what went on in Danny's past. The cop could try to threaten Danny because they're afraid he might tell and Mac could walk in and catch the cop in the act.
 
That sounds really good. It would be the perfect way for Mac to find out about Danny's past.

Perhaps the cop could link back to the Tanglewood gang. He may be a spy for them. That would explain why he started acting strange after Tanglewood.

I wonder how Mac would handle that?
 
Perhaps the cop could link back to the Tanglewood gang. He may be a spy for them. That would explain why he started acting strange after Tanglewood.
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:confused: OK, you've lost me a bit on that one.
I think if the abuse and Tanglewood are connected it's in that Danny joined the gang because he was being abused rather than the abuser was in the gang. The gang might have roughed him over at a later date, when he said he didn't want anything more to do with them, though.
 
^Yeah, I agree...the initial abuse couldn't have had anything to do with Tanglewood. After all, it would be the perfect reason for him to join...to escape a bad situation and also to maybe find a substitute family and a sense of security.

The thing about hospitals is a good point. If we was hurt as a child, he might have spent a lot of time in hospitals. He might have a dislike of them based on bad memories (as someone pointed out, he did seem nervous/agitated, though that could be because of what happened with the shootout) and also a failure for the doctors to really help him (ie, not realizing what was going on at home and helping to remove Danny from the situation). If his family was connected to the mob, a doctor might have been afraid to interfere to protect Danny.
 
^No worries--it sounds like a lot of us think Danny's Tanglewood involvement might be related to bad experiences he had as a child. It would actually go a long way towards explaining things and also maybe helping Mac--a man with a very strong moral code--understand how Danny could have been involved in a gang. While I don't think it will exonerate him totally in Mac's eyes, I do think Mac will kind of be forced to think long and hard about his past and present criticisms of Danny. If Danny was severely mistreated as a child, it would go a long way to explain some of the behavior that is obviously grating on Mac's nerves.
 
Mac has to still find out. I was actually wondering just how helpful and supportive he would be with Danny. As shown with his reaction to his wife's death, Mac isn't all that good with emotional stuff. It might help him understand what has been going on with Danny, but how would Mac deal with it?
 
^I don't know...that's a good question. As we've seen, Mac has really, really high moral standards. He holds himself to those high standards, and he really holds those around him to them as well.

But if Danny was abused and that conditioned him to distrust everyone around him, Mac is going to have to find a way to relate to Danny in a way that Danny can deal with. Mac might have to make some allowances for Danny. I imagine it will throw Mac, though, as child abusers are a special kind of evil and, I suspect, pretty high on Mac's "loathed" list. He'd probably cut Danny some slack I suspect.
 
But if Danny was abused and that conditioned him to distrust everyone around him, Mac is going to have to find a way to relate to Danny in a way that Danny can deal with.
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It would be interesting, watching them work through their issues together. I always feel that that sort of interaction you get between work colleages/friends, when one has a problem, is only touched upon in the other CSI shows and never fully explored.

Mac might have to make some allowances for Danny. I imagine it will throw Mac, though, as child abusers are a special kind of evil and, I suspect, pretty high on Mac's "loathed" list. He'd probably cut Danny some slack I suspect.
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Mac hands might be tied on what allowances he can give Danny in regards to the job. Also 'cutting Danny some slack' isn't the same as helping him. On a personal level, maybe Mac has to sort himself out first. Do you think the reason that he hasn't confronted Danny about his behaviour is because he doesn't want or feel he can deal with it?
 
^I don't know--I think Mac handles himself fairly well. He's usually pretty quiet and introspective, but he deals with his problems and most importantly, he doesn't let them affect others or his job.

That's probably part of his frustration with Danny--the fact that Danny can't seem to control himself at all. If there was so deep-seated issue, like child abuse, in Danny's past, that might help Mac understand why Danny reacts the way he does.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds next season.
 
^I don't know--I think Mac handles himself fairly well. He's usually pretty quiet and introspective, but he deals with his problems and most importantly, he doesn't let them affect others or his job.
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He does? I don't think he was handling the death of his wife particulary well and, although it wasn't in a major way, his attitude was affecting Stella.
If anything it's normally considered worse if you turn all your emotion inwards. They do say always watch out for the quite ones. If something is wrong with Danny you know it. If something really goes wrong with Mac you might not know it until it's too late. I'm not putting him in the same league as Danny, but I still think Mac needs some work himself.

That's probably part of his frustration with Danny--the fact that Danny can't seem to control himself at all.
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But as I've said before, it might not be part of his job but as a friend why doesn't he try to help? Just watched 'The Dove Commission' and Aiden wasn't slow at calling Danny out.

If there was so deep-seated issue, like child abuse, in Danny's past, that might help Mac understand why Danny reacts the way he does.
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As long as he does more than just 'understand'.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds next season.
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Hope there is something to unfold and that we haven't just been seriously over-analysing Danny's every move. :lol:
 
He does? I don't think he was handling the death of his wife particulary well and, although it wasn't in a major way, his attitude was affecting Stella.
If anything it's normally considered worse if you turn all your emotion inwards. They do say always watch out for the quite ones. If something is wrong with Danny you know it. If something really goes wrong with Mac you might not know it until it's too late. I'm not putting him in the same league as Danny, but I still think Mac needs some work himself.
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I don't know--I think Mac does fine. Stella is concerned because she's his friend, not because he's taking out his unhappiness on her in any way. There's a big difference in the way Mac acts and the way Danny acts, and that's in the result: Mac doesn't let personal matters adversely affect his job, whereas Danny does. So I think Mac is much better able to handle himself than Danny is. Mac deals with his emotions at appropriate times and uses them in a positive way (as in, working to free the guy in "The Closer"). Danny's just kind of fly off the cuff (as in "The Dove Commission") and end up getting him in trouble.

But as I've said before, it might not be part of his job but as a friend why doesn't he try to help? Just watched 'The Dove Commission' and Aiden wasn't slow at calling Danny out.
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Because, and I think this is important, Mac is not Danny's friend. He's Danny's boss, and his mentor. Big difference there. Mac is concerned with Danny's professional development, not his personal problems. Aiden, on the other hand, is very obviously Danny's friend as well as his colleague. Just as Stella is Mac's friend as well. But Danny and Mac aren't friends, at least, not from anything I can tell.

As long as he does more than just 'understand'.
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I don't know that he's required to. In fact, if he thinks Danny is an actual detriment to the department, he'd be obligated to fire him.

Now, Mac's not a jerk and I do think he's try to help Danny, but again, in a professional capacity. Danny needs counselling--I could see Mac encouraging him or even forcing him to go. If Mac ever encountered the person who hurt Danny, I'm sure he'd do everything in his power to make sure that person answered for what he/she did. But beyond that might be out of scope for their current relationship.

Hope there is something to unfold and that we haven't just been seriously over-analysing Danny's every move. :lol:
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:lol: Yeah, no kidding. Though I for one will be very disappointed if we don't get some sort of explanation behind Danny's behavior. There's too much here for him to just be over-sensitive or touchy. And the stuff we've talked about here--abuse possibly leading to the Tanglewood involvement, causing him to lie to feel safe, etc.--makes a lot of sense.
 
I've been reading this thread for a while and felt the need to add my two cents. I agree that there is something going on with Danny and you've all made a good case for him having been abused as a child. If it came to Mac's attention that Danny had been abused, I think Mac might be in the best position to help him deal with it. While he and Danny aren't buddy/buddy like Danny and Flack, they are more than just boss/employee. I think he would be close enough to Danny to get Danny to tell him what happened, but at the same time, objective enough to get Danny the help he needed to keep him from possibly losing his job.
 
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