Why Lindsay Must Go (Part 3)

[PerfectAnomaly]

Question! If Lindsay really does become canonically self-centered, would that change your want for Lindsay to leave the show in any way? All this time, TPTB has been trying to endear her to the audience, sometimes to the point of making people headdesk over and over. :lol: But now, if TPTB deliberately makes her an unlikable character, would that change your opinion of Lindsay in any way?

I definitely could like the character if she were deliberately unlikeable; but if the bad writing and worse acting continued I'd still want her gone.

Since I don't forsee anyone being able to wave a magic wand and make Anna a capable actress and TPTB don't seem to want/be able to write anything decent for her, I would guess I'll still be posting in this thread even if they choose to make her the bad guy.

 

[MichelleK]

I just hate the fact that for Lindsay to have any story or any kind of glimpse into her character Danny has to suffer. We have seen him become a human door mat, fly to Montana for someone who said she didn't want him there and basically have his balls shrink back up inside.
I have a feeling the Danny/Rikki scene could work as a flashback. Maybe it all happened after he took her home during the episode where she stole his gun.
I am not looking forward to Lindsays speech about falling in love with him.
I think she is possibly the most selfish character on TV without even trying. Most of the team bent over backwards to try and help her settle in. She snapped at Stella, something isn't right between her and Flack and then poor Danny.
I just want to scream at her to get over herself.

 

[privatename]

I just saw a clip linked in the spoiler section. I think it is okay to mention that since I won't get into anything that is shown. If not, someone let me know so I can delete this. I just wanted to say that Lindsay is completely irritating in the clip and comes across as so da#% smug. Arrrgh. I just want to slap her sometimes. (I would never actually slap anyone in real life ever, but the temptation would be there with Lindsay if I had to work with her on a regular basis.)

 

[Top41]

Yeah, it's amazing how just plain irritating Lindsay is. I just kind of watch and think about how the role would have been better if only they'd cast a different actress to play Lindsay. As much as the writing hasn't always served her, I'm convinced Lindsay wouldn't be nearly as irritating if someone with actual acting talent was playing her.

 

[Faylinn]

You can give Adam all of the cute lines in the world, but it's AJ that really makes them work. So, while writing is extremely important, it's up to the actor or actress to really sell it on screen, good or bad--cheesy lines I can forgive (and boy, have we gotten some doozies over the years), but there's just something about Lindsay that doesn't work for me.

(Yes, Fay is back, making another Adam reference--what else is new? )

 

[owlki]

Heheheheh, Carmine did say in one of his interviews with CSI Files that Danny will find out 'Lindsay's not all he thought she was'. It's very possible Lindsay's self-centeredness is a major reason for Danny 'looking elsewhere'. His choice of Rikki? We've seen proof in episodes 11 and 13 that Rikki is/was a loving, caring mother who's obviously close to Danny, enough to leave her son alone in his total care without worrying. She'll be capable of showing and giving much more love and emotion than Lindsay has.

Question! If Lindsay really does become canonically self-centered, would that change your want for Lindsay to leave the show in any way? All this time, TPTB has been trying to endear her to the audience, sometimes to the point of making people headdesk over and over. :lol: But now, if TPTB deliberately makes her an unlikable character, would that change your opinion of Lindsay in any way?

I agree 100% with you!

And answering your question... Errrr, no. I want her out. I used to like her in the beginning - being a know-it-all and all that - and even find it cute that she had a crush on Danny but, after LRC, I was so perplexed with the sudden change of roles that I lost faith in the character.

I was also baffled that, in the beginning, she could stomach anything and then, suddenly, she couldn't deal with mothers, young dead girls, bloody scenes, well, nothing, really... Leave everything to the others to do... The morgue and the trial scenes didn't help either, as they made Anna's limitations as an actress very clear. I really did cringe watching those scenes.

For me, Lindsay is already an unlikable, two-faced character. So, if they make her deliberately unlikable, my opinion of her will still be the same: annoying, irking character. At least, if she's not pairing with Danny (my favourite character), I can fast forward the parts she's in. Even her voice grates on my nerves now, especially when she does the 'sweet voice' ("Hi Otto" and "Oh, Danny, they're beautiful... Nothing says you're special..."). If I had a shotgun, I would have used it!

I must also say that I find cheating something abominable and I don't believe in the "Oh, my God, Danny cheated on Lindsay" approach as I think she's reading way too much in their relationship but, if he does cheat on her, I'll be laughing my ass off and saying "Ha ha, you deserved it!". I noticed a long time ago that "Lindsay is not all that we thought she was". Why can't Danny notice that too?

 

[PerfectAnomaly]

Another good example is "All Access." That whole episode was crap, but the actors, especially Melina, sold it. Well, Anna didn't sell Lindsay's OOC spaz out over Stella, but everyone else sold it. Anna Belknap just doesn't sell anything, and it never ceases to amaze me that TPTB don't/won't see it.

 

[Kimmychu]

PerfectAnomaly said:
Anna Belknap just doesn't sell anything, and it never ceases to amaze me that TPTB don't/won't see it.

:lol: Ditto. It's even more amusing and weird when ya look back to the beginning and realize TPTB may actually have seen it from the start and tried way too hard to make the audience like her to ... how do I put it, cover up her limited acting ability. Didn't work though. This thread (and its two predecessors) wouldn't exist if it did. :lol:

And of course, there's Belknap herself admitting her 'audition sucked'. That speaks for itself.

owlki said:
For me, Lindsay is already an unlikable, two-faced character. So, if they make her deliberately unlikable, my opinion of her will still be the same: annoying, irking character.

Yep, that's my answer to my own question. :lol: I just wonder whether she would have been more well-received if she'd been written to be deliberately unlikable and two-faced from the beginning, ya know? At least her character would have been consistent. The terrible inconsistency of her character (accentuated by Belknap's bad acting) has always been one of our major complaints about her.

 

[Faylinn]

Since I love to talk about Torchwood (warning: don't post spoilers for season 2, guys, the Toppy one hasn't seen it yet ):

Owen is the type of character that proves that an asshole-y character can and does earn a lot of fans (and a lot of people who despise him/her passionately, of course :lol in spite of, and even because of, that behavior and attitude. And still speaking of Owen, when you've got an actor like Burn Gorman portraying the character, you can get a lot of people (such as myself) who will be very honest and say, despite anything I don't like about the character--the guy can act his ass off, and he does a great job of portraying Owen.

If Lindsay were intentionally dislikable and played by an actress with the kind of chops Burn has--I think we'd see a lot more, "God, I hate her!--but Anna's good, I'll give her that."

 

[Top41]

I was also baffled that, in the beginning, she could stomach anything and then, suddenly, she couldn't deal with mothers, young dead girls, bloody scenes, well, nothing, really... Leave everything to the others to do... The morgue and the trial scenes didn't help either, as they made Anna's limitations as an actress very clear. I really did cringe watching those scenes.

They were so out of left field and so poorly delivered--simply cringe-worthy, period.

For me, Lindsay is already an unlikable, two-faced character. So, if they make her deliberately unlikable, my opinion of her will still be the same: annoying, irking character. At least, if she's not pairing with Danny (my favourite character), I can fast forward the parts she's in. Even her voice grates on my nerves now, especially when she does the 'sweet voice' ("Hi Otto" and "Oh, Danny, they're beautiful... Nothing says you're special..."). If I had a shotgun, I would have used it!

:lol: Her delivery is just...grating. It's like nails on a chalkboard. There's something so shrill and unpleasant about her, and has been from the beginning. Again, an actress who projects genuine sweetness could sell the role in a heartbeat.

Nobody ever knows my Amy Acker from Angel reference, so how about Amy Adams from Enchanted. I think she could pull it off. There are probably a number of people who could. The problem is that Anna has no warmth to offset Lindsay's irritating qualities.

I must also say that I find cheating something abominable and I don't believe in the "Oh, my God, Danny cheated on Lindsay" approach as I think she's reading way too much in their relationship but, if he does cheat on her, I'll be laughing my ass off and saying "Ha ha, you deserved it!". I noticed a long time ago that "Lindsay is not all that we thought she was". Why can't Danny notice that too?

Oh, word. I've seen people say how horrible Danny is if he cheats on her. Excuse me, is she not horrible for not even reaching out to him when he was suffering over Ruben's death? I guess that's a lesser sin than him forgetting her birthday.

Another good example is "All Access." That whole episode was crap, but the actors, especially Melina, sold it. Well, Anna didn't sell Lindsay's OOC spaz out over Stella, but everyone else sold it. Anna Belknap just doesn't sell anything, and it never ceases to amaze me that TPTB don't/won't see it.

Maybe they're just stuck with her (contract). Either way, they've been smart not to give her much to do this season.

Yep, that's my answer to my own question. :lol: I just wonder whether she would have been more well-received if she'd been written to be deliberately unlikable and two-faced from the beginning, ya know? At least her character would have been consistent. The terrible inconsistency of her character (accentuated by Belknap's bad acting) has always been one of our major complaints about her.

I think she'd be more interesting at least. Granted, Jon Togo on Miami is a much, much better actor, but Ryan Wolfe is an interesting character in part because he sometimes does bad/selfish things. Lindsay being "awesome sauce" (I love it Fay! ) in spite of her bitchy, unpleasant qualities is a big part of the annoyance factor with her.

Since I love to talk about Torchwood (warning: don't post spoilers for season 2, guys, the Toppy one hasn't seen it yet ):

Owen is the type of character that proves that an asshole-y character can and does earn a lot of fans (and a lot of people who despise him/her passionately, of course :lol in spite of, and even because of, that behavior and attitude. And still speaking of Owen, when you've got an actor like Burn Gorman portraying the character, you can get a lot of people (such as myself) who will be very honest and say, despite anything I don't like about the character--the guy can act his ass off, and he does a great job of portraying Owen.

If Lindsay were intentionally dislikable and played by an actress with the kind of chops Burn has--I think we'd see a lot more, "God, I hate her!--but Anna's good, I'll give her that."

Word. I love characters that are fun to hate. Owen is a great example. Stetler on Miami and Ecklie on CSI are two other good examples. These characters can be real pains in the ass, but they're played by great actors. I love it anytime those characters show up.

The biggest problem I think lies with Anna's acting ability--or lack thereof, at least as far as this role is concerned.

 

[miss_blue]

Oh, word. I've seen people say how horrible Danny is if he cheats on her. Excuse me, is she not horrible for not even reaching out to him when he was suffering over Ruben's death? I guess that's a lesser sin than him forgetting her birthday.

First, let me say that "word" is my favorite expression at the time :lol:. Secondly, technically it isn't considered cheating unless the two people are involved in a relationship, and I missed the last part with these two. On the contrary, we've seen proof in Child's Play, in All in the Family and in DOA that they are far from being all happy and fluffy with each other.

What is there to come in the next episodes is just...horrible. More angst and drama for the person with a single facial expression. Luckily, we have other people around to understand what the hell she is trying to emote. Lindsay was not built as a dislikable from the beginning, on the contrary she was painted as the country, yet tough girl who faces the big bad city and gets the hot guy (and I wasn't enthusiastic about her since day1). Unfortunately she came off the other way around. Now it's a bit late to try to convey her that way, or go the other way and make her endearing. Not going to happen. If in almost three seasons, Lindsay couldn't stand on her own feet as a character, why will she start now? It's too late for her, and that is why she must go.

 

[privatename]

Even her voice grates on my nerves now, especially when she does the 'sweet voice' ("Hi Otto" and "Oh, Danny, they're beautiful... Nothing says you're special..."). If I had a shotgun, I would have used it!

I couldn't agree more. I hate that sickeningly sweet voice she affects at times.

I also have a problem with her voice when she is trying to be threatening to suspects. There is just no strength behind it -- it makes it really unbelievable to me that anyone would be intimidated by her and I think if she can't intimidate criminals she can't be an effective cop. That is a reason why I think she should stay in the lab because that doesn't involve interaction with suspects. That and the fact that we would see less of her actually trying to act.

 

[Faylinn]

Is it a coincidence that she uses the same voice on her 'boyfriend' and a dog? When I re-watched "DOA For a Day", it definitely sounded like she was scolding a puppy for piddling on the rug. It's a tone of voice that makes my lip curl.

She doesn't have the presence to be threatening. Flack can be threatening. Mac can be threatening. Stella can be threatening. Even dear, sweet Sheldon can be a bad-ass mo-fo. But Lindsay...when she gets 'angry' or 'severe', it just comes across as...constipated and petulant. Her shouting at me across an interrogation table wouldn't be intimidating--cold, hard killers are supposed to be scared? Not being able to have that presence isn't necessarily a bad thing--but I'm pretty sure we're supposed to see it on screen (keeping the skinny bitch in "Buzzkill" from passing her comes to mind). It just doesn't work, sorry.

 

[owlki]

Is it a coincidence that she uses the same voice on her 'boyfriend' and a dog? When I re-watched "DOA For a Day", it definitely sounded like she was scolding a puppy for piddling on the rug. It's a tone of voice that makes my lip curl.

Oh, Fay! :guffaw::guffaw::guffaw: That was mean! :lol::lol::lol: Love you for that!

 

[Faylinn]

I love you too.

So, thoughts on Lindsay after tonight's episode?

I understand her feeling hurt, don't get me wrong--I'm not a total heartless bitch, I get it. However, her 'monologue' was...odd. (And if someone tells me that's the writers and not Lindsay, I'll hafta smack them.)