Why Lindsay REALLY Must Go (Pt. 2)

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Yeah, wasn't Lindsay originally supposed to be Summer? And her character description was totally different I believe as well.

Either way, I would have rather gone with Summer than the character that is Lindsay. As, Summer's description was much more appealing than what we have to deal with now.
 
Either way, I would have rather gone with Summer than the character that is Lindsay. As, Summer's description was much more appealing than what we have to deal with now.
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Only if they would have went with another actress. Anna couldn't have pulled off Summer either.

Whether that was because of the actress or the studio or [insert reason here] is a different story, but it would be nice if, this much time later, I got the feeling that they at least knew who the character was now. It kinda seems like they're still figuring it out/changing things. How can we understand her if they don't seem to?
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What I don't understand is how can they not know who she is after all this time? They haven't had that problem with any other cast member. Maybe, after all this time, they just don't know who they want Lindsay to be and/or Anna just can't act the way they are wanting her too. Sometimes, when I watch certain scenes, I get the feeling they've worked with her all they could and just have to give it up and shoot the scene anyway and hope for the best.
 
One of the problems I see is that Lindsay is supposed to be warm and sweet and Anna doesn't convey that at all. There's a coldness to her, a lack of warmth, that all the character descriptions in the world won't change. Summer Hamilton (much as that name is pretty bad) actually sounded like a fun character, but I agree with 1CSIMfan that Anna couldn't have pulled that character off either. I think Lindsay is supposed to have a sense of fun that Anna just doesn't convey.

That's why I can't by any stretch of the imagination entirely blame the writers for Lindsay's failure as a character--yes, they've given her a bad line here and there, but honestly, the 'dark secret' storyline was not a bad one. Anna's inability to convey any depth of emotion from Lindsay is what made that storyline a failure, not the writers.
 
Top41 said:
That's why I can't by any stretch of the imagination entirely blame the writers for Lindsay's failure as a character--yes, they've given her a bad line here and there, but honestly, the 'dark secret' storyline was not a bad one. Anna's inability to convey any depth of emotion from Lindsay is what made that storyline a failure, not the writers.
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Exactly. Almost every other character has had to deal with their share of weak story ideas, and they've all managed to make them believable and act them terrifically. Remember "All Access"? I hated the idea of Stella being brutalized and it didn't seem like alot of the fans did either, yet I won't ever say that Melina Kanakaredes didn't do an amazing job acting it. Even Flack, Hawkes, Sid, and Adam, although they haven't had much to work with, can still make their appearances believable and unforgettable when they come on screen. With their limited scenes they still shine, while Lindsay, no matter what she is given, doesn't.

Maybe it would be easier if they had written the character better, but if Anna really was the gifted and amazing actress Zuiker and other fans are making her out to be, she should have been able to run with it anyway.
 
^I feel the exact same way about "All Access." I hated it, and I thought it forced Stella to act out-of-character. Nonetheless, I believed every minute of that ep because Melina's performance was amazing. Much as I hate that episode--and I really hate that episode--Melina's performance was wonderful.

On the other hand, Anna got handed a decent storyline and couldn't do anything with it. That says more about her than the writers IMO.
 
Anna has received a better storyline than Eddie or Hill even has for that matter and what happened? She couldn't pull it off it was laughable, I'm talking specifically about that scene in Sleight of Hand with her in court testifying, it was supposed to be so amazing but she was dreadful.
In the scene where Lindsay breaks down on the stand Anna isn't even able to actually cry although it's clear Lindsay is supposed to be crying. And what's more her big moment is shared with her crutch of the show turning up *Danny* who has to be a pillar of strength :rolleyes:
 
1CSIMfan said:
What I don't understand is how can they not know who she is after all this time? They haven't had that problem with any other cast member. Maybe, after all this time, they just don't know who they want Lindsay to be and/or Anna just can't act the way they are wanting her too. Sometimes, when I watch certain scenes, I get the feeling they've worked with her all they could and just have to give it up and shoot the scene anyway and hope for the best.
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It's also possible that Anna has no clue who Lindsay is. Maybe if she knew exactly who Lindsay was inside and out she would be able to have a somewhat consistent performance and have the character appear less bumpy. They probably have an okay idea of how they want Lindsay to be but in the end I think a lot of it comes down to Anna's performance. I mean look at Carmine. He appears to know Danny really well. He could probably figure out what Danny's favorite cereal is or what he does in his spare time.

I wish they would give Eddie and Hill bigger storylines. I feel that they are MUCH more deserving of it. They're the characters we don't know as much about, they've been there longer and the obvious, they would pull pretty much anything they're given off.
 
It's also possible that Anna has no clue who Lindsay is. Maybe if she knew exactly who Lindsay was inside and out she would be able to have a somewhat consistent performance and have the character appear less bumpy. They probably have an okay idea of how they want Lindsay to be but in the end I think a lot of it comes down to Anna's performance. I mean look at Carmine. He appears to know Danny really well. He could probably figure out what Danny's favorite cereal is or what he does in his spare time.
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I've listened to some commentaries on the dvd box sets one that stands out for me is from Outside Man the writer whose name I can't remember talks about sitting down with Carmine and discussing exactly what they want Danny's reactions to be like and how they want a particular scene to go.
In one instance the writer comments that one of the lines Carmine added himself to make the suspect feel at ease in the scene.
I do think the writers have some sort of an idea about the character but its also up to the actor to some work and prepare the character and how they want to portray that character. I don't know if Anna is doing that because if she is she's doing a shoddy job.
 
^I think with Carmine, and with all of them except Anna really, they got a handle on the characters early on and ran with it. "Outside Man" was so early, and Carmine's performance in it was so fantastic, as was the writing for the character.

I know people cut Anna slack early in season two, and I thought that was fine. But the others got a handle on their characters really early in season one--by halfway through season one, we had a pretty solid idea of who they were. I know Anna was given leeway in season two--really, it felt like to me that the writers gave her several different personalities to see which one would stick. But her acting only got worse in season three and she hasn't impressed much in season four (though she's been better in 4 than she was in 3). What bothered me was that people kept making excuses for her...come on. It's been three seasons. For her not to have a handle on her character is not excusable at this point.
 
Technically, she has now been on the show for over two years and I agree, it's inexcusable at this point for her to not know her character.

There have been points about her brought up in the Why Lindsay Must Stay thread that she's more of a theater actress and that she did alright with very minor appearances in other TV shows before CSI:NY. So although she seems to have done well in theater, she's not capable of handling or sustaining the role as a lead character in the long term. And it shows. It really shows.

I doubt TPTB were unaware of this either. Didn't Lindsay's bio on the CBS website once say that she was only meant to be a recurring character?
 
Didn't Lindsay's bio on the CBS website once say that she was only meant to be a recurring character?
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This is from the original blurb about 'Lindsay Hamilton' in a CSI Files article:

"According to Variety, Belknap's contract with the show calls for her to start in a recurring role, to be added to the opening credits later."

Then we saw her in the credits before we even saw her on screen. :rolleyes:
 
It's funny though, I used to think ok.. shes pretty bland, she might be able to cut it as a recurring character, but now, like someone mentioned, it's her third season and I feel like she can't even fill those shoes any more. I mean look what, in as much or less time, AJ or Robert Joy have done with their recurring spots.

Eventually her being "new" has got to stop working as an excuse for her personality changing with the wind direction.

ETA: Happy Birthday, Fay!
 
Eventually her being "new" has got to stop working as an excuse for her personality changing with the wind direction.
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Oh no, new went a long time ago unless it's been revived. After new if I remember, it was because Anna was pregnant. Now, I don't know what the excuse is. In fact, I don't think it really matters because Anna still can't act two 1/2 years later and unless her dog's been ran over everyday she's gone on set there's really no excuse at this point.

Happy Birthday Fay! :D *throws confetti and slash!*
 
Thanks for the birthday wishes, guys. :D

Now, I don't know what the excuse is.
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The strike: the writers have dropped the ball a bit because they were rushing to finish episodes before the strike started.

I think they managed to do a pretty damn good job with everybody else. Sure, there are missteps, mainly with plots and such, but that happens whether a strike is coming up or not. I don't think the strike is a reasonable excuse for any problems with Lindsay (or a reasonable excuse for why she's been back-burnered along with anything she's involved with, i.e. Danny, so far), but there you go.
 
I have a hard time believing Anna doesn't know who Lindsay is. Ususally, before getting into a role, there's character development with the actor/actress, writers, and producers. I've done this in theater, and once in movies/film. And you really, really dig deep into your character. I remember for the role I had in "The Diviners" stage production, I got so involved in my character development I came out of the table read crying.

The problem, is not with the character (in some ways), it's the actress, as we state time and time again. Lindsay could become a really good character (if the D/L was taken away and the role was a different actress). Anna, just can't pull of material given.


I think I had more stuff I wanted to say, but I'm tired, in a foreign country right now, and cannot think. :p
 
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