CSI:NY - "Can You Hear Me Now"
GIP: Look at my pretty new icon! I still have 31 open icon slots so I think I can make a few more.
CSI:NY has become one of my favorite fandoms. I've long harbored a secret fangirl crush on Gary Sinise, add him to a crime show staffed with other characters I adore and make him an ex-Marine with all the lone wolf traits I love, and it's an all win situation.
I really liked "Can You Hear Me Now". I thought it was a solid start to the season which gave all the characters some screen time while still managing to set up Mac's 3:33 storyline.
The Mac/Stella scenes snapped. As much as I love Mac, I love him best when he's interacting with others and the relationship and trust between Mac and Stella is implicit in every scene. From the moment that Stella asks him what is going on when he first shows up to his complete acceptance of her pointing out the bad guy at the end, Mac shows how solid their relationship is. One of the reasons I don't ship (and don't want TPTB to ever ship) Mac and Stella is that their relationship -- as partners, as equals, as comrades-in-arms -- is such a rare one on television. I love the idea that these two equally strong characters can have such a strong bond of friendship in spite of the fact that one is male and the other female. There is no way that they can be shipped without fundamentally altering that relationship.
They did a wonderful job of showing the stress that the 3:33 plot line is having on Mac. And they do a great job of defining Mac's character in the flashbacks to him getting the calls. In less than 30 seconds of screen time you understand exactly the type of person Mac is: First call, he's sleeping; next call, he's lying in bed, but he's awake; third call, he's sitting up and is angry when he answers the phone. Not only is Mac not sleeping, but he's definitely letting his more aggressive Marine instincts take over.
The deaths were very... icky. Being embalmed with Pine Sol while still alive? Ew. Being drugged and tortured and having your tongue cut off before being locked in a drum? Also, ew. And just a tad creepier than I usually like. I did appreciate that everyone who was working on the case also thought that it was icky and you could tell that it was a tad creepier than they usually liked, too. I like it when my CSIs act like real people.
Speaking of acting like real people: I adore Adam. I know that there were a lot of people who were sad not to get any angst over Danny's hand injuries from last season's finale, yet while I think Adam who suffered also, I’m happy that they haven’t made that be a big issue for either character. I'm very happy that Adam isn't relegated to being only a lab rat and equally happy that, despite his background of abuse, he handles himself well. It's says a great deal about the acting talents of A.J. Buckley that Adam is such a believable character.
I felt that the relationship between Adam and Kendall was nicely set up. She is obviously as much of a geek as he is and they appear to be good friends. I didn't like their introductory scene because I hate the fact that pop culture seems to believe that it's normal behavior for people to wake up and not know whether or not they had sex the night before. I will forgive them because Adam was so cute with his "No, no no. Well, I mean I wish it were 'Yes. Yes. Yes.', but its no". It also helped that Kendall obviously wouldn't have minded if it had been yes (although, personally, I would want to remember).
I also thought they handled the "rivalry" between Adam and Kendall well. While it could have easily come of as a petty battle over turf and "lab supremacy" it instead felt more like a game - that they were two people who are very good at what they do and are happy to have someone around to challenge them to do better. Rather than being upset or mad that the other had done a good job or feeling hurt that they were "one upped", both seemed to enjoy the information that the other discovered. I get the feeling that both of them do a lot of "brain games" outside the lab and appreciate the talents of each other and the game they are playing. It was obvious that Stella enjoyed the competition between the two techs.
Speaking of Stella, she was wonderful in the episode. She was everything I like about her character. Like Adam, her past is part of her, but she’s not defined by it. After what happened with Frankie, it would be easy to make Stella hesitant, overly afraid or have her freeze or be trigger happy. Instead, they keep her character consistent: she is strong, quick thinking, confident and courageous. Melina Kanakaredes is terrific in the part, being both famine and dangerous/competent - a trick that very few actresses can pull off. She puts the pieces together quickly and doesn’t second guess herself. She walks right into the face of danger and deals with it with just the right amount of force and finesse.
I’ve very glad that she wasn’t “rescued”. Even though the rest of the team figured out what happened, they would have been too late if Stella couldn’t have handled it herself. It’s something this show does well - it shows how good the characters are without dumbing down the other characters. The easiest way to write someone as smart or strong or heroic is to make the other characters around them dumb or weak or helpless. This show never does that. In fact, this show can put its very strong characters in direct conflict with one another and have them come out looking equally strong no matter who was right. That’s a nifty trick on a television show.
I also like the action scenes that they put in. One thing that “Snow Day” proved was that these characters can handle action scenes. Danny has always been the go-to guy for foot chases - running across rooftops, jumping over fire escapes, tackling people in alleys. But all the characters look competent in action situations and the show films and scores them wonderfully. There is true tension when Mac and Danny (a wonderful combination for such scenes) are in the conservatory - the tension is cranked up both by Stella’s listening to them over the phone and the great music.
The scene at the concert was equally well done, although in a completely different way. Mac accepted Stella’s statement on who the bad guy was without hesitation. I totally love the little hand directions where Mac sends Flack and Danny after the bad guy. I also love that it was done very quickly and quietly with no gun play, proving once again how very good these people are.
The final scene where Stella chases down Martin is also great. I love the fact that there is only one shot fired. People who are good with guns don’t spray bullets everywhere. The music (again) makes the scene. Melina is perfect in her role. I so need a Stella icon.
As for the case itself - well, to tell the truth, I don’t watch the show for the cases. I knew that Martin was involved in the case - either as the original killer or the most recent one. However, I have the advantage of being a television viewer. He had too much screen time not to be involved. To truly give the viewers more suspense about who the guilty person was they would have had to develop another suspect and that would have taken screen time. Screen time I prefer to be used on the characters. In fact, in this case, I preferred less suspense over who the bad guy was because it added to the suspense of Stella being at the apartment. The cuts between Stella at the apartment and the interrogation were well done and built the tension well.
I did love the whole idea that Nova Kent couldn’t break her promise not to tell. There is a psychological truism in the fact that the fear and guilt of what happened would keep her quiet. I kick myself for not knowing that the flower card said “SSSSSHHHH” but when I saw it upside down I kept thinking the Ss were 5s. I have no idea why.
Thoughts on Mac: Mac looked very tired in this episode, the 3:33 caller is getting to him. I love that Gary is playing him stressed. I love the fact that he won’t talk about it - because he wouldn’t. The fact that he told Stella just proved two things: 1) he trusts Stella and 2) he knows he can’t lie to Stella. He is also completely incapable of talking about it after that. He avoids all her “Go home” comments and doesn’t mention it when the “3” appears on the crosswalk and distracts him.
Mac’s intense privacy is obvious in this episode. I was surprised to see that he involved Scotland Yard. I suppose, though, that he would have felt obligated to do so, since he was in a foreign country. It’s possible that Payton pressured him to contact the authorities; however, since Payton wasn’t in any of the flashbacks, it’s more than likely that Mac never told her about the calls. While that is completely in line with his character, it doesn’t bode well for the Mac/Payton relationship.
Mac was in black/very dark clothes the entire episode and those clothes were always very casual. Unlike the very contained Mac of suits and ties in the first season, I think the wardrobe speaks of a man who is much closer to the edge than the Mac we have seen before. I’ve always felt, with Mac, that his choice to dress in suits and ties was a defense. It was a physical reminder to himself that he chooses to be a scientist and deal with things objectively, based on evidence. However, we also know that Mac was a Marine. A Marine’s training drills instinctive reactions, pushes relying on gut-instinct and necessitates instant actions/reactions. These two opposing drives are what make Mac such a fascinating character.
We saw that duality of character most notably last year with the Truby/Dobson storyline, but there were hints of it when he dealt Darius, when he let the abused kid go in “Sweet Sixteen”, and the underlying passion he has when he deals with people like the Tanglewood boys. I’m really hoping that this 3:33 storyline pushes Mac more toward those Marine traits. I love Mac as the scientist, in suits and in the lab, but I adore him when he gets all Marine-y. Besides it makes for great storyline and give Gary’s acting a real opportunity to shine.
CSI:NY has become one of my favorite fandoms. I've long harbored a secret fangirl crush on Gary Sinise, add him to a crime show staffed with other characters I adore and make him an ex-Marine with all the lone wolf traits I love, and it's an all win situation.
I really liked "Can You Hear Me Now". I thought it was a solid start to the season which gave all the characters some screen time while still managing to set up Mac's 3:33 storyline.
The Mac/Stella scenes snapped. As much as I love Mac, I love him best when he's interacting with others and the relationship and trust between Mac and Stella is implicit in every scene. From the moment that Stella asks him what is going on when he first shows up to his complete acceptance of her pointing out the bad guy at the end, Mac shows how solid their relationship is. One of the reasons I don't ship (and don't want TPTB to ever ship) Mac and Stella is that their relationship -- as partners, as equals, as comrades-in-arms -- is such a rare one on television. I love the idea that these two equally strong characters can have such a strong bond of friendship in spite of the fact that one is male and the other female. There is no way that they can be shipped without fundamentally altering that relationship.
They did a wonderful job of showing the stress that the 3:33 plot line is having on Mac. And they do a great job of defining Mac's character in the flashbacks to him getting the calls. In less than 30 seconds of screen time you understand exactly the type of person Mac is: First call, he's sleeping; next call, he's lying in bed, but he's awake; third call, he's sitting up and is angry when he answers the phone. Not only is Mac not sleeping, but he's definitely letting his more aggressive Marine instincts take over.
The deaths were very... icky. Being embalmed with Pine Sol while still alive? Ew. Being drugged and tortured and having your tongue cut off before being locked in a drum? Also, ew. And just a tad creepier than I usually like. I did appreciate that everyone who was working on the case also thought that it was icky and you could tell that it was a tad creepier than they usually liked, too. I like it when my CSIs act like real people.
Speaking of acting like real people: I adore Adam. I know that there were a lot of people who were sad not to get any angst over Danny's hand injuries from last season's finale, yet while I think Adam who suffered also, I’m happy that they haven’t made that be a big issue for either character. I'm very happy that Adam isn't relegated to being only a lab rat and equally happy that, despite his background of abuse, he handles himself well. It's says a great deal about the acting talents of A.J. Buckley that Adam is such a believable character.
I felt that the relationship between Adam and Kendall was nicely set up. She is obviously as much of a geek as he is and they appear to be good friends. I didn't like their introductory scene because I hate the fact that pop culture seems to believe that it's normal behavior for people to wake up and not know whether or not they had sex the night before. I will forgive them because Adam was so cute with his "No, no no. Well, I mean I wish it were 'Yes. Yes. Yes.', but its no". It also helped that Kendall obviously wouldn't have minded if it had been yes (although, personally, I would want to remember).
I also thought they handled the "rivalry" between Adam and Kendall well. While it could have easily come of as a petty battle over turf and "lab supremacy" it instead felt more like a game - that they were two people who are very good at what they do and are happy to have someone around to challenge them to do better. Rather than being upset or mad that the other had done a good job or feeling hurt that they were "one upped", both seemed to enjoy the information that the other discovered. I get the feeling that both of them do a lot of "brain games" outside the lab and appreciate the talents of each other and the game they are playing. It was obvious that Stella enjoyed the competition between the two techs.
Speaking of Stella, she was wonderful in the episode. She was everything I like about her character. Like Adam, her past is part of her, but she’s not defined by it. After what happened with Frankie, it would be easy to make Stella hesitant, overly afraid or have her freeze or be trigger happy. Instead, they keep her character consistent: she is strong, quick thinking, confident and courageous. Melina Kanakaredes is terrific in the part, being both famine and dangerous/competent - a trick that very few actresses can pull off. She puts the pieces together quickly and doesn’t second guess herself. She walks right into the face of danger and deals with it with just the right amount of force and finesse.
I’ve very glad that she wasn’t “rescued”. Even though the rest of the team figured out what happened, they would have been too late if Stella couldn’t have handled it herself. It’s something this show does well - it shows how good the characters are without dumbing down the other characters. The easiest way to write someone as smart or strong or heroic is to make the other characters around them dumb or weak or helpless. This show never does that. In fact, this show can put its very strong characters in direct conflict with one another and have them come out looking equally strong no matter who was right. That’s a nifty trick on a television show.
I also like the action scenes that they put in. One thing that “Snow Day” proved was that these characters can handle action scenes. Danny has always been the go-to guy for foot chases - running across rooftops, jumping over fire escapes, tackling people in alleys. But all the characters look competent in action situations and the show films and scores them wonderfully. There is true tension when Mac and Danny (a wonderful combination for such scenes) are in the conservatory - the tension is cranked up both by Stella’s listening to them over the phone and the great music.
The scene at the concert was equally well done, although in a completely different way. Mac accepted Stella’s statement on who the bad guy was without hesitation. I totally love the little hand directions where Mac sends Flack and Danny after the bad guy. I also love that it was done very quickly and quietly with no gun play, proving once again how very good these people are.
The final scene where Stella chases down Martin is also great. I love the fact that there is only one shot fired. People who are good with guns don’t spray bullets everywhere. The music (again) makes the scene. Melina is perfect in her role. I so need a Stella icon.
As for the case itself - well, to tell the truth, I don’t watch the show for the cases. I knew that Martin was involved in the case - either as the original killer or the most recent one. However, I have the advantage of being a television viewer. He had too much screen time not to be involved. To truly give the viewers more suspense about who the guilty person was they would have had to develop another suspect and that would have taken screen time. Screen time I prefer to be used on the characters. In fact, in this case, I preferred less suspense over who the bad guy was because it added to the suspense of Stella being at the apartment. The cuts between Stella at the apartment and the interrogation were well done and built the tension well.
I did love the whole idea that Nova Kent couldn’t break her promise not to tell. There is a psychological truism in the fact that the fear and guilt of what happened would keep her quiet. I kick myself for not knowing that the flower card said “SSSSSHHHH” but when I saw it upside down I kept thinking the Ss were 5s. I have no idea why.
Thoughts on Mac: Mac looked very tired in this episode, the 3:33 caller is getting to him. I love that Gary is playing him stressed. I love the fact that he won’t talk about it - because he wouldn’t. The fact that he told Stella just proved two things: 1) he trusts Stella and 2) he knows he can’t lie to Stella. He is also completely incapable of talking about it after that. He avoids all her “Go home” comments and doesn’t mention it when the “3” appears on the crosswalk and distracts him.
Mac’s intense privacy is obvious in this episode. I was surprised to see that he involved Scotland Yard. I suppose, though, that he would have felt obligated to do so, since he was in a foreign country. It’s possible that Payton pressured him to contact the authorities; however, since Payton wasn’t in any of the flashbacks, it’s more than likely that Mac never told her about the calls. While that is completely in line with his character, it doesn’t bode well for the Mac/Payton relationship.
Mac was in black/very dark clothes the entire episode and those clothes were always very casual. Unlike the very contained Mac of suits and ties in the first season, I think the wardrobe speaks of a man who is much closer to the edge than the Mac we have seen before. I’ve always felt, with Mac, that his choice to dress in suits and ties was a defense. It was a physical reminder to himself that he chooses to be a scientist and deal with things objectively, based on evidence. However, we also know that Mac was a Marine. A Marine’s training drills instinctive reactions, pushes relying on gut-instinct and necessitates instant actions/reactions. These two opposing drives are what make Mac such a fascinating character.
We saw that duality of character most notably last year with the Truby/Dobson storyline, but there were hints of it when he dealt Darius, when he let the abused kid go in “Sweet Sixteen”, and the underlying passion he has when he deals with people like the Tanglewood boys. I’m really hoping that this 3:33 storyline pushes Mac more toward those Marine traits. I love Mac as the scientist, in suits and in the lab, but I adore him when he gets all Marine-y. Besides it makes for great storyline and give Gary’s acting a real opportunity to shine.