This episode was pitch perfect, and there were so many wonderful moments in it.
A couple of quick notes:
--Sheldon immediately told Danny he was attacked, but hedged when it came to telling Mac. I thought that was interesting.
--I love Sinclair. He manages to be the heavy, but yet I get the feeling that he really wishes he could deal with the world in the same way Mac does -- which is why, I believe he tells Mac about his wife leaving. Plus, it really shows how much he trusts in Mac's discretion when it comes to matters like this. He may feel that Mac would hold him accountable for covering up the harassment suit, but he has complete faith that Mac won't judge him about this. I really hope they develop the relationship between Mac and Sinclair.
--Not only did I adore Lindsey and what she did, but I can't wait for Flack to have his revenge. Ever since their banter/griping about "Laughing Larry" in "Child's Play", I've thought that the two of them play perfectly off each other. Of course, Flack plays well with *all* the CSI, it's great how he can fit in with all of them.
--I love how they are managing to write Adam and Sid into the scenes. Poor Sid -- first he has an allergic reaction, then he gets radiation poisoning and now he's fighting off intruders in the lab! The man is going to have to ask for combat pay pretty soon. I would pay all sorts of money to see Mac trying to teach him some self-defense moves.
The scene between Mac and Hawkes played out really interestingly, I thought. I was particularly struck by the "You didn't have to tell me" bit, and the line-reading given on that. It comes off as so wearily resigned -- Mac is sad that Hawkes feels he has to say that, but at the same time he knows *why* Hawkes feels he has to. And he's not happy about the reasons for that. It's a very interesting reaction, and one that continues to stick with me even now, almost a week after the episode aired.
And I'm really pleased by the way that Sinclair has been developed as a complex character in his own right, instead of just being a one-note antagonist for Mac. He's given honest and believable motivations, and he hasn't been depicted as 100% wrong in his arguments with Mac -- he has good points, as does Mac, and we can always see why he thinks a certain way, and why he makes the choices he does. This also allows for nice moments like their conversation at the end of the episode, where Sinclair is able to open up to Mac about the private troubles he's going through, and Mac is able to sit down and listen, and sympathize.
Finally catching up with the past two eps, and various people's thoughts thereon.
That 'I've got your back' scene was interesting, and I totally agree with everyone else's read on it - since I'm a big woobie for Danny and his issues with Mac, I thought the juxtaposition of Sheldon telling Danny what happened and then hedging with Mac and confessing to him about Pullman was interesting - we saw a fair amount of Danny/Hawkes bonding these last couple seasons, particularly with the ep where they went diving together and Danny saved Hawkes' life. Since the whole major split between Danny and Mac occurred back when Hawkes wasn't in the field, and he asked to be put into the field in the same ep where Danny was put on 'we'll see' probation in his relationship with Mac. Skip to the next season and we get Sheldon working closely with Mac and fitting into the team really well, with Danny and Mac very slowly getting easier with each other, leading up to Mac trying to clear Danny of murder, but failing, and the crucial bit of evidence being provided by Louie, which contrasts with Mac's much more in-your-face defense of Hawkes in the following season when he's framed in his turn, and poor Danny is sidelined in that investigation, despite his obviously strong desire to do more to clear his friend . . . all of which makes me think that Hawkes' need to both expressly *tell* Mac that he has his back, and to tell him about his interaction with Pullman, may have as much to do with the trust issues Hawkes has observed between Mac and Danny over the years, as it does with any (potential) problems he sees in his own relationship with Mac.
And I do think it's a huge deal with it's taken, what, 5 seasons, for Mac to explicitly say out loud to someone that he's got their back, and it's kinda played down as not that big a deal.
As always, the loyalty issues in the show are fascinating - in Mac himself, what with the difference between the Marines and NYPD implied code of 'leave no one behind and always have each other's backs' and how and when Mac explicitly follows this code, and how and when 'having someone's back,' or not, conflicts with Mac's loyalty (and it seems as much a need for him often, as a conscious choice) to the rules of science and/or proper procedure.
Sadly enough, for a man who has consistently said that he grew up longing to belong, who followed that need into the Marine Corps and then into the NYPD, he's pretty bad at making others feel like they belong on his team, that he values them. They get it, and as the past season and this one are emphasizing, that's an important part of their lives, and Mac's, but it doesn't seem to be a result of a lot of direct action or effort by Mac, more a byproduct of circumstance and their ability to read others, including their boss.
A couple of quick notes:
--Sheldon immediately told Danny he was attacked, but hedged when it came to telling Mac. I thought that was interesting.
--I love Sinclair. He manages to be the heavy, but yet I get the feeling that he really wishes he could deal with the world in the same way Mac does -- which is why, I believe he tells Mac about his wife leaving. Plus, it really shows how much he trusts in Mac's discretion when it comes to matters like this. He may feel that Mac would hold him accountable for covering up the harassment suit, but he has complete faith that Mac won't judge him about this. I really hope they develop the relationship between Mac and Sinclair.
--Not only did I adore Lindsey and what she did, but I can't wait for Flack to have his revenge. Ever since their banter/griping about "Laughing Larry" in "Child's Play", I've thought that the two of them play perfectly off each other. Of course, Flack plays well with *all* the CSI, it's great how he can fit in with all of them.
--I love how they are managing to write Adam and Sid into the scenes. Poor Sid -- first he has an allergic reaction, then he gets radiation poisoning and now he's fighting off intruders in the lab! The man is going to have to ask for combat pay pretty soon. I would pay all sorts of money to see Mac trying to teach him some self-defense moves.
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And I'm really pleased by the way that Sinclair has been developed as a complex character in his own right, instead of just being a one-note antagonist for Mac. He's given honest and believable motivations, and he hasn't been depicted as 100% wrong in his arguments with Mac -- he has good points, as does Mac, and we can always see why he thinks a certain way, and why he makes the choices he does. This also allows for nice moments like their conversation at the end of the episode, where Sinclair is able to open up to Mac about the private troubles he's going through, and Mac is able to sit down and listen, and sympathize.
Reply
That 'I've got your back' scene was interesting, and I totally agree with everyone else's read on it -
since I'm a big woobie for Danny and his issues with Mac, I thought the juxtaposition of Sheldon telling Danny what happened and then hedging with Mac and confessing to him about Pullman was interesting - we saw a fair amount of Danny/Hawkes bonding these last couple seasons, particularly with the ep where they went diving together and Danny saved Hawkes' life. Since the whole major split between Danny and Mac occurred back when Hawkes wasn't in the field, and he asked to be put into the field in the same ep where Danny was put on 'we'll see' probation in his relationship with Mac. Skip to the next season and we get Sheldon working closely with Mac and fitting into the team really well, with Danny and Mac very slowly getting easier with each other, leading up to Mac trying to clear Danny of murder, but failing, and the crucial bit of evidence being provided by Louie, which contrasts with Mac's much more in-your-face defense of Hawkes in the following season when he's framed in his turn, and poor Danny is sidelined in that investigation, despite his obviously strong desire to do more to clear his friend . . . all of which makes me think that Hawkes' need to both expressly *tell* Mac that he has his back, and to tell him about his interaction with Pullman, may have as much to do with the trust issues Hawkes has observed between Mac and Danny over the years, as it does with any (potential) problems he sees in his own relationship with Mac.
And I do think it's a huge deal with it's taken, what, 5 seasons, for Mac to explicitly say out loud to someone that he's got their back, and it's kinda played down as not that big a deal.
As always, the loyalty issues in the show are fascinating - in Mac himself, what with the difference between the Marines and NYPD implied code of 'leave no one behind and always have each other's backs' and how and when Mac explicitly follows this code, and how and when 'having someone's back,' or not, conflicts with Mac's loyalty (and it seems as much a need for him often, as a conscious choice) to the rules of science and/or proper procedure.
Sadly enough, for a man who has consistently said that he grew up longing to belong, who followed that need into the Marine Corps and then into the NYPD, he's pretty bad at making others feel like they belong on his team, that he values them. They get it, and as the past season and this one are emphasizing, that's an important part of their lives, and Mac's, but it doesn't seem to be a result of a lot of direct action or effort by Mac, more a byproduct of circumstance and their ability to read others, including their boss.
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