CSI:NY 502: 'Page Turner'--SPOILERS, and Fuck You, MADD

[laguera25]

odogoddess sent me this, and I really wish she hadn't because things like this piss me off:

Handicapped People Are 'Too Graphic' to Be Seen in Public

Honestly, I'm of two minds about this. No disabled person should ever be told they're too "graphic" and "offensive" to be in public view, and they certainly should never be ejected from public grounds to protect the delicate sensibilities of simpering able-bodies who don't want to be confronted with the frailty of the human body. If Rose Harn wanted to be at that fair and at that MADD booth, then she had every right to stay there. If folks didn't want to see the ugly consequences of drunk driving, then they should've given the booth a pass. No one was making them gawk.

However, I understand the concerns that her husband might have been exploiting her for his and MADD's benefit. I certainly wouldn't want my grieving, angry spouse parading my mangled form into public view for a cause if I hadn't consented, and if Rose can't talk, then the question of whether or not she consented is valid. I suspect she did consent through her blinking and hand gestures, but since her family is the only group able to read those signals, we might never know if Rose wanted to be at that fair in that capacity.

A giant, heaping "Fuck you," to MADD, however, you sniveling, spineless gaggle of mealy-mouthed cowards. You were quite happy to exploit Rose's condition when the sight of her furthered your agenda and generated the right kind of shock and unease, but as soon as her appearance generated the barest whisper that you might be exploitative assholes, you disavowed her and implied that your former affiliation with her might've been a mistake.

Really? Associating with a victim of drunk driving was a mistake? I guess only photogenic victims deserve to be heard.

And don't you dare trot out the "in the interests of her safety" routine. If her appearance was so disturbing that you feared the need for the riot police(and WTF, Idaho, on that score; a guy who looks like that peddles newspapers in front of a local grocery store, and we haven't had a riot in the ten years he's been there. In fact, "W" is quite popular, and customers often chat with him on the way inside. Self-control, if you please), no one was going to touch her. Wouldn't want to sully themselves with those dreadful cripple cooties, you know.

For the record, I suspect the MADD shill was exaggerating fears of the riot squad. The local newspaper account mentions no unrest or threat of unrest whatsoever.

MADD will never admit that, rather than support one of their most vulnerable volunteers, they panicked and chose to engage in survival of the most profitable. Fuck the lot of them, and I hope the Hearns sue them into penury.


Now, on to a happier note, namely last night's CSI:NY.

So, let me get this straight: Lindsay is pregnant and spends the day blithely traipsing around a lab exposed to radiation and thallium. Yes, I know she was decked out in a hazmat suit and that the exposure had been contained. I also know that Lindsay, ever swift on the uptake, has no idea of the magical bean Danny has planted.

But tell me right now why her inevitable spawn won't have three hands and two spleens?

Oh, that's right. Because a baby with a disability or a birth defect would be an unpleasant harshing of Tru Wub's pink glow(I also suspect TPTB are afraid of jinxing AB's real pregnancy, which I understand, bless them.)

My other huge quibble with this episode was the lack of Familia Hammerback. We know Sid has a wife and two daughters, so where were they? If my husband and father had been irradiated like a chicken gizzard less than a year after his near-death by pastrami, I'd be on him like a barnacle. Visiting hours might've been over, I guess, but then why is the entire male Nerd Herd plus Flack crammed into his room?

Boy, Flack, sucks to be you. You almost die and get Mac asking you to clean his conscience squeeze his hand. Sid almost dies, and Mac makes multiple visits. Even Lindsay rouses herself from her self-involvement to ask after him. Then everyone descends on Sid's room with booty. Guess blown guts isn't worth much these days.

The rest of the episode was pretty good. The one-case format has always been their strong suit, and that was on display here. The case was remarkably well-constructed, and for once, the twists were subtle and credible.

God bless Flack. Once again, we see his loyalty to the cops on the street clash with the reality that it is possible for those cops to be wrong. His immediate defense of the riot police hearkens back to his reluctance to believe Truby's guilt in "Consequences" or Moran's guilt in the "The Fall". It's a nice bit of consistency in an otherwise wildly inconsistent show. The reluctant resignation on his face as he looks at the knot on the victim's throat from the police-issue beanbag was heartbreaking. Here we go again, it said.

Happily, Flack was back on form by the time he met Lamo. His "Lame-o" crack was pitch-perfect, and I swear, I thought Melina was going to lose it for a second.

His kvetching at wearing the Hazmat suit was a bit over-the-top, but certainly not in Horatio Caine territory.

For what it's worth, Flack, I thought you looked hot in all that black neoprene. ~molests~

Maroon 5 was a waste of five good minutes, but the episode wasn't horrendous. It held my attention, which is more than I can say for most of the previous season. It's too much to call it win, but I'll settle for a push.

B