I Think I Need a Support Group

[bunchofgrapes]

I watch because I love Paul Guilfoyle and he's still on the show. The show, however, has become a giant turdball due to the horrific writing and Brass, when he is in the episode, barely has anything to do. This season they "wrapped up" the Ellie arc in a thoroughly shitty way but hey, these current writers haven't figured out how to write Brass since around season 10. They also pay no attention to what's been written for these characters in prior seasons so all of a sudden we get Brass coveting his ex wife as "the only person he ever loved". Really? I seem to recall she was the second coming of Satan to him in previous seasons. They also tried to make all of the marital issues Brass' fault, blaming all his "affairs" as the reason his ex slept with another man and got pregnant with Ellie. Seriously? I was happy to see Paul front and center because man, he always brings it, but that was so convoluted, it mostly negated the entire Ellie arc.

So when the news came on Monday that the producers told Paul they weren't renewing his contract and the season 14 finale would be Brass' last episode, I was both angry and sad. I'm very angry at the way they've treated Paul. He gave 14 years to this show. He was one of two last originals (yes, Jorja, Eric, and Doc were originals but they either weren't in the 1st episode or they were recurring), he took a cut in episodes to save the show some money, and for his effort, they basically gave him two weeks notice. How kind of them.

I'm sad because I enjoyed watching CSI. It was the only show that I still watched live and I'm sad for that loss going forward. Mostly, though, I'm sad for the loss of one of the best characters and character actors on TV. However, this weekend I watched a couple of old episodes from season 6 and I see how the current Brass is a shadow of the old Brass. Paul does the best with what he has but he doesn't have a lot. These writers can't write the dialog and it's obvious that Brass misses his old sparring buddy, Grissom. I can't say I'm optimistic that they'll give him a proper send off either. Sounds like the episode was already written when they told Paul and the writer writing the finale is the same one who wrote "Forget Me Not", the episode that has rightly angered so many GSR fans.

So yeah, I think around the 7th of May, I'm going to need a support group. I leave you with pics of Paul's final day on the lot, courtesy of Shane Saunders.

Paul and Larry Mitchell. Two tough guys.

Paul and Shelli Bergh. I admit it, I'd love to be Shelli here.

Paul, Shelli Bergh, and Larry Mitchell. Paul is smiling but his eyes look a little red. This has to be horribly hard for him.

I have to say one positive from this is that it has inspired me to write. I want to keep Brass alive and I feel like I still have a lot of stories to tell. I only wish I had more time to write.

Comments

[cincoflex.livejournal.com]

As a fan who hasn't watched since Grissom's departure, I'm not sure I can say anything comforting beyond the fact that your bullet points about Brass are dead-on, and that I feel Paul is being shafted his due. The man's been a rock-solid player on this show and his character deserves more than many others in terms of a good send-off.

Write, please--he's got a lot of untold stories and I know you can do him and them justice!

((hugs))

[bunchofgrapes]

I now understand how all the Grissom fans felt when WP left but at least WP left on his own terms. I read an article recently where PG said he had contemplated leaving either before or after season 10. I wish now he had because maybe then they would have given him a proper send off. This just sucks on so many levels.

I've got one WIP that I'm determined to finish. Not sure if there are any Brass fans around any more to read it but who cares, right?

[la-dame-du-lac.livejournal.com]

By chance, I saw a trailer on French TV for what was the finale of S13 and first ep of season 14. I'd seen a few CSI eps on and off and hadn't found them that bad, but they were one-off cases. I decided to watch this even after I read the spoilers and found out Paul was leaving and Ellie was the killer.

It sounded bad already in summaries, but wow the character assassination. Not just the Brass-and-his-wife thing (last comment I remember was "fast, cheap and open 24/7, like my ex-wife") but Ellie also. She was a troubled girl, yes, she was into cons and drugs and prostitution. So all prostitutes/drug addicts/troubled girls are at risk of becoming psychopathic serial killers, yes? So much hate.

I was very sorry for Paul to have to deliver such trite, overused lines as "only love of my life" and "I'm dead already". He put in a good effort, but the scene was such an amalgamation of cliches and bad writing that I just couldn't feel anything. And that's very sad.

Also, I didn't realise they were booting him off. I thought it was his decision, and finding out he's actually being pushed out makes me even more unhappy. I just hope he finds roles that will allow him to use his enormous talent. (I would say, and that his death is not ridiculous, but who am I kidding?)

[bunchofgrapes]

Yes to everything you wrote, but especially the character assassination! That's it exactly! The last time we saw Ellie, she showed that she cared about her dad and she was clean. Okay, I can maybe buy the prostitution again but where did all the hate come from? And the last comment you remember is the same one that has always stuck with me. What's really sad is that the line about Ellie "killing the only person he ever loved" is recycled from at least two other episodes. I've stuck with this show because of Paul but it really has been dreadful, seeing what they've done to Brass.

As for his send off, I'm hoping that because his departure was so abrupt, he's going to ride off into the sunset (and straight to L.A. to be reunited with Annie Kramer) and not end up dead. But like you, I'm not optimistic.

[inamberclad.livejournal.com]

Great photos, but I most certainly feel that bittersweet vibe emanating off of them. I also agree, PG should've left on his own terms. The last few episodes that I did watch failed to click with me as a CSI fan of old. PG obviously put his all into each scene and I applaud him for that; it's just the writing of his character made it feel as if he was just an accessory.

Here's to hoping he does get a proper send off. Although, the cynical side in me can't help thinking the writers will end up pulling some of their shenanigans.

[bunchofgrapes]

When you compare the old Brass (seasons 1 - 9) to this new Brass, there's just no comparison. PG definitely gives it his best but it's just so obvious that after Grissom left, they had no idea what to do with him. What's worse is the way they had him butting heads with Catherine. It was like the writers completely forgot that Brass and Catherine were friends - and sometimes flirty friends at that.

I read an interview in a UK magazine where PG said he considered leaving either before or after S10 but he stayed because he wanted to keep providing for his family. I wish now he would have. At least then it would have been on his terms.

[tos-lover.livejournal.com]

The last ep I saw was this season's premiere. Awful.

The writing has been on the wall for the past few seasons with lesser lines and lesser quality when he did get a word to say. He should have left on his own terms and not waited to be asked to leave like the last guest at a fun party. This is what disappoints me.

I'll join your support group!

[bunchofgrapes]

OMG, it's you! I'm so happy to hear from you!

Paul/Brass was excellent in the season premiere but apart from him, it was awful. There was so much WTF that it mostly killed the episode. And don't get me started on how they trashed 9 seasons of Brass' history. As I told inamberclad, he mentioned in an interview that he considered leaving either before or after S10 but stuck around so he could continue to provide for his family. I wish he would have left then because it would have been on his terms.

I'd love to see him get a part in a good show not on a regular network (not The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones though) but before that, I hope he does some theatre in NYC. I'd be on a train up there in a New York minute.