Perhaps the time that I think Mac crossed the line the most and almost made me dislike him was when he confronted Flack extremely aggressively and basically said he wanted to beat him up in one of the Compass Killer episodes. Even though Flack had a drinking problem and screwed up big time, Mac was still over the top. Also Mac seemed to forget that Flack didn't work for him. Flack isn't a CSI, he's a homicide detective. Mac is not his boss and had no business treating him that way. Imagine if Grissom talked to Brass that way Horatio talked to Frank like that. They just wouldn't do that, and if they did, Brass or Frank would've punched them in the face. Flack However had no problem with someone who wasn't his dad or his boss threatening him and telling him what to do. I wanted to punch Mac then. Frankly the only male NY regular who wasn't ever treated like crap by was Sid.
I think Mac was just angry at Flack for going a-wire without telling anyone, he pretty much shut himself away from everyone else those past few months and just put on a brave face for everyone, and it was affecting his work. I doubt Mac really wanted to punch Flack, I think it was all just angry talk, sometimes people do say things they don't mean to when they're really angry. And yes even though Flack does not work under Mac, but he is still Flack's friend and he cares about Flack as a friend, he was worried and that's why he was so angry at Flack. I don't blame him for shouting and unloading his anger at Flack, I think that's what Flack needed to open his eyes and get himself together. And it worked, sometimes people just need a good anger lecture to wake them up and get them back on track. And Flack was back to his old usual normal self after Mac gave him that lecture, so to some extent Mac really helped Flack to get back on track. If Mac had not did what he did, who knows how long Flack would've continued down that destructive path.
And Flack respects and looks up to Mac as a father figure, or at least an older brother figure, and even though Flack is technically not part of the CSI team because he's not a CSI, but the team still regards him as a member of their team. And Mac cares about Flack just as much as he does with everyone else on his team.
Mac treats his team as his friends and he cares about them, this is why that sometimes when they do the wrong thing or have a problem that's affecting their work, he won't hesitate to tell them off about it. It's because he cares, and sometimes yes he will say some really mean things or threaten to hit them when he's angry, but sometimes some tough love is needed to get the message across, and he has NEVER actually hit any of his teammates, at least it was never shown, so we can only assume he never did...it's all just angry talk. Heck, sometimes I would say things I don't mean when I'm angry, I've threatened to punch my own siblings a few times when I was younger, but that was only when I was really angry at them and didn't mean it, and I never did actually hit them, it was all just angry talk. And I still say some horrible things I don't mean when I'm angry, I'm sure many other people do too.
Another aspect of Mac's personality that I love is that he doesn't hesitate to tell people exactly how he feels, no matter who he is talking to. He is honest with his feelings and opinions, and will say exactly how he feels to whoever it is, no matter if it's his teammates or his superiors, he is not afraid to challenge and go up against his superiors and powerful people. And I love that quality about him. Mac is no-nonsense, doesn't take crap from anyone else, and is not afraid of his superiors and authority figures, if they get in his way in his investigations, then he will not hesitate to tell them exactly how he feels. I love how Mac is almost always at odds with his superior Sinclair (who IMO is your typical authority jerk), he doesn't let Sinclair's authority intimate him and would always tell him exactly how he feels. I also love the part when Mac was under investigation by Sinclair and another detective and Mac fought back by threatening to expose their own secrets & mistakes. I also love it whenever Mac challenges the cocky media mogul Robert Dunbrook.
But at the same time, Mac also doesn't let his ego always getting in the way of his judgment, sometimes he would still admit when he's wrong or when he's conflicted, such as when he confided in Stella about his involvement with the daughter of a murder victim (forgot her name) who craved his attention. Mac admitted that he wasn't sure what to do with her...he knows he is not perfect, he knows he doesn't always have the answers, and he knows when he's wrong sometimes or when he's conflicted, and he would still confide in others (often to Stella or Jo) of his problems, he is aware of his weaknesses too.
Overall, Mac is still my favorite, to me Mac is the perfect balance of different characteristics, he can be compassionate and caring, but he also doesn't hesitate to be tough and strict when he needs to be, and is not afraid to oppose authority and powerful people, and he doesn't let people intimidate him so easily. He gets the job done and will not hesitate to be brutally honest with people no matter who they are. And sure he can be a bit hypocritical sometimes and that's one of his flaws, but the reality is that we live in a hypocritical world, hypocrisy is everywhere, everyone and anyone can be hypocritical, even I can be hypocritical sometimes to be honest.
I like Grissom too but I don't think he showed enough emotion & empathy, and Caine is a little too egotistical to me even though I know he's a good person deep down, but his egotistical antics annoys me sometimes.
Mac is definitely my favorite, for me he's just a great balance of compassion and toughness.
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9 years ago
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ScrystaLz
9 years ago
well Mac has his own ways of doing things and you might not like how he handles some situations, but if it gets the desired result, then why not? I do think there are other ways, perhaps better ways of handling certain situations like what happened with Flack, but the important thing is that in the end Mac still was able to talk sense into Flack and really helped him to get back on track, as long as it worked, I have no problems with how Mac handled it. Because his rage-filled actions and lecture produced results, Flack was back to his usual normal self almost instantly after Mac blew the gasket on him, and that's what matters IMO, as long as Mac's actions worked and Flack was better and back on track, I have no problems. Sometimes aggression and force works, and is needed to get the job done. And anyway, Flack didn't seem all too hurt by Mac's aggression, in fact, he actually thanked Mac afterwards for talking sense into him and apologised to him for his reckless behavior, which shows that Flack was appreciative for what Mac had done for him.
Yes, sometimes Mac did let his frustration get the better of him and behaved aggressively towards his team when he lost his temper, but it's because he cares about them, that's why he takes things so seriously. Sometimes his teammates do get a bit too personally involved in certain cases, and that always worried Mac, because if they get too involved in a case, sometimes they're more prone to acting impulsively and recklessly and that could jeopardise a case. He really does care about his team and really wants them all to do their best, and do the right thing and not get into any trouble, which is why sometimes he lost his temper on them whenever they had done the wrong thing, or compromised the investigation somehow, or acted impulsively, done things they shouldn't have behind his back or lied to him, but he has good intentions though and always has his team's best interests at heart, that's why he's so strict on them too.
I remember Mac has only ever lost his temper once with Stella, Flack, Danny and Adam, I think he lost his temper once or twice with Hawkes, but never with Lindsay, Jo and Sid. So I don't think he was aggressive towards his team that much, it almost seldomly happened, it only happened occasionally and mainly when his teammates got too personally involved in certain cases. But most of the time Mac has treated his team with compassion and support, he's only strict and aggressive when he feels he needs to be because he cares about his team.
Of course you are entitled to your own opinions, if you dislike how Mac handled certain situations then that's your opinion. I personally don't mind how Mac handled things though, sometimes he's very strict and can behave aggressively towards his teammates, but he has good intentions when it comes to his team and always had their best interests at heart.
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