| Main Character: New York | |
 | |
| Name | Danny Messer |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Father Mother |
| City | New York |
| Job | CSI |
| Rank | Detective 3rd Grade (s1)[1] Detective 2nd Grade (s1-s7, 8x5-s9) |
| Specialty | Trace Evidence |
| Status | Alive |
| Portrayed By | Carmine Giovinazzo |
| First Appearance | MIA/NYC NonStop (CSI: Miami) |
Daniel "Danny" Messer is a New York Crime Lab detective. Detective Messer’s specialty is trace evidence analysis, meaning he primarily works in trace and material analysis. In the backdoor pilot episode (“MIA/NYC NonStop”), his specialty is clearly demonstrated with his skill in cyanoacrylate fuming, which is a forensic method used to develop latent fingerprints on non-porous surfaces.
Personality
Danny tends to follow his intuition, as opposed to the evidence itself; a fact that has caused him to butt heads with Mac on several occasions[1]. He also has great sympathy for those who commit crimes of passion in an act of revenge. [citation needed]
Due to the many problems he has in his personal life, Danny's job performance often suffers; drawing many reprimands from Mac. [citation needed] This occasionally manifests itself in his appearance being less than professional on the job. Despite this, Mac knows that Danny could be a great detective if he could separate his personal life from his job. [citation needed]
Danny often ignores the advice, including strongly worded advice from his mentor Mac Taylor. Danny's efforts are enough to keep him on Mac's team despite this tension.
Danny normally has a calm and composed demeanor, though he will occasionally "go off" on a suspect, or become upset when his personal life issues surface. He also keeps a good sense of humor, often making jokes to lighten the mood. He also occasionally joins Flack in making humorous comments when talking to suspects.
Background
Danny grew up on Staten Island, having had many brushes with the Tanglewood Boys. As a result of his brother Louie's actions on a night in 1991, the two have had a rocky relationship. Louie had been involved in a brutal beating, apparently his initiation into the Tanglewood Boys. Since that night, Danny has developed his code of ethics, and it is clear that the experience deeply disturbed him.
When Danny was 10 he and his father got into the wrong gypsy cab and were subsequently beaten; causing his hatred for gypsy cabs ("The Dove Commission").
Danny played baseball since he was seven. He went from little league to college and even had a stint in the minor leagues before he broke his wrist ("The Closer").
After graduating from the Police Academy, Danny was snatched up by Mac Taylor, who saw in Danny a very promising detective. When Mac hired Danny, Mac was told that one day he would realize that the hiring was a mistake ("On the Job").
He has an uncle who manufactures awnings in Queens, as mentioned to Sheldon Hawkes in The Fall.
Backdoor Pilot Episode
TBA.
Season One
Mac tells Danny that he is coming up on his three‑year mark, which means he’ll soon take the exam to become a Detective Second Grade. When Mac assigns him to lead a case, he expects Danny to bring solid, provable evidence, not just gut instinct.[1]
Danny is assigned to lead a high profile diner shooting ("Outside Man"), Danny is given his first major opportunity to lead a case as the CSI in charge. The case is extensive, with a crime scene that spans from the basement to the main floor of the diner. Danny arrives at the scene and immediately aks Detective Flack, “Hey, Flack, can you ask these guys to preserve the duct tape on the vics’ hands? And the bags.” As Flack goes to pass the message along to the EMTs, Danny jokingly quips, "Use gloves, okay?" adding a humorous reminder. Mac observes Danny's actions with a mix of contemplation and approval. Walking through the crime scene, Danny immediately suspects the crime must have been an inside job. Mac quietly observes Danny. After Flack has walked Mac and Danny through the scene, they regroup upstairs, where Aiden Burn joins them. Mac officially puts Danny in charge, stating, "Danny, you're in charge. You're three years in. Promotion to second grade doesn't come easy." Danny and Aiden head downstairs to begin processing the scene. Aware of the gravity of the case and the situation in front of them, Danny remarks to Aiden, "This would be the deep end we've been thrown in", to which Aiden replies, "Copy that". Before they start to process the crime scene, Danny sets the tone for their work, instructing Aiden, "All right, we process together, we double-check each other, we move out from the center, starting here with the bodies." Back at the lab, Danny and Aiden construct a detailed 3D model of the diner crime scene, complete with replica models of the victims placed in their discovered locations; this meticulousness showing Danny's dedication to solving the case. As the investigation progresses, Danny finds a crucial piece of evidence that breaks the case wide open. Reflecting on his discovery, he quips to Aiden, "Next time I say a case is in the garbage, remind me of this moment", blending his humor with his knack for uncovering even the small details. During their interrogation, when their suspect, Luis Torres, denies being at the scene, Danny confronts him with a sharp and confidence statement, showcasing his ability to break down a suspect's lies. Danny leans in, "Listen to me. Criminals are like animals, you leave tracks, we find them. That's what we do. Like flowers, like casings, like duct tape, like bags. They all put you at the scene." Aiden backs him up, pressing the suspect further. The episode concludes with Danny in the lab reviewing his 3D diagram and evidence, lost in the details of his case when Mac enters. With clear respect in his voice, Mac commends Danny and his work, "I read your preliminary report. Good job, Danny." Danny then nods as Mac watches as approval, "Your on the promotion grid".[2]
After breaking his wrist in a fight as a young man, Danny left his growing baseball career, and entered the NYPD Police Academy, graduating first in his class (The Closer).
He is temporarily removed from the promotion grid (meaning he must wait to be reinstated, and then wait for the next examination schedule) after being accused of shooting an undercover police officer, Detective Third Grade Rodney Minhas in the subway (On The Job).
In Crime and Misdemeanor, Danny and Aiden work a case during which he catches Aiden behaving flirtatiously towards Officer Lilly, the first officer on the scene, and, back at the lab, teases her about it. Aiden tells Danny that he's cute, but she's way out of his league, which he takes in good humor.
Season Two
Almost a year after an episode featuring a case that involved the Tanglewood Boys gang ("Tanglewood"), Danny was implicated in a 15-year-old cold murder case. Louie was severely beaten by the gang and left in a coma after attempting to prove Danny's innocence. With Mac's help, Danny eventually cleared his name, thanks to a taped confession from the real killer ("Run Silent, Run Deep"). Louie's condition is still unknown, though it is widely presumed that he is still comatose.
Season Three
Danny takes it upon himself to trade shifts with Lindsay Monroe taking her place to assist lab tech Adam Ross at a warehouse crime scene. When he arrives, he is taken hostage and held along with Adam by Irish mobsters who hope to use the situation to distract the NYPD while others of their clan break into the lab to retrieve a huge cocaine seizure from earlier in the day. Danny is badly beaten during his captivity (taking a total of 4 blows to the head, one to the spine and having his left hand broken), but with Adam's help, manages to take down their captors in time to be rescued by the officers gathered outside ("Snow Day").
Season Four
In Season Four, a boy named Ruben whom Danny is friends with and also lives in his apartment building is shot accidentally during a robbery of a bodega. Ruben had been in Danny's care at the time and Danny hadn't known he was shot. Danny blamed himself for Ruben's death. Danny ends up telling Ruben's mother what happened, who later steals his gun to find the man who robbed the bodega, who had recently gotten off parole. Flack goes looking for Danny, who had been following Ruben's mother, Rikki, trying to get back his gun. Danny and Flack split up and find both Rikki and the man who robbed the bodega. During this time, Danny reveals just how badly he blames himself by telling Rikki it's his fault, and if she should shoot someone it should be him. Danny punches the robber of the bodega out of anger, but that isn't brought up again. Flack gives Danny the ultimatum of either turning Rikki in for stealing a cop's gun or doing it himself. Danny ends up bringing her in, but she gets off for unknown reasons. Flack tells Danny he has to stop blaming himself for Ruben's death. Danny replies, "How?"
Season Five
Anna Belknap's real-life pregnancy inspired the storyline in which Danny learns that Lindsay is pregnant with his child in "The Box".
In The Triangle, Danny expresses concern over the baby's health and asks Lindsay to marry him. To his surprise and disappointment, she declines. Later, after the case has wrapped up, he presses her about her unwillingness to marry him. She explains that she merely feels that it is the wrong time and that she wants to get married for the right reasons. Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Danny then tells Lindsay that he loves her, which she reciprocates. They then go see Mac together to break the news of the pregnancy to him.
In Green Piece, Danny expresses concern when Lindsay offers to help at a crime scene. and they talk about her upcoming trip to Montana to see her family. Later on, Danny talks with Mac about Lindsay. At the end of the episode, Danny takes Lindsay, who is protesting that she needs to pack for her trip the next day, to city hall. Under the pretense of meeting some friends, he brings her to the city clerk's office. He reiterates his feelings for her and asks again Lindsay to marry him. This time, Lindsay agrees. The friends turn out to be Mac and Stella, who witness Danny and Lindsay's wedding. The vows are read as a montage of the couple's history, from their first meeting in Season 2's "Zoo York" to "Forbidden Fruit", which is shown.
In Point of No Return, Danny is forced to kill a crime scene suspect in self-defense. After he returns to the lab, he begins to understand the gravity of his new life; he looks in the mirror and realizes that he came close to getting killed himself, which would have widowed Lindsay and left their baby without a father.
In "Communication Breakdown," Danny spends a great deal of time throughout the episode picking out possible names for the baby, which he assumes will be a boy. When Stella posits that the baby could be a girl, Danny is skeptical, pointing out that his mother had only boys, and that Lindsay has three brothers. A text from Lindsay soon after proves Stella right; the baby is a girl. In "Greater Good", Lindsay, now back from Montana, goes into labor in the lab and has Adam take her to the hospital. Hawkes rushes Danny to the hospital to join his wife, who gives birth to a baby girl. Though they disagree initially on the baby's name (Danny wants to name the baby "Lucy," but Lindsay prefers "Lydia"), they do agree that they would like Mac to be the baby's godfather. Mac accepts. The following episode, "Grounds For Deception," reveals that Baby Messer's name is Lucy. Danny and Lindsay bring her to the lab, where their coworkers fuss over her. Danny becomes protective of Lucy when he sees that one of the co-workers is male and Lindsay says that Lucy "adores him".
Season Six
Having been shot during the Season Five finale, Danny finds himself confined to a wheelchair. He eventually recovers fully and becomes able to walk again after some physical therapy.
While receiving acupuncture, Danny's badge, wallet and dog tags are stolen from his locker. He discovers the dog tags at a local pawn shop but has no lead as to who pawned them. A fingerprint is found on the dog tags which leads Danny to discover Shane Casey is the one behind the theft.
In the season finale Danny, Lindsay and Lucy go on a vacation. While visiting a lighthouse, they meet Shane Casey. He tells Lindsay and Lucy to leave because his fight is not with them. In the end, Shane falls off the lighthouse. Danny tries to help him, but Shane lets go after saying, "Don't worry, Messer. I will."
Before the episode ends, Lucy is crying, and Danny wakes up, and as he gets to her room, he finds a smiley Shane holding Lucy. Then the screen goes black and a gunshot is heard, leaving Danny's status a mystery ("Vacation Getaway").
Season Seven
In the Season 7 premiere, it is revealed that the gunshot heard in the last episode was fired by Lindsay, who came into Lucy's room with her gun and shot Casey, killing him instantly. She was then honored for her bravery.
In the Season 7 finale, "Exit Strategy", it is revealed that Danny has taken, and passed, the sergeant's exam.
Season Eight
As the season begins, Danny is training rookie officers as a Patrol Sergeant. In "Officer Involved" he was framed in a IA investigation by one of his trainees who lies saying Danny told her to cover up the fact that she killed an innocent man by accident. The officer, Cooper, sticks to her story, but Lindsey can get her to see reason and she admits the truth before Danny would've gone before IA with Mac's backing. Danny's active status is restored, but the fact that he trusted his rookie cops and one betrayed him causes him to decide to go back to the Crime Lab with the people he knows he can trust. As a result, Danny gives up his promotion and officially returns to the Crime Lab two weeks later.
Season Nine
During Season 9 Lindsay tells Danny that she is pregnant again and that Lucy is going to be a big sister. Later on in the season, the baby is revealed to be a little boy.
Appearances
| CSI:NY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | # | |
| Season 1 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 23 | |
| Season 2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 24 |
| Season 3 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 24 |
| Season 4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 21 | |||
| Season 5 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 25 |
| Season 6 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 23 | |
| Season 7 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 22 | ||
| Season 8 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 18 | ||||||
| Season 9 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | N/A | 17 | |||||||
| Total | 197 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CSI:Miami | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | # | |
| Season 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | N/A | 1 |
| Total | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quotes
- Danny: Robospanker? Somebody actually makes these things?
- Danny: (To suspect) You just made me do two things I really hate doin'; running, and leaping. Turn around, put your hands behind your head.
- Danny: Let me ask you somethin'. Do you have any hereditary disease in your family?
Lindsay: (laughs) No. Do you?
Danny: No, no, no. Mental illness?
Lindsay: No.
Danny: No? How 'bout addictive tendencies, extra fingers, extra toes?
Lindsay: No.
Danny: No? Natural delivery or, uh, drugs?
Lindsay: Uhh... either.
Danny: Want a boy or a girl?
Lindsay: Healthy.
Danny: Will you marry me?
Lindsay: (Long pause) No. - Danny: So, you wanna tell me why you won't marry me?
Lindsay: I didn't mean I won't. I just think it's the wrong time.
Danny: Wrong time? The wrong time, or the wrong guy?
Lindsay: Danny, I know I've thrown a lot at you, and we're both feeling really overwhelmed, but whatever we do next, I want it to be for the right reason. Wouldn't you rather walk down the aisle, than be pushed?
Danny: Of course.
Lindsay: Okay, good, so listen. I'm not goin' anywhere, and I know you're not goin' anywhere either. Okay, but this isn't just about you and I anymore. So, let's just take baby steps, 'kay?
Danny: Okay. Sure. Look, before we go inside I wanna tell you one more thing, okay? I just want you to know that I love you.
Lindsay: I love you too, Danny. ("The Triangle").
Trivia
- Danny can throw a fastball of 88 miles per hour. (The Closer)
- Danny can do magic tricks. (Who's There?)
- Danny wears his watch on his right wrist, even though he is right-handed.
- Danny has a friend who let him borrow a dog. (Not What It Looks Like)
- He carries a Glock 17.
- Danny has a habit of saying "Boom!" whenever he finds a key piece of evidence or figures out a link for cases.
- Danny is placed in charge of a case for the first time, marking an important milestone in his career as a CSI (Outside Man).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "A Man a Mile", Season 1 Episode 5.
- ↑ "Outside Man", Season 1 Episode 6.