MCatry

I am a woman, married to a guy, with three living kids and one already living in our memories. So, hetero, but not really a Gubler fan. Lately the only character I like is Reid, but mostly because he is like the last piece of the original idea behind this to show, so in my mind he represents what is left. For me, Hotch Morgan and Reid were not only the bone of the show, but actually the flesh and the skin too. Both Prentiss and Rossi jumped in later, and although I liked them then, now after the grandpa and super spy thing, they are not my cup of tea. I only liked Garcia through the first two earlier seasons, and I just learnt to hate JJ since season 7 and despite the obvious toning down, I can't forget the 200. I don't know if the gay community would be pleased with the episode, but I am not. Among other things, the couple was written very poorly, and it wouldn't had worked in any kind of relationship.

Regarding the rainbows, it may be a cultural thing for many of you, because I just watched the entire episode without noticing them. Now that I read about it, I am curious. I guess that since I didn't know the significance behind those things, I just didn't read into those meanings you are stating here. Good to know, though.

And now dealing with the newest episode: 'Nice' beginning. Stereotypical dumb blond in high heels finding a body. Well, sort of. New guy 1 and new guy 2 plus Garcia, then Garcia ruining again the intro to the case plus the compulsory tablet ad. Now that I think about it, what happened to anyone else tablets? Quite a few have paper copies of pictures. Not environmentally friend,y at all. One copy, and then sharing is an option... Round table discussion is so monotonous I had to rewind it to pay attention the second time. It didn't quite work that much. Prentiss and Reid: nice intentions, but is it me, or Prentiss changes her voice as if she would be talking to a child? And of course, someone is killed and titles roll on now! Not even in the airplane scene can I have a break. Garcia is there. Bummer. I just heard the team distribution and woke up. Finally a police officer! Now I wonder if we will be seeing him again. Gubler talking to the kid while dressed as Reid, so nothing new. Why people exaggerate when talking to kids? New guy 2 and Rossi. I wonder if new guys 1 and 2 will be around for long enough that I may need to learn their names... New guy 1 and JJ. Nothing interesting per se. Hey! Reid on the screen being smart! With Prentiss! And of course they have to ruin it by dumping Garcia right in the middle. The couple scene: well, the only good thing about the whole thing was the short news on tv. Everything else, cheesy and boring. New guy 1 and JJ again. And the other lady. Good. I can press forward without regrets. Then, typical unsub time: too long, uninteresting, bad acting and loud sound effects. Again, new guy 1 and JJ. At least the police officer was there. Again the annoying guy that apparently keeps coming after leaving the Unsub, again. Prentiss and Reid with the victim's sister. A little bit boring. And Reid's line, not worthy. It was kinda dumb, and The woman was right. Somehow they deliver a profile, and now we are back at the unsub and the annoying husband who apparently forgot he wanted to use the toilet. The team is in trouble. They don't know who is the unsub, so they call Garcia. Now that I think about it, why do they bother delivering the profile? When was the last time someone other than Garcia (and rarely, another BAU member) finds out who the unsub is, where he lives and work and any other obscure data? So the unsub and his husband got together again. And husband forgot about the bathroom, since the unsub spent a long time cleaning the mess. And he is gone again. Please unsub: just kill him soon. But no. Yet another extended scene with boring dialogues, endless scenes, bad acting and unsub being unsub. Reid and the older lady taking pictures while the others say something innocuous and then more unsub. So, back to the team, again Garcia saving the day identify the victim in record time. So the name is Tara. I need to remember that. Victim complaining again and unsub just there. Boring... Reid not taking pictures because he has to call home to check how things are. Who cares if he accidentally misses the picture that could solve the case? The lady tells him the truth. He is not there. So, what's the point of Diana being at his home? Then again, that applied to Hotch and Jack, and applies to JJ and kids. Finally they got some witness! And new guy 2 plus Rossi doing the interview with the newest victim's partner which leads them to the name they needed, so Garcia obviously finds him in no time, address and everything. And again unsub and victim time. Can they be more annoying? I think I would rather hear Garcia. Well, she is back on the screen. Yep. I rather take Garcia. Rossi driving. I remember a time when he said he wouldn't drive. Look at him now... Driving around at high speed! Again unsub and victim. Please kill him now and end it all! But no luck. The only worthy thing about the whole scene was a tiny shot of Gubler's nice hair and profile. That's it. And that victim is so annoying it even ruins a Reid's scene. And finally, Prentiss and Reid. It all started ok, but then the thing about 'something more going on'. From that point Prentiss lines are rather weird for me, disconnected form what Reid just said. And the thing about 'it's difficult caring for family, but it takes tremendous strength to ask for help' line. I was like 'what that even means'? He asks for a few days off and she says that? It is not difficult caring for family. It is difficult to take care of a paranoid schizophrenic that has been institutionalised for years. And what about the help? When did he say something like asking for help? He said he would talk to the moms doctor. I couldn't be more proud? Who is she? Weird. They are both good actors, but the word choices and general lines were all wrong.

So I finally made some time to watch this episode. The intro was a little bit weird. That med school doesn't look really organised... Hugh... Too Gubler, little Reid. But at this point, who cares? New guy: I don't dislike him as much as I dislike the new muscle of the team. Luke something. But I hate Garcia with passion. My world would be so much better without having to hear her ever again. But no. They have to have her to give you the case info. Annoying, to say the least. Reid not telling the care giver about crazy momma? Not cool. And I still don't like his apartment. It is always nice to see Ms Diana Reid, no matter how crazy she may be, but I wish they would stop naming her Reid. William the husband dumped her so long ago that she should use her own last name. Airplane scene: I think it was pretty funny how the new guys got closer to get the gossip. Apparently that is interesting. At least more than other chatting that could have been going on prior Reid's call. And here is Garcia again. One cannot even watch Reid without seeing her right there! JJ interview: rather odd. The lady with crazy hair which I still can't remember the name and old Rossi at the morgue: those medical staff members are nowadays the only real contact with local law and enforcement... I wish they would cast more people to play police officers and less to play unsubs and victims. Back to the Reid's...for a smart guy, that's a pretty obvious place to 'hide' the vials. Other than that, I liked the scene. Prentiss and JJ working the case... Well, that is just wrong. I had a flashback of Hotch, Morgan and Reid. And now that guy I don't like. And victims shouting and being killed with high volume music background. Why can't they just find the bodies? No need to be so over the top... Two people I couldn't care less on the crime scene. Waiting for the scene to end... Back to the Reid's: I love Diana. Back to the police station without police staff around... New guy, boss and old Rossi cracking the case. Well, not really. That's Garcia's role. I wonder FBI pays so many high salaries to get the job done by one IT technician. Reid and that lady. Nice dialogue, but then again, Gubler's reactions more than Reid's. And there Reid goes again, lying to the carer. Not a smart move. The annoying muscle is now having a hunch. So he goes away to follow it, while Rossi and JJ go back at talking about Reid. The hell with the case. Well, up to when they are interrupted, because they have to work and deliver the profile. I wonder when did they discussed it... On a side note, Rossi's statement felt weird (eventually we become parents to our parents). Reid was parenting Diana since he was a child. Nothing new. Hey! Here they are! Police officers, with not a single line, not a word, and even screentime is robbed from them because they have to show the unsub. Again. Interesting thing that they didn't even wait to see how the muscle's hunch would lead to... And back to the unsub, and another stellar bad acted / directed scene. Could they be more obvious? No, they couldn't. So the muscle guy knows about soils. Ok. And Reid and Garcia (and of course they had to had her) working at the distance. One cannot watch Reid alone these days... So: they think sinkholes may be of some importance? Really? I wonder what was their first clue. Bathroom scene: finally some acting! Very intense and well played. Back to obvious unsub and obvious victim. Good thing it was short. New guy seems useful. At least he walks the precinct... While the oldies remain sitting somewhere in the police station. Scrapbook stuff: well, I find it boring, specially with the obvious insertion of Gubler's life again. But it could have been worst. Back to discussing the case: drawing a question mark? Really? Back in the old days they will write down characteristics of unsubs and victims and would have pictures of crime scene, instead of having nice pictures of victims looking oh-so-not natural. And here comes Garcia, interrupting to solve the case. Again: why do we need muscle, new guy, lady with crazy hair, grandpa Rossi, JJ and new boss? According to what I know about FBI salaries, we could easily save a almost a million dollars every year by cutting them down. Then the Reid's and another short good scene. And hen the ridiculous epiphany about sinkholes and hell and constellations and the geographical position of the next crime. That was even worse than Garcia fining the unsub picture and data. But hey: time is running, and they have to find the unsub before CM time slot is over. So. And of course, the victim is saved I'm the last minute and crazy unsub is stopped. Airplane final scene: besides the 'bad feeling' stuff, which I think it was mandatory because in this show JJ is the mom with special powers to sense stuff brfore they happen, what was Rossi drinking? On a governmental vehicle? Weird ending. But nice quote. On the bright side, Diana. Everything else, boring as an old sinkhole.

Finally catching Up with criminal minds... All I'm gonna say is I wish I could un-see this. ?

I liked Roxy. And that was pretty much what I found enjoyable from this episode. C'est fini.

Thank you ReidFan!

Well, I can't play the video. I may be in the wrong place, maybe? Anyway, and regarding Reid and mom 'fun story', I am willing to bet that after being half-healed from schizophrenia in season 9, and given the dementia as a new anger element in season 11, now they will find a cure for that. Because anything is possible for CM writers, except dealing with real feelings, real situations and real life issues.

https://mobile.twitter.com/LLPOS/status/788190303891050496/photo/1 Interesting. How things have changed in CM.

I wish someone would create a topic about Gubler. It's been a while since I read a Reid discussion here.

Wow. Once the only show I used to watch live, now I totally forgot about it. And the saddest thing is that after reading your appreciations on this episode, it seems I would waste nearly an hour if I decide to sit and watch this. After all, it seems I already saw all that was worthy: the dog (an obvious replication on Morgan's profile plus another obvious tool to make the newbie more likeable). Oh well...

Well, I finally sat and saw this episode. And then I came back here to read your comments. Since there are several comments that positively cover every point, I will only weight in on a few things: * First, I still hate the dressing code. Formal for the brains, t-shirts for the brawns, worn out jeans for grandpa Rossi who still can't accept he should be chasing ducks somewhere else, and eternally loud Garcia. * Incongruences in the script; nothing new on CM, but I read an article about the Kick incident a few days ago, and what I remember is that Gibson said to Williams something like 'a line didn't make sense with the previous lines he had already said', but the writer said the line would stay as it was written, because he needed it that way. After that, Gibson said he came back to the group of cast mates, and a few moments later the kick incident happened. Nevertheless, what I'm trying to state is that maybe even if you notice a mistake with your previous background story, if you are an actor it may not be your call to change what the writer wrote. So, maybe they all notice, but they play along because that's their job. * Third: I didn't like it much, but it wasn't terrible. It was just standard. * Fourth: I couldn't care less about the new brawn. And that stuff about his partner? Overused cop-tv trope. * This He is obviously a name in CBS, and hence he is credited at the end along with Gibson. I wonder how credits will be looking after the new and not so new additions. Think about it: most original characters are gone by now, and as much as I hate (well, HATE) Garcia's character nowadays, I could always use a little less of JJ and I wish for the moments when Gubler doesn't act as Gubler but SSA Reid, it is sad that any addition is always taking more attention from the writers, and placed in a higher importance position.

Thank you Normasm! It is good to be back, despite landing in these sad circumstances.

Hi. My outdoors campaign is over for this year, and I came back here to see what had happened throughout this 2016. Long story short: I spent some time in the wilderness without tv and limited Internet connection. So: I was prepared to sit down, grab a glass of coca cola with ice cubes floating on it, and watch some CM episodes, but first I wanted to see what was your take on the second half of the season. Imagine my surprise when I first googled for 'criminal minds' to find this website and the first article popped up saying that TG was fired, and that SM quitted, and that that guy from CSI Miami was replacing him. I immediately came here, and read several pages of this forum, trying to digest information at super speed, and I came up with an unclear picture of the current situation of the show. Here is my take on what I read: - I think it is a pity that both SM and TG are out. I always thought these two plus MG would be enough for he show, and they would have been my first choices for a real spin off. I used to whish for the CBS authorities to create a BAU for the west coast and sent this trio to California... (And I would read fanfiction about it, if available...) - I think that unfortunately the people in charge of the show production fails to understand that the success of this show lays in two aspects: the fascination of the public with crime (and that's the reason why Investigation discovery actually exists), and the cast ensemble. And even though you can ruin the stories with bad writers (we have numerous examples for this), that wouldn't even matter, if you keep people hooked with the cast, frantically hoping for better episodes. The changes in the cast have been anything but smooth, and yet, they insist on that strategy... - on the Gibson/ Williams incident: funny thing, but I don't quite understand most of your arguments. Probably because I am not American. On top of that, none of us know what really happened. Nevertheless, I am somehow stunned for what I read. For me, violence comes in both sides: verbal and physical. Some arguments say that Gibson may have some mental issues that he has to sort out. If that's the situation, I couldn't agree more, but I also think that people with mental issues is ill, and hence they cannot help themselves most of the time. Stating that Gibson should have known better sounds to me as unfair as saying to an obese person that the should stop eating too many candies, or saying a smoker they are weak because they cannot quit. For some reason, issues that come from the mind and mind control are perceived as will failures, when in reality they are diseases that are not as easy to control. I remember hearing a psychiatrist on tv saying that occidental societies are used to make fun of the crazy, mocking or laughing at them, but not many would laugh at someone missing a limb of being unable to see, but both are ill. Of course it is not fun to be on the other side, being kicked on the job, and that episode surely disrupted the whole crew, and not only the ones directly involved. It was necessary to penalise thr incident, but what strikes me the most is the way things are weighted in America: if you kick someone on the job, you can get fired, but then I read a news about a promotion in Rochester, New Hampshire, in which if you buy them a vehicle you can get for free either a 9 mm gun or an AR15 rifle... as a gift, and that's perfectly legal and fine. Is only violence when that gun kills someone? Same thing happens with other issues: for instance, a singer accidentally slips a breast out of the outfit, and she is condemned in every media, another socialite releases not pictures, and she is praised for it. They are basically showing the same stuff, but they are not treated the same. Nevertheless, what's done, is done already. Only time will uncover the truth, and reveal the fate of CM as a tv show. And sorry for the rant.

I assumed you worked with .sub files. Watching and writing down every script is a huge task. I bow to your commitment to your statistics. I know there are episodes I wouldn't watch again, not even if I was paid for...

Well, I just saw the promo. What I think is Reid acting as a dumb teenager, an annoying cliché 'blind date' situation, and a bomb issue that looks extracted from an NCIS episode. Of course, I guess it may look promising for Gubler fans. I, however, like Reid, the character, and that man on the screen resembled just Gubler. I'm so sorry about this, but I cannot share the generalised happiness of this forum...

I think the different reaction is based in the fact that Moore was hired to play a centric character, Derek Morgan, back in the old days, while JJ was a side character, with a different role. Both characters have changed, and it is true that both now play a bigger part than before, but after hours of sitting in front of the screen counting seconds of screentime, the winner is still JJ, normally after the guest cast. I see three basic problems here: a) The guest cast consistently gets more screentime, attention and development than the cast (Hence, we are always angry because there is simply not enough time for the characters we like) b) the focus of the show has switched towards action instead of psychology, brute force instead of intelligence and shooting/killing instead of reasoning. Hence, the most suitable characters to flesh that new approach are.... JJ and Morgan. c) Once this cast was someone like a pyramid, with a peak for Gideon and Hotch, a second layer for three profilers, and then a base with a media liason and a technician. Now this pyramid is inverted. The ones once in the base received long archs, or season finales, or are in danger, .... whatever,... the profilers are disappearing in the middle of the episodes (if not one, the other, but someone is always missing the end), and there is basically no 'boss' nor 'voice of the experience'. Hierarchy is important, but right now, it is severely lost in this show. I don't care what any actor/actress does outside the show. I don't follow them, nor I know much about their lives. Even if I would spend time following them, I would only know what the media want me to know. There is simply no way to theorize who is nicer, but at the same time, in the context of the show, that doesn't even matter. I agree with you that there is a lot of promotion about Morgan, but its just because he has, after all, a rather large active fanbase in social media. It is, indeed a lot larger than the AJ Cook fanbase. Regarding ratings, there are so many factors that may be contributing to the decline it is difficult to asses that one character should take the blame. Take, for instance, the latest trend: 10.8; 9.08; 9.08; 8.47; 7.64 7.79 8.51 (JJ returns) 8.14 8.75 9.27 (Reid's absence for three episodes in a row) With that data we could theorise that JJ's return attracted viewers, and that Reid's absence attracted viewers as well. But we all know that is not as simple as that. Other shows being broadcast simultaneously count too, as well as other events, and even other story lines. Not even quality counts when looking at the ratings. How many times a great episode had a low rating, and how many times we though a good quality episode pumped up the ratings of the next one?

I also finally got some time to kill, and I watched this episode. Boring. Annoying Garcia interrupting the screen far too much, specially when being in the same scene with people I really want to see and hear. Not interested in the dirty dozen, unless they kill Garcia. But that's not happening. Big Yawn.

1- Don't confuse JJ, the character, with Cook, the actress. Quite a few fans here hate JJ, not Cook. I don't know her, so I don't hate her nor care about her. 2- Quite a few fans here and there blame Messer and her creative decisions for the decline of the show, being one of them choosing JJ to be a prominent character, but also for her choices in the writing staff and her influence in dismissing all the canon the show had up to season six. 3- Writers: they haven't been there for 11 years. The writers staff for the first five years is not the bunch of people that write for CM nowadays (I don't think they deserve being called 'writers'). 4- I don't know what you mean when you said the anger towards Morgan/Shemar doesn't match the hate for JJ/Cook. What do you mean with "who has been doing the same thing since day 1"? Doing what? kicking doors? being part of the main cast? he was hired to do that, so he hasn't changed. Maybe that's why he doesn't get as many complaints, to say the least. 5- "... Hotch/Thomas (who also directs the show on occasion)...". Are you saying we should hate this character because the actor that plays him directed a few episodes? Directing an episode does give you some creative decisions about how to film a story, not to write it, design the dialogues, and choose characters to tell the story. When you direct an episode, you can choose the guest cast, (up to certain extent), and choose how to film the scenes, and with the writer you will also edit the final product. And that's it. So, again, why, according to you, should be angry with the character/actor to the same extent than the one you imply for JJ? 6- Gubler never wrote anything for this show. He directed episodes, and he also holds a filming school degree. Again, writing is not the same as directing. 7- "Prentiss used to bust down doors with Morgan"; True, but she did that since day one. She didn't turn into a ninja in half a year. 8- I think that currently the worst character is Garcia, and I totally blame the actress for the way she delivers her lines.

Oh, absolutely. But then she has to speak, and that's the end of the charm.

Maybe it's just because I am not American. I have this feeling that fitting all 'types of minorities' in every single show only emphasize the differences. I don't know. I am just not used to 'notice' there are not Asians in this show, or that there are not enough women in that other show, or that there are no regular female cast members, in another one, of there are just 'not enough black actors' in yet another show. I just don't count people like that, and I've lived in places where that is the norm. I don't understand why this is such a big issue in the USA.

Please. Lets not start all over again this thing about 'Kate evil pregnancy' and 'Saint JJ'. That horse was beaten to dead once, and that's more than enough. People get pregnant. Some decide to take a break, some decide to come back to work as soon as possible. Personal choices that are not linked with the show.

Messer is the show runner, so she is the boss, not the producers. Sometimes some writers write, and the others produce, and depending on the episode, those roles are interchangeable. Those are the members of the 'creative' staff who decided to forget almost everything CM was prior season six, and re-wrote a bunch of alien characters played by the same cast, but with altered personalities and even backgrounds. As a consequence, every single character has now a legion of haters. Every single one, not just JJ. Of course, depending on which forum you participate, you will notice a trend against one or another character, but all of them have their detractors now. What is common in most forum is the complain against the writers/producers and the show runner, for turning CM into a soap. This is one of these forums, so I don't get your 'nobody is calling them off'.

And if he was interested in Maeve's research, he surely would have seen her last name first, since that's how scientific papers are signed: by your last name. I wish I could forget how stupid Reid was written in that whole arc...

Normally the problem is HOW people say things, and not What's being said. If you ask politely, you won't be banned, and you may get rather interesting answers that will hopefully expand your view on the show and its features as an entertaining source. I complain a lot, and I criticise a number of aspects in the show, but I am still watching the show. Granted, its been over two years I haven't stayed up on Wednesday's nights to watch it live, and since over half a years don't even watch it right on the next day. So, to answer your original question: I keep watching because its a strong habit. I've been watching this show since 2005, so it's not easy to just drop it from my tv list. I keep watching because I absolutely loved the earlier seasons: the concept, the characters (all of them), the quality of the stories, the strong dialogues, the funny moments, ... Everything. I didn't even mind minor plot holes that were present back in the old days too. I keep watching because I miss my former CM show, and I still have a little hope that its characters will one day come back. Right now I am dissappointed. With the show, the writers, and even the cast. Hope is the last thing you can lose, they say. Maybe that's why I am still around. Plain hope