Mislav

Zugzwang is a frustrating episode in many ways, but it made me think that Matthew Gray Gubler and Michelle Trachtenberg would make good leads/couple in some Gothic horror-thriller. Especially if it was made (visually) in the 90s grunge style, like The Crow. I know most would suggest Aubrey Plaza, but we already saw her and Matthew play off each other on Criminal Minds (more often, closer to that way, unlike with Diane Turner), and they also both starred in Life After Beth.

We get it.

That's a yikes from me.

With all the political turmoil and controversies happening in the US recently, I wonder could some of it serve as an inspiration for a Criminal Minds episode. A protest turns into a riot, several people get killed, the forensic evidence and witness statements are inconclusive because there were so many people there, so BAU is called in to interview the suspects and witnesses and figure out who committed the murders and why (and were they premeditated or a heat of the moment thing). I don't want them to push any specific ideological message, of course (talk about cringey), just to look at the events from psychological and sociological/behavioral point of view. There are so many elements and problems that could be explored from that angle. Criminal Minds Wiki actually has some pretty good articles on some terrorist/insurgent groups/radicals from both the US and Europe. https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/The_Red_Army_Faction https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/The_Symbionese_Liberation_Army https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/The_Zebra_Killers Of course, the show has been cancelled, but I wonder will we get another Criminal Minds novel at some point. Or a collection of short stories? And though the topic is current, maybe it would work better with the original team. (Like pretty much everything else about the show.)

Very well said and I agree. I've been watching the early seasons and even the clothing/fashion looks much better. Everything in new seasons looks so dull, joyless and repetitive, including the characters' clothing and locations. But maybe that is just modern fashion in general, not specific to Criminal Minds. Maybe the 2000s really were the last heyday.

I still can't believe the headcanon is (according to the characters themselves and the Criminal Minds Wiki) that The Replicator was the one who called Reid at the phone booth and said "Zugzwang". It implies that a) The Replicator either stalked Maeve too, witnessed her get abducted and decided to call Reid (and if he did, he wouldn't have known where Reid was, because even if Reid and Maeve only talked at specific times of day, Reid used different phone booths), or b) that The Replicator just happened to call Reid right after Maeve got abducted by a completely unrelated unsub. And that call made Reid think that Maeve was in trouble, so he told the BAU and they started the investigation. Which would mean that Reid was right about Maeve getting abducted, but the call thar made him think that and raise an alarm was actually not connected to Maeve at all, and the two events just happened to coincide perfectly. That's one in a million chance. I'm still convinced that Diane Turner really did call Reid after abducting Maeve, and that she was the one who said "Zugzwang". And then the Replicator decided to use her taunt against the team later on. I mean, he had already been copying the murders that the BAU solved, might as well take up another unsub's taunt as well (especially since it had such a personal, painful connection to one of the team members). Not sure why nobody suggested that possibility, since it makes more sense than the Replicator calling Reid in the first place. I mean, the guy was, well, the Replicator... doesn't him adopting another unsub's taunt make more sense than him being the one who called Reid after Maeve got abducted in Zugzwang?

Yup, that's the one (the 1997 movie).

I'm surprised that Criminal Minds never did an episode based on/inspired by the movie Switchback. In addition to the plot, even the movie's format kind of fits an average Criminal Minds episode.

Teenage waiter is found brutally murdered in an alleyway near his workplace, having been stabbed multiple times in the face, chest, arms and genitals. The M.E. notes the injuries on his knuckles; the victim fought back. His watch, wallet and phone are intact, and so is the cash register, so the robbery obviously wasn't the movie. Forensics recover skin cells under his fingernails, as well as two long, blonde hairs clutched in his hand. They decide to take multiple blood swabs, in case the killer cut himself; or herself. They also find several bloody shoe prints; most of them partial, some of them complete (size eight). The detectives briefly wonder could the murder be some kind of brutal gang initiation. Since the victim was murdered on the shift, detectives interrogate the patrons. Witnesses say that the victim and a young blonde woman got into an argument over a bill. She appeared drunk and belligerent. She dragged him outside, and one of the customers went out a few minutes later and found the waiter in an alleyway, dead. The woman was already gone by that point. There are no security cameras inside the establishment or near by, and the suspect never got to pay, in cash or otherwise. Some of them remember seeing her in a bar a few times before, but say she kept to herself and they don't know anything about her, not even her name. Back then, she paid cash. Most of the customers say they could recognize the woman if they saw her again. Forensics bag the empty beer bottle left on the counter, rushing to process it for fingerprints and DNA. With that in mind, the detectives present the witnesses with the mugshots of recently released female felons. Several patrons identify the woman in question as 32-year-old Allison Morgan; a convicted serial killer. Allison was a prostitute convicted of killing and robbing two of her johns. She was initially sentenced to life in prison, but she was eventually paroled after serving ten years. She has been out of prison for less than a year. Fin notes that Allison's parole hearing was initiated by a sexual assault victims' advocate, who has assisted the SVU on multiple occasions. The detectives mull over Allison's case. Following her arrest in 2009 (she was caught after using the second victim's credit card at a casino, and the gun used to commit the murders was found in her possession), Allison claimed that she snapped and shot the first victim to death because he told her how he lost his virginity by raping his cousin, revealing that he had relived his crime while having sex with her [Allison]. (Though forensic evidence did indicate that the man was shot following a sexual intercourse, his cousin denied ever being abused by him.) Allison also claimed that she shot the second victim (murdered two weeks later) because he already had another prostitute (clearly underage) at his home, and wanted them to engage in threesome. The girl panicked and fled following the murder; Allison didn't know her name or anything else about her. (Though foreign female DNA, that definitely wasn't Allison's, was found on the crime scene, there has been no match in CODIS or missing person's database, and the authorities have been unable to locate the alleged girl.) Allison also said that she started carrying a gun for protection, a month prior to the murders, after one of her johns brutally beat, raped and robbed her. She provided a detailed description of the alleged attacker (that closely matched to one of the registered sex offenders living in the neighborhood), and even led the police to a truck stop bathroom where the attack allegedly took place. But once again, there was no forensic evidence corroborating her story, and she couldn't positively identify the prime suspect as her attacker either. Allison also claimed that she was a victim of long-term physical and sexual abuse as a child (which was documented). Back then, those claims didn't do Allison any favors with the judge and jury. But after a decade in prison, she heard about that activist and wrote her several letters, eventually convincing her to look into her case. The woman apparently advocated on Allison's behalf and probably even pulled some connections, finally getting her a parole hearing and convincing the board that there was more to the case, and that Allison deserved a second chance. Finn sarcastically notes how Allison first claimed that she merely found the gun and the credit cards at the side of the road, and only changed her story when she realized it wasn't getting her anywhere. They also discuss how the MeToo movement attributed to Allison's case being "reconsidered". The team wonders is it possible that this whole thing is a case of mistaken identity. However, preliminary forensic reports show that Allison's fingerprints and DNA were found on the beer bottle from the bar. Allison is arrested, and her house and car are searched. It is clear that her car has been scrubbed clean with bleach, and detectives also find remains of burned clothing in a fire pit in her backyard. The M.E. estimates that the murderer is between 5'8 and 5'10, reasonably strong, and right-handed, which is consistent with Allison. The murder weapon was most likely a common switchblade. Benson and Rollins interrogate Allison. She admits to getting in a fight with the waiter, but maintains that she backed down and left without killing him. She says that somebody else must have come along later and murdered him. She has a cut on her palm, but claims she hurt herself while making breakfast. Her shoe size is eight. Rollins pulls out a wipe and tells Allison to remove her make-up; she does, after some hesitation, revealing fresh scratches on her face and neck, as well as a black eye. After a short but awkward silence, Allison shrugs and says: "Like I said, we fought." The DNA analysis eventually proves that the skin found under the victim's fingernails and ripped hairs found in his hand both belong to Allison Morgan. Some of her blood is also found on the crime scene, and the victim's clothing. And despite her efforts to clean up, some of the victim's blood is found inside her car and the shower drain. When confronted with the evidence, Allison admits to killing the waiter. However, she claims she only attacked him after he pushed her, causing her to fall over, and started approaching her, which triggered a traumatic flashback. She says she still suffered from mental illness after being released from prison, but didn't seek help out of fear of being institutionalized. She claims she fled and tried to cover it up because she thought that "nobody would believe her", and that she carried a switchblade for protection (as a convicted felon, she couldn't legally own a firearm). The activist who helped Allison get paroled shows up at the precinct. She says she feels guilty over advocating for her release and that she wants to help, if possible. Fin and Rollins tell her that the killer has been caught (again) and that there is nothing she can do to help them. She is stuck talking to Olivia. Carisi decides to charge Allison with murder, arguing that "stabbing somebody over twenty times can not be manslaughter, let alone self-defense"; and self-defense doesn't apply to people who initiate physical confrontation anyway. The victim's father is OK with Carisi seeking the death penalty, but the mother maintains that her son would not want that, putting Carisi in a tough spot. As a preparation for trial, Dr. Huang interviews Allison, and concludes that she is most likely guilty. He points out that her constantly blaming others for her actions and refusing to take any kind of responsibility is a typical characteristic of a psychopath. However, he also warns the DA that the jury may not see it that way. The team decides to question Allison's former cellmates in order to get a better understanding of her as a person. Allison had three cellmates: one of them doing time for armed robbery and attempted murder, second one having been incarcerated on a drug charge, with the third one serving a life sentence for killing her boyfriend and the woman he had been cheating on her with. Allison's first cellmate died of an OD a few years ago, but the other two are still alive. Cellmate #2 claims that Allison seemed meek and withdrawn, and didn't talk about her crimes much. At one point, she said that she "did something bad because she was scared". The woman admits that she and Allison slept together, and says that she would give Allison half the money her family would send her. However, cellmate #3 says that Allison bragged to her about killing two people, and even described how she made them beg for their lives before shooting them to death. Dr. Huang is not surprised by the contradiction. He explains that, when Allison shared a cell with a woman convicted of a minor crime, she figured she could manipulate her and, in turn, use her (which she did), so she would put on an act to seem non-threatening and relatable. When she shared a cell with a cold-blooded killer, she dropped the pretenses. However, he points out that the defense could make an opposing argument; that Allison stayed her true self around a minor offender that was clearly non-threatening, but when she had to share a cell with a convicted murderer, she would put up a front. Despite their conflicted accounts on Allison's character, both women mention the same thing; Allison kept a diary while in prison. However, neither of them got to read it, and they don't know where it is now. The search of Allison's house, car, and even her former cell reveals nothing. When the detectives ask Allison about the diary, she claims that she burned it shortly after being released from prison, because "she didn't need it anymore". But they feel that she is not telling the truth. As the trial starts, the SVU desperately tries to find the diary, or at least a part of it, hoping that an insight into Allison's private thoughts will finally prove is she a victim of tragic circumstances or a cold-blooded killer. Loosely based on real-life cases of Aileen Wuornos and Jack Henry Abbott.

I know that SVU is the only Law & Order on the air right now, so they have to find a way to incorporate any possible L&O plot into it, but they've really been pushing the definition of a "sex crime" lately. And by "lately", I mean the last ten seasons and more. "Victim got killed by a mail bomb. One of the shrapnels hit him in the groin. Could be a sex crime, better call in the SVU." On more than one occasion, they have mentioned how overworked they are, how they have to investigate multiple cases at the same time, how sex crimes are underprosecuted etc. You'd think they would be more than willing to turn the case over to Homicide when it turns out that the crime wasn't sexually motivated after all. But no, once they start investigating, the case is theirs until the end, no matter which direction it takes. Maybe that will change with Law & Order: Hate Crime, but considering that those crimes are even more specific and rare than sex crimes and child/domestic abuse cases, I'm not holding my breath. Also, they have mentioned that it can take years for rape kits to be processed (which, to be fair, is a real issue). But whenever their team/squad is on the case, all forensic evidence is processed in a matter of days, or even hours.

They should revive Criminal Minds a few years from now, with the original cast, and just pretend that everything past season nine finale never happened.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Medium finale had the same problem/plot hole. And it was also horrible (for many reasons other than that one, obviously).

Yeah, none of those were really snuff films. By definition, snuff film is a recording of murder specifically made and distributed for profit and/or entertainment purposes. Also, happy (belated) Halloween to everyone!

I recently rewatched 3x1 "Doubt". Some fans finds that episode hard to watch, because it is pretty much Gideon's last (he appeared in "Scared to Death", but only briefly, at the end). But it really reminded me of what was so great about Criminal Minds, what made it work, and why later episodes suck so bad. 1) The case, albeit interesting, was fairly straightforward and grounded in reality. The basic plot was explained during the opening scene in a few short lines (college girls being stabbed to death on campus), and the show built it up from there. 2) The team actually used profiling, rather than using random guess work and Garcia's magic computer. And the profiling actually made sense and didn't rely on huge leaps of logic and unlikely assumptions. [The unsub targets a certain type of victims. And he stabs them to death; very violent and personal method of murder. They must be surrogates for someone. There are no defensive wounds on any of the victims. He either subdues them somehow, or they know him from the campus, so he can easily get a drop on them. The murder that happened while the suspect was in custody must have been a copycat, since the perpetrator only emulated the case details that have been revealed to the press. And since the unsub in the first four cases showed remorse, he wouldn't have sent a letter to the police taking credit for the murders.] 3) Garcia was only in a few scenes, and she couldn't just pull up everything with her genius computer skills. She flat-out says that some things will take a while for her to dig up, and some she simply can not access. And when they go to arrest the unsub (who is at work at the time), they ask the campus staff to pull up his scheduled. 4) They actually demistified the profile a bit, pointing out how it is not always accurate and that there can also be more than one person who fits the profile. 5) Great music choice, both in the opening ("Wolf Like Me") and at the end ("Wait").

I'm surprised that "Criminal Minds" never did an episode centered around snuff films. I know that they are an urban legend (most of the time, anyway), but it's not like they didn't do much less realistic cases later on. "CSI" did an episode on that, but not "Criminal Minds". There is a great movie about that topic too, "8mm".

When I think about it, I can kind of see MGG starring in (and possibly also writing/directing) a reboot of some old, dark, campy mystery anthology series, such as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". (And I don't usually like reboots/remakes.) Possibly even with the rest of the Criminal Minds cast. I can imagine Matthew starring as a young, quirky, go-lucky gambler in a reboot of the legendary episode "Man from the South" (woman in this case); with either Beth Riesgraf or Michelle Trachtenberg portraying his girlfriend, Aubrey Plaza portraying a crazy (but supposedly rich) girl from the bar who wants to cut his finger off if he can't light his lighter ten times in a row without failing, and Joe Mantegna starring as a jolly, slightly eccentric bar patron who agrees to serve as a referee for their bet. And at the end, Paget Brewster or Jeanne Tripplehorn shows up in a role of Aubrey's girlfriend (or mother, or... supervisor of some kind) to end the bet, right after the eighth try. Once everything is over, his girlfriend pulls out a cigarette and Matthew's character goes to light it; his lighter fails to ignite.

LOL Joe Mantegna recently tweeted a link to a Looper article titled: "Gideon vs Rossi: Who do Criminal Minds fans like more?" Love that guy.

Just leaving this here... https://youtube.com/watch?v=VTx0egqqehU

Man, this Wikipedia summary of Spencer Reid's life (on the show) sounds just sad and almost pathetic. It starts out OK: "Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), supervisory special agent (all seasons) Reid is a genius who graduated from Las Vegas High School at age 12 and holds Ph.D.s in mathematics, chemistry, andengineering as well as bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and sociology and, as of season 4, is working on a B.A. in philosophy. It has been revealed that he has an IQ of 187, can read a dizzying 20,000 words per minute, and has an eidetic memory. Most of the members on the team are intimidated by his profound knowledge. He is habitually introduced as "Dr. Spencer Reid" in contrast to the other agents, who are introduced as "supervisory special agent". The purpose of this, as explained by Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner in the pilot episode ("Extreme Aggressor"), is to create a respectable first impression of Spencer, deflecting judgments about his age. His mother, Diana Reid (Jane Lynch), suffers from schizophrenia and is currently committed to a mental institution." And then... "In season 6, Reid starts suffering from cluster headaches and when doctors can't diagnose why, Reid thinks he might be in the early stages of schizophrenia himself. Reid takes SSA Emily Prentiss' death very hard and, when it was revealed the death was faked, was distrustful of both Prentiss and SSA Jennifer Jareau (who helped in the cover-up) for some time. During season 8, Reid becomes involved with a woman who was being stalked. In the episode "Zugzwang", her stalker ultimately kidnaps her and kills her, devastating Reid. In season 11, he is deeply affected by Derek Morgan's decision to leave the BAU, but understands and supports his reasons. Initially Reid had a crush on JJ, even going as far as taking her on a date to a football game. As the series progresses, their relationship becomes more of the brother–sister kind, however they confess feelings for each other in seasons 14 and 15, but nothing ever becomes of it, due to J.J.’s marriage and children. Morgan and Reid maintained a brotherly relationship and Morgan refers to Reid as his "little brother" prior to his departure in season 11. Spencer is also the godfather of Jennifer's son, Henry, and Derek's son, Hank. In season 12, Reid is himself arrested and finds himself in prison for the back half of the season." And, as icing on the cake: "In season 15, he gets another girlfriend, Max, but she only appears in two episodes (Episode 4 & 6). He also has a flirty relationship with serial killer Cat Adams, starting in season 11. It is obvious she has feelings for Spencer, though it is never made clear whether he also had feelings for her, or if he simply flirted to get her to reveal her plans." It just goes to show how much the writers and showrunners cared about his character... not. Especially in later seasons.

Wow, a lot of time has passed. I apologize for the delay, many things got in the way. Cliche excuse, I know. I did watch the series finale soon after writing that comment... and I hated it. I just never seemed to get around to writing everything down. But now I did. My thoughts: • Like other posters have pointed out, it made no sense for Foyet to appear in Spencer's nightmare as a personification of evil. I could see Tobias Hankel in that role, or Cat Adams, or even Diane Turner, but why Foyet? That only served to remind us-once again-of Hotch's absence, more than anything. • Well, at least they tried when it came to that aspect. Since either none of the old cast members were available, or willing to return, and there wasn't much time anyway, the best they could have pulled off was Reid going down the memory lane while in a coma, and use flashbacks (well, scenes from old episodes) and few old cast members willing to return. So, at least they tried, they didn't just ignore the past completely. But still... it just didn't work. Putting lipstick on a pig and all that... • And yes, there is no way Spencer wouldn't have gone for a check up after surviving that explosion... they could have simply had him lose consciousness and be rushed to the hospital as the result of the explosion and end the episode there, then reveal that Everett Lynch survived at the beginning of the next episode. Having Spencer seem fine at first and then collapse at the end of the episode was a cheap shock effect. Yes, it gave him an opportunity to deduce that Lynch faked his death before [Reid] collapsed, but he never got to share that finding with the team, and they found out the next morning after the DNA results came in anyway. • Interesting how the explosion caused by Everett Lynch killed six FBI agents, causing Emily to consider to resign. Kind of like the tragedy that caused Gideon's mental breakdown prior to the show. I wonder was that intentional. • How can Reid's mother make medical decisions on his behalf if she suffers from schizophrenia and Alzheimer's? Again, the writers could have easily had someone from the team be in charge of that, and still have Spencer's mother pay him a visit at the hospital. • In his coma dream, Reid says that the last time he saw Gideon was over twelve years ago. So... in early season three, before Gideon left? Reid didn't even pay him a visit in seven years before his [Gideon's] death, not even once? I find that hard to believe. • Why was JJ, of all people, the one to keep Everett Lynch at gunpoint during his meeting with Rossi? She is a sniper now too? I almost LOLed when I saw her up there. • How on Earth did Krystal let Everett Lynch into the house? He was hardly even disguised! She must have known what he looked like. • Literally *none* of the previous cast members made an appearance in the finale? Seriously? Sure, we saw Strauss and Maeve, but they were never a regulars. At the very least, Morgan should have been there. Shemar Moore already made two cameos since his exit, so I find it hard to believe that they couldn't have gotten him on board. • Not only that, but Maxine doesn't even get a mention in the finale, let alone an appearance? And though I like Rachel Leigh Cook, and her character did have some chemistry with Reid, I don't know... I said this before, I think that an actress like Amara Zaragoza or Emily Swallow would have been better choices to portray Reid's love interest. But in the end, his love interest wasn't included in the finale anyway. • After all that, Rossi still doesn't retire in the series finale? Really? Had the show ended a few seasons ago (and it really should have), I would have been OK with him staying on the team, but come on. At the very least, he should not be out in the field anymore. I have a hard time buying Rossi (who would be, at the very least, 68 years old by now) chasing suspects around while brandishing a gun. No disrespect to Joe Mantegna. If they really wanted to center the finale around Everett Lynch, the show should have ended with Rossi's retirement party, without all that ridiculous Garcia drama/lovefest. That would have also been a good opportunity for Morgan (and maybe even some other former cast members) to make an appearance. • And WTF was that with Luke asking Garcia out? They have no chemistry and it came out of nowhere. It is not like it can even go anywhere, since it was literally the last episode of the show. Not that I want to see it, of course. That seemed like something straight out of a bad fanfic... like most of the last few seasons, I guess. • Also, that speech Emily gave at the end? About how Penelope taught them that change can be a good thing? Yeah... no. Out of all the characters, Garcia may be the worst example of change ever. Not just on "Criminal Minds", but in the history of TV shows. I know that Erica Messer is delusional, but that almost felt like rubbing salt in the wound. There were literally only three things that I liked: • seeing Maeve again • nobody got killed off • and I guess blowing up the jet in the final episode was kind of neat, albeit very unrealistic, and I don't think I ever really saw the jet as the character of its own (Impala from "Supernatural", sure, but the jet...?) Really, the whole Everett Lynch arc was very unsatisfying, dragged out, and not interesting at all. If they really wanted to have a memorable and formidable villain for the final season, they should have put in more effort. A lot more effort. I know that it is difficult to come up with new ideas after fifteen years. For example, one of my ideas for the final season/arc was for the BAU to deal with a serial killer targeting serial killers. Basically, the unsub targeting other unsubs the team had captured over the years. Starting off with the ones who have been released from prison or mental institution by now, and eventually even progressing to infiltrating prisons and mental hospitals in order to kill them. And, preferably, using their own M.O.s against them. Killing them the same way they would kill their victims. The idea was that the unsub is a thrill killer who has been killing people under the radar for years, eventually escalating to more and more risky behavior with increasingly shorter cooling-off periods. But he never gets caught. After a while, he gets bored of it all, and takes it to a whole new level, seeking out the ultimate thrill; targeting other serial killers. Predator preying on other predators. Like in that movie, "Suspect Zero". In my opinion, that would have been something interesting, exciting and fairly original. Still unrealistic and contrived, of course, but at least there would have been some effort and creativity there, and it would have given them an opportunity to actually visit old, beloved cases and bring some old characters (both the unsubs and team members) back. In the end, I doubt I will ever rewatch any of the new seasons. Ever. (By that I mean anything past season 10, maybe even season 9.) Not just because the cases are almost all terrible, which they are. I've covered that many times before, and I have no desire to repeat myself. But also because... and I know this may be unfair and unreasonable... because seeing Luke and Matt on the screen makes me want to throw up. I know it isn't fair. I've got nothing against the actors, of course. And the characters themselves, albeit poorly written, are not bad people, obviously... but I just can't stand them and they disgust me to the core (yes, hyperbole, obviously). I actually didn't even mind them that much at first, but I really grew to despise them as the time went on. In the end, the whole thing was such a bitter disappointment... "Criminal Minds" finale should have been about, well, "Criminal Minds. And Matt, Luke and Tara (though I don't mind her as much) definitely aren't "Criminal Minds", and they never will be. Unfortunately, neither were Spencer and Emily, at least not completely, not after what the show turned them into. Garcia definitely wasn't a part of the "Criminal Minds" anymore, more like a cringey nuisance. And the final unsub, that came off as a villain from a slightly more ambitious (and ridiculous) Lifetime movie, was anything but worthy of even appearing on the show, let alone being the focus of the series finale. So many wasted opportunities... I'm done. I like to pretend that the last five or six seasons never happened.

First of all, happy Easter to everyone! I wish you the best. And now, I've been putting off watching the final episode for a while... I guess it is about time that I do it, but I have a feeling that I will hate it. Oh, well...

Yikes.

Where was Max?

And if they kill off Reid in the final episode... that would just be the lowest of the low.