JMO

Watched the sneak peeks for tonight's episode, and I'm already confused. We're told Prentiss has other things on her plate, yet she's at the case discussion, giving orders. Does JJ only serve as 'acting unit chief' in the field? If so, that would, to me, make the passover of Rossi and Reid even more suspect. It feels like there's something specific to it being JJ who is named as acting unit chief that is important.

Well, there's the episode, and then there's the ending. The episode----had promise, until the mastermind behind the ingeniously encrypted messages, hidden inside the corpses of his victims, turned out to be an angry young manchild who we had no reason to believe was any kind of genius at all, let alone able to encrypt those messages in the first place, nor certain that they would be found (unless he watches Criminal Minds). I could not follow JJ's approach to him in the interrogation room, so may have to watch that part again. She said something about being able to relate, and then pushed the kid on the father's cheating and I thought, 'are they really going to go there with Will?' But they didn't, at least not yet, so I still don't know why she related to the situation. I usually love when Reid is able to display his skills, but it took all of about 30 seconds for him to do his thing this time, so there was no suspense at all. The ending felt so hurried and nonsensical that I couldn't help but hear the director shouting---"Hurry up! We have to get to the JJ thing!" The JJ thing----the only thing I can come up with is that, for whatever plot is being hatched, Barnes considers JJ the least able and most malleable. She has generally been the one who does what she's told, so maybe she's the easiest to manipulate. I do like the idea of Barnes as the mole, but would have to create a whole backstory about why she used her 'moliness' to go after Reid. Or maybe this is something Barnes and Emily hatched together to draw out the mole, while the BAU is more vulnerable under weaker leadership? Or, considering AJ's #jeid hashtag that created much speculation (unless she meant #jemily and mistyped---she doesn't post all that much), maybe JJ and Reid will band together to save the day. Regardless, the first 30 minutes of the episode were okay. But when it came time to drawing the story together, they lost me. If the point was to draw out a social media response, I guess they've had some success.

Sure do wish they'd let him stretch his acting wings again this year.

I think that's why they ended up having to highlight his friendship with JJ. The situation begged for a special someone torn up about him in prison, if not exactly pining away. Since they've kept him as a loner, who else could fit the bill? (Please don't say Garcia---just, no.) I wouldn't be surprised if the series ended, this year or next, or whenever, with a hint of Reid heading toward a romance, and if they make us wait for it all that time. That way, they 'satisfy' the fans (in their minds only), but don't have to actually depict the relationship.

Ignoring the inconsistencies between the scenery (full summer NYC foliage) and the outfits (knit hats and overcoats), I thought it was a reasonably good episode. Random thoughts: It was interesting to have Tara offer the lychanthropy diagnosis, instead of Reid, highlighting her psych expertise. I thought the profile evolved more smoothly and sensibly than it has in a long time. I really don't care for Simmons, and not just because he's number eight. Garcia showing up to Luke's blind date was just weird and inappropriate. The Roxy misunderstanding thing has now been used twice. It was only new once. Several times now, including in this episode, the extent of Luke's knowledge has surprised me. He's a pretty bright guy. (So was Morgan, until he became 'the muscle'.) I guess they weren't going to give us anything on Reid (fallout, extracurriculars, Mom) in an episode with a Luke focus, but they'd better hurry up!

Still haven't watched this one, but I agree. In fact, I would rather see those small snippets woven throughout, even if we didn't get a full episode devoted to it. It would serve all of the characters involved, and their relationships. Just a check-in, 'How is it going?' or a statement or action that seems out of character for Reid, and makes one of his good friends reach out to him. Why does it feel like we're begging for crumbs?

We've already had several preemptions in the fall, then Reidless episodes, now a preempted month of February (Annber is correct re: Olympics) and the likelihood of more Reidless episodes, and I feel like I'm still waiting for Season 13 to start, even more so because of the 'barely there' nod to Reid's ordeal last year.

The show is so accommodating to MGG that I'll be surprised if he leaves before it sunsets. Many of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of fallout for Reid from last season's trauma. I'm hoping the quiet changes and world-weariness you noted are not the extent of it. To some degree, I wonder if the show's accommodation to the actor contributed to some of the differences visible in the character this week. I haven't gone back through social media to research it, but I think that MGG was on vacation for part of the filming of the episode, accounting for Reid's being absent for more than half of it. It might also have limited his prep time, so that we got MGG playing sensitive Reid without having fully entered back into the Reid character. I did like his scene with the daughter, but it was not the kind of scene we usually see for Reid (making it harder to get back into character), and I also felt that he came across more as a middle school guidance counselor than as Reid. I know it always takes me at least a few days to get back into work mode after vacation. Maybe it does for an actor as well, especially if they are joining filming already in progress. Even if MGG stays until the final episode, I hope Reid gets an appropriate farewell arc.

It will sting for a good while, and it may not feel like it will ever get better. All you can do is put one foot in front of the other, take care of your reponsibilities, and grow away from it. You won't even realize when the sting fades, until you're already there.

Norm is right, HG. How you experience your life is going to be determined entirely by you. Things will happen, for good or for ill, but what you let them do to you, and whether or not you move forward, will be your choice. But sometimes you are too close to something, to take in the whole of it. Let some time pass, and look back. Perspective is a great teacher.

Was there something serial about it, before the cop was killed? The BAU was no closer than the rest of Quantico. Made no sense to me.

So many questions--- Why was the BAU involved? Why was Garcia planted at the hospital? Other than being a 'message episode', was there a point to this story? And, until more than half-way through, where was Reid?!! He. was a most welcome sight, and I sort of enjoyed his scene with the daughter. I thought AJ did well holding down the episode.

I feel the same way about the episode. I watch it with my finger firmly on the fast forward button. I don't mind the JJ/Garcia scenes, as I like both of them in this episode. But I only enjoyed the flashbacks for their curiosity factor, and am not inclined to watch them again. And absolutely nothing about the unsub was palatable, including the scene where Rossi killed him.

Rossi had a few good lines, something about the"'unsub trigger hall of fame", "I specialize in mood adjustments" and, most importantly, "I just spoke to Reid." I do like the gray on him. That was pretty much it.

Glass half full, Annber! Sadly, I'm back to work today. Fanfic will seep out slowly.

I've lost track. Is tomorrow's episode Reid-less?

WE TV is running their new weekly Saturday marathon. Just watched Elephant's Memory. I love this episode from top to bottom. The exposition on Reid and Morgan, Reid's determination to save Owen, at all costs, the relationship between Hotch and Reid---love, love, love. It's one of a handful of episodes where they use the team member's identification with some aspect of the situation to reveal more about the team member, without being heavy-handed or concrete. Love.

For me, The Fisher King, especially part two, has such a campy feel to it, that it seems like it was always meant just to be enjoyed, and not to be taken seriously. The logic issues are huge and endless, and yet it's so much fun that it's one of my favorites. I think MGG was outstanding in showing us a Reid who was simultaneously excitable and burdened, and Jane Lynch brought the perfect amount of brittleness to Diana's personality. Absolutely none of the episode made sense, and yet I enjoyed it immensely, for all of the reasons you have mentioned, JenJen and Annber.

I don't think Haley married a workaholic. I think she married her high school sweetheart, the 'worst third pirate', whose work ethic wasn't visible to her, back then. I doubt either of them had any more of an idea what marriage would be like than any other couple starting out so young. We can probably all point to stories of both success and failure in similar circumstances. As to having a child---I don't recall if we were told whether they'd been trying, and dealing with infertility, or if they'd simply decided to postpone having a family. Were we? I'm curious as to what makes you think Haley changed the terms of their marriage.

I've always sympathized with Haley. I don't remember learning whether she had her own career or not, so I don't know if she gave something up to become a parent. I don't recall day care or preschool ever being mentioned, so I think she became a full time, stay-at-home mom once Jack was born. We do know, from his forgetting his son's appointment (where Jack was diagnosed with 'a condition' that was never mentioned again), that Hotch wasn't fully present to the parent role, as long as Haley was there to occupy it. While she might have tolerated his long absences in their childless days, I get it if Haley felt abandoned once Jack came along. It must have been very lonely for her. Even those who thrive on kids need adult conversation from time to time. I don't see this as Haley changing her expectations, or not tolerating his job. I see it as the natural progression of the life of a couple that evolves into a family. Haley was with one guy, Hotch, since high school. Being a wife and mother was likely what she had in mind when she entered the relationship. But, with Hotch putting work first, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd come to feel like the forbidden mistress. It's possible that Hotch thought he was doing the right thing by excelling at his job and providing an income to the household. But Haley was pretty assertive in letting him know that it was his presence that she needed. When he heard that, and still withheld it, he essentially rejected her.

Same to you, Annber!

I won't use the language you do, but I will say that anyone----those you like, and those you don't----can suffer grief. Respecting it is always in order.

Tomorrow marks five years since the murders. The memories, and the facts, of the event are still raw for a great many people in our part of the country, and especially so for family members. While I wouldn't hold the actress responsible for the words, I have to admit that I cringed to hear the event used as a plot device, even when there was an attempt to write it sympathetically. I can fully understand how it might have been exquisitely painful for those living it the stark reality of it. I can simply take the family member at her word, and acknowledge that she is still grieving. From there, it's very easy to be supportive, and not disparaging.

Giving credit where credit is due. This was the first Reidless episode that held my interest. Not that I didn't miss him, because the subject matter virtually cried out for him, and they probably would have solved things at least a day earlier if he'd been there. But it turned out to be a good opportunity to focus on Tara, and Aisha did a great job with it. Loved the guy in the cabin, but wondered why Emily didn't post at least one deputy outside, to avoid Alvez and Simmons accidentally shooting someone when they burst in. Zelda Williams handled her role well, as the unsympathetic character you could love to hate, even if she hadn't turned out to be the unsub. I could feel my BP rising as I listened to her dismissal of reality as conspiracy. Sort of like reading Facebook. Speaking of which....I applaud Breen's courage in tackling the idea of conspiracy theories, and especially his inclusion of such a wide array of examples. He risked some fans identifying with the conspiracists, so I wondered what would happen. Take a look at the Facebook comments to find out. JM directed this one. It was the first time I've appreciated his work. I also liked the use of flashback scenes, and the inversion of the timeline of investigation. Can't leave this post without commenting that the sheriff's hair was a character unto itself.

Here's something we can agree on. There have been two scenes ('take one moment', and I forget the other) where poor Emily had these extremely trite words put into her mouth by the writers. I may have been projecting, but it looked to me like Paget was having trouble getting them out with a straight face.