JMO

I ended up binging the season over the past week. Overall, I think they did a decent job of telling a relatively cohesive story and keeping up the tension and interest across ten episodes, although I suspect watching them all at once helped quite a bit. The performances delivered by the actors playing Voit and his wife were impressive, and I can see why they might want to bring Voit back next season. I do think the team was too small (and missing one notable genius), hence the need to bring Bailey, and then Will, along on the case. Hope they are able to remedy that next year without acting on the implied threat to somehow bring Will onto the team. No. Besides, the guy isn't healthy. I thought Emily was well written and portrayed this year, with just the right mix of empathy, rebellion and administrative prowess. Tara's troubled relationship was believable, if not particularly engaging for me. Poor Luke was affable and neglected. I enjoyed seeing more of JJ's home life and feel older just looking at teenaged Henry. Garcia was blech, especially pursuing a relationship with a man young enough to be her son. Ugh. Rossi was the focus of the season and JM was up to the challenge. He was stellar throughout, even if I found the premise of his despair to be overdone. Loved seeing the original profiler so deeply profiling his nemesis and captor, and prevailing in the end. As to his personal situation---since he was there so much for Reid when Reid struggled, I really missed not having Reid be able to return the favor. Will fanwank that it happened off screen. The final episode went off the rails for me after the capture of Voit, and I find myself disengaged to the point where I really don't care who is at the door. But I'm sure I'll watch again next season--even if I wait to binge again--because it really was fun to have another visit with these characters. But I really, really want Reid back.

Best things about today were seeing Robert, Anna, Felicia and Lucy all in the same scene, and in on the same scheme, and Robert's reminiscing about Laura fighting the Cassadines way back when.

For me, Cam and Spencer comprise the currently most compelling relationship on the show, and the actors portraying them are also the two most compelling. But there is so much missing here. The situations the characters find themselves in, and the astounding fact that Spencer is receiving advice from his uncle the mob boss (instead of his father, the impregnator/imprisoner or his great uncle, whose list of ignominies is too long to go into), while Cameron has no mature adult male figure at all to turn to (since Kevin is MIA, Finn estranged and Scott not really a mature adult) highlights for me the strange composition of the current cast of characters. The younger generation is small, and the kids are pretty much on their own, saved only on occasion by grandmother/mayor Laura. Their parents' generation is the largest on screen, generally messed up or self-absorbed, and with limited options for interaction outside a very small social circle. Their parents have some element of maturity (Robert, Anna, Felicia, Mac, Ned) but are too often on the shelf. And the senior generation---who would have been the Steve and Audrey Hardys, the Lila and Edward Quartermaines are completely gone from the canvas. Where is the dispenser of sage advice, or is that a thing of the past? Who can the young people turn to, save each other? Who demonstrates any capacity for personal growth? A character can flail, but if that's all they do for the entirety of their existence, they become increasingly less tolerable, and not at all interesting.

Potpourri of thoughts: Can't help but wonder how this Willow/Michael/Nina/Carly/Sonny story would be going over with likeable characters. I might actually care. Is it just me, or does it seem to others that the writers can't commit to a story line, so they throw a bunch of things at the wall to see what sticks? Thinking of things like the Liz psychological trauma, Austin's skanky 'cousin', even the non-fallout to Liz and Finn for hiding undead Peter's body, Chase and Brooklyn, the obvious chemistry tests between them and other characters. None of the story attempts feel like a preamble to a bigger story, some wrap too quickly, and some never wrap at all. They all feel to me like, "Hey, here's a great storyline.....uh, never mind, let's try something else." So many missed opportunities to go in depth, so much apparent fear to do so. Please, writers: Every person, and thereby every character has faults, some even a fatal flaw. But they also have other qualities that make us root for them. Try very hard to find those qualities, and you will find the real drama in that character fighting against their shortcomings. Then, pick a storyline and commit to it. If you get stuck, think harder, and more creatively. You'll get there. That's what writing is about.

It would only be interesting if Reid showed up to save the day. Says the person who has only seen the CBS episode.

I'm old, which is why I've only posted on the 80s thread before this. But I'm also now retired, which means I am no longer a month or two behind in watching the show, even if I still FF some (a lot) of it. So, re: today's episode and the Willow issue---a) the old GH may have had paper records, but the new, sleek, nearly staff-less and patient-less GH must surely be entirely on an electronic, unpackable (and thereby un-accidentally readable) record by now; and b) Willow lunging at a donor after chemo didn't work seems to indicate that she doesn't understand chemo is required to prepare the recipient for a transplant. I realize this is a soap, and one that has even been centered around science fiction at times. But drama is so much more effective when it is real, and relatable, and it is more often than not found in the nitty gritty, and lost when reality is glossed over. Think about how touching it was to watch Britt give herself a birthday/farewell party when she knew she was decompensating. We can all relate to coming to terms with our mortality. But can we relate to holding someone hostage in a tower? Yes, I miss the stories of the 80s, but I see so much potential in the current storylines, if only they played out with just the slightest nod to reality.

The Washington Post ran a short article on the reboot. One of the comments called it, "Criminal Minds: Nursing Home". Have only partially watched (due to the HLN West Wing marathon), will have to actually pay attention to it later this week. First impression is that it is verrryyyyyy dark, which may make it a no-go for me.

Echoing Daniel on some of the preposterousness of the premise. I will be interested to see how they make the case that a serial killer couldn't still operate during a pandemic, nor how they managed to find each other to create a network. Maybe we need Reid to come back and notice that the likely point of nexus was actually the BAU, and its unsolved case files.

Sorry to hear about your job, Bookie, but I'm in awe of your attitude! Here's hoping it's just a short pause (because it sounds like your boss loves you!) or maybe an opportunity in disguise, leading to something new and exciting.

Anna, Robert, Felicia, Scott, Lucy and now Holly are all currently back on the canvas, and there have even been a couple of recent Bobbie sightings. With Anna now in trouble, wouldn't it be good to add to the 80s revisit by bringing back the attorney who got her off the last time? Well, technically, Robert solved the crime, but Jake gave him the time. #BringBackJake

Congrats on the new nephew, Idiotwaltz!

So, I came back to 80s GH because there was a post on a GH message board that asked which pairings we'd always wanted to happen---and I remembered there was someone I'd always wanted to see interact more with Anna, albeit probably not in a romance. Couldn't remember anything about the character but the shape of his face, but IMDB helped with that. It was Jake Meyer, who played a lawyer and was married to Bobbie (her most realistic pairing, in my opinion). Jake was a great character--fun, compassionate, a heroic defender of the underdog, possessor of great integrity (minus a completely inexplicable event with Lucy Coe), co-owner (and originator of the idea) of the Brownstone. He worked both with and against Robert, Anna, and Frisco and there was much mutual affection among them, and with Felicia, Tony and Tania. He also helped Bobbie deliver BJ. The actor, Sam Behrens is still with us, still acting and still looks like Jake. I would love to see him back to work with Finola Hughes as Anna. If it's only as friends, fine. If something were to develop?---well, maybe it's time she actually had a good guy again. #BringBackJake

Have just rewatched some of the iconic scenes from the 90s----BJ's death, Robin telling Mac about her diagnosis, Stone's death. Those scenes are nearly 30 years old, and still people know exactly what you mean when you reference them. Do you think, thirty years hence, there will be people remembering "that time when Sonny took out his rival" or "when Jason (or Franco or Drew or whoever) realized he had someone else's memories" or "when Carly sabotaged ______ (insert name)"? Back in the 80s and 90s, GH was more cutting edge than most highly touted adult programs are now---and more effective, because the stories evolved over time, with characters we felt we knew, and cared about. They were brave enough to allow a character to die and remain dead, thus bringing true emotional impact. I have been only loosely attached to GH (heavy on the FF button) for a long time now, because there is nothing to hold me. Can't even imagine how a new viewer would even become engaged. The attempts to remain societally current are usually heavy-handed, and presented as exposition (eg, 'we're having a fundraiser to support thus and such') instead of actually exploring the issues in question by having the characters directly affected by them. Instead, we get scene after scene of privileged characters interacting around a rooftop pool in a high end hotel. Sheesh.

You'll have to keep us informed, Annber. You always did provide excellently detailed reviews.

Disappointed at no MGG. Would have been fun to have something to look forward to, and to enjoy speculating. Reid-less episodes of the original series told me what to expect. On the plus side, it leaves money in my pocket.

Just recently rediscovered 80s GH and am greatly enjoying the characters, the storylines and the settings. Some of the long term characters (eg Laura, Scott, Bobbie, Anna, Robert) hadn’t been through quite as many crazy things back then so they were more believable. Settings were also believable (human activity, ringing phones and overhead pages at GH—-it’s so sterile and dead inside now that it looks like it’s about to close—-are extras really that prohibitively expensive?). People interacted via natural employment situations and living arrangements (the Brownstone idea was genius). And, most importantly, there was deep character development that allowed even minor plot devices to be inserted into the storyline, with each character reacting naturally to the situation, rather than completely plot-driven stories. That’s what kept it interesting even when it was about the process of becoming a nurse, or a doctor, or a cop. Or a spy. (Although the spy adventures marked the beginning of an end for me. I found both Anna and Robert far more interesting in their police roles.). The characters came from different social and economic backgrounds, seemed to like each other, and were able to have clashes and disagreements that could be reconciled, without requiring malice or revenge. Many managed to be honorable without being boring, sometimes with a fatal flaw, but both of those aspects served to make them relatable. And it’s kind of interesting to be reminded of when we were all so much less available to one another, when a landline could be ‘busy’, when you had to search out a pay phone in an emergency. And when certain things could only be researched on ‘Robert’s computer’, hidden in his secret computer room. How far we have come.

Congratulations on the new nephew coming, Idiotwaltz, and thanks for the laugh on the serial killer name list! I'm sure he will bring new honor to whichever name they choose. I feel for your SIL in making her decision about getting boosted, especially if her physician is discouraging her. If it helps to know, there have been multiple large studies now that show that there is no increased risk of miscarriage over baseline with the Covid vaccine. At least one study even showed the risk to be lower with the vaccine. At least she's had the first two doses. Though, if omicron is skyrocketing in that area, a booster will give her the best chance of avoiding it. It will also provide antibodies to the babe afterward.

What did you think of it? I liked it more than I expected to.

i would agree with you 100% if the JJ/Reid thing hadn't happened. Even though it's never bothered me to have Reid play the role of the tragic hero (and thereby I would be okay with his status remaining unresolved at the end), I think they're going to have to do something about the place this revelation has left him. Since I don't see them throwing away JJ's marriage, I think they'll have to either find someone for Reid or imply that he's headed in that direction. Before the last episode, I'd thought it was a toss up, whether we would ever know him to find love. Serial killers, yes. But love?

The elevation of JJ is pretty old news by now. I'm referencing the diatribes out in social media about her declaration of love to Reid. I think it's hard to be angry about it unless you believe she was truly using it as a manipulation, and not simply telling him, before they both died, that he'd been loved. I think we underestimate Reid when we think that JJ's revelation will consign him to a life of misery. What's to say it wouldn't inspire him to truly see himself as worthy of the love of a good woman, and become open to meeting someone new? Not powerless, but empowered.

Begging forgiveness for quoting out of context. I've been wondering where all the vitriol toward JJ has come from, and I think you've touched on it here. Some watched the scene and saw JJ using a shocking revelation to distract the unsub so she, Reid and the hostages could escape. I can see where that could be viewed as callous, gratuitous, unnecessary, hurtful to Reid and potentially disastrous to her marriage. Others, like me, saw JJ as someone wanting to tell someone she loved that she loved him, in the moments before they both died, when there was no risk of hurting anyone. We're back to the observer, and the observed. Just re: EM. While I don't agree with all of the choices she's made along the way, I have no reason to doubt her word when she says she ran this by both MGG and AJC. It was pretty radical, and I think, had she not run it by them beforehand, they would most certainly have expressed their opinions at the time of shooting the episode. I think we can safely believe that they agreed to go for it, without assuming the degree of buy-in by each of them.

I didn't see any pushing of a JJ/Reid romance in the episode, nor do I expect to see it next year. I saw a dying declaration of love, made to the object of it. Had Reid not had the audacity to save both of their lives, that would have been the end of it. But he did (because he does his best shooting from the floor), and here we are. Or, rather, here they are. I didn't see it coming and, believe it or not, I wasn't all that thrilled with the development. But I am intrigued. I think the tension of knowing it will inform their interactions next year. That has renewed my waning interest in the show, and the characters, What's really fascinating is the amount of discussion the episode has created, and how revealing our responses are about our own personal attitudes toward love, romance, commitment and responsibility.

Oh, my. Leading up to the episode, I found myself cringing because, no matter which way they went with whatever was happening between JJ and Reid, I didn’t trust them to leave Reid in a good place. More on that later. Not to forget the rest of the episode: Good news, everyone! All current and cold serial killer cases have been solved! So the team gets to play poker on government time. Or maybe that was their furlough. Also good news, the police played a visible (if unfortunate) role in the case, and the team followed SWAT in the door, harkening back to days of old. The wedding: why did they need that huge room if there were only going to be under 20 people there? I was surprised it wasn’t held at Rossi Manor. We didn’t get to hear vows. Alvez has rhythm, but the dancing was not pleasant to watch. And, really, Emily, you thought it was appropriate to mention the groom’s prior marriages during his wedding toast? Wow. Lastly, Johnny Mathis? I love his music, but it turns out the JJ/Reid thing wasn’t the only sudden, unexplained occurrence. I was kind of hoping the pregnancy announcement would get Simmons to realize he needs a safer job, but I think I’ve seen him in BTS pics for season 15 episodes. Will was the most articulate I’ve ever heard him. And then, JJ/Reid. So, as anyone who has read my fanfiction probably knows, they have a habit of coming together in my stories. But that happens after a fair amount of back story that tries to bridge the gap from what we see on screen, to the relationship they have in the story. (There are even two long, related stories spawned solely from a desire to explain JJ’s prior eyerolling!) So, while I don’t think it’s impossible to see them together, I also don’t think there’s been enough lead up to it. I do think there’s always been that ‘best friends plus’ to their relationship, and I think that’s been well-portrayed. I’ve seen a lot of negative opinion on it, here and elsewhere, complaining about the show going the direction of JJ/Reid. But, since we didn’t hear Reid return the sentiment, does that mean that the people complaining already believe he’s in love with JJ? Takes two to tango, and we were only given one, on screen. I kind of doubt they will ultimately go in this direction, but then, I also didn’t expect them to take it this far. Just an aside on the strength of the JJ/Will marriage. I’ve never seen the spark, and it’s always sounded like JJ hasn’t, either. He proposed four times, and she turned him down. She initiated the ‘final’ proposal in a period of emotional release after Will and Henry had been in danger, then was surprised by a wedding Rossi had arranged in his backyard. Not exactly true love level, but I can buy that, like many other couples, they’ve managed to make it work. I actually think they left it up in the air pretty well. JJ was definitely lying, but which time? Is Reid left to wonder, since he’d obviously missed her ‘tell’ in the poker game? (Or did he see it, and let her win?) AJ played the final scene well enough that I couldn’t be 100% positive which it was. I did love that Reid, seeing her discomfort, and not wanting to lose her friendship, tried to make it all right. We’ll see how successful he was next season. I think the show is crazy like a fox, for doing this. There have already been more episode-related posts here and elsewhere than I can remember seeing in a long time. Lots of people talking, probably lots of fanfiction to come (there’s already a very irate one out there). Since there’s an unknown period of time before season 15 begins, this might end up serving as a way to keep conversation going for much of the interim. The one major positive development I see is that I think it will be very, very hard for them to regress Reid to the immature, awkward version that seems to show up every few episodes. However he goes out, I think it will be as an adult.

We are far afield from the topic of this thread, unless the couple of suggestions about how the show might use the idea to create a new unsub count to bring us back on track. Suffice it to say that, as with other things (I think the last example was empathy) and now that I know what the initials stand for, I think that what makes for an SJW is, again, a function of both the observer and the observed. Are there people labeled SJW because they turn everything into a crusade, without cause? Or is it that those who complain are simply blind to the cause? Or are there those who would like to dismiss the cause, and the people pursuing it, because they are made so uncomfortable about the idea of a change to the status quo? My guess is that the answer to all three questions is "yes". Think I'm glad not to have a clue about tumblr. As to what I'd like to see----just quality, suspenseful episodes focusing on the remaining early team members (Reid, JJ, Emily, Rossi and early, snarky Garcia). I don't need to see anyone return, and I don't need to see the newbies. Plenty of mature, more socially adept Reid. No platitudes, just authentic interaction and dialogue. I think the idea of an arc is a good one, because the case-of-the-week material has been pretty shaky, at best. Re: Reid, without whom I don't watch----I don't need a romance, or a new job, or even a happy ending (because he's only in his thirties). But I do need to see him treated with respect, across the board. Not tolerance, or bemusement, unless it is heavily tinged with affection. I'd love to see more deeply into his friendships with Emily, JJ and Rossi. Still wouldn't mind him sharing some scenes with kids, preferably his godsons. If they do go for a significant fast forward, and we encounter Reid in a relationship, then I'd like to see him with his own child (who I think must be a daughter). And I want to know what happens with Diana.

Hotchgirl will have to answer that. I haven’t picked up on any fighting. I have seen people point out the unlikelihood of it happening, given the apparent legal circumstances. For it to change, it would have to be a pretty rapid turnaround, given that they have already started working on the episodes. My guess is that everything is already written, so no point in arguing about it now.