JMO

I think it could have been interesting if the three newbies had questions, and felt a need to call the others out on it. Tara might have struggled with the idea of Reid killing someone without having to, but Luke barely knows him, and Stephen doesn't know him at all. Those objective sets of eyes might have pointed out that there is no proof of the scopolamine, and no proof that he didn't take the other drugs on his own; that Reid's prints were on the murder weapon; that he fled the scene in a stolen car; that the team that 'knows him so well' had no idea he'd been going back and forth to Mexico for months. I can't see any of the old members of the team not having faith in Reid, but I think it would be plausible for the newbies to wonder if he isn't actually the person their other colleagues seem to think he is. Not that I think the show would ever go there, but it might have made for some interesting intra-team strife and intrigue.

Yes. And, thereby, it would have made sense for that 'teaching' relationship to continue when JJ rejoined the team as a profiler. She should have been treading lightly, and asking questions, and who better for her to ask than the one who'd been teaching her right along? I think all of her colleagues would have gladly supported her in the process, but I think she would have been most comfortable showing her inexperience to Reid.

Regarding JJ's negative reactions to Reid as opposed to those of other characters--- it's been rightly pointed out that he's also been dissed by Morgan, Hotch and Rossi. I'll throw Elle, Seaver and Prentiss into that pot as well. Each of them has either been impatient with him, or even mocked him, at one time or another, in a way that happens with no one else on the team. Part of that is because Reid serves as both the tragic foil and the comic relief of the team (the latter role shared by Garcia), so his statements, and sometimes his actions, demand a reaction. The question was raised about why JJ takes such heat for her reactions, when she's got so much company. I think the answer is in the timing. For the most part, JJ started out as the facilitative, supportive presence on the team, and especially so where Reid was concerned. At the same time, Morgan was impatient, and teasing, and sometimes taunting, Elle and Emily were sarcastic, Hotch was impatient but tolerant, Rossi flabberghasted, and Seaver outright dismissive. Elle and Seaver disappeared. Hotch, Morgan and Rossi all grew into relationships that were both respectful and appreciative of Reid, and even loving. It was only JJ whose attitude toward him seemed to regress, and I think that's why it's JJ's eye-rolling or JJ's comments that generate such negative reaction. But, just last year, in the first set of Reid-less episodes, Morgan and Rossi outright mocked Reid, essentially 'behind his back'. A lot of people were upset by that, but recognized it as out of character, and blamed the writing. This season, Emily Prentiss is being written out of character. I don't blame or dislike the character. I blame the writers and show runners, who have failed to explore her struggle in the new role. I believe, but cannot know, that they have done so because exploring Emily's struggle would inherently mean needing to mention Hotch, and how he handled things, and what he would have done in the terrible circumstances of Reid's dilemma---and they just refuse to go there, to the detriment of both characters and the show. In the same way, JJ was written out of character for several seasons running. Maybe it was the length of time she wasn't acting like herself that made people fed up with her. Maybe they took it as a true and permanent personality change (for a fictional character) instead of an ongoing failure in the writers' room. But, just as I don't blame Prentiss for this year, nor Rossi and Morgan for last year's faux pas, I don't blame JJ for the writers having lost their way. She made a return to her real personality last year, is once again the character I recognize from the early seasons, and I welcome her back. I think Reid does, too.

All they ever had to say was that she was under increased scrutiny as a new unit chief, and couldn't go out of bounds without risking being fired or moved. That, plus some indication that she was trying to get them working actively on Reid's case. She certainly seemed to have the power of discretion over taking on the case of Walker's friend, a spy killed in spy-killing fashion, whose case should never have been a BAU case until they had their first non-spy victim. If she had the discretion for that, why not for hunting a serial killer called Peter Lewis? As to the repeated, "It's going to take some time"---I could see Hotch saying exactly that. It's what a team leader says to keep her/his team in the game, acknowledging the frustration of not accomplishing their goal quickly, yet encouraging them that they'll get there. I think it was Garcia's turn with the 'We have to get him out of there' line last night.

I know a lot of people had bad vibes about Cassie, but she always seemed like your typical home care nurse to me.

The case of Walker’s friend would have been interesting if it had taken place in season 13. Placing an exposition episode for the newest team member into the midst of a serialized arc about a long-term, and much beloved, character in peril just wasn’t good timing. To my mind, both characters and their stories suffered from the decision. I don’t understand why the BAU was investigating the case of Walker’s friend even before they knew it was serial. For me, it just made their inaction on Reid’s case all the more inexplicable. How did it come about that Fast-Talking Fiona was positioned to bring Diana to the prison? Obviously, Reid didn’t give permission. Did JJ? The last time we saw her visiting Reid, she’d gone along with Diana’s assumption that he was at the beach. Why would JJ then give permission for Diana to go to the prison, without clearing it with Reid? Or will it come out that Diana’s new aide (whose new name I’ve forgotten already) lied about having permission for the visit? For that matter, who hired the new aide? Cassie? JJ? For me, the most interesting part of the episode was the moment in which Diana was confused about which of them was the prisoner. It took me by surprise, and I love being surprised. Yet another episode where the most intriguing (and lengthy) parts of the Reid arc were revealed in the sneak peeks. Sigh.

There's a lot of extra administrative work that goes with the unit chief job. I don't see retiree Rossi agreeing to sign on for that. I think he was very much in favor of bringing Emily back to do it.

If we get Reid back next season, I would love to see him in charge, in one way or another, for a case. As I'm typing this, my fingers recognize the pattern. I think I said the same thing about season 12. And 11.

Reid has leadership in him, but he's not there yet. I think Hotch saw the potential, and would have cultivated it, but I don't quite see any of the others doing the same. I think the Emily we've known throughout past seasons would have made a great unit chief. She's been just average in the role this season, but I blame the writers, and not the character, for the situation. They've hog-tied her with the team's inactivity on Reid's case. It makes her look weak, and Emily Prentiss is anything but.

One shot, between 12X19 and 12X20. Almost titled The Endless Hiatus. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12458773/1/Permutations

ReidFan, I love the idea of there being a pipeline to Hotch, and that he's able to try to help Reid. Wish we could have the same scenario on the show, even if it only happens off screen.

I suspect it is relative. By its current definition, the 'toxic' part of toxic stress involves both the stressor and the absence of a supportive environment. So, ironically, the more people in the same boat, and the more the stress is out in the open and shared, the less toxic it is, at least in terms of this concept. (Of course, you would still be malnourished.) Similarly with child-rearing. There is research that looks at the psychological and emotion effects of corporal punishment. If you are the only kid you know who is receiving it, and it is used for every infraction, big or small, it has a much more drastically negative effect on self-esteem than if every kid you know gets it, or if your parent reserves it for big, or scary, offenses. But it hurts equally, and it can get out of control in either circumstance, although that is more likely to happen with a parent whose only tool is corporal (because when they get really mad, or scared, all they can do, is to do it harder and longer.) That's the current state of things. But nothing's to say there won't be more unfolding, or rebutted. Maybe we'll find out the the spike in obesity over the last decade or two has more to do with genetic changes caused by the food insecurity of the past, than what we're eating in the present. There goes every diet on the planet!

I came across a decent summary article on something we discussed in one of the threads: https://aeon.co/essays/how-bad-experiences-in-childhood-lead-to-adult-illness

Thanks, Senin. I fixed it in the original post as well.

I agree with you about the 'less is more' regarding the violence. I prefer the more cerebral aspects of the show, and some episodes are pretty short on them. Others probably know a lot more about this than I do, but I believe the writers are expected to turn in something that can reasonably fit into the time allotted. Yet, it doesn't always happen, and there are pages worth of material edited out before shooting, as well as additional scenes that are filmed, but end up on the cutting room floor. So I don't ever have a good enough sense of whose decision it is to show more or less unsub, more or less violence, more or less team interaction---the writer, the director, the editor, or a combination of the three. I don't know about catering to the lowest common denominator. But I would agree with you that time is wasted on less interesting aspects (the violence) and then not enough is used on elaborating the thought processes and relationships. I have the same issues with running around in the dark, and blowing things up.

Post-ep 1219, True North https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12439149/1/Daymare

'Inconsistent' is the word that comes to mind. Not sure what qualifies as 'recently', but I think it's been this way for at least a few years. The quality of the plot is inconsistent from week to week, the quality of the characterizations is inconsistent, the alignment with canon is inconsistent, the research is inconsistent. I find the whole topic of writing a series to be interesting, because I think the nature of it has to change over time, and keeping up quality will have a different meaning with each phase of the show.

Everything about television is about the money.

It's official about the show. Haven't seen anything with definite info about the characters.

Yeah, not celebrating until that's assured. I've seen an article that said they were all 'expected' back. But that's a different word.

Sounds like a rush of memories to me. All of the murderous women in his life. Wouldn't be surprised to see 'Diane' show up soon. So, maybe this is one long, hallucinated dream. It could account for the poorly written cases, the team virtually ignoring Reid (except when it's their turn to worry), the fact that only the newbies are actually trying to help him. It could even mean that Garcia's ridiculous chart was meant to be ridiculous. But, if it isn't, they'll still have to do something with Scratch. He is, after all, a serial killer on the loose, and the main reason (on screen) why they lost their friend and unit chief. Now that he's been spotted, they can't ignore him. And, if it is a hallucination or a dream, then what? If they get renewed, and Reid returns, he will have been the only one who has actually been through something. For everyone else, it will have been business as usual. There will be no shared experience, no change in relationships. Nothing except a more reserved and removed Reid, if they even decide to write that. For me, they've drawn this out for too long, without dealing with the repercussions of some of the most dramatic moments. The writers essentially took themselves off the hook, by ending each episode with a crisis, and then beginning the next by implying that so much time had passed between episodes that Reid was already past the immediate emotional response. To me, that's just lazy storytelling, especially since those crises were the only interesting things in the episodes. If they'd dealt with them, I would be more on board. I wish they had given us two or three all-Reid episodes, gotten it done, and moved on.

NRF, except for what was already in the sneak peeks. I never seem to care for Bruce Zimmerman episodes. And I truly am not interested in the idea of Cat Adams being involved in Reid's case. Speaking of Reid--- the episode spent way too little time on the guy going through the existential crisis.

Many schools are closed either one or the other of the next two weeks, which means many people will be traveling. It's my guess that's why they're taking the break. It's fine with me. Either a long break now, or a longer one in the summer, assuming they're coming back at all.

For all their failings, the writers aren't going to taint Reid's character, nor his nature. I think it is safe to relax and go along for the ride. Whether or not it is an enjoyable ride will be a matter of taste. But I don't think we need to fear for Reid.

Post-ep 12X18, Hell's Kitchen https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12433434/1/Drawing-Power