JMO

You're both right, Old Dog and ReidFan, about sometimes being forced to use a different name on different social media. But I still don't understand having multiple identities for the same social media. Seems like posting under them, and keeping them straight, would take up valuable time, during which you could be living your real life, in your real identity.

I find it fascinating when people have more than one 'alias' for the same purpose and especially when they post, or tweet, under each at the same time. Are they just expressing different sides of their personality? Or are they actually trying to appear as two different people? Don't they realize they still have the same voice? Before I joined this forum, I made a conscious decision to keep 'writing' and 'opining' as separate functions, so I have a different username for each. But I can't imagine why I would need more than that. I'd love to hear Reid's theory on it. Analyzing it would be the makings of a great doctoral thesis.

I think she was left out of a prior trial because of budget cuts, and then he moved her to Houston for enrollment in a second trial. When she didn't seem to be getting better, he concluded she was probably in the placebo arm, and took matters into his own hands. Exactly how he did that, or what he did, is entirely unclear to me. When he was reminding Diana that the medicine had worked in Houston, I wondered if that was a continuity mistake. Unless, as someone posited, he got hold of the drug down there and started her on it before they returned to DC. They definitely wouldn't have started her on the drug and then switched her to placebo. There's a lot about the storyline that doesn't make sense, but that's par for the course, especially for anything medical. For all we know, Reid got the drug the same place the Uncanny Valley unsub got the stuff that paralyzes you but somehow lets you breathe. Regardless, I'm willing to go with it, because the heart of the story is about the lengths you will go for someone you love, and the agony of not being able to help them---and Matthew and Jane are playing it beautifully.

To dispense with the case first: It was fine. Actually, had it been a different episode, and Reid integrated with the team in Tampa, it would have been one of their more interesting cases, even if I wish they would stop trying to ‘out-bizarre’ one another. For me, it suffered because I am not attached to any of the newbies, and there are now so many of them that they can’t always be paired with someone we know. You could easily turn the channel and not realize you are watching Criminal Minds. Rossi, JJ and Garcia were fine. But Emily is just not Emily, ever since her return. PB is too overtly ‘acting’ for my taste. It’s not what I remember of her, and I find it off-putting. I hope she finds her footing again soon. I know she has the chops. I am one of those annoying people who can live without a happy ending for Reid, because I see him as the tragic hero of the show, and MGG plays that so very well. I don’t like when he plays the tragic victim, as he sometimes falls into. But when he’s the tragic hero, he excels. He did so last night, especially in that struggle with Diana, and the moments after. When Reid is permitted a little power to his voice, and is free to emote, Matthew brings it home. And then there is his body language, which has been discussed here before, as in ‘Nelson’s Sparrow’. In those scenes where Reid realizes the folly of what he’s trying to do, and the likely futility of it, and his uncertainty, and his sorrow…..he needed no words. So good. Somewhere I read that some of this storyline was intended for Hotch and his father-in-law. I can’t imagine it would have had anywhere near the same emotional impact. I’m glad JJ is the one looking out for him now. They are the remaining ‘two musketeers’ of the bullpen, and they need to be one another’s support. Rossi is too avuncular, Prentiss a little too remote, in her new position, and Garcia too….Garcia. But I think Reid needs a father figure in this storyline, which is making me sorely miss Hotch. As this arc plays out, I will miss Morgan more and more (maybe I won’t have to?). But I think Hotch is the one who truly commanded Reid’s respect, who would already have brought him in to talk about what he was doing, and had the courage to call him out on it. If this arc ultimately brings Reid’s addiction history to the table (federal agent smuggling drugs), it will suffer from having neither Hotch nor Gideon play a role.

From the various set photos coming out recently, I can't help but wonder if Reid's 'new direction' is 'unshaven', with detours into 'disheveled'.

Shades of St. Elsewhere. Just think of all the young actors from that show, and where they are now----bet it seemed like a dream to them, too!

I wonder if PB is feeling the weight of her role right now. I've always thought she gave some of the best line deliveries, but I agree that her speech has been too forced, and her demeanor too dour (is it inherent in the unit chief?) since her return. She always played well off Morgan, who is gone. And Hotch, who is gone. She did well with Rossi, but he's not quite the same this season, either. I used to love her relationship with Reid but, so far, all we've gotten has been the scene with him crying. Why? BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CAST! I believe CM may have gained some viewers attracted by the focus on the women, and by the various newbies. But I don't think the gains are significant in comparison to the numbers of long time viewers who would like to watch the show they remember, nor have they compensated for the viewers lost through attrition, or through the loss of two key characters. The ratings are in slow decline, as is expected for an aging show. Character losses are factored into those expectations. Don't know what to make of the discrepant findings on twitter, except to note that one would have to look under every possible permutation of a hashtag, and who has time for that? The social media I saw was largely disparaging of the episode, and eagerly awaiting the return of one Spencer Reid.

There are an awful lot of variables that might be in play about someone leaving, so it's possible she simply doesn't know at the moment. I suppose they could get rid of a newbie----maybe the new new guy will be sacrificed for a story line. Maybe someone else wants to leave. Or maybe everyone connected with the show is just waiting for word about whether they are simply closing out the season, or the entire series, before they decide whether or not a character will exit. Even if they get renewed, I think all of the original cast are up for contract renewal, so there would be no guarantees anyway. I would still like to see a proper homage to Hotch. I'm glad he didn't die accidentally, but I wouldn't mind a hero's death, in the course of protecting his son. Jessica has pretty much been raising the boy anyway. And it would give the others a chance to honor someone who was immensely important to them.

Just random thoughts. I agree with ReidFan, that the best thing about this episode was that Reid was smart enough to make sure he was out of town for it. Not sure Reid could have saved this episode anyway, because he would probably have been crowded out of screen time by this way-too-large cast. I did appreciate the women doing some intellectual work together, instead of just a takedown or a sensitive/empathetic/provocative interview. I’m concerned that the new new guy has a buddy at the Miramar Air Force Base, since it doesn’t exist (it’s a Marine base). Could he be a Mr. Scratch plant? Did Emily miss the clue? Without Hotch as an age-buffer, Rossi looks so much older than the rest of the team. The new new guy got the opening quote already! They’ve added more people to the cast so they can spend the majority of the time on the unsubs? Maybe they’re paying so many salaries that they need to save money on lighting? Another example of the BAU doing the work of the police. Maybe there really are no more stories left to tell, nor surprises left to spring. I hope not.

I did notice that a couple of the 'inmates' in the orange outfits were wearing jumpsuits, and some were wearing orange scrubs. Wonder if it's a prison infirmary.

While I will still appreciate the visuals, I will be very disappointed if this is anything but a real situation. Reid actually in prison, for whatever reason he's there, is interesting. Reid dreaming about it, or reenacting a scene, or any other hypothetical---is simply not. And I would prefer not to see a second of it played for laughs.

Fine by me, as long as he's front and center on my screen.

Hmmm. Do they get wrapped for boxing?

I saw it posited elsewhere that it might have to do with the Harold Perrineau story arc, which makes sense to me, since Perrineau is said to be playing an FBI agent imprisoned for killing one of his informants. Who knows, maybe Perrineau is actually under cover, and maybe Reid will be, too. I don't think it's totally implausible. There are all sorts of people imprisoned, for all manner of things----there is no such thing as a prison 'type', nor 'typical' prison behavior, except in the minds of screen writers.

I didn't pay attention to which episode it was, but a few weeks before the break, I noticed that it rose quite a bit in viewership with the week's DVR ratings added in. But I didn't see corresponding numbers for other shows, so I don't know how that ended up falling out overall. I don't know how it actually works, but it seems logical that local preemptions would be the most difficult to deal with. When it's preempted nationally, as it was twice this past fall, the network simply delays the episode for a week, same time, same station. When the preemption is local, and the local station reschedules CM to'whenever', it's probably pretty hit or miss (mostly miss) whether a viewer or a DVR might pick up on that, and still end up watching or recording. It's probably pretty hit or miss whether whatever process measures viewership can actually measure those particular viewers, even if they do watch. So those numbers might be lost altogether, and not even show up in the L+7. Don't know that I said that very well. Hope it makes sense.

Old Dog, those are the same numbers I saw on line, at TV by the Numbers. I don't know the provenance of that other report---the one that Harry Bring posts, and that seems to be distributed only on paper. I don't think I've ever even seen identifiers for the figures it presents. Is there an originating web site to look at? I've seen it said elsewhere that CM's real competition is with the other CBS broadcast shows. It was explained that the network wouldn't be likely to turn over their entire lineup at once. So they'd keep the ones with legs, and turn over the others. Which I took to mean that, if CM was toward the top of CBS' series---or maybe even just their dramatic series---it might still be renewed.

I’ve missed Hotch to varying degrees throughout this season, but never moreso than for this episode. It felt like I was watching all (save one) of the kids and grandkids trying to comfort dad, who no longer has any Bureau friends his own age. Emily had an established friendship with Rossi before she left the show, and being in a leadership position now, she might have provided the shoulder he needed to lean on. But, for me, she wasn’t enough. With Hotch and Strauss both gone, there was no one up to the task. And I couldn't help but think how different an episode it would have been if we could have seen the two oldest BAU friends playing off one another. Sigh. As it was, Rossi had to largely go it alone. And, despite his hefty credentials, and despite how much I like Rossi, for me, neither JM, nor the character, offers enough for a full hour of focus. Yes, ReidFan, the ending was predictable. And yes, it would have cost them nothing, to build on the ‘I need to hear from you, every day’ comment from Emily to Reid. Why throw that in there, if you’re not going to use it? The good things about this episode: it was clearly demonstrated that it takes a new new guy and a whole class of wanna-be newbies to even try (and fail) to fill the absence of my favorite genius. And, with the denouement regarding Tommy Yates, it seems we won’t have a ‘Profiling 303’ in our future.

I do think that, apart from the foolishness with Luke Alvez, she's been toned down a bit this season. She has a way to go to get back to the Garcia who caught my interest in the early seasons, but at least she's made a turn in the right direction. Hoping she doesn't regress.

Out-of-hospital CPR has a pretty dismal track record. Having heard that she'd been 'resuscitated' for fifteen minutes on the plane, I didn't think there was any chance her brain had survived the incident. I suspect she was 'stable' in a vegetative state, or a state of brain death, as the hospital, and the family, took care of the necessary things. She was gone the day it happened. We're only acknowledging it now. She was an impressive lady, more for her open battle with mental illness than anything else. She fought it with tenacity, and ferocity, and humor, and she served as a model and an inspiration for many. RIP, Carrie. Job well done.

I love that she stayed engaged with life for as long as life was willing to be engaged with her.

Actually, I think mentioning a character who was sent into witness protection by another, season-long, character, is not only logical, but desirable. It's the kind of thing that gives depth to a show. But it requires layered writing, which is not a forte at CM. Perhaps it's not even a goal. I don't understand this comment: And honestly if these writers want to completely drop Hotch and never mention him it's completely understandable. People need to stop acting like Thomas Gibson is the victim. Are you under the impression that the writers have confused Hotch with TG? I'm trying to think of a show that hasn't mentioned departed characters. Maybe another procedural? Can't say, as I don't really watch any others. Over the years, the shows that have engaged me have maintained strong attachments to their pasts. Not to speak for Normasm, but I think the 'Harry is an idiot' is not meant to reflect on his job skills. I think it is meant to reflect the lack of judgment and restraint he has shown in choosing to engage with the NHNW (No Hotch No Watch) contingent. Just ignore them, Harry. You've still got nearly eight million viewers each week. Try to be content with that.

I completely agree. If the writers on the show really understood about the fans who continue to watch, they would have the characters play out, on screen, what the fans are feeling. The old team members would miss Hotch, they'd wonder aloud if he was okay. Mr. Scratch would be referenced in terms of what he's caused the team to lose. Emily would wish she could pick his brain. They'd hope that he could come out of hiding one day, even if he decided to stay away from the FBI. Just as there were a host of off-screen things they could have done with Diana Reid a few years ago (instead of sending her to the Grand Canyon), all it would take would be a line or two, week to week, to make it clear that the characters we love haven't forgotten him and, thereby, haven't forgotten who they, themselves, are. There was a tweet from Harry Bring a week or two ago, when he was (foolishly) mixing it up with the (tiresome) NHNW crowd yet again. He wrote: "You no longer have Hotch because of Hotch. We all wish it was different but it isn't. It's sad for sure but nothing can be done." It struck me, at the time. Have those involved with the show confused the character for the actor? Is that why they are treating this in such a tone-deaf way? I'm sure it was a slip. But it was a very telling one.

Forgot to mention the 'wheels up in twenty'. It was such a signature line that I think it deserved a moment of homage to Hotch, and I could have easily accepted it if Emily had preceded it with, "As Hotch would say..." It would have been fitting, and a tribute to the memory of a great character. As far as I'm concerned, she could have owned it after that, because she'd acknowledged where it came from. It was a missed opportunity to appease the fans who fear that TG was correct when he said the show was trying to erase him. The mention of Mr. Scratch, without the mention of Hotch, and the new attribution of what Mr. Scratch did to Tara's family as the reason they need to fight him, is just so puzzlingly clueless. It would have cost them nothing but some misplaced pride.

I liked it. I thought it was, by far, Karen Maser’s best writing effort for CM. The story moved along and made reasonable sense. Despite the huge number of cast members, it felt less cluttered than have other episodes this season. That may have been, in part, because Rossi and Lewis were featured much less. There did seem to be some timeline disconnect in who was where, when, and with whom, but that could have been my failed attention. Garcia was a little toned down, in a most welcome way, with more professional language, demeanor and wardrobe. I really like KV’s new, shorter locks. I liked that they told her what to look for and where to look for it. That latter piece has been missing all too often in recent years. As small a thing as it seems, I think it becomes an important factor in reminding us that the profilers are actually doing the thinking. I thought it was strange that they several times mentioned the LI serial killer as though they’d heard about it on the news. Wouldn’t the BAU have been called in? The bodies have all been discovered within the duration of the show. I didn’t mind the similarities to previous cases. It is, after all, a show about serial killers. Pretty much every week, that’s what it will be about. And, if there wasn’t great overlap among them, there would be no ability to profile, and no need for a BAU. Definitely scored high on the Reid-meter, for appearance, contribution, situation and performance. I understand what Qwerty means about MGG’s delivery sometimes. There have been scenes, in a number of episodes, where the difference between mature Reid and childlike Reid was all in the line delivery, and not in the writing. In this episode, MGG chose mature Reid, all the way through, and it was wonderfully effective. I enjoyed the scenes with both JJ (maybe because I’m not in JJ-recovery?) and Emily, and I thought even his little breakdown with Emily occurred in the context of a grown man, confident in his abilities, facing something he can’t fix with his favorite tool. Booky, I think the scene where Reid slows his progress through the pile of papers, and needs to review some of them, was there as a marker for the point where he realized he’d lost focus, and would need to take time off. A complete aside, but----I love that, whenever there’s a get together in the bullpen, it seems to happen around Reid’s desk. I like to think that they are all drawn to him. Sounds like we won’t be seeing our resident genius again for over a month, between the holidays and the Reidless episodes. Where’s the wine?

Actually, for me, the most interesting thing about Mr. Scratch wasn't 'Mr. Scratch'. It was what he'd done to Hotch, and the fact that Hotch was not quite ready to acknowledge it. I wouldn't have cared if we'd never seen the character again, if only we'd seen play out the after effects on the leader of the BAU. The time for that, obviously, would have been last season. Since they missed that (pretty obvious) opportunity, but have chosen to bring Mr. Scratch back this year, I guess I will hope that they have a suitable denouement in mind. But I would so much rather it had involved Hotch.