JMO

I liked JJ as the liaison, and think there was much missed potential in the team losing that particular position, just as I think there was much missed potential in failing to show JJ accommodating to her new role on the team. There was gold to be mined there, and they didn't go for it. For me, that's pretty much the main theme of CM over the past few years----'missed potential'. But the characteristics you describe have been toned down since they were introduced, and I appreciate that response to feedback. So I'm not going to hold it against them, nor the character, in perpetuity.

Will is never a saving grace for me. I don't mind a JJ-centric episode, but Will gives me the willies.

Welcome, TKL!

My take was very different from yours, ReidFan. I found Matthew's commentary to be fine, very similar to the Mr. Scratch commentary in the mixture of joking and giving some insight into his directing choices. But I found Breen to be remarkably open and chatty, which I thought influenced Erica and broke her away from some of her far more measured statements. Personally, I found it interesting to listen to their lessons on writing for characters at the beginning of a series, not knowing how long it will last, versus how they write further on, on how things develop behind the scenes, etc. I was actually glad to hear far more about that than about the episode the commentary was on. I didn't feel as much MGG-love from Erica as I did from Breen. But, while I haven't yet watched all of the extras, it has so far been the highlight for me.

In addition to Matthew's commentary on 'Beautiful Disaster', there is an interesting commentary by Breen Frazier and Erica Messer on 'The Storm.' They don't discuss the actual episode so much as they talk about how things have evolved over the history of the show, writing choices, etc. Breen also has some nice things to say about Matthew. I am not skilled in the area, but perhaps someone else can find a way to make it, or a transcript, available to those outside the US.

Sometimes, if you just click back into the reply box, it reappears. And sometimes, it doesn't. Like this afternoon, when I lost all my comments on a grant application. Argh!

To me, the arrangement re: bullpen vs. office should be all about function. It makes sense that the unit chief, who has to host private meetings with both his staff and the hierarchy, would need an office, so I get why Hotch and, briefly, Morgan would get them. Gideon and Rossi, as founders and thereby former team leaders, retained the honorific. JJ, as liaison, had to communicate with the public, and needed quiet space for that. I like to think that the bullpen offers the other team members the chance to brainstorm about cases they're consulting on, but they've never really shown that kind of interaction. If Reid gets an office, I hope it is because he also gets some kind of official designation or title. But I worry about him in the office, a little bit. He spends enough time alone as it is. ReidFan, do you have the actual DVD set? I've seen the deleted scenes and pitiful gag reel on line, but wonder about the commentary for Beautiful Disaster. It's really the only thing that might really entice me to buy.

Well, now that you mention it....

Very nice, ReidFan. I'd be very happy if something like that happened on the show.

I'm in favor of describing the behavior, and leaving all of the name-calling behind.

I figured Paget would be one of the new regulars. I'd rather have her than a complete newbie. I'd be fine with her as unit chief. Depending on how they write out Hotch, there is great opportunity for bittersweetness, especially considering Strauss brought her in to spy on him.

You will find the lists you seek at the beginning of this thread, and at various points within it, and within the Season 11 thread, and Season 10, etc., as well as within the Writers' thread and the Bullpen. The information has been out there, largely unattended to. I do understand that the writers can't 'un-write' what has gone before, and that we can all only move forward from where we are. If you have the stamina to read through the site, you'll see that I've said that very thing a number of times before. However, the other thing you will see, if you read through, is that the feedback has been largely consistent, and largely as FA described it, much of it unheeded. Maybe they can't, maybe they won't. All we know is that they don't. To be fair, there are a few things that have improved, apparently in response to feedback. There must be. But I can only think of one, at the moment, that being JJ's recovery of her original personality. Someone else will have to help me identify more. As to talent---well, the words 'veteran' and 'good' are not synonyms. Many, maybe all, of us know people who have somehow lasted in our own chosen profession without bringing any particular skill to it. I would rather measure talent by product, and not longevity. If anyone is inclined to recreate or collate the various lists, maybe people can read through and agree or disagree with the items. Then you'll have a summary statement for 'the show' to see. But, for me, rewriting them is too much work for too little reward.

The very first thing he has to do is to claim or prove paternity. With that, he'll have a right to speak to his daughter's doctor, who might be able to help him make a case about her health. For something like that, child welfare is more likely to listen to a professional, who is a mandated reporter, than to a parent or a neighbor. For abuse, they may pay attention to a witness, but for health- or education- related things, it's more impactful to have the report come from a professional. Emotional abuse is an actual entity, but much harder to prove, and usually also requires a professional opinion. It's not often the thing that gets a case opened, but it serves as supportive evidence in court.

I've read through it twice now, and I still can't see the words 'rigid automaton' in Old Dog's post. Not sure where that came from. I thought Reid's reaction to Morgan's leaving was legit, because we all know that it is hard to keep up with old friends who are no longer in our daily lives as a matter of course. It was an ending of sorts, and I thought it was okay. But I didn't think it was okay that he was mocked by his coworkers behind his back. That a writer, director and any number of producers thought that was okay, disappointed me greatly. I found it very telling about how they see the character.

For me, the issue is that the 'action show', of any sort, by anyone, starring anyone, on any network, doesn't interest me at all. I'm all for intellectual stimulation. If I liked both, and especially if I liked them equally, I would be far less dissatisfied with the changes in CM. Maybe I'd even enjoy them. But I don't like action shows, and I didn't sign on for one. So CM has disappointed me by changing its nature (without my permission!). I still watch, for Reid. Maybe it's a little like staying in a bad marriage because of the children. Once my youngest has moved out, I'm filing for divorce. As to Reid, I will cross my fingers, which is as likely to work as relying on the remaining writing staff. They don't know how to write his intelligence without making him seem strange, instead of capable. And then they persist in throwing in a dose of naivete. A genius in his mid-thirties, doing the work he does, and having experienced the things he's experienced, should be anything but naive.

It's not actually in either state. It is completely its own entity. Sort of like the city-state of the Vatican, within Italy.

Quantico is in Virginia, south of Washington DC. Virginia is the state that surrounds Washington DC, mostly to the south. Maryland is a separate state, which surrounds Washington DC, mostly to the north. Washington is a city, located in the 'District of Columbia', and is not, technically, located in a state.

Guess BJ doesn't realize that Quantico is already in Virginia.

Welcome, senin!

The several recent tweets and interviews touting 'girl power' are, to me, very telling. They represent the first time CM has overtly chosen to (? had to) promote its demographic makeup over its premise and/or its quality. It's been done for an episode, here and there, but never for a full season. They say you should always lead with your strengths, but I'm concerned if those who promote the show think their biggest strength is in the demographics of the cast. This isn't me saying what I think, as a fan. This is me noticing what the people on and behind the show seem to think. As with any other of my, or anyone else's, suppositions, it will play out, or not. That noted, I will still watch, hoping that the change in casting has somehow infused the writing staff with inspiration. But I will still be fast forwarding as usual. If I see Reid something interesting on my screen, I'll watch that scene. If there are enough interesting scenes, I'll go back and watch the whole thing.

She lost me at "we have imaginative, smart writers". That's a 'show us', KV, not a 'tell us'. The quality of the writing will be judged by the consumer.

Just judging from his past behavior, I think it's highly unlikely MGG would have tweeted the cast picture (from behind) if he'd already known that Thomas was gone. I also don't think he would have done it if he'd even considered Thomas' being fired to be a remote possibility. So I think it was a surprise to the cast (or, at least, MGG) that the suspension was about to become a dismissal.

A lot of people don't seem to like those two sets of finales/ openers. I didn't mind either of them. Was there something in particular that you didn't like?

Love the Hotch/Reid relationship. It's a big part of what I'll miss.

Honestly, SSAH, I've kind of felt the same way about Reid for a couple of years now. I'll stay for him, but the show has so lost its luster, that I almost wish he'd left. Once upon a time, the quality of the writing might have retained many people who were primarily fans of a single character or actor. That was certainly true of me, years ago. Hooked by Reid, then reeled in by the quality of the show as a whole. But, in my opinion, those days have long since come and gone. Now, with rare exception, I enjoy the show only because of Reid (hence the Reid-meter), and if he were leaving, my enjoyment would leave with him. If I no longer find the show enjoyable, why in the world would I watch? I suspect we'll lose a number of Morgan/Shemar fans this season, followed by a larger number of Hotch/TG fans. Whether they decide to stay or go is entirely up to them. I certainly wouldn't expect them to spend any time at all with a leisure activity that no longer brings them pleasure. In other places, I've seen pronouncements that such fans 'aren't true CM fans.' Begging the question of who is. Because, no matter why someone has watched it, they have each contributed to its viewership, and own part of the credit for its still being on the air.