JMO

I actually think you've got her pretty well down, Amen. She was always aloof and professionally competent. The few times she let her guard down---mostly with Garcia, Hotch and Reid--- were effective because they were rare, and even then, it was on her terms. There have been soft moments, but they've been few and far between----which, in my opinion, only serves to make her just like many other, very real, women. To categorize her as either 'soft and fuzzy' or 'badass' is to limit her. I think JJ has long had the potential to be a fascinating, complex, character. Disappointingly, that potential has gone completely unexplored.

That made my day, Zaneej---perfect analogy! I was actually surprised to see that article about Joe Mantegna addressing opinions expressed on social media. Maybe his doing so was meant to be supportive, but all it really did was show those expressing the negative opinions that they had their desired audience. Not a good idea. The way to effectively get rid of that kind of expressed negativity is to extinguish it by letting it die a slow death, not reward it by feeding the frenzy.Psych 101, and still good advice. In the era of instantaneous social media, I think it behooves anyone who puts themselves into the public eye to do so with a predetermined strategy for how they will handle the crazies. To my mind, the most effective strategy is----don't read what they write.

Fear not. I doubt there is any way that AJC or JLH are offended or hurt by any of the negative comments on twitter, because they are probably smart enough not to look at them. I doubt very much if most celebrities read through their own twitter feeds. Who has that kind of time? Even I have a twitter account that I never look at, and I'm not a celebrity (she said, in a startling revelation). I suspect that all of the stars of CM, past and present, feel just fine, because they are gainfully employed in their chosen field, supporting themselves and their families in a lifestyle that suits them.

I keep wondering if CM writers are the ones doing the edits for A&E. Who else would have been clueless enough to cut off half of Reid's conversation with Hotch at the end, thereby ruining one of the all time great episodes?

"Demons' was just annoying. Too little angst over Reid. Too little Reid, period. It all became about Garcia, at the second attempt at Reid's life. And no 'recovery' scenes with most of the team. On top of that, no one even took the time to throw a blanket over the poor boy during the plane ride home. You're right, it was promoted as an 'arc', and all it meant was less screen time for the character.

I was thinking the same thing, CoStar. I haven't been paying attention to the Elimination Game (because I can't stand the thought of adding another decision to my day), but I hope you all left The Fisher King in there. I don't care if the plot doesn't make sense. I just love those episodes!

I enjoyed this, ReidFan----it was sensitive and sweet. Left you a comment at FFN.

If they'd joked about how he drinks his coffee, or his love of all things Halloween, or something else that was a personal choice of his, it would have been different. But they chose to joke about something that was so inherently 'him' (whether or not anyone believes it consistent with Asperger's), something he couldn't change, even if he wanted to. That denigrated his very identity, and was just cruel. I posted this elsewhere, but I really think JM looked uncomfortable in that scene, even behind his smile. I think he knew it was wrong. And now, I have to stop thinking about it, because.....blood pressure.

It was written a few days ago. Reid's absence had been telegraphed for a while.

Ditto. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11622606/1/The-Banishment

No Reid. Good night.

Okay, now I've got you. I think you can't link from your own 'preview' page, because that's just for you to see. So you have to go to the queue, and link from there. This should work: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11608749/1/Love-And-Family 21 chapters---gonna take a while!

The link only brings me to a blank page, ReidFan. What's your author name over there?

The show has long experience sidelining the character of Reid while throwing a (meager) bone to his fan base. What compelling reason would there be for them to send him off to Vegas and thereby risk completely alienating the MGG/Reid fans, if not the actor's request? For me, the fact that the filming dates of the Reid-less episodes coincide so precisely with MGG's beloved month of October seals the deal. Was it just for fun? Was there something else going on behind the scenes? I don't know that we'll ever find out, because, for all of his social media presence, he is a very private person. No matter the reason, it's a done deal, so there's no point rehashing it. I'll just hope for more, and better, Reid in however many episodes he has remaining with CM.

I'm curious as to how you were expecting it to be addressed in this episode.

This season, I've been trying to look at the show through the eyes of a new viewer, wondering what someone with no expectations might think of it. Through that lens, I think episode 1 (The Job) would have worked. Episodes 2 through 6 were just so badly constructed that I don't think a new viewer would have given the show a second chance. But I think last night's episode, Target Rich, would have intrigued me. I would have liked the camaraderie among the team, the complexity of the two cases intertwined, and the hint of ongoing mystery and danger that would make me want to tune in next week. Overall, I think it all worked, and I enjoyed it. As a long time viewer, I had some additional reactions. Specifically, I appreciated that they gave Rossi a 'B' storyline that was actually incorporated with the case. And I really liked how the actress portraying his daughter (too lazy to look her up) did so----just the right tone, and her line delivery was the best of the night. I actually wish they hadn't used her in a role already, because I could have easily welcomed her as a new agent for our team. I'm disappointed at the uncreative choice of explanations for Reid's absence. But, since they went there, I thought it deserved at least one line acknowledging the angst of having Diana go from 'well enough for a field trip' to having her doctors struggle to control her illness. That whole alley scene came across as an add-on. Maybe it was. The episode passed the Reid-meter, but only barely. And it lost points for telegraphing his upcoming absence. Finally, a question: I actually am intrigued with the idea of Garcia's bots being the Dirty Dozen, mostly because I never saw it coming, and I love it when I can be surprised. But---and maybe I missed something early on in the season----I didn't think she'd started her hitman search until after that episode where the unsub told Morgan about the Dirty Dozen. So I'm confused. Had she already been looking for hitmen? If so, why?

I have, to my goddaughter.

I couldn't disagree more with all of the opinion that the encyclopedia set is an inappropriate gift. It was important to Reid, which makes it a lovely, generous statement of affection. He's mature enough to know that there's no point in waiting for something that may or may not happen. And there's no point in being stingy and withholding something from someone you care about, on the chance that there might be someone you do, or should, care about more, down the road. I definitely give 'baby' gifts that are meant for use as the children get older, so I'm entirely with Reid on the content, as well as the sentiment. Babies outgrow 'baby' gifts way too quickly. As to the party, and the gifts given there---while I think it was a little late for Rossi's celebratory cigars, I also recognize that it was the show's 90 second (maybe 120, because there are photos of Hotch and Morgan drinking champagne with them) acknowledgement of the birth, and the reunion. I don't have a problem with it.

That link brought me to my own page. Did you scroll down to the bottom of your page and look at the Notes/Compatible files section? I don't understand it, but I think it's trying to help.

Wish I knew how to help you, ReidFan. I have my stories/chapters in Word documents, and have never had a problem just uploading the whole document. I think, if you're copying and pasting from another platform, it may be a little more complicated. There are forums on FFN---maybe one addresses your problem.

It may be that Reid is standing between the female and her father. I think the "go into custody together" refers to the female and her father, because Morgan indicates she can talk to him en route. He might be trying to keep her from committing a murder. Nice to have something WITH Reid to talk about, instead of just anticipating his absence.

Matthews's voice is there, it's just hard to make out his words. Morgan, then female, Morgan, Reid, and Morgan again.

On FFN, if you click on your username, it will take you to a page with various buttons. Click on 'publish' and read the 'about' info. Upload via 'doc manager'. Once you've uploaded your document, click on 'new story'. It will make you accept the guidelines, and then click on 'new story' again, and it will be pretty obvious what you need to do, step by step. People upload stories of various lengths as either single or multiple chapters. The site shows the word count. If your story is dense, with a very high word count, I would suggest breaking it up. If it's mostly dialogue, it might be fine as it is. Good luck, and let us know when (and where) it's up!

You can apply for an invitation to AO3, if that's where you want to post. It's a pretty short turn around. Or you can always post on fanfiction.net.

Over on fanfiction.net, I've got a bunch of one shots that are largely Reid/JJ friendship stories. Of the multi-chapter stories, you're safe with "Before I Sleep". The others all trend, eventually, toward romance. On FFN, I'm 'amusement345'.