JMO

I can see this is going to cost me money. I'll have to order it now! Thanks, Autumn, am I'm glad you're feeling better as well.

Thanks, Saje! Those elevator scenes, and the scene of JJ with the parent, would have changed the tone of the episode, in a good way. I've always wondered how much of the problem was in the writing, and how much in the editing. It's certainly interesting that someone had enough insight to put these scenes in the DVD extras. I'd love to know who that was----and put them in charge!. So, who edits? The director, I'm sure. But is it also the writer? The executive producer, the showrunner? Does anyone know?

Freedom is a wonderful thing, isn't it? So far, I've managed to resist ordering this set. But if I hear from you all that there's some good commentary or an extra that's worth seeing, I could be persuaded. If MGG has a commentary on the episode he directed, I sincerely hope that at least of some of it is not tongue-in-cheek. I really would like to know how he thinks about things as a director.

I think his achalasia may still play a bit of a role as well. Surgery helps tremendously, but many people continue to suffer some symptoms, and often a revision is necessary down the road. Eating smaller amounts, more frequently, helps. But if you don't have the opportunity for those frequent meals, then you end up taking in fewer calories. I also don't know that I would put too much credence in what he claims to eat. It seems like the kind of topic he likes to spin a tale about.

These are great! I learned a few of them from Harry Potter----but 'damp squib' was completely news---and something that I will have to use!

Ha! No, I've only heard those words as part of an encouragement to women, as in 'shoulders back, tits up!' Which at least half of us could have used in the past 24 hours!

Enjoy your sushi, Droogie, and good luck on the new semester! How much do you have left, before you're done? Old Dog, I'm accumulating 'British-isms', just in case Emily should make an appearance in a story. So far, I've got your 'pants at puzzles', 'gone all pear-shaped' (from a review), and now the old standby, 'knickers in a twist' (which has, I think, already been admitted to the US vocabulary). Please keep them coming!! Zaneej, if you're making the pasta, I'll bring the wine. If any part of the infamous pasta party was effective, my bet it is that it was the vino. And I think someone may have gone home wearing it.

I couldn't agree more, Zaneej. There's a 'mean girl' vibe that pervades that whole situation, because you can't have a pleasant discussion about a character, actor or topic without someone (very predictably) inserting a comment that is clearly meant to bait. I don't know why anyone would find that entertaining, but it appears that some do. I don't.

Great list, Normasm. I agree with nearly everything on it. I think I would make only two changes: My vote in season 7 would be for the unsub from Dorado Falls, And I'd have to go with Foyet for season 5. While there were many things to like about Uncanny Valley, for me, Samantha wasn't one of them. We got to know most of these unsubs early in the episode----it would have been hard to pick a favorite without that kind of exposure---and yet, it didn't detract. So I'm not sure that the early revelation of the unsub is as much of a problem as is the prolonged focus on the unsub. I don't mind as much knowing who it is, if I get to watch the process of my team figuring it out. I only get irritated when the team has been relegated to a series of cameo appearances, with the unsub taking up the bulk of the screen time, even when the unsubs are as good as the ones on your list.

I am so ready for a new season to begin! But, as much as I crave some info on it, I've learned (as I think we all have) to take any EM 'previews' with a hefty dose of salt. If this one proves deserving of any credence at all, to me, it doesn't read as though it is anything physical with Reid. It sounds like he engages the unsub into doing, or not doing, something physical. But, considering the track record of the CM publicity machine, I don't trust that this even means Reid is in the episode.

Totally cheating by combining the two-parters, but these aren't the ones I would watch, repeatedly----they're the ones I do watch repeatedly. Most of the rest I can take or leave. In no particular order: Instincts/Memoriam The Slave of Duty Minimal Loss Uncanny Valley Elephant's Memory Mosley Lane Lo Fi /Mayhem Fisher King 1 and 2 Sex, Birth and Death And then I would make a montage reel of 'certain' scenes from: Nelson's Sparrow, Gatekeeper, Magnum Opus, Alchemy

Gideon is a fascinating character and one that would be incredibly interesting to dissect in his own right, let alone in how he relates to the other characters on the show. While I found him overly, and unnecessarily, dramatic, I respect that the character, and the actor who portrayed him, set the tone for the series . That tone, for better or worse----and maybe both---- has changed over time. The show had one personality with a traumatized Gideon at the helm, and another with a traumatized Hotch. Should Hotch experience any significant degree of recovery from his trauma, I expect we'd see yet another iteration. As to Reid----------despite the fact that I so often write him with a (my own) version of JJ, I really don't see him in a romantic relationship with any of the characters we've yet seen on screen. I could be persuaded on Maeve, and I wish we'd had a chance to find out. I didn't disagree with the decision to have the character die. In fact, I actually thought it was a good dramatic choice. But I can't help but think how much more dramatic it would have been if we'd seen the relationship evolve even more, before it so abruptly, and tragically, ended. I do see Reid in relationship with each of the other characters, and would love to see any or all of those connections portrayed as they deepened. Well, except for Garcia, maybe. If they had the right actor, I would be over the moon if we could see Reid's relationship with Henry portrayed on screen. I'd want to see that far more than I'd want to see a romance of any sort. But that's me.

Zaneej, He (and you) may have looked into this already, but hospitals have federal funds that help cover those without insurance or other means to pay. It won't erase the bill entirely, and he would probably have to meet with a financial counselor, and show some documentation, but it may help him out, at least with the hospital part of the bill, if not the emergency services and outpatient treatment. If he has the option to get the treatment through an outpatient hospital clinic or neighborhood health center, there should be some relief for the medical bills there, as well. I'm with Old Dog----can't wait for the day we have single-payor, universal health care here in the USA. And I would gladly pay the tax increase, to help out my fellow citizens. I'm pretty sure that's what money is for.

Aubrey Plaza was on @midnight (Comedy Central) the other night. One of the 'play at home' fans' photos was a shot with MGG. But no mention of him..

Bittersweet Science

Heathcliff Manor?

I'm stuck on this one, CoStar. Though I know it will be obvious, with hindsight.

"Pants at puzzles"----love it! It's not a US idiom, but I am absolutely going to find a way to use it somewhere!! Maybe Emily has acquired a little 'UK-speak'....

So, the thing I'm learning from this, even when we don't get it right, is not about the writer of the haiku. it's about the writers of the actual show. There has to be some consistency there, or we wouldn't be able to apply the same haiku to more than one episode. Or, does that mean a lack of creativity? Oh, dear.....

Well, since JMO has backed out of all but the guessing phase, feel free to go back to the original method. Although I was enjoying the guessing.....

I don't think any of these are bad---much the contrary, in fact. I'm very impressed with what everyone has produced, because I think haiku is probably the hardest thing to write. I've got a friend who has published volumes of short stories and poetry, and has now gotten into haiku. It can take him a full week to come up with just the right line! I don't have the discipline (and don't like to count), so it's not something I'll ever be good at. But I love what the rest of you have come up with. I will have to limit my attempts, because I'm in the middle of a more wordy enterprise. But I enjoy reading yours! Please keep them coming.

Hmmm...I was thinking of Uncanny Valley too. Seven Seconds?

Sex, Birth and Death ?

Okay, here's my challenge to all of you great haiku writers now: Post your haiku, let's see if we can figure out which episode it's for. First one's a 'gimme': Callous beauty, wounded soul Sorrow cleansed In flood of elephant's tears.

What a good friend you are, Zaneej! I'm sorry your friend went through that, but glad he's getting better. Welcome back!