JMO

Finally got to see this one. Of course, curiosity had me reading everyone's comments beforehand, so I was pleasantly surprised to like it a bit more than I'd thought I would. My own thoughts: Failed the 'Reid-meter', so that was a major ding. I've read that he was ill, so maybe he lost a few lines or scenes to that. I didn't think the plot was as lame as I expected, given the '50 Shades' tie-in. If I gathered correctly, the unsub was someone who was already perpetrating, but then discovered what he thought was a much wider subject pool because of the book. But I couldn't quite figure out (and didn't find it interesting enough to go back and try again) if he was sort of courting readers of the book, thinking they would be open to his 'breath play', and then things went too far, over and over again-----or if he was just stalking them. Loved Rossi's "high school" and Kate's reaction. Thought the introduction of Kate's pregnancy was good, although if Morgan needed to see the 'glow' to know she was pregnant, I think he might need glasses. And Garcia might need new ones. As to Reid's patting her baby bump (which was, apparently, obvious to him in a way that it wasn't to the others)----no. My guess is that they were trying to avoid MGG hugging JLH because he was ill-----thereby totally forgetting that neither the hug nor the pat would be in character for Reid. Given JJ's very recent show of PTSD, and her acknowledging the miscarriage at the root of it, I would have liked just an instant of camera time spent on a JJ facial expression that showed regret, a fleeting sadness----something. Then, she could have 'covered' with her comment about the headphones. Where, apparently, she forgot that it was Beethoven (not the Beatles and BeeGees----I know, so confusing, they all start with 'B') that she had coming through those headphones, when Reid suggested Mozart. Meg. So, 13 (she'd better be closing in on 14 if she was about a year when her parents died) is definitely DQ time, so there's that. But the source of her drama doesn't make sense without some significant, currently missing, backstory. So, in my mind, I've created this: Kate and Chris adopted her as an infant, and never told her she was adopted. She called them 'Mom' and 'Dad'. Some time in the past year, they broke the news, or she discovered it somehow. There was a blow-up, and they became 'Kate' and 'Chris' to her. And, now that she knows they're not her biological parents, she's put out because she's interpreting the pregnancy as meaning they want 'one of their own'. Otherwise, I can't make any sense of this kind of sibling rivalry at 13. Both Meg and the teenage daughter of the unsub need to get into therapy, fast. I do like Kate's personality. She doesn't take herself too seriously, yet comes across as a responsible parent. I like her apparent partnership with Chris in both the marriage and the parenting. Even with him off screen, there's more chemistry than with a certain other pairing we've seen on screen multiple times. Finally, I liked Savannah, and her incorporation into something that wasn't a 'Morgan-centric' episode. That's the kind of integration of a recurring character, and a relationship, that makes sense to me. To me, it makes the relationship seem more real, and more stable, because it's not the subject of drama every time we see it.

Thanks for pointing that one out, CoStar. It was wonderful!

I don't know how necessary a choice it is, but if I had to choose, I'd prefer something grounded in a degree of reality, even if it was similar in plot line to another program. It's just too hard to become interested in some of the outlandish ideas they produce when they're trying to be 'original'. They're too ridiculous to inspire fear, too artificial to relate to, and just....boring. TV writers have the same influences as the rest of us----news items, novels, films, etc. So it's no surprise they'll come up with similar story lines to other programs, even if not directly inspired by that program. The thing that was different about CM is that it also had an additional source, in the FBI/BAU files. Same stories we might have read about in the newspaper, but with a degree of detail (and insight into the mind of the perpetrator) that was new.

Agreed. I greatly miss that dynamic with Reid (and found it insultingly dismissive to have heard it dealt with, in God Complex, as 'hey, it happens, it's nobody's fault'---when it was the writers' fault) Back to Morgan---I liked his earlier relationship with Hotch, because it was so multi-dimensional. Each of them was part critic, part supporter, of the other, and there was a bit of mentoring going on, also in both directions. That's faded quite a bit in recent years, as we see much more of Hotch with Rossi, and way too little of him with anyone else. It would be nice to see the writers explore all the permutations of the relationships, as they did in the past. When you have a character-rich show, that's the best way to keep it interesting. If he goes, I, too, will miss Morgan, partly for the character himself, but even more for his dynamic within the team.

This one was just 'okay' for me. I liked it a little better on a re-watch, but not a whole lot. In part, I think I reacted to the dreariness of the setting. If that was purposeful, it worked. It was nice to see Reid deduce a few things, and I appreciated the depiction of his actually remembering the details of all that reading he did, in such little time. I liked his working with Hotch, and Hotch's reliance on him. It just didn't feel suspenseful. Not even when Morgan and Kate were taken. To me, the fight scenes weren't all that convincing. Once they were taken, Morgan looked more worried than Kate did, and the whole thing was over before I had time to become invested in it. We barely saw the rest of the team's concern about their two captive members, and then it was anticlimactic when they all walked, single file and at a normal pace, into the room with all of the prisoners. If any of you understand this better than I, please advise. What did the guard who released the prisoners from their cells hope to accomplish? Was he hoping to have them kill the other guards and the BAU team, thereby covering his tracks? Did he think the glass would protect him from a horde of angry cons? Finally, I found the camera work disturbing, in a motion-sickness kind of way. They were filming in a confined space, so maybe there weren't a whole lot of options to help keep things interesting. But I found the hand-held filming, and then the angles switching from above, to below, and back again, to be hard to watch. It's not something I usually notice at all----maybe it was used more often than usual this episode? Not one I'll watch again (except to fast forward to the Reid scenes).

Crazy world we live in, when acts of kindness are considered creepy. We already know about Reid's insatiable thirst for knowledge. It would be completely in character for him to learn everything there was to know about pregnancy, labor and delivery, and we've pretty much been shown that in canon. So, I think it would be entirely within the realm of normal for him to look out for JJ. After all, said "single, lonely, male coworker" is also supposed to be her best friend. And, it would be out of character for Reid to do something for JJ, yet ignore Kate.

As much as I'd like to pretend (the awful) '200' never happened, those connected with the show seem to be operating under the premise that it did. So I would be okay with this. Who knows---it might even give Reid some focus, since he's the only other person we're sure knows about the miscarriage. And that would be a good thing. Especially if he had to deliver her. You know, since he studied up on it when she was carrying Henry.

My best guesstimate is that each would be delivering early in the filming schedule of the next season. So, whether or not the pregnancies are written in, both characters would have to disappear for a while. Unless, of course, a decision on season 11 was made early enough for them to film some of it before they break for the summer. JJ wasn't in the field very much when AJ was pregnant before, which made it easier to include the pregnancy. The character could easily continue to fulfill her prior role, since most of it took place out of the action. That's no longer true, for either Kate or JJ. If they continue to film as members of the team, I can only think that we might see a shift to more screen time/ field time for the guys. Well, one particular guy in general. And that would be a good thing. Yes, I'm opportunistic. It works.

The wording makes it sound like this has been a long awaited, and much desired, thing. So I'm very happy for her, and her family. Finally, Mekhai gets a sibling. As Henry would say--Yay!

You fall in love when you fall in love. It sounds like a lot of us are reading through the old TWOP comments and seeing the protests when the cast began to change. Having come late to the dance (Season 6), I didn't have to experience the loss of the familiar, original cast members, so Emily Prentiss was just fine with me. I'm sure the same thing is happening now. Newcomers to the fandom, those who've discovered the show over the past couple of years, probably don't understand why people bemoan the changes in JJ, and the prominence of both JJ and Garcia. They fell in love with the show as they found it. Totally different note, but Minimal Loss is on right now. I think it was the first episode I ever saw. Like Cyrus (Luke Perry), I had no idea who the FBI agent was---but I was 100% sure it wasn't the skinny, geeky, guy. The next episode I stumbled upon was "The Instincts", after which I went out of my way to find "Memoriam." And I was in love.

I see Reid as intensely private and, when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex, self-protective. He's been hurt by the pretty girls of his past, and I think he is wary about the same thing happening in the present. I think a woman needs to show him her integrity and trustworthiness before he'll let her into his heart. That's what happened with Maeve and, whether in a romantic or platonic way, with JJ. I don't really think he fell in love with Maeve's mind. I think he fell in love with her core. But he also has hormones, and curiosity, and I suspect that's why he responded to Lila as he did. And I agree that the brief flirtation with Austin was just that---a flirtation, an ego boost, because, as Droogie said, he tried something and it worked. I couldn't really call either of those episodes a romance, nor even a crush. They were brief little encounters that sated his curiosity and stroked his ego, but they remained entirely in the realm of superficial.

Was that your post, CoStar?

Slowly working my way through the early days of CM on TWOP. It's interesting to see the evolution of both the show and the fandom. This was the point at which the writers told the fans who the characters were. I'll be equally interested to discover the turning point---i.e., the point at which the fans feel like they know the characters well enough to tell the writers if they are writing 'in character' or not. As of mid-season two, the writers are safe. It's also interesting to see that some savvy fans noted their enjoyment of the slow release of character detail, and its integration into the story line, early on. They applauded the show for not devoting full episodes to any one character's personal development, well before it began to happen. As a major Reid fan, I'm also tickled to see the evolution from calling him 'the geek' to 'hot'-----or, more correctly, 'the hot geek'.

Every negotation is a back-and-forth, whether it's for salary, or buying a house, or haggling over something in retail. You either low-ball or high-ball, depending on your position (payor or payee), and expect things to fall in the middle. So I wouldn't be at all surprised if their agents asked for more than expected, and settled for something less, in terms of dollars. But that would have absolutely nothing to do with screen time.

Fact? Or your personal speculation?

Finding ways to put off working on something today, I found the original TWOP thread on CM. As someone who came on board late (the summer between seasons 6 and 7), I found the early reactions to the show very interesting. Some are completely consistent with the complaints we see about changes in recent years, and some indicate that the complaints of today are very similar to the complaints of ten years ago. Here's a link, if you're interested. Hope it works. http://web.archive.org/web/20140329232532/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3128465-criminal-minds-you-are-not-tired-of-serial-killers-are-you/

I think you're spot on in your analysis, Normasm. And, whether or not the fans are excited about the spinoff, it sounds like the network is. With that in the mix, and knowing the original is long in the tooth, the network may not be all that motivated to get into heavy negotiations with the cast. My guess is that they'll make a one year offer, and the cast will get one opportunity to say 'yea' or nay'. What is less clear to me is what they might do if certain of the cast (TG, JM and MGG, in particular) declined, since they (foolishly) seem to think the others can carry the show. I know it's been widely speculated, but I just can't see AJC having the pull to demand a specific amount of screen time, nor does it seem consistent with the actress' personality. I doubt it's happened before, and I really can't see it playing a role in the future.

Droogie said: "But how much time is left?! Therein lies my problem. If the series ends and he is still alone, I am going to hate it so much." I sympathize, Droogie. But the only way they can send Reid happily off into the sunset with a character like, say, Einstein, is to write an out-of-character Reid. Not that some of the writers aren't expert in making our favorite genius look OOC----but I wouldn't want to give them permission to do so. If I had to, I'd rather end the series thinking that his perfect match was just beyond the horizon.

I figured it had to be a modeling gig. His hair is combed, his jacket is new and..... whose soles look so pristine?

Moving this discussion so we can all find it again. I would never think to look under 'Hero Worship'. Or would I? Reid and romance is a complicated topic. Here is a man who grew up as a complete outsider, always younger, smarter and more ostracized than anyone else among his so-called peers. His mother's illness made her displays of affection stilted at best. He was abandoned by his father, victimized by his crushes, belittled, from time to time, by his teammates. All of that does something to one's self-esteem, genius IQ notwithstanding. For Reid, the very notion that someone could be genuinely interested in him, without any ulterior motive, would be a heady thing. I think that's probably what drew him to Maeve in the first place. Not her intelligence------that became a 'plus' after the fact. But her interest in him, specifically. Even if it began as a consultation, and then grew. We've seen evidence that he appreciates a beautiful woman as well as any man might. But more in the way of an appreciation of fine art, than anything else. As it did with Maeve, I think appearance would take a back seat to investment. I do think someone like Reid needs an intelligent mate. One can't spend a lifetime having to explain everything. And I think he would be bored with someone who was, virtually, a clone (like Einstein). Reid's genius desires stimulation by differences, by things that are complementary. So I like the idea of him hooking up with an artist of some sort. Not a college professor, or a linguist. Not even a scientist, like Maeve. He needs to be drawn out, challenged intellectually and emotionally. An artist would be the right brain to his left. I think it would work well. Watching '500 Days of Summer' in the background as I write this. Wish MGG had the lead.

I read it to mean that she waited as long as she could to show the unsub's face, since the story was already written that he would appear at the opening. And I interpreted her comments about the upcoming 10X17 the same way---unsub-heavy, but she's made some kind of attempt to prolong the time before the he or she is visible. For me, it's not enough, but I understand that her hands are tied. I thought it was interesting (and encouraging) that she's obviously read feedback from more than the 'official' sites, as she would probably not have seen many complaints about the inequity of screen time between unsub/victim and the team. And I join you in wishing the writers would do the same. And that they would care.

Interesting interview with the director of the episode. Reveals something about the overall process, as well as particulars to 'Scream'. Her comments indicate that she's seen the feedback on line. I felt kind of bad for her, because most of the negatives she seems to have read about were not things over which she had control. http://criminalmindsfans.com/exclusive-10x15-director-hanelle-culpepper-talks-scream/

Okay, I'll be Reid!

I took a look at that other quiz, but had to quit at the 'teen pop star'. Can't tell one from another. Does that make me Rossi?

So, a re-watch still yields Reid's lovely visage as the bright spot in this episode. I think his hair finally got so heavy that it fell in closer to his face, making it look almost like he'd combed it. Can't wait for the new 'do in upcoming episodes. Other thoughts, in random order: Speaking of hair, re: the JJ ponytail: she seems to always pull it back when she's going to a potential confrontation, so it won't get in her way. No particular conferral of ninja powers there. I did like Kate's husband. He seemed so 'normal'. Clueless, maybe, but normal. No, parents, it is not okay for your 13 year old daughter to go to the mall with her friend at night. Not unless you are right behind them, the whole way. As far as that storyline goes, I could potentially be interested if the niece and her friend were kidnapped and trafficked, leading to the Beyond Borders episode. But a lot of those meet-ups happen at airports, not the mall. I liked the relationship between Kate and Chris. It looked comfortable, and familiar, and held more chemistry than that of JJ/Will. Still think it's odd that they adopted Meg as an infant, yet aren't 'Mom' and 'Dad' to her. Maybe she recently found out about the adoption and is rebelling? Honey, salt water, ginger and tea----it took 187 IQ points to figure out they were for a sore throat? Doesn't every grandmother in the world know that? I thought JJ's rear end took more of a beating than did her head. I was surprised she was able to sit down on the plane. I don't know how she was able to interpret Kate's 'worried mom' face from Kate's 'I just shot somebody in the back' face. Please, anyone who thinks they learned anything about domestic violence from this episode----no, you didn't. It's important, and scary, and a lot more prevalent than many think. But this episode was, in no way, a public service message about it. When I saw the plot summary, about the unsub collecting screams, all I could think of was Mike Wazowski. Re: the placement of the episode. My logic may not hold, but it seems like the following episode would pay the price for a sub-par one. As in, 'I didn't like it, so I'm not tuning in again next week'. If so, it doesn't cost them anything during sweeps, because there are no more episodes in February. It may have cost them in viewership mid-episode, but I think most of us stay tuned, waiting anxiously, for the story to improve.