JMO

Normasm, if you're crazy, I'm the same kind of crazy. I see it too. Great pick up! I guess MGG had to find something to amuse himself for the latter half of the episode.

Not sure I believe this even as I'm writing it, but----do you think maybe the writers fall back to including JJ in so many scenes simply because she is such a blank slate? They can put her into virtually any situation, and have her behave however they need her to, because her character has been so incompletely drawn for the entire length of the series. On the other hand, Reid's personality, and his fairly rich back story, may make him seem something of a 'niche character' to them. I'm not saying they shouldn't have found a way to work with that (certainly, most of us have), but if the writers are interested in taking the easy way out, well, the easy way out is to ignore him. I've often thought that this must be the ideal job for MGG, especially when his character disappears during much of the episode. I'm sure there are days he has to wait hours to perform in only one or two scenes, but there are probably many days he doesn't have to go in at all. Which allows him to work on all of the side projects he so enjoys, while CM foots the bill for his time.

Be forewarned----I'm about to try to be annoyingly fair here. I just watched the episode all the way through (having done only my usual fast-forward Reid-assessment prior to this). Overall, I thought it was decent. And, if I wasn't the die-hard Reid fan that I am, I would have said it was actually good. But I am that die-hard Reid fan, so I spent the entire second half of the episode waiting for him to appear, rather than paying attention to the storyline-----which meant that I ended up having to watch it again. I decided to try my own 'cognitive regression' and took myself back to when I first discovered the show, and was willing to take in whatever they had to give me, not noticing how the screen time was weighted, nor who had the best lines, etc. With that mindset, I was able to enjoy the story for what it was, and to appreciate all the moments we did get. I especially liked seeing the dichotomy in Hotch's demeanor when he is in the role of 'father' versus when he is in the role of 'FBI agent'. He's so different, he's almost not the same person. (Someone who's better at writing Hotch than I am, please explore this in a fanfic!). I thought all the team members were used well, to the extent that they were used. As much as I would have loved to see Reid again, I actually would have liked to see Kate a little more in this one. As others have noted, she has a bit of a tough veneer to her, demonstrated in how she approaches and would like to deal with unsubs. Given that, I thought it would be interesting to have learned a bit more about the other side of her in this vaguely parenting-centered episode. (Then again, they did need the unsub to talk with them at the end. With Kate around he might not have gotten the chance!) Of course, I'm disappointed that we had a Halloween episode with literally no reference to Reid's love of the occasion. And I'm as disappointed as Reid probably is that Henry has already forsaken him for Spiderman. But if I take myself back, and ignore all the 'might-have-beens' and 'should-have-dones', if I take the episode at surface value---it was decent. But it could have been so much better!

Whenever I hear someone say they had no idea what it was like to be a parent until they actually were one, I think 'You must not have spent much time thinking about it." Really, if everyone had to experience something in order to be empathetic about it, we'd all be too busy experiencing, and not being empathetic.

Joining the conversation, as a fellow frustrated Reid fan. I wonder if part of the problem is not just the lack of current backstory (I agree it was one of the richest, in the past), but also the inconsistency with which he is written from week to week. If I didn't feel like I already knew the character from the early years---if I was just beginning to watch the show over the past few----I would have no idea who this guy was. One week he's empathetic, one week witty, one week robotic. One week he's as socially competent as any of the rest, the next he's awkward, or remote. We've seen each of those traits in the past, but they seemed to be appropriately evolving, in a way that made sense as the character matured. Now he's different every episode. To make matters worse, last year the writers even managed to besmirch Reid's back story by 'curing' his mother off screen. (I can't imagine how MGG kept his cool when he read that in the script!) To me, it was a very telling faux pas. I learned that the writers don't understand the importance of rich character history, nor ongoing character development. (Well, I already knew that, but----you know...) Then the newly created back story for JJ, to explain their errors in her characterization, cemented the impression for me.

I thought he looked like....Jack. And just fine. Zaneej have you seen pics of MGG at the same age? They are, I think, the human version of 'don't judge a book by its cover'. It's called 'don't judge the man by his peripubescent self'. From his own accounts, it sounds like MGG was so judged, and was bullied for it. And then he responded with the most effective strategy ever---success. Which is what I wish for Cade Owens.

Failed the 'Reid-meter', which means that I will probably get around to watching it all the way through someday, but am in no hurry. But before it failed the 'Reid-meter', I did get to enjoy seeing the smiling, happy Hotch that used to appear on the show from time to time. I've long missed him. My fast-forwarding told me that there was a pretty big imbalance in the use of characters in this episode (Reid wasn't the only one MIA, he's just the one I always miss the most). As I've said before, I still like JJ, and I don't begrudge any of the characters their screen time. I just know that it's possible to include the other characters into the same scenes, and I don't quite understand why it doesn't happen. Can't tell if it's the writing or the editing, or some choice made by someone up the line, but it leaves me feeling underwhelmed.

It wouldn't surprise me if we were to learn that those nuances of Reid's behavior came about solely through the input of MGG. He is masterful with his body language, and seems concerned enough with continuity and logic (except when he's being totally 'out there' with an episode he's directing). On the other hand, I would be surprised if it came from nearly anyone else. I recall that they had to go back and rewrite (and re-film, so they obviously didn't pick up on it right away) parts of 'Fear and Loathing', which was the very next episode after 'Revelations'.

To me, the most enlightening part of the page was the upper right hand corner, where they advertise "Compose an article and get paid". If you follow the link, you can see that there are no research requirements, and they are paid per view, which is an incentive to write something that is either controversial, or will have a significant bandwagon. This is basically an op-ed site, which makes it no different from what we do here. It just looks more official because it's 'an article.' (Off to see if I can get paid for having an opinion----not!)

Done. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10783066/1/Bent

Watching 'Amplification' for the six thousandth time. This is one I've always had a pet peeve with---specifically with Hotch telling JJ that it wouldn't be fair for her to warn her family to stay home. He implies that they shouldn't save the people they love simply because they can't make the information widely known, and thereby also save others. It's never made sense to me. Isn't it better to save someone, rather than no one? Shouldn't there be some perks for those who take on the risk?

Alexvillage, you make several good points. It's one thing to say that people who are mentally ill are more prone to serial killing (NOT true), and another to say that serial killers are more prone to carrying a diagnosis of mental illness. They are two separate statistics. The show, I think, tries to portray that there is often some degree of mental illness that drives the actions of the perpetrators of the crimes. Like you, I hope that the audience doesn't take away the message that they should be fearful of the mentally ill. But you also point out an opportunity. The show is there for 'entertainment' (the writing of that phrase makes me nervous about what I've come to consider entertainment---heading for some Little House on the Prairie right after this), but there's no reason it can't also be educational. If the general public learns to take better notice of certain traits or behaviors associated with dangerous psychopathy (and even sociopathy, although that's much harder for the public to see), they might be able to help prevent a second or third, or tenth, death at the hands of the same killer. Because, let's face it, most police forces don't have access to Garcia and her computers, and they need real eyes and ears in the community to contribute to solving crimes.

Well, this woman knows it's not gas. It's angel dreams.

Be nice to the babies---they're the ones who will be picking out your nursing homes! Honestly, it's all cycle-of-life stuff, and I like that some of our team have growing family at home. I loved that episode where JJ brought Henry in to the BAU as the rest were returning from a case, to remind them that there's something besides darkness out there. Even Morgan showed a soft side in that one. Since then, apart from two unfortunate, glaring, exceptions (noted below), it's been a very minor side story in a few other episodes, including the Halloween dressing-up-like-his-favorite-profiler, which was, for me, worth putting up with the rest. Maybe the reason it feels like it's been a constant harangue is because it was given such major emphasis in (the awful) 'Hit' and 'Run', which were, in my opinion, at least as bad as (the awful) '200'. In '200', the pregnancy came and went so quickly, and without aftermath, that it was almost a non-event, so I found it hard to react to. I, for one, would love to see Henry again (provided the actor has grown into his role)----but I want to see him with his godfather. Forget having him dress up like Reid---I want to see them trick-or-treating together! Or doing pretty much anything else.

Thanks for responding, Alexvillage. I think it's fair game to criticize a performance, but I also think there are both helpful and unhelpful (which are usually also unkind) ways to do so. These kinds of specifics from your last post: "I think it is because she is so flat and the other things I saw her in - guest at some other show(s), don't remember which one(s) now - she had the same inflection, same facial expression, same posture." would, I think, fall into the 'helpful' category, because they give real feedback, and something for the recipient to work with. It's completely expected that some will like a character, and how that character is written and/or portrayed, and some will not. But I would caution against painting the actual actor/actress with the same brush, and especially without any real reason to do so. I think it's important for all of us on the site to remember that, while it's inherent to their jobs that their performances will be evaluated by people who don't know them, the same is not true of their personal lives.

Alexvillage, I have to admit--- you've piqued my curiosity. If, as you say, you know nothing about the actress and have never seen nor read an interview with her, what is it that forms your impression of her as a person?

This isn't finished, and it's not mine. It's definitely AU, but it's very well done. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9908033/1/The-Formation-of-Planets

I didn't get the point of that approach, either. In my own job, I often have to get people to tell me things they'd rather not tell. I always read body language, but I don't challenge them about it. I just act as though they've actually said 'yes', and move on to the next question. I get what I need to know, and they don't have to feel bad about it. I wondered if the writer was just trying to make the point for the uninitiated viewer----which would, for me, be emblematic of what I miss about this show. It used to be that they didn't feel a need to spell it out for me. They thought I was intelligent enough to get it, or that I'd bother to look it up. Sometimes I wonder if this kind of thing is evidence of them purposely writing to a new demographic in their audience. Well, JJ didn't actually 'do' anything, because she's not real, like BF and EM are. But I get what you mean. I don't condone the behavior, because I think there was a better way. But I also recognize that Reid was talking to their actual unsub (in The Uncanny Valley), so there was no danger of her killing again while he was doing so. JJ and Kate, on the other hand, were trying to get the girlfriend to lead them to the unsub before he could kill again. I guess, if I was the one tied to the chair, I might not have minded whatever approach they'd taken. Rossi was very Reid-like in his approach to the actual unsub in this case, which was kind of inspiring. Maybe he's learned something from the young 'un along the way. (feeling another attack of fanfic--resisting, resisting!)

There may be other articles stating that Reid was supposed to have storyline in episode 4, but this is where I saw it corrected: Harry Bring ‏@LLPOS Aug 1 A. @LadyBJKD @DrRiedfanatic @WheresReenie @SmokeNmirrorsZ @gerrysbaby777 Reid will get his episode or two. Not to worry. Just not this one.

Forgot to mention above that I agree with those who thought it was bizarre that Hotch sent Reid to the drugstore. I also thought Hotch's profiling of the group leader was a significant reach, but then, so are most of the things on this show. Hard to fit it into 45 minutes of screen time otherwise, I guess. I don't think I'm as sensitized to JJ as many are, so I can say that, absent the dropping off the of the girlfriend, I really don't think she had anything more to do than most of the others in this episode. I also wasn't offended by her statement regarding itching being a symptom of withdrawal, since it's a widely known thing and doesn't require a former addict to announce it. I do always find it amusing when any member of the team feels a need to state the obvious, but then, I guess they are providing exposition for the viewing audience. If that final set of scenes was a set up for JJ's PTSD experience (still not convinced), then it would be in keeping with some of the outcry that's gone before. There have been many (myself included) who thought it inconceivable that she went through her torture last year without any fallout. Just as many have preemptively complained that they believe the show will dump it all into a single episode this year. If the end of this episode represents foreshadowing, then I think we have to entertain the idea that the writers have been paying attention. We don't have to believe it, but if we've been calling BS on a sudden episode of PTSD, and they decide not to make it so sudden, then I think we have to be patient. I know it feels better to complain, either way, but that's not the way the world works. The premise of the team being called in when they were was, admittedly, thin. In the past, when they had a liaison, cases were vetted a bit more before the team was sent out. Even when others on the team questioned the wisdom of it, JJ usually had a ready answer, having already done her homework,usually in consultation with Hotch. It would be interesting to learn how the cases are being vetted now, and by whom. Regardless, I wouldn't worry too much about the cost of sending them out in the jet---because, really, there is no jet. Just a bunch of overworked agents who travel, economy class, from time to time. As to the Reid storyline we apparently didn't see: I remember reading that it got bumped, not erased. Which, to me, means that we got a substantial dose of Reid in this episode, and have an even more substantial dose to look forward. I don't see the downside.

Looks like I'm in the minority (of one!), but I didn't mind it. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, just didn't mind it. Thoughts: Unlike most, I thought it was a very well-balanced use of the team. Plenty of classic Reid to keep me happy, and each of the others with their moments to shine. I liked that Reid was able to show both his knowledge (of the conditions) and his insight (being certain it was a delusion), and that he used both to persuade the others. He spoke with authority, which made them listen. Still wanted to reach into my screen to comb his hair! For the most part, they got the medicine right. The only glaring mistake was confusing chronic Lyme for recurrent Lyme. I thought it was pretty obvious that Reid said they were 'controversial' conditions, and not fabricated ones, which is true, so I don't know why people would take offense (with the show, anyway). Just FYI---all of the things Reid mentioned are actively under study. There is consensus, but no absolutes, on anything except that people really do have the symptoms. One day, when medicine understands better what is causing the symptoms, there will be no need for conspiracy theories. Right now, there are some who claim to 'know' the causes, and they create most of the anguish about how it's being addressed. I didn't mind seeing the unsub early, because the real 'unsub' was the disease, and they needed to expose us to it. But, like others, I could have done without quite as much time spent on it, and the support group, etc. I thought the guest stars were all quite good. Liked seeing Alicia Coppola, remembering her from AW many, many years ago. Bet they didn't realize how timely an exterior of the CDC would be when they filmed this episode. Maybe future events will prove me wrong, but I thought that the final scene with JJ and the unsub's girlfriend was more about the disease than about JJ. I thought it was to show us that the belief would persist despite any facts uncovered by the case. It had to be either JJ or Kate in that conversation, because of their prior interrogation of her. Of course, JJ was the more obnoxious in that interrogation and, at the end, was feeling the heat of it from the girlfriend. If that were to give JJ pause (I know, it won't) and think about what she lost when she moved from liaison to profiler, then it's a good thing. (I may be feeling a fanfic coming on...) So, I'm drinking my morning coffee from a Christmas mug, to see if it will put me in the mindset to knock out some Christmas cards this afternoon. December is just waayy too busy!

I've just read through a few days of this----it's been pretty active! There's too much to address anything specifically, so I will just make a few general remarks: It's interesting that there is so much consensus in the 'Unpopular Opinions' thread. Does that mean it needs a new name? I remember quite a few 'facts' regarding writers, showrunners, actors/actresses differently from how they have been recalled by others. Without going back to research them to see which of us remember them correctly, I would just caution everyone to take all of this in with a grain of salt. Don't get excited, outraged, disappointed, or elated, over something that may not be real. Sometimes I think we need a 'snopes' page just for CM! I just went Reid-like and tried to calculate how representative the opinions on this site might be (on vacation---don't I have anything better to do?). I looked at the latest numbers for the premiere, and then at the 'plus 7' additions, chose a median number of 14 million. Then started adding up how many different posters this board seems to have. I know there are other boards, but I also know there is overlap among the posters. So I took us as a representative sample, and generously decided we are about 30 (we're actually closer to 20). Which makes us 2 one-thousandths of one percent of the viewers (.002%). Which leads me to say that, if the show personnel are at all open to persuasion, it won't be through the sheer numbers of people who would like to see changes. It will have to be through well-reasoned and stated reactions and suggestions. We have them on here, but they get lost in a sea of discontent. Do we need a thread of helpful suggestions?

You're right. I think I need to change my profession!

It's funny you say that, Old Dog. I've been waiting to see what happens with Kate's hair when she's truly on the run. While I agree that JJ seems (inconsistently and unpredictably) to have an amazing amount of time to style her hair, considering she's a working mother, I've also noticed that it routinely goes into a ponytail when they're active in the field. I don't know that Kate could manage that with her length. I'd hate to see her miss a shot because her hair was in her eyes. (Maybe she could take some pointers from Reid!)

To each his (or her) own, I guess. If you really can't stomach the character any more, no matter what, then that's that. Me? I'm a believer in rewarding positive behaviors. If there's no reward, the behaviors may extinguish. Which means that, for as long as JJ is viewed as an irredeemable character, no matter what the writers do, there's no point in them trying to amend things. But I also don't see them doing away with her altogether. So I will root for 'old and improved'.