JMO

I agree with you that the relationships have become more interchangeable in the past few years. I guess I'm reaching back to the early seasons, when they were so well drawn that I still remember them, and find myself looking for remnants of them. I guess, if they weren't still lodged in my memory, I wouldn't miss them. But I also wouldn't still be watching the show. I also agree about the shoot outs and the torture porn. I know many of their cases are rooted in some degree of reality. But I would much prefer that we experience it as the team does...after the fact.

For the future, my wish list: Story lines that are creative in an emotional vein, and not simply coming up with a more gory way to kill. For me, "Ride the Lightning" is a good example of what I mean. Cases where one or more members of the team has an emotional investment. Not necessarily a completely character-centric case----but a case where someone relates more to the victim, or the family, or even the unsub. To me, that is the preferred context for revealing something of the characters' personal lives. And i can't imagine it doesn't happen to at least one of them on every case. More of their friendships. Just a line or two as they're heading out, or back in. A touch on the shoulder, in understanding or support. Not the group thing, but the pairs. Each of them has a different quality of relationship with each of the others, and the 'family gathering' totally dilutes that, to the detriment of the show. With the exception of Morgan and Garcia (which has been uncreatively overdone), the friendships have been sorely missing. And just one more, very specific, thing. I want some Henry and Reid. If AJ's son is still too young to handle lines, I'd recast. But I think the relationship with his godson could bring Reid some much needed joy and unconditional love.

I ship the JJ/Reid friendship more than their romance (although I write both) and I didn't quite see what you saw, Willowy. I saw JJ almost laugh off the idea of Reid as a father (coming dangerously close to eye-rolling), and then Alex pointing out how lucky his kids would be, essentially forcing JJ to agree with her. Don't get me wrong, please. I would have been over the moon if it had all come from JJ, but it didn't. I did appreciate her tearing up with Rossi about it. And then was immediately disappointed when he went from "Me too" (being scared) to "So, let's look at...." Arghh! And I thought we were owed a reunion scene of Reid with each member of the team. As to Reid's ambulance ride....he's not a very skilled eye-roller. Maybe he needs to take lessons from JJ. (only kidding! sort of) I was kind of looking for Morgan to have the same passioned response as he had when Emily was 'dying'. But it didn't quite come across, for me. Still, I was glad we were given the scene.

Forgot to mention something else that I loved: that they showed Reid still carries "The Narrative of John Smith" around in his messenger bag. I knew he could never just leave it on that bookshelf! I also liked that Garcia and Reid were on top of the meds, and that he was scrambling to pull out his IV, and then just chose to clock the guy, from his hospital bed. I agree with those who think this was a better finale than we've had in a few years, but I think it suffered from the same problems as The Replicator. They spent so much time on 'action' (and in the dark---what, exactly, is the point?), and then didn't have enough left for the human interaction. That interaction is why I watch this show, and not others. They lifted the suspense on Reid way too quickly, and therefore, much of that 'action' didn't occur with the tension of realizing one of their own might be dying. The only person who even touched Reid after the surgery was Garcia. I was trying to patiently wait through all the shoot-em-ups, so I could enjoy the scene of Hotch visiting his youngest in the hospital, of the relieved JJ giving him a hug...and maybe even Morgan doing the same. Nope. So then I waited for the scene on the plane, when they would be fussing over him. Nope. Asleep on the couch, so the others could talk. While I agree that someone (ahem...JJ or Morgan) should have stayed with him, I also recognize the need for the plot device so that he and Alex could have their talk. And I did like that Alex texted Hotch on the plane. It was the only thing in the show that caught me be surprise, because I didn't realize it was him she'd texted until he stared not-so-subtly over at her. As to what may come in the future...if the show has only one more year, then I'd say they should keep the team as it is. My only concern is that, since Alex was almost the only one who talked to Reid, he may die of loneliness in the police stations of America. If there is thought the show will go beyond one year, then I would refill the position---or, maybe, bring on another liaison. I agree that JJ shouldn't be the only female traveling member of the team, but for different reasons than others. I think there have been a number of occasions over the years when she and Emily, or she and Blake, were paired for interviews that really were best done with two females, and I'd like to see more of those. Most of the suspense wasn't there for me, so I wasn't holding my breath for the survival of Reid or any of the others. I'd simply seen too much evidence that it was JT leaving, and that MGG was staying. After the botched CBS preview, there was a lot of scrambling on twitter, and in interviews, aiming for misdirection. But ever since their past attempts at misdirection, I've ignored the hype coming directly from the show. It's rarely true, and often annoying. Such is the life of the TV show fan in the age of the internet.

Willowy, The drug was carbenicillin.

I don't know. I truly wish I could have enjoyed it as much as some of you did. It was very heavy on running-around-and-shooting-in-the-dark, and way too light on Reid (or anything to do with him) for my taste. Even a minute of reversing of that balance would have made a huge difference. Why intimate that you've got a major character in a life-threatening situation if you're not going to play it for drama? I did enjoy the premise of the rogue police department, and the suspense of the team needing to work without letting on. The scene with Rossi and Blake knowing they were about to be attacked was very intense, maybe the most of the entire episode-----but the actual confrontation apparently took place during the commercial. The fifteen seconds of expressed concern about Reid was welcome----but it was fifteen seconds. Maybe that was because the wound that was life threatening enough to put him into shock (with a heart rate of 30 instead of 130----a case report in the making) was actually not so life-threatening. How else could he have undergone serious neck surgery without being intubated (for a while there, I thought that surgeon must have been in on the corruption) and recovered within hours so he could eat jello. Alex's decision had long been telegraphed, so the only surprise was her reason. I did think her story line was well portrayed in the episode. And I think she demonstrated that, given material, she can deliver. It wasn't terrible. It just wasn''t what it could have been. But I remain ever hopeful.

After.

In listening to yesterday's chat with JM, I noticed mentioned MGG would be directing again next year. While it's possible MGG could be involved only as a director, it is, of course, unlikely. So I took it as confirmation of MGG re-signing with the show.

Finally got to watch the episode. I agree that it was one of the best episodes of this season (I know, faint praise), and mostly because of the balance that others have noted. I may have fallen in love with the Reid character first, but I fell in love with the show because it was one of the few in which I liked all of the characters, so I am always happy when each of them gets their moment. I have sorely missed Reid and Morgan together, so was happy for their few scenes. I do think they could have come up with a much more convincing 'breakfast activity' for Reid, but that's picky. I love when he is earnest, and excited, and focused---and no one rolls their eyes about it. And I liked the scene with JJ and Reid at the sports bar----not quite green screen, but very effective. The show portrays affection most effectively when it integrates it into the investigative story line, as it did here: Morgan 'showing off' Reid to the cop; Hotch noting Rossi's upset at the death of the victim he'd been trying to save, and asking him if he was okay. Far less heavy-handed than the 'family gatherings' we've seen in other episodes. Some of those are done well, but some are cringeworthy. The last scene was cute. TG plays well off kids, and it's nice to see the relaxed side of the character. Ending on a shallow note----I do so love when Reid wears dark-on-dark. For me, it's his best look.

Local boards of education are mandated to provide services to kids with special needs from age 3 on. The BoE can arrange for a developmental assessment, even if the pediatrician doesn't want to. Of course, the question is: Is the child developmentally delayed vs. suffering from a behavioral problem or psychiatric disorder? Could be either or both. He needs a hearing test (never neglect the obvious), and then developmental and psychological evals. If he comes from an abusive situation, and if child welfare services are still involved, they should be able to arrange both (and should have already done so). There are certain types of assessments that can't be done too early in life, because of the nature of the tests. Maybe that's what the parents were talking about. But it doesn't meant the child can't be evaluated at all. They should start making some noise.

I remember Reid struggling with Spanish early in the series, but it was his pronunciation that was giving him trouble, not his vocabulary. That's what Elle corrected. So, to speak with a witness or unsub, it's not surprising they'd draw upon the skills of someone experienced in using the language on an every day basis (someone like Emily, who lived in many countries around the world). But I don't think that means he wasn't an expert in languages. I agree that the Korean line was a throwaway---for unknown and poorly exploited reasons---but it wouldn't be all that surprising. South Korea is a current leader in the world of science, which is Reid's home planet.

Even CM can't keep me awake some nights. I haven't seen the episode yet, but chanced a peek here to get a sense of whether it would be worthwhile watching. (Except for the Reid scenes. I always watch them.) Anyway, I just wanted to comment on the language issue. My guess is that, if Reid were a real person, he would have become expert at languages so he could read journal articles in their original context. The science geek in him would have found it necessary, for the sake of precision. That he would expand his use of the languages to cover literature and film would be a natural progression for our resident genius. As to whether he would read War and Peace in Russian while they were actively investigating a case....no.

I'm an infrequent contributor here, but I've been reading through this thread and feel the need to comment. While I think the show missed a golden opportunity to study something really interesting---that is, the slow, uncertain transition of JJ from liaison to profiler, with all the meaty intra-team relationships that might have been developed and portrayed in the process---it's over, and done, and they blew it. No matter whose fault it was or is. The best we can hope for is that they won't perpetuate the mistake for yet another season. Having said that, I would also say that I'm with Willowy in encouraging us to lay off AJ. I don't know her personally, so all I can say with certainty is that, like the rest of us, she's just a person, with the gifts and personality given to her, trying to do her job the best she knows how. She has family, and friends, and joys and sorrows just like anyone else. Not liking the character doesn't mean we have to dislike the actress. Nor would I rely on snippets of interviews, or press releases, or other publicity gigs to form an impression of any celebrity. It's all superficial.

Great thread. As with others, I was hooked by the character of Spencer Reid. He fascinated me, and still does, and is the main reason I continue to watch the show.. And I think that is entirely due to the way he has been portrayed by MGG. Recent years have given us quite a few shows with 'genius characters', nearly all written as flat, and robotic. In truth, some of Reid's dialogue could easily be delivered that way as well. But, instead, MGG takes the same words and infuses them with Reid's excitement about knowledge, and the sharing of it. And then he follows it quickly with a silent look of confusion, or hurt, when his overture isn't appreciated. And that's when he's not playing something particularly emotional. I do think MGG is an under-recognized master of the subtle look, or movement, or shift of the eyes. He speaks volumes when he is silent, and I love that about the character. I even like it better than his overtly emotional scenes. For me, he's made Pinocchio into a real boy. At the beginning, one of the things I liked about the show was that I enjoyed each character (and, thus, each episode) , and embraced their flaws and weaknesses right along with their heroism. I liked their interactions, both positive and negative, as they fought the good fight together. Like many others, I am suffering from some character fatigue by now.....but that's another thread. Some of the relationships have stood out for me more than others. Reid and....pretty much everyone, at one time or another. Hotch and Rossi. Morgan and Emily. JJ and Garcia. Hotch and JJ. Hotch and Emily. I was always afraid for Reid in his relationship with Gideon, but it was entirely fascinating. I loved that this show was intelligent. For me, it was up there with ER and West Wing (I know there is overlap with the writing staff with ER) in demanding my attention and delivering rapid-pace, sensible dialogue and ideas. Any show that can grab my attention and maintain it for the full hour (and there are woefully few) earns my respect, and CM definitely did so. As to whether that's still the case....well, again, another thread. I like that there's never a completely happy ending (even when they get a save), and that often enough we're left with an ambiguity rather than a convenient wrap-up. I love when there's a subtle message to the story, much better than I like those with overt themes. And I love that we get another season of it. (As long as we also get MGG, of course.)

I've just recently found this forum and hope you don't mind my entering the discussion. The evolution of a TV series is an interesting process. At the beginning, as the characters are being formed by both the writers and the actors, we simply take them in and decide what we think of them. The writers and actors have free rein with what they will do. And then, at some undefined time, the character is deemed (by us) to be fully formed, and we begin to measure their behaviors on screen against what we would expect of the people they've been written to be. For series with consistent writing teams, this can be a seamless process. But, when there is such overhaul as there has, apparently been with CM (I'm a latecomer, discovered the series through syndication), there is inherent room for the new writers to stray far afield from the characters as they were originally written. This is often dismissed as 'character growth', when it really represents a misunderstanding of the character by the new writer. In the case of CM, I think this has, indeed, occurred. I've had a condensed experience with the series, and can see that there is a marked difference between the original composition of each character, and how they are currently represented. Similarly, there was an intelligence and, importantly for me, a pathos, that infused the series. The intelligence tries to rear its head from time to time these days, but the pathos is almost completely gone. We saw a hope-inspiring remnant of it with Reid's reaction to losing Maeve, and the team's reaction to him. But I have to agree with those who think that the pathos has been lost this season, and I also agree that the whole miswriting of the 'curing' of Diana is the best example of it. (Totally ignoring the very existence of '200', now and forever). Reid's relationship with his mother, and Diana's mental illness, were two of the best established 'personal' themes of the show. To simply dismiss both of them with a miracle cure was, I thought, evidence of writing that just felt immature to me. As though the writer didn't understand the dynamic, or the importance of it, and was willing to give it all away for a 'cute moment' at the end of the story. Or maybe it simply reflected a lack of imagination on the part of the writer (and the whole writing team---I've read that they vet the story lines with each other before proceeding). They seemed completely nonplussed by not having Jane Lynch on the show. How hard would it have been to have Reid receive an out-of-the-blue phone call from his mother, to celebrate a new improvement in her mental health? Just watching his end of the conversation, trusting MGG to come through on the acting end, would have been priceless. If they couldn't manage that, then just show him frustrated by being too busy to see his mother while in Vegas. Even simpler, avoid Vegas completely. Or was the episode set there specifically so they could 'amend' canon? If CM hadn't ever had its day in the sun, I would certainly not have been moved to create this annoyingly long first comment. But it did have its day, and it stood head and shoulders above other series By choice, I will remain hopeful that it can go out the same way.