SSAHotchner

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you. They don't know what they're doing because they don't really grasp the premise of the show and are writing it pretty much like any old cop procedural you can find on any network now. And they didn't bother to really get to know the characters but have chosen instead to reinvent them to fit with whatever the writers feel like writing. Of the episodes you mention, the only ones that I thought were well-written were Entropy, The Edge of Winter, Final Shot, Persuasion and Mr. Scratch. I would also add Gabby to that list. I agree with all of this. It's like you read my mind. And Booky and Old Dog, I would miss both of you here. I am not going to watch this season either, but I haven't really decided about abandoning the forums because of friendships I have made.

I totally agree with this. One of my sons went to auto school and is a master tech at a BMW dealership. He makes decent money, but we have to laugh a bit when he tells us, "it's a young man's job." He's 31. But it is a lot of physical work and he's hoping to get certified as a network administrator down the road and not have to wrench his shoulders at work everyday. The thing is, people will always need mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc. and their services are expensive. I wish more young people would realize that before they get themselves into huge debt with college loans and find there's no job available in their chosen field. I will never look down on someone for not getting a college education, but learn how to do something so that you are able to support yourself.

About Emily's eyes, she has to have seen all the episodes from her previous season where they criticized her eyes. How many years has it been and she hasn't tried to tone down the eyeliner? She could at least switch to a dark brown instead of the black and not apply it so heavily. Other than that she is absolutely beautiful.

Not so far-fetched for me, but then I'm more than twice the age of most of these girls. ;)

I didn't like Demonology much, but I liked that we got some backstory on Prentiss, and of course Paget gave a great performance. Loved her with Reid in Minimal Loss. But my absolute favorite Prentiss moment is, "Ladies, this is Brad, a real FBI agent. "

I really liked that Katie from Flower Mound and the judges criticized her for being too good? I already deleted the program from my DVR, but I recall that someone on the panel said she performed the routine perfectly but Kelly and Charlotte both kind of sneered at her. I'll never understand them. It particularly ticked me off because I've been doing a re-watch of season 2 and during the evaluation of Lonnie they said she didn't have the kicks, couldn't do the splits or turns and I think one other thing, and then she was the first one they called into training camp, but they turned away others who were good and could do those things. I'm just so tired of them selecting girls on their looks alone. And sorry, but I don't get the Yuko love, although to be fair we really didn't see much of anyone's skills in this episode.

I love Paget and I would like to see her back on Criminal Minds, if I were going to watch without Hotch, which I don't want to do. I don't blame her at all for season 6 or 7. I blame the writers and Erica. I also feel that Paget's displeasure at having to come back for 7 because of the contract, in spite of how hot they were to get rid of her in 6, came through her character. Prentiss was in the same boat as Paget. She enjoyed being back with her co-workers and friends, but the job just wasn't for her anymore.

Yeah, those teeth were a total gross out. As much as I have enjoyed Tim Curry in other things, I hate those 2 episodes of Criminal Minds.

JMO, I love Reid, too, and I really think he deserves so much better than what he's been getting from season 6 on. I would love to see him get a fantastic role in a film or on another series. I know MGG feels a certain debt of gratitude toward CM for being his first big role, but I think that debt has been long paid and he should move on. BTW, Reid was my first love on CM and I grew to love Hotch later on. I love seeing the two of them together like in LDSK.

I liked her a lot in the first two seasons when she was performing, but less in these mentor segments. I think having a mentor is a great idea, but some of her segments are kind of lame, perhaps because they are scripted? I like it more when we see current vets coaching the girls on their dancing. I also wonder what the other rookie candidates think when only some girls are getting extra coaching. Are they glad when they're not approached by her because that would seem they're doing well and don't need help or does it seem unfair to them?

Yes, you can discuss posts and it's okay to have different opinions but when you say, "Are you serious?" it implies that you think I'm nuts and wrong. It's okay for you to think that, but to say it here borders on criticizing me, the poster, rather than just saying you disagree. That's all I'm saying. I get that there are people on both sides of the TG situation and every place in between. While I think a number of shows have done replacements of main characters really well, MASH and Cheers and even Law & Order SVU come to mind, I don't want to watch CM without Hotch. For me the show has been horrible for several seasons now. TG leaving under any circumstances just provided the impetus for me to quit watching. But I certainly wish all the remaining actors well and I don't have objection or hard feelings toward anyone here who enjoys the show and continues to watch.

I still can't believe she made the fan vote. She was just so odd looking. Not out of shape. Not overweight. Not ugly. But just something about her face, the squinting and expressions were so off-putting that it was hard for me to believe people were attracted to her just from her video. On the other hand, her personality was charming and sweet and I think she came across as way more intelligent and poised than many of the candidates do. But again, the fans wouldn't know that just from seeing a video of her dancing.

Yes, I'm serious. I don't want to watch Criminal Minds without the Hotch character, and I don't think about who Thomas Gibson is or what he has done when I watch. I think only of Hotch as Hotch. I'm not excusing TG's behavior or condoning it. I'm not saying I want to watch whatever TG does in the future. I'm only saying I will not watch Criminal Minds sans Hotch. And you are not supposed to call out other posters on their opinions, but rather only state your own.

It would be in my house. We have a hard enough time not eating everything up before Christmas if I bake early in December. This I might actually watch.

I'm with you. I will not watch without Hotch no matter what Thomas Gibson has done. I've only been hanging on to see him anyway.

FWIW, I didn't care for Virgil before this incident primarily because of his behavior on Twitter and also because of his crappy writing. I feel exactly the same about Rick Dunkle. He, too, was a whiny baby that indulged in arguments on Twitter and then would remove his account when he couldn't take the heat from the viewers and reinstate it a few days later. While I don't know anything of the personality of Janine Sherman Barrois, I detest the scripts she's written and how she's strayed from the characters as they were conceived as well as the premise of the show. I can't stand Erica Messer because she, too, is not a good writer unless she's paired with someone more capable than herself, and I hold her responsible for ruining the show by not sticking to the premise and allowing the writers to write the characters inconsistently. She also can't keep her flippin' mouth shut and divulges too much of what should be a surprise for the viewers. And lastly, I'm really ticked off at Jim Clemente for abandoning his role, his purpose, as consultant and not only allowing all the crap that they've written over the past 5 or 6 years but also defending it. For instance 200. Yes we all believe JJ would be sought after to capture Osama Bin Laden. None of this has to do with these folks' race or how I feel about Thomas Gibson/Hotch. These are all just people that I feel had a hand in destroying a show I once loved long before this current incident occurred. I guess maybe instead of feeling sick about what happened, I should be relieved that it's the final straw to get me to quit watching.

Okay, I think we're going to need a picture of the contents of your medicine cabinet just to make sure.

I've been past this place. Didn't stop, though.

It would be for me.

I don't have compassion for the writer/producer because he was the instigator of the altercation, we have not heard that he has any injuries, and he has conducted himself in a childish, still taunting way. If he felt threatened at work, why would he goad Thomas to begin with? Also constantly putting it out there and acting out his martial arts skills seems like pretty aggressive behavior on his part to me. His posts on social media have been gloating and self-serving. No indication that he suffered at all or that he was afraid to come to work. Prior to this incident he has engaged in arguments on social media sites whenever a poster makes a comment that is at all critical of an episode he has written. Rather than learning from these viewers as to whether what he wrote was plausible, made sense, fit with the character as he/she had been established, he'd just snark at them and then block them. So, no, not a lot of sympathy for Virgil. He hasn't lost his job. However, there's a good chance that this whole scenario will bring the show to a close this season and then many others will be out of work as well. For my money, I don't see Virgil getting picked up by another shows since his writing is mediocre to poor and his temperament isn't the greatest to work with.

I love Paget to pieces. I feel she's able to really make something of the sometimes horrible lines they give her. She's a dynamic presence on screen and she is smart and able to take charge. She would be a good team leader and it would be refreshing to have a female leader. But no matter who they bring in or whether the atmosphere is all sunshine and rainbows on set, the writing still largely sucks. When you can count the number of decent episodes per season on one hand...And even having Paget there and putting her in charge, if they go that way, won't erase the tension on the set from this current situation and the loss of an actor and friend they enjoyed working with. It's going to be tough on the players, is all I'm saying, even if they can get the audience to buy whatever they come up with in terms of an explanation.

I don't know about Amy and the engagement thing. It's one thing to follow a mate around because they're getting a better job opportunity, but being a cheerleader not only isn't lucrative, I can't imagine any man following a girl around the country because she wants to wear skimpy outfits and dance and kick her legs up to be ogled by lots of other men for very little pay AND not have much time to spend with said fiance. If she's put off the wedding this long because of cheerleader dreams, I can't imagine the guy not feeling he's at the bottom of her priorities. That's no way to begin a marriage.

Let's hope they don't go there, not that I'll be watching. We also don't really know what's in those first two episodes they filmed. But hey, these writers haven't worried about continuity at all for the past 5-6 years. CBS put themselves in this situation without thinking how they were going to deal with the onscreen repercussions. Again, not a first for them. And let's face it, they all think they're smarter than the viewing audience anyway and that we won't notice when what they write is inconsistent and/or doesn't make a bit of sense. I really don't see any way that this whole season isn't going to be a nightmare. I'm sorry for the cast having to deal with it. I'm especially sorry for Paget. She agrees to come back, yet again, after the horrible way they treated her and now she's back in the middle of a shit storm once more.

Danielg, I knew Virgil was a dick before this incident. He has behaved petulantly on Twitter for some time. Even when negative comments about episodes he'd written weren't on his page or directed specifically toward him, he'd post little snide remarks, block posters, and even resort to arguing with posters. I don't doubt he'd react similarly with his co-workers.

I love this!