Kate Callahan: Love Is All Around

[missmycat]

Okay, I just saw JLH on Jimmy Kimmel and they mentioned that she was on Criminal Minds, that it was the 10th season, and that it was creepy and people get killed. That's it. I don't begrudge her wanting to talk about her life, her baby, etc., but to not even mention what her character was like or anything seemed kind of cheap to me.

I hate to say this but I'm beginning to feel like these people who have been complaining that she isn't right for the show just might have a point. She really doesn't seem all that invested in it. To be fair though this is probably all still pretty new to her and I still want to give her a chance. I still wish they'd left the cast as is,even though I wasn't thrilled with JJ being the lone female agent on the show. I wonder if they even bothered to audition other actresses or if they just offered it to her outright.

[Watermelon]

Well, isn't Jimmy Kimmel an ABC show? You'd think they put her on the CBS night show circuit.

[missmycat]

Well, isn't Jimmy Kimmel an ABC show? You'd think they put her on the CBS night show circuit.

Well CM is produced by ABC studios. And as far as CBS they can't seem to be bothered with promoting Criminal Minds.In fact Virgil Williams one of CM's writers recently tweeted about the network's lack of promotion for CM.

[2KllMckngBrd]

This show will be bad for my TMJ, because just the thought of JLH makes me clench my teeth.  Yet one more BAU character I'll love to hate, I suppose.  :-)

My friend said the thought of JLH on this show made her teeth itch. lol.

 

 

If you doubt JLH's acting ability go watch her episode of Law & Oder: SVU, "Behave" [season 12; episode 3]. Fantastic performance. Many people who doubted Jennifer's acting were completely turned around & had a greater respect for her after this episode. Even the producers of SVU weren't too sure but Jennifer just needed and proved she deserved the chance. Producers were also blown away. 

A review of that episode. 

See that's my dilemma. I actually like JLH. She seems like a nice gal, and I have liked many things she's been in. And she was absolutely amazing in that SVU ep. The scene where she is getting the rape exam, retelling her story, and grabs for Olivia's hand, I got a little teary.

 

But, I had a shiver run down my spine when I thought of her on Criminal Minds. When Emily left the 2nd time I stopped watching every week, but was considering returning full time. I just don't know about now. The amount of things, that could go wrong w/JLH, and this writing team, scares the hell out of me.

 

I guess it depends on which JLH shows up. SVU or Ghost Whisperer?

Edited September 30, 2014 by 2KllMckngBrd

[SSAHotchner]

The thing that bothered me the most was that Kimmel kept saying, "So, you have a new show." I know it's nit-picky, but for me it would have been better if he'd said, "So, you joined the cast of Criminal Minds." rather than acting like the show was all about her. He kept referring to it as her show. 

Edited September 30, 2014 by SSAHotchner

[SSAHotchner]

JLH's appearance on The Talk today was better than the Jimmy Kimmel appearance. Perhaps because it's on CBS, but at least there was good focus on CM, and some clips.

[Danielg342]

JLH's appearance on The Talk today was better than the Jimmy Kimmel appearance. Perhaps because it's on CBS, but at least there was good focus on CM, and some clips.

That's probably why. Even though ABC Studios produces CM, Kimmel still airs on a rival network and it wouldn't benefit them if they promoted a show on another network. I don't know too much about Kimmel because I don't like his show very much, but when Leno and Conan did their thing for NBC, unless the star was a NBC star, they rarely talked about their show- they'd be on promoting something else and the show they're on would be a throwaway. So Hewitt not mentioning CM doesn't bother me.

[amensisterfriend]

I already love Kate Callahan. When the worst complaint I have is about her hair, that's a very auspicious sign :) I loved her immediate yet not overdone rapport with the other team members, I love the natural spirit, exuberance and warmth that JLH brings to the role, and I even find her background as an undercover agent. She just felt so real to me, like a woman you'd actually know with strengths and flaws and different emotions. (As opposed to the more robotic females they tend to write on this show!) I'm trying to keep my expectations moderate, but so far I'm really hopeful that I'm going to adore this character and the slightly different energy she brings to the show.  

Edited October 2, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[Wilowy]

[zannej]

Yeah, I liked her. She wasn't too wibbly but she wasn't too tough either. She seemed human. I liked her comment to Hotch about having a band outside. LOL.

 

I'll have to find a clip of her interaction with Reid at the beginning because I was wrapping up a raid in World of Warcraft when it was on.

[normasm]

Zannej, what I didn't like was when she was first out in the field with Rossi, and he said something like, "You worked the blah-blah case, yeah that guy came in kinda banged up", etc., etc., and she smiles slyly and kants her eyes coyly to the side and says, "Yeah, well you know how it is when they stumble over their own feet." One thing I really loathe is LEOs beating up on people when they are in custody. It's the ultimate in cowardice and self-righteous bully behavior. That Erica would write that for the character as if that recommends her to us a hero…. I mean it takes a lot for Morgan to get riled up enough to want to beat down a suspect in custody. The rest have never done that at all (I don't count Hotch beating Foyet to death, that was totally different).

 

It's almost as if Messer is taking the cerebral Blake's character (which she couldn't and eventually wouldn't write) and throwing it over for the visceral. If this is revisited in any way but Hotch or someone schooling her to dial it back a notch, I will know for sure the direction this show is going in, and let me tell you, i hope it's MGG's last season if that's true.

[zannej]

I do know in the LEO community there is this sense that if a perpetrator (especially a violent one who has harmed children) gets roughed up that they deserve it. I don't necessarily agree with it. I mean, there are times when someone does something so horrible that I do sort of wish I could smack them. It has to do with the revenge element in some ways. I doubt that the statistic is still the same, and I've said this before, but my father said that back in the day only 30% of the criminals who harmed a LEO or family member of a LEO actually lived to see trial. There was a practice even with federal LEOs to carry a drop weapon to put on people if they had to shoot them and they wanted it to look legit just in case they were questioned about it. 

 

I do agree that it is distasteful because the LEOs are the ones who are supposed to be setting the examples. The whole thing of the cops who break the rules and rough up suspects is a tv trope that is pretty popular. Its now starting to be frowned upon in the actual LEO community-- partially because of video recordings and public outcry in reaction to some police brutality.

 

I could see the roughing people up thing having been a thing back in Rossi's day. So he might have been cool with it in the past-- but I also agree that it doesn't sit well to have a modern character thinking its ok to just beat up a suspect/perpetrator just for the sake of punishing them. That sense of vindictiveness has really caused a lot of trouble for the police. There was a case not too long ago of a female cop who strip-searched a woman on probation and then peppersprayed her vagina (more than once) because she thought she saw a drug baggie inside and she wanted to punish her. That is an extreme case, but it is a symptom of a problem with people who view criminals as somehow less than human and not deserving of decent treatment.

 

I have noticed that there is more of a focus on physical "badassery" now with the current writers instead of focusing on their intellect. And yeah, it is a completely opposing trait to Blake's calm kindness. IIRC, didn't Blake use sign language to communicate with the deaf perpetrator in one of the seasons?

[normasm]

Yes, zannej, Blake tried to "sign" down the Silencer, and did other cool, cerebral things early on (convincing wood-chipper/tomato lady that ashes from a fireplace were her husband's, that kind of thing). 

 

And, oh, yes, i do know that especially child predators end up being at least messed up if they make it to the police station, that's gone on forever. It's just the way she said it, and smugly rolled her eyes at Rossi like, "you understand don'tcha, big boy?" Urgh.

[zannej]

 

It's just the way she said it, and smugly rolled her eyes at Rossi like, "you understand don'tcha, big boy?" Urgh.

Yeah, especially since its the sort of thing that Hotch would absolutely NOT tolerate at all. At least the Hotch of earlier seasons.

[Old Dog]

I've just mentioned JJ's hair on the JJ thread and just want to lay it out here that I have seen endless criticism of JLH's hair but for me, her style makes more sense for an active agent than JJ's immaculate "eagle wings" flowing waves that never look out of place, I can imagine Kate's style being easy for a busy parent and working woman. Wash and go!

[JMO]

 

I've just mentioned JJ's hair on the JJ thread and just want to lay it out here that I have seen endless criticism of JLH's hair but for me, her style makes more sense for an active agent than JJ's immaculate "eagle wings" flowing waves that never look out of place, I can imagine Kate's style being easy for a busy parent and working woman. Wash and go!

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!)

[Old Dog]

It's true that she and Reid have very similar styles at the moment! And yes, I have noticed that JJ always has an immaculate high pony tail in the field. And I know it's TV land but all female cops and agents seem to have wonderful flowing hair these days.

[JMO]

 

And I know it's TV land but all female cops and agents seem to have wonderful flowing hair these days.

 

 

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

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I've just mentioned JJ's hair on the JJ thread and just want to lay it out here that I have seen endless criticism of JLH's hair but for me, her style makes more sense for an active agent than JJ's immaculate "eagle wings" flowing waves that never look out of place, I can imagine Kate's style being easy for a busy parent and working woman. Wash and go!

 

As the one who first brought up Kate's hair, the primary reason I initially didn't like it is because it reminded me of the hatchet job Elle did on her hair when she was starting to come apart, and I didn't care for that either. Now that a few episodes have gone by, I've grown sort of accustomed to it, and as you say, its probably a lot more realistic than JJ's perfect styling, not to mention easier to handle.

[SSAHotchner]

I still hate her hair, but I do like the character.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

BUMP!

[Droogie]

Thank you, CobaltStargazer, for pointing out to me that this thread existed.

Keeping in mind, i like Kate:

I watched last night's episode with my husband,who is a sporadic CM watcher ("It's still a thing? There are new episodes?"). He watched largely without comment, but when Kate came onscreen, he said, "Why is she on this show? That's not right. What happened to the woman from 'Basic Instinct'?"

I provided a summary of events, and he said, "No, no, no. I don't like it. She doesn't belong on this show."

This from a man who could not care less about Criminal Minds. I found it interesting that he echoed some of the screaming ninnies on FB.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I watched last night's episode with my husband,who is a sporadic CM watcher ("It's still a thing? There are new episodes?"). He watched largely without comment, but when Kate came onscreen, he said, "Why is she on this show? That's not right. What happened to the woman from 'Basic Instinct'?"

 

Hee hee heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

Ahem.

 

I also like Kate, FWIW, but then again I  felt bad for JT when she joined the cast and the crazier Paget fans started screaming their outrage across the hills, so Kate/JLH gets my sympathy for that if for no other reason.

[secnarf]

I thought that at first too, Droogie, but over time I like the way she fits in. If she doesn't end up coming back, I'd miss her. Not as much as I miss Prentiss, but I'd miss her.

Definitely wouldn't miss Meg though :P

[Guesswht]

She has her own forum? omg this is just sad. She does not deserve it. Kate was so unbearable in "Mr Scratch" she was extremely arrogant and obnoxious. The episode would've been the best one ever but JLH completely ruined it with her acting. She ruins the best episodes, she does not deserve...whatever. I'm cleary alone with this opinion. Seriously..why can't she promote the show a little bit, say 1-2 nice things about the cast, fans of the show (...) She's only promoting herself, her own shows etc. I find it sad that this "person" is loved by everyone, what is happening to this world...?

 

I watched last night's episode with my husband,who is a sporadic CM watcher ("It's still a thing? There are new episodes?"). He watched largely without comment, but when Kate came onscreen, he said, "Why is she on this show? That's not right. What happened to the woman from 'Basic Instinct'?"

I provided a summary of events, and he said, "No, no, no. I don't like it. She doesn't belong on this show."

I agree. She does not deserve to be on the show.

btw no one is screaming on FB. They remove people who dare to say a bad thing about her. I find it interesting that y'all feeling bad for her because she gets some well deserved criticism from people who are devastated to see her ruining the show. but.. what Virgil got last night on twitter is well deserved, he should stop complaining (...) wt**?

Edited May 1, 2015 by Guesswht

[ForeverAlone]

Kate has her own character thread on this forum, just like all the other characters.

As for Facebook, you must have completely missed the plethora of comments every week complaining about Jennifer, even when she is a minor presence in an episode.

[MCatry]

She has her own forum? omg this is just sad. She does not deserve it. Kate was so unbearable in "Mr Scratch" she was extremely arrogant and obnoxious. The episode would've been the best one ever but JLH completely ruined it with her acting. She ruins the best episodes, she does not deserve...whatever. I'm cleary alone with this opinion. Seriously..why can't she promote the show a little bit, say 1-2 nice things about the cast, fans of the show (...) She's only promoting herself, her own shows etc. I find it sad that this "person" is loved by everyone, what is happening to this world...?

 

I agree. She does not deserve to be on the show.

btw no one is screaming on FB. They remove people who dare to say a bad thing about her. I find it interesting that y'all feeling bad for her because she gets some well deserved criticism from people who are devastated to see her ruining the show. but.. what Virgil got last night on twitter is well deserved, he should stop complaining (...) wt**?

Ok: So you don't like JLH nor K. Callahan.

Check CM FB again. There are posts against the actress that plays Kate. They are not 'removing' them, as you stated. Some people write them, and some others like these posts.

I don't think 'it's interesting' that some people on this board feel bad because an actress is harassed in the social media. I think it is only a normal response of people that can separate characters from actors, and feel some empathy for another human being. I absolutely dislike JJ, the character, but I don't hate AJ Cook. At the end of the day, she is only someone that happens to work on a tv show.

And keep in mind that even though some of us may agree that someone is,min fact, ruining the show, there are others who think its great as it is right now. People's opinions are subjective, as they should.

[Guesswht]

Kate has her own character thread on this forum, just like all the other characters.

As for Facebook, you must have completely missed the plethora of comments every week complaining about Jennifer, even when she is a minor presence in an episode.

She's minor presence in the episodes? Oh, i didn't notice that.

They dedicated the season finale to her. It's so unfair. The season finale should be about the people who made the show.

If Shemar is leaving and they wasted the episode on her anyway.. i'm sorry but i'll write something to her on twitter. Not that she cares / not that she takes it seriously. lol She's so overly confident with herself. I think she was the worst choice ever to play Kate. Who knows.. maybe Kate would've been a good character if she wasn't played by JLH. :-(

[MCatry]

She's minor presence in the episodes? Oh, i didn't notice that.

They dedicated the season finale to her. It's so unfair. The season finale should be about the people who made the show.(

Well, since Messer got in charge the season finales have been focusing on anywhere but the team.

Season seven: 'a member of the team will be in danger!!!!", Messer said. And it was Will, JJ's husband, who is not a part of the team, at all.

Season eight: 'a member of the team will die!!!", Messer said. And then, Strauss died.

Season nine: 'a member of the team will not return!!!!", Messer said, and then tried to hinted it may be Reid or Morgan, but right on the promo we saw they were just fine. And it was Blake the one that was scratched away.

Season ten: it's not even about Kate, but the annoying niece. We knew this just because Messer just can't stop dropping spoilers. Of course, a few thousand people didnt turn their TV sets on for Criminal Minds.

Life is unfair. We have Messer still stirring this boat.

[zannej]

I actually like Kate and I hope that Kirsten was wrong about JLH leaving next season.  Compared to other new characters on other shows I watch, Kate has hardly been used. She's had a few episodes about her family, but for the most part she hasn't been crammed down our throats. She has more experience and credentials than Seaver (and has better line delivery than Seaver-- although Rachel is now doing great on Continuum). She didn't come in and start showing everyone else up. Although I think I like her husband better and wish there had been more of him than of the bratty niece. I like Kate's husband better than JJ's husband (which has absolutely nothing to do with JJ or AJ).

 

I think that JLH has done well with what she's been given to work with. (And yes, I know there is at least one person who will vitriolically disagree with me on this).

[Guesswht]

Well, since Messer got in charge the season finales have been focusing on anywhere but the team.

Season seven: 'a member of the team will be in danger!!!!", Messer said. And it was Will, JJ's husband, who is not a part of the team, at all.

Season eight: 'a member of the team will die!!!", Messer said. And then, Strauss died.

Season nine: 'a member of the team will not return!!!!", Messer said, and then tried to hinted it may be Reid or Morgan, but right on the promo we saw they were just fine. And it was Blake the one that was scratched away.

Season ten: it's not even about Kate, but the annoying niece. We knew this just because Messer just can't stop dropping spoilers. Of course, a few thousand people didnt turn their TV sets on for Criminal Minds.

Life is unfair. We have Messer still stirring this boat.

:"D

Messer is weird.

[zannej]

:"D

Messer is weird.

Now that I can agree with. LOL.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

:"D

Messer is weird.

 

In other shocking news, water is wet, the sun is bright, and snow is cold.

 

XD

[Droogie]

I agree. She does not deserve to be on the show.

btw no one is screaming on FB. They remove people who dare to say a bad thing about her. I find it interesting that y'all feeling bad for her because she gets some well deserved criticism from people who are devastated to see her ruining the show. but.. what Virgil got last night on twitter is well deserved, he should stop complaining (...) wt**?

I thought she was completely fine in "Mr. Scratch." In fact, I thought she was fine in every scene in which I have seen her. I like her character. They just haven't given her much to work with. I have yet to see her ruin/take over an episode. I can't say that about every character.

Recounting my conversation with my husband, he didn't say she doesn't deserve to be on the show. He doesn't even care enough. He had gotten used to Blake (and Emily before), thought they were beautiful and that they were a good fit. He didn't realize JLH had joined the cast and was surprised. I'm sure he hasn't given any of it another nanosecond's thought.

I was being facetious re "screaming." People on Facebook are quite vitriolic in posting their absolute hatred for not only Kate Callahan but also the actress who plays her, which is a big reason I avoid it. It's sophomoric at best and not befitting adults trying to have an intelligent conversation about (what was once and is occasionally so now) a thought-provoking television show.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Droogie

[JMO]

 

In other shocking news, water is wet, the sun is bright, and snow is cold.

 

 

Please don't mention snow any more, CoStar.

[Old Dog]

Edited May 1, 2015 by Old Dog

[Danielg342]

I posted this in “Protection” but I think it can apply here too:

Finally...Meg. I have yet find a reason to care. I guess it was good seeing that she finally developed a little bit of apprehension when seeing the minivan roll up, but still- none of that makes up for the many missteps she made before, missteps that I think as the daughter of a FBI agent who once worked undercover in sex trafficking would not actually do. This came up in the "Vents" thread, but I'll mention it here because it applies- there was someone who said, "at least we have a storyline that underlines how dangerous the Internet can actually be". That might actually be a positive, but I think it's still a hollow positive, since this story really doesn't present anything that's actually new. At this stage, Meg's story has been repeated thousands of times, and, worse, Meg's story really doesn't go much in depth into the "online predator" game at all- all the scenes we've been given look like they could be your rudimentary PSA about the dangers of meeting people online. In fact, I think an actual pamphlet or website on the dangers of online predators would be a better resource than the Meg story.

Worse...even though this story is one giant cliche, there was no attempt at a deeper exploration of why things were happening. I guess we'll have some more answers next week, but I think some of the questions left unanswered should have been answered before, central to them is why Meg's friend is just so into this boy? He's cute...so what? So are millions of other boys, yet Markayla is drawn to him. Is Markayla so insecure that she doesn't get any attention at all from the boys at her school (hard to believe, given the age range of those boys)? Does the "boy" know this and decided to use this against Markayla? Does Markayla find the boys she deals with to be boring, hence why she went online in the first place? Why did Meg want to talk to this boy as well? She's clearly the more reluctant of the pair to go on this date, and yet we have no idea why.

Bottom line...why should I care? Just because Markayla and Meg are young girls? Please...I shouldn't even need to go into how bad that kind of thinking is. It's the 21st century...just "being a girl" isn't enough to draw audience sympathy like it may have in the past. Besides, what little we do know of Meg and Markayla really doesn't make them at all sympathetic- Meg has shown no love or affection towards Kate, constantly bombarding her with scornful glares and statements, while Markayla is an immature, "pie-in-the-sky" dreamer who, dare I say it, seems "way too dumb to live". I just can't get invested in this story if I don't care about the potential victims, and I could really care less about those two.

If I had a chance to re-write this story, I would have had the first scene- and it doesn't even have to be a long one- between the two girls to involve Meg complaining to Markayla about how her aunt is "never around", perhaps believing- as almost all teens do at that age- that whenever she does see her aunt, she's too hard on her. Perhaps here we find out that Meg is going through all those hormonal changes that puberty brings and is really trying to wrestle with them (such as starting to like boys), and really wishes that she had her mother or her aunt to talk to about all this, because there's no way she could confide in Chris. Then perhaps we'd find out Markayla has similar issues with her parents (whom, as I understand, we have yet to even meet), who could be in a similar line of work (which is why the two of them seem to get babysat together)- which is why they turn to online chatrooms and meeting people online, because they fill a void in their "real" lives.

Or, even, perhaps Meg just misses her parents and actually has nothing against Kate. She may not be old enough to truly comprehend what happened to her parents and the ramifications behind it and going forward, but she is old enough to understand that something happened and that her parents are missing from her life. Thus, her going online is a manifestation of simply another way she deals with the fact she's missing arguably the most important people in her life, and there's nothing Kate can do to change that.

All of this would have been completely natural and wouldn't have made Kate look bad, because it's reality- and the show had a wonderful opportunity to explore said reality...and, like always, the show dropped the ball. Hard.

I know Kate liked to lament how she's never home, but it rings hollow, since we never saw the effects of that. In this respect, Hayley's story was much better done because even though we really only got the one time Hotch missed a special occasion (I forget what it was), we still at least got a sense that Hotch's busy life doesn't exist in a vacuum, whereas in Kate's situation, it seems to. Without Meg expressing some remorse or regret that she misses Kate and/or her parents, Kate's lamentations ring hollow, since there's no indication that the things she worries about are even happening. Perhaps we'll see that come out in the finale, but if you ask me, it's 23 episodes too late.

[MCatry]

I remember that Hotch forgot to join Haley and Jack for a medical procedure. She said Jack had been scared, and that he had asked for his daddy, and that he had a condition, but it was treatable. I don't remember if they actually stated what's wrong with Jack after that. Is that what you mean?

I agree that Kate's marriage seems just fine (well, more than fine) and that Meg is just behaving as a brat, but then again there are some girls that are just like that, without any help of the rest of the family, so I don't feel the -absent-parent effect neither.

[Droogie]

There has been talk about why on earth Kate isn't monitoring Meg's online behavior, and I agree -- although if she were, we wouldn't have the glorious finale to anticipate, I guess.

But good grief. Kate was a detective and is now a profiler with the BAU. She knows the depths of human depravity; she has seen it. Maybe on her days off she wants to be a cool mom, and is trying not to alienate little orphaned Meggie, but a child Meg's age needs a parent. She has enough friends.

It's not about trust, either. Teenagers have notoriously poor judgment and impulse control. They profile like UnSubs, as was said on a CM episode at one time. I didn't trust my children as far as I could throw them, and they were great teenagers who never gave me a moment's trouble. They talked to me about everything (and I know they did, because sometimes I was downright uncomfortable) and we have always had a great relationship. But I wasn't their friend, I was their mom, and I wasn't always their favorite person.

The computer was in the family room and I saw everything they did on it. They didn't have cell phones for a long time. They were on a very tight leash -- I would've had microchips installed if it were an option, and I'm only half kidding. Heck, my son is 19 and still asks for permission to go somewhere when he is home. We were very strict but we always explained what was going on -- it wasn't about power. Now I have a 22-year-old and a 19-year-old who are safe, well-adjusted, happy and whole. They even thank us, when they see some of the messes their friends have gotten themselves into.

I don't buy that Kate (or Chris) isn't watching Meg's activities. She may even trust her (which is a mistake, IMHO -- my parents trusted me, and that was an error on their part. I was a little bit rotten.), but she would still be watching. Garcia could've helped her keep such close tabs that Kate even knows when Meg sneezes, if she wanted to.

Edited May 1, 2015 by Droogie

[JMO]

Years ago, we had a family come in where the guardian (so, yes, they'd already been through some things) found out that the (very) preteen had been representing herself as much older on line, and agreeing to in-person meetings.  She'd been accomplishing this through a cell phone she was too young to have.  So the guardian, being a bit concrete, took the cell phone away.  Who wants to place the bet on whether that worked?

 

It's not the device.  There's always another one.  Sometimes it's the kid, sometimes the parent or guardian, sometimes the situation, sometimes any combination of them----and, sometimes, none of them.  You were so smart to watch your kids, Droogie.  The hallmark of adolescence is the feeling of immortality and invincibility---"it couldn't happen to me".  It's why they take chances, and why it falls to the adults around them to keep them safe until they, and their brains, mature. 

 

No matter how much kids learn about internet predators, they don't necessarily recognize them when they encounter them.  Even the smart ones.  It's the adolescent equivalent of 'stranger danger'.  If you ever want to have an interesting experience, talk to a four year old who's just been schooled in not speaking to strangers.  Then ask him what a 'stranger' looks like.  Nine out of ten will describe the boogeyman, and not the guy asking for help finding his lost puppy.

[Russet29]

In one of the countless interviews EM has done about the finale she mentioned that the audience will learn that Hotch and Kate had been monitoring this situation. Whether or not this is referring to the broad human trafficking case or specifically with Meg I don't know, though I would like to believe that if Kate knew Meg was communicating with a stranger online she would have a nice long sit-down with her. I can buy Meg making stupid decisions with no real motivation behind them. That's what teenagers do best. But this kind of irresponsibility isn't believable. Maybe if she had a poor relationship with Kate and Chris for years but the writing indicates that this recent behavior is odd.

 

Along with many other viewers I feel absolutely no connection with Meg so if she were to get bumped off I really wouldn't care. I think this is my major issue with centering a season finale around a new character. The last several finales have been disappointments and I know a lot of people point to the seventh season finale as a low point, but I understand what they were trying to do. I know a lot people on this board hate JJ now but that episode was still near the beginning of her metamorphosis so try to remember a time when you didn't despise her and actually cared about her happiness and well-being. Yes it was poorly written but we had spent several seasons with JJ and a few years hearing about and sporadically seeing Henry and Will, so we felt (or should have felt) a connection to them and were concerned when they were put in danger.  We don't have that with Meg. And even though I'm a Callahan fan, we haven't spent enough years with her to feel at all invested in her family.

[JMO]

 

Along with many other viewers I feel absolutely no connection with Meg so if she were to get bumped off I really wouldn't care. I think this is my major issue with centering a season finale around a new character. The last several finales have been disappointments and I know a lot of people point to the seventh season finale as a low point, but I understand what they were trying to do. I know a lot people on this board hate JJ now but that episode was still near the beginning of her metamorphosis so try to remember a time when you didn't despise her and actually cared about her happiness and well-being. Yes it was poorly written but we had spent several seasons with JJ and a few years hearing about and sporadically seeing Henry and Will, so we felt (or should have felt) a connection to them and were concerned when they were put in danger.  We don't have that with Meg. And even though I'm a Callahan fan, we haven't spent enough years with her to feel at all invested in her family.

 

Agreed, Russet. It would be a much more impactful storyline if we'd gotten to know Meg, or even just had Kate's relationship with her more deeply explored.  I don't doubt JLH will pull off looking devastated, but I won't feel involved in her devastation.  It's the difference between 'telling me' and 'showing me', the latter being the hallmark of good storytelling.

 

 

[Danielg342]

I believe it was in “Lessons Learned”, since I recall that incident being tied to the plot at the mall since Hotch gained a sense of urgency when he realized that Jack and Hayley would be in danger.

As far as Meg's story is concerned, I do agree that sometimes “teens are just teens” and they're not actually feeling any resentment towards their guardians. I just don't think that's the right storyline to choose for Meg if they expect me to sympathize with her, because- even though I understand her age- I can't get behind someone who is ungrateful. The only saving grace for that story would be if Meg were to realize after her ordeal that she shouldn't take Kate for granted, but then, what does that say about Meg? Sounds close to victim blaming, since Meg is essentially being told if she had only cherished Kate more she wouldn't have gotten into this mess.

The other part is that Kate has, on several occasions, talked about or hinted that she never sees Meg enough, which makes me think that's the angle they'll go with to explain why she went online in the first place. The issue I have with that is that it's a decidedly one-sided affair, because we know how Kate feels but we don't know how Meg feels. Something like that would be okay if Meg was just there to show that Kate has a family, but since Meg isn't supposed to be just a “prop”, she should be more rounded- and thus there should be a reason why she's so angry all the time.

[Droogie]

Agreed. Although I will say that a 13-year-old girl can often be an angsty, ungrateful, resentful snit with little or no provocation. Thirteen-year-old girls can be scary things.

My son once came down the stairs in tears when he was 10 after having just left his sister's room on a normal Saturday morning. He wailed, "What's wrong with her?!" I replied, "She's 13, that's what's wrong. You can't fix it; you can only hope to contain it."

[secnarf]

It seemed kind of like they were trying to imply that Meg was acting out because of the new baby.
I could see Meg maybe thinking that she wasn't enough, that Kate & her husband want biological kids of their own who they will then love more than her, but by the age of 13, one would hope that she realizes that she has nothing to do with their decision to have a baby.

I feel like we've seen too much of Meg, but that time hasn't even really been used to figure out what she's thinking/feeling. They could have created some sort of logic for her behaviour that makes her seem sympathetic or at least relatable/understandable, but instead we're kind of left to just guess at her motivations for stupidly getting in a car with a stranger.

Maybe this was done purposely to drive home the point that it could be anyone being an idiot for any reason whatsoever, but it kind of just makes me annoyed with her.

Then again, a month ago, my parents' carbon monoxide detector alarm went off in the middle of the night. They unplugged it, took out the battery and went back to bed and they're bloody lucky they didn't die in their sleep. It was warm, so the furnace wasn't working too hard, and that is the only reason they survived. I was (and still am) absolutely astonished at their stupidity. So, I guess people can do much dumber things than you would otherwise expect from them, and maybe we shouldn't be too hard on Meg (or Kate, who likely assumed that Meg knows better).

[JMO]

 

Then again, a month ago, my parents' carbon monoxide detector alarm went off in the middle of the night. They unplugged it, took out the battery and went back to bed and they're bloody lucky they didn't die in their sleep. It was warm, so the furnace wasn't working too hard, and that is the only reason they survived. I was (and still am) absolutely astonished at their stupidity. So, I guess people can do much dumber things than you would otherwise expect from them, and maybe we shouldn't be too hard on Meg (or Kate, who likely assumed that Meg knows better).

 

There isn't a person beyond infancy who hasn't done something stupidly dangerous and out of character, for no discernible reason.  Some paid the price.  The rest of us owe it to Providence.

[Russet29]

I'm curious as to how effective this method of luring teens is today with how aware we are now regarding the dangers of the internet. I'm only a few years removed from being a teenager and as awful as I was in high school, I wasn't stupid. I did things to piss my parents off but there was definitely a line I wouldn't cross, like meeting with a stranger I met online. Kids today have grown up with the internet and they're a lot smarter with it than many adults. Teens are constantly reminded that they don't know who's on the other side of the keyboard. Even a harmless show like Catfish serves as a reminder of that. I do have to admit that having a friendly, normal looking woman pick the two of them up in a minivan was a smart choice. I can maybe believe that would put them enough at ease to get in.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

No matter how much kids learn about internet predators, they don't necessarily recognize them when they encounter them.  Even the smart ones.  It's the adolescent equivalent of 'stranger danger'.  If you ever want to have an interesting experience, talk to a four year old who's just been schooled in not speaking to strangers.  Then ask him what a 'stranger' looks like.  Nine out of ten will describe the boogeyman, and not the guy asking for help finding his lost puppy.

 

It's interesting that you bring that up, JMO, since in What Fresh Hell Gideon  and Reid tell the female detective the team is working with that what did the most damage to this country as it relates to child abduction is educating them about stranger danger. Spencer says that he remembers Officer Friendly coming to his classroom with coloring books, and Jason says the following:

 

"Taught a whole generation about a scary man in a trench coat, hiding behind a tree. Then we learned that strangers are only a... fraction of the offenders out there. Most are people you see every day - your family, your neighbors, schoolteachers. You know the rest. Prepared our children for 1% of the danger, made them more vulnerable to 99%. So we've been wrong before. All we can do is learn from it, and hopefully be better next time."

 

You are right when you say that it isn't really the device, its the kid, but the flip side of that is that if kids don't have structure and guidance, the pre-existing condition of being an adolescent gets exacerbated to a ridiculous level. And really, sitcom kids and kids in commercials, where the brattier they are the funnier they're supposed to be (I guess), are what make things like Meg being so irresponsible with her internet activity easier to buy. That doesn't mean its a good decision story-wise, and it doesn't make Kate look good as a responsible adult either.

[Danielg342]

They could be trying to play it so that Meg dies- it's another possibile conclusion. I'm not sure how I'd feel at that point.

[Russet29]

As I said I feel indifferent towards Meg's fate. However, if they killed her I think it would feel too emotionally manipulative, as if the writers think they're doing something major to break our hearts. It will also be another non-major character death, not that I'm hoping they kill off a regular. These writers just seem to kill off peripheral characters to get a reaction while never offing anyone who is integral to the show. It's like the anti-Shonda Rhimes.