S15.E04: Saturday

[Danielg342]

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The members of the BAU enjoy a Saturday off in vastly different ways. While Rossi and Prentiss help Simmons assemble a new crib, Garcia leads a hacking competition, and Dr. Reid strikes up a conversation with a woman named Maxine (Rachel Leigh Cook), on a unique episode directed by original showrunner Ed Bernero

Via SpoilerTV

[Annber03]

Loved this episode. I really liked what they did with the format here, and the way they balanced all these different stories. I especially liked how funny it was-Emily, Tara, and JJ having to deal with all these weird guys, and Emily going all out with the wine, and things of that sort, was hilarious, as was Kristy, Emily, and Rossi all teasing Matt about the crib :D. And Brian was absurdly entertaining, too. I snorted at the "deep throat" bit. OMG. 

And it was fun to see everyone on their day off, or at least, what some of them managed to get of it. Nice to welcome another baby to the BAU family, and I liked seeing everyone hanging out together in other ways. 

The stuff with Reid and Max, though. That was really fun and cute. I got a real kick out of seeing him getting so playful with her, and his interactions with her nephew were adorable. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out between these two going forward. I also liked seeing Reid talking to a therapist, and the moment between him and JJ was nice. 

As funny as Emily's interaction with Brian was, though, the fact that he does know all that about her fake death is still rather unsettling, so I do wonder if there'll be more to that at some point. Same with the Alexi thing. Couple little ominous elements to linger on in an otherwise generally lighter episode. 

But yeah. This was a really good episode. 

[Danielg342]

I felt like there were 15 different episodes they could have written and expanded upon, because there were a lot of nice moments...but things didn't feel as "complete" as they could have been.

It was great to see a lighter side of the team for once, especially when it comes to Prentiss. Tonight was a great example of what I liked about the character before she got bland as the Unit Chief, because Paget Brewster really plays "frustrated" very well. I also think when she gets a chance to let loose Brewster really shines- when she's "stuffy" she really feels constrained.

I also liked Rachel Leigh Cook's Maxine and the lighter side it brought out of Reid. Cook had some real chemistry with Matthew Gray Gubler on screen, but, more importantly, Maxine seemed to "get" Reid in a way few have been able to. If she is- as I hope- Reid's ultimate love, I think the show found the right character for Reid to drive off into the sunset with.

Furthermore, put me in line to pick up a copy of Simmons' Stories. Those should be fun to read.

As for the case...I feel like it wasn't as developed as it could have been, and it made me think I would have liked it if the show built an episode that actually showed Garcia's expertise in full view. I think it's only fair- they've had Garcia pretty much "solve the case" for the team so many times that, just once, I'd like to have an episode where Garcia actually led the way and got to share her own knowledge with the team. She showed she's more than just a "magical database" and it makes me wish the show went to that well a bit more often.

[Chaos Theory]

I was curious if people liked this episode or not.   I found it kinda sweet.    I like seeing what the gang does on its day off And the old joke that this is why they don’t get days off because they still come into work.    The Garcia stalking case was interesting because it did deal with interesting internet stuff and what she has to deal with on a daily basis.   Those internet morons and incels who live in the dark web.  I also really like Rossi passing on his writing baton.   Of course their may be others he could pass it on to.  But the show gave a reasonable explanation why he would want to pass it on to Simmons.   I also liked Reid and his attempt to just have a normal conversation that didn’t involve work.   I could definitely see him especially after he got out of prison using his job as a safety net and not really having much outside of it.  Which was the whole point of the teaching classes which I don’t think he does anymore.   Plus I think the show genuinely wants to move on from “poor sad Reid”.  
 

I know Reid is a favorite character but i think my major issue with his character is that the show just loves to torture him and people LIKE those episodes.   I hated the episode where Maeve gets killed.  I still haven’t watched most of the prison episodes. So I am hoping the new girl sticks.   

Edited January 23, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

The Garcia stalking case was interesting because it did deal with interesting internet stuff and what she has to deal with on a daily basis.   Those internet morons and incels who live in the dark web. 

I sad in a discussion elsewhere that I wondered if the CM writers have been hanging out with the writers for the show "Evil", because that's two shows I watch now that have been mocking incels all over the place :D. 

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I know Reid is a favorite character but i think my major issue with his character is that the show just loves to torture him and people LIKE those episodes.   I hated the episode where Maeve gets killed.  I still haven’t watched most of the prison episodes. 

It is a weird contradiction, yes-so often I hear Reid fans complain about why the show won't let him be happy, and a lot of them weren't fond of Maeve being killed and the prison stuff, either.

And yet they then turn around and list their favorite Reid episodes, which often still have him in some kind of extreme danger (granted, considering most of the Reid-centric episodes involve him being in peril, they don't really have much in the way of lighter stuff to choose from when picking favorites, but still...). And then in the fanfic world, some of them put him through even worse than what he's been through on the show. 

But yeah. It was very nice to see him just actually have a genuinely happy, relaxed day for once. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Annber03

[threebluestars]

I really liked hearing Garcia say that she doesn't like looking at crime scene photos because she had to see some really dark stuff in her own job - something I doubt the rest of the team really thinks about. It's true that she'd be the one crawling into some really horrible places to find information. Just because what she finds might be printed instead of a picture doesn't make it any less damaging or awful. I liked that they expanded upon that a little.

[preeya]

The under the bed stuff was a steal from NCIS.  Happened when DiNozzo was in the apartment and discovered by MGee when he took it over.

 

[SVNBob]

Good episode.  Loved the format.  Wished they'd used it earlier in the show's run so we could have had more.

Major nitpick though: that was criminal under-use of Paul F. Tompkins.  He's such a good performer.  It was great that his plot primarily involved Prentiss, since I've heard and seen the chemistry that he and Paget have when playing off each other.  But for that interaction to be limited to a scene and a half, and short scenes at that....  Such a waste.

[Danielg342]

6 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

Major nitpick though: that was criminal under-use of Paul F. Tompkins.  He's such a good performer.  It was great that his plot primarily involved Prentiss, since I've heard and seen the chemistry that he and Paget have when playing off each other.  But for that interaction to be limited to a scene and a half, and short scenes at that....  Such a waste.

Yeah, that story was great. They really could have expanded on it and maybe even made it a whole episode, and I agree on the chemistry between Paget Brewster and Paul F. Tompkins. Brewster really needs people to play off of and Tompkins brought out some of the best work from her that I've seen in a long while.

[Sweet Tooth]

My. Favorite. Episode. Ever.

By far.

What I loved:

1. Eighty percent of the show NOT dedicated to the unsub/t0rture pron.

2. Though Garcia DID mention the word "icky" when I was giving her credit for not saying it, I felt this was the most I've liked her throughout the run of the series.

Rather than her just talking fast and having an over-the-top reaction to the billionth horrible crime scene photo, Alvez was there to kind of stop her in her tracks, get her to calm down, and have her explain why she freaks out. She was able to slow down enough to have a REAL emotion that didn't involve a horrified stare and jibber-jabbering.

I felt they really connected. I was actually choked up during a Garcia scene, and I don't think that even happened when they dedicated a whole episode to her being in peril.

Also, also, her computer wasn't just used as a magical deus ex machina. There was actually a practical reason for her to use it, and she didn't come up with the guy's hair color and shoe size in three seconds.

Even Billy had kind of an evolution.

3. They got to explore how affected Simmons was with having another kid, rather than just a tag line. The chemistry between him and his wife was so much better than, and I'm sorry to the Hotch fans, as I was one as well, Hotch and his wife's angsty, guilt-ridden relationship. I understand they wanted to explore the toll this job can have on someone wanting a normal relationship, but I prefer to see some balance. A person who CAN make it work because they see their family as a port in a storm. 

And I LOVED the red crib. I love that color, and I love that it was unconventional. 

4. REID. I adored the chemistry between him and Rachel right off the bat, as they both usually do quirky really well. The two of them together, rather than being twice as annoying, was twice as adorable.

Matthew made that scene in the elevator like 50 times funnier just from his expression as he hit that elevator button.

And he was HAPPY. Throughout the episode. No moments of him feeling horrible about himself.

I even loved the therapy session. Just that little part where when he felt uncomfortable, he switched crossed legs. 

AND they managed to wrap up the Reid/JJ awkward horribleness in one scene, hopefully never to be mentioned again.

5.I'm not a JJ fan but really liked the way she and Tara played off each other with that dickhead. Maybe I'm partial to people being in their street clothes. I felt it worked.

6. I thought the Prentiss story was awesome because it was short. I don't like seeing people aggravated and banging their head against the wall for an entire hour.

The way they shortened it up was by her and Tara using their PROFILING SKILLS. And...Paul wasn't just used as a punchline, where they send him on his way and joke about what a weirdo he was. They made you sympathize with him and got him the help he needed, which I don't know would have happened if he'd managed to make me hate him throughout the episode. I liked a more lighthearted approach with a hint of seriousness underneath. 

7. There was more profiling in this episode than I've seen since maybe the first season. Actual profiling. With them using their profiling skills for real practical purposes. 

All of my favorite CM episodes have had to do with just focusing on the team rather than the unsub, and this was no exception. But at a time when I feel that many shows are totally messing up their last season, wasting it totally on a COTW, CM finally got it right by showing us the human side of the team and their relationships with each other.

P.S. I think the location they used for Reid's and Max's "date" was a local park near me, and I wish I'd known about it.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Sweet Tooth

[ForeverAlone]

I liked this episode, especially after tuning out Penelope being a flibbertygibberty Penelope. I enjoyed the relaxed vibe among the team, even when they were working the case. I enjoyed the humor, because it didn't feel forced or corny like it often has in more recent years. Tara and JJ had great team work, and it was a nice return to form for Emily.

Reid was great and had good chemistry with Maxine. I'm not jumping up and down at the coupling, but it is certainly better than murdering her in front of Reid. 

I personally don't understand the hatred for the red crib, but I like bright baby colors. 

[mythoughtis]

You can tell the original show runner did this one.  It was excellent.  All the teams’ personalities on display!  Reid having a normal ‘date’.   With someone that actually fits with him. 

[leftlane]

I'm glad the series is ending. While this episode was okay (and one of the better ones to me lately), I've been feeling like the spark and magic has been missing from the series for a while.

[SSA Emily Prentiss]

The only things I liked about the Simmons scenes were :

1) Emily drinking wine and eating donuts but not lifting a finger to help them with their stupid crib

2) the little convo she and Rossi had about her neighbor (the "cuckoo" as E put it, loll) who was suing her, because any scene between RossEmily is gold to me and I can never get enough of them.

3) Emily saying "I don't know. Fifteen ?" when Simmons asked how many kids she thought they had. ROTFLOL because she echoed a post I wrote about that subject a few months ago when season 14 ended. I thought it was rude of her to say it in his face like that, but I still laughed. 

Other than that, if Emily & Rossi hadn't been part of those scenes, I would've fastforwarded them with great pleasure, since thank goodness ! I don't watch the show live. That's how much I care about Simmons and his family. Once Emily left the building, I was soooo tempted to hit the FF button, but I've never fastforwarded a Rossi scene so...

And why is Simmons complaining about his financial problems ? Who asked him to have so many kids ? Haven't he and his wife ever heard of a little thing called "Birth Control" ? RME. And then she has the nerves to say "We'll figure it out " ?  Well how about you two figure it out when you have your 10th kid and in the meantime you leave Dave and the rest of the world alone ?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by SSA Emily Prentiss

[rejnel]

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode with its different feel. 

My one TINY complaint: Maxine laid down the challenge to Reid--genius profiler--to find her, and then she just heads back to where they met? It would have been fun if he'd had to use at least a little bit of his cleverness.

[idiotwaltz]

I recently got Disney+ which, to my delight, has all 15 seasons of CM in my region. So I finally got to watch this episode, and I enjoyed it.

Loved all the Emily parts except the bad wig, and the bite with Paul F Thompkins filled me with glee. I have bad insomnia and I used to listen to the Thrilling Adventure Hour podcast in the wee hours of the night, so this was a treat. 

Simmons, Garcia, Alvez - nope, still don’t care.

Enjoyed Reid’s meet-cute with Max in the park even though his hair was a travesty. 

Lewis - I liked her interaction with JJ and PFT’s character. 

JJ/Reid - I am not into this. It feels wrong. 

Since when did Rossi write true-crime novels? 

Edited January 25, 2022 by idiotwaltz

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, idiotwaltz said:

Since when did Rossi write true-crime novels? 

Since his introduction in Season 3.  He'd retired before the series started to write novels based on the cases he and Gideon worked.  Then came back to the Bureau when Gideon left.

[idiotwaltz]

21 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Since his introduction in Season 3.  He'd retired before the series started to write novels based on the cases he and Gideon worked.  Then came back to the Bureau when Gideon left.

IIRC they weren’t novels, they were memoirs or something of the sort. Books about his career and the cases he’d worked on, much like John Douglas published books about his career at the real life BAU. Rossi did a book reading in Cleveland, blew a fan off, and she got murdered. Season 4’s Zoe’s Reprise.