Season 9 Episodes Talk

[zannej]

I would really love for someone to go back and tally up the screen time for each of the characters and to take note of how much dialog each character got. Other than saying the opening and closing quotes, I think Reid got less than 3 minutes of dialog in the entire episode. So much for a Reid-centric episode. Hotch was practically a phantom. He would pop up from time to time to look serious and say something and then he'd disappear again. Once again, JJ was the one who was up in our faces and used more than any other character. For some of the stuff, I thought it was ok, but there were parts that made me roll my eyes.

I think my biggest complaint was the action scenes done in the dark. It was just too dark and hard to see and it just didn't work for me. I get that they wanted some suspense of us coming back from the commercial break and seeing that there were people injured and not knowing what happened, but I wish they had NOT had the part with Rossi and Blake happen off-screen during a commercial break. We had all sorts of action for Morgan and JJ, but the Rossi and Blake stuff got shortchanged.

 

I also admit that I am biased when it comes to JJ, but she really overtook the episode. We had her talking to the madaam, looking through the suitcase, chasing an unsub, climbing over a fence, ducking, shooting, chasing, passing notes, talking about how she was worried about Reid (which was fine with me), talking on the phone, more chasing, more shooting, saving the day by shooting someone... Did she even go and see Reid? I can't remember. It would have been nice if she had held his hand or actually interacted with him. But that would have taken away from time when JJ could be out being a superninja or when she was being "tough" and standing up to cops...

 

I do wish the rest of the team had been a little less obvious about suspecting the cops of foul play. They could have been saying they were worried about their colleague and how he would recover or said they were trying to contact his family. Instead they stood around making faces and very obviously being secretive. Between JJ and Hotch I think they could have come up with some suitable lies to placate the corrupt cops.

 

The threat to Reid was rather odd. So, the cop was going to go in and do what? Shoot Reid in the face in the hospital? He was trying to get to him.. Or was he planning to get in there and see if Reid recognized him? It was clear that he saw Reid looking at him, but Reid was very out of it. For all he knew, Reid might not have remembered or have been lucid enough to see him clearly. Plus Reid didn't see him doing anything other than walking and looking at him. So, if he confronted Reid and Reid did not recognize him, was he just going to leave? On the flipside, if Reid *did* recognize him, what was his gameplan? They kept talking about endgame. We never even learned jack squat about the main unsub other than that he was corrupt. No getting in to his mind at all.

So the fire alarm deterred him enough to just leave and not try to go back or find Reid? Then why would he bother going in the first place? Then later, Reid was a target just to distract the team? And that nurse with the syringe was just going to inject Reid in front of Garcia? Even after Reid said he had a bad reaction to carbenicillin? Seriously, if the patient refuses a medication, they can't make them take it and Garcia would be able to call him out on that. Was he just going to shoot Garcia afterward then? If there was a witness calling BS, why bother with the syringe at all?

 

Also, why would these cops be dumb enough to try to kill off FBI agents instead of trying to find patsies and covering up somehow? Seriously, killing FBI agents  would only guarantee a full-fledged investigation with more FBI agents coming in to see WTF was going on. It would only have brought them more attention.

 

While Garcia whining and carrying on was annoying, I think its something to expect from her. She was freaking out about having shot someone and was trying to process it. It could have been worse.

 

I do wish that there had been more physical affection shown toward Reid. People talked about worrying about him, but you'd expect to have seen Garcia holding his hand (or rubbing his arm or something). I really had wanted to see Hotch going and checking on Reid. I was glad that Morgan was holding on to him in the ambulance. I was glad that Reid got a hug from Garcia, but I do wish he'd hugged Blake before she left.

 

Blake sending a text to tell Hotch she was leaving is just odd to me. I wish that they hadn't tried to leave it so ambiguous and had Blake admit to Reid that she'd thought about what he said to her before-- about choosing family over the job and that she'd changed her mind. The just leaving the badge thing sort of seemed like a coward's way out almost. I think Reid knew before she walked out that she would be leaving the BAU. 

 

I was disappointed to see Blake leave, but I wasn't surprised by it. The moment Blake called Reid "Ethan", I realized she had lost a son.

 

The general feel of this episode was as if it were one of the ones during sweeps to try to get more viewers, but the ending did not feel like a finale. It was sad to see Reid all alone in his apartment staring out the window at Blake. 

 

It was a step up from some of the previous finales, but still was not that great as far as finales go. As a standalone episode that was somewhere in the middle, I would say it was a good episode (ignoring some of my nitpicks about it).

 

The interviews keep saying it will change the face of the show. Remember back in season 6 they wanted to cut JJ completely and then eliminate Prentiss partway through the season and replace both of them with Seaver. So the initial plan was to have only one female profiler left, but they got backlash about "sexism". Having too many profilers wasn't working though so they decided to eliminate the new one.

 

I am not sorry to say that I wish it had been JJ that retired instead. Cruz could have found her a position on his staff that would allow her to work at Quantico but still have more free time to spend with her family. :P (It makes more sense than them sending her to help find Bin Laden).

 

As for the interview with JJ, I think that rather than seeing that some of the criticism toward the changes in her character as having some merit, she is dismissing it as people just hating change. She came off as a bit defensive saying some people hate change even when something is working-- except she does not acknowledge that maybe some of it is not working.

 

Anyway, I personally think that next season will only have 6 profilers. I just hope that the cut back on JJ and tr to remember that Hotch is a lead character.

[kikismom]

I actually thought for a moment that it was Hotch that Reid saw when he was slumped over--because it was all Hotch seemed to be doing, stroll past in the background.

I also thought it was strange that no one offered to stay with Reid; for a little while I almost thought Alex was going to offer to stay on the couch. Even if he did get released from the hospital, people do have complications in the first 24 hours after being shot and it would have been nice to at least offer even if just to let Reid know someone cared.

While I'm bitching, let me add that if you had to take a picture of the little boy, why not do it somewhere safe---you supposedly just rammed a bunch of crooked cops who made you fear for your life, left them alive, their cohorts will be looking for you...so let's stop for a snap or two in the darkness outdoors! If Rossi and Alex weren't safe in a car, why aren't they worried with 2 innocent people the bad guys must be wanting to get, and where did they take them without any worry that they would be trapped on the road again? They did not know at that time which ones were at the hospital or the junkyard or where they might be.

[Wilowy]

Garcia stayed with Reid. She was there with him the whole time at the hospital. You don't just sit and stare at someone for hours, you go get coffee, go pee, read stuff, etc... but she was there with him.

 

They took the pic of the kid quickly and with some urgency in the moment. They needed to let the mom know he was safe with them so she would cooperate/talk. 

 

I loved every moment Hotch had onscreen. They didn't waste a moment with him. He was large and in-charge and his voice in that "Hotch-timbre" that he does just washed over me. Loved it. He profiled, he gave orders, he fought viciously with the one UnSub... he had more to do here than the past four episodes combined.

[zannej]

Yeah, I did think it was odd that they just seemed to assume they could safely drive the kid and grandmother to safety in a vehicle that already had a shattered back window. Why didn't they take the picture of the kid inside the house before leaving.

 

I really think that a lot of the stuff was just an afterthought because they wanted to have certain moments- like Garcia saving Reid, and a lot of shootout action scenes. Personally the shootout scenes bore me. It was good to see Hotch get some fighting scenes, but at the same time it was so poorly lit that it was hard to see and there was some wasted potential there. I was really hoping to see Hotch take the lead and become the protective papa bear that was not going to tolerate crap. Instead he was sort of in the background a lot. I think he should have been much more active.

 

Oh yeah, was anyone else sort of disappointed that Reid saw the unsub walking by but never said anything to the team and they never actually got to use that knowledge? It would have been nice if he'd actually somehow contributed to solving the case. Even Hotch contributed to solving the Foyet case somewhat when he'd been stabbed.

 

Oh, and here is a tidbit from wikipedia: Carbenicillin at high doses can cause bleeding. Use of carbenicillin can cause hypokalemia by promoting potassium loss at the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney.

 

I wanted to note that I *did* like the fact that both Reid and Garcia were monitoring when he had medicine and what kind he had. I imagine Reid was very picky about what he allowed them to give him.

Edited May 15, 2014 by zannej

[IndependentMind]

There was so much they could have done with Blake this season but instead they opted to have this as a JJ season.

[Wilowy]

There was a lot of missed opportunity with Blake. Although they did tell us going in that it would be the season of JJ, I would have loved to have had more Blake. With Reid or Rossi, preferably. 

[IndependentMind]

I call it lazy writing.

I thought her reason for leaving was weak, a cop out.

It was as weak as the reason why JJ decided to be a profiler and no longer a Media Liaison. Another lazy writing.

Edited May 15, 2014 by IndependentMind

[Wilowy]

We disagree, @IndependentMind . I felt it touching, and plausible. Her seeing her dead son in Reid at that moment broke my heart for her. And the fact that she was nearly the reason they lost Spencer was her catalyst for leaving? Oh, man. Sad stuff, indeed. And well-acted by both Jeanne and Matthew.

 

Also @zannej I think they would've gotten the kid out of there on horseback if need be. A blown-out back window would be the least of their worries. Time was of the essence and them snapping that pic needed to be done quickly and out of any confined place where they could have been trapped. 

[kikismom]

Willowy: I wasn't talking about staying with him at the hospital. That's why I mentioned my thought that Alex might sleep on the couch; I know you don't sit and stare at people in the hospital. I wrote that even if he did get released from the hospital people have complications. I wondered how someone could have a good friend get shot almost to death that day and drive them home and leave. I stand by my belief that the least someone could have done was offer to stay with him that night in case he needed something. Even if he wasn't physically sick it would have been nice emotional support. The hospital even gives people instructions not to be alone for the first 24 hours at home after surgery, especially with anesthesia and drugs.

As far as taking a picture out of a confined place where they could have been trapped, they took the picture and then got in the same vehicle where Rossi and Alex were confined and trapped, and could have been murdered.

Some people think being in a house is safer than being outdoors in the dark.

[IndependentMind]

They have had other cases before but none of them she ever remembered her son? And Reid reminded her of Ethan, why only now? Touching yes, but the timing doesb't make sense.

That is why I call it lazy writing. This should have come up before leading to her departure.

Here is an interview with EM after the season finale.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Criminal-Minds-Finale-Postmortem-Exit-Erica-Messer-1081778.aspx

[Wilowy]

Good questions in that article! Ha! A lot of what we've all been asking each other. Cool. 

 

Already looking forward to ten. 

[Danielg342]

Just finished watching it. Here are my thoughts:

 

-It *is* much better to see it once you already know Reid survives and Blake is the one with the secret. I figure if I had seen the episode live, I would have been distracted all episode wondering if Reid was going to make it, and I thought the nuances of the storytelling would have been lost. Knowing Reid makes it allowed me to really appreciate the figurines left for him, to see that Reid could see the danger beforehand and to see how wonderfully Kirsten Vangness played the scene where Garcia shot the paramedic- if I had shot a gun for the first time, I think I'd be going into hysterics too. I couldn't stop laughing at that moment (I must admit)- Garcia was just too funny.

 

-Unpopular opinion alert, but I liked JJ in this one. I think she really displayed her own vulnerabilities in this one, especially when it came to Reid, and I liked how Hotch and Morgan needed to save her from time to time (like how she couldn't stand up to the corrupt deputy trying to interrogate Dinah). I also felt she really bonded with Dinah and brought the character to life.

 

-Sad to see Blake go, especially considering this was Jeanne Tripplehorn's finest hour. Hearing about Ethan made my heart melt, especially how it made her think of Reid in that regard. All of a sudden, the bond between the two agents made a lot of sense, and it also makes sense that seeing Reid in peril would have been too much. The two of them should have hugged though- they had so much warmth and fuzzy feelings it's a shame they didn't release it.

 

-Kind of wish it was Morgan beating up Owen MacGregor and not Hotch- still bugs me that Hotch seems to get the best fight scenes- but at least Morgan's shots hit their target this time. The Badass is back.

 

-As much as I liked the "corrupt police department" storyline, I thought some things were a little off. I wondered how long the department could last being so corrupt for so long under the radar, and it boggles my mind why the department would call in the BAU in the first place. You'd think the last thing some corrupt cops would want are the feds coming in and potentially exposing them, as was the case here.

 

-Overall, though, it was very action movie like and it was a fun ride for an hour. I'd say it's one of the best episodes I've seen- comparable to "Mayhem"- though I didn't exactly like the buildup towards it, plus how it frustratingly shows what CM could achieve if their writers actually tried, complete with a complex web of characters that each had their own role and not just the team and a bunch of ciphers. Maybe one day I'll watch "Angels/Demons" again and see how it holds up without the hoopla that surrounded the shows around original airtime- it'll make them easier to evaluate- but I still think this was a winner.

[SSAHotchner]

I liked it, and you all know how much I criticize Erica. I didn't notice the credits at the beginning and haven't watched it again yet. Did she write this one alone? Anyway, I thought it was quite suspenseful and kept me concerned for every member of the team. I'm sorry to see Blake go. I really grew to like her. And I so wish she would have hugged Reid before leaving his apartment. The two had a really nice connection and I will miss that. I found the story about her son to be touching.

 

The thing with Garcia and the gun didn't bother me as I had thought it would based on the preview. I'm just so relieved that Reid is safe and well. I, too, was disappointed that we didn't see what happened with Rossi and Blake when they came back from the commercial. Again, glad they are safe, but I wanted to see how they got out of that situation. As always, I could have used more Hotch, but what we got was good. Any time I get to see Hotch take out a bad guy is a good time for me.

 

This finale surpasses those from seasons 5-8 for me. The case made sense. It was the kind of case the team would have actually been called to work on. No spies. No unbelievable terrorist plots. No over the top unsub. Overall, I'm satisfied. I'm just sad about Blake leaving. A year ago I would have said, "Don't replace her," but after having JJ crammed down our throats all season, I don't really want to see her as the only female profiler all next year. I would be thrilled to have Katie Cole or Andi Swan, but since they both lead teams of their own, it doesn't seem likely that they'd step down from being in charge of their own units to take a subordinate position in the BAU.  But we'll have to wait and see what they decide to do with the cast.

[JMO]

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.

[ForeverAlone]

Hmmm…. I don’t know what to think about this episode.

 

I guess I generally liked this episode, when assessing the episode as an aggregate. However, from a case perspective, I can’t say that I liked this episode. There was no thought, no profiling, no psychological insight, nothing. What this case was, was plenty of action and gunfire, just like Erica promised. I lost track of how many guns were fired, how many people were just shot for the hell of it, and how much ammunition was expended (just how many magazines were everyone carrying)? In writing big, dumb action scenes, Erica did what she did best (I don’t really mean that as a compliment), but I really think she is incapable, or uninterested in writing compelling stories that are disturbing and filled with psychology.

 

So yeah, from a story perspective, this isn’t the type of case I like out of Criminal Minds. I like dark, disturbing, scary, creepy, unsettling crime stories and unsubs. This case had none of that. It was just guns, guns, oh, and more guns. And worse, the unsub and his story was boring. Very little time was spent on his motivations or using much psychological insight into moving the story forward. The only example was the team figuring out that Dinah’s pressure point was her son Josh (which the episode basically said was a callback to “200”) , but we never saw anything she really provided for the case, because that would have gotten in the way of the gunfire.

 

Yes, I keep mentioning that, and while I have no problem with guns in action movies, I like my suspense crime thrillers without guns, mainly because I don’t find lots of gunfire interesting from a psychological crime perspective. I liked season finales that were centered around cases like that, like The Fisher King (though that story had its own logic problems, but the story itself really engaged me), No Way Out II and To Hell…and Back.

 

What was good about this episode was the lots of team action. It was good to see them front and center, and not as much of the unsubs. I liked the scene between Alex and Rossi in the car, and you could see the emotional effect that conversation had on Alex that ultimately lead to her to leave. I wish for more Hotch, but what little there was of him, was good and classic Hotch (I liked Hotch stepping in when the cop tried to restrain JJ). I do call a bit bullcrap on the whole “action” scene with Penelope. Mainly because I found it a bit ludicrous that the team left Reid unguarded. I mean, they knew the police force was corrupt, and yet they didn’t provide security themselves, or call in a reliable source to provide security for him. I am relieved though that at least Penelope’s response was more instinctual and not her going all Ninja Penelope. But how far away was the hospital, because it took Morgan forever to get there, and nobody seemed to think to call hospital security.

 

I was surprised (in a good way) at how much Reid was present in this episode, considering how little Matthew worked on this episode. I was afraid he would spend the entire episode unconscious. So it was really good to see all his scenes with Alex, since I have always liked those two together, ever since “The Silencer.” It was nice to see Reid have a friend who is more like him, who truly gets him and understands him. I was glad to see that Alex was the one taking care of him on the scene (though I wondered why nobody seemed to be applying any pressure to his wound to stop the bleeding), and she was the one he woke up to in the hospital. I was glad to see the last scene was those two, and she took him home. She didn’t have to say anything explicit, but he understood what she was really saying. The only thing better would have been a hug between those two, but I guess that is just not part of their friendship. It was a nice callback to see that Reid is still carrying around “The Narrative of John Smith”, though I wonder if he will ever recover from Maeve’s death and be emotionally ready for another relationship.

 

I see that the smart money was correct in calling Jeanne as the profiler saying good bye. The signs were there, though I wonder if this was Jeanne willingly walking away, or CBS electing not to renew her contract. But this decision was made months ago to write this in, and I am amazed that the show and the network kept this quiet, though they couldn’t resist hyping a departure at the end. At least it wasn’t a copout like Cruz or something, like the previous two years. But I did like Alex. I may not have loved her like I did Emily, but I did appreciate her cool intellectualism she brought to the team, and I will miss that, and her scenes with Reid this episode drove that point home even more. I do hope that CBS elects not to replace her, just because I think whoever it is will run into the same problem in not being readily accepted by the fandom as a whole, and not having the writers write really good stories for a new person.

Edited May 15, 2014 by ForeverAlone

[SSAHotchner]

ForeverAlone. I wonder if the decision to not renew Jeanne's contract happened long ago, whoever's decision it was. One thing that bothered me when the cast was on The Talk to promote 200 was that Jeanne barely spoke or smiled. She really seemed to distance herself from the rest. I had thought that as the newest character and one not given much to do, there was little interest in her. It seemed to me that she knew that and held back. I felt it was kind of a slap in the face to her, but then AJ and Shemar monopolized that whole show, too. But like Lola's departure, I don't think we'll ever get the whole story on Jeanne. If it was her choice to leave, I don't blame her.

[IndependentMind]

I don't think her personality fit with the cast. Although when Paget was there for the 200 episode, Jeanne seem to get on well with her.

I agree with you regarding it being a slap

in the face. I blame EM because in my

opinion, I don't she ever made the effort to let us get to really know Blake. What was point in making season 9 a JJ season when season 7 was all about her. Also, knowing that JT was coming into her final contract year, still she made it known that season 9 is a JJ season.

Depending on who they get, I done with this show.

Btw, this is what they call a finale? It looks more like a typical episode. For me, a season finale is a "Person of Interest". That is how you end a season.

There is nothing I found interesting or exciting about it. The only moments I like were with Blake.

[ForeverAlone]

Yeah, i think part of the problem is that I don't think Erica wanted Jeanne in the first place. She talked a lot at the end of season seven about just having the core six, and a few weeks later, we saw the announcement about Jeanne. So CBS probably made the unilateral decision to hire her, and the writers weren't inspired to write for her character. Alex has gotten the least amount of love from the fans, the writers, and the show in general. I liked the fact that she and Matthew are close, but we just didn't see that with that with the others. So considering that stance, I would rather that nobody new is hired rather than have to deal with this sort of tiresome fan hate and writer neglect. Though if it was up to me, at least half of the writers would be replaced with those who know and like psychological profiling. 

[IndependentMind]

I understant that but that is very unprofessional of her and her writers. Why punish her?

Blake was never given the chance for fans to like her because the crappy scripts they came up with. But then again, even when they made JJ the focus in seasons 7 and 9 it didn't make the fans love JJ, it made them hate or not like her at all.

[mstaken]

But then again, even when they made JJ the focus in seasons 7 and 9 it didn't make the fans love JJ, it made them hate or not like her at all.

 

I can't speak for 'most fans', but that's certainly true for me. That's the thing with this show: it has the habit of technically focusing more on certain characters by shoving them in front of the camera more often while somehow managing not to further define or develop them *at all.* I still don't know anything more about JJ's personality, flaws, quirks, dreams, fears, interests etc. than I did nine freakin' seasons ago. She's still vaguely unpleasant and 'just there' for me---she just happens to be 'just there' with more frequency. 

 

Like many of you, I feel some regret over Blake leaving---but it's more because I thought she had potential to be a good character than because the writers ever bothered to make her one.

 

And is JT really old enough to be Reid's mother? Either she's older than I think or Reid's even younger. (Granted, I'm an absolute disaster at guessing people's ages!) I agree with those who felt it was painfully obvious as soon as Rossi brought up his regrets over Caroline that Blake would be the one to go. I'd rather it have been JJ, Morgan or Garcia, but I'm used to disappointment ;) 

 

I agree with those who thought it was a pretty good finale overall but also agree with those who felt it was too heavy on the generic 'shoot 'em up', annoyingly poorly lit action scenes and too light on the profiling that (allegedly!) makes this show unique.

 

I loved the Reid scenes but wish he and Hotch had been given a little bit of bonding. They had such a great dynamic in the first few seasons of this show, and lately they barely seem to interact on any level.  

Edited May 15, 2014 by mstaken

[missmycat]

Mstaken, I don't think it was so much that Reid was young enough to be her son, but that he was still young enough to remind her of who or what her son could have been,had he survived.

[IndependentMind]

I guess the whole "who is leaving Criminal Minds" worked.

http://tvline.com/2014/05/15/ratings-finales-suburgatory-arrow-criminal-minds/

[missmycat]

ABC Modern Family 3.1/19(demo) 8.79(million viewers)

CBS Criminal Minds 2.7/8(demo) 11.96(million viewers) 

NBC Law & Order SVU 1.5/5(demo) 5.29(million viewers)

CW The 100 0.6/2(demo) 1.77(million viewers)

 

Demo wise CM was the # 2 program of the night. However in overall viewership it was the #1 program of the night.

Hmm interesting that there seems to be a different set of numbers concerning CM's finale.This makes me believe that when the final ratings are released later today CM will probably be adjusted up.

Edited May 15, 2014 by missmycat

[missmycat]

Here is a press release from CBS concerning Wednesday night's ratings.

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/05/15/criminal-minds-season-finale-scores-largest-audience-biggest-demo-ratings-since-february/264680/

Edited May 15, 2014 by missmycat

[Wilowy]

I'm with those that would have liked to see a hug with Alex and Reid, although I guess since they've never been like that, maybe it would've seemed odd?

 

I DO know for a fact I wanted to see JJ hold him like she usually does, but they were in different places for most of the show. I did love the exchange with JJ/Alex when she goes "There's still so much for him to do... he wants kids." And then JJ saying with teary eyes (paraphrasing): "Can you imagine the kid who has him for a father? Blake: Luckiest child ever. JJ: No doubt."

 

 

And then her confessing to being scared for him to Rossi, and her quick "How is he?" whenever Garcia would call. 

 

 

AUGH, why can't Will die?? (No offense Josh... you're just in the way of my OTP) ;)

 

Oh, and Morgan's concern for him in the ambulance was awesome, and his frantic "Stay with me, kid!" LOVE! Reid's going to be 80 and Morgan will still call him 'kid'. :) Also really liked how Matthew played it, with the 'tea kettle' remark and the slurring... I really felt him slipping in and out of consciousness and my stomach was clenched like a fist even though I knew he'd make it to the hospital. 

[mstaken]

I DO know for a fact I wanted to see JJ hold him like she usually does

 

When has she held him? Was it on more than one or two occasions? I'm just curious. I do remember her being cold and unsympathetic when finding him the morning after Gideon's departure...definitely no holding then! 

 

"There's still so much for him to do... he wants kids." And then JJ saying with teary eyes (paraphrasing): "Can you imagine the kid who has him for a father? Luckiest child ever." And then her confessing to being worried for him to Rossi, and her quick "How is he?" whenever Garcia would call.

 

Heh---shippiness is definitely in the eye of the beholder! I didn't see JJ as any more concerned about Reid than anyone else. In fact, I would have guessed just from this episode that Reid was far closer to both Morgan and Blake and maybe even Garcia than to JJ. And I definitely, definitely didn't see her comment about Reid wanting kids to mean she wished she were the one giving them to him! It just sounded like the kind of comment any friendly coworker might make when lamenting the possible passing of someone too young. I do agree that the actress seemed a tiny bit less robotic than usual. 

[JMO]

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. 

[Wilowy]

  ...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. 

 

 

 

YES! Me too!

 

I tossed a couple of gifs in my post up there and I guess my lil shipper heart sees it as it will. To me, she looks teary and loving in both of them, and in the one with Blake, she's smiling because of who he is, not making light of him. 

[kikismom]

When Morgan was comparing the slugs and saying that the hollow point made a whistling sound I thought they would make some mention of Reid's "tea kettle" comment in the ambulance...but it passed.

ForeverAlone: I also prefer the unsettling stories...I liked "Riding the Lightning" because it had a hunt with the story about the female co-defendant and Gideon figuring out what she was hiding, and the dilemma of what to do about it. It was profiling, with a good gauntlet thrown down about death penalty/innocence/responsiblility. Not a shoot-em-up, or James Bond/Bourne Identity pretensions.

[mstaken]

Taken to the relationships thread :) 

[missmycat]

I personally feel that MGG hit it out of the park with that ambulance scene. I was really scared from him the way his eyes would roll back up to the top of his head.

The kind of eye rolling that JJ has been known to do is vastly different at least in my opinion it is.

[SSAHotchner]

At the risk of this comment being moved to another thread deemed more appropriate, I just want to add that I saw some earlier episodes on ION and A&E this week (yes, I know I have all the DVDs and shouldn't be watching CM on those channels), and I was stunned by how much I liked JJ. I know that I always did like her, even though many thought her as bland or more so than Blake back then, but I was taken aback by the realization that I can barely stand her now. Even in this finale where I did feel that there were good things for each of the team, it still felt like JJ was taking charge where she shouldn't be. JJ was attributed insight and skills that others were denied. I'm just so, so tired of so much JJ. Had she hugged Reid or been solicitous of him, it would have been appropriate, but even then I think I would have felt, "oh OF COURSE IT'S JJ that gets the scene with Reid!" I don't want to feel this way, but this is what Erica and her writers have done to the character. AJ thinks she is a stronger/better character, but in reality she is pushy, cold, arrogant...and this has totally backfired. In stead of more viewers liking her, they've managed to turn away the ones that actually liked her from the start.

[Wilowy]

Let's move any more opinions of JJ not pertaining to this ep to the JJ thread.

[normasm]

And is JT really old enough to be Reid's mother? Either she's older than I think or Reid's even younger. 

 

MsTaken, I think when Alex said, "I could see what he would be like at 20, I just knew he wouldn't make it," she was saying he would be 20 now, which meant to me that she lost him 11 years ago, which sounds about right with the way they wrote her relationship with James, both very focused on their work.

[zannej]

I will say that while I have gotten a huge overdose of JJ and seeing the ION episodes recently made me miss the old JJ, I did like some of how she was used in this episode and wish she'd been used in other ways as well. She really was strong and no-nonsense when dealing with the media in past seasons. I don't mean to compare her to a dog, but I love how Hotch would just sort of sick her on the media (and sometimes on some cops at the police station to smooth things over)-- in a similar way to how he sicked Reid on the legal reps for some car or GPS company. 

 

I didn't mind JJ being the one to interact with Dinah (was that her name?) in this one. I just wish she'd been in fewer poorly lit action scenes and JJ getting to shoot the guy to save Morgan-- and also running faster than Morgan. I wanted to see JJ using the skills she demonstrated in past seasons-- her ability to manipulate police and media. I was facepalming when the team were being so very obvious that they suspected the cops of being in on things. One thing JJ is very skilled at is lying, and I wish they had used those talents to have her try to smooth things over with the cops. She could have made up some story to explain why they were huddled together (maybe saying it was personal bc a team member was injured or they were worried about him or something). I also think it would have been better had Hotch hatched an idea on what to see to the cops to make them feel involved and less suspicious.

 

They really should have called in reinforcements and/or informed the director of the FBI that they suspected police corruption the moment they realized it. That way it would be on record.

 

One thing they seemed to have forgotten about with all of the action and threats to the team was to actually get into the minds of the unsubs. How did this happen? How did this McGregor guy turn dirty? Was he always dirty? What would compel him to be so ruthless? Why try to frame the preacher and bring attention to their town when it was reasonable to expect that it would attract outside attention? 

 

Also, WTF on trying to kill federal agents? If they had actually succeeded it would have brought down a shitstorm of media attention and FBI scrutiny. If they had established that there were some Mexican cartels maybe they could have tried to pin it on them, but it would still bring a lot of attention. It would be on Nancy Grace, Dr. Drew, and the various programs that overanalyze and spout opinions about these things. I know they supposedly were desperate to NOT go to jail, but they could not have ALL been stupid enough to think that they could get away with that and not end up having so much scrutiny that it would interfere with their gig and possibly get them arrested anyway. (Ok, maybe they could have been that stupid, but I just don't buy it).

 

I really really wish Blake had given Reid at least a pat on the arm. I also agree that he should not have been at home alone. I guess Garcia was tired, but it would have been nice if they mentioned that Garcia was going to come over later after she took a shower or something. Or that *someone* was going to come over and look after him. It also would have been nice if JJ gave him a hug at some point.

 

Some more questions I had (I can't remember if I posted them here so I apologize if I have): Was the safety on Reids gun turned on? Was the nurse planning to kill Garcia too? I mean, he was about to overtly inject Reid against his will with something that was going to kill him and there was a witness. Why bother with the poison and not just pull out the gun? I know at that point it was supposed to be a distraction, but then why did McGregor attempt to get to Reid earlier? And why did he give up so easily? Where can I get some of those Daleks?

 

I still wish Reid had used the Dalek to smack the guy. He could have used it to hurt the guy's hand more.

 

I think one of my favorite things was that we got to see Reid's apartment again and see the outside. 0laura0 took some screencaps that she put in a private folder for me so I can analyze them and then post them on my tumblr article about Reid's apartment. I liked the windows.

Edited May 16, 2014 by zannej

[ForeverAlone]

All those questions you are asking? They just show how poor Erica's storytelling abilities are. I think she is nearly incompetent at producing intelligent, interesting crime drama on her own, and she would rather distract the audience with big, dumb action scenes to conceal the fact that there was no actual story there. There were so many plot holes in this story, and the story itself wasn't interesting enough to make me suspend enough disbelief to go along with the crap she was spewing. Erica is another writer who needs to have her big episode writing privileges revoked. She should not be left alone with episodes, because she does not deliver. I can think of maybe one episode she wrote by herself that was actually good, maybe two if I am being generous. 

[RollTheHardSix]

I think my biggest complaint was the action scenes done in the dark. It was just too dark and hard to see and it just didn't work for me. ......

 

 

The threat to Reid was rather odd. So, the cop was going to go in and do what? Shoot Reid in the face in the hospital? He was trying to get to him.. Or was he planning to get in there and see if Reid recognized him? It was clear that he saw Reid looking at him, but Reid was very out of it. For all he knew, Reid might not have remembered or have been lucid enough to see him clearly. Plus Reid didn't see him doing anything other than walking and looking at him. So, if he confronted Reid and Reid did not recognize him, was he just going to leave? On the flipside, if Reid *did* recognize him, what was his gameplan? They kept talking about endgame. We never even learned jack squat about the main unsub other than that he was corrupt. No getting in to his mind at all. .....

 

Also, why would these cops be dumb enough to try to kill off FBI agents instead of trying to find patsies and covering up somehow? Seriously, killing FBI agents  would only guarantee a full-fledged investigation with more FBI agents coming in to see WTF was going on. It would only have brought them more attention.

 

I gotta say I didn't even hate the episode, I was entertained well enough which is rare on CM these days.

 

But the case didn't make a lick of sense. Why was the unsub killing all these people again? Wasn't him killing them what brought his entire business down? Wasn't that how they attracted all that attention?

 

So, why? They showed him like he was more or less the boss of a criminal enterprise, trying to protect his business. No other motivation was ever shown (since the earlier profiles were obviously completely false). He sure as hell didn't protect his business, he was the one that caused it all to break down in the first place.

Why the elaborate plot with the prostitute killings? That made zero sense. I'm sure there would've been a less conspicuous way of getting rid of witnesses.

 

Not keen on Blake leaving, either. So why waste all this time with her and then just write her out after one season? They just shouldn't have hired her then. JJ didn't bother me this much this episode, even though she was doing all the heroics again, saving Morgan's life etc. Garcia was more annoying.

[ForeverAlone]

Alex was on the show two seasons. And I don't think Erica wanted to hire Jeanne. She talked a lot right after season seven about she didn't want to bring in a replacement for Emily. But CBS controls the hiring and they hired Jeanne. And since I don't think Erica wanted her, she and the rest of the writers didn't spend that much time developing her character or trying to actually endear her to most of the fandom. So I can see Jeanne choosing to leave, or CBS electing not to renew her contract, because they felt they weren't getting their money's worth. In either case, I blame Erica, because if Alex had been embraced like Emily was, I don't think Alex would have left at the end of the season finale. 

[zannej]

RollTheHardSix, exactly! Now that I think about it, the guy killed these hookers and tried to set the preacher up to be framed for it.. Was he hoping that the sheriff would find out about the preacher's past and didn't think about the FBI coming in? Sounds like the guy was pretty dumb to do anything that had a strange signature and might get media attention and therefore more LEO scrutiny. Since he had access to drugs, he could have used a little product to kill the hookers and make it look like an overdose. Was the preacher a witness too? If so, it seems like he wasn't interested in coming forward about it. And really, if they wanted him out of the way they could have arranged for him to have an allergic reaction and die. The whole grand scheme just didn't make sense-- just like the whole big thing in "Hit" & "Run". Ultimately, the actions didn't ring true.

 

Oh, and it looks like they were lazy on filming locations. Remember the building they used for the exterior of Hotch's apartment building?

 

They used it for Reid's apartment exterior too:

[normasm]

zannej, as for Reid's revolver, a lot of revolvers don't have safetys. Mine doesn't. According to my husband, the "safety" of revolvers is that it is harder to pull the trigger. A gun wherein you have to "chamber" a bullet has a much lighter trigger, and therefore needs a safety lock. If i were to drop my (loaded) revolver, it would be unlikely for it to fire, but drop a Glock with the safety off, and it just might.

 

I find it interesting that Reid uses a revolver. I wonder if it's the same reason I do: I won't have to think as much if i hear a noise at night, my gun is ready to shoot. That's why I thought it was plausible for Garcia to be able to just pick it up and shoot, although, the way she was holding it, I could just picture it bucking back and hitting her in the face!

[webruce]

It was a hard shootout with the Pastor Justin Mills. Morgan finally getting him as he shoots through the walls to slow him down. I guess though the team knew he wasn't totally behind it all.

Hotch tackling Deputy Owen McGregor in the junk yard and wrestling with him was good. Then out drew him for the kill.
Reid in the Hospital and Garcia puts down Dr. Who figurines. Nice how Garcia watched over him. Then the Male Nurse  tried to drug Reid, "Garcia, He has a gun!!??" She out draws him. Nice!

Alex is leaving BAU? She left her badge in Reid's bag. He said "Bye Alex" so he knew something was up. She talked about her son Ethan that died at 9.Maybe this seeing Reid get shot and it could have been her made her think it wasn't worth it? Her and James need more time together. Just like the story Rossi told Alex about him and Caroline. His job saving lives was more important then his marriage. Alex doesn't think it is. I was surprised she didn't thank Reid for saving her life. Especially after he thanked her for being there when he woke up after the shooting.

Rossi had a good idea instead of a shootout when surrounded by officers to ram the Crown Vics with the Suburban. Then McGregor comes and shoots Deputy Everett and Deputy Vicky Lorenzana. I thought if anyone was on the BAU side it was her. But nope. Nice for them to save Josh and his Grandma. Then Dinah Stidham helped the BAU. So there were 4 or 5 bad cops? Nice the Rangers came to help.

Edited May 19, 2014 by webruce

[zannej]

normasm, its been so long since I've used a revolver. I can't remember if mine has a safety or not. I thought that it did, but I might be confusing it with the 1911 pistol. I know my M-14 has one.

 

I'm surprised Garcia didn't drop the gun. The first time I fired the revolver I actually flew backward and my father had to catch me. Granted, I was small (I think around 11 years old) and it was a high-powered revolver.

 

webruce, what is the [Ad by FaceTheme] in your messages? I'm confused...

 

Here's another picture of The Langham. You can see the part where they filmed for Reid's apartment-- down to the ladder (on the left side of the picture)

 

Here is a behind-the-scenes photo: 

[normasm]

Yeah, zannej, a 1911 definitely has a safety, my husband has one. Ironically, to me the 1911 doesn't kick back as much as the glock, but i really don't know much about it.

[walnutqueen]

Much as I despise everything Garcia, my personal experience has shown me that her shooting Reid's revolver scenario is at least plausible.   The very first time I fired a weapon, I weighed about 110 and shot a soda can (albeit only about 10 feet away from me) with a hot loaded 44 magnum revolver  - double action and one handed - and hit with all 6 shots.  (My palm hurt like a motherfucker for a couple of days, but it was sweet!).  And I was an avowed gun hater/fearer.  But the guy showing me how to handle his gun was showing off his one handed skills, and I just followed suit without any thought (he later told me that was the day he fell in love with me).  It is ridiculously easy to shoot a revolver, which is why it is the recommended "self defense" firearm for folks who don't do a lot of shooting.

 

Without hearing protection in a small hospital room I'd imagine the sound is deafening and disorienting; not to mention the whole taking a human life trauma.  So I understand Garcia being discombobulated, but why wasn't Reid reeling from the gunfire exploding next to his ear? 

 

Ach, I just can't apply too much reason to this show and still enjoy it.

[zannej]

I think Reid's adrenaline was going and he was able to ignore the loud gunshot -- or at least recovered more quickly from it than Garcia did because he's had to fire that gun without ear protection before. I think he was also very relieved by being saved-- of course, I also think that Erica didn't even consider that it might affect Reid's ears too because she was more focused on making it about Garcia.

[webruce]

Zannej The [Ad by FaceTheme] is actually a advertisement highlight in another forum and it comes out like that when i copy and paste. So I saw it and deleted it.

[zannej]

Zannej The [Ad by FaceTheme] is actually a advertisement highlight in another forum and it comes out like that when i copy and paste. So I saw it and deleted it.

Ahhh! Ok. That is what I suspected but wasn't sure.

 

I still want to know where they got those Daleks.

[webruce]

Not sure if last night's repeat can be posted here but here are my thoughts. I did not see it first time around.

 

I did wonder how the van owner knew that Gabby Hoffer was left in the van when Aunt Sue Walsh went in the store for some groceries. I had a question on the van that grabbed Gabby. It looked to me in the cam and by the turn signals that it was a Chevy Venture, like painter Ian Little owned, then the 2003 Dodge Caravan that Michelle Fader and her bf Michael Fien owned. I own a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country and it has the same lights as the Caravan. Unless Ian grabbed Gabby and then delivered her to Fader. In the family picture that Garcia found of Fader and Fien, and Hotch said he looked like a bad character, well Michelle's look wasn't a smile, it was more of a sneer!

Hotch really went after both Ian Little and Sue Walsh in interrogation. But he has a kid and knows how parents feel when they are lost or stolen. Sue definitely went from worried to mean fast when Hotch confronted her about selling Gabby. Then she slapped him. wow!

The twist of Sue clobbering father Doug over the head. Then toasted Ian burned his body and dumped his body in a bag in the river. Even partly burned he still had to weigh at least 150 lb wouldn't he? Ian dumped him pretty easily. I know it was supposed to make you think it was Gabby's body. But I was with Detective Tia Canning, why keep the broken vase? True neighbor Daphne always seemed to be at the dumpster, but there were other trash cans or the river? It was the smoking gun to the death. Finger prints and blood from both her and Doug. But if she was really smart she wouldn't have killed Doug and sold Gabby, right?

Garcia found Ian Little's connection by checking her cell phone. Again, wouldn't she know better? "Uhh no I don't know Ian Little" But she has had tons of calls from him, duh???

But I did suspect the neighbor Daphne, and the father Doug Hoffer and even the bf Rodney Baderson since his name was mentioned for Kate's trip.

But Garcia finding the online chat about kid problems was lucky. The use of Library Computers was one that I to thought of when they found Sue's house devoid of electronics. I am surprised that they delete all evidence of use every evening. At our local library they have quite a firewall on it to keep you off questionable sites. So I am surprised they would delete it all to "protect" patrons privatcies

Team dynamics on this episode was pretty even. Reid may have been the least. He stayed mostly at the local headquarters. But all put in their ideas on what is happening. The local Police were out canvasing, but they did no profile and only really worked with Detective Tia Canning. But it is nice to not have all the local cops be clueless on things.

It was sweet at end for Morgan to show Garcia that Gabby and family had a happy ending. The other 2 saved kids weren't quite as lucky. But I would think their families would be brought in for questioning. I also hope that this website and those like it will be monitored by some agency from now on. Also have legislation wrote up to make it a crime.

I kinda felt bad for Sue loosing her parents and then Kate Hoffer's family taking her in and Kate's dad sexually abusing her. Kate don't believe it, and Hotch got her mind off it quick. But instead of taking it out on Kate and Gabby, go after the father when you turn 18. How did Doug know where Gabby was? And she lost her dad which will haunt her for along time

[FanOfDorks]

I love the friendship between Reid & Garcia.  Even more after this episode.

[Hotchgirl18]

One of my favorite episodes ever. Hotch in control and in interrogation more is a huge turn on.