Paramount+ Criminal Minds

[Serena McClain]

On 9/19/2022 at 10:23 AM, idiotwaltz said:

Saw some promo photos of the first episode of the reboot, can’t say I am impressed. I love Joe Mantegna but Rossi is starting to look like the old man on the first edition of The Giver. Prentiss looks like she’s aged about 10 years. Lewis and Alvez still look pretty good, can’t really tell with JJ. 

I just want to watch pretty profilers with semi-decent MOTW cases. If the show could go back to its roots, I’d be happy to sign up for the reboot, but nope, not this. Just the idea of a pandemic inspired network of serial killers makes me cringe. The last few seasons were painful, but this looks even worse.  

Joe clearly needs to dye his hair. It kills me how old he was just letting himself age by the last two seasons like he just did not care about his youth anymore. The Giver he is definitely turning into. 

[Danielg342]

Criminal Minds: Evolution now has a premiere date: American Thanksgiving, November 24.

According to Deadline, it's a two-hour premiere, and then the show will have weekly episodes on Thursdays for three more weeks, with the fall finale on December 15. It then comes back on January 12 (also a Thursday) and will weekly until the finale on February 9.

Also, despite being on a streamer, Erica Messer has said that the tone of the series won't change, meaning the show at least intends on these new episodes to be no gorier than the episodes that were on CBS.

It seems like CM is basically sticking with the idea of, "if it's not broken, don't fix it". The option was there to drop all the episodes at once on the premiere date (like Netflix does) but I guess the writers didn't think that would work. It feels a little bit like a letdown since Evolution really just feels like the old product and there was a chance to do something new, although I wonder if the product would have benefitted with that format change anyway.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Still kinda crazy to me that everyone from the main cast of seasons 14  & 15, sans MGG & Daniel Henney, will be back for this new 'season'.  But unfortunately, I just can't imagine a Criminal Minds without Dr. Spencer Reid, even if only a mere cameo appearance.  It just doesn't compute for me.

That's not to say I won't ever check it out or even watch the whole 'season', but I can't envision doing it any time in the near future - unless the reviews are out of this world.

I read that CBS is going to 'boost CM's return' by airing a "special broadcast" of the premiere on the broadcast channel the same night.  Even if the premiere is interesting, I don't think its gonna make a lot of non-'hardcore CM fans' people rush to their computers/smart TV apps to subscribe to Paramount+;  not for a show that previously already had its day in the sun for 15 seasons on P+'s main parent broadcast channel.

But that's jmo.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On 10/19/2022 at 11:47 PM, Danielg342 said:

Criminal Minds: Evolution now has a premiere date: American Thanksgiving, November 24.

According to Deadline, it's a two-hour premiere, and then the show will have weekly episodes on Thursdays for three more weeks, with the fall finale on December 15. It then comes back on January 12 (also a Thursday) and will weekly until the finale on February 9.

Also, despite being on a streamer, Erica Messer has said that the tone of the series won't change, meaning the show at least intends on these new episodes to be no gorier than the episodes that were on CBS.

It seems like CM is basically sticking with the idea of, "if it's not broken, don't fix it". The option was there to drop all the episodes at once on the premiere date (like Netflix does) but I guess the writers didn't think that would work. It feels a little bit like a letdown since Evolution really just feels like the old product and there was a chance to do something new, although I wonder if the product would have benefitted with that format change anyway.

I'm not planning on watching (initially, at least) anyways, but that's super lame.

What's the point of putting a short season, that is supposed to be very serialized, on a streaming platform if not going to make the whole 10-episode season available right off the bat?  😕

Edited November 9, 2022 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[millennium]

I didn't know this show was happening until moments ago when the trailer came up before the show I intended to watch.  

Penelope Fucking Garcia???  Still???

And who told Emily that Cruella Deville was a good look on her?   Just no.  Full stop.  

If this show follows the original recipe, does that mean we can count on the obligatory scene in every episode where the BAU team lectures the local police force, telling them what to look for when it comes to the unsub, what to expect, etc., even though the local police NEVER get the killer?   I have always wished for an episode where one of the anonymous local constables interrupts Joe Mantegna and says, "Why are you wasting our time?   We all know it's you guys who are gonna make the collar, not us."

[MrWhyt]

On 11/17/2022 at 12:25 AM, millennium said:

And who told Emily that Cruella Deville was a good look on her?  

how dare Paget Brewster show her age!

Edited November 22, 2022 by MrWhyt

[millennium]

15 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

how dare Paget Brewster show her age!

The look works for Pepe Le Pew.   Paget, not so much.

[Danielg342]

I don't know if it's too late for this, but here's the promo:

Does this pique your interest?

[Mislav]

Cringe.

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, Mislav said:

Cringe.

That moment with Rossi and Garcia was pretty funny...but that was it for me.

I'm not sure I buy this whole premise that serial killers are some kind of weird brotherhood as implied by the trailer. On a better written show, the question of whether or not a "shared evilness" can elicit a bond between two or more people, but this batch of CM writers have dropped the ball on that idea too many times. Heck, the idea behind Evolution seems to simply be a retread of an idea CM has attempted at least three times before- in S10 with the "serial killer victim catalogue", with whatever it was with Mr. Scratch in parts of S10 thru S13, and the S13 finale/S14 opener with Reid and Owen Quinn.

When they've failed three times to make that storyline work, why would it work all of sudden now?

I also have to throw shade at the idea that the pandemic would somehow stop a serial killer from operating. The writers seem to have forgotten that restrictions in the U.S. were not uniform (some places didn't shut down or restrict businesses at all) and even in places that were heavily restricted, lots of people were still out and about (some even had to). Plus, serial killers who relied on the Internet to lure victims would still be in operation- heck, they might even be harder to catch since some people stayed at home completely by themselves where there would be no one to "check up" on them.

Yeah, a serial killer that relied on the bar scene or a festival may be out of luck, but even then, I'm sure they could adjust.

Aesthetically, the trailer didn't look too bad...but I'm not sure it sold me on the series.

Oh, and there are a few other clips floating around- including one where we see new recurring character Zach Gilford in action as Elias Voit, where Sarah Anne (who played the cashier) stole the scene. Make that of what you will.

[Retired at last]

I plan to watch, but if they make every single episode about that ridiculous Garcia, I will stop. She was my least favorite character (especially if you watch the almost daily marathons and see her show after show), and I do NOT want a series where SHE IS THE SPECIAL ONE.  I remember how glad I was when they brought JJ back and then Emily, but this? NO.

[JMO]

Echoing Daniel on some of the preposterousness of the premise.  I will be interested to see how they make the case that a serial killer couldn't still operate during a pandemic, nor how they managed to find each other to create a network.  Maybe we need Reid to come back and notice that the likely point of nexus was actually the BAU, and its unsolved case files.  

[pertho]

I was not expecting the swearing. It makes it feel more natural, but after 15 seasons of no swearing, Rossis first fuck took me by surprise.

[Retired at last]

So, we know the back stories of all of them except for Prentiss, unless I missed that. Is she still commuting to/from Seattle? Funny that Will lost that horrible accent, so that's good. Still not thrilled that the return of Garcia will save the BAU. I am sorry to see that Joe Mantegna looks frail. Paget's hair colors don't bother me, but I wish she would have kept the bangs. They all had to travel and we did not see the plane. I hope they still have it.

I watched the first 2 and will probably keep watching. 

[hypnotoad]

Quote

And who told Emily that Cruella Deville was a good look on her?  

I know! Isn't it just terrible Paget Brewster decided to stop coloring her hair? How dare she!

Sigh. Garcia. Honestly that's the one character I'd prefer not return. Not sure about this serial killer network but I will give this a chance and continue watching. I miss Spencer but as long as I have Emily, I am good.

[Annber03]

18 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I also have to throw shade at the idea that the pandemic would somehow stop a serial killer from operating. The writers seem to have forgotten that restrictions in the U.S. were not uniform (some places didn't shut down or restrict businesses at all) and even in places that were heavily restricted, lots of people were still out and about (some even had to). Plus, serial killers who relied on the Internet to lure victims would still be in operation- heck, they might even be harder to catch since some people stayed at home completely by themselves where there would be no one to "check up" on them.

All of this, plus, I mean, serial killers already don't give a damn that they're breaking the law as it is when it comes to murder. Pretty sure restrictions wouldn't faze them one bit - if anything, they'd see them as an exciting, for lack of a better word, challenge, for the very reason you note. 

All of that being said, however, I do find the premise of this serial killer network interesting in and of itself. I mean, we have seen other criminals make use of the internet to do some pretty horrific things these last few years especially, so while serial killers, by their very nature, don't really tend to operate that way in general, I am curious to see how and why this one might be different in that regard.

I made the unfortunate mistake of having a snack during the second episode, though, so I'll have to keep that in mind going forward :p. This show's always been dark and disturbing, mind, but the whole thing with those spiders, and the stuff with the victims' backs... eek.

Regarding the pandemic, I do like all the nods to it, both in terms of how it affected criminals' ability and means of targeting people and in terms of how it's affected the team personally. All the talk about grief in relation to Rossi felt like a metaphor for all the loss that so many suffered during the last couple years with COVID, which makes that part of the storyline all the more poignant.

And on that note, while I feel for Rossi having now lost two wives, and one so soon after they'd found happiness together at that, I do like how this version of the show is allowing us the opportunity to delve a little deeper into that grief, as opposed to how the original series often tended to handle team members losing significant others (save, of course, for Haley). I especially like how the team's sympathetic to Rossi and reaching out to him while also setting hard limits on not putting up with his snippy attitude towards them. The scene between Rossi and Garcia, where she was telling him about the ways she's learned to cope and regroup and refocus these last couple years, was really sweet and touching and well done. I really like the idea that these two might wind up helping each other as they both come back into the fold, they've always had an interesting dynamic in their own right and it's nice to see the show exploring that.

As a "Trial & Error" fan, I'm getting a real kick out of seeing Nicholas D'Agosto on here as Director Bailey, even if I do keep expecting him to start chanting, "Mur-der board! Mur-der board!" at various points :p. I'd love to see him actually wind up being an asset to the team, but if he stays a full on roadblock, I'll be interested to see how that plays out, too. I like his interactions with Emily, antagonistic though they may be.

Also like Tara having a girlfriend, that's a nice touch ,and Luke and Garcia interacting again was fun as well. As for JJ and Will, not surprised their marriage is having a few bumpy moments, it's always had its ups and downs, but I do like how they're working through all of it. The thought of Henry being 13 and having a girlfriend is making me feel old as hell, though, LOL.

I'm happy they kept the whole thing with the quotes. And I like how the show both still feels like its old self and yet you can also definitely see the changes that being on streaming have brought as well. The whole thing feels more cinematic, and I like that they're able to get a little deeper into everything than they were on CBS.

So yeah. I'm in, obviously, and interested to see where all of this goes. 

[Mislav]

Swearing is not necessary. I know it is allowed now, but since they spent fifteen seasons without even dropping a single F bomb, this is simply not convincing. It really takes you out of the story and you really get reminded you're watching a TV show, where something changed behind the scenes and you just have to go with it. Will we get a gratuitous sex scene too?

Also, grey hair on Emily is not a good look. It also doesn't fit the character. Emily seems like to type to dye her hair until she's in her 70s. The same for Rossi. They don't seem like the type to embrace the grey look.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Mislav

[janeta]

Ok, so I liked it, but I watched it on TV. Are they not going to broadcast any more episodes? Because I'm not signing up for the streaming thing or whatever it is and watching it on my iPad.

[Retired at last]

35 minutes ago, janeta said:

Because I'm not signing up for the streaming thing or whatever it is and watching it on my iPad.

I think they are only showing the first one on regular CBS and the rest will be streamed. There is a good deal now where you can sign up for Paramount + pretty cheaply (first month free and then $24.99 for a year). Especially if they keep up the language, they won't show that on CBS.

I am willing to watch, until it gets to the point it becomes the Garcia show and then, unfortunately, I will be out. From many of the articles I have read, she seems to be the one interviewed in all of them and I am afraid of what that means.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Am giving CME a try because of Aisha Tyler and Zach Gilford.

I stopped watching CM regularly after Hotch left in S12, it wasn't the same anymore. If Hotch is still around, he will chew Deputy Director Bailey alive.

Apparently amateur killers have unionized during the pandemic. Interesting. Does it make sense? No but we understand the writers need a major arc that can tie all their secondary cases together. The ring leader, who is an experienced & methodical killer with secret underground bunkers, he reminds me of Clancy Brown's character in Dexter New Blood.

Moody & haggard-looking Rossi is painful to watch. Grieving and staying temporarily at a hotel are not great excuses to be looking that bad.

I still don't like the cleavage-baring Penelope Garcia. They're saying that she is indispensable and no one else can do her job. Yeah right! Why her office access and login ID are still active after leaving that job for 1000++ days?

Kirsten Vangsness said there'll be more Garcia this season. Not looking forward to this. 😣😡😤

Quote

Still, that flirting will continue, Vangsness confirms.

She adds that this season, which features more Garcia than ever before, it’s evident that the connection between the pair is effortless.

Source: Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Cast on David Rossi’s Shocking Loss and Garcia’s Romantic Future With Alvez

Edited November 25, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Mislav]

So, to summarize, we have:

1) Case that doesn't make much sense, and is a rehash of earlier similar cases that also didn't make much sense.

2) No Reid.

3) More Garcia.

4) Possible relationship drama with JJ and Will, even though that dreadful JJ/Reid romance is now out of the question.

Yeah... no thanks.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Mislav

[janeta]

7 hours ago, Retired at last said:

I think they are only showing the first one on regular CBS and the rest will be streamed. There is a good deal now where you can sign up for Paramount + pretty cheaply (first month free and then $24.99 for a year). Especially if they keep up the language, they won't show that on CBS.

I am willing to watch, until it gets to the point it becomes the Garcia show and then, unfortunately, I will be out. From many of the articles I have read, she seems to be the one interviewed in all of them and I am afraid of what that means.

Netflix claims they will have the DVD's at some point, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for that. 

[catherinejane]

Watched this last night in the UK (where it appeared on Disney Plus!, not Paramount plus)

Enjoyed it being back. The swearing was OMG :D will get used to it (like Good Fight) and at least we didn't get sex scenes. Everyone looked a bit older/greyer/less stunning which i liked. Its realistic of a work force.  With this and CSI back, i at least have myself some good police procedurals (as only law and order:SVU fits that mark for me at present)

[Bookish Jen]

Though I fell out of love with CM after Hotch left, I did give CME a try when CBS showed the first episode. Maybe it was the head cold I was getting over, but I just couldn't get into it. Garcia was way too much (though the baking looked like fun), Rossi snapping at everyone in the wake of Krystal's death, no Reid, etc. I don't have Paramount+ and I'm not going to sign up just to watch CME. I will, however, read your analysis of the show. I always love everyone's insight and opinions.

[Retired at last]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

Though I fell out of love with CM after Hotch left,

For me, the final straw was Morgan leaving. I do watch reruns of the later seasons, but they don't have the same magic for me. I don't really care about the newest team members, and a Garcia/Alvez romance is just as ridiculous as the over-the-top flirtation with Derek. That said, I was glad they were back. I do wonder if this series will continue. What would be best is if they did a Garcia spin-off so I wouldn't have to see her on the real show.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On 11/25/2022 at 2:34 PM, Mislav said:

So, to summarize, we have:

1) Case that doesn't make much sense, and is a rehash of earlier similar cases that also didn't make much sense.

2) No Reid.

3) More Garcia.

4) Possible relationahip drama with JJ and Will, even though that dreadful JJ/Reid romance is now out of the question.

Yeah... no thanks.

This one post - plus the comments above about more Garcia and the 'Galvez' crap continuing - confirms I am missing absolutely nothing.

Thanks for saving me the suspense that I just might be missing something possibly somewhat entertaining by not watching.

Also, #4 - if that turns out to be the case (relationship troubles and separation) - seems like an even bigger slap to the face of all the 'Jencer' fans than the tantalizingly teased JJ/Reid stuff previously, what with MGG not with the show anymore to potentially set up a Jencer endgame.

Edited November 26, 2022 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[JMO]

The Washington Post ran a short article on the reboot.  One of the comments called it, "Criminal Minds: Nursing Home".

Have only partially watched (due to the HLN West Wing marathon), will have to actually pay attention to it later this week.  First impression is that it is verrryyyyyy dark, which may make it a no-go for me.  

[Retired at last]

This week, the episodes dropped on Thursday. Was that because they wanted it on Thanksgiving, or is that when it will be every week? Thanks!

[jabRI]

On 11/25/2022 at 11:57 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

I still don't like the cleavage-baring Penelope Garcia

Honestly love Paget Brewster for aging gracefully, cannot say the same here.  She dresses like a toddler, not a good look at any age.  Cannot stand forced kookiness.

[Snazzy Daisy]

44 minutes ago, jabRI said:

Honestly love Paget Brewster for aging gracefully, cannot say the same here.  She dresses like a toddler, not a good look at any age.  Cannot stand forced kookiness.

Her character can be eccentric without compromising her professionalism - her inappropriate dressing style, her mannerism and her passive-aggressive way of flirting disguised as "frenemy" and "baby girl". Ugh.

On 11/27/2022 at 1:17 AM, Retired at last said:

What would be best is if they did a Garcia spin-off so I wouldn't have to see her on the real show.

[Retired at last]

Found this. . .

Criminal Minds: Evolution release schedule

Episode 1: “Just Getting Started” – Thursday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day)

Episode 2: “Sicarius” – Nov. 24

Episode 3 – Dec. 1

Episode 4 – Dec. 8

Episode 5 – Dec. 15

Episode 6 – Jan. 12

Episode 7 – Jan. 19

Episode 8 – Jan. 26

Episode 9 – Feb. 2

Episode 10 – Feb. 9

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

9 hours ago, Retired at last said:

Found this. . .

Criminal Minds: Evolution release schedule

Episode 1: “Just Getting Started” – Thursday, Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day)

Episode 2: “Sicarius” – Nov. 24

Episode 3 – Dec. 1

Episode 4 – Dec. 8

Episode 5 – Dec. 15

Episode 6 – Jan. 12

Episode 7 – Jan. 19

Episode 8 – Jan. 26

Episode 9 – Feb. 2

Episode 10 – Feb. 9

Still don't understand why they aren't just releasing all the episodes at once, if the arc is supposed to be much more serialized than the previous 15-seasons' worth of UnSubOTW format.

But I don't plan on watching, anyways, so nevermind me.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

This could be old news, but I read the other day that the reason MGG didn't participate in this new season is because of something to do with the children's book he wrote, or another follow up book.  Not sure, but it's something to do with all that.

Maybe his schedule will allow him to be available if they do another season of this 'CM: Evolution'.

[Snazzy Daisy]

S16•E06 - True Conviction

A teaser!

 

[rtms77]

The show has been renewed for a second season

 

CM Renewed for Second Season

 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’: A.J. Cook Teases ‘Mind-Blowing’ Season Finale And Talks Directing Her Own Kids

Meanwhile, Cook had another reason to be excited this season, getting to direct an episode for the second time — the upcoming eighth episode, premiering Jan. 26 — and it came with an extra surprise.

“This time around, I had to direct my children,” she said. “Part of me is like, ‘I am a crazy person for signing up for this.’ But I kind of enjoyed it because they had to listen to me. They could not, not listen to me, otherwise it would have booted them off set.”

Teasing her episode, Cook said, “And let me tell you, you do not want to you don’t want to miss the very end of this episode because whew, it is good,” adding, “The fans are going to lose their minds there. How we end the season is amazing. I can’t wait.”

🤨🤨🤨

[Danielg342]

10 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

“The fans are going to lose their minds there. How we end the season is amazing. I can’t wait.”

Ugh. The show says this all the time before finales and other important episodes...and they always oversell what actually happens.

The people on this show have to learn to let the episodes sell themselves. Especially when what they've delivered has contrasted immensely from what they think they've delivered.

[JMO]

It would only be interesting if Reid showed up to save the day.  Says the person who has only seen the CBS episode.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Crossing my fingers but won't hold my breath that MGG & Reid will be back for CM: E S2.  Will make time to watch S1 - at some point - if he is.

 

(same for MGG/Reid making an appearance in the S1 finale;  in regards to AJC's "The fans are going to lose their minds there. How we end the season is amazing. I can’t wait.")

Edited January 24, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Danielg342]

At this point, Matthew Gray Gubler coming back might make this train wreck bearable again. Of course, that said, why would Gubler want to waste his talents on a platform that is so far beneath his abilities?

[Lebanna]

Meh, just realised that this season 16 seams to have disappeared off Disney+ here. Going to have to wait a month until Paramount finally gets released here in February, but I really hate that they’ve just taken the season down half way through. Ridiculous. 

What a pain. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Lebanna

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, Lebanna said:

Meh, just realised that this season 16 seams to have disappeared off Disney+ here. Going to have to wait a month until Paramount finally gets released here in February, but I really hate that they’ve just taken the season down half way through. Ridiculous. 

What a pain. 

I don't know where you are but I'm in Canada and I still have S16 on Disney Plus.

[Snazzy Daisy]

[ The following contains spoilers from the season finale of Criminal Minds: Evolution ]

Criminal Minds: Evolution Boss Breaks Down Finale Death and 'Alias Moment' — and Might Reid Return Next Season?

 

[Danielg342]

I'm very disappointed that this season dropped the whole "network" angle rather quickly to go virtually nowhere with Elias Voit and his family.

For all it was built up to be, and for all that it could have been, we never did learn why Voit set up this network in the first place. Why the people agreed to join this network. How Elias kept the network under control.

Most importantly, I never found a reason to care about this network. They were just there as a side plot just so the show could get to Voit and explain why he's so shifty, even though the show never bothered to explain the shiftiness in the first place.

I mean, I have my inferences and speculation about what was going on and why Voit did what he did...but that all amounts to me doing the work the writers should be doing, and that's not how this should work.

A mystery is not a mystery if you don't bother to explain things. That's just the base. A good mystery would answer all the initial questions, answers that unlock new mysteries which would then unlock even greater mysteries in a multi-layered, well-plotted approach.

Not a story where you have your initial questions, and then you have more questions, and then more questions after that, and you wind up answering none of them.

That's not a mystery. That's a mess.

It's quite obvious that this writing team really wanted to have some fun with angles and having different storylines, some of which didn't have to connect to the main one.

Which is fine.

The problem is the lack of discipline and focus. So many different things happened that it was hard to keep track of, and lots of it didn't seem to matter much in the end.

All because- I'm sure- there was a lack of direction at the top ensuring that the narratives that were being told all had a purpose and all fit together in the end.

Sure, CM has had this problem the entire time under Erica Messer. However, the problem is amplified with this season.

At least in years prior CM could say they had network constraints- which included running time allotments- that prevented them from telling their stories properly.

None of that existed with this season, since being on a streamer CM could have whatever running time it wanted.

So, what's their excuse now?

[Snazzy Daisy]

CME S2 will be here sooner than you think...

 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On 2/9/2023 at 10:35 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

[ The following contains spoilers from the season finale of Criminal Minds: Evolution ]

Criminal Minds: Evolution Boss Breaks Down Finale Death and 'Alias Moment' — and Might Reid Return Next Season?

 

Could have been an OTT attempt at misdirection by EM, but her answer to it didn't sound super encouraging;  IE, that MGG/Reid - or Daniel Henney - will be back for S2.

[Snazzy Daisy]

21 minutes ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Could have been an OTT attempt at misdirection by EM, but her answer to it didn't sound super encouraging;  IE, that MGG/Reid - or Daniel Henney - will be back for S2.

MGG and DH made a right decision not to come back for CME. Look what happened to Adam Rodriguez, nearly faded into the background.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

19 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

MGG and DH made a right decision not to come back for CME. Look what happened to Adam Rodriguez, nearly faded into the background.

I hear your point, but there is no way that they fade MGG into the background if he were to come back.

Fans would revolt.

[JMO]

I ended up binging the season over the past week.  Overall, I think they did a decent job of telling a relatively cohesive story and keeping up the tension and interest across ten episodes, although I suspect watching them all at once helped quite a bit.  The performances delivered by the actors playing Voit and his wife were impressive, and I can see why they might want to bring Voit  back next season.  

I do think the team was too small (and missing one notable genius), hence the need to bring Bailey, and then Will, along on the case.  Hope they are able to remedy that next year without acting on the implied threat to somehow bring Will onto the team.  No.  Besides, the guy isn't healthy.

I thought Emily was well written and portrayed this year, with just the right mix of empathy, rebellion and administrative prowess.  Tara's troubled relationship was believable, if not particularly engaging for me.  Poor Luke was affable and neglected.  I enjoyed seeing more of JJ's home life and feel older just looking at teenaged Henry.  Garcia was blech, especially pursuing a relationship with a man young enough to be her son.  Ugh.  

Rossi was the focus of the season and JM was up to the challenge. He was stellar throughout, even if I found the premise of his despair to be overdone.  Loved seeing the original profiler so deeply profiling his nemesis and captor, and prevailing in the end. As to his personal situation---since he was there so much for Reid when Reid struggled, I really missed not having Reid be able to return the favor.  Will fanwank that it happened off screen.  

The final episode went off the rails for me after the capture of Voit, and I find myself disengaged to the point where I really don't care who is at the door.  But I'm sure I'll watch again next season--even if I wait to binge again--because it really was fun to have another visit with these characters.  But I really, really want Reid back.

[Retired at last]

20 hours ago, JMO said:

Overall, I think they did a decent job of telling a relatively cohesive story and keeping up the tension and interest across ten episodes, although I suspect watching them all at once helped quite a bit. 

You have a good point. I think I will try to binge the whole season and see if it works better for me. I watched the first few and then just read the comments because I really didn't care. I want to care because this was one of my all-time favorite shows. 

It sure sounds like having Reid back would make the show so much better, and I agree. (It wouldn't hurt for me to have Derek back, too! And even Hotch. But I know those will never happen.)

Edited February 13, 2023 by Retired at last