Paramount+ Criminal Minds

[Danielg342]

On 2/12/2023 at 10:19 PM, JMO said:

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.  

Perhaps the episodes would have been better if they were all watched one after the other. Maybe Season Two will be structured in that way. I don't know why CM didn't drop all the episodes at once, like many other streaming shows do.

Only other story point I'll make is that the network storyline muddied the overall storyline somewhat. We were all in on it in the first few episodes, but by the second half, the network got barely a mention. There was more focus on Elias Voit and his family and the toll his activities placed on them than on the supposed serial killer network.

It would have been far more fun to explore a single serial killer who has found a way to be elusive- while staying active- for over twenty years. In real life, Ted Bundy mixed up his methods to throw off investigators, and let's not forget he actually nearly escaped conviction. CM has never had a Bundy-like character that mixed up his kill methods, which they could have explored with Voit.

Making him a family man would have added another intriguing wrinkle. Since most serial killers are unmarried, exploring one who is and how he hides his murders from his family would have been interesting. It also gives the criminal an added layer, so there's more to the criminal to explore other than "how will the BAU catch him?" Does Voit target people who wrong his family? Does Voit kill to get out of the tediousness of family life?

...and so on and so forth.

We explored bits and pieces of that, but we really should have gone deeper.

On 2/12/2023 at 10:19 PM, JMO said:

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.

I don't believe the team is too big. It has too many people who do the same thing. What differentiates Tara from Luke, other than their anatomy? Or even JJ from Tara and Luke, outside of her family? Rossi and Prentiss all had things to do relevant to the case. So did Garcia. JJ, Tara and Luke were just investigators, none of whom brought unique perspectives to the investigation which would set them apart.

Reid, Hotch, Morgan...even Blake, if they had bothered to expand on what she could do...they all brought unique perspectives to the investigation which made them valuable. This kind of development was never made with the newer agents, of which I'll group JJ with because she only became an agent after Erica Messer took over. I don't know how you rectify all that now without resorting to writers pulling things out of their rears, but this lack of uniqueness is what drags down the team.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Seeing stuff out there - re: S2 - about how Garcia's 'love life will remain "complicated"' and something about a 'love triangle'.  🤢

Unless they get MGG back for S2, there is no way I ever plan on watching the soap opera of Garcia's 'love life'.   No thank you very much.

Edited February 15, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Retired at last]

It's bad enough having to believe that one decent guy is interested in her, let alone two. And, you know they will make Luke the other guy. Nope. Nada. No way. The only guy she belonged with was Kevin. 

[Danielg342]

7 hours ago, Retired at last said:

The only guy she belonged with was Kevin. 

You're right, but with Nicholas Brendon's real life issues, who knows if we'll ever see Lynch again.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Since its been totally silent - seemingly on all fronts, let alone the one I'm referring to - for like 2/2.5 months, I'm guessing the chances of MGG coming back for the next season are about nil?

Or maybe I'm making something out of nothing, IE its just too early for real speculation.  Have they even started production on the new season yet?

And now the WGA has gone on strike (again), so that'll pretty much halt any production for however long that lasts.

[Danielg342]

I remember just after the season concluded Paget Brewster said that "filming will resume in a few months". Well, it's been (by my estimate) "a few months" since then and I have not heard anything.

I'm personally anticipating another fall release date and another ten episode run from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, like this past season. We'll see what actually happens.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On 5/4/2023 at 11:14 PM, Danielg342 said:

I remember just after the season concluded Paget Brewster said that "filming will resume in a few months". Well, it's been (by my estimate) "a few months" since then and I have not heard anything.

I'm personally anticipating another fall release date and another ten episode run from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day, like this past season. We'll see what actually happens.

All depends on how long the current WGA strike lasts.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

After looking around the internet a bit, it seems there's a tiny bit of chatter about the chances of MGG coming back as Reid for CME s2.

In an interview he gave for some of this other projects here very recently, he was asked about revisiting the Spencer Reid role on CME.  He answered that he would "be honored!" and "maybe it could happen" now that his own personal schedule isn't quite so packed as it was previously.  Also heavily hinted that it turns out that the strike made a return possible.  Had there been no strike, his schedule wouldn't have allowed time for him to be able participate in any of the filming for CME s2.

Maybe there's absolutely nothing there and he's just blowing smoke, but it at least provides a little hope for those of us who need it.  Not gonna hold my breath, but I'm down to give it a try if they can get MGG/Reid back - and hopefully for much more than as just a 'special guest star' for like barely a cameo in 1 or 2 episodes.

Edited October 5, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Snazzy Daisy]

S02 of CME will start filming in mid-January 2024.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Will is saying goodbye to CME.

Criminal Minds Vet Josh Stewart ‘Sadly’ Announces His Exit — What Does This Mean for JJ’s Husband Will?

[Snazzy Daisy]

Elias Voit is baaaaaaaack!

Criminal Minds Back-to-Work Photo Confirms Zach Gilford's Return

 

Edited January 17 by Snazzy Daisy

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Will is saying goodbye to CME.

Criminal Minds Vet Josh Stewart ‘Sadly’ Announces His Exit — What Does This Mean for JJ’s Husband Will?

Aw, that's a shame. I'm hoping it was his decision, at least. There's only so many ways they'll likely be able to write him out, but I still hope he gets some kind of decent send-off, whatever they do. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

5 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Aw, that's a shame. I'm hoping it was his decision, at least. There's only so many ways they'll likely be able to write him out, but I still hope he gets some kind of decent send-off, whatever they do. 

Did Will have a cancer-scare last season? I can’t remember much.

With Will gone, are they gonna go with JJ/Reid route to satisfy the fandom?

Josh Stewart is out of CM and his wife (Alexa Davalos) is no longer with FBI Most Wanted. Fresh start for both.

I seriously hope Kirsten Vangsness will not co-write any of new episodes. Penelope-focused episode is so unbearable. 😩

[Annber03]

17 minutes ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

With Will gone, are they gonna go with JJ/Reid route to satisfy the fandom?

Heh, if that's their plan, it actually wouldn't go over well with a good portion of the fandom, at least not in the areas where I spend time. In my fandom corner, I'm in an extreme minority of fans who actually does like them as a pairing. Mind, I never actually expected the show to put them together, but I would also hope they wouldn't kill Will off just to make that happen. At least, that's not how I'd write that kind of setup if I were in charge and they were going that way. 

Plus, there's also the fact that it'd probably be easier to do the whole JJ/Reid thing if Reid were, y'know, there, and as of now I've not seen any indications he's going to be back, so....

[Danielg342]

Evolution hinted at marital problems between JJ and Will, and that is my preferred route as opposed to killing off Will. The "LEO married to the job who loses their romantic marriage" hasn't really been done from a female perspective, so that would be a nice storyline to explore.

Plus, AJ Cook is hot and does the whole "deer in the headlight" thing so well...seeing JJ have to go back to dating could be a fun storyline to watch.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On 1/17/2024 at 6:39 PM, Annber03 said:

Heh, if that's their plan, it actually wouldn't go over well with a good portion of the fandom, at least not in the areas where I spend time. In my fandom corner, I'm in an extreme minority of fans who actually does like them as a pairing. Mind, I never actually expected the show to put them together, but I would also hope they wouldn't kill Will off just to make that happen. At least, that's not how I'd write that kind of setup if I were in charge and they were going that way. 

Plus, there's also the fact that it'd probably be easier to do the whole JJ/Reid thing if Reid were, y'know, there, and as of now I've not seen any indications he's going to be back, so....

Either both sides are doing an amazing job of keeping it under wraps, or its looking increasingly like MGG will not be returning to the series in any capacity.  I mean, how would news that 'big' stay quiet for this long otherwise?

Shame, if so.  Especially now that "Jencer" could be a potential route they could take things, if JS/WL is truly officially out.

Edited January 19 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Annber03]

17 minutes ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Either both sides are doing an amazing job of keeping it under wraps, or its looking increasingly like MGG will not be returning to the series in any capacity.  I mean, how would news that 'big' stay quiet for this long otherwise?

That's why I tend to find all the "Okay, but will he be coming back/is he coming back?" speculation kind of amusing. I get people wanting to see favorite characters back and all, but also...if he really were, one way or another, we WOULD eventually know. Either it'd be an actual story on some entertainment site or there'd be a spoiler leak or some other kind of hint. Or, if he really were kept as a hush-hush surprise, we'd find out at the end of whatever episode revealed his surprise return. 

It's not impossible for shows to keep something like that a secret in this day and age, of course, but it's extremely hard to do. And of course they're never going to rule anything out definitively, both because they may genuinely be leaving that door open in case he does return and also because they need that possibility to dangle at the audience to get them to watch (and entertainment sites will play up that teasing as well). 

So yeah, while I get people wanting him back, and while I too would like to see him show up if he were interested in doing so, the constant questions and speculation aren't going to magically make him show up, and those people will often wind up being disappointed in the end anyway. If he shows up, we'll know. Until then, why focus on something that isn't likely to happen anytime soon? 

[Danielg342]

I feel that Will's imminent departure is to do nothing except give JJ "womanpain". The writing for the past several seasons has leaned on JJ having angst for quite some time, but we've never really had a moment where JJ had to really lose herself and let out her emotions. Kind of like how the writers seem to give Joe Mantegna multiple excuses to raise his voice in a bid to give Rossi a "strong, emotional presence", we seem due for an Emmy-baiting, bawl-her-eyes-out moment from JJ.

Which...I don't know. I think JJ as a character has done far better since the writers gave up the whole "Mary Sue" thing in S10 and made her someone for whom the job takes an incredible toll, but a crying scene is no joke. I mean, since AJ Cook got to Hollywood she has to have some skills, but I find those moments of pure, unbridled sadness are difficult to pull off, even for the best of actors, and I'm not sure I would say AJ is up there in calibre.

So I'm fearing the trainwreck that is coming.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Matt’s Inside Line: Get Scoop on NCIS, Criminal Minds, Ghosts, All American, The Rookie, Lopez vs. Lopez and More!   
 

[BetterButter]

‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Casts Felicity Huffman

[Danielg342]

Ryan-James Hatanaka, who plays Tyler Green, is becoming a series regular next season too:

https://deadline.com/2024/02/criminal-minds-evolution-ryan-james-hatanaka-series-regular-tyler-green-1235816897/