S16.E06: True Conviction

[Danielg342]

Quote

The BAU work to determine if someone is being framed for a deadly attack on the team.

[Danielg342]

Yawn.

As they say, "the Devil is in the details", and I'm sure the CM writers' room has heard and espoused that expression many a time.

The problem is, the writers get lost in them. Way too many times.

So I won't get lost recounting all the details this episode went through- and the very, very very many they got wrong.

I'll settle for this, though:

• I can't figure out what is sadder- Penelope Garcia trying to run in ridiculously long heels or David Rossi only barely being able to keep up with her while running with her. If anything said "Rossi should be retired", it was that scene.
• Tyler Green and Garcia are now apparently a thing.
• Rebecca Wilson and Tara Lewis are now, apparently, not a thing.
• Speaking of Rebecca, someone could correct me on this because it could just be standard procedure, but I have to wonder why she's "under review" because her first ever prosecution turned out to be wrong. She's had, presumably, 20 years of other prosecutions that had to have gone her way, so those should mean something.
• Not that I really buy Silvio being jailed for 20 years, given how flimsy the evidence was against him. CM continues to make the mistake that confessions are air tight when they are not, and Rebecca looks like a reckless and careless prosecutor for attempting to convict Silvio based on so little evidence. Did CM not learn from the false confessor in the JonBenet Ramsey case?
  • Of course, I'm going to make the bet that the writers will tell us that Silvio knew, all along, that Cyrus would get killed which was somehow part of the "master plan". Because that's how Sicarius gets away with his crimes- the people who can be linked to him are somehow found dead before they can reveal their link to him (or, so goes the wonky explanation by the CM Writers' Room). Which opens a whole new can of worms that my brain just doesn't want to get into, especially at this hour.
• I should also throw the side eye at CM for again using family as the reason our serial killer does what he does. I also don't think it'll be too much of a stretch to suggest that Elias Voit is going be found out because of his familial connection to Cyrus- that last scene couldn't have telegraphed that any clearer.
• Washington was awfully sombre considering that just hours before the events of this episode occurred a Senator was murdered in cold blood. Pretty sure things would be more chaotic on Capitol Hill and at the FBI Headquarters than what we saw on screen.

I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting to mention about this episode and they may come to me later, but the point remains that this is an abject mess. At least the writers are consistent, at least.

[Retired at last]

Thanks for the summary and the grade. I watched it and just don't care anymore. This story is not engaging to me. Maybe it was because of the break? All I know is that this series is too dark - the sets, the lighting, the costumes, the characters. There is no enjoyment or light - unless you count that dipwad Garcia in her baby clothes clomping on those platform shoes that she can't walk in. As she and Tyler Green were moving towards each other, I was done. There is NO WAY IN HELL that any man would be attracted to her. Period. Well, maybe Kevin, but they killed that.

I guess it has become clear that I don't care about the main characters any more. The basic cast with Reid, Morgan, Hotchner, JJ, Prentiss, and Rossi were it for me. I never cared about the later years so don't care about Alvez and Tara.That cartoon director is a bust. I hope that there is some momentum now that they are back to new shows every week, but I am not hopeful that I want a renewal. So very disappointed.

[Snazzy Daisy]

So, Penelope Garcia is a cougar now...

🤣🤣🤣

Edited January 14, 2023 by SnazzyDaisy

[Danielg342]

35 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

So, Penelope Garcia is a cougar now...

🤣🤣🤣

🤣🤣

I guess so, although I think to be a cougar you have to have a base level of maturity that I don't think Garcia has reached yet.

[Colorado David]

This new season does seem more dumbed down than previous ones. I wonder if Reid, Hotch, and Gideon leaving have anything to do with the dumber plotlines. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by Colorado David

[rtms77]

Turn up the lights, CM! Just because you have a dark and gritty storyline, does not translate to using dark lens for filming. My goodness, I could barley make out JJ at first, and the ending with Sicarius and his uncle was just as bad especially with that dark orange palette mixed in. 
 

Make up and styling is also off. Why make Tara suddenly look like she hasn’t bathed in a month? Prentiss still looks like an old hag. 
 

Sigh… why and how does Penelope get all the guys? Normal people would be turned off of her childishness. 
 

So did Sicarius murder his family? Or did the “uncle”? We’re we suppose to look at him and suddenly feel sorry for him? Because it really didn’t work. If anything I hate him more now.

This show is so point and click, they are in desperate need of another lead male because Alvez is dumb as rocks.

[Retired at last]

Thanks @rtms77, glad it wasn't just me not liking the dark scenes and make-up and clothes. Yes for another male. I really miss Derek and even Hotch. And, of course Spencer.

[Annber03]

On 1/13/2023 at 4:28 AM, Danielg342 said:

Speaking of Rebecca, someone could correct me on this because it could just be standard procedure, but I have to wonder why she's "under review" because her first ever prosecution turned out to be wrong. She's had, presumably, 20 years of other prosecutions that had to have gone her way, so those should mean something.

I wondered about that, too. I mean, can't she just find a way to explain that she went with what she had on hand at the time and new evidence came to light later? It still wouldn't erase the fact that an innocent man sat on death row for 20 years, of course, but at least that's an explanation people could work with, because that happens with cases in real life all the time. 

It also struck me that Rebecca seemed to care more about the trajectory of her career than the potential issues with the innocent man in jail. Again, not unlike real life in that regard, but still... I do wonder if and how she and Tara will move past this - it is a shame that this split them, 'cause I did like them in the few scenes they had together thus far this season. But I can also understand if they can't. 

Quote

Not that I really buy Silvio being jailed for 20 years, given how flimsy the evidence was against him. CM continues to make the mistake that confessions are air tight when they are not, and Rebecca looks like a reckless and careless prosecutor for attempting to convict Silvio based on so little evidence. Did CM not learn from the false confessor in the JonBenet Ramsey case?

Eh, I don't know if that's CM making that mistake or if it's them reflecting the real world in that regard, 'cause obviously a lot of people have that attitude in real life, too, and lord know we've heard plenty of stories of people sitting in jail way too long based off flimsy evidence, so... 

Regarding Garcia and Tyler, my main issue with them is that I just don't see him as the sort of guy she'd be into - even though she knows he's not guilty of any crimes, I think she'd still find it a weird boundary to cross. I'd prefer they just stick with whatever they'd been planning with her and Luke back when the original series was about to end. But eh. 

JJ deciding to take a break when all this is over sounds like a good plan. 

Really could've done without the image of the dead dog in the closet and the creepy uncle telling the story about the thing he read with dogs being shocked or whatever it was. I get why he was telling that story in that context, but still. Ick. The scene of Maria being killed was rather disturbing, too. 

[jabRI]

I loved the scene where they came across that creep's staged suicide, and not one but two of them but their bare hands on the open car door.  Granted, likely the killer wore gloves, but wouldn't you want to check that first?  Agree much too dark, literally, and I hate Penelope.  The actress is 50 for god's sake, no sane woman of most any age would dress like that.  And Rebecca I get that you are short, but what professional woman wears 5 inch stilettos to the office? Except for Prentiss and Tyler (thank you both for dressing age/professionally appropriate) I don't like how women are portrayed much on the show.  And I don't buy JJ calling hubby before stepping into danger, that's just stupid.

[millennium]

Emily's "Wheels up" expression was everything.

[Danielg342]

On 1/15/2023 at 7:18 PM, Annber03 said:

It also struck me that Rebecca seemed to care more about the trajectory of her career than the potential issues with the innocent man in jail. Again, not unlike real life in that regard, but still... I do wonder if and how she and Tara will move past this - it is a shame that this split them, 'cause I did like them in the few scenes they had together thus far this season. But I can also understand if they can't. 

Put it like that and I would wonder why Tara would even want to stay. Not that, I believe, the show will admit it, but she's dealing with an obvious narcissist who put her career and her interests ahead of what needed to be done and of how Tara was feeling. That Rebecca wound up doing "the right thing" doesn't make up for it- she still went to extremes and guilted Tara and ended her relationship over it.

I mean, I'm not saying Rebecca should have been happy...but this should have been something where she could have shown a bit of understanding, at least.

On 1/15/2023 at 7:18 PM, Annber03 said:

Eh, I don't know if that's CM making that mistake or if it's them reflecting the real world in that regard, 'cause obviously a lot of people have that attitude in real life, too, and lord know we've heard plenty of stories of people sitting in jail way too long based off flimsy evidence, so... 

True. It just feels a little too flimsy for me. Mileage will vary.

[mythoughtis]

Bailey and now Rachel-  me Me me.  Bailey wants to close the case even though he knows the  Senator’s  son isn’t the big guy. Rachel thinks Tara didn’t tell her  for political reasons and has to have innocence on a silver  platter before she will cooperate.  Tara didn’t tell her in the beginning because there was no real  proof that that their  suspicions were justified.
Rachel shouldn’t get fired because her first case 20 years ago falls apart.  The guy confessed. 

Tara should be glad that Rachel showed her true colors.  
 

Finally - Monroe was a good guy and it sucked seeing the actor in this role.  

Edited March 6, 2023 by mythoughtis

[Danielg342]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Monroe was a good guy and it sucked seeing the actor in this role.

Which one was Monroe? I don't recall a Monroe in the episode and I don't see a listing among the cast.

[mythoughtis]

28 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Which one was Monroe? I don't recall a Monroe in the episode and I don't see a listing among the cast.

It’s a reference to the show Grimm.  The actor playing the original serial killer that died in the last scene played a character named Monroe.