S10.E01: X

[formerlyfreedom]

The BAU team investigates a series of murders in Bakersfield, Ca, which have left the victims unidentifiable. New agent Kate Callahan joins the BAU fold, and assists in the effort to solve the cases.

 

 

[Wilowy]

TONIGHT!! Here's another look at a sneak peek and if you scroll down to previews there's a few more. 

 

http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/video/vPNS9pUy_1c5_mUP2SwL928vFu0sGBco/criminal-minds-x-sneak-peek-1-/

[missmycat]

Okay I like that she is from Andi Swan's unit.But what I am wondering about wouldn't she be required to take the profiling classes like everyone else did.

The same classes that JJ had to take when she wanted to become a Profiler even though she had already been working with the team for years.

I remember when Prentiss came to speak to Hotch about the job and she had proof that she had taken the required classes and Hotch still gave her a hard time.

I've always wonder about Blake and if she herself had taking those required classes. I am just assuming she did.

Hotch sure seems a lot less picky than he use to be, because nowadays it looks as if he doesn't even require his new agents to take those profiling classes.

[zannej]

Ah. That answers my questions about the sneak peek! Thanks!

[Brattinella]

I am so glad this show is back!  Penelope looks great, she has lost a little weight too.  I don't know about the new girl, got blindsided like that; isn't she trained?  All in all, though, an auspicious beginning!

[Wilowy]

Well, that happens to the best of them, even Hotch. I liked this first ep a lot more than last year's. Excited to see where it goes!

[SSAHotchner]

I liked it. I even liked Kate. I think she fit in well with the team. She wasn't arrogant or know-it-all. She wasn't stupid, like Seaver. She proved she could handle herself. I did think it was unwise of Hotch (stupid writing, Erica) to say, "Let's split up." But I'm relieved that it wasn't JJ that was attacked and that we weren't bombarded with JJ, Morgan and Garcia. It felt there was a good balance of screen time and the way each one contributed to the profile and solving of the case. Loved getting to see Hotch for a change, although I still want to smooth the tension from his sweet face. I hear what you're saying MMC, but just because Hotch didn't say she had taken the necessary classes, doesn't mean that she, or any of the other agents he interviewed for the position, hadn't.

[kdm07]

Good start to the season I thought. Hope it's a sign that this will be a good season overall too.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Well, that was.....hmm.....

 

I'm gonna say one nice thing about Kate right off the bat so it's clear that I don't want her to die in a fire - she was polite to Reid when they met in the elevator. That was cool of her. Unfortunately Reid almost completely disappears from the episode after that, so that's a definite minus. And I can't deal with Kate's hair. It's reminiscent of Elle's choppy 'do before she left, and I don't care for it. I never said I wasn't shallow.

 

The case was less gross than I expected, with relatively little gore, so bonus points for that. I have no idea why on earth Kerr Smith's character was driving around with a severed leg in the passenger seat, but I can handwave that because, y'know, crazy guy. And Garcia wasn't as annoying as I expected, although the promos for next week give me pause. Please don't make this suck, Erica.

 

But OMG, shut up Morgan about your scars. Jerk. Remember how last season Spencer got shot in the neck? Yeah, I bet the writers don't either.

 

I am glad that Hotch got to take down the UnSub, although this seems to be the start of the season-long plot they were talking about. It was nice to see Aaron get to do stuff instead of either JJ or the newbie.

 

All in all, it was not terrible. I give it a B Minus.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[mustbekarma]

I really liked this episode, and I think Jennifer Love Hewitt is really going to gel with the cast. I love how she interacted with everyone and actually contributed to the case. I love how she bonded with Garcia over the baby animal videos.

 

The limb fetish network-that is some seriously twisted shit. I'm not sure I want to see this as an ongoing arc. It's too damn unsettling. Seriously, freaks, if you want a wing or a drumstick, go to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

 

Sometimes the Internet is a very bad thing.

Edited October 2, 2014 by mustbekarma

[Wilowy]

I was going "Where's Reid" when they were all talking about their scars... I expected him to walk past, blowing on a cup of coffee and say "Yeah, well I died."  before taking his seat next to Hotch. heh.

[normasm]

Thanks for your post, Costar, I agree almost 100%, but I don't have the energy to.....post....

I think Kate even bumped Morgan out of the way (is this the first time he's not been running around kicking down the doors?) So, it may have been that they had to throw the scar bone to him because he had almost no other attention.

Next week looks godawful. Sorry to be Debbie Downer but, this really was a disappointment.

Edited October 2, 2014 by normasm

[Brattinella]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the hair-do.  YUCK.

[Wilowy]

Ha ha, oh normasm. I guess you won't be tuning in for any more episodes then? ;)

[SSAHotchner]

JLH's hair is hideous. That's what mine would look like if I had gone to bed with wet hair.

I'm not looking forward to a big Garcia ep, either, but the rest of the team must be working on another case, wouldn't you think? I just hope we continue to get good screen time for each character. I understand that now and then one character may be featured, but I'd like to finish each episode and not wonder if JM, TG or MGG were on vacation when it was being filmed. I was happy with this one. Is it weird to be happy when Hotch shoots someone? Seriously, I hate guns, but when I see him in his vest brandishing his gun and bursting into a room, it takes my breath away. I love that man.

[Wilowy]

Her hair was pretty bad. I guess it might be because she usually has rockin' hair and she didn't want Kate to be about that. I also like that she's slightly above-weight for the television norm. Go, curvy girls!

[Katenotplus8]

Reid wears the hairdo better than JLH's Character.  Just started watching, and not overly excited about the addition of her to this cast.  Never have been a fan of hers.

[zannej]

I wasn't very impressed with this episode. The opening was ok. I don't mind Kate. She seems nice enough and the bit with Garcia and the internet videos was amusing. Good use of the team with the exception of Reid. I swear he had less than a full minute of dialog in the entire episode-- but I wasn't expecting him to have much considering who wrote the episode. There were many times when I thought it would be a good time for him to weigh in and they gave lines to other people that easily could have come from him instead. 

I know its her first episode, but I felt that Kate was a little too prominent and dominating in the profiling for someone who was so new to the team. I wish it had been a little toned down. 

I hated Hotch's decision to tell them to split up-- and where the fuck was Reid? I know he was rubbing his neck in pain at one point. He seems a bit withdrawn from the rest of the team and sat away from them.

I'm still trying to get over my dislike of JJ. When she slid into the seat on the plane across from Kate, I cringed. The way she just dismissively mentioned that she was tortured made me want to slap her. That was some bad writing and bad delivery. The dialog was far too fake/insincere in a lot of that scene. And Morgan and the scar thing seemed too hammed up. Although I sort of got the impression that he was sort of joking so it wasn't too bad.

When Hotch first told Kate that they got their man and to go home and get some rest I was wanting to slap someone but when he opened the file I realized he was just trying to put her at ease and knew something was up. I'm not quite sure that I like that though. I wish the entire team had that conversation about something not being right.

The human trafficking thing harkens back to a previous season finale that sucked ass. Oh, it was written by Messer as well.

 

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I almost turned the tv off out of boredom a few times.

 

It was interesting how the one victim got the unsub to be nice to her for a short time but when she tried to grab the machete, I rolled my eyes. We never really learned much about the unsub or got inside his head to learn why he was doing what he was doing. The "minds" part was missing. 

 

At least there wasn't a lot of fake blood gore. I think we could have done without the fake limbs so much though. They weren't convincing to me.

 

I give this one a C.

[Brattinella]

Yeah, I liked her curves too, but I REALLY don't want this to turn into the Jennifer Love Hewitt Show.

[ForeverAlone]

These were some of my responses as I watched the episode.

 

1. Again with seeing the unsub before the main credits roll. *sighs* Though in this case I shouldn't be surprised. Any time a guest actor is specifically highlighted in the media as the unsub, you know you are going to see a lot of him/her.

 

2. There seems to be some interesting interpersonal interaction set up in the first scene. I see Erica's little aside about Emily not wanting to come back to the team, though in reality, why would she give up that job to be a subordinate on the team again? Of course that will probably just send Emily fans into howls of anger, but oh well. I do like the interaction between Kate and Reid. He was surprisingly talkative to someone he basically just met. Yeah, okay he saw her at karaoke, but that is not the same thing as actually interacting with someone.

 

3. Also nice callback to Kate coming from Andy Swan's unit. Since I was very glad Ashley left the team, I didn't care that she got a shoutout, but I wonder if Erica is setting up a possible return for a guest appearance in some future episode, or at least making the option available if the stars align. Granted, I sure hope not, because I try and pretend that Ashley just doesn't exist.

 

4. Seriously, Rossi got the opening quote? Come on! That quote is tailor made for Reid. Aside from the fact that Matthew is a huge Poe fan, that quote alone pretty much sums Reid up as a person since he lives so much in his own head.

 

5. Interesting twist that the unsub we see at first is not doing the actual killing. At least that explains why the team was able to catch the acrotomophiliac so early in the episode.

 

6. Does the team not secure warrants for these searches or is that just supposed to be implied? I'm thinking of the second suspect's apartment, since they didn't exactly have probable cause to enter based on what little we saw about him. I honestly don't know with this writing crew, but the show used to show the legal steps the team had to follow, and we haven't seen much of that in a few years.

 

7. You would think the surviving victim would be in too much shock from having a limb amputated to be able to talk to the unsub. She is WAY too articulate for someone to experience such trauma. I mean, she had her arm chopped off and she didn't have any anesthesia. She should be a freaking mess or barely conscious at best, not reacting so violently to get away from him.

 

8. Seriously? The unsub is smart enough to escape detection before, but he stupidly attacks a FBI agent in front of a group of them? Why didn't he try to flee the scene? Seriously? Is this supposed to be suicide by cop? *sighs* I hate it when the writers have the team kill the unsub. And no aftermath to the killing, we just end that part of the show there? This shows a lack of intelligence on Erica's part in my opinion, and a prime example of the writers deliberately choosing a more action oriented ending rather than a more cerebral ending to the case.

 

9. I imagine some of the JJ fans who are up in arms that she hasn't shown the slightest bit of PTSD will be angry that she is joking about her scars from being tortured, like it's no big thing. I never bought the idea that she would be perfectly okay and show no emotional after effects after her "200" ordeal. But now, she is making light of it again (after joking with Cruz in the previous season finale about hurt ribs). It just doesn't feel like a true reaction.

 

10. It's also interesting that this show had originally stated they were setting Reid up for some sort of after trauma story. Now granted, that seems like that was thrown by the wayside (and if so, WHY)? But when they wrote the first episode, did they still have an idea that Reid was going to be showing some after effects? I mean, they had the brief scene where Reid seemed to be  feeling some pain in his neck. But then when we come to the jet scene, he was nowhere to be found. If the show had originally wanted to set up something for Reid, this scene would have been perfect to show some sort nonverbal breadcrumb as he listens to JJ, Kate and Derek brag about their scars. But nothing. It seems like a missed opportunity to me.

 

11. Creepy end to the episode. I like something suspenseful that turns the audience on  its head. This is obviously setting up the future season-long story arc, and now we know that another creepy perv is out there, and Kate's instincts were on target. It's actually sort of like the ending of Out of the Light in season six. But that makes me wonder if the unsub abducted all of the first three victims and then ordered out for his fourth victim, and if so, why? He had a personal reason to kill at least two of the victims, but why did he branch out to strangers? Did he just develop a taste for it? While it's an interesting idea presented at the end, it doesn't really seem to match up with the unsub's actions. Or maybe I'm just missing something.

 

Overall, this seems like an interesting way to start the season. Granted, I think this is another example of Erica dumbing down the smart profiling to make things more action oriented and less intelligent, but I have to grade on a curve these days. I like that there were plenty of fakeouts and we didn't see everything straight from the get go. And so far, I like what the show is doing with Kate. It was interesting to see how immediately she gelled with the entire team. It's the complete opposite they did with previous newbies, and a bit implausible for her to be so friendly on her very first day in the office. But I like her personality and her at times inappropriate humor.

Edited October 2, 2014 by ForeverAlone

[UncleChuck]

 

But OMG, shut up Morgan about your scars. Jerk.

I wasn't bothered greatly by his scar-talk, or even by JJ's offhand remark about being recently tortured.  They weren't bragging or attempting to appear as super-agents, but newbie Kate was feeling like getting attacked and  wounded on her first day was some kind of failure, so Morgan and JJ were just getting her to lighten up and realize that no one on the team had escaped scars and stitches (and worse).

 

BTW, was that Kate's daughter that she hugged when she got home?  The girl called her "Kate" and not "Mom".  Is she guardian to her sister or some adopted child?  Is this the start of another tortured back story?  Please God, and Erica...no more tortured backstories.

[Wilowy]

The girl is her niece, that's pretty much all we know just yet. 

[Brattinella]

Great recap, ForeverAlone.

[90PercentGravity]

I'd like to suggest a friends-esque title of "The One Where Lazlo Hollyfield Cut Off That Woman's Arm."

 

I've never been a JLH fan, but I will give her a chance. This show needs something to freshen it up and maybe she is it. I was surprised by how gaunt and hollow her face is compared to how full her body is. I'm always a little jealous of women who don't gain weight in their face.

 

And, for equal opportunity shallowness, I was totally distracted by TG's neck. Did he have a sunburn? Laser treatment?

[Danielg342]

"What? You don't twerk?" I loved that. I missed Reid's response because I was laughing so hard...it was great to see Kate and Reid bond nicely. In fact, I loved Jennifer Love Hewitt- she just seems to have instant chemistry with everyone, and Kate just seems to "fit". When Rossi and her interacted, it almost felt familial- I almost expected Rossi to tell Kate after inspecting the barn, "here's looking at you, kiddo".

 

(Don't ask me why...it just seems like something Rossi would say)

 

I also liked how Kate wasn't "the one with all the answers" right away...she was blindsided, she still didn't know how to keep the work from affecting her, she worried about how she could adjust to the pressure of "catching a guy every week"...she's got a learning curve and I like it.

 

Oh, and over/under on how long it'll take before the girl she's looking after (the credits billed her as "Meg Callahan") gets kidnapped. You know the show will go to that well, you just know it. Methinks season-long UnSub guy is going to take her for the finale, and in the Season 11 opener she gets saved.

 

...and subtlety. Really digged that. We learned so much about Kate through throwaway lines, like how she jumped right in about the hippopotamus video. The writers ought to try that more often...big long, exposes don't work all the time.

 

I did like the "twist" that the first criminal we saw wasn't the episode's UnSub...I don't think we've seen that before. Other guys have been red herrings before, sure, but none have actually been "criminals" the team needed to catch (in the same episode at least- technically The Replicator counts here too).

 

I liked how everyone got involved and even had a role in solving the case. I disagree that Reid didn't have a role- he was the one who connected the dots about the horse farm- but I do agree it was a small one, considering he really didn't use his talents. Come to think of it, I'm not sure the show's used his talents in a while- whatever happened to the guy who wowed everyone with a remarkable insight only he could possibly come up with? It wouldn't even take too many lines in the script to do- come on writers, stop being lazy.

 

The frame job seemed spurious...I get that, in the context of profiling that Dylan Myers was framed, but I wonder- how many people are just that good? It's not like you can predict that the BAU is going to get involved in your case. I guess I could let it go because it made for a better mystery but it rankled.

 

Didn't like how Morgan was absent from the arrest scene...I'm echoing what others have said- did he retire from kicking down doors or something? I mean I get Shemar Moore might not want to be a one-dimensional tough guy but c'mon...if we're not going to see Morgan kick down a door at least use his brain. He is the obsessional crime expert...could have come in handy tonight, you know?

 

Then, last but not least...season-long UnSub guy. So much for having a "crime" develop over a season...I guess technically it still felt like an "opening scene" but I think a whole season of simply seeing a guy kidnapping women to sell for body parts is really going to get boring quickly. I really want to know "why" the UnSub is doing this and what got him to start raiding women in the first place.

 

Also, another thought- I'm not convinced that the human trafficking network we saw was meant "purely" for the purpose of buying women for parts...it might have been what Myers' framer was doing but there was nothing on the computer screen that indicated that the women were just meant to be anything more than bought and sold...so if a man wanted to buy a woman for other purposes, he could.

 

(What's up with that computer screen, though? Seriously show, Windows XP? Guys, it's 2014, not 2001...get with the program

 

ETA- something else I noticed about the computer screen: the URL at the top wasn't a website but a file path to a temporary file on the C drive...meaning the director or the producer couldn't be bothered to actually create a fake website for the storyline, or at least try to hide the URL. C'mon guys...that's just lazy. If we're seeing this UnSub again try to make things look more professional...besides, you could always make the website in real life a place where we could all converge and come up with our own clues on who the UnSub is)

 

I also rolled my eyes when I saw how the UnSub was procuring his victims...so he gets a van, pulls up beside the woman, opens the door and drags her kicking and screaming inside. In broad daylight. Yeah, totally nondescript. How long would it take for the police to find the guy? A week? I could probably buy that for a "Villain Of The Week" but I'd expect the season-long guy to be better at sneak attacks...doing an attack out in the open draws attention and makes him easier to spot, especially in the age of camera phones and social media where you've got eyes and ears literally all around you.

 

I'm really also hoping there's more to this story than just a generic "auction-for-girls" storyline...I think if someone was buying parts to make a "Frankengirl" it'd be a rather interesting storyline.

 

Oh, and I really also hope that as this story progresses and more and more women get kidnapped someone is going to complain and complain wildly to the FBI about how they're "not doing anything". It wears on your willing suspension of disbelief if, every week, you see communities act like nothing's happening when people are dying all the time around them. If someone was kidnapping women in my community and shopping them online I think I'd want to know the FBI is doing something about it. I'm not saying that the BAU couldn't still take its time solving the case- they'd likely need to- but I want them to feel some pressure. Far too often they come in, they start investigating and people still drop like fleas yet no one says anything about it when in real life people complain to the police about serial killers all the time.

 

...clues too, by the way. If we're going to have a season-long mystery, at least put some nuggets around the season so that, when it comes time to solve the case in the final episode, we've got a head start, at least. I don't want it to be like The Replicator storyline where there was nothing but pointless posturing and then a solution in 45 minutes.

 

One thing's for sure though- since Andi Swann led a human trafficking unit and the main storyline this season involves a human trafficking case, the callback to her with Callahan was not just a coincidence...she's going to make an appearance, and what a treat that will be.

 

Overall, though, not a bad start to the season. I rather enjoyed tonight.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Danielg342

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I wasn't bothered greatly by his scar-talk, or even by JJ's offhand remark about being recently tortured.  They weren't bragging or attempting to appear as super-agents, but newbie Kate was feeling like getting attacked and  wounded on her first day was some kind of failure, so Morgan and JJ were just getting her to lighten up and realize that no one on the team had escaped scars and stitches (and worse).

 

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if Reid hadn't been the one who got shot last season. In the neck. And would have died if it hadn't been for Garcia. Why couldn't the writers have let him tell Kate about scars? I've always been a bit ambivalent towards Morgan as it is because I think he's kind of an ass. A well-meaning ass, maybe, but still. It would have given Spencer some damn screen time after they fished him out of whatever wormhole he wandered into for most of the ep.

 

 

I'd like to suggest a friends-esque title of "The One Where Lazlo Hollyfield Cut Off That Woman's Arm."

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand 90PercentGravity wins the internet for the Real Genius reference.

[Lostinthehouse]

I loved Jennifer Love Hewitt as the new agent!  Compared to the cardboard Jeanne Triplehorn, she was alive, involved, and absolutely perfect with the rest of the team.  I'm really looking forward to seeing more of her,

 

Totally confused by the ending until several people here mentioned a season-long arc.  Thanks for that.  I spent the rest of the night thinking "What?" - mostly because I watched the misogynistic "Stalker" immediately after CM, and I can't stand misogyny on TV.

 

So who's the real unsub here?  The guy who cut off the arm?  Or one of the guys selling/buying women on the internet?  (Not as misogynistic as it sounds - I noticed there were men for sale on that website too.)

[Danielg342]

I spent the rest of the night thinking "What?" - mostly because I watched the misogynistic "Stalker" immediately after CM, and I can't stand misogyny on TV.

 

So who's the real unsub here?  The guy who cut off the arm?  Or one of the guys selling/buying women on the internet?  (Not as misogynistic as it sounds - I noticed there were men for sale on that website too.)

Maybe I need to rewatch it because I don't recall men being for sale, but I am with you about being tired of misogyny on TV. It may be realistic but it's a cliche by now and I think far too often shows use women as victims simply because they “play” better than men.

I will say that before I level that criticism on CM that at least tonight Angie fought off her attacker and escaped (being *far* from a “damsel in distress”), last year (and the year before) we had quite a few men as victims (including in “Rabid” where the “main” victim was male) and at least for the human trafficking storyline there's the potential for a compelling story with regards to the victims- in other words, the women serve a “role” other than just being “damsels in distress”. Of course, I want to see how it plays out first, because more often than not these days, it seems like CM likes dropping the ball when it actually *does* have a cool idea.

[amensisterfriend]

Maybe it's because my expectations were comfortably low, but I liked this episode a lot. (Not as compared to S1-S4, of course, but as compared to most of what we've gotten in later seasons!) I absolutely loved Kate Callahan. I totally get that she's not for everyone, but for me JLH has this natural vivacity and energy that's the perfect antidote for a group dynamic that can sometimes border on the flat and lifeless. I'm not claiming she's an Emmy-worthy talent, but she's got a lot of spirit, personality and warmth, and right now I feel like the show needs that. I loved her brief but memorable interaction scene with Reid. And, speaking of Reid, one of the most pleasant surprises of the episode for me was liking his S10 hair far more than I'd anticipated! (I agree with those who wished we got more Reid, but, then again, I pretty much always wish we got more Reid.) 

 

I agree with zaneej that the case could have used a little more cerebral profiling, but I did think we got some of that and felt myself really engaged overall. I'm feeling pretty excited and optimistic about this upcoming season! If nothing else, the chances of me enjoying it more than S9 are REALLY high :) 

[Wilowy]

Something else I liked was that they didn't pair Kate with Reid right away. I liked that she was with Hotch and Rossi mostly, and then her scene at the end with Meg felt natural and warm. Oh, and on-board too with those that mentioned the Andi Swan connection. While I hope that does NOT mean we get Seaver inflicted upon us, a Swan appearance would be welcome, indeed.

 

Very pleased with this first offering of the season.

[FormerMod-a1]

I actually liked this episode. I had nearly given up on CM, I didn't watch more than half the episodes the past couple of seasons.  It is still not set as a series recording on my DVR, but I will be watching again next week.

 

The nesting dolls of unsubs was a bit much, but it does set up human trafficking as a through-line to future episodes.

Human trafficker abducts woman, primary unsub (the 2nd found) cuts their limbs off (and does other things with the women and limbless bodies) and then sells the limbs to tertiary unsub (first guy found).

[Wilowy]

Also liked that this happened. All is not well in Reidville. 

 

[walnutqueen]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand 90PercentGravity wins the internet for the Real Genius reference.

 

I actually liked this episode, but it did nothing to change my general dislike of JLH.

A girl's gotta have her standards.

[Enero]

I've never watched CM live but have enjoyed the show in syndication over the years. However, with the addition of Jennifer Love Hewitt I decided to watch live last night.

I thought that Jennifer did well enough but the episode was so boring. The characters were flat and the crimes too. It didn't help that it was blatantly obvious that the 'body parts' were plastic renditions from the props department.  I was on the fence last season as to whether the show still had some life left, because there were some very good episodes even with most of the season being forgettable. But after last night's episode and the preview for next week's episode (which didn't look interesting at all), I've come to the conclusion that the show has run it's course.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Enero

[JMO]

Only made it to 9:25 last night, so I've just watched it through now.  Like most, I thought it was a good episode-----balanced, with all of the team contributing, each to their strengths.  We even got Reid directing Garcia how to search for something on the internet.  There was a bit less Morgan than usual, but not too little.  There will always be more or less of someone. I can deal with that (except when it's too little Reid!)

 

Random thoughts:

• I liked Kate's personality.  I agree with those who think she injects life into a team that was becoming a bit too jaded and dour.  When you do any kind of work with human suffering for long enough, it's almost impossible not to develop a hardened exterior.  But when someone new comes along, and reminds you of who you used to be......it's a good thing, and offers good dramatic potential for all of the characters.  I loved that she was already teasing Reid in the elevator.
• I thought it was amusing that Kate pointed out the difference between her undercover work resulting in an arrest only once every few months while the team put someone away every week.  Were we really supposed to think that the BAU actually solved a new case each week?!
• They are actually letting Reid grow up.  He has long since acquired some social skills, and we saw him put them to work in the elevator.  He's able to be assertive with the others when he needs to, he's even able to have an ache or pain without it being a federal case (excuse the pun). 
• Regarding the ache/pain.  If it's just a throwaway nod to last year, then so be it.  But I hope it's just a little subtle something (subtlety can never be overrated) that we'll be seeing from time to time, and that maybe we'll see something come of it.
• As to the others' comparing injuries at the end-----if, as someone wrote, it was their way to make Kate feel better about having fallen to the unsub on her first case, I guess the fact of it was okay, if not the subject matter.  Because, since each of the things JJ and Morgan thought to cite were intimately wrapped up in actual personal tragedy, it didn't make any sense to me that they would be flippant about it.  We all have personal tragedies, and we all have friends and co-workers with the same.  Have you ever gotten into a pissing contest about them?  My guess is that JJ's comment was thrown in to remind us of (the awful) '200', so we'll remember, when the PTSD hits her later in the season.
• On the other hand, I would have loved, as suggested by someone else, to see a cut-away shot to Reid, listening in on that conversation, and once again stroking his obviously still-painful scar.  But I think it would have made the scene even more inappropriate if he had actually participated in that conversation.
• Someone thought Kate softened JJ, and I think that may be correct.  JJ does seem to take on a bit of the personality of whomever she's paired with.  I'm hoping that, seeing that Kate has managed to have a soft side (but, please, spare us the baby hippo and kitten photos!) while still putting away the bad guys, maybe JJ won't be so afraid of showing hers again.
• I like that the writers figured out how to be inclusive when part of the team is on a takedown.  Having the field team communicate back with Morgan and Reid brought everyone back into focus.  Last year...last two years, at least.....the focus was solely on the team in the field.  Since that so infrequently included Reid, he often disappeared from our screens late in the episode.  Glad they finally figured out how to do it.  That wasn't so hard, was it?
• The one-armed victim running around for so long was preposterous.  But it wouldn't be CM if they didn't get the medicine wrong.
• Count me among those worried about the young girl in Kate's care.  Hopefully we'll find out she wasn't actually left on her own for two days. 
• Kate's hair, since it's gotten some attention.  I like to think that she and Reid are making room in their go-bags by not carrying combs or brushes. 

 

Overall, a good, promising start to the season.  I'm not quite sure where they're going with the season-long unsub, but it looks interesting so far.

 

 

[Keekski]

Kerr Smith looks OLD. Mostly due to the salt & pepper hair, but the last time I saw him was back in the Dawson's days. It was like seeing Alan Ruck in something recent when you really only ever see him as Cameron. 

 

I've never been a fan of of JLH's, so I'm pretty meh. And yes, her hair is terrible. 

[Puffaroo]

I've never been a fan of of JLH's, so I'm pretty meh. And yes, her hair is terrible. 

 

It was more than terrible, it was distracting. 

 

And speaking of distracting, she needs a more supportive bra.

[Calamity Jane]

The hair, the hair -- I've seen it now on several actresses on the fall shows, and also on Project Runway's make-over models.  I guess it's the current fashion.  If that isn't a stinging indictment of the fashion industry, not sure what is.  It's just messy and distracting and unflattering.

 

On the bright side, I avoided Ghost Whisperer all those years because I just couldn't take Jennifer Love Hewitt, so I was not hopeful that I would enjoy her on this show.  To my surprise, I thought she was great and added a little back of what Prentiss brought and Blake lacked.  Not sure I can even define it -- a lightness,  a realness somehow.  I'm in.  

[chlban]

I guess I am the dissenting view. I couldn't even finish it. Switched over to an ancient "Cold Case" rerun on cable and waited for "Stalker" to start. I just can't with JLH. She is horrid.

I will still catch the reruns from time to time, thanks to Cable, but I am done with this show going forward.  

[Brattinella]

I have missed most, if not all of last season's episodes (maybe farther back than that!).  Can anyone tell me please what happened to Reid's neck?

[normasm]

He was shot in a big shootout, he was trying to get Blake out of the line of fire and ended up getting hit himself. Lots of angst ensued, upshot of which was Blake resigning because she was gobsmacked with emotional reminders of her son, Ethan, who died very young. When Reid was in the hospital, they left him in the care of Garcia, knowing full well that the cops were corrupt and he probably needed proper guarding. A nurse came in and tried to inject an antibiotic he was allergic to into his IV, and he thwarted that, and saw the guy had a gun. He shouted to Garcia, and she dove into his effects bag for his gun and popped a cap in the nurse's ass. Didn't kill him, just put him down till Morgan got there. 

Edited October 2, 2014 by normasm

[Brattinella]

Wow, thanks normasm!

[SSAHotchner]

It was more than terrible, it was distracting. 

 

And speaking of distracting, she needs a more supportive bra.

Sorry, but, as a large woman, I can tell you that there's no such thing as support when your breasts get that big. It (they) did look terrible jiggling all over the place, but I can understand. My now adult kids still tease me about the time I participated in a parents' night when they were in marching band and they made the parents do the exercises the kids did. Apparently my jumping jacks were quite the spectacle. But, hey, at least I participated.

[Brattinella]

SSAHotchner, try Coobie Bras.

 

PM me if you need to.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Brattinella

[zannej]

Interesting points. I hope that Meg Callahan does not become a victim. I'd rather none of the team get personally targeted this season.

 

I will clarify that I didn't think that Reid had absolutely no contribution to the case, but he had very little. In fact, I believe JJ or one of the other team members got a line with info that could have come from him. His brilliance just isn't showing. I wish there had been an explanation as to why he didn't get sent out into the field.

 

The whole splitting up thing was stupid. Hotch would not tell them to do that. If he told them to fan out it would have been in pairs. No way would he have sent JJ off by herself.

 

The human auctioning thing reminds me a bit too much of "P911" and "Supply and Demand".

 

I agree that the abduction method seemed very sloppy.

 

One more thing I disliked was how both Callahan and Rossi were wanting to take down the guy who refused to let them in without a warrant. Some people just don't want to let strangers (even LEOs-- or especially LEOs) into their houses. It was a bit embarrassing the last time we had cops in our house (because the house is a mess), but we had to let them in because there was a death and they had to check it out and confirm it wasn't homicide. Even though I like and respect law enforcement, if they came to my door and wanted to look around my house without a warrant, I would politely decline.

[Shanna]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the hair-do. YUCK.

I actually love those choppy bobs! I liked Jennifer well enough, I think she has a warm presence onscreen.

But not nearly enough spencer!!!!! I think leaving him out of the scar convo was deliberate, because he was rubbing his neck earlier and maybe it will be a thing?

The case was gross, but I was glad the girl actually managed to get away on her own. Kinda

[Puffaroo]

Sorry, but, as a large woman, I can tell you that there's no such thing as support when your breasts get that big.

 

Actually, it can be done -- trust me.  I looked up the Coobie bra someone else suggested, but they stress comfort more than support. 

 

Of course, custom made costs, sometimes quite a bit, but I suspect JLH can afford it.  I also suspect the jiggling is on purpose.  ;)

[zannej]

I think that a busy working woman like Kate probably wouldn't have the time or inclination to go look up the Coobie bra.. And now my brain is going off on a tangent and thinking of the Goobies and now I'm thinking a Goobie bra.... LOL.

 

Another thing I mentioned elsewhere was that I wish they had really cut down on the unsub time. I almost changed the station when they showed the unsub. I hate when they show them early. And we could have done without the cradling of the fake leg. It actually took away from the creepy factor by showing it. They could have shown the shadows or had the leg still wrapped up and maybe just a toe or hint of something poking out. Because it just looked so fake, it detracted from the effect. Less is more.

[Watermelon]

The splitting up thing and the let me put this leg on the front seat of my car RIGHT AFTER the FBI comes to visit me were the two dumbest things I can remember seeing on this show.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Of course, custom made costs, sometimes quite a bit, but I suspect JLH can afford it.  I also suspect the jiggling is on purpose.  ;)

 

Y'know, I had been wondering prior to last night why they call her Jennifer Love Huge Tits, because I've seen her in other things before and she didn't look that buxom. But her girls legit looked like they were about to pop out and introduce themselves. I have to believe that was on purpose.

 

I think that a busy working woman like Kate probably wouldn't have the time or inclination to go look up the Coobie bra.. And now my brain is going off on a tangent and thinking of the Goobies and now I'm thinking a Goobie bra.... LOL.

 

And now I'm the one who's misreading you, zaneej, because I totally read that as "a Gubler-bra." Now I need to do a Google search to find out what the hell a Goobie is. :-P