Spencer Reid: Gorgeous Gray Matter

[normasm]

For reals, droogie? Did he say if it was as the Drunk or a reinactor?

[Droogie]

For realz. He didn't specify. Hopefully he'll recur like a lot of folks -- it's sort of like six degrees from Kevin Bacon -- Paget, John C. Reilly, Zooey DeHoweverYouSpellIt, Aubrey Plaza, Owen Wilson -- they seem to all kind of know each other.

Look at his Twitter. It was in his last couple tweets.

Edited December 10, 2014 by Droogie

[JMO]

 

JMO, I am glad he is getting attention, just sad that Reid can only get attention when he's attached to someone, especially JJ. For instance, they spent a lot of time in Demons showing us how his being hurt affected JJ and Alex. I couldn't care less, and have said it before, whether JJ is his bestie again or not. It's a blatant ploy to get Reid fans to watch a show we have been complaining about.

 

Moving this over to Reid's thread.  I'm curious what people think would be a good storyline for Reid on the show. 

 

It seems there is dissatisfaction with the idea of another romance, or of focusing on his relationships within the team, or with his mother returning, even more so with his father returning.....  The show has already done (and poorly wrapped) a story about a career crisis (True Genius), his relating to unsubs and victims (Elephant's Memory, The Uncanny Valley, Coda among others), and several 'Reid in peril' episodes.

 

What are your ideas?  What would be an acceptable premise for an episode, or even an arc?

[normasm]

It's too late, both in the season, and in the run of the series, but I would like to see Reid meet someone, a research librarian, say, and slowly develop a friendship that turns into a romance. It wouldn't need to all happen onscreen, just subtle moments like they had between him and Maeve, but no damseling, thank you. I would like to see him turning, again slowly, toward a post-BAU career, in teaching, perhaps. But since Spencer would only really do these things slowly, it wouldn't have time to unfold realistically, and i've had quite enough of the rushed and truncated story lines for all the characters, especially Reid.

[Old Dog]

I just want them to write intelligently for his genius - not just having him reel off facts. Maybe let him put forward an off the wall theory but none of the team buy into it and then he gets proven right. Or maybe let him get sought out for a particular project because of his smarts - which would make a lot more sense than JJ being sought out to catch Bin Laden! Maybe to work for another agency in parallel to the BAU. I'm no writer but surely they can come up with more than the drugs or a girlfriend! And what drew me to him was his amazing mind and they need to showcase that.

[spinner33]

I agree with the suggestions to show Reid and his intelligence.  He's been dumbed down for far too long in order to make JJ look smart.  He's been used as comic relief in ways that belittle his social skills, his maturity, his sexuality, and his manliness, etc. etc. etc.  Focus on the fact that Reid is much smarter and much more capable than he's been portrayed since Messer took over the show.

 

The truth is, all of the characters are suffering because Messer is a clueless moron, and the writers haven't got the first clue what to do with any of the characters.  So they're all running in different directions, focusing on romance subplots and cutsie moments instead of the meat of what this show used to be about -- intelligent profiling. 

[Old Dog]

To write an intelligent screenplay about a complex case solved by intelligent profiling and featuring a genius profiler would require intelligent and talented writing............

[normasm]

I will amend my upthread desires with a wish for (as zannej has speculated often) a case wherein Garcia's magical computer was completely kaput. No "genius" from her, because her genius comes from her computer skills. 

 

Spencer would be the go-to for all the technical, historical, medical, psychological and geographical info they needed on the fly. They all would have to solve the case using all their mental skills. You know, behavioral analysis.

[zannej]

Normasm, I wish I could like your post more than once. :-)

 

I would like to see Reid having some friends outside of the BAU. Since I've always liked the medical examiner types since Scully on the X-Files, I could see him hanging out with the folks who do autopsies for the FBI and discussing wound patterns and other stuff. Sure it is macabre, but Reid has a fascination with things like that. I also would like it if they said he was mentoring a newer agent.

 

I had an idea for a storyline that they won't do now since Erica claims Matthew doesn't want to rehash any of the drug stuff. I always wanted to see Michael Ironside again and I thought it would have been cool if he'd made an appearance to bring them a case or if he knew a victim or something. I know they already did a story where someone was killing people in a support group, but I thought it would be interesting if members or former members of the beltway clean cops started turning up either dead or as surviving victims and the only person who recognized the link between all of the victims was Reid-- but because of the anonymity he would have to find a careful way of explaining the link. Maybe that could have opened up a way for Reid to talk to "John" again and consult him about what was going on. I always wanted to see him use the term "movies" again to refer to meetings. So he could have told Hotch that they all went to see the same movie and give Hotch a look and Hotch would get it. It would be interesting to see how the team would investigate when they had to be careful not to expose secrets that could ruin people's careers.

 

For the most part, I would like to see Reid showing his genius (as others have said) and figuring things out. I've also mentioned before that I want to see Reid using philosophy and logic to confuse people. I could see him confusing Morgan or JJ just for fun on the plane, but then using that same skill to confuse a suspect or someone from whom they need info that is not being cooperative. I like it when he distracts people. I can picture him walking out of the room with a smirk and Hotch telling him good job and then Reid saying something to try to confuse Hotch and Hotch saying "don't start that with me" and then smiling when he turns away from Reid. Other than the stupid prank war, we haven't really seen much in the way of Reid's mischievous side for years. Remember how he popped up and startled Ethan? Or how he messed with Morgan in that deleted scene-- I really wish they'd found a way to keep that scene in.

[Racbec]

Nothing new in this article, but it's always nice to see these kinds of stories about him:

 

http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/36324/20141217/matthew-gray-gubler-8-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-criminal-minds-star.htm

 

Another mention:

 

http://www.bustle.com/articles/52136-9-celebrity-instagram-accounts-that-deserve-as-many-likes-as-kim-kardashians-wedding-photo

[Cobalt Stargazer]

 

"He's so lifelike....."

[zannej]

Hmm.. I knew everything except the bit about Daria. When did Matthew ever mention Daria? I loved that show.

[Old Dog]

Wish I was out sledding with MGG!

 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Blue Steel!

 

[zannej]

I have to say that, while I was not really expecting Reid to do much in the last episode, I was surprised to find that I was even more disappointed in the writing because it was worse than Reid just listening to JJ talk. Reid was portrayed as almost a robot with no understanding of human emotions but at the same time he did feel sad for JJ and he was upset that he couldn't help her- but the thing was, he came off as a small child who didn't understand the intricate feelings of grown-ups. He was so clueless and couldn't find words. He also allowed himself to be a doormat and just looked stumped. He talked about textbook and rattled off facts and his facial expression, words, and mannerisms were very much like a child. He let JJ insult him with "Stop being YOU!" (Gee, thanks JJ, that's a real icebreaker and a great way to treat someone who is supposed to be your friend-- especially after she hounded him and wouldn't leave him the fuck alone when he wanted some space and she made it all about HER and insulted his profiling skills). But then she's all "You couldn't possibly understand!"... No, How could Reid, the emotionally stunted half-robot who spouts facts and lets people shit all over him all day long, possibly understand what its like to be held hostage and tortured. No way he knows ANYTHING about how that feels. Nope. No way he has ever experienced PTSD.... *sigh*

 

I wasn't expecting much from this, but it was worse than I expected. There was no empathy. No recognition or understanding from someone who should, by all rights, understand very much at least some of what she's going through. Yes, being clinical is a coping method of his, but he could have drawn on his own experience (in a way that did not at all diminish her own feelings) to say "Yes, I KNOW how it feels." 

 

I know some people were expecting this to be somewhat Reid-centric, but it was all about JJ with Reid just being there to look stupid. Hell, it was doubly insulting that Reid couldn't focus on the job. His worry about JJ was so debilitating that it affected his ability to do the job, meanwhile JJ was solving the case all by herself and saved the day (albeit in a stupidly dangerous way). 

 

Last episode almost made me give up on this show-- and it has made me completely give up hope of anything actually decent for Reid for the rest of the season. If Reid is being written as an emotionally crippled idiot who can't empathize with someone who went through a similar traumatic experience... I really don't know what else there is for him other than to be relegated as fact-spouting robot.

 

I suspect that the Nelson's Sparrow episode will have Reid so full of angst that he won't be able to focus on the job either.. Because, you know, Reid is so emotionally weak that he can't handle things like SuperJJ....

[Cobalt Stargazer]

So basically I should just delete this one from the DVR without watching it? It sounds like I should if I want to spare my blood pressure.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Old Dog]

He looks spectacular in it Cobalt! I love this season's look on him. But that was about it for last night's episode.

[zannej]

Cobalt, there was one brief redeeming scene where Reid pwned the other people for accusing him of not being a genius and Hotch gave him a fistbump. That was the ONLY good thing for Reid in the entire episode. The rest was downhill from there. The sad thing is, the case had potential, but the writers are so far up JJ's ass at this point, that we can't get the kind of dedication to fleshing out a good story because they are so busy showing JJ being awesome and trying to manipulate us into caring.

[Droogie]

I really didn't like Morgan on the plane. I thought Kate's teasing was all in good fun ( and it seemed Reid did too) but Morgan knows Reid's genius -- he has seen it, and trusted it, countless times. What was with that?

I thought Reid reacted appropriately to JJ's tirade. He was letting her vent. It seemed like that was his intent. But it wouldn't have killed them to have him soften, and say, "I know what it's like to feel powerless. You're not alone". It wouldn't have taken extra time and wouldn't have detracted from The Focus on JJ.

Definitely agree someone else should've been handy to watch the kiddos and Reid should've accompanied JJ to the freezer, and he should've been the one with the statistic about the spark/temperature. She still could've been driving and had her flashback and said no to Hotch -- would've been great to have Reid as a passenger trying to talk sense into her. She still could've had the kill shot. It still could've been Totally About Her.

Has anyone seen the Nelson's Sparrow promo shots? Allllll JJ. I thought that ep (and the next) were supposed to be Reid's "big emotional arc."

[JMO]

 

Definitely agree someone else should've been handy to watch the kiddos and Reid should've accompanied JJ to the freezer, and he should've been the one with the statistic about the spark/temperature. She still could've been driving and had her flashback and said no to Hotch -- would've been great to have Reid as a passenger trying to talk sense into her. She still could've had the kill shot. It still could've been Totally About Her.

 

Great points.  I really do wish they'd gone that way.  It would have cost nothing in terms of screen time and would have had greater dramatic impact. (Of course, if I was a Morgan fan, I would be saying that I was just happy to see him for a little bit!)

[zannej]

I actually missed Morgan in this one. And Rossi and Hotch. I felt they should have been used more.

 

If they really had to have JJ shooting the guy in the end they could have had Reid go with JJ and instead of JJ asking the temperature (like, really, the guy is actually going to answer that? fssss) Reid could have estimated the temperature and then said it was too cold to ignite and JJ could have shot. OR, Reid could have estimated the temperature, JJ could have shot and Reid could have been like "ARE YOU CRAZY?" And then Hotch could have chewed her out.

 

If JJ insisted on disobeying Hotch, Reid could have been following her and saying "JJ! Listen! We should wait!" or SOMETHING. Maybe they could have heard the guy scream for help and THAT could have put a fire under their asses to make them go help. And I'm not saying this because I felt Reid should have been the one there with JJ-- I'm saying this because SOMEONE else should have been there with JJ, but Reid was the one who had gone with her.

 

As for Reid's supposed arc in Nelson's Sparrow, I won't be surprised if Reid is so upset over his unfamiliar human emotions that he can't concentrate on the job and is off brooding or thinking somewhere and does not play a large role. 

[Droogie]

*begins beating dead horse*

I just read on another forum that Erica Messer "hates" the character of Reid and that "he would never have screen time again."

Is it true that she said those things? Does anyone know where I might hear/read them?

[missmycat]

*begins beating dead horse*

I just read on another forum that Erica Messer "hates" the character of Reid and that "he would never have screen time again."

Is it true that she said those things? Does anyone know where I might hear/read them?

I don't think it's so much that she hates him. But he is probably her least favorite character. I don't think she finds him interesting at all. I think part of the reason is his character is too complex for her to be able to understand.There aren't any of those writers who really know how to write for Reid the way the earlier ones did.

I seriously doubt she can deny Reid screen time altogether. Although she has done a pretty good job of marginalizing both his screen time and his focus.Except of course when he is needed to try and entice more people to watch yet again another over the top ridiculous JJ centric episode.

Edited January 17, 2015 by missmycat

[zannej]

To my knowledge, Erica has never publicly admitted to disliking the character of Reid, but she certainly hasn't shown a fondness for him. Maybe you can take it as profiling, but if you pay attention to her word choice when she speaks about the other characters vs when she speaks about Reid, it can speak volumes about her attitude.

 

For example, she referred to Morgan as "our Morgan". I think she said the same about JJ, but I'd have to find the quote. When she talked about Reid, she mentioned Matthew and said "his Reid". There was a level of detachment. In season 6 when she thought the show was "going to lose Matthew" she and the other writers came up with a story to kill him off (that was what the headaches were). It was supposed to be his "swan song", but something changed.

It seems that Erica is fond of Matthew and vice versa. At one of the cast/crew parties, Matthew kissed her on the temple. I think they said Matthew tries to join Erica, AJ, and other women for "girl's night out".

 

Ultimately I think the issue is that the writers don't relate to Reid and can't properly think of how to do his dialog and its harder for them to do stories for a character they can't connect with or get into the mind of that character. I do think also because Matthew comes off as a bit of a Peter Pan in some ways, they confuse Matthew with Reid.

 

Now, on a different level, I was thinking about how Reid used to use computers and google things but now he doesn't like technology. It would be interesting if they explained why he started to hate it and I had a thought: What if the fact that the internet was used to monitor victims and to broadcast his torture made him start to dislike computers and internet? What if it even started somewhat with the Fisher King where the internet was used to get info on the team and nearly cost Elle her life and then progressed to what happened in "Revelations". I could actually see Reid growing to dislike computers/technology because he associated it with the PTSD and bad memories. And for the germs, he did nearly die from Anthrax so perhaps it made him more paranoid about them and its a phobia he developed.

[Droogie]

I wonder why she thought they might "lost Matthew." I did read somewhere that he played the headache angle way better than they expected.

Zannej, please watch the classifieds in the area they shoot CM. You seriously need to write for them. For Reid, at least.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Droogie

[missmycat]

To my knowledge, Erica has never publicly admitted to disliking the character of Reid, but she certainly hasn't shown a fondness for him. Maybe you can take it as profiling, but if you pay attention to her word choice when she speaks about the other characters vs when she speaks about Reid, it can speak volumes about her attitude.

 

For example, she referred to Morgan as "our Morgan". I think she said the same about JJ, but I'd have to find the quote. When she talked about Reid, she mentioned Matthew and said "his Reid". There was a level of detachment. In season 6 when she thought the show was "going to lose Matthew" she and the other writers came up with a story to kill him off (that was what the headaches were). It was supposed to be his "swan song", but something changed.

It seems that Erica is fond of Matthew and vice versa. At one of the cast/crew parties, Matthew kissed her on the temple. I think they said Matthew tries to join Erica, AJ, and other women for "girl's night out".

 

Ultimately I think the issue is that the writers don't relate to Reid and can't properly think of how to do his dialog and its harder for them to do stories for a character they can't connect with or get into the mind of that character. I do think also because Matthew comes off as a bit of a Peter Pan in some ways, they confuse Matthew with Reid.

 

Now, on a different level, I was thinking about how Reid used to use computers and google things but now he doesn't like technology. It would be interesting if they explained why he started to hate it and I had a thought: What if the fact that the internet was used to monitor victims and to broadcast his torture made him start to dislike computers and internet? What if it even started somewhat with the Fisher King where the internet was used to get info on the team and nearly cost Elle her life and then progressed to what happened in "Revelations". I could actually see Reid growing to dislike computers/technology because he associated it with the PTSD and bad memories. And for the germs, he did nearly die from Anthrax so perhaps it made him more paranoid about them and its a phobia he developed.

It still angers me that they even considered killing him off. I am certain had they done it that it would've been the kiss of death for this show. If the CBS executives were actually going to allow the show to kill him off they are bigger idiots than I had originally thought.

 

Oh and regards to JJ, Messer made references to the character onetime as "our sweet JJ" *excuse me while I go barf*

[Droogie]

It still angers me that they even considered killing him off. I am certain had they done it that it would've been the kiss of death for this show. If the CBS executives were actually going to allow the show to kill him off they are bigger idiots than I had originally thought

They really must not realize how integral Reid is to the show.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Droogie

[MCatry]

I do remember there was an interview in which Messer actually stated Morgan was her favourite character (back in season six) and that Reid was her least liked character. I don't have the original source because my previous pc died, but I am sure I read it.

Regarding the headaches, Corazon was the episode 12 of that season. Messer have been promoted to executive producer, and there were several changes going on in CM, including the firing of the female cast and the inclusion of the new girl, Agent Seaver. Since the episode 12 is more or less in the middle of the season, and it was aired around mid January, it means it must have been filmed at least three weeks before airing. It also implies that the script must be ready, and the filming locations already must have been picked. Therefore, add at least two more weeks. In addition, the script must have been included in the timeline writers draw to guide them through the season. That normally occurs at least two months before the beginning of the season. Hence, somewhere between June 2010 and October-November 2010 they already speculated with the possibility of not counting with Gubler for the next season. They did say th headaches storyline was indeed his swan song. Now, so early in the season they already were worried Gubler wouldn't be hired for some more seasons? When negotiations had the entire season and well up to July or even August 2011 to be worked out? If Corazon would have been episodes 18 or further, maybe I would believe that argument, but given the fact that by the middle of the sixth season they were already leaving Reid at the police stations by the middle of the episodes to never see him again. I think they were testing the waters.

If there was a serious riot because they were firing Paget (and Cook was miraculously included in that boat because she was fired in the same season) I think they realised they wouldn't be able to drop another member of the cast without serious consequences for the show. The exit of Cook didn't stir the ratings, but Brewster exit did. Imagine if at that point they would say Reid is also out of CM. Now, he is not even a secondary character, and some new viewers don't event know he is an agent with over twelve years of experience in the BAU. I wonder if that reduction of relative importance for some characters within the show is an strategy to make some characters easy to drop in the future.

Still, I think that Gibson, Gubler and Mantegna, and even Moore could do better somewhere else.

Edited January 17, 2015 by MCatry

[Cobalt Stargazer]

*begins beating dead horse*

I just read on another forum that Erica Messer "hates" the character of Reid and that "he would never have screen time again."

Is it true that she said those things? Does anyone know where I might hear/read them?

 

I don't think Erica hates Reid, and I think that even if she did, she wouldn't come right out and say it. If nothing else, the Reid fans in the Twitterverse would make it explode with the volume of their outrage, and I'm pretty sure EM pays a lot of attention to the people there.

 

What I do think is, he's too complex for her, and I don't mean to imply that she's dumb, despite the often overwhelming temptation. But he's got shadings and subtleties to him that she doesn't get, in a way that the current version of JJ doesn't. For whatever reason, she seems to relate to JJ, despite (as far as I'm aware) not being an International Ass Kicker. And there no longer seems to be anyone on the writing staff in general who can do justice to Spencer's true character.

[zannej]

McCatry, I will have to say that one of my suspicions is that something was going on prior to season 6 when the writers met to talk. MGG said he stopped watching the show after season 5. During season 5 he was on narcotic painkillers and his screentime was reduced. Many fans thought it was because of his injury, but on Twitter he said that his injury had very little to do with his reduced screentime. I have to wonder if maybe he wasn't happy with the writing and what they were doing with his character, but he's far too diplomatic to ever say that publicly. He might not even have wanted to ruffle feathers with the writers, but I suspect he wasn't really happy and that this was known to at least Erica and Janine. Matthew had been saying he wanted Reid to get a girlfriend and said they planned to do it but then they nixxed it because AJ and Paget got axed. I do wonder if he was planning to leave and do other stuff or if for some reason someone on the show wanted him out because they didn't know what to do with Reid anymore. Or maybe it was mutual. I'm not really sure and this is all just speculation on my part. But I think that whatever happened changed because they realized losing three characters in one season would be too much.

 

I admit that I suspect that maybe Matthew was the one who wanted to leave, and this is based on a weird moment where Janine, Erica, and Matthew did a brief video where they talked to the fans and Janine said something about how Matthew needed to stay with them. There was something awkward in that moment-- it was like she and Erica were trying to convince Matthew to stay and there was a look on his face.. And then he said he would stay until the show ended. Of course, maybe there was something else going on. I'm not sure. But I think that they wanted him to stay but at the same time don't know how to write for him. Even if the writers are geniuses, Reid is at a supergenius level that even regular geniuses might have trouble writing.

 

I think there are also differences of opinions from the various writers about his personality and maturity level. That lack of consistency can make things confusing.

[MCatry]

[quote name="zannej" post="734976" timestamp="

I admit that I suspect that maybe Matthew was the one who wanted to leave, and this is based on a weird moment where Janine, Erica, and Matthew did a brief video where they talked to the fans and Janine said something about how Matthew needed to stay with them. There was something awkward in that moment-- it was like she and Erica were trying to convince Matthew to stay and there was a look on his face.. And then he said he would stay until the show ended. Of course, maybe there was something else going on. I'm not sure. But I think that they wanted him to stay but at the same time don't know how to write for him. Even if the writers are geniuses, Reid is at a supergenius level that even regular geniuses might have trouble.

I think the one reason they wanted to stay was because of his fanbase. I don't know if the video you mention here was before or after the Cook-Brewster situation, but Reid was nevertheless the character that surprised even CM creators by becoming the fan favourite he was, and still is, and both Messer and Barrois are aware of that. They even use the character to promote episodes they perceive may not be that well-received. Otherwise, why changing Hotch by Reid for the last episode, when Hotch was indeed the more logical choice? Because when they hinted Reid won't have a thing to say about PTSD and there was a fan roar. Still, and judging by what many posters here and in other forums said about the episode, he didn't have a thing to say about his own PTSD anyway. He has been used as decorations along the season, as well as other members of the cast, so I don't think the writers nor the show runner just happen to have difficulties writing for the character. Nowadays they are siding out not just Reid, and that is a creative decision, made totally on purpose.

[normasm]

Does anyone know if they filmed the Hotch/JJ angle for Forever People first, then caught a whiff of ReidFan Backlash and refilled it with Reid/JJ?

[zannej]

Hmm.. No idea. Maybe the reason they didn't have Hotch talk to JJ is because they wouldn't have had an excuse for Hotch to let JJ's behavior slide and they couldn't have Hotch all emotional and too worried about JJ to be able to focus on the job. I think Reid was a tool to show us "Ohh look, something is so wrong with JJ that people should be worried" but meanwhile JJ is still able to solve the case on her own.. 

I think the producers do recognize Reid's popularity, but they don't want to work at putting him (and Hotch) more in the spotlight. Because I think it actually takes more work to come up with intelligent stories and dialog for those two. It's much easier for them to write action scenes than to come up with complex psychological analysis and dialog.

 

Meanwhile, Matthew is off in Utah doing some kind of modeling work

 

Fans that got close to him showed his hair looked wet or gelled or something. It was at some ski resort.

Edited January 19, 2015 by zannej

[JMO]

So he does own a comb!  There has to be a happy medium between the hairstyles, no?

 

 

Does anyone know if they filmed the Hotch/JJ angle for Forever People first, then caught a whiff of ReidFan Backlash and refilled it with Reid/JJ?

You definitely do have to wonder, since the stated change in focus came relatively close to the airing of the episode.  If so, I hope we get to see them some day.  Hotch has been equally as underused as Reid.  The dynamic would have been very different, had he been JJ's confidant. 

[zannej]

I find it interesting that when Reid was suffering, they pretty much cured him with a pep talk from Morgan (until fans said that wasn't good enough so they tried to find another BS excuse for why they dropped his story).

But they didn't want anyone to be able to give JJ a pep talk because I think they want to drag it out as an arc for her. *sigh*

 

Meanwhile, she will probably be out taking down unsubs while Reid is back at the station

[Droogie]

Hmm.. No idea. Maybe the reason they didn't have Hotch talk to JJ is because they wouldn't have had an excuse for Hotch to let JJ's behavior slide and they couldn't have Hotch all emotional and too worried about JJ to be able to focus on the job. I think Reid was a tool to show us "Ohh look, something is so wrong with JJ that people should be worried" but meanwhile JJ is still able to solve the case on her own..

I think the producers do recognize Reid's popularity, but they don't want to work at putting him (and Hotch) more in the spotlight. Because I think it actually takes more work to come up with intelligent stories and dialog for those two. It's much easier for them to write action scenes than to come up with complex psychological analysis and dialog.

Meanwhile, Matthew is off in Utah doing some kind of modeling work

Fans that got close to him showed his hair looked wet or gelled or something. It was at some ski resort.

Did you read that somewhere, about the fans? It definitely looks gelled to me.

I really like his hair when it's long and wild. I heard an interview once where he said he envisioned Reid to be a little unkempt; an esoteric, "Oscar Wilde" looking character.

While I do like long hair on him, this look is kind of doing it for me as well. It could be past his shoulders (did anyone see stills from Magic Valley?) or uptight like Life After Beth and he still looks great.

Edited January 19, 2015 by Droogie

[zannej]

I'm too lazy to go dig the pics up, but some fans posted pictures of him and when I first saw it, I thought his hair looked wet. It probably is gelled though. I was told fans spotted him at the airport recently.. So if he's not back already, he's on his way.

[Droogie]

That was one singularly beautiful tear.

Can I get an amen?

[ForeverAlone]

Nobody, and I mean, NOBODY, can cry better than Matthew. He makes Reid's anguish so palpable, so real, that you just want to reach out and do whatever you can to make him feel better. Or at least Reid fans feel that way. :) :) :)

[JMO]

 

That was one singularly beautiful tear.

Can I get an amen?

 

Amen!  But I loved what followed it even more.

[Droogie]

I see a lot of questions about how Reid carries his gun. Google " appendix carry." It's pretty interesting.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Droogie

[zannej]

So, someone mentioned in the Nelson's Sparrow thread that CBS tweeted some BS that Reid drove a prius in the episode "In Name and Blood" but that he's driving a Volvo Amazon 122S in Nelson's Sparrow.. WTF.. Reid drove the Volvo in both episodes. Idiots. His father was the one who had the prius (shown in records on Garcia's computer in "Memoriam".

And courtesy of Tumblr:

Edited January 30, 2015 by zannej

[Old Dog]

So, someone mentioned in the Nelson's Sparrow thread that CBS tweeted some BS that Reid drove a prius in the episode "In Name and Blood" but that he's driving a Volvo Amazon 122S in Nelson's Sparrow.. WTF.. Reid drove the Volvo in both episodes. Idiots. His father was the one who had the prius (shown in records on Garcia's computer in "Memoriam".

That's not quite what CBS said. They said he drove the Amazon in both episodes but normally drives a prius.

Here is the link again.

http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/photos/1003321/5-cbs-sync-facts-from-nelson-s-sparrow-criminal-minds-s10-e13/73213/inside-criminal-minds/

[zannej]

Thanks, Old Dog. I could have sworn when I first read it that it said he was driving the Prius in "In Name and Blood" and that they changed it.

But its still wrong because Reid said he doesn't drive a hybrid and I remember that it was his father who had the 2005 Prius in "Memoriam".

He doesn't have the same license plate now. It actually looks like it might be a slightly different car. From the lighting of the second pic, you can't see the chrome detail in the center as well-- it looks like the detail from a Volvo from a different year-- but the grille is still the same. It could just be the lighting though. It's also possible that something happened to his old one and it had to be replaced.

 

In the Nelson's Sparrow thread there was discussion on why Reid would keep such a clunker around: The Volvo Amazon is a rather sturdy car and was used by the police in the UK and Europe. Insurance costs for it are relatively low and parts are not hard to find-- and are easy to replace. Reid probably knows a mechanic that can work on his car and he would likely have the manual and parts list so he could get the parts ordered. There are clubs for Volvo owners (particularly Amazons) so there is a network for getting parts and such.

Edited January 30, 2015 by zannej

[Old Dog]

I must admit I thought the Amazon was wrong because it was surely a blue one in In Name and Blood. However, Reid did have that recent conversation with JJ about turning a Prius - not sure which episode it was because so few in recent seasons are worth a second watch.

[zannej]

I must admit I thought the Amazon was wrong because it was surely a blue one in In Name and Blood. However, Reid did have that recent conversation with JJ about turning a Prius - not sure which episode it was because so few in recent seasons are worth a second watch.

In a very long post about the car, I speculated on whether the car was horizon blue or pearl white. http://szejo.tumblr.com/post/1351388702/faq-does-reid-drive-does-he-have-a-car-if-so

I was leaning toward blue because it looked blue to me. It looked like a '65 model. The one in this episode looks more like a '66 because it is missing the bit of chrome at the center of the hood-- but the 66 used the same grille. Also, in some of the gifs, the seats/upholstery had sort of a reddish tint. The 65 and 66 models had specific color combinations. The horizon blue models had black "leatherette" while the pearl white had red. So, it looks like the current one is the pearl white. License plate # is completely different and I can't tell what state the plate is supposed to be. It doesn't really look like a legit license plate to me. 

 

I don't think they were able to find the same vehicle to re-use in the episode and they didn't bother to look up the previous license plate. Either that or they just decided that Reid had to replace his car and got a very similar one. On the color, I think its possible that the blue tint was the result of filters used on the older cameras to indicate night. With the newer RED HD cameras, they can probably get better picture without those filters. Another thought is that if Reid didn't replace the car, he might have moved to Virginia to be closer to work and then he would have needed a new plate-- but I don't know. I think it was a matter of them not being as detail oriented as I am.

 

Reid and JJ did discuss hybrids and the Prius, but Reid said he did NOT own one. Plus, it was Reid's dad who had the 2005 Toyota hybrid Prius. http://criminalminds.wikia.com/wiki/William_Reid

Edited January 30, 2015 by zannej

[Danielg342]

How hard is it to write for Reid, really? Sure, I get he's smarter than anyone possibly could be in the world, but so too was Data and the Star Trek crew had no problems writing for him. How hard is it to remember “Technobabble=Reid”? Plus, Reid has emotions and desires and quirks that can be expanded upon- just like everyone else.

The only reason for the writing difficulties- giving the writers the benefit of the doubt- is that Reid is a character who is subtle and these writers don't do subtle. They like their characters to be simple (like how JJ is an “Action Mom” and Garcia is the “computer whiz”), and there's no way Reid can be simple. Of course, I also think these writers are incredibly lazy and create the difficulties themselves by not putting in any effort, but that's another discussion entirely.

[normasm]

How hard is it to write for Reid, really? Sure, I get he's smarter than anyone possibly could be in the world, but so too was Data and the Star Trek crew had no problems writing for him. How hard is it to remember “Technobabble=Reid”? Plus, Reid has emotions and desires and quirks that can be expanded upon- just like everyone else.

The only reason for the writing difficulties- giving the writers the benefit of the doubt- is that Reid is a character who is subtle and these writers don't do subtle. They like their characters to be simple (like how JJ is an “Action Mom” and Garcia is the “computer whiz”), and there's no way Reid can be simple. Of course, I also think these writers are incredibly lazy and create the difficulties themselves by not putting in any effort, but that's another discussion entirely.

Oh, you just hit the nail on the head, babe. Which makes it all the more wonderful that they found a way (or a writer who could make a way, i'm looking at you, Vangsness) to let Reid be subtle at least 4 times in Nelson's Sparrow. 

 

Not only that, but, remember when McCatry and i were quibbling over how many lines Reid had per episode a few months back, because lines equaled screen time equaled focus? Well, as has been pointed out by JMO and others, in this episode, which can be called at least partly Reid-centric, he did a large part of his acting while being completely silent (except for a few sniffles and a stifled sob). Damn! They just haven't been writing Reid up to this actor's ability!

[Droogie]

So true, normasm. When he mopped his tear with that crumpled tissue, and his hands were shaking... Good grief.

[normasm]

I know, Droogie, the soggy tissue was the thing, wasn't it?