Spencer Reid: Gorgeous Gray Matter

[MMC]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

Franky, thanks for bringing this up. Note that I mentioned Matthew's somewhat immature antics may amuse me, but they also bemuse me, meaning they often bewilder me. This is a man getting close to forty and his Peter Pan act can wear a little thin at times. For the most part, Matthew utterly charms me with his vast talent as an actor, director and visual artist, and this why I continue to be fan. But then there are times when I want to shake him and say, "Matthew, make yourself more not less."

For the most part, I don't know how much of his "I'm five years old" act is truly him or just some weird facade he puts on. Sometimes I detect a bit of insecurity in him, which might influence some of his choices. But when I see him emoting as the Spencer I adore, the wise, brave and noble Spencer, and I know he is a man of depth, insight and graciousness, and I hope Matthew embraces this aspect of him as he gets older.

And embracing these qualities doesn't mean he has to give up wearing mismatched socks. loving Halloween or combing his hair with an egg beater.

So have I, particularly when it comes to those stunning good looks of his. Look at the way he totally downplays the fact that the modeling world chose him and not the other way around. I'd be lying if I did not admit that there were times I wish he had taken a little more pride in his appearance. But than again I also accept the fact that it's just Matthew being Matthew. He is never going to be Shemar Moore when it comes to flaunting his looks. Nor would I want him to be. 

[Bookish Jen]

On 8/3/2016 at 4:50 PM, MMC said:

So have I, particularly when it comes to those stunning good looks of his. Look at the way he totally downplays the fact that the modeling world chose him and not the other way around. I'd be lying if I did not admit that there were times I wish he had taken a little more pride in his appearance. But than again I also accept the fact that it's just Matthew being Matthew. He is never going to be Shemar Moore when it comes to flaunting his looks. Nor would I want him to be. 

I think I've mentioned before I much prefer how Spencer dresses over how Matthew dresses. For one things, Spencer's style is more suitable to my vintage-honed "slutty librarian" look. Matthew's look is a little too "trust fund hipster," which I see way too much in my neighborhood.

But at least we don't see him smoking vape cigarettes. Shudder.

And like you, Matthew does seem to be very insecure when it comes to his looks, but why?

Edited August 6, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[normasm]

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

And like you, Matthew does seem to be very insecure when it comes to his looks, but why?

Because it didn't happen until after the tortures of puberty. I can identify, although I was never a stunning beauty, as he is.

[ReidFan]

this might be a partial answer.....he tweeted this afternoon, and usually his tweets are hilarious or out there. Today's kinda scared me: "shout out to my occasional morbid depression"

 

not sure what triggered that, but his life hasn't been all sunshine and roses although he does tend to be really positive about things usually. Whatever set this off in him today, I hope it passes quickly. I like  love my goofy, positive Matthew. 

[Droogie]

I was surprised by that as well.  For whatever reason, he doesn't seem to be the sort, these days, who puts his deep dark thoughts out there, so perhaps he was joking about something that only he understands.

Regardless, he's such a seemingly lovely soul that I hope whatever it is, is fleeting and he feels better soon.

[autumnmountains]

2 hours ago, Droogie said:

I was surprised by that as well.  For whatever reason, he doesn't seem to be the sort, these days, who puts his deep dark thoughts out there, so perhaps he was joking about something that only he understands.

Regardless, he's such a seemingly lovely soul that I hope whatever it is, is fleeting and he feels better soon.

Same here. Same here.

[Willowy]

I noticed that as well, and it worried me too. He hasn't been one to tweet personal feelings like that since his MySpace days. If it ever gets (or IS) serious, I hope he knows how supportive his fan base is. I don't want to speak for everyone, but I'm fairly confident that we'd all queue up to raise him up if he ever needs it. 

[Droogie]

19 hours ago, Franky said:

I noticed that as well, and it worried me too. He hasn't been one to tweet personal feelings like that since his MySpace days. If it ever gets (or IS) serious, I hope he knows how supportive his fan base is. I don't want to speak for everyone, but I'm fairly confident that we'd all queue up to raise him up if he ever needs it. 

Whatever it is, it's something.  Because it's just too pointed and startling to be nothing.  I think the subsequent Pokemon tweet was to take some of the oomph out of it, though -- although he didn't delete it, which I'd think he might do if he somehow thought better of tweeting it in the first place.

i wonder if it's a sort-of passive-aggressive message to someone -- a lady friend, perhaps, who somehow ended things.  Could be he is letting her know she hurt him.  Speculation on Instagram is that he has had a gf for a little while, and some folks apparently ID'd her.  I wouldn't normally expound on his love life or lack thereof on here except that he has provided the fodder for discussion with that tweet.

Regardless, once again, I hope he is ok.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Droogie
Seriously not my business.

[Bookish Jen]

If Matthew's depression remark is some weird passive aggressive swipe at a certain someone, well, like I mentioned before, "Matthew, make yourself more not less." I can understand wanting to make such a remark considering I've dealt with a lot of heartbreak, both professionally and personally, this year. But in the wise of words of FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, "When they go low; we go high."

That being said, Matthew's comment does have me worried. Perhaps he is just having a minor melancholic moment. This wouldn't being surprising in the wake of young Anton Yelchin's tragic death. Or perhaps he got some bad news regarding a friend or family member. Who knows?

But then again, maybe it is a cry for help. Yes, for the most part, Matthew seems like a cheerful, affable person who seems to live a very charmed life. But pain can be a "story behind the story." Remember, Matthew is a very creative type, and creative types are often quite sensitive and can be deeply hurt by life. They just seem to "feel" more, which can often lead to battles with depression. I've battled depression myself since I was a child, and it is no picnic.

No matter what, I hope Matthew knows he has people who love and support him. I hope he reaches out to his family and friends he can truly trust. It seems like his CM family adore him and I hope they offer him a lot of support too.

Plus, there are his fans like you lovely bunch. I know you've got Matthew's back from personal experience. I can't even begin to thank all of you enough for your kindness, empathy and support during this tough year and my issues with depression. So much love and peace to all of you.

Anyway, if you know of someone with depression here are some guidelines on how to help, not harm.

[normasm]

Booky, it's really good to remind folks how to support someone in a depression, and how not to. I hope matthew is not seriously depressed, but if he is, I hope his friends pick from your Column A. I especially like #3, asking instead of assuming you want a hug!

(do you want a hug?)

[Bookish Jen]

5 minutes ago, normasm said:

Booky, it's really good to remind folks how to support someone in a depression, and how not to. I hope matthew is not seriously depressed, but if he is, I hope his friends pick from your Column A. I especially like #3, asking instead of assuming you want a hug!

(do you want a hug?)

Aww, I do want a hug!

[ReidFan]

*hugs*

 

[Bookish Jen]

1 minute ago, ReidFan said:

*hugs*

 

So cute. And Matthew/Spencer would actually have to lower himself to hug me considering I'm so little and not much bigger than this kid. Snerk. 

Anyway, I thought I would share this to give us a positive boost!
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/the-200-happiest-words-in-literature/490916/

[normasm]

In giving a hug, I know i'm getting one, so, yes, self-serving am I!

[Willowy]

This used to be widely available, but now I can only find it on this weird Japanese youtube. Pay no attention to the subtitles, and it takes a while to get through the anime intro.

For those who haven't seen it, Matthew tells a ghost story about a building he used to live in. He's beautiful, a great storyteller, and it becomes very touching at the end. Anyway, enjoy.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzc1NDczNjM2.html

[Willowy]

Oh, and then this popped up and sorry but I love it. Matthew directing Mosley Lane: 

[ReidFan]

Must pipe up with this> I just re watched Mosley Lane again and again this weekend.....haven't seen it in about a year and only today realised this was Matthew's *first* CM directing gig.

Isn't he beyond effin' awesome?

I remember he had a hand in the casting....both the unsubs were people he's worked with before outside CM and they were creepily perfect as those two. Just ugh! Ah! Ick!! 

He likes working with kids and it shows. They were great, especially the one who played the littlest girl. And Ann Cusack as the mother of Charlie who wouldn't give up that he was still alive. John Cusack isn't the only one in that family with serious acting chops.

He frames things so interestingly too. I could go on and on....I especially shuddered at the 'how close' when the camera panned from Old Dude and Morgan upstairs down to the basement where Old Bitch was threatening the kids to be quiet. And there was a shot of the house from outside, and Old Dude was framed in the window, overlooking the cops searching the grounds....you could just see the wheels turning in his mind, followed up with a very similar framing of his death scene. 

okay, I'll shut up now...but this one is just a 'See how it's done' show in the making. Guy is seriously talented as a director.

[normasm]

2 hours ago, ReidFan said:

He frames things so interestingly too. ... there was a shot of the house from outside, and Old Dude was framed in the window, overlooking the cops searching the grounds....you could just see the wheels turning in his mind, followed up with a very similar framing of his death scene. 

Look at that scene again. Just before the jump cut to the next scene, you see a flash of black over the shot of Bud Cort, like the blink of an eye. It's always fascinated me as a deliberate shoutout to horror genre. Oh, and Matthew fought to have that hanging scene linger that long, Cort just a'swingin'.....

[ReidFan]

yeah, it's just eerily awfully ickily good

[Cobalt Stargazer]

8 hours ago, normasm said:

Look at that scene again. Just before the jump cut to the next scene, you see a flash of black over the shot of Bud Cort, like the blink of an eye. It's always fascinated me as a deliberate shoutout to horror genre. Oh, and Matthew fought to have that hanging scene linger that long, Cort just a'swingin'.....

"I suppose you think that's very funny, Harold."

[Bookish Jen]

5 hours ago, ReidFan said:

yeah, it's just eerily awfully ickily good

Yes, the scene lingered for exactly enough time to shock us but not gross us out.

Since Mosley Lane, I think Matthew has gone from strength to strength directing wise, and I hope he gets to direct a feature film sooner rather than later. He has a very distinct eye (probably has a lot to do with being an artist), but doesn't let the visual get in way of telling a good story.

[Willowy]

Poor Spencer has lost another protector. Still, cream rises and Matthew has shown us he can rise to nearly any occasion. I hope they give him some genuinely meaty stuff to do, with Hotch no longer there (wow it hurt to type that last part).

[normasm]

Agreed. I don't see a really good way through this, but I hope they find a way to let Reid shine. He has deserved it for years, although, unit chief material, he is not. IMO.

[Droogie]

7 minutes ago, normasm said:

Agreed. I don't see a really good way through this, but I hope they find a way to let Reid shine. He has deserved it for years, although, unit chief material, he is not. IMO.

Not gonna lie, I think it would be nice if he were offered the opportunity and had a chance to turn it down.  I think he could be a great leader -- albeit different from what we are used to --  but he would need at least a season to flesh it out, and frankly I don't think we have that kinda time -- nor do I think the writers would be willing to invest in it.

As it stands though, I think our Spencer would reject out of hand any offer to become the leader of the BAU.

[JMO]

I don't expect it to happen on the show, but I do think Reid has some definite leadership qualities.  They haven't been nurtured, because he's been written so inconsistently in terms of his maturity.  But I like to think that there's been a lot of mentoring going on in all of that time he's spent 'back at the station' with Hotch. Even without it being permanent, I'd love to see him have to step up and run a case at some point this season.  

[ReidFan]

oh yeah, there's no way Reid would want/take that job. He saw what it did to Gideon (yeah, I know he wasn't actually the chief, he just acted like he was), and presumably Hotch. He saw what the profiler job did to Blake and nearly her marriage. Although they haven't gone there with him yet, I'm pretty sure Reid wants more in life than to 'just' be an FBI profiler and being unit chief would just consume him. He said himself 'I'm a blinker'... IOW, he's not an alpha male. And that job definitely needs an alpha male.

[Willowy]

It might be fun to see him try, like if he has to fill in for Morgan or Prentiss or whatever new person they get to be Unit Chief. 

I think it could be a real opportunity to showcase the things he actually has a real aptitude for. Like meticulous Unsub and geographic profiling, piecing the puzzle of a case together by coming at it from different angles, empathizing with both victim and sometimes the killer, deciphering minutiae...

What our Reid typically isn't good at is split-second timing, intimidating others, and ordering his fellow agents around. In showcasing him being not-so-great at being Unit Chief, it could actually highlight his gifts. I think some viewers need to periodically be reminded of how excellent he really is. As long as it was well-written. I would never want to encourage a plot that would make Reid look like a joke. He's too important.

[ReidFan]

4 minutes ago, Franky said:

As long as it was well-written. I would never want to encourage a plot that would make Reid look like a joke. He's too important.

and therein lies the problem. the only staff writers i would trust to do Reid justice are the recently departed Sharon Lee Watson...or Kirsten Vangsness, but her writing tends to be more of the emotional stuff, she writes with Messer who does the 'case' stuff.

Breen writes good Reid too. But he also gave us the Forever People.

[normasm]

16 minutes ago, Franky said:

It might be fun to see him try, like if he has to fill in for Morgan or Prentiss or whatever new person they get to be Unit Chief. 

I think it could be a real opportunity to showcase the things he actually has a real aptitude for. Like meticulous Unsub and geographic profiling, piecing the puzzle of a case together by coming at it from different angles, empathizing with both victim and sometimes the killer, deciphering minutiae...

What our Reid typically isn't good at is split-second timing, intimidating others, and ordering his fellow agents around. In showcasing him being not-so-great at being Unit Chief, it could actually highlight his gifts. I think some viewers need to periodically be reminded of how excellent he really is. As long as it was well-written. I would never want to encourage a plot that would make Reid look like a joke. He's too important.

THIS. It might be good to see him have to be in charge in a pinch and do really well. (he did once say he did his best work when under extreme terror.) Then be offered the position and demur. But yes, his skills not adding up to unit chief don't mean he's  not absolutely essential, and contrasting the two skill sets (if the writers could do justice to him) might be good story.

[Bookish Jen]

I think Spencer has the potential to lead in his own unique way, but perhaps not manage the nuts and bolts of being a Unit Chief-paper work, bureaucracy, delegation, etc. He lacks the alpha-ness that Hotch had.

However, not being an alpha doesn't mean he is weak. He definitely has notable skills, which makes him a needed profiler and an essential component of the BAU.

I was looking over some personality-profiling papers I filled out in college. The four key personalities these papers described were producer, promoter, peacekeeper and planner. Needless to say, I profiled our beloved Dr. Reid using these papers and decided he is a hybrid of both peacekeeper and planner. Peacekeepers are diplomats and Planners are problem-solvers. Just a few characteristics Peacekeepers have are patience, empathy, stability and adaptability. Planners tend to have integrity and are efficient, systematic and task and detail-oriented. Now if these characteristics don't describe Spencer, I will eat my leopard-print flats.

BTW, I scored highest on Peacekeeper with Promoter a close second. Promoters are the motivators, and a few of our characteristics include enthusiasm, great verbal skills, cooperativeness and playfulness.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[smoker]

I don't see him as a team leader, maybe because he doesn't look like he wants the job in the first place.

He should be asked, that's the fair thing.

As a problem-solver he is efficient, but as a peacemaker as you're calling him... there are places in this world where "Darwin wins, not Einstein", as C-Note would say.

Edited August 16, 2016 by smoker

[Bookish Jen]

18 hours ago, smoker said:

I don't see him as a team leader, maybe because he doesn't look like he wants the job in the first place.

He should be asked, that's the fair thing.

As a problem-solver he is efficient, but as a peacemaker as you're calling him... there are places in this world where "Darwin wins, not Einstein", as C-Note would say.

Oh, I agree. Spencer should be asked at the very least, and then politely refuse.

And good point on Spencer being a peacemaker. Granted, I think we need more peacemakers in the world and in the work place; patience, empathy, stability and adaptability are qualities much needed in a society that seems to favor a lack of civility and basic human decency.

Spencer was able to bring some of his peacekeeper qualities when dealing with the unsub in Derailed and with Owen in Elephant’s Memory. But with the mofo who shot him in the neck in the Angels and Demons two-parter? Not so much.

But please, heavens above. Give this man his own office!

[zannej]

I think Spencer could do the job of picking the cases because he could read through everything super-fast, but I agree that he probably would not want to be in charge of the team. At least not at this juncture.

[Willowy]

[senin]

"Is there room for one more here?"

When I found out that TG had been fired I tried to read as many things as possible, to try to understand what had happened.( As I don't live in USA I don't get any information on TV) And I found this forum, I started reading and liked the "atmosphere".

I have been reading differents threads  in the last few days and I've finally decided to sign up. Deciding where to write first has been hard, but... I'm a Reid/MGG fan so I think this is the best place to start. 

 I don´t want to make this first post too long, so I will be writing shorter ones later on. 

 

PS: English is not my first language (I'm from Spain) so please forgive any mistakes, and feel free to make any corrections/suggestions about them. 

[Lebanna]

Hola y bienvenido senin. People here are very friendly, and it's always nice to see more people from Spain, especially fans of Reid. I think the nice thing about this forum is that it's very international and there are lots of people who don't speak English natively, so don't worry! Besides, talking about Reid is fun in any language.

[senin]

Thanks for your welcome! Are you also from Spain or live here? 

 In fact one of the reasons I decided to sign up is to practice writing as well as reading (I have been reading A LOT in the last few days, I mean I have read this thread from the beginning as well as some  others)

By the way, it should be "bienvenida", I'm a woman , I know my nick doesn't tell !! 

[Lebanna]

I live here! I'm actually from the UK originally. But I like reading and writing in Spanish and I wish there was a forum like this where I could do that about CM and Reid. I've never found one. And yes, bienvenida  - I never try to guess the gender of anyone!

[JMO]

Welcome, senin!

[smoker]

Hi senin,  I'm from Spain too xD

Your are pretty welcome!

[senin]

Thank you for your welcome, smoker and JMO!!

A question: does anyone know why I keep getting all my writing underlined in red, as incorrect?? And a way to avoid it?? It's really annoying and useless, when I'm not sure about the spelling of a word I have to go and check!!

[secnarf]

I wonder if your spell-check is set to another language? On mine, the spell-check is English, so it only detects words that are spelled incorrectly in English. If I try to type in another language, most of it ends up underlined in red. I'm not sure how you would fix those settings, though.

[senin]

Thank you for youranswer. I think that might be the reason, because I'm writing from Spain, but I don't know how to fix it. I hope someone who knows how to do it,  reads this. 

[senin]

Today I learnt the origin of the name of this thread!!

[ReidFan]

well.... there's a couple of deleted scenes on the season 11 dvd. In one of them, Reid and JJ are reminiscing in Morgan's old office while someone else (just a random FBI janitorial staff type I believe) is cleaning and polishing the furniture in it. It's made clear in Reid and JJ's conversation that the office was offered to each of them and they both turned it down. Kinda sorry this scene was deleted because it addressed what some of us Reid fans have been beeyotching about since Morgan left: to wit, that Reid should have that office. And apparently, he doesn't want it.

Also made evident in the blooper/gag reel is that Matthew must be some kind of perfectionist. I didn't count the number of scenes in the reel, but he's only responsible for one of the 'bloopers' in the whole thing. And I bet they had to look long and hard to find one, it isn't really even a big deal.

Edited September 3, 2016 by ReidFan

[normasm]

I don't blame him for not wanting Morgan's office, but he should have his own office. So should JJ. Let the 2 newbies hold the fort in the bullpen.

[JMO]

To me, the arrangement re: bullpen vs. office should be all about function.  It makes sense that the unit chief, who has to host private meetings with both his staff and the hierarchy, would need an office, so I get why Hotch and, briefly, Morgan would get them.  Gideon and Rossi, as founders and thereby former team leaders, retained the honorific.  JJ, as liaison, had to communicate with the public, and needed quiet space for that.  

I like to think that the bullpen offers the other team members the chance to brainstorm about cases they're consulting on, but they've never really shown that kind of interaction.

If Reid gets an office, I hope it is because he also gets some kind of official designation or title.  But I worry about him in the office, a little bit.  He spends enough time alone as it is.  

ReidFan, do you have the actual DVD set?  I've seen the deleted scenes and pitiful gag reel on line, but wonder about the commentary for Beautiful Disaster.  It's really the only thing that might really entice me to buy.

[ReidFan]

no, I've only seen the stuff all on line. I will buy the dvd set, if only for Matthew's director's commentary, and um, uh, er.....

O:-)

read a couple of online reviews and more information: Shemar, along with Breen Frazier, do a commentary on 'Derek'. And there's actually a 'To Derek WIth Love' thing on it too, which purports to take us inside the making of A Beautiful Disaster. But one of the reviewers gave me cause to question his/her credibility, since they said 'Gubler directed the season finale'. Uh, nope, he directed the Shemar Moore finale, but not "The Storm".  

Breen and Erica do a commentary on The Storm apparently, and Tara Lewis has a featurette

Edited September 3, 2016 by ReidFan
to add some more details :)

[normasm]

1 hour ago, JMO said:

If Reid gets an office, I hope it is because he also gets some kind of official designation or title.  But I worry about him in the office, a little bit.  He spends enough time alone as it is.  

Good point. Maybe he needs to feel more of a team member.

[Droogie]

4 hours ago, ReidFan said:

well.... there's a couple of deleted scenes on the season 11 dvd. In one of them, Reid and JJ are reminiscing in Morgan's old office while someone else (just a random FBI janitorial staff type I believe) is cleaning and polishing the furniture in it. It's made clear in Reid and JJ's conversation that the office was offered to each of them and they both turned it down. Kinda sorry this scene was deleted because it addressed what some of us Reid fans have been beeyotching about since Morgan left: to wit, that Reid should have that office. And apparently, he doesn't want it.

Also made evident in the blooper/gag reel is that Matthew must be some kind of perfectionist. I didn't count the number of scenes in the reel, but he's only responsible for one of the 'bloopers' in the whole thing. And I bet they had to look long and hard to find one, it isn't really even a big deal.

Apparently I am not allowed to see the gag reel.  That Daily Motion site crashes about one minute in every time I try to watch it, and I've tried 12 million times, give or take.  Ain't nobody got time for that.