Jennifer Jareau: Pennsylvania Petite

[Willowy]

I like JJ, very much.

Some didn't like it when she changed from media liaison to profiler, and got more physical with the fighting. She also went through a personality shift for about two seasons where she was rude to Reid every chance she got, but it seems like she's back to herself now. 

[ReidFan]

I don't *hate* JJ.....she's just my least favourite in a cast of eight. I do *hate* some of the things JJ has done and I absolutely hated the huge amount of focus she got when she came back after the firing. I hated 200. I hated Forever People. I especially hated the attitude she gave Reid for much of that year, and despised, detested, loathed and could not stand the way she treated him in Proof. <<<flogging a dead horse department as this has been discussed over and over here>>> But I think a lot of that can be blamed on the writing too.

I don't hate JJ. I don't hate AJ Cook. I just think she's the weakest actor in the cast and her character gets way too much focus. 

[Lucky Thirteen]

Wow! Those are some intense emotions towards JJ. I always thought she was a badass. I thought her transition was realistic. I mean, having a job like that does make you tougher as time goes on. Then again, I don't really pay attention to changes unless they're too in your face. I did notice one thing though, none of the pain she experiences continues for more than episode. It's really weird.

[JMO]

I see JJ as the intensely private person she's said she is (In Heat), who doesn't let people get close to her very easily.  I believe that is because of the suicide of her sister (Risky Business, and others) happening in her apparently gossip-prone small town (North Mammon).  What others see as haughtiness, or coldness, I see as a very understandable reserve, and a classic defense mechanism.  I think AJ plays this well.

I take the show at its word re: her friendship with Reid.  I think she initially found him to be a) not intimidating b) the closest to her age and c) in need of a friend.  I hold the writers responsible for the fact that we didn't see the maturing and respect built into that relationship until the little glimmer we finally got this year.   I do think JJ has a natural tendency toward nurturing, which we have seen in countless interactions with frightened and grieving victims and families, right into this past season.  I think AJ plays all of this well, too.

While I can see her getting frustrated with her best friend at times, and can thus overlook some of the reactions that incensed others, I do think the character suffered at the hands of the writers for several seasons.  (The awful) 200 was bad, not because of JJ or AJ, but because the entire premise of the story was stupid.  It would have been equally stupid if it had been written about any of the other characters as well.

I'm about to get into 'unpopular opinion' territory here.  I thought 'The Forever People' was okay.  In contrast to probably everyone else, I hold MGG responsible for the painfulness of that scene between Reid and JJ.  It was MGG who put the 'hurt puppy dog' look on Reid's face.  He could have played it as strongly sympathetic and shocked, but he played it as helpless.  That wasn't JJ giving it to Reid.  That was Reid not standing strong for JJ.  

I think AJ is more than capable of bringing it, when she's given material to work with, and I enjoy her on screen.

[MMC]

Here is what I think happened. Erica Messer had plans for the Seaver character. When that plan went by the wayside with the firing of RN, instead of just dropping the whole idea, Messer instead decided to make that character JJ. And in the process she and her writers proceeded to butcher the crap out of JJ's canon history and ruin her for so many of us. And yes I do give them credit for finally starting to dial her back. And I will admit to being pleasantly surprised by the fact that I was rather okay with JJ being the one there for Reid. However my feelings could easily have been the opposite had their scenes been written similarly to some of the ones in the past.

[MMC]

35 minutes ago, JMO said:

I see JJ as the intensely private person she's said she is (In Heat), who doesn't let people get close to her very easily.  I believe that is because of the suicide of her sister (Risky Business, and others) happening in her apparently gossip-prone small town (North Mammon).  What others see as haughtiness, or coldness, I see as a very understandable reserve, and a classic defense mechanism.  I think AJ plays this well.

I take the show at its word re: her friendship with Reid.  I think she initially found him to be a) not intimidating b) the closest to her age and c) in need of a friend.  I hold the writers responsible for the fact that we didn't see the maturing and respect built into that relationship until the little glimmer we finally got this year.   I do think JJ has a natural tendency toward nurturing, which we have seen in countless interactions with frightened and grieving victims and families, right into this past season.  I think AJ plays all of this well, too.

While I can see her getting frustrated with her best friend at times, and can thus overlook some of the reactions that incensed others, I do think the character suffered at the hands of the writers for several seasons.  (The awful) 200 was bad, not because of JJ or AJ, but because the entire premise of the story was stupid.  It would have been equally stupid if it had been written about any of the other characters as well.

I'm about to get into 'unpopular opinion' territory here.  I thought 'The Forever People' was okay.  In contrast to probably everyone else, I hold MGG responsible for the painfulness of that scene between Reid and JJ.  It was MGG who put the 'hurt puppy dog' look on Reid's face.  He could have played it as strongly sympathetic and shocked, but he played it as helpless.  That wasn't JJ giving it to Reid.  That was Reid not standing strong for JJ.  

I think AJ is more than capable of bringing it, when she's given material to work with, and I enjoy her on screen.

If that was the case why did not the director step in and correct Matthew. I sure as heck would have preferred Reid to be seen as you have suggested instead of what we got. Which was Reid coming across as a bit of a buffoon, absolutely clueless as to what to do with this situation with JJ, not to mention the way it affected his over all performance where his job was concerned. 

[JMO]

11 minutes ago, MMC said:

If that was the case why did not the director step in and correct Matthew. I sure as heck would have preferred Reid to be seen as you have suggested instead of what we got. Which was Reid coming across as a bit of a buffoon, absolutely clueless as to what to do with this situation with JJ, not to mention the way it affected his over all performance where his job was concerned. 

By that line of reasoning, why hold any of the actors responsible for any of the choices they make?

[MMC]

15 minutes ago, JMO said:

By that line of reasoning, why hold any of the actors responsible for any of the choices they make?

I am not saying that they shouldn't be. In fact many times I feel they do have some responsibility, but does not the director also have a responsibility to correct them if a cast member believes a part should be played one way when it probably would have been much better had they played it another way.

Edited June 24, 2017 by MMC

[JMO]

I agree, MMC.  But I've gathered, from various interviews over time, that directors like to give the actors leeway in their interpretations, because that is their art form, and it is what they have to bring to the table.  But I agree that, if the actor's interpretation throws the whole story out of whack, it will be 'directed' elsewhere.

In the case of this particular episode, it would be my guess that the director was more focused on the overall JJ storyline, and less on Reid's role in it.  Given the pace at which the show is put together, it's likely a lot of less desirable things slip by, in every episode.  Maybe in the context of a feature film, it could be different.  

Waiting for "Criminal Minds:  The Movie".

[ReidFan]

as long as it isn't all about JJ.........

[JMO]

8 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

as long as it isn't all about JJ.........

Wouldn't bother me at all, because it would inherently be about Reid, too.

[MMC]

5 minutes ago, JMO said:

I agree, MMC.  But I've gathered, from various interviews over time, that directors like to give the actors leeway in their interpretations, because that is their art form, and it is what they have to bring to the table.  But I agree that, if the actor's interpretation throws the whole story out of whack, it will be 'directed' elsewhere.

In the case of this particular episode, it would be my guess that the director was more focused on the overall JJ storyline, and less on Reid's role in it.  Given the pace at which the show is put together, it's likely a lot of less desirable things slip by, in every episode.  Maybe in the context of a feature film, it could be different.  

Waiting for "Criminal Minds:  The Movie".

I guess that does make sense. But in all honesty perhaps they need to find some sort of balance between the actors themselves interpreting the way a scene should be played and how the director feels it should be played.  Now where Reid was concerned maybe the director should have given a little more thought as to how his character was coming across especially since, aside from JJ herself, his role was probably the most pivotal, as he was the one JJ ended up confiding to.

[JMO]

3 minutes ago, MMC said:

I guess that does make sense. But in all honesty perhaps they need to find some sort of balance between the actors themselves interpreting the way a scene should be played and how the director feels it should be played.  Now where Reid was concerned maybe the director should have given a little more thought as to how his character was coming across especially since, aside from JJ herself, his role was probably the most pivotal, as he was the one JJ ended up confiding to.

That would definitely have been my preference, too.  But MGG does it a lot, which is why I think it was his choice.

Edited June 24, 2017 by JMO
unruly 'd'

[Lucky Thirteen]

.

Edited June 26, 2017 by In My Zone

[Kara101]

4 hours ago, JMO said:

I agree, MMC.  But I've gathered, from various interviews over time, that directors like to give the actors leeway in their interpretations, because that is their art form, and it is what they have to bring to the table.  But I agree that, if the actor's interpretation throws the whole story out of whack, it will be 'directed' elsewhere.

In the case of this particular episode, it would be my guess that the director was more focused on the overall JJ storyline, and less on Reid's role in it.  Given the pace at which the show is put together, it's likely a lot of less desirable things slip by, in every episode.  Maybe in the context of a feature film, it could be different.  

Waiting for "Criminal Minds:  The Movie".

Hmm..this is interesting. I read some parts of cm scripts, and one whole one. How a character is supposed to react/feel is often written in the actual script. So, it seems to me that at least initially, it's the writer that decides how characters react emotionally. Which makes perfect sense, they are the story creators. 

However I do think directors/writers often change the scene once it's being filmed. The writer of the script is on set when filming for this very pupose. Here's a full original cm script I found: http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/Criminal_Minds_5x02_-_Haunted.pdf

If you read the script there are often descriptions of a character's emotional state. However, if you watch this episode you will see that quite a bit changed. So, I assume it's a collaboration that happens on set between the director, writer, and actor/actress.

 That being said, I do not blame the actors/actresses for playing a certain emotion. Their job is emoting the emotions they are told to. They are not story creators, and emotions are part of the creation of the story. 

I do think that the CM actors/actresses may be given input how their charcater behaves since they have been on this show a long time and people believe that the actor/actress knows the character   well. That being said, I still cannot blame the actor/actress. I judge actors/actresses based on how they convey an emotion, not what emotion they are conveying. What emotion they convey should be up to the story creators. If the writers gives the actor some leeway to make their own choice, I'm still going to blame the writer because at the end if the day they are responsible for the story content, not the actor. The writer should have stepped in if the actor/actress was going somewhere wrong with a scene. I guess I view story creating as the writer's art, and just acting as the actor/actresse's art.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Haleysgalaxy

[normasm]

7 hours ago, JMO said:

I'm about to get into 'unpopular opinion' territory here.  I thought 'The Forever People' was okay.  In contrast to probably everyone else, I hold MGG responsible for the painfulness of that scene between Reid and JJ.  It was MGG who put the 'hurt puppy dog' look on Reid's face.  He could have played it as strongly sympathetic and shocked, but he played it as helpless.  That wasn't JJ giving it to Reid.  That was Reid not standing strong for JJ.  

I didn't think it was so wimpy as others, and you do. I think Matthew was playing it that Spencer knew something was wrong, and when he found it involved the loss of a pregnancy, something JJ really prizes above all else, he was gobsmacked. Just because he didn't "comfort" her, or mansplain how she should feel now (get over it), it doesn't mean he was wimpy and ineffectual. It is demonstrated at the end of the episode, when he allows her to access info about Ascari (or not, as she chooses), he was trying to find a way that she could work through her problem. Rather than a man "solving" her problem, her friend tried to find a way that she could see through to coping with her victimization and loss. It was very Spencer, IMO.

[K42]

I was watching a Tru Calling the other day and I realized how much "chubbier" AJ Cook was. It's insane how much weight she's lost. I don't remember her being like this even on Criminal Minds. She's always had full cheeks. Now her cheekbones look like they can cut a person in half.

[Blackbird999999lol]

19 hours ago, KatsDivision said:

I was watching a Tru Calling the other day and I realized how much "chubbier" AJ Cook was. It's insane how much weight she's lost. I don't remember her being like this even on Criminal Minds. She's always had full cheeks. Now her cheekbones look like they can cut a person in half.

Yes, It's alarming how thin she's gotten. She doesn't look well at all. I mean, she's still extremely beautiful. She will always be the most beautiful actress, her beautiful heart shines through her whole being. I meant to say: she looks like she's not feeling well. I really hope what we heard about her health earlier this year isn't true and that she's ok and healthy. but I have a bad feeling. She's been running under the radar this year... and last year. Even if you don't believe in prayers, send positive energy and healing vibes her way for whatever might be going on.

Also, the sick insane hewitt fans need to stop tormenting her. You never ever ever know what someone is going through in their life. If anything ever did happen to AJ, I hope the sickos behind those awful accounts realise the weight of what they are doing. "Guilt is the most painful companion of death". If you EVER bully anyone online the way AJ is being bullied, know that that kind of behaviour lasts forever.

[K42]

6 hours ago, Blackbird999999lol said:

Yes, It's alarming how thin she's gotten. She doesn't look well at all. I mean, she's still extremely beautiful. She will always be the most beautiful actress, her beautiful heart shines through her whole being. I meant to say: she looks like she's not feeling well. I really hope what we heard about her health earlier this year isn't true and that she's ok and healthy. but I have a bad feeling. She's been running under the radar this year... and last year. Even if you don't believe in prayers, send positive energy and healing vibes her way for whatever might be going on.

Also, the sick insane hewitt fans need to stop tormenting her. You never ever ever know what someone is going through in their life. If anything ever did happen to AJ, I hope the sickos behind those awful accounts realise the weight of what they are doing. "Guilt is the most painful companion of death". If you EVER bully anyone online the way AJ is being bullied, know that that kind of behaviour lasts forever.

 

 

 

 

She's always been thin and tiny but I remember her mostly for her full face. Anyway, what are Hewitt fans? And why is she getting bullied? I never heard of this before. 


Edit: Hewitt fans as in JLH's fans? I keep forgetting she was on the show. What does she even have to do with JLH?? That doesn't make any sense. Am I missing something? 

Edited May 4, 2018 by KatsDivision

[Blackbird999999lol]

56 minutes ago, KatsDivision said:

She's always been thin and tiny but I remember her mostly for her full face. Anyway, what are Hewitt fans? And why is she getting bullied? I never heard of this before. 


Edit: Hewitt fans as in JLH's fans? I keep forgetting she was on the show. What does she even have to do with JLH?? That doesn't make any sense. Am I missing something? 

never heard her full name? never heard about her as an actress? or never heard about her fans being bullies? Don't worry, that "woman" 's career started with CM and it also ended with CM. No one knows who she is.

I'll dm you the whole story later today, I don't have time rn :( This thread is about AJ, not her. Long story short:
jlh fans bullied AJ off every social media platform
they bullied Jeanne off the show
they harassed Paget, hoping she would change her mind about coming back to her CM family
Oh and they tried to bully Aisha into leaving.
Reason for this: jealousy.

Harry Bring - executive producer of CM , had to defend AJ from these sick people on many occasions. He's so kind.

[K42]

4 hours ago, Blackbird999999lol said:

never heard her full name? never heard about her as an actress? or never heard about her fans being bullies? Don't worry, that "woman" 's career started with CM and it also ended with CM. No one knows who she is.

I'll dm you the whole story later today, I don't have time rn :( This thread is about AJ, not her. Long story short:
jlh fans bullied AJ off every social media platform
they bullied Jeanne off the show
they harassed Paget, hoping she would change her mind about coming back to her CM family
Oh and they tried to bully Aisha into leaving.
Reason for this: jealousy.

Harry Bring - executive producer of CM , had to defend AJ from these sick people on many occasions. He's so kind.

 

Oh no, I didn't mean I hadn't heard of her. Of course I have. For some reason, I thought it was a word that referred to something else then I remembered that you were referring to JLH. I forgot she was on the show. She was on it for a short while. Anyway, I didnt know her fans harassed AJ and the rest of the cast. That's terrible.

[MMC]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 9:05 AM, Blackbird999999lol said:

never heard her full name? never heard about her as an actress? or never heard about her fans being bullies? Don't worry, that "woman" 's career started with CM and it also ended with CM. No one knows who she is.

I'll dm you the whole story later today, I don't have time rn :( This thread is about AJ, not her. Long story short:
jlh fans bullied AJ off every social media platform
they bullied Jeanne off the show
they harassed Paget, hoping she would change her mind about coming back to her CM family
Oh and they tried to bully Aisha into leaving.
Reason for this: jealousy.

Harry Bring - executive producer of CM , had to defend AJ from these sick people on many occasions. He's so kind.

I sort of suspect (in fact I pretty much know) that it wasn't a JLH fan at all that did this. But instead was this one particular AJC fan who admitted to me one time that she created a fake JLH twitter account in order to harass the cast and crew.  I suspect (know) though it was more than one. She would than use these fake accounts to bash AJ and her character. Meanwhile she would use one of her other so call accounts to bash JLH and call her a heartless bitch for refusing to do anything about her fans that were harassing poor AJC.

[DMOJO]

(Yes I know this forum hasn't been used in years, but in case anyone come looking)

I have been a JJ fan since day 1.  Honestly I was shocked by the amount of hate she gets from the fandom. I have looked for a proper defense of her character but have not found one. So, let me present:

A Defense of Jennifer Jureau

(Disclaimer: I am at the end of season 9, so some things I don’t know yet)

When I first started watching, the fight for my favorite character came down to two people.  JJ and…Morgan, another of the most disliked characters on the show from what I’ve seen. Although I have lost much of the love for Morgan that I had in the early days of the show, I still like JJ. When I try to remember why I started liking JJ, I have a hard time. Coincidentally, considering the fact many people rage about the “JJ show”, I think it was the fact that she was undervalued and underappreciated as a character. She didn’t get any real character development until season 2, and even then it was sparse. I liked her because she was unique in her role and I could see so many great things they could do with her. Sadly, none of those things happened. (I’m looking at you, writers) I often imagined scenes where JJ had to confront the unsub, (funny since that happens a lot now), because it was something she never did. JJ as liaison or JJ 1.0 was so full of potential, much of which was never realized. The writers went very minimalist in their approach to her development and that irked me. I will now stop talking about JJ 1.0, as most people actually like her and she doesn’t need much defense.

As a side, when JJ left in season 6, I had to push myself to watch that season, I was almost just watching for JJ (commence the insults and tomato hurls as you wish) I probably only watched it because I knew she came back the next season.

Now, on to the greatly debated, and widely hated, JJ 2.0. I agree that she never should have become a profiler. As I mentioned above, the liaison role was so full of potential. I know AJ requested this, and I can understand it, as liaison JJ was never really used, she was just there. I hold that JJ pre-season 6 was the most underdeveloped character on the show. The move to her as profiler was a terrible decision. This was made worse by the way they handled it. IMO, the utter dismissal of JJ’s transition to profiler in season 7 is one of the most heinous missed opportunities I’ve seen in the writing of a show.  I mean, the writers were handed a solid, interesting storyline for JJ to follow that season, without detracting from the other characters, and they ignored it. They instead chose to focus on JJ suddenly being a top tier profiler and fighter, which I admit, is ridiculous. The writers botched JJ’s character so many times.

Some common arguments for hating JJ:

Her attitude towards Reid.

Her sudden super ninja skills.

Her large amounts of screen time and show domination.

AJ’s lack of ability to portray the character JJ is supposed to be.

 

1.       Her attitude toward Reid

I admit there was a lot of eye rolling towards Reid for a while, and some maybe harsh comments. However think about it from a director’s perspective. (I am an aspiring filmmaker—liking the most hated character on a show probably isn’t good for that huh?) Someone asks a question. Then, cut to Reid as he spouts crazy facts and numbers that no one should know (I like Reid btw) Then, the director UNNECCESARILY cuts back to someone, usually JJ, as they react to Reid’s knowledge. This means it was a conscious directing choice for JJ to be this way, not AJ’s. I feel like maybe the overall sentiment of amazement mixed with “This guys a little nuts” about Reid was supposed to be universal, but for some reason JJ was the one who portrayed it the most.

 

2.       Her sudden ninja skills

You know, I’ll give you this one. JJ became way too good at fighting and shooting way too fast. I mean she could probably always shoot a gun well (she did go on raids)but when she beat that guy hand to hand in the lifeguard episode, that was a lot. Also when she shot that guy in the head who was running down the street, that was literally written just so they could prove how good a shot JJ was.  Again, they could have explained a lot of this by slowly transitioning JJ into her new role, but no, we can’t have actual good character storylines that last multiple episodes.

3.       Her amount of screen time and show domination

I kind of disagree with this one. Maybe it gets worse in season ten, along with her ninja skills, which will make me mad, so I can understand other people’s frustration as well. However, being in the last few episodes of season 9, or “the season of JJ” I feel as if I am around the pinnacle of JJ hate, although I fear ten will be bad as well. First, may I point out to all the Reid fans, (again I like Reid, though I find many JJ haters to be Reid fans…) that Reid is the most personably developed character in the show. And personal development is what I watch for. I don’t care about how many times JJ takes her gun out as much as I do the amount of times she goes through a struggle or trauma, or opens up about her problems (which she has yet to do) Reid used to have a focus, however small, on him every couple episodes. I wish JJ was given the attention to character Reid has gotten. I have seen lists of the numbers of times JJ takes out her gun, or assists in unsub takedowns. Yes well JJ has been paired with Morgan in the field most of the time, and as Morgan performs almost all unsub takedowns she will have her gun out and be taking down unsubs. But she doesn’t even take down unsubs. Typically she just stands there, pointing her gun, and yells some cliché line. JJ has very rarely actually shot and/or handcuffed anyone. As for her solving all the cases and outsmarting everyone, it has been my experience so far that she rarely cracks a case open. Usually she just asks questions and the rest of the team tells her why she is wrong, or unravels the case from that point. (aside: when she draws the heart on the board, she isn’t out-profiling Reid. Sometimes you just need a fresh pair of eyes because you’re too close to something) She has done more interrogations lately, but most of them are still done by Morgan, Rossi and Hotch. I will say she seems to be on screen a lot, but not always doing things. Many times just sitting there. I don’t think, up to this point, JJ has dominated the show although they are trying hard to sell the character and I wish they would back off. If anything Morgan has dominated the show, although JJ and Garcia do take up a lot of screen time. The common factor between them though? Morgan.

A quick response to JJ talking about her PTSD in “Forever People.” I haven’t watched the episode, (again I’m in season 9) but I have learned that JJ and Reid have some discussion about JJ’s PTSD, and JJ comes off badly. Many people didn’t want to see her talk about this because it had been so long. I agree. As stupid as “200”s premise was, it was the first extremely JJ-centric episode where she endured something traumatic on-screen. And then, she goes and chills with the team at a bar. Then is totally fine for a year. If you look for signs of trauma in her body language you can sort of pretend it’s there, but there are no real indicators. Other character’s (Hotch with Haley and Reid with Maeve) had multiple episodes dedicated to the AFTERMATH of their traumas. Especially in something called “The season of JJ” the writers dropped the ball on the biggest chance to delve into JJ’s character. Not “200”, but the consequences following from that. JJ’s PTSD  conversation should have happened way earlier.

4.       AJ’s inability to portray her character correctly.

I admit AJ isn’t the best actress. Sometimes her ‘sympathetic’ conversations with victims’ families does come across as forced. I do think, however, that she isn’t given a whole lot to work with. The writers focus too much on JJ the profiler, the crack shot, the super agent, and not enough on JJ the human being. And from what I hear this is partially AJ’s fault as she wanted this for her character. However, I think the snobby, too-cool-for-the-room vibe people get is that she is never given real flaws, weaknesses or vulnerabilities. All she has to work with is a superior tone because she has never been made not superior at anything. I also think that JJ’s character is tired of being overlooked as liaison and feels like she needs to prove she is just as good as everyone else.

Another thing I need to mention. The reason that they harped on how important JJ’s role as liaison was and how great she was at her job in the early show was because she didn’t get anything else, never really showed her excelling in her field. So they told us she was good and hoped we would be satisfied. I wasn’t. And yes this leads to the gigantic hole of how the liaison job just disappeared and no one really does it anymore. Again I strongly disagreed with her becoming a profiler.

(Why did she become a profiler? Yeah AJ asked for it but why? I think that in the first several seasons she was just there –we were told she was good at her job but very rarely saw it—she was just included. So when AJ came back I think she wanted to be more than just included.)

So, in conclusion, I think JJ is very badly written. I think half the reason I like her is how I write her in my head. Not that I don’t like her on-screen, I can just see past the negatives to who I want her to be. JJ never should have become a profiler, and her personal development is limited and when it does happen it is isolated to one episode, with no fallout until like a whole season later. I can see people’s dislike of her treatment of Reid but don’t think it was really intended that way. Yes, she became wonder woman overnight, but that is again solely bad writing. I don’t think she dominates the show, at least not yet. And AJ isn’t the best actor but isn’t awful. The writers have botched JJ’s character, but I still like her.

 (I just remembered this and didn’t want to write another whole paragraph, but I HATED the phase where all her development was that she was a mom. Every piece of JJ development we got was that she was a mom—UGH!)

I hope JJ’s domination doesn’t pick up in season ten, though I fear it will. I just wish they would focus more on her personally and less on her bad-assery.

Thank you for reading this super long, erratically written, tangent infested defense. Maybe you have a better understanding of why some people (or just me) like JJ. Can I also ask that we refrain from bashing AJ Cook so harshly as a person? That kind of criticism can be very damaging to a person. Thank you and have a blessed day.

[Annber03]

I've never gotten the JJ hate, either-I don't get the hate for any of the team members, honestly.. So it's nice to read some defense of her.

I don't mind JJ becoming a profiler-I feel like, given what she went through after being forced to move to the State Department and her time overseas, it does explain some of why she wanted that role. I will agree, though, that it would've been nice to see some deeper glimpses into why she wanted to be a profiler, and show her training for the job and whatnot...but I don't think the issues for that are so much a JJ-related thing as they are the show just wanting to handle a lot of what the team members do and learn off screen in general. 

I've never cared about her "ninja skills", because hell, everyone on the team has some crazy level of experience or history with something that's out of step with what they would realistically be able to do or know. I just roll with it and accept that characters having or developing skills way outside their typical range is just how TV shows tend to be in general.

I also ignore the "who's getting more screentime than whom" debates, because I don't like those regardless of the fandom in question. It's an ensemble series. Everyone's going to get their turn in the spotlight, and I've never felt like Reid got the short shrift on that front. Besides that, people complain about how they don't take the time to explore how JJ gets so good at this skill or how she bounced back so easily from that trauma, but then when they do try and explore that stuff, a lot of those same people complain she's getting too much screentime. So which is it? They can't exactly explore these aspects of her character better if she doesn't get the screentime to allow for it.

As for the whole thing of her rolling her eyes at him, first off, that's not something that's exclusive to her, everyone on the team's done it at some point. Second, and I say this as somebody who does love Reid, I just don't see that as the major insult some tend to see it. Yeah, sometimes they can be rude in cutting Reid off, and sure, I love Reid's ramblings as well. 

But, and I said this in another discussion elsewhere some time back, these people work together every single day. They're in numerous vehicles and stations and hotels and the field together. And then outside of work, they still hang out together regularly. That's a lot of time to spend with people, even people you care about and love and respect. As a result, at some point they're going to get annoyed with and snippy towards each other, for a whole host of non-personal reasons, and things that may not normally bother them about each other will get to them sometimes, and so on. I don't think JJ rolling her eyes is a sign that she hates Reid or just wants to be mean to him for no reason or whatever. Besides, if Reid does have a problem with how somebody treats him, he's never been shy about letting them know ("Proof", anyone?).

Plus, I also think some of those moments are meant to be in a joking fashion. A lot of shows tend to do that with certain characters, they have them start in on some weird rambling story and there's always someone who inevitably rolls their eyes and is like, "Oh, here we go...", or if it's a technical explanation, goes, "In English, please?" or things of that sort. That's just an old TV trope in general, and CM is just as guilty of it, apparently :p. 

All of the above is meant in a general fandom sense, by the way, this isn't targeting anyone here on this site in particular or anything like that. But yeah. There be my thoughts on all of that. 

[Danielg342]

I think it's important to remember that JJ was not an original cast member, being forced on to the show because CBS didn't like that the pilot had only one female regular (Elle). Because of that, the writers had a difficult time finding the right "fit" for her in the stories and in the team, as the other characters took up the story roles that the writers actually planned for. The writers only exacerbated their problem when the role they did assign JJ- that of a media liaison- was one that was not inherently an "investigative" one, meaning she further had no natural fit in storylines that heavily featured an investigation into the crime.

This is ultimately why JJ, for five seasons, had a "presence" on-screen and had a lot of lines but hardly ever did any narrative "heavy lifting", since her job didn't involve her being a part of the team's actual investigation. Her role fit one that's better assigned to a "spot" character, used only when needed, because there's very few times a media liaison is needed in an actual investigation.

So when she became a profiler in S7 I wasn't against it. The only issue is how they did it. They thought, at first, that JJ would be more "likeable" if she was shown to be adept at just about everything, making the classic writing mistake where writers believe "the more awe-inspiring the character is, the more audience will like them" when the reality is the reverse happens. I know "Mary Sue" tends to get thrown around a lot in TV criticism, but I do believe it applied to JJ from S7-S10. What defines a "Mary Sue" is a hyper-competent character who faces no actual difficulties, overcoming every challenge as if it were a breeze.

This describes JJ in this time period to a tee. Sure, she had her struggles, like "200" and "The Forever People", but neither of them had any meaningful impact. In "200" she brushed aside waterboarding as if it was nothing and in "The Forever People", a metaphorical snap of her fingers was enough to cast away her inner demon for good (and, worse, though JJ was "affected by PTSD" in "The Forever People", it didn't affect her actual competence at her job, despite Morgan telling her she was "reckless"). JJ at this time didn't resonate with me because her struggles never felt real- she got by them too easily for my liking.

Then in S11 something seemed to change. The writing for JJ focused more on her self-doubt and the burden of expectations. More importantly, JJ had struggles during this time...and they actually had an impact. In "The Storm", Antonia Slade told JJ that she thinks JJ believes she should lead the BAU, and that seemed to have an effect on JJ. In "Sick Day", JJ had her decision-making questioned when she put herself at risk to save a boy that reminded her of her own son, getting JJ, in effect, suspended. Then there was "Last Gasp" where JJ, given the reins of the BAU, looked like a deer in the headlights.

She became a much better character, and was one of the few bright spots of the last years of CM. I also think she had a much more believable bond with Reid during this period, because she understood where he came from, even if it's from a different perspective. Reid also second guesses himself and does it often, which is something JJ relates to. They had a pretty nice friendship going for a few years...and then, well..."Truth or Dare" happened...

...but, I'm going to focus on the positive and not dwell on that.

So, yeah, JJ was always a complicated character for me...but I think the writers ultimately figured her out. I only wish they'd done so for the rest of the cast.

[idiotwaltz]

Just rewatched S2’s Legacy and it reminded me of everything I liked about original recipe JJ. She was empathetic with the OCD detective, caught the postmark from across state line which put the case into federal jurisdiction, had AMAZING shiny thick hair, and was generally all kinds of awesome without it being a profiler. 

I liked the relationship between JJ and Hotch. He clearly respected her. This episode and Birthright gave me more JJ/Hotch vibes than any episode have ever given me JJ/Reid vibes. 

When did she begin calling Reid “Spence?” 

[Danielg342]

3 hours ago, idiotwaltz said:

When did she begin calling Reid “Spence?”

I believe it was "Plain Sight", as Reid explains that JJ is one of the few people who call him "Spence", and says so fondly. That's when Gideon surprises him with the football tickets.

[hypnotoad]

I was watching reruns last night. The episode where Rossi goes back to an early case in his career involving 3 kids. He goes to Penelope's place and interrupts a romantic interlude with Kevin. The next day at the office Penelope is flipping out about this and blabbing like she tends to and JJ is not paying attention. Until Penelope says oh you don't want to hear about Rossi interrupting me and Kevin in the shower? Suddenly JJ is paying attention and she says oh sit, sit .... tel all!

That scene just cracks me up. Especially the way JJ says sit, sit. And that is the JJ I loved. I much preferred the character as the media person rather than as a profiler. Seeing these  early episodes always reminds me of that.

[Annber03]

LOL, I love that scene, too :D. 

[trudysmom]

This topic has been dormant for over a year but watching reruns lately has me needing to ask someone more familiar with the show and character than I, when did JJ's voice change so drastically?  The hoarse, throaty thing she does in latter seasons really bugs me.  I wonder was it the actor's choice or was she directed to do it so JJ would seem older.

[Danielg342]

On 7/11/2021 at 11:57 AM, trudysmom said:

This topic has been dormant for over a year but watching reruns lately has me needing to ask someone more familiar with the show and character than I, when did JJ's voice change so drastically?  The hoarse, throaty thing she does in latter seasons really bugs me.  I wonder was it the actor's choice or was she directed to do it so JJ would seem older.

Maybe it's just me but I can't say I've noticed AJ Cook's physical voice changing.

The only difference I can pinpoint is that JJ's presentation has changed since S7, when the character became a profiler full time. JJ has always been someone who doubted herself, perhaps (from what I read) is a tendency to overthink and overanalyze. The way this manifested itself changed in S7, when she became a profiler and was no longer media liaison.

As media liaison, the show was more than willing to play up her vulnerability and make her tentative as a way of showing she was unsure of her decisions. It was probably the show's way of displaying the difference between her skillset as an agent versus the rest of the team, who are presumably more advanced in their on-field training than JJ was, as they would need to be,

When she became a profiler, the show decided they had to show she was just as capable as her co-workers. So they dropped the tentativeness and vulnerability, made her a "kickass ninja" (which kind of doesn't make sense because AJ Cook is tiny, but I digress) and made her someone who still second-guessed herself but did so after the fact.

So I think the tone of her voice changed, since in the later seasons she had to display a sense of assuredness and confidence that she didn't have before.

I'm not sure how much of it worked- I think AJ's a bit limited as an actress, but that's just me- but that's the only change I can see in the JJ character.