Emily Prentiss: Sin to Win

[Wilowy]

Sergio's her main man, and she's running things at Interpol now. Come back and see us sometime, Sugar Tits!

[ForeverAlone]

Emily was definitely one of my favorite characters when she was on the show. There was just something about her that I really responded to, and since we weren't given a huge window into Emily's background, I chalk it up to Paget's superior performance. She could take normal procedural dialogue and elevate it into something more. Emily was, and remains, a cool, fresh river of water on the show. I missed her intensely when she left in season six, and was delighted to have her back in season seven. And even though I despised "200" to the very core of my being, and Emily's appearance in the episode was nothing but contrived fanservice, Paget's actual performance was nice. Like I said, I think Emily is refreshing. She is intelligent, professional, funny, loyal. Honestly, there could never be too much Emily in the show, and she was a great friend to the team. If only CBS hadn't screwed over Paget, because I doubt she would have left otherwise. 

[normasm]

I agree with your assessment of Paget's performance elevating the written Emily above what was on the page (not terribly much) to one of the essential characters to the show. I think the loss of Emily had much more detrimental affect on the show than did the loss of Mandy Patinkin. And i agree she would still be there if CBS hadn't treated her so shabbily.

[mstaken]

I totally agree with you guys on both the affection for Prentiss and the feeling that said affection is attributable almost entirely to the actress rather than the actual writing. As I said elsewhere, I think Emily was not just an insufficiently defined character but, more gratingly to me, a really inconsistently defined one.  I felt like her characterization was all over the place: She goes from a socially awkward geek to a dark goth-y type to a semi-wild carefree extrovert and from someone whose one salient trait was that she valued bluntness and honesty to someone who turned out to be leading a secret life...etc.

But, somehow, the actress gave the character nuances that weren't found on the page. She made me believe that Prentiss (unlike, say, JJ!) had a rich inner life that we just weren't always privy to. And while JJ is in theory supposed to be the 'empathetic one', Emily was the one who actually always exuded a candid warmth and genuine compassion to me. I never quite bought the oft-quoted line about how she 'compartmentalizes'---and I'm conveniently ignoring the secret super spy arc here!----because I actually saw Prentiss as someone who *was* emotionally affected by the job but was usually able to use those emotions as assets rather than liabilities. I love female characters who manage to convey that being strong and tough and being emotional and compassionate aren't mutually exclusive, and for me Emily/Paget did that really successfully. 

And, similarly to what happened with with Elle, I find myself appreciating Emily even more retrospectively than I did while she was on the show. Icy, flat JJ and Blake bore me to tears and just don't feel like real, relatable women to me. My ideal team would consist of both Elle and Emily. 

Edited March 30, 2014 by mstaken

[normasm]

mstaken, I think Elle and Emily would totally get each other (at least the Emily that I have seen Paget make from the inconsistent writing you mention). They are both kick-ass women, strong and allergic to bullshit. But - and this is a Big Butt (I hear PeeWee Herman right now) - both women have been shown to be very vulnerable, make bad mistakes, and go up against the powers that be when necessary. None of the fakey ninja-Barbie stuff the writers are writing for JJ.

Keep Blake and spark her up a bit. Keep Garcia but tone her down (a lot). Get rid of JJ. Bring back Elle and Emily! There! Show solved!! lol

I also meant to say that I did not watch CM from the get-go, but came in in the 6th season, so it was interesting to watch marathons of the show from day one, and especially the character arcs of 2 of the people who came in later, namely Rossi and Emily. 

[mstaken]

They are both kick-ass women, strong and allergic to bullshit. But - and this is a Big Butt (I hear PeeWee Herman right now) - both women have been shown to be very vulnerable, make bad mistakes, and go up against the powers that be when necessary.

 

Amen! I'd love to see the Elle/Emily dynamic. Emily is a little softer, more emotional and outwardly empathetic and seems to find it easier to trust and bond with females than Elle, but Emily at times also seemed more socially insecure and eager to fit in than Elle. I think they'd have all the stuff you mentioned in common while maybe also learning from their differences. And now I totally need to see this happen---if never on screen, then at least as part of a fanfic! 

More Emily-related topics for us to chat about: Your favorite/least favorite Emily scenes and episodes? Who did you feel Emily clicked best with on the team? Who do you most wish Emily had had more/better scenes with? 

Edited March 31, 2014 by mstaken

[Wilowy]

I always thought Emily was utilized really well. I don't recall ever seeing someone complain of 'too much Emily'. She's pretty universally liked, although there was one poster on another forum that vehemently disliked Paget. 

Agreed that a her and Elle pairing would be cool! Maybe I'll write it into the Nathan Harris fic I'm working on, since Elle's already in it, and I rarely write Blake, it's pretty much always Emily still with the team. FUN!

[mstaken]

I rarely end up reading fanfic, but one featuring the return of Nathan Harris and involving Emily, Elle and (presumably!) Reid sounds like fanfic heaven. Please don't forget to post it somewhere around here so that we can read and subsequently gush about it! 

[Wilowy]

Spence-centric is pretty much all I do. ;)

[normasm]

Thanks, you guys! I can totally see TPTB not getting that the 2 characters could be cool together, because, hey, it's 2 brunettes! Ah, whatever...

I love Emily when paired with Reid (I'm a bit of a shipper, but I think season 6 ruined it for good), and my favorite scenes of hers are mostly with him. The first, was (now the title escapes me) her first case when they went Guantanamo (Lessons Learned), and she immediately tried her best to fit into the team. I contrast this with when Rossi came back and tried his best to be just as he was before, brilliant all by himself, thank you so very much! I loved her in all the season 2 episodes where she's freaking out about Reid, but keeps at him. Seven Seconds shows her ability to pull the truth out of people and then connect the dots... I loved her in In Birth and Death, where we find Hotch knows she was going to be Strauss's bitch to get into the BAU, but didn't... The Angel Maker and Minimal Loss, because of her continued (devotion? empathy?) to Reid... she breaks my heart in Demonology, acts her little ass off... A Shade of Gray, where she realizes what that little boy is... Nameless, Faceless, where she is trying to hold the entire universe together, while Reid continues to solve the case... True Genius, where she tries to convince Reid of his worth, while getting him off the fence about the case. In other words, if Reid is prominent in an episode i will watch it. If Emily is prominent, I will watch it. If both are there in a nice combo, I will watch it. This doesn't happen with any other pairing for me, although Reid/Hotch comes close

[mstaken]

Willowy, I don't have a second name there, so maybe some random person received it?! I just enabled my PMs there so that you can send me one, though. Looking forward to hearing from you! 

A Shade of Gray, where she realizes what that little boy is...

I love that scene as well. I love her in this whole episode, actually. 

. she breaks my heart in Demonology, acts her little ass off...

 

Ah, Demonology. I'm still always conflicted on this episode. It was a bit of a mess in some ways, yet oddly poignant anyway. 

I loved her in In Birth and Death,

This is definitely one of my favorite episodes for her character as well. And it was one of the times when I saw this connection between her and Hotch that I really enjoy. 

[Wilowy]

 

she breaks my heart in Demonology

Mine too.

[IndependentMind]

Yes I do remember on another a Paget-hater and even once insulted her. She said Paget has had pilots not picked up and shows cancelled. And that Jeanne Tripplehorn was a much bigger name than her.

Wrell she had hopes up so high in the beginning, it ended up backfiring because Blake has been a bit insignificant and really hasnt won that many fans.

I notice a lot of Prentiss-haters are Hotch fans. And it has to do with Hotch/Prentiss shippers. I remember reading on another board that they were happy that she was leaving because it would quiet the H/P shippers.

[mstaken]

So as I've rambled about elsewhere, I adore the warmth, vibrancy and layers that Paget Brewster brought to this role (IMO, of course), but I feel like Emily's actual characterization was all over the map. She's obsessed with honesty to the point of being blunt, yet she's actually leading a double life! She's super geeky and socially awkward, yet she's totally a dark, edgy party girl. She's a cerebral introvert, yet a somewhat wild extrovert. And, yes, we're all an interesting mass of contradictions, but somehow Emily just felt like a character who was written with sloppily inconsistency rather than with deliberate complexity. 

How do you guys see her? One thing I do really love about her is that, despite her infamous line about 'compartmentalizing',  she always came across to me as someone who felt as deeply as she thought. I love the message that a woman can be compassionate and feeling while still being extraordinarily smart, competent and strong...and now I'm totally missing Prentiss :)  

[Wilowy]

I think if there's one line that epitomizes Emily, it's: "And I need to know I can be human."

The humanity of everything and everyone was always what was most important to her. How people were feeling, her overcompensation in the early days and after she returned screamed 'accept me!' Her dysfunctional relationship with her mother was based on hurts and mishandling of feelings, in Demonolgy she revealed all that she had gone through with her surprise pregnancy and subsequent abortion was still with her like it had happened yesterday, and when the boy she hadn't seen in decades died, it flattened her. And with the Doyle arc, she fled the team rather than put a single one of them in danger. 

Emily's love of her humans is a beautiful thing, and one of if not THE favorite thing of mine about her. 

[normasm]

So as I've rambled about elsewhere, I adore the warmth, vibrancy and layers that Paget Brewster brought to this role (IMO, of course), but I feel like Emily's actual characterization was all over the map. She's obsessed with honesty to the point of being blunt, yet she's actually leading a double life! She's super geeky and socially awkward, yet she's totally a dark, edgy party girl. She's a cerebral introvert, yet a somewhat wild extrovert. And, yes, we're all an interesting mass of contradictions, but somehow Emily just felt like a character who was written with sloppily inconsistency rather than with deliberate complexity. 

mstaken, I agree that Paget brought so much to a sketchily-drawn character. But I think the dichotomy in the character that you're talking about came because they tried to plausibly write out Emily when Paget, not satisfied at being pulled back to recurring status, asked to be able to leave the show to try for comedy shows. When all that happened happened (I won't go into my version, for which you may thank me!), and she had to be written back in, none of the plot points rang true. Despite her best efforts, even Paget wasn't able to really pull it off. The same thing happened with JJ/AJC with the write-out/write-back-in, but that's for a JJ thread, I suppose. This site has too many threads, IMO.

[mstaken]

I'm missing SSA Prentiss today! I'd love to hear people's favorite Emily scenes....anything that happens to leap to your CM-obsessed minds ;) 

[idiotwaltz]

Everything in Demonology, basically. 

 

Minimal Loss - the scenes with Jessica's mother where she convinces Jessica's mom to help evacuate the women and children during the raid, and also at the end after the explosion, her tiny little voice as she goes, "Morgan? Reid?" I can't stand to watch the "I can take it!" scene and always look away when Cyrus starts beating on her. 

 

Ashes to Dust - she and Hotch interview the burn victims. Both of them are wonderful, Hotch for lying to the dying woman and staying with her, Emily being horrified and empathetic but struggling to hold it together

 

Honor Among Thieves - her remark to Hotch re the Ambassador, "It turns out she's not infallible after all" and the ending scene with her mother. 

 

Children of the Dark - ending scene on the jet with JJ and the way she looks out the window. And, as mentioned above, the "I need to know I can be human" line. 

 

No Way Out - her kindness towards Jane, picking up the rib bone whistle and giving it back to her

 

Open Season - at the end, with Morgan, realizing that as profilers, they DO think like the UNSUBS

 

True Night - on the jet, with Rossi, feeling bad about Frankie Muniz being the first UNSUB they've encountered who wasn't really a bad guy. 

 

You know, if I didn't have to go watch TV right now, I can keep going on forever ... 

[Wilowy]

Emily gives Reid the most heartfelt hug in Minimal Loss. I love how she's all smelly and beaten up and her first concern is him and Morgan.

 

Her "poops in a box" line to Hotch when he calls her on her lies to the therapist. 

 

And I don't get why some don't like her bangs, she's stunningly gorgeous here in one of my favorite Em shots:

 

 

 

 

Word on the Demonology! She's wonderful in that and my favorite moment of all is this:

 

 

She looks five years old and so sad and vulnerable.

[normasm]

She looks five years old and so sad and vulnerable.

Yes, Willowy. I loved her in that. And her hug with Reid in Minimal Loss. 

 

I love the scene where Rossi "Emily"'s her in Amplification. The scene in Bloodline where she interviews the "imperfect" girl, and in the same episode, where she and Hotch tagteam the mother. Brilliant writing and acting.

 

Her resignation and reinstatement in In Birth and Death. The pursuit of Viper in 52 Pickup (aw, this job sucks!) The dawning of realization on her face as she sees the real unsub in A Shade of Gray. Her superbly brave actions in trying to track down Hotch in Nameless, Faceless. I have to stop, or i'd be here all night...

Edited May 22, 2014 by normasm

[zannej]

I really think that Paget is the best female actress on the show. I think she may even outshine some of the male actors on the show. It really sucks that CBS decided to dick around with her.

 

And the Sugar Tits bit in the first post... ROTFL!!

 

Paget just brought this subtlety and had an energy that drew people in. Now, I have seen people hating on her-- mostly when she returned and they complained that she was Dear Abby that was trying to be a therapist for everyone. I think she did try in her last season, but she said that she was burnt out. She didn't really want to be there and it showed. She came close to admitting that she was phoning it in-- and it was obvious in some scenes. That ridiculous spy arc... Ugh..

 

I did buy that she was able to compartmentalize when it mattered. She didn't stop feeling things-- she still showed empathy-- but she was able to control herself most of the time. I really loved how she only told Reid what was going on with Hotch because she knew that she could trust him to keep his head and stay focused.

 

I would love to see Emily and Elle meet. It would be extra cool since Paget and Lola are/were friends. I think one thing they could bond over would be their mutual concern for Reid. Both of them were like protective big sisters when it came to him.

 

I really loved that Prentiss didn't put up with the bullshit from Strauss. The way she said "ma'am" so that when transcribed on paper it would sound polite, but the tone of her voice was saying "fuck you".

 

I also really loved how she protected Reid in "Minimal Loss" and let the team know that she didn't want them to risk coming in just to save her. She was willing to sacrifice herself for others and also cared about their feelings. She knew that Reid would feel guilty and powerless so she made it clear that it wasn't his fault. That moment where she held his hand was just so sweet. Matthew and Paget's affection for one another really comes across on screen.

 

I initially forgot to mention that I loved the bit where she mentioned to Hotch that she had dated "worse" and the look he gave in response was what someone once described as something like "How could there be something worse that still has opposable thumbs and walks upright"

 

As for Emily's hair, I liked a soft wavy look she had in an episode.. I think "Face Off" or something like that... It involved kidnappings and printouts of people with "Have you seen me"... I think she was wearing a blue shirt.. She had a blue shirt that looked very good on her. She looked great in red as well.

 

I need to find screen captures of her home. I think she lived in a house and then later an apartment building. I'm just obsessive that way. LOL.

Edited May 22, 2014 by zannej

[idiotwaltz]

 

As for Emily's hair, I liked a soft wavy look she had in an episode.. I think "Face Off" or something like that... It involved kidnappings and printouts of people with "Have you seen me"... I think she was wearing a blue shirt.. She had a blue shirt that looked very good on her. She looked great in red as well.

 

About Face! Rossi's first episode. I don't remember the blue shirt, so now I have to rewatch. I love her other blue shirt in Hopeless (which is more bluish/purply) and I also love her in red. And the tight white turtleneck. And the fleecy blue pullover in Open Season. And --- I'll stop here. 

 

 

I need to find screen captures of her home. I think she lived in a house and then later an apartment building. I'm just obsessive that way. LOL.

 

Her home in In Birth and in Death had stairs that should've led to somewhere? And a really awesome open floorplan with bright red walls. I liked that set much better than her second apartment, with the beige/taupe walls. 

[zannej]

I might be confusing the color of her shirt in "About Face". Thanks for reminding me of the correct episode name. I knew "Face Off" sounded wrong but I knew it had "Face" in it. Right now my brain is so full of plumbing code rules and diagrams that I'm having a hard time keeping up with my CM trivia. The upstream/downstream wet-venting rules are driving me batty. I do remember that Prentiss had a very nice kitchen.

[idiotwaltz]

I might be confusing the color of her shirt in "About Face". Thanks for reminding me of the correct episode name. I knew "Face Off" sounded wrong but I knew it had "Face" in it. Right now my brain is so full of plumbing code rules and diagrams that I'm having a hard time keeping up with my CM trivia. The upstream/downstream wet-venting rules are driving me batty. I do remember that Prentiss had a very nice kitchen.

Rewatching About Face now. You were right about the blue shirt! She looks gorgeous in it! I also love the dark burgundy dress she's wearing when Rossi arrives at the BAU and how earnest she is when Hotch introduces Rossi to the team.

[Wilowy]

She always looks so purty in jewel tones. and black too!

 

 

 

[mstaken]

I'm appealing to you experts for a little help: Does anyone know whether Emily has any siblings? I'm guessing she's an only child, but I'm not quite sure. And I know her birthday is on October 12 (yes, these are the ridiculous bits of trivia that stick in my weird little mind!), but do we know her exact age?  Thanks in advance! 

[Wilowy]

 

Her tombstone said she was born in 1970. There ya go! (little red ellipse not mine)

 

Also I could've sworn she's said 'only child syndrome' at least once. 

[mstaken]

Thanks! She's four years older than I am, and somehow looks about 10 years younger :) And, sadly, I probably wouldn't have gotten that FBI acronym if it weren't circled in red. 

[Wilowy]

Thanks! She's four years older than I am, and somehow looks about 10 years younger :) 

 

Hey, I've seen your pics - you're just a baby!

[idiotwaltz]

Also I could've sworn she's said 'only child syndrome' at least once. 

 

In A Shade of Grey, when the little sociopath bitches about his brother messing with his toys, Emily says, "I had a cousin who used to do that. It was really annoying." If she had a younger sibling, she probably would've said she had a little brother/sister who did that, but she didn't, which sort of screams only child to me. Though I suppose it could also be said that she's a younger (or youngest child), but I can't quite see that. 

 

 

I'm appealing to you experts for a little help: Does anyone know whether Emily has any siblings? I'm guessing she's an only child, but I'm not quite sure. And I know her birthday is on October 12 (yes, these are the ridiculous bits of trivia that stick in my weird little mind!), but do we know her exact age?  Thanks in advance!

 

I hope this very important research is being done for the purpose for which I hope it's being done. 

[UncleChuck]

I cannot name episode titles, but I recently rewatched a little scene where Spence (who needs a haircut IMO) and the frighteningly garish Garcia were mocking an old high school photo of Prentiss in Full Goth Mode.  Prentiss stared at the photo as if she were looking at a total stranger and even accused Garcia of Photoshopping the hair/makeup.  Even when they assured her that it was a real untouched photo, Emily stared at her old image as if she couldn't remember ever looking like that at all. 

I thought it was interesting that she had this look like: "was that really me?" and of course how ironic that it was Garcia who was the instigator of the "how could you appear in public looking like THAT!"  remarks.  Kettle--black.

[ForeverAlone]

I think that episode was Tabula Rasa, or right around that time at the end of season three. I was shocked that Reid knew who Siouxsi and the Banshees were. I don't think Reid is a pop culture naif, but that doesn't strike me as something he would know. :)

[idiotwaltz]

 

I think that episode was Tabula Rasa, or right around that time at the end of season three.

 

Yep, Tabula Rasa. Garfield High, class of 89. I think she mumbled something like it's some other life. And then at the end of S4, we hear Rossi asking her if she used to smoke, and she goes, "I used to do lots of things." Her teenage years must've been fun. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

A & E just finished running the episode where the UnSub was killing young women he picked up at clubs, which brought us the ridiculous Viper and his even more ridiculous crushed velvet hat. I absolutely loved the way Emily, with an assist from Jordan, left his face cracked when he inadvertently gave them the information they wanted. Although I have to admit that I doubt her veracity when she told Hotch that she'd actually dated guys who were worse than Viper. Provided that such a person even exists, would he be capable of walking upright? :-P

[ForeverAlone]

I don't know. Ian Doyle is probably worse than Viper, even if she only screwed him for the job. I think there were some feelings there on her part. :)

[idiotwaltz]

To be fair to Viper (why am I defending Viper?), Ian Doyle didn't exist when the writers wrote 52 Pickup. Okay, I guess I'm not defending him.

[ForeverAlone]

No, Ian Doyle (or anything about Emily's past) didn't exist when 52 Pickup was written. That is what makes so much of the writing so infuriating. If things match up story-wise, it is practically a miracle, even in the early days with better writers. But later writers, you can practically forget about it. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Wasn't Doyle part of the ridiculous super-spy arc? Or am I mixing that up with some other piece of discontinuity about Emily?

[ForeverAlone]

No, you are correct about Ian Doyle. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Bumping this topic up because Minimal Loss, otherwise known as 'Emily Gets The Shit Kicked Out Of Her', just finished airing on A & E. Why exactly did the local cops try to rush the building, apparently before the FBI had gotten there? I know the state's attorney general was there and tried to get in Hotch's face, but I missed the detail of why he authorized the police's assault? I really like how she and Morgan communicate, with him using the red light from his rifle sight to tell her when the next raid will start, but she wouldn't have even been in that situation if some bureaucrat hadn't screwed the pooch. No wonder she didn't like Strauss. ;-)

[normasm]

CoStar, she wouldn't have been in that situation if Reid had been a man and said he was the FBI agent!!!! lol

 

No, you've got it right that the AG was running for re-election, so he made the grandstand play.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

@normasm, I don't fault Reid as much as maybe I should for not outing himself as the agent before Cyrus dragged Emily out of the room by her hair.I do think its a little strange that she tries to reassure him that she's okay once the case is over and they're headed home. But they also got outed against their will, probably because that moron AG leaked it to the media that an undercover operative was in the building. Never underestimate the power of a Suit to turn something into a fuck of clusters. :-P

[normasm]

I don't fault him at all! Cyrus was pointing a gun right at his head, and might have shot him because he was a he. With the little woman, all he had to do was smack her around a little, show her who's boss.

 

It's totally in character, IMO, for Emily to reassure him afterwards, she knew he would feel terrible that she got beat up, and he pretended to be innocent and such. He would feel like a coward even if he knew Cyrus would be much harder on him. 

 

Oh, and that thumb rub thing at the end? Gets me every time….

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I don't fault him at all! Cyrus was pointing a gun right at his head, and might have shot him because he was a he. With the little woman, all he had to do was smack her around a little, show her who's boss.

 

It's totally in character, IMO, for Emily to reassure him afterwards, she knew he would feel terrible that she got beat up, and he pretended to be innocent and such. He would feel like a coward even if he knew Cyrus would be much harder on him. 

 

Oh, and that thumb rub thing at the end? Gets me every time….

To clarify, I don't mind that Emily reassures Spencer, and in a way its reminiscent of his talk with Elle once she's out of danger in Derailed. I like it when the team shows concern for each other, whether its for their physical state or their emotional one. And really, considering what Emily knew Reid went through with Tobias Hankel, she was probably willing to take a beating if it meant keeping him out of the line of fire for the moment. It still makes me wince when she's saying "I can take it" while Cyrus is knocking her around, though, even though I know she was doing it so the others would know not to try and stage a rush towards the church.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[zannej]

I have to say, I didn't think it was unmanly or cowardly of Reid to not announce that he was an FBI agent. It was actually smarter for him to play dumb. I mean, Cyrus didn't think it was Emily and was not threatening her in any way. Reid had already started up a rapport with Cyrus and was gaining his trust. He was probably going to see if he could at least try to convince Cyrus that there was misinformation and that neither of them were agents. Now, I think that if Cyrus believed Reid and accused Emily of being the agent, that Reid would have stepped up and said it was him. I do think he was probably thinking about what happened with Tobias and how badly things could go if he admitted he was the agent. But before Reid could see how convincing he was, Emily spoke up.

I still love the "What are you doing!" look on Reid's face.

 

Its possible that Cyrus might have just shot Reid instead of letting him talk. Or Reid could have gotten the beating and Hotch might have sent in the cavalry to stop it. It would have ended badly in that situation. Even if he had not hurt Reid, Emily wouldn't have been able to get Cyrus' trust well enough to gain an advantage. So things worked out better in the long run.

 

I really did like that Emily cared enough about Reid and the others that she was willing to risk her life like that. It took a lot of bravery, but I think also a fear of seeing Reid be killed or hurt more. It was like a big sister protecting a little brother. And Emily was believable as being tough, brave, and still empathetic because she knew Reid was upset. I think she would have felt guilty if Reid had taken the beating or been killed on her behalf.

[normasm]

Very fine analysis, zannej. Although I think Emily didn't think of Reid as her brother, but as her dear friend. 

[zannej]

Well, maybe an almost-brother. Heh. I have younger male friends that I think of as brotherly but not quite brothers. I feel very protective of them. I think that Emily felt protective of Reid but that she also respected him and didn't treat him like a child-- which is why she was the one he opened up to about his headaches (although I do think part of that was he was hoping to get her to reciprocate).

 

And omg.. that whole horrible spy arc... Emily's behavior was just so out-of-character to me. And just... stupid.. The whole not telling the team bits.. When they were in the info center place, she could have pulled Hotch aside and told him privately and told him to just pretend he didn't know or done *something* to warn the team. They never did explain how Doyle knew so much detail about what was going in inside the BAU office and then the next season he suddenly was much less powerful. I think the actor who played Ian was good. The chick who played Tsia was absolutely terrible though. Paget did a great job in "Lauren", but for some reason in the other episodes I felt like Paget was not fully in to it. 

 

I do wish we'd learned more about her family. We saw her mother but never heard anything about her father.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I really did like that Emily cared enough about Reid and the others that she was willing to risk her life like that. It took a lot of bravery, but I think also a fear of seeing Reid be killed or hurt more. It was like a big sister protecting a little brother. And Emily was believable as being tough, brave, and still empathetic because she knew Reid was upset. I think she would have felt guilty if Reid had taken the beating or been killed on her behalf.

 

I absolutely think her concern being for Reid in the aftermath makes her seem brave, especially when Cyrus could just as easily blown her brains out instead of his. He was spiraling out of control even before they got there, so it wasn't unreasonable to think that he might have.

 

About the spy arc, Morgan flat-out asked her if something was bothering her  and if she was okay, and she said, "Derek, I like you, and that's why I'm going to ask you not to do this." It makes no sense.

 

Also, the actor who played Clyde was pretty good, I thought. But yeah, overall the whole thing was just preposterous.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[normasm]

Zannej, I totally agree the spy arc was awful for the character. It must have been agony for Paget to rut around, gutting a character she would have been very happy to go on playing for years, if TPTB hadn't dicked with it. As it was, she did the best she could, and I still cared about Emily, until the end. When she came back, it was with her arm twisted behind her back, and with a half-destroyed character. No wonder she couldn't sign on for more after that.

[dusang]

Honestly, I didn't see most of the spy arc, so all I know about it is how much people hated it.  I did notice, in a recent rewatch of the Tobias episodes, that JJ (and Hotch) called Emily out on her "unflinching" approach to the work and she claimed to be "better at compartmentalizing."  In retrospect, that could be viewed as laying groundwork for her having secret field experience.  Of course, even if they did intentionally lay that groundwork, they clearly didn't handle the endgame very well.