S10.E13: Nelson's Sparrow

[thewhiteowl]

 

The BAU revisits its origins when they look at one of Rossi and Gideon’s old cases to track a killer that got away.

 

 Please wait till the episode airs to begin the trashing. Speculate away in the thread created for doing that.

 

[MCatry]

To 'thewhiteowl'

I love your avatars. I really do.

[thewhiteowl]

Thanks! I love my doxies.

[ForeverAlone]

A tiny little hint about the young Gideon/Rossi interaction.

 

http://www.tvguide.com/news/mega-buzz-criminal-minds-young-gideon/

[ForeverAlone]

Here is an interview with Kirsten and Erica about this episode. Interesting that Erica basically offered the season finale to Kirsten, though she obviously didn't take her up on it. 

 

http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-flashback-young-gideon-rossi/

 

And a sneak peek as well.

 

http://criminalmindsroundtable.blogspot.com/2015/01/criminal-minds-season-10-1013-nelsons_28.html

Edited January 28, 2015 by ForeverAlone

[JMO]

What was that show that was on tonight? It reminded me a lot of Criminal Minds!

[Droogie]

Oh, my GOSH. What an incredible episode. My heart sings -- it's my show!

[normasm]

It was good, bits of it were very good. I did not like the unsub, he was gross and uninteresting. But Reid was great, Rossi, Hotch and Morgan were all good, and the evenness of the scene distribution was refreshing. And Hotch telling JJ to stay with Garcia, YES!!

I think Kirsten ought to partner with Erica every time, it was a great improvement!

[missmycat]

Stupid basketball game I thought they were only played during the spring/summer time. for the first time in a while I wanted to watch an episode of CM in real time and I couldn't.

[ForeverAlone]

Hmmm....I'm still processing my reaction to this episode. There was definitely some stuff to like about this episode, but there were also story choices that left me scratching my head.

 

I will say, that I called Gideon being dead, and THAT was what was driving Reid's "big, emotional" arc. Of course I expected Gideon's death to be a sideshow and not the centerpiece of the episode, and a murder at that. I know how this episode was billed as a "love letter to the fans", but I give a bit of side eye to the idea of murdering Gideon as being a love letter to the fans, even with the glimpses back into the early days of the BAU.

 

For the stuff I liked.

 

There was a LOT of team profiling in this episode. It was nice to see the team profiling a wide variety of scenes, and some team members that have been underused this season, get more to do. There were some nice conversations between Hotch and Rossi, talking about Gideon and discussing the case. It sort of harkened back to the conversations they had in "Omnivore." It was nice to see Kate getting more to do, as she hasn't been really integrated as well after the first couple of episodes.

 

Sweet Reid was on point emotionally for this episode. I don't think any of the other cast members (and most male actors in general) are as good of criers as Reid/Matthew. It was nice to see Rossi and Morgan supporting Reid in this episode  and encouraging him.

 

I was delighted to see JJ basically side lined this episode, though the scenes she did have with Penelope were nice. It was great to see JJ NOT being there for the takedown, and I personally was glad to see JJ NOT with Reid during these scenes.

 

While Ben Savage doesn't have the natural gravitas or intensity that Mandy does, I felt he did a good job with what he had. The flashback scenes were interesting to build the case (though me personally didn't really like the schmaltzy father angle).

 

This episode was a good PSA of why you should NEVER approach any strange man's van. Vans are evil and only serial killers drive them. Avoid them at all costs. And strange dogs in vans as well. They are only bait to get you abducted. Oh, and just avoid all strange men to be on the safe side. /sarcasm.

 

While I find some of the story choices about Gideon's death to be questionable story choices (see below), good profiling on Rossi's part, making the connection for why Gideon seemingly made an errant shot into a bird picture, and deducing it was connected to the unsolved case.

 

For the stuff I found a bit questionable.

 

I was trying to follow Gideon's final timeline in my head, and to me anyway, there seemed to be some holes. First off, I do question if a dead woman (who wasn't murdered) found in some woods would have made the news down in Florida for Gideon to see it. But since this was the trigger for the entire episode, I should just suspend my disbelief. I CAN buy (barely) that if he had seen a news report like that, it would have triggered something in his brain. I always thought Gideon was the most natural, intuitive profiler that we have seen from the BAU. So if anyone would have made the connection, it would have been Gideon. But I really do question some of Gideon's actions once he got back to Virginia. Okay, so he figured that the unsub was a local, so he frequented local establishments to scope out someone who could be the unsub. Was he deliberately baiting the unsub, letting him know he was back in town, because he suspected the dead woman was his? It didn't sound like Gideon knew who the unsub actually was, just that he had a hunch he was a local man, in his 50s now. So was he trying to get the unsub to track him back to his cabin, or did the unsub manage to just surprise him? But Gideon had security cameras on the approach to his cabin. If he honestly suspected he was being followed, why would he have gone back to his cabin? And if he was being followed, how did he miss it? And if he suspected that the unsub was on to him, why not call Hotch, Reid or Rossi and let them know? Was he so surprised the unsub showed up at his cabin, all he was able to do was shoot the bird picture and hope that Rossi made the connection? I have to question the idea that Gideon would deliberately bait the unsub. It's not like Gideon wanted to die or anything. He wanted to catch the unsub. Of course, all of these contortions are a direct result of the fact that Mandy would NEVER come back to the show, so they couldn't have any scenes with present day Gideon, which sort of hamstrung the episode.

 

Even though there was plenty of good team, there was still a ton of unsub, and the level of violence was a bit disturbing to watch (just compare it with earlier seasons when we barely saw any actual violence). It felt sort of gratuitous and unnecessary to me. The episode could have eliminated those scenes and had more team profiling scenes, and then just showed the unsub at the end during the takedown.

 

I don't really buy that Rossi and Gideon were that close, but hey, it's probably just one of those things we have to accept for this episode to work.

 

I am not a particular fan of Rossi deliberately baiting the unsub into trying to shoot him, so he could justifiably kill the unsub.

 

Poor Reid is 33 and still referred to as "the kid." Do they not see him as a mature man, or will he forever keep that nickname as long as he is the youngest person on the team? If not, it certainly explains some of the Reid characterization the last few years.

 

Did Penelope REALLY pull up a list of people who worked at the local store back in the 70s, or did she find some other way of getting that info? Because no way would that be on the Internet.

 

This isn't really questionable, but rather an interesting observation. This week, Reid was sad and dealing with all sorts of emotions over Gideon. He made contributions, but for the most part, he was rather quiet and introspective. Which is not surprising. What is interesting is to contrast his reaction with JJ from two weeks ago. I mean, she was in the grips of a borderline psychotic, PTSD meltdown and yet she basically single handedly solved the case. It's just interesting story choices the writers make with regards to character actions.

 

Overall, this was definitely one of the better episodes this season, though I wish they hadn't MURDERED Gideon. But hey. In any case, it would be interesting to see what more stories Kirsten has within her. I'd watch more of her episodes if she wrote more.

[Lillybee]

Ben Savage was a perfect young Gideon.

[DiamondDoll]

I was blown away, easily the best episode of the season. While I loathe Garcia, KV seems like a really talented writer who understands these characters. Can she be a full time writer for the show?

 

I loved all the team interractions, especially Rossi/Hotch and Morgan/Reid/Rossi. Even Kate had something meaty to do and much love to SuperJJ not being involved with the take down.

 

I've never been a Gideon fan and I'm more than okay with them killing him. MP seems to think he's above CM these days so I have no use for the character.

[SSAHotchner]

I agree with you, FA. The other thing, and maybe I missed something somewhere since I was chatting during the episode, is that Gideon was a bird expert. We saw that in In Plain Sight and The Big Game/Revelations. It bothered me that they had young Gideon say, "just some brown bird like every other bird." But I am fine with them killing Gideon off. You’re right, you did call it. I feel that Gideon was too smart to have been killed that way. I called the security cameras, too. I guess even KV doesn’t have as good a memory of the old episodes as many of us viewers have.

Way too much unsub and too much gross stuff with the worms, etc. I'm glad there was some profiling, but I don't want to see Garcia and the magic computer week after week. Let the profilers solve the case, please. I was glad for limited JJ. We did notice in our group that Kirsten gave herself plenty of lines. It was a nice touch having both Rossi and Gideon having children around the same time. MGG was outstanding in this episode. I really wanted Gideon to have left him something. Perhaps we'll find out that he did in a later episode. I thought Red might have pocketed one of those chess pieces as a remembrance, but he didn't.

Because we get so many episodes that are pure crap, I don't want to be all negative when we get some good stuff like we did tonight. I just wish the writers would stop focusing so much on the unsubs and have more cohesive, believable plot points. I was thinking about The Big
Game/Revelations. We got plenty of backstory on Tobias to show how he came to be a killer, but it didn't feel like too much and it made sense and it worked. There were a lot of scenes with Reid and Tobias but the stories between Tobias' and Reid's childhoods meshed well to show how they came to that point in time. And they were able to integrate the rest of the team and their concern and efforts to find Reid and Tobias well. Tonight's episode never really seemed defined to me. I wasn't quite sure how this unsub ended up so crazy, and the writers seemed to want to show us weird crazy instead of logical crazy, if that makes sense. While I'm glad that they actually thought of the bird connection with the Gideon character, I don't really like where they went with it with regards to the unsub. It wasn't a terrible episode, but every time they cut to the unsub I just wanted them to get back to the team or to young Rossi and Gideon. The unsub part was kind of silly and a waste of time to me, and those watching and chatting with me were in agreement.

[Aethera]

Man, Ben Savage knocked that out of the park.  Right from the start I was shocked at how well he was doing not just Mandy, but actually Gideon.  The mouth movements were especially great.  I texted a friend who gave up on the show years ago about it, and when I said "he's got really good Gideon Mouth" she said "oddly I know exactly what you mean!"

 

This was a cut above recent eps, and I did like the balance of characters.  I do feel like Morgan should have been more emotional, and Hotch a bit too.  I started out feeling disconnected from it because of their reactions, and how long it's been since Gideon left.  I didn't remember stuff about Sarah and other things.  But as it went, especially with how good the flashbacks were, I got sucked in. There were definitely logic problems with the episode, and I too didn't like the Rossi shooting him thing, but I feel like they did a nice job overall.  Perhaps it's about lesser evils in terms of recent episodes, but I'll take it!

 

I wonder what Mandy will think of this episode.

[ForeverAlone]

Yeah, but in the past, we never saw so much of the unsub and what they were actually doing. Nearly everything we found out about the unsub was through the team's eyes as they profiled and caught the unsub. Now, we often see the unsub throughout the entire episode, often at the expense of the actual team. The audience knows more than the team, and the violence is often gratuitous and sometimes borders on torture porn- like tonight. We honestly didn't need to see all we did, and it didn't add to the psychological profile of the unsub, because we never got any sort of idea of why he did what he did.

[threebluestars]

Ben Savage really had the expressions down, you could tell he researched a lot. I love seeing an actor do that.

 

It was nice that this episode felt a lot more like the good Criminal Minds. I've missed that - showrunners take note.

[ForeverAlone]

Here is an interview Erica did about this episode.

 

http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-postmortem-gideon-dies/

[normasm]

SSAHotchner, I think they were implying that this is where Gideon became obsessed with birds, that this particular unsub was The One who set this all in motion, the profiling, the definition of the signature, the caring so deeply for the victims and their families. This is what began it all, 27 years before we see him in Extreme Aggressor, and Gideon evolved into the person he was when Reid knew him.

[Sharpie66]

I was just starting to give up on this show, actually deleting last week's ep off my dvr before watching it because I just wasn't in the mood for another week of "I really don't care!" I hadn't seen any promos for it, so I knew nothing going in.

Boy, that was good! I am actually keeping it on my dvr for rewatching for the first time in a few years.

[Lebanna]

If that was the 'happy ending' that Gideon went off looking for all those years ago, I don't want to know what an unhappy one would have looked like.

Meh. I wasn't Gideon's greatest fan, but I always liked that line and the idea that you really can quit it all and start over, happier.

Damn it.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Lebanna

[JMO]

Getting the negative out of the way, because it was minimal:

 

Too much unsub, with too much graphic gruesomeness.  All I needed to know was that he'd held and tortured the same woman for over three decades, and let her suffer through cancer.  Didn't need to see the torture of the second victim, nor what happened to the poor bird.  Gratuitous----and it displaced the other characters (Reid) from my screen.

 

All the rest---classic CM, welcomed back with open arms.  Some specific observations:

 

Loved the glimpse into the origins of Gideon's interest in birds, as well as the origins of some of the terms we've all learned over the years.

 

Loved the characterizations by the 'young Rossi and Gideon' actors, and the interactions between them.  Loved the idea that they were both about to become fathers at the same time.  The only thing that detracted, for me, was that the actors looked way too young (and the timeline would indicate they were) to have gained enough experience to have been given free rein to start a whole new section within the FBI.  It made me wonder if they were being marginalized ( a la X-files) and then ended up proving all the others wrong. 

 

I wondered why they let Reid make what they all knew would be an emotional drive, in the dark, all alone, especially since Morgan and Garcia obviously traveled together.  Not safe, guys.  But then we wouldn't have had that great throwback scene of Reid's car arriving to the clearing, nor the closeup look of devastation.  Just that, and you had to know that Gideon was dead.

 

Loved that the Reid interactions were with Morgan and Rossi.  Would have loved it with Hotch as well.  As much as I like the idea of the Reid/JJ friendship, it wasn't really what I wanted to see here.

 

Loved the exchanges between Hotch and Rossi, and that Hotch actually laughed!

 

Loved the nod to JJ's PTSD.  Obviously she didn't 'just say no' after reading that file.  I will admit to a momentary fear that the unsub would somehow come back to the cabin occupied only by JJ and Garcia, and that all the action would take place there.  So glad that didn't happen.

 

Loved the ice cream scene, and the return of the JJ and Garcia we used to know.  Liked Kate's observations and what seemed to be her respect that the others were, to one degree or another, grieving.

 

BTW, FA, you wondered how Garcia tracked down employee info from the grocery store from 1978.  She actually commented that it was still family-owned.  I took that to mean she was going to contact the family that owned it, who might still have records.

 

I don't always notice the music, apart from an occasional song overlying a montage (which I usually don't recognize at all!). But I noticed the music last night, because I thought it was inserted so expertly, and did such a great job of enhancing each scene where it was used.

 

I even liked the editing.

 

And, finally---Reid.  I loved pretty much everything about how the show, and MGG, treated his character last night.  He was written and portrayed with emotion, but restraint.  The director ( I liked the quality of the directing last night as well) kept Reid visually in scenes where he wasn't part of the conversation, keeping his anguish present.  (That's what would have worked for JJ last week.)  His scene with Stephen made me wonder if the two had ever met.  The hesitation over the chess set brought back a whole stream of memories of him with Gideon.  His 'reading' of Gideon's letter from memory was just perfectly delivered--- so quiet, and so pain-filled.

 

And here's the most amazing thing.  Apart from the reading of that letter, nearly all of the emotional response MGG elicited from us (from me, anyway--just assuming!), he did in virtual silence.  His arrival at the cabin, the scene in the morgue, his embrace of Stephen, the scene with the chess set---all without him speaking a word.  That's a gift.  One that I want to see on my screen again next week, and the week after, and the week after that......

 

CM gave itself a challenge last night.  It demonstrated that it does remember what good storytelling looks, and sounds and feels like.  Now it just has to do it again.

 

 

[whitespace]

I liked that episode very much, too.

 

Although the ending of the unsub didn't fit somehow. He was smart enough to track down Gideon without him suspecting anything (or else he wouldn't let himself get shot through the window). But then he'd just jump at Rossis offer to shoot him? This also was a bit of a risk. Like in a western, who is able to shoot first (granted Rossi had a vest .. but it was still risky).

Also they had 5 people who would search the unsub's house and Rossi is shouting at the unsub but nobody of the remaining four bothered to back him up?

 

I mean I love Rossi and I get why Rossi wanted to shoot him (and I don't know if Reid would have done it) but this scene could have been better IMHO :)

[Chaos Theory]

I was bored. Really really really bored. I guess i really am on an opposite wave length then everyone else here because it looks like everyone else liked it. Unsub was boring. I guess it is because Reid does nothing for me. His arc type kinda annoys me. CM is one of the few CBS shows still on my radar. (They are full of the quirky geniouses) I guess it says something about the actor that Reid doesn't annoy me completely. I did like the scene in the morgue. The flashbacks did nothing for me either.

I was bored.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[jaytee1812]

Loved the characterizations by the 'young Rossi and Gideon' actors, and the interactions between them.  Loved the idea that they were both about to become fathers at the same time.  The only thing that detracted, for me, was that the actors looked way too young (and the timeline would indicate they were) to have gained enough experience to have been given free rein to start a whole new section within the FBI.  It made me wonder if they were being marginalized ( a la X-files) and then ended up proving all the others wrong.

For some reason I always thought it was agents who had been sidelined that started the BAU. I seemed to remember something, I think, in Unfinished Business in season 1 about everyone else not believing in profiling and they had to prove themselves.

I haven't watched this show since the season opener, I kinda got bored, but I really liked the one. Is it just me or did anyone else see Ayre Gross' name in opening credits and think, 'ah he's the killer'?

Young Rossi and Gideon were spot on. Ben Savage look so like him, the actor playing Rossi did look as much like Joe Mantegna, but he had the same essence. That's a guy who marries three times and parties with Ringo Starr. Loved the nods to the start of the unit, the 'profiler' quip and them getting a plane.

Thomas Gibson is looking old, but that works well for the character.

Agree with everyone that Kristen Vangsness writing is excellent.

[roughing it]

Finally, an episode that seemed like the old Criminal Minds that I used to love and never miss.  I still have CM on, however I have a book or my sudoku puzzle to keep me occupied and usually more interested in than the episode.  This episode, I put my book down and actually watched.  Bravo!

[Aethera]

I wasn't so clear on why JJ was supposed to stay behind with Garcia.  Was it to keep her company, because they for some reason sat in a house that was also the crime scene where their friend had just died long enough to be starving, and that would freak Garcia out? Or was it because of the PTSD? Until you said something, @JustMyOpinion, I didn't think it was the PTSD, because it didn't get mentioned at all last week. So I don't know.

 

Regarding the staying in Gideon's house thing, I guess the point was this was a personal case, so they didn't have a police station to work out of, but they couldn't have been in a hotel?  I know, I know, then we wouldn't have had the ice cream scene and stuff, but odd.

[JMO]

Aethera,I thought it was pretty clearly the PTSD that kept JJ back.  She started to walk out with the rest, but then Hotch stopped her.  His words didn't sound to me like a new order (eg, keep Garcia company or protect the scene), but like a reminder of something they'd already discussed.  And she reacted in kind.

[amensisterfriend]

This is more about my own personal preferences as a lifelong mystery fan than a valid criticism of the show, but I so wish we'd met a few different people with reasons to hate Gideon (maybe one of them could have been a Criminal Minds executive producer...kidding, kidding!) and then got to be surprised along with the team as they used their profiling skills to deduce the Unsub's identity. It just seems so lazy that we virtually *always* see the Unsub's identity from the very outset and wait around for the team to figure out what we already know. The show used to at least vary the format more---some episodes were heavily focused on the Unsub and his motivations while others were more similar to 'whondunits' etc. Either way, I agree that there was too much emphasis on a rather generically awful Unsub and his grossness. 

 

That said, this was easily one of my favorite episodes of the past 2-3 seasons. I'm a big Rossi/JM fan, so I love that he got to do so much in this one. I'd love to see more (or at least read fanfic!) about the Rossi/Gideon dynamic, as I can see them clashing a whole lot before eventually arriving at a certain mutual respect. Reid/MGG was fantastic, and the merciful lack of JJ was a big plus. 

Edited January 29, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[UncleChuck]

 

...I guess it is because Reid does nothing for me. His arc type kinda annoys me

I am also bored with Reid.  His speedy monotone line reading and  unasked for bits of arcane knowledge just hurts my ears. 

 

It was also ridiculous that nerdy Reid would come driving up to Gideon's cabin in a 60 year old car.  Those old autos need CONSTANT care, maintenance and know-how to keep them running and I doubt if Reid could change a tire.  It might seem quaint and "old-school" to have such an old beater, but those cars are only practical for those willing and able to maintain and repair them.  Reid needs to be available at a minute's notice to come-a-running, and he would always be asking for Morgan or JJ to come give him a ride because his clunker was in the shop.

 

Re:  Young Gideon and Rossi--I thought Gideon was pretty spot on, but the young Rossi would have been better if he had used some of the older Rossi's speech patterns and intonations.  Joe Mantegna has one of the most recognizable voices around, yet the younger version of Rossi sounded nothing like him.

[Old Dog]

Reid has a PhD in Engineering so I have no doubt he can keep his classic car running well! I enjoyed the episode. It wasn't perfect but for once the team were done very well - none of the syrupy "family" stuff they usually do but a genuine feeling of family. I love Reid and thought MGG was spot on in this - he actually had very little dialogue but conveyed his grief by expression and sheer good acting. A very good effort - they should never let Messer write alone again. I suspect Kirsten may have stopped her going over the top with sentiment and the episode was all the better for that. I was glad they gave a nod to JJ's PTSD by Hotch making her stay behind. I hope that that's the level they show it at for the rest of the season. We just need more of this kind of subtlety. Best episode this season so far.

[whitespace]

the young Rossi would have been better if he had used some of the older Rossi's speech patterns and intonations.

Maybe Rossi put up this pattern first when he started with the book tours :D

[Calamity Jane]

Finally, an episode that seemed like the old Criminal Minds that I used to love and never miss.  I still have CM on, however I have a book or my sudoku puzzle to keep me occupied and usually more interested in than the episode.  This episode, I put my book down and actually watched.  Bravo!

Me, too!  I was riveted, and it's been a long time since this show had that effect on me.  More, more of this!  Kirsten Vangsness can write them all if this is her standard.  

Edited January 30, 2015 by Calamity Jane

[normasm]

I have to ask, why was Erica Messer's photo used for Sarah? I thought that was a little too contrived and distracting, especially since we saw Sarah many times.

[Old Dog]

I have to ask, why was Erica Messer's photo used for Sarah? I thought that was a little too contrived and distracting, especially since we saw Sarah many times.

Is that so? I shall have to go back and look. Cos that makes me really cringe! It seems almost arrogant to me for EM to put her picture in.

[ForeverAlone]

A minor point, but a PhD in engineering doesn't mean Reid would know anything about the practical work of maintaining cars. They are different set of skills and knowledge. And considering how Reid takes public transportation all the time, I don't think he has a real interest in cars and driving, even though he knows how to drive.

Edited January 29, 2015 by ForeverAlone

[WordFreak]

This is the first time I've ever posted about this show; I'm somewhat late to the party, having gotten sucked in to CM when Bravo (in Canada) ran a marathon a little over a year ago. But, I digress.

 

Finally, an episode this season that I quite enjoyed. Granted, the bar has been set pretty low for episode quality this season, but this was a vast improvement - maybe KV should be given more opportunities to write.

 

I'll admit to being a bit bored with the unsub in this one, but I really enjoyed all the stuff with the team dynamic and the various ways the team members dealt with their grief over Gideon's death.  As another big Reid fan here, I thought MGG did an awesome job. I particularly liked the scene with Morgan at the medical examiner's office. The emotions were clear, but MGG's acting was very subtle.

 

I also enjoyed the flashback scenes and thought Ben Savage did a great job as young Gideon.  Overall, it was nice to see an episode that was more like the earlier episodes of this show.

 

One thing though: I felt so bad for Reid, losing yet another person who was important to him. It's hard to even keep track at this point of how many people he was close to have either died or left him: Elle, Emily, Maeve, Blake, and now Gideon. Have I missed anyone? Can't the writers let him have a little happiness sometime, or is that too much to ask?

[Sharpie66]

I read some speculation back when we last saw that car in "In Birth and Death" that the car had been his mom's, and that he kept it for sentimental reasons, not that he valued it as a vintage car.

[Old Dog]

A minor point, but a PhD in engineering doesn't mean Reid would know anything about the practical work of maintaining cars. They are different set of skills and knowledge. And considering how Reid takes public transportation all the time, I don't think he has a real interest in cars and driving, even if he knows how to drive.

In fact CBS just tweeted this about Reid=

 

Inside Criminal Minds

Reid drives a 2005 Prius, but in this episode, as in Season Three's "In Name and Blood," Reid travels to Gideon's cabin in a 1965 Volvo 122S Amazon.

 

He can certainly drive as we have seen it in numerous episodes such as The Instincts, Third Life, The Angel Maker etc etc. I guess he keeps the Amazon either for sentiment or as a hobby.

[Sharpie66]

I prefer my version of Reid, who puts all of his free money into his mother's care and takes public transportation because he can't afford the care and storage of a car when living in an expensive area like metro DC.

[Aethera]

Aethera,I thought it was pretty clearly the PTSD that kept JJ back.  She started to walk out with the rest, but then Hotch stopped her.  His words didn't sound to me like a new order (eg, keep Garcia company or protect the scene), but like a reminder of something they'd already discussed.  And she reacted in kind.

 

I certainly prefer this explanation!  I guess it didn't occur to me initially because we never saw the Hotch talk.  Which we should have :)

[ForeverAlone]

In fact CBS just tweeted this about Reid=

Inside Criminal Minds

Reid drives a 2005 Prius, but in this episode, as in Season Three's "In Name and Blood," Reid travels to Gideon's cabin in a 1965 Volvo 122S Amazon.

He can certainly drive as we have seen it in numerous episodes such as The Instincts, Third Life, The Angel Maker etc etc. I guess he keeps the Amazon either for sentiment or as a hobby.

Yeah I saw that and wonder where they got that little canon fact, because the show has consistently shown him taking public transportation and have never indicated he drives a car for his personal use, let alone a 2005 Prius. Edited January 29, 2015 by ForeverAlone

[DiamondDoll]

In fact CBS just tweeted this about Reid=

 

Inside Criminal Minds

Reid drives a 2005 Prius, but in this episode, as in Season Three's "In Name and Blood," Reid travels to Gideon's cabin in a 1965 Volvo 122S Amazon.

 

I find it depressing that we need to follow the show on twitter to know all these. How about showing us, instead of tweeting it? Or is half the show happening on twitter these days and they just choose to film and show the JJ bits?

[ForeverAlone]

When is Reid supposed to have bought a Prius though? I mean, he certainly didn't have one at the start of the season nine premiere (and that was explicitly stated), and I can't recall any indication he purchased one since then. 

[normasm]

Diamond Doll, i for one totally ignore the CBS Twitter, and i think they were kidding about the Prius. Or they just forgot what FA just reminded us, that it was stated that he didn't have one. 

[spinner33]

Happy to see so many thought-provoking entries!  This is a good example of why I read the reviews from fans that I trust before I watch an episode.  Based on all the positive things that people here are saying, I will definitely download the episode this weekend and watch it.    Thanks :)

[normasm]

I really think you'll enjoy it, spinner.

[Danielg342]

I guess I'm one of the few dissenters. Pity that.

You know, I *wanted* to like this. It sure did feel like an old CM episode instead of the wannabe "action/horror" show we've been getting for the past four seasons. There was actual profiling. A nod to the early seasons and the way they did things back then- the plot, even, was a nod to "Unfinished Business", where Morgan quipped "that's retirement- BAU style". Vintage Reid. Vintage JJ/Garcia. Heck, even Vintage Morgan, Hotch and Rossi. I loved it when Morgan and Rossi did the "I'm the UnSub" thing, because it really made the show unique. I also really, really enjoyed Rossi and Hotch shooting the breeze about Jason Gideon- usually I find those moments contrived, but it was very sentimental and heartfelt, making it feel like a "real" tribute. I also felt Ben Savage nailed it as young Gideon, as did Robert Dunne as young Rossi, and I wound up enjoying them basically crafting the BAU from the ground up.

...but...something was missing. I don't know what it was.

First of all, for all the "feel" of an older episode, the case didn't play out like that. We had two victims in this episode, with the only one killed being the man (Gideon). Even while purporting to do a throwback episode, CM just couldn't resist its season-long theme of being politically correct. I know it sounds cruel but for once I want an episode that only has women getting killed, like the show used to do. Perhaps I'm being petty about this but there's nothing I hate more than political correctness, and CM has been *horrible* about it this season. I'm sick of omnivores, I'm sick of tiny women overpowering men, I'm sick of men being pawns (as Gideon ultimately was in this episode) and women always being the ones who are saved...knock it off already. All I ask for is *one* case that isn't politically correct...just one, that's all. The writers seem to forget they're not going to win any awards if they "take a stand against misogyny" and even if they were, they seem to forget sexism isn't about who your victims are but how you use all of your characters. Not only is Season 10's crime pattern patently unrealistic, the entire season seems to be written where the writers have one big fat smug smile on their faces. Enough already.

That, though, wasn't the episode's biggest fault. There were several other blunders that took me out of the episode.

I agree there was *way* too much UnSub. He didn't need to be there- his scenes added nothing to the show, meaning we could have revealed him right after revealing the completed, "in-depth" profile. I also found it incredibly unbelievable that he'd be able to snap the woman's legs like twigs- sure, I know she was a tiny girl and he was a burly man, but he was also a scraggily man who looked like he had no idea what "fitness" even means, and no matter how tiny a woman is, I doubt her bones are *that* brittle.

I also thought they really resolved this way too quickly. Perhaps if they had shown the UnSub kill the girl, find another one and have some kind of moment where he realized "it's her", like Frank and Jane, the UnSub's scenes might have worked better- then we could have seen his purpose in action. This guy seemed to have a "method to his madness" like Gideon did, but instead we got some stupid guy who just seemed to like "evil for the LULz".

(Side note: the plot is reminiscent a lot of "The Collector"...surprising Reid missed that, especially considering the only other UnSub (Randall Garner) who got to Gideon's cabin was obsessed with the book as well)

I also found it very hard to believe that someone could get the drop on Gideon. Gideon was always two steps ahead of the criminal, and had no problems baiting criminals because he knew, innately, how they would react. Right there in "Extreme Aggressor" we had Gideon daring the UnSub to shoot him, because he knew that the UnSub had a horrible shot and wouldn't kill him- and the girl he held hostage. So while I buy that Gideon would come back and bait Nelson's Sparrow, I don't buy that Gideon wouldn't take precautions- like maybe living out of a motel- to ensure Nelson's Sparrow couldn't get him. Unfortunately, Gideon seemed to have to be stupid for the plot to work, and that's a slap in the face to the character.

(Mind you, I'm sure there are others who would love to slap Gideon in the face, but the character practically *built* the show...he deserves a better tribute than being dumbed down for an episode

I also very much believe that writing off Gideon in one episode is also disrespectful of the impact of the character- we should have had a two-parter, at least)

Then there was the actual resolution...it seemed so rushed that it just came out of the blue, and Garcia was at it *again* typing away and getting the answer. How utterly entirely unsatisfying. I also felt the solution was too simplistic- so you've found him because he's a bird watcher? Exactly *how* many birdwatchers are there in the world? It would have made more sense if we found out that Gideon and the UnSub had crossed paths at some point before...this might also explain why the UnSub targeted Gideon, since I think it's a stretch that the UnSub would think "random new guy at the diner" is some kind of threat.

This would have worked better if, during the original case, Gideon had narrowed it down to a criminal but couldn't arrest him because he had no evidence. *Then* Gideon stalking the guy at diners would be motive enough for the UnSub to kill Gideon, because then he'd rightly think Gideon is a threat. Rossi- or maybe even Morgan, Hotch or Reid- could have then known his name (since Gideon was bound to have discussed the case with someone else), giving the basis for why we saw the UnSub early, and the team then profiles the UnSub to catch him. Or it came to light that the UnSub was part of the same bird watching group Gideon was a part of, with Gideon only realizing this within the past year.

There were just so many other ways they could have done it- simpler ways- and still found all the time they needed to get sentimental about Gideon. Instead, I feel like the episode as a whole was drowned in nostalgia and sentimentality that it forgot to write a coherent case; and *that*, I think is the episode's ultimate problem.

Do I think it sucks that Gideon was killed? Yeah...doesn't feel right, because I never like seeing main characters getting killed off, but I accept it...there's a 0.0000000001% chance that Mandy Patinkin buries the hatchet and at least agrees to a proper send-off, so the fact that he's dead doesn't detract too much from the final product.

I just wish we got an episode that *actually* paid tribute to Gideon, instead of one that pretended that it did.

[ForeverAlone]

When I looked at comments around the various fan forums, most of the comments were very positive. But for those that weren't, there were three basic reasons why people didn't like it.

 

1. Many thought there is no way that this unsub would have been able to get the better of Gideon. As I talked about in my comment, we had no real explanation for how the unsub was able to track Gideon and surprise him. Gideon was smarter than that, and he had surveillance on his cabin. I really don't think he was setting some sort of trap for the unsub in that he wanted the unsub to find him. I do agree that I wish if Gideon HAD to be murdered (and while I was okay with him dying, I wasn't thrilled about him being murdered), the unsub would have been more formidable rather than a weaselly little unsub who preys on weak, broken women. Typically speaking, unsubs like that don't exactly target strong males like Gideon is. 

 

2. Many, many people were upset over the yet another crap sandwich fed to Reid. Maybe it's because Matthew does anguish so well (better than anyone else in the cast), or maybe it's also because there is a large fanbase affectionate for Reid, but so many people were unhappy that Reid lost yet another person in his life (even if Gideon had left years prior), and there is very little good in Reid's life. For me, it was interesting (and I think a bit telling about Reid's state of mind) that when he had Sarah's picture, he was reciting the final lines of Gideon's letter to him, and was pondering why Gideon came back to Virginia, that he wondered if Gideon had found a new love. I tend to think that Reid was thinking about Gideon's desire for a belief in happy endings, and was projecting his own desire and hope to find a new love. That he hoped Gideon had found new happiness for himself out in the world, because Reid hopes that for himself (though he wouldn't have said anything so explicit).

 

3. While these comments were much fewer than the previous two, there was definitely a subset of fans who weren't pleased that the show seemed to insinuate that Rossi baited the unsub to shoot at him, to given him justification for killing him. I do have a serious problem with Rossi basically murdering the unsub. It wasn't as overt as Elle's murder, but still. Rossi deliberately baited the unsub, because he wanted to kill the unsub. I know the scene was left ambiguous, so we don't really know what happened to the unsub, but I think we are supposed to think (and cheer) that Rossi shot him as payback for Gideon. I am not a fan of turning law enforcement officers into killers and then celebrating it. The unsub had basically surrendered and he did not pose an imminent threat to anyone. That man was going to prison for the rest of his life. This action seemed to be an extension of the approval Kate got earlier in the season when she basically bragged about beating on perps. This show and this team is supposed to be better than this. When Elle did it, it wasn't something to be celebrated. It was supposed to be shocking, and it was the catalyst for her exit. I personally don't think that is good justice for Gideon, or it would have been approved of by Gideon. Adrian Bale killed six FBI officers (due to Gideon's mistake no less), but he was arrested and not killed or basically set up to be murdered.

[JMO]

Danielg, I'm glad you were able to enjoy some aspects of the episode, and sorry you didn't enjoy the rest.

 

I can agree with you that this particular unsub seemed a bit too pedestrian to have been able to take out the founder of the BAU. But I also think it made the whole thing more poignant.  That the great Jason Gideon didn't go out in a blaze of glory, but simply died, alone, at the hands of someone who shouldn't have been able to kill him. It certainly created a powerful message for the rest of the team. 

 

Sudden, unexpected deaths are often like that.  But for a happenstance in one direction or the other, they wouldn't have occurred.  It's what makes them so difficult to absorb, and what tempts the survivor to go through the 'shoulda, woulda, coulda' process. 

 

If we'd had a long term or powerful nemesis killing Gideon, this would have been a very different episode.  But I'm not sure it would have had the same emotional impact.

[ForeverAlone]

I do agree that the best thing about this episode was the substantial team work and profiling. And I absolutely agree that if Erica has it in her to write something like this (with Kirsten's help), why doesn't she push for more of this from the writers? Why put up with the often mediocre crap they too often put out that puts the unsub front and center and the team acting like the guest stars. Why can't she push for this for every episode? Why does she settle and actually think it is good, or not care? It's odd. I don't this episode is a sign of things to come, but more likely one of the high points for this season. I wonder what Erica would say to all of that.