S10.E21: Mr. Scratch

[Bookish Jen]

I love Hotch. He might actually be my favorite character and yes I did like 200. I liked the idea of this episode but the execution felt too science fiction to me. Plus I took exception to Garcia not being able to place the code. Yes I know that everyone loves Reid and giving him a chance to be smart is always appreciated but this was directly someone else's domain. Plus the lights flickering on and off like they did was just horror movie trope. And making me use the word "trope" pisses me off.

I don't know. The episode just didn't work for me.

Thanks for sharing your opinions. I believe this is a place where we can share our various opinions about certain CM episodes, characters, the cast, writers, various forms of media re: CM, and treat each other with respect. Never refrain from speaking your mind.

 

I initially came here because I had discovered CM and quickly got addicted finding myself very attracted to Reid (and Matthew) in a multitude of ways, and this place was where I found like-minded people. I could discuss CM and Reid (Matthew) in a way that was intelligent, funny, thought-provoking and eye-opening. Yes, I know CM is "just" a TV show, but it is one that a lot of us take very personally. I take a weird ownership of this show and find myself defending it even though it often pisses me off (shakes fist at Erica Messer).

 

Obviously, there are a lot Reid fans here (yea, that's putting it mildly), and I bet those who are kind of meh Reid feel a bit left out. If someone likes a character that often gets dumped on a lot by us Reid-ettes, let's say JJ or Garcia, well, don't hesitate to explain why you like these characters so much. I am really interested in reading other people's opinions. That makes this place (and life in general) so much more interesting.

 

And I did like 200 for one reason. I think Esai Morales is seriously hot; he kind of looks like my last boyfriend Carlos. Yes, I'm being shallow.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Bookish Jen

[Droogie]

Now, to me, this is as close as we'll probably ever get to the elimination of Penelope's magic computer solving everything at a tippy-tap. TPTB seem to have been listening to some of us moan about her magic computer, because they first had her tell Hotch she was going to have to slog through the analog black hole because the connection was 30 years old, and then the whole network and backup went down. Meanwhile, Reid can read and comprehend 20,000 words a minute (and remember what he reads), and think even faster, so it made sense that his "computer" would still be functional. So I liked that.

I agree. Plus, Reid sees patterns while reading/comprehending at the speed of light, and this was math. Not just any math, but crazy, freaky math. That would definitely be his area. I liked the nod to his mathematician side.

[WordFreak]

Dang it! My cable went out last night, and I didn't get to see this episode! Must see a rerun, since from skimming this forum it sounds like I missed a good one. Why couldn't the cable have gone out during pretty much any other episode? If I get a chance to see it, I'll post again. 

[Calamity Jane]

The only negatives for me were that the backstory/motive was not made clear enough, that the unsub was too much of a superman in abilities, and of course, that the FBI never remembers that there is local law enforcement who could come as back-up.  Hotch thought the woman was in danger, so the police should have been called.  

 

However, those are nitpicks.  Overall it was a powerful episode that grabbed and held my attention.  Very well done indeed.  More of the same (writing, directing, and acting) would be most welcome! 

[zannej]

Don't have too much time for a long reply but I do want to raise an additional question, JMO:

Is Peter Lewis even dead?

I'm pretty sure they showed him alive and being walked out to a police car at the end. When the team found him in a closet he said "I won". Morgan said "No, you didn't" and his reply was "You don't know what I did to him. I win."

[Danielg342]

I'm pretty sure they showed him alive and being walked out to a police car at the end. When the team found him in a closet he said "I won". Morgan said "No, you didn't" and his reply was "You don't know what I did to him. I win."

I remember that part, and the creepy smirk Lewis gave Hotch, which elicted the WTF moment from Hotch. I guess this means that when Hotch shot Lewis, he was still halucinating. I didn't get a sense of that clearly- since the Morgan/JJ arrest felt like a “dream” too. In fact, that whole final sequence felt like a “haze” and nothing seemed to make any sense to me...and this time, I liked that, since it captured the same confusion Hotch had to have felt.

[Ganya]

I really want to appreciate everyone involved when they give us what we (many adult fans) have been asking for.  Wow.  Exquisite and cinematic direction, and Matthew got A game performances out of everyone.  With this on his resume, he will be taken even more seriously for outside projects.  He got the story he needed, finally, and he held the weirdiness in a bit of restraint which was his weakness sometimes before.  He seems to have purposely restrained himself  a bit, based on one interview, and it shows to good effect. 

 

TG...speechless.  Everything you all  said. Dude can really act.  Why don't they let him do so more often?   Here is another big contrast....with JJ and Garcia written and acted as adults, as professionals, without cartoonish distortion in this episode, it makes so many other episodes even more painful by comparison. 

 

If they can all do this, can we have it more often??? Fanatastic.  Hope CBS/ABC are seeing that doing all this is a pump for ratings and they can do it more often. 

 

I have also noticed that when MGG, TG, JM direct they let the cast give better performances...more adult, more intelligent, no buffonery. Even when KV co-wrote with Erica, KV seems to have added back some dignity and intelligence and removed some ridiculousness.  AJ was perfect too, give her credit when she and the writing deserve it.  She was not written snotty, and showed compassion as well as good profile skills that were not super human.  Garcia...upstream people said it best.  Again, such a refreshing contrast from the magic computer, and they let Reid solve the data issue by using some abilities that he can routinely contribute if allowed.

 

So the best trend this season is that the cast has broken themselves out, shown a lot of top talent, they understand what it needs to be, so CBS please let others support them the same way. 

 

But to end on a high note, this was fantastic...all around.  I will watch it over and over.  I was literally on the edge of seat, just where Matthew said he was going to put us. 

[Russet29]

If they can all do this, can we have it more often??? Fanatastic.  Hope CBS/ABC are seeing that doing all this is a pump for ratings and they can do it more often. 

Unfortunately it didn't provide a ratings bump. It scored a 2.0 in the demo, down a tenth from last week and four tenths from its lead-in. Hopefully good word of mouth will help with live+7.

[Saje]

I agree that the cast has proven themselves as worthy writers/directors this season. We always knew Matthew was good, just sometimes the material wasn't that hot. 

 

It's been great seeing them break out, as you say Ganya, and it's such a treat when we get a thrilling ride like last night. I noticed too, Matthew seems to really like using Hotch front and center. 

 

I think this was the best episode all season. If someone's counting chits, cast my vote for awesome!

[Racbec]

I think this was the best episode of this season as well--and it is definitely in my top ten episodes of the entire series (if I made such lists).  Great job by all involved.  

 

I also want to say that I like that it left some unanswered questions.  Not the kind that we are often left with, like "Why is JJ acting like a snotty super ninja warrior all of sudden?" or "Do the writers think we're idiots?" or the ever popular "WTF was that?" but good questions that make me want to continue watching the show.  I suspect that is what MGG and Breen were going for.    

[missmycat]

Dang it! My cable went out last night, and I didn't get to see this episode! Must see a rerun, since from skimming this forum it sounds like I missed a good one. Why couldn't the cable have gone out during pretty much any other episode? If I get a chance to see it, I'll post again. 

If you have cable, you don't need to wait for a rerun. Because if the episode isn't already ON Demand, it probably will be in the next few days or so. and you can always watch it online.

[missmycat]

Unfortunately it didn't provide a ratings bump. It scored a 2.0 in the demo, down a tenth from last week and four tenths from its lead-in.w Hopefully good word of mouth will help with live+7.

As well as the live+3.

Now here is something interesting I learned recently. The actual demo for this episode was a 1.946 but the network rounded it out to a 1.9.Had it gotten a 1.950 it would have been rounded out to a 2.0. Again going from 1.9 to a 2.0 the way this episode did in the final ratings may not have seemed like much of an increase.However if you were to look at the actual numbers you will find that it went from a 1.946 to a 2.013 and that is quite a significant increase indeed.

Edited April 24, 2015 by missmycat

[iscoffy]

Under scrutiny in the light of day, I'm not convinced certain parts of this episode hold up, but it certainly was atmospheric and creepy, and kept me interested (if vaguely terrified).  I've been watching CM out of a sort of sad sense of loyalty for quite some time, like when you hang out with an old, washed-up high-school buddy out of a sense of duty, but kind of wish you hadn't.  While this episode was not perfect (what the heck kind of concoction of drugs are we talking about here?  Even if the magic drugs worked on people who were kids he presumably set up somehow to trigger when he was a kid, or at least knew how to trigger them based on shared history, why would they work so well on the child psych and Hotch?  How the heck did his hacking blow out the fuses at the FBI?  Why would no one call local LEO rather than Hotch barging in by himself?), it kept my interest, didn't reveal the unsub too soon, had characters who were sympathetic, and let Thomas Gibson show his acting chops.  

 

Overall, I'm hoping my washed-up high school bud is turning it around. 

Edited April 24, 2015 by iscoffy

[Russet29]

As well as the live+3.

Now here is something interesting I learned recently. The actual demo for this episode was a 1.946 but the network rounded it out to a 1.9.Had it gotten a 1.950 it would have been rounded out to a 2.0. Again going from 1.9 to a 2.0 the way this episode did in the final ratings may not have seemed like much of an increase.However if you were to look at the actual numbers you will find that it went from a 1.946 to a 2.013 and that is quite a significant increase indeed.

Yea I saw the 1.946 number in the comments section on tvbythenumbers and felt the need to dramatically snap my fingers out of frustration: so close to being rounded up. Where do you find those specific numbers? I found a site that reported them a while back but I forget what it was. I'm oddly fascinated by tv ratings and I enjoy trying to figure out what's gonna get renewed what's gonna get cancelled.

[Ganya]

What forums do u think Messer, writers, CBS actually look at?  This is open for all to read, and we all give really thoughtful opinion and discussion.  CBS own sites, probably, but no room to say much and no discourse and many teens.  Round Table?  Others?

[threebluestars]

Judging from how bad so many episodes are, it doesn't sound like they pay attention to the wants of the fandom much at all. Otherwise we'd have the show get back to seasons 1-5 goodness ...

[Saje]

Well I know CBS owns TVGuide, which I'm sure is why Erica talks to them all the time. Other than that I imagine they have some poor overworked interns whose job it is to scour social media for any mention of CM. What a boring job.

[spinner33]

The way this staff hangs out on social media, patting themselves on the back? Or how they push certain characters on Facebook all the time? There is def some poor soul who has to scour around for any mention, and then react or counter react. Don't doubt it for a second.

[Droogie]

I'm sure they have someone whose job it is to troll on the interwebs and read mentions of CM. I've no doubt they've visited this forum, and others, but I don't know if they do it regularly. And I think they do pay attention to fan comment to an extent, although I have to hope they discount at least some of the teenybopper posts (some I saw regarding last night's ep were angry that JJ didn't get a death scene in Hotch's nightmare -- wha?!?! ).

Edited April 24, 2015 by Droogie

[Ganya]

The reason I wondered is because it seems that we are getting more of what we want...still some awfulness, but more goodness than I thought a year ago.  And the good stuff fits with what we are writing.  Or maybe it is just the cast rebelling against the crap, when they have a time to direct/write.

 

About teenies wanting JJ death scene....I think that there would have been unnecessary distraction from the main point to kill the JJ/baby after all the diva drama re:  JJ miscarriage.  I am glad we were spared.  The main point was that Hotch hallucinated that multiple team were killed with shots to the neck, a fear rooted in most recent near death, Reid in  Demons. 

[missmycat]

Yea I saw the 1.946 number in the comments section on tvbythenumbers and felt the need to dramatically snap my fingers out of frustration: so close to being rounded up. Where do you find those specific numbers? I found a site that reported them a while back but I forget what it was. I'm oddly fascinated by tv ratings and I enjoy trying to figure out what's gonna get renewed what's gonna get cancelled.

I didn't find them myself. Someone on another forum I belong to found those numbers. Have you ever checked out spotted ratings.com?

[Lillybee]

The beginning of this episode had me thinking that I was watching Grimm/

[zannej]

Did anyone notice that this episode was less than 42 minutes long (including the theme song credits part)? I wonder why it was so short. Aren't the episodes usually at least 42 minutes? I wonder if they filmed a JJ death scene and it had to be cut. I actually think the Reid death scene was done the best because its just BLAM! blood on the window and he's down and you can't see his face or anything and you just have to go by JJ's reaction. I don't think he was shot in the neck though, I think that was a headshot. I couldn't really tell because it was dark.

 

I just watched again and noticed at the end that Hotch had a tear welling in his eye and then closed his eyes. One eye was in shadow, but the eye that was visible had a tear dripping down his face (albeit a small very slim one).

Edited April 24, 2015 by zannej

[Danielg342]

I wasn't happy that JJ didn't get a “death”, but for different reasons- only the males of the team were shot. I've been deriding this season for its inherent “political correctness”, and this seemed to be an attempt at that- but that sequence is good for neither gender.

On one side, shooting the men means their lives don't matter, especially callous for the fans of Rossi, Reid and Morgan. On the other side, it suggests that the women of the team are too “weak” to have to face any real danger and aren't worth the “heroic” death the males suffered.

Now, perhaps the show was worried that if they made AJ Cook or Jennifer Love Hewitt collapse they'd risk their pregnancies, and perhaps by shooting Morgan, Reid and Rossi, the writer is intentionally getting rid of Hotch's “best friends” on the team (which leads to the curious observation that perhaps Hotch's worst nightmare is being stuck with women- how's that for another sexist statement?). Maybe in other seasons I wouldn't think so much about this- but given how this season has gone, I can't help but notice something like that.

[normasm]

Well, JJ herself called him a bully and Prentiss said he didn't trust women as much as he trusted men, all the way back to Revelations… I do think it was designed not to have JJ fall or do anything more strenuous than run with gun drawn because she's pregnant. It also served to show her abject terror that Spence was down. I think it's plausible that Hotch might attribute that behavior to her, remembering their history.

Edited April 24, 2015 by normasm

[MCatry]

Did anyone notice that this episode was less than 42 minutes long (including the theme song credits part)? I wonder why it was so short. Aren't the episodes usually at least 42 minutes? I wonder if they filmed a JJ death scene and it had to be cut. I actually think the Reid death scene was done the best because its just BLAM! blood on the window and he's down and you can't see his face or anything and you just have to go by JJ's reaction. I don't think he was shot in the neck though, I think that was a headshot. I couldn't really tell because it was dark.

 

I just watched again and noticed at the end that Hotch had a tear welling in his eye and then closed his eyes. One eye was in shadow, but the eye that was visible had a tear dripping down his face (albeit a small very slim one).

I've been counting scenes for a while now, and episodes do not reach 42 minutes nowadays.

[MCatry]

I wasn't happy that JJ didn't get a “death”, but for different reasons- only the males of the team were shot. I've been deriding this season for its inherent “political correctness”, and this seemed to be an attempt at that- but that sequence is good for neither gender.

On one side, shooting the men means their lives don't matter, especially callous for the fans of Rossi, Reid and Morgan. On the other side, it suggests that the women of the team are too “weak” to have to face any real danger and aren't worth the “heroic” death the males suffered.

Now, perhaps the show was worried that if they made AJ Cook or Jennifer Love Hewitt collapse they'd risk their pregnancies, and perhaps by shooting Morgan, Reid and Rossi, the writer is intentionally getting rid of Hotch's “best friends” on the team (which leads to the curious observation that perhaps Hotch's worst nightmare is being stuck with women- how's that for another sexist statement?). Maybe in other seasons I wouldn't think so much about this- but given how this season has gone, I can't help but notice something like that.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over-thinking this. It is truly unlikely that they would have gone into that meta-text analysis, specially since we all know they are writing for younger audiences nowadays, and media representations that are not straight are then qualified by them as weird, or confusing. I doubt they tried to represent sexism with the scene, or even the statement that Hotch trust men more than woman (canon from season two) since they dismiss everything done by Bernero. My bet is that they just didn't shot JJ because the actress couldn't just fall and using a stunt was not good enough visually.

Of course I bet there were quite a few that wanted a JJ death, but for an entirely different motive that not being included in the shooting.

And finally, it is a lot more shocking to see Reid and Morgan die, than just JJ, for the vast majority of the audience, whether JJ fans like it or not.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

So I re-watched, and there aren't just hints of Stephen King's It, but David Cronenberg's Scanners. (See it if you haven't.)

 

Firstly,, let me say that this is the creepiest ep of CM I can remember. Gubler also directed season seven's Heathridge Manor, but this outshines that for the sheer spookiness of it all. The possibility of the devil coming to get you ain't got nothing on Mr. Scratch.

 

As has been mentioned upthread, I was very worried that the young boy would be killed, particularly since his dad was telling the kid that sometimes fathers make mistakes, but that he was trying to make up for the one he'd made with his mom. And DanielG342, I'm surprised that you didn't make note that its JJ who says the guy's paternal instinct made him kill himself instead of going into his son's bedroom and kill him. There's meta for you if you're looking it. :-)

 

Also, I really liked how quiet this episode was. Lots of dialogue, but very little bang-bang-pow until the end. That's what made Christine's freak-out stand out so much, that up until then we'd only seen the victims be shell-shocked by what they'd done. The guy asking if his mother had felt much pain, if he had killed her quickly, broke my heart a little. He knew he'd done it and was numbed by it, but him wanting to know if she'd suffered much was particularly hard to hear.

 

"This is cozy" from Kate made me chuckle, especially since the lights had just blown out and Garcia's computer went down. And of course I loved that Reid had to be their computer, up to and including listing the upper levels of math.

 

I'm sure some of ya'll already know this, but Bodhi Elfman is married to Jenna Elfman, who was of course the Dharma to TG's Greg back in the day.

 

I thought the doctor sounded a little too cheery when Hotch arrived at her house, but that weirdly made it even creepier when she stabbed herself. And I liked that he got to attempt to defend himself instead of dropping like a stone. We get to see so little of Badass!Aaron these days that even though he ended up drugged, he did his damnedest to avoid that, which was much appreciated. And even in the midst of being drugged, he managed to fight back as much as he could. "Oh, that was good. That was so good, that was so impressive. How you got into my head." Yes. Yes, it was.

 

I jumped and jumped hard when Reid got shot, mostly because it was at point-blank range and he just....dropped like a bag of wet laundry. And whatever I do or don't think of AJ Cook's abilities as an actress, I believed JJ's horror when she realized he was dead. I winced more than a little at Morgan gurgling for air, then Hotch's "No!" before the second shot was fired.

 

I can't imagine what this might do to Aaron. There's so little left of the season that I don't know how much it can be explored, but it should be. One of his biggest fears in the early seasons was that there would be a point where he would ask too much from the team, and after Haley died the job was his throughline. What could be worse than watching his co-workers die, even if it was only a hallucination? "This is what happened", indeed.

 

Sorry this is such a long post, but this was such an awesome episode that I went into more detail than I thought I would. I give it a solid A.

[normasm]

Loved reading your review, CoStar!

[Droogie]

Bravo, CoStar! You've made excellent points.

And "Scanners"! Good grief. I haven't thought of that movie in years. It really scared me. You're right about that.

[backgroundnoise]

The only negatives for me were that the backstory/motive was not made clear enough, that the unsub was too much of a superman in abilities, and of course, that the FBI never remembers that there is local law enforcement who could come as back-up.  Hotch thought the woman was in danger, so the police should have been called. 

I agree.

 

However, those are nitpicks.

I disagree.  I don't watch Criminal Minds to practice my eyeball rolling.  This show used to be smarter than this.

 

Can anyone comment as to whether or not it is even possible to induce a stranger into murder?  I guess I can buy the kids because they were preprogrammed to fear the Scratcher, but how would drugs along work on the lady doctor or Hotch?  I find it hard to believe you can throw something into anyone's face, say "Kill the first person through the door" or "Stab yourself in the neck" and it would happen. 

Edited April 24, 2015 by backgroundnoise

[Droogie]

I disagree. I don't watch Criminal Minds to practice my eyeball rolling. This show used to be smarter than this.

Can anyone comment as to whether or not it is even possible to induce a stranger into murder? I guess I can buy the kids because they were preprogrammed to fear the Scratcher, but how would drugs along work on the lady doctor or Hotch? I find it hard to believe you can throw something into anyone's face, say "Kill the first person through the door" or "Stab yourself in the neck" and it would happen.

I found the episode so good that I wasn't annoyed at all the very few times I had to invoke my willing suspension of disbelief.

Scopolamine is very powerful and dangerous. It has been used as a truth serum, and there are reports that it has in fact been used to coerce people to commit various crimes, including murder, cheerfully. And then they don't remember it afterward.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Droogie

[needschocolate]

My take on only the men getting shot in Aaron's hallucination of his biggest fear - Penelope wouldn't be part of that hallucination because she doesn't work out in the field.  Aaron doesn't know Kate well enough to be that close to her.  Obviously, the three guys are very important to him.  And, apparently, like many of the posters here, Aaron does't care much for JJ.  

 

Or maybe JJ's superpowers are so great that she can avoid death in a hallucination.

 

I enjoyed the episode, it was interesting and well acted.  Personally, I wish the unsub had died at the end because I get the feeling that the he will be back now, and I am not fond of storylines that disappear for weeks then come back.  

 

I didn't watch this show in its glory days.  I started watching just a few years ago.  I am so used to looking for nits to pick that I can't seem to stop.  I know they tried to explain it away, but it seems silly that Garcia can quickly come up with a list of left-handed white males with receding hairlines who bought a cup of coffee with soy milk in the last three weeks, but can't find the records of children who were at the same foster home.  (I guess my nitpick is that Garcia's computer abilities were too realistic?)

 

I also found it ridiculous that Hotch was all by himself.  "Oh no! The psychiatrist is his next target.  He will try to drug her and make her kill.  Hey, we just happen to be down the road from her.  I will go to her place and see what is going on.  Rossi, call her and tell her to watch out.  The rest of you stand around the phone in case I call."

[Russet29]

My take on only the men getting shot in Aaron's hallucination of his biggest fear - Penelope wouldn't be part of that hallucination because she doesn't work out in the field.  Aaron doesn't know Kate well enough to be that close to her.  Obviously, the three guys are very important to him.  And, apparently, like many of the posters here, Aaron does't care much for JJ.  

I don't think we've seen anything in the show that indicates Hotch cares any less for JJ than he does the other members of his team. Personally I think people have made too much of this. In all likelihood it was just a matter of practicality (due to AJC's pregnancy) or timing (the scene probably would have felt too drawn out if each team member got their own death scene).

[hazel0711]

Oh my goodness! What did I just watch? This episode goes right into my top 10 CM-episode list! I loveeee the script - it was brilliant! And MGG as director..always leave a heavy impression and makes me think about the episode over and over again lol. It feels like I'm watching an episode from an older season.. sooooo good!  And totally redeemed this lousy season. :3 

[Droogie]

Shemar posted today in his InstaGram a little clip of the filming of his death scene. You can hear Matthew yelling out direction. It's pretty cool.

[zannej]

I caught one outright blooper in the episode. When Hotch was walking through the door of the shrink's house, he passed a mirror and for a split second you could see the red recording light of the camera reflecting in it.

 

I just realized that nobody mentioned anything about how the unsub got into the house. Did they ever mention anything about signs of someone having broken in? How did he get in?

 

I wonder if CBS nixed the idea of JJ being killed because the producers know she's pregnant or if it was a time thing. Really, all they had to do was have another gunshot be heard while Rossi and Morgan were in the kitchen-- which would suggest JJ's death without showing it.

 

Watched this again with my brother and friend. When the lights blinked and started frying, my brother rolled his eyes and said "Really?" and then sighed. He thought the rest of it was ok-- but he said the poweroutage was over the top. He also didn't like Garcia's "beyond the beyond the beyond" line. My friend's girlfriend got home and started yabbering at us while we were trying to watch so they didn't see Reid's death scene. Then the girlfriend finally shut her piehole (my friend had to pause the video until she finished her bitching). She even griped that we were watching Criminal Minds and its a show she watches but she hadn't caught up to this one yet. Anyway, it gets to Morgan getting shot and she shouts "WHAT THE FUCK?!" and my friend said "Calm down, its a hallucination". LOL.

Edited April 25, 2015 by zannej

[Saje]

I wonder if it was MGG's double that got his head blown open and slid down the wall. We see Reid's face at first, then he's spun around and that's when that horrible slide comes. I wonder if his double stepped in so Matthew could direct AJ seeing him dead, and reacting. 

 

For the past two days I've been flashing on that scene at the most unexpected times. It hit me at work while I was on a break and I got really choked up. I wonder too if Matthew realizes how powerful/horrible that scene was for some of us Reid fans.

[Droogie]

. . that horrible slide comes . . .

For the past two days I've been flashing on that scene at the most unexpected times. It hit me at work while I was on a break and I got really choked up. I wonder too if Matthew realizes how powerful/horrible that scene was for some of us Reid fans.

That horrible slide indeed. I was kind of undone for a bit. He just looked so...dead. Those scenes of the team being shot were so fast, frenetic even, but so shocking. I had to rewatch several times to get the details. I knew intellectually they were ok (the season isn't over) but I couldn't process it all fast enough. There was something so final in JJ coming upon him -- she was so horrified and couldn't decide where to put her hands. She knew it was hopeless. Looked like something shiny was on the back of his head -- blood? I couldn't tell.

Also there is the significance of Rossi and Morgan being shot in the neck (we discussed this on another forum). Like that kind of injury was at the forefront of Hotch's thoughts, since Reid was nearly fatally wounded in that way last season and it was the last serious injury anyone on his team experienced, but Hotch hallucinated Reid being shot in the head -- in the brain, his most formidable weapon. As if Hotch fears something happening to Reid's mind, beyond it being blown out of his skull by a bullet.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Droogie

[zannej]

I didn't notice the spinning around and sliding. But I thought it was very effective the way Reid's "death" was shot. Just walking along, gun pokes out, blam-- blood all over... I'm pretty sure that was blood on the back of his head. I also assume it was a photo/stunt double so that Matthew could direct the reaction.

 

I still think they could have had JJ's "death" offscreen with a second gunshot and Morgan and Rossi in the kitchen reacting. Maybe one of them calling out to her and not getting a response. I wonder if that was cut for time.

 

Shemar posted behind-the-scenes of his death scene on Twitter/Instagram. https://twitter.com/shemarmoore/status/591663942382034944

It was his first death scene in his career and apparently his Momma didn't like it. Man, I just remembered what Joe said about how his daughter, Mia, reacted to scenes of him getting hurt or killed. I bet she *hated* the Rossi shot in the neck thing. Apparently those sorts of scenes make her cry because, even though she knows he's ok, it still bugs her to see bad things happen to her daddy on screen. Sweet girl.

 

I have another minor nitpick (that didn't detract from my enjoyment). I couldn't quite place it, but upon 4th viewing of the episode I realized that Hotch's shirt was pretty pristine for someone who had apparently been sweating. I think there would have been more blood and it might have been more runny because he splashed water on himself. Even small cuts on the face can bleed a lot. It probably should have gotten on his collar a little, and his shirt should have been wet at least at the pits (unless Hotch discovered some really fantastic antiperspirant). The shirt was just too dry and clean looking for some reason.

 

The one directing choice that was persistent throughout that I didn't like was the darkness. I know they were going for a horror film thing, but I think the light level could have been a bit higher. I didn't like the interview rooms being so dark. It just didn't work for me-- because I have terrible night vision and I had trouble seeing. I can understand the darkness in some of the scenes, but it didn't make sense in all of them.

 

In terms of the story, I still don't understand how the unsub got in without signs of a break-in and I don't get how he caused the power surge that fried stuff-- and I don't get how they got power restored without having to hire an electrician because surges like that will actually damage the wiring. I should know because I have some fried wiring in my house. I have bad wiring from all of the surges and porch and front room lights don't work anymore because the wires are toast. I know the government is probably too cheap to have individual UPC units for each of the computers, but they would likely have a surge protector for the circuit box. They sell whole house circuit breakers that are attached to the main line going in to the breaker box. FBI probably has more than one box.

 

I also wondered why they couldn't have just used some of the facilities at the J.Edgar Hoover building instead of Garcia needing a wifi hotspot. They probably could have accessed the files at that building instead. Ok, I know the answer is that it would have been too easy that way and it would have required coming up with an approximation of that building-- which is actually pretty neat. I visited it on a school field trip once and they brought out a guy who greatly resembled Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks to do a shooting demonstration (inside a room with a big window so we could see in but the sound was muffled).

[Danielg342]

I should probably say that I thought JJ's death was a minor quibble in what was, overall, a great scene. It just was a quibble based on what else has gone on this season, with those other things (like "If The Shoe Fits...") being far more problematic than this scene was.

[Droogie]

I didn't notice the spinning around and sliding. But I thought it was very effective the way Reid's "death" was shot. Just walking along, gun pokes out, blam-- blood all over... I'm pretty sure that was blood on the back of his head. I also assume it was a photo/stunt double so that Matthew could direct the reaction.

 I have another minor nitpick (that didn't detract from my enjoyment). I couldn't quite place it, but upon 4th viewing of the episode I realized that Hotch's shirt was pretty pristine for someone who had apparently been sweating. I think there would have been more blood and it might have been more runny because he splashed water on himself. Even small cuts on the face can bleed a lot. It probably should have gotten on his collar a little, and his shirt should have been wet at least at the pits (unless Hotch discovered some really fantastic antiperspirant). The shirt was just too dry and clean looking for some reason.

We didn't see him slide but there was that long smear on the wall above his head when JJ found his body. (Oh, gosh. I hate even typing that out.)

I agree about Hotch's shirt! I know the man is impeccable but dang! He should've been sweaty and there should've been some blood on it, like you said.

[Gbb]

Well I haven't been reading anything much online so I didn't know anything about this episode at all (although I figured out about half-way through that MGG had directed it, just by the "feel" of it, which I think speaks well to his talent and voice as a director). But partly because of no info, and partly because I watched it around 2 a.m., when Reid went down my first thought was, "Oh shit, did he not renew his contract??" Then when Rossi went down, I though the unsub had gotten Hotch to shoot them all and we were about to head into several episodes dealing with the fall out. It was only when Morgan went down that I realized it had to be a dream, so they really got me.

I thought this was easily one of the best eps in awhile. I agree the hacking and power outage was a bit of overkill but it gave us Reid's computer brain and Penelope being a real tech and not a magical info machine, and Hotch's Deep Throat meeting in the parking garage, so I can live with it.

[normasm]

OK, after watching it for the 5th time all the way through, I saw some things i don't think I mentioned before.

 

That girl who played Christine was perfect, and that little tap-tap with her fingers and the faint knock-knock sound that was in the background, that was brilliant. When Hotch is interrupting her delusion with the sage smoke and all hell breaks loose, the sound editing (which MGG pays particular loving attention to) was amazing! It hits the crescendo where she's screaming "He's coming" "He's outside the door!" and then she stops - and it's totally silent for a beat (I actually thought the satellite froze for a minute), and then she whispers, "He's already here." OUT. Another brilliant touch during this scene is that the lights are flickering on and off, and then go out, and Rossi is lighting the action and filming it on his phone. Brilliant!

 

The other scene I saw when i was slowing down and picking scenes apart was the first scene between the unsub and Hotch, where unsub says, "Who do you see when you look at me?" and Hotches upper lip does this scary thing, and unsub says, "Do you see Mr. Scratch?" The Hotch starts to play with his mind to the point that he gets up in his face and says "Shut up! Shut up!" This is the first time his face has been in the light, and his expression is that of a frightened child. And then he realizes that Hotch was manipulating him, and he turns full force into the unsub, going all-out to make this his last mind-fuck. It was so well acted and lit.

 

Then comes the infamous hallucination, which i tried to slow down to the point where I could analyze the action of Reid being shot. Even frame by frame, it was still shocking. I don't know how they filmed that, but it was obvious MGG was doing the stunt where you see his face as he's being shot. How they did that so quickly and completely, well it was thoroughly convincing. He drops like a rock. And the next shot with Reid face against the wall at the bottom of a blood smear, pieces of bone and gore sticking out the back of his head, granted, that may have been MGG's double, but it felt like him (I didn't see any slide, no matter how many times i looked, but maybe I just didn't pick up on it). And JJ was horrified. 

 

The pacing throughout was, as MGG promised, relentless, and every detail added to the tension. Great filmmaking.

Edited April 25, 2015 by normasm

[missmycat]

I recorded this to watch tomorrow, but decided to go ahead and watch.  Why didn't I wait to watch it in a nice bright sunlit room? This was an excellent episode.  The vision of the 'shadow monster' with the growl and claws,  eek!  (The drawings were creepy, too). And we didn't get to see the unsub until most of the way through the episode, which is another bonus. 

 

I agree, poor Hotch.  He has to relive how he killed them (in his mind). 

 

Question:  Why was this episode so much better than others?  I'm not familiar with most of the writers or directors.  Was this one written by someone who has penned good episodes before? 

I honestly do not know how to answer your question. except to say that hopefully they have started listening a little more to the fans.As far as who wrote it, Breen Frasier, yes he has given us some good episodes, but he has also given us some stinkers. He was the one who wrote that horrendously awful episode "The Forever People"

[Russet29]

I honestly do not know how to answer your question. except to say that hopefully they have started listening a little more to the fans.As far as who wrote it, Breen Frasier, yes he has given us some good episodes, but he has also given us some stinkers. He was the one who wrote that horrendously awful episode "The Forever People"

I actually don't find The Forever People to be as bad as everyone else here thinks it is. I think because it is JJ-centric people have had a tendency to immediately write it off. It had good acting, good use of Reid, and a nice red herring in Grant Show, who I immediately assumed was the unsub because they showed him early and often and he was the highest billed guest star. I think Breen was pretty smart to not have Show be the unsub. He essentially used the audience's preconceived notions to fool us a bit. I also recall there being a good team profiling scene. I get the feeling that if it was a Hotch or Reid-centric episode it would have been better received.

 

I bess the point I'm trying to make is that these writers clearly have the potential to give us solid episodes. I think it just comes down to the vision of the show runner. If EM wants less female victims, more unsub, and more family moments, the writers have to give it to her. Our best hope is that she's learning from her missteps. I personally think this season as been a step up over the last few and this episode continues that trend.

[zannej]

Oh, the tapping of the head from Christine-- and the sound they played is very similar to what you would hear if you were tapping on your own head like that. I wonder if the actress had a sore spot on her head later. LOL.

 

I could buy the guy hacking the computers and shutting them down and possibly taking out the network. MAYBE even making the computer monitors blink and/or make noises-- but the full on Highlander style quickening-like explosion of lightbulbs and plugged in stuff was too over the top for me to buy.

 

I also agree that it was nice to see that wounded child inside the unsub just briefly before he returned to his senses. I really hope they have followup that later explains why he chose that time to do what he did. They only mentioned his math skills and his childhood past. Nothing about a trigger to set him off at that point in time. Did they even establish where he was currently working?

 

I think there were a lot of elements that worked in Forever People, but it went downhill in the latter part of the episode. JJ basically defied an order from Hotch, nearly got herself killed, and shot a guy without really warning him. My main issue with that one was that she was supposedly going through PTSD but almost singlehandedly solved the case while the rest of the team looked nearly useless-- and to add insult to it, Reid was the one who couldn't focus on his job because he was worried about JJ. They basically threw Reid under the bus to make JJ look better-- and then JJ didn't even get a chewing out from Hotch at the end. If Reid had pulled that stunt, he would have been read the riot act. Then the final scene in the episode was just boring, lame, and annoying.

Edited April 25, 2015 by zannej

[Russet29]

I think there were a lot of elements that worked in Forever People, but it went downhill in the latter part of the episode. JJ basically defied an order from Hotch, nearly got herself killed, and shot a guy without really warning him. My main issue with that one was that she was supposedly going through PTSD but almost singlehandedly solved the case while the rest of the team looked nearly useless-- and to add insult to it, Reid was the one who couldn't focus on his job because he was worried about JJ. They basically threw Reid under the bus to make JJ look better-- and then JJ didn't even get a chewing out from Hotch at the end. If Reid had pulled that stunt, he would have been read the riot act. Then the final scene in the episode was just boring, lame, and annoying.

See I'm not convinced Reid would have been read the riot act. In the earlier seasons with the old writers sure. In fact, he did get read the riot act on a few occasions. But these writers don't seem to believe in conflict within the team or follow ups on single episode story lines. They're so focused on the team being a family that they seem to forget that a) Hotch is still the boss (not just the "dad"), and b) families fight even more than friends do. The only time we've really seen any aftereffects or repercussions for characters is when it's part of a pre-planned arc. This show has become very self-contained on a per episode basis. It just feels as if these writers don't really work together. They are assigned to write 2 or 3 episodes per season, lock themselves in their offices to write them, and ultimately never discuss it with the rest of the writers. I'm not sure who has written the next episode, but I wonder if he or she spoke to Breen at all before writing it, to see what happens to the characters in this episode that may need some follow up. I'm not hopeful.

[zannej]

If the writing had been good, JJ would have been read the riot act and the PTSD would have affected her job. And people aside from Reid would have noticed her stress because this is a team of profilers. I guess my issue is that in an effort to make JJ seem so great and super, they denigrated the rest of the characters.

 

From what I understand the writers have meetings and they sit around and discuss things, but I do think that there are some continuity issues where one hand doesn't know what the other is doing and things are missed. I think more than one writer sits around during the table read, but by that point, the next episode is already written and I don't know if the next writer is there to take notes. They really need a good script coordinator who can look at the continuity from one episode to the next and ensure that the following episodes don't contradict previous ones.

 

I never watched the Buffy show, but I think I'm glad I didn't from what I've heard about it.

[Russet29]

I think these writers have a hard time making these characters human. Maybe it's because EM drives home the hero angle so often they forget. I miss seeing conflict within the team. There was a time when Morgan and Hotch often didn't see eye to eye, whatever happened to that? I remember Reid and Prentiss having a rough couple of episodes, or Revelations when Morgan and JJ were upset with each other. They're just all so simpatico now. I'd also like to see the team mess up and see it play out over the following episodes. They never screw up anymore. How would they be affected if their mistakes resulted in more people getting killed? It's difficult to relate to characters who can never do any wrong, and even when they have minor miscues there are no repercussions. The only drama or conflict we get nowadays is in their romantic relationships and I think I speak for the majority (or at least the majority on this board) when I say we're tired of that stuff.