S10.E23: The Hunt

[Bookish Jen]

Well, I didn't love The Hunt, but nor did I hate it. Call me Switzerland and declare me neutral on this episode.

 

I do think JLH did an excellent job conveying Kate's terror and fierce love for Meg and Meg's friend.

 

As for Meg and her friend Markayla being portrayed as stupid as a box of hair (minus) hair one moment and whip smart the next, well, often teens act this way. One minute they are truly ignorant, and another they are truly wise.

[zannej]

I have to agree with many of Daniel's points. I will give one correction, IIRC, the unsub who was killed was actually the "trauma-bonded" woman's son and the man who killed him was his own father. That made even less sense to me. 

 

I really am not a fan of multiple-unsub stories but it seems that Janine has a hard time doing stories with just one unsub.

 

I will have to copy and paste my thoughts from another site here later. I'm too lazy/tired to do it now.

[missmycat]

I know this is totally off-topic, so i'll be brief; speaking of CSI: Cyber, i caught the first few minutes of  it last night, and i swear James van der Beek called a raid on Tobias's house and barn, or it looked exactly like it to me!

LOL, Tobias Hankel raided his own place.

Speaking of that, Cyber has been renewed. So I guess that means Tobias gets to keep his job at the FBI for the time being.

Edited May 9, 2015 by missmycat

[MCatry]

So I finally got some internet connection and I watched "The HUNT".

 

More annoying Kate and Mikayla… I wonder why they just didn’t drug them straight away. Then, Reid saying something of common knowledge and acting as if he is saying something important.
So… Meg has an emergency code, so all the ones that were saying Kate didn’t teach Meg enough were wrong. It’s not that Kate didn’t tell her what to do. It’s just that Meg doesn’t give a damn.
More Garcia finding info instantaneously.
Unsubs…here and there, scattered around the team dialogues…
Then it comes that kid, Sam, with a picture, and that picture, the one Kate would recognize. So I guess the unsub really wanted to be caught.
The annoying girls chatting freely, planning how to escape, and eventually, Micayla escapes.
Oh well. ‘Lets drop a body here, just in case Mikayla is not enough to lead them to the unsubs´.
Profile: a ring of unsubs; sophisticated, because they change the appearance of the victims. I wonder why they bother. They sell them to serial killers. It’s not that they are gonna last much. And these unsubs are selling victims to serial killers! Where did I Heard this…? Oh, yeah. Some years ago, by the end of CM season six.
Serial killers are now too lazy to go and hunt their own victims? So lazy that they are willing to let go 29.000 dollars? Every time they want to kill someone? There are cheaper ways, people!
And of course, the super trio to the rescue! Morgan, Rossi and JJ!!!
And again Garcia finding addresses in an instant. I don’t get why they even get out of the trucks. They should just call Garcia to tell them where to drive next to kick doors.
On an OT note, Reid is back to the Boy band haircut
Nice tackle, Morgan!
And then Meg pulling out that well known move breaking the lights of the car. Too bad it didn’t work, right?
Typically, JJ shot down the unsub and save the day, while Morgan stared in awe. At least it was not JJ the one who returned Meg to Kate.
Those seconds about JJs second baby looked more like AJ Cook and Gubler. I know quite a few of you loved it, but I didn’t. More Disneyana there, and two actors playing themselves, and again that stuff about godparents. Lazy acting and lazy writing.
At least Kate’s exit did make sense.

Lousy season, Lousy season finale.

[Old Dog]

So, MCatry, using my extensive deduction skills, I would opine that you didn't care too much for the finale??

[BookWoman56]

I have mixed feelings about the finale. I thought JLH conveyed Kate’s reactions and emotions convincingly, and most of the performances by regular cast members were reasonably good. I’m sorry to see JLH go, because I thought Kate was a believable profiler, with an inner strength that allowed her to be efficient or empathetic as needed but also show a sense of humor.
 

But other aspects bothered me. For starters, in previous episodes it had seemed as if Markayla was the one who was actually chatting with the online guy, and Meg’s participation was limited to just being there for the selfie when the guy asked for photos. Then at the attempted meeting at the mall; so far the girls had not done anything outrageously stupid. You meet someone online, fine; the first time you go to meet your online friend in person, yes, you do that at a public place whether you are 13 or 53. So I found it a bit unbelievable that all of a sudden Meg is so into this guy she’s never met face to face, and that we’ve never seen her actually chatting with,  that she would get into a minivan driven by a stranger. And yes, the unsubs played it well, in that a mom driving a minivan will seem safe, even when not. But Meg’s heard the horror stories from Kate, and should have been more hesitant to hop into the minivan. It would have been more reasonable for her to insist they should take a bus or something downtown to the concert venue, while Markayla was not in any way suspicious. A scene where Markayla had been trying to sell Meg on this plan, while Meg expressed doubts about it, would have helped make the situation more believable. Instead, we got the profilers’ scene with the male friend, who describes Meg as telling Markayla to slow things down but simultaneously head over heels about this guy that her BFF also has the hots for.
 

But given that any discussion about the wisdom of this plan was omitted, there’s Markayla as the ringleader of this little expedition. Meg manages to give Markayla the window of opportunity to escape, while Meg is still held by the captors. And yet not once in the hospital scene was there any serious expression by Markayla of guilt over her role in this situation having played out the way it did. Kate at least expressed her conviction that the kidnapping was her fault when the photo tipped her off who was behind the kidnapping. Markayla, not so much. Maybe I missed it, but there did not seem to be even a token “Oops, can’t believe I fell for that routine and now my BFF is being held captive by BSC people.” Instead, she came across more as “This ordeal was so terrible for meeeee! I had to watch someone get killed in front of meeee!”
 

Of course, matching the stupidity of the girls getting into a strange minivan, was the concept of a crime ring that provides victims for serial killers. Now, I am not a BAU analyst, but I kind of thought serial killers enjoyed not just the kill, but the stalking/taking of the victim. They’re predators who derive pleasure from the hunt, not domesticated cats who wait for you to deliver up a live mouse for their entertainment. Going online to buy sex slaves, somewhat believable; going online because you can’t be bothered to hunt down your own victims to kill, not all that believable. 
 

While much of the purpose of this finale seemed to be to lay the groundwork for Kate to take a year off on extended maternity leave, I still think this episode would have worked better as the penultimate episode of the season, with Mr. Scratch as the finale, and Kate handing in her resignation then, after having some time to think about not just what happened to Meg but also what her priorities would/should be for the next year. I didn’t hate the finale by any stretch, but it just felt tacked on as a way to give Kate a rationale for leaving the unit. It didn’t help that I loathe episodes that reinforce the “stranger danger” idea that Gideon had debunked in one of the early seasons, when he talked about how we as a society have trained kids to be afraid of strangers in trench coats, when they were overwhelmingly much more likely to be harmed by family members or friends.

[missmycat]

So I finally got some internet connection and I watched "The HUNT".

 

More annoying Kate and Mikayla… I wonder why they just didn’t drug them straight away. Then, Reid saying something of common knowledge and acting as if he is saying something important.

So… Meg has an emergency code, so all the ones that were saying Kate didn’t teach Meg enough were wrong. It’s not that Kate didn’t tell her what to do. It’s just that Meg doesn’t give a damn.

More Garcia finding info instantaneously.

Unsubs…here and there, scattered around the team dialogues…

Then it comes that kid, Sam, with a picture, and that picture, the one Kate would recognize. So I guess the unsub really wanted to be caught.

The annoying girls chatting freely, planning how to escape, and eventually, Micayla escapes.

Oh well. ‘Lets drop a body here, just in case Mikayla is not enough to lead them to the unsubs´.

Profile: a ring of unsubs; sophisticated, because they change the appearance of the victims. I wonder why they bother. They sell them to serial killers. It’s not that they are gonna last much. And these unsubs are selling victims to serial killers! Where did I Heard this…? Oh, yeah. Some years ago, by the end of CM season six.

Serial killers are now too lazy to go and hunt their own victims? So lazy that they are willing to let go 29.000 dollars? Every time they want to kill someone? There are cheaper ways, people!

And of course, the super trio to the rescue! Morgan, Rossi and JJ!!!

And again Garcia finding addresses in an instant. I don’t get why they even get out of the trucks. They should just call Garcia to tell them where to drive next to kick doors.

On an OT note, Reid is back to the Boy band haircut

Nice tackle, Morgan!

And then Meg pulling out that well known move breaking the lights of the car. Too bad it didn’t work, right?

Typically, JJ shot down the unsub and save the day, while Morgan stared in awe. At least it was not JJ the one who returned Meg to Kate.

Those seconds about JJs second baby looked more like AJ Cook and Gubler. I know quite a few of you loved it, but I didn’t. More Disneyana there, and two actors playing themselves, and again that stuff about godparents. Lazy acting and lazy writing.

At least Kate’s exit did make sense.

Lousy season, Lousy season finale.

Judging from the ratings it got, I'd ventured to say that a lot of people probably agreed with you.I know so many people were expecting better since Jim Clemente supposedly co wrote it. But from what I've been hearing there's seems to have been quite a bit more of Janine Sherman Barrois influence in it than his. It use to be he was one of the few writers you could count on to give us at least halfway decent episodes.Sadly I feel he has become a sellout and a suck up. What else could explain his justification for that ridiculous over the top story line they came up with for JJ in "200" So I guess it is no surprise that along with JSB's influence this is what we ended up getting.

Edited May 10, 2015 by missmycat

[Danielg342]

A few things:

1) “Supply and Demand”, as far as I can remember, was about a trafficking ring that kidnapped victims and allowed people online to “bid” on how they would be killed. So it was “slightly” a different concept, and one I think that is more believable that what we got in this episode.

2) MCatry, I too noticed the “rear light trick”, I just forgot to mention it. I don't know enough about a car like that- although it seemed a bit too old to be believably running in Maryland- but I do know in newer models you can't use that trick. I also wonder how the UnSub driving the car didn't notice his lights went out and that his trunk was now open- at the very least, he risked losing his “cargo”, and, at worst, he could have been pulled over by the police for a faulty tail light. I also wonder how dumb this supposedly “savvy” UnSub is for not realizing his truck was susceptible to the “rear light trick”, since it's not a new concept. So for the plan to be “foiled”, it involved a lot of luck.

3) BookWoman56- Good points about Meg and Markayla, I had almost forgotten that Markayla was more into the kid than Meg was.

About the idea of serial killers “buying” victims (which a lot of people mentioned)- I would disagree that there wouldn't be people who might have an inclination to be serial killers but don't do it because they don't have the ability/willpower to go out on “hunts”. Everyone has had “cold feet” before on things, so I'm sure “serial killer tendencies”, however macabre, would be up there.

My only issue with the concept is how they “screened” potential buyers. First off, the show never explained how one even gets to have the opportunity to become a buyer- I can't imagine a site like this is quite open about being displayed online, so how someone finds the Site would be important. Secondly, I wonder what the seller uses to determine who is an “appropriate” buyer. They can't just go on a “submitted bio” where the guy has something like “an interest in the macabre”, because a lot of people can like “serial killer” things and not be actual killers themselves.

If I had a chance to redo it, I'd at least have prospective buyers be brought somewhere to be “tested”, where they'd actually have to shoot a gun at a live person. Of course, something like that would involve multiple cells and a long chain of command- all of which means that it couldn't be explained in one episode.

[MCatry]

So, MCatry, using my extensive deduction skills, I would opine that you didn't care too much for the finale??

 

I didn't care about it at all. And after I finished watching it, I hated it.

But I watched it, just to time the scenes and complete the set to have the final figures of character's screentime. Unfortunately, that involves going back and fort uncountable times, specially over short scenes. 

Then again, I've seen worst episodes along this season. Take, for instance, the one with Rossi's daughter, or the infamous forever people.

[Saje]

Meh, I didn't hate it, actually thought it was pretty good but agree with some of you that it felt a little 'tacked on' for JLH's departure, and also that Mr. Scratch would have been a better finale.

[Old Dog]

I didn't care about it at all. And after I finished watching it, I hated it.

But I watched it, just to time the scenes and complete the set to have the final figures of character's screentime. Unfortunately, that involves going back and fort uncountable times, specially over short scenes. 

Then again, I've seen worst episodes along this season. Take, for instance, the one with Rossi's daughter, or the infamous forever people.

I watched it through once and was moderately entertained although if you engage brain too much there was so much wrong with it. But I won't be in any hurry to watch again. I did think JLH did quite a good job with it. But I think we were all done after Mr Scratch which would have made such a superb finale and given us lots to mull over during the hiatus. I had been so pleased initially that we weren't getting a Messer written "action movie" finale but now I almost wish we had!

[Guesswht]

One of the worst episodes ever. The star of the ep. did a terrible job at portraying "sadness" ugh. The "acting" was horrible and unwatchable.

Paige or whatever her name is..was heartbreaking, she should've played Kate

It was entertaining when Meg was tied up. -"Do it slow" LOL The actress who played Meg is not a bad actress at all. I think Meg was annoying because of the writing.

It wasn't the worst episode ever but it was the worst season finale ever, that's for sure. :/ Well, the whole 10th season was the worst season ever -thanks to 1 person. I think i'll just pretend like Kate never happened.

 

 

(wt.. was that "hug" at the end? It was so bizarre, TG seemed very uncomfortable too. I feel so bad for him  :( .... )

Btw JLH is just "taking a year off"? Omg no.. so we're not completely c@n(er free?

Nevermind, next year will be a better year <3

[Happytobehere]

I just have one question about this episode: What was the point of Jennifer Love Hewitt joining the cast?

[secnarf]

I just have one question about this episode: What was the point of Jennifer Love Hewitt joining the cast?

To fill the gap left by Blake. They didn't know JLH would get pregnant and they didn't plan for her to be leaving at the end of this season when she joined. Real life happened.

[Danielg342]

To fill the gap left by Blake. They didn't know JLH would get pregnant and they didn't plan for her to be leaving at the end of this season when she joined. Real life happened.

 

My understanding is the producers knew about Hewitt's pregnancy...I have a feeling that the show brought in Hewitt hoping that she would give CM a bit of boost and that didn't happen (ratings-wise at least). So I think Hewitt's departure was more about a "mutual understanding" that the experiment didn't work and the pregnancy was an easy out.

[JMO]

 

My understanding is the producers knew about Hewitt's pregnancy...I have a feeling that the show brought in Hewitt hoping that she would give CM a bit of boost and that didn't happen (ratings-wise at least). So I think Hewitt's departure was more about a "mutual understanding" that the experiment didn't work and the pregnancy was an easy out.

 

The producers (and everyone else) knew about the pregnancy at the end.  But, while she may have told them she was going to try, no one knew about it when she was hired.  Otherwise, it would have to have been the longest pregnancy in history. Did I misunderstand your statement, Danielg?

[secnarf]

My understanding is the producers knew about Hewitt's pregnancy...I have a feeling that the show brought in Hewitt hoping that she would give CM a bit of boost and that didn't happen (ratings-wise at least). So I think Hewitt's departure was more about a "mutual understanding" that the experiment didn't work and the pregnancy was an easy out.

EM said in interviews that she found out about JLH's pregnancy the day before AJ's, so it was after JLH was already working on CM.

Edited May 17, 2015 by secnarf

[Danielg342]

The producers (and everyone else) knew about the pregnancy at the end.  But, while she may have told them she was going to try, no one knew about it when she was hired.  Otherwise, it would have to have been the longest pregnancy in history. Did I misunderstand your statement, Danielg?

 

Sorry. My understanding is that the producers knew Hewitt was trying for another baby.

[zannej]

Erica said JLH would have continued to season 11 if she hadn't gotten pregnant and asked to leave to spend time with her baby.

[MCatry]

I don't believe anything that comes from E. Messer.

I think JLH was hired to try to get her fanbase onboard CM. Maybe her fanbase actually started watching CM, and at the same time the same amount of JLH haters decided to quit watching. Who knows. But I think Daniel is right. The CBS hired to boost the ratings, and that didn't happen. Quite a few actors sign contracts for one year with an option for a second, if things work out, and maybe it was just a weird coincidence that JLH got pregnant and decided to go home and take care of her family.

Still, the fact is that JLH is not coming back. Now I wonder if:

a)her fanbase will abandon the show too, so ratings would go down

b) her anti-fanbase will return to the show, so ratings would go up

c)none of the above happens because none of those groups were that large in the end. 

[normasm]

MCatry, C.

[Danielg342]

I would say “C)” too, since the ratings didn't seem to be affected too much by Hewitt.

[missmycat]

I am with those who feel that JLH neither hurt the ratings nor did she help them. The thing about JLH not all of her fans liked her being on CM. I saw comments about how they loved her on Ghost Whisper but they thought she fit in rather poorly when it came to CM. So they wanted her gone.I too feel it was a neutral understanding between the actress and the network and JLH's pregnancy gave them an easy way out.

[Katenotplus8]

I am not a fan of JLH, and have no sadness at her leaving. That being said, I did feel like this was the best i've ever seen her act.  I'm happy we didnt' see any more torture of Meg then we did, and that it didn't end in a cliff hanger with her still out there.  I really enjoyed the end moment between JJ and Reid.  As always, we need more Reid.  One of the most talented actors on the show, gets so little time.  Here's hoping for more screen time next season.

[Guesswht]

I am not a fan of JLH, and have no sadness at her leaving. That being said, I did feel like this was the best i've ever seen her act.  I'm happy we didnt' see any more torture of Meg then we did, and that it didn't end in a cliff hanger with her still out there.  I really enjoyed the end moment between JJ and Reid.  As always, we need more Reid.  One of the most talented actors on the show, gets so little time.  Here's hoping for more screen time next season.

I agree with this:

 

I am not a fan of JLH, and have no sadness at her leaving.  I'm happy we didnt' see any more torture of Meg then we did, and that it didn't end in a cliff hanger with her still out there.  I really enjoyed the end moment between JJ and Reid.  As always, we need more Reid.  One of the most talented actors on the show, gets so little time.  Here's hoping for more screen time next season.

 

Kate had more screen time in s10 than Reid had. I think it's disgusting,

__________

Btw I complained to Jim Clemente (on twitter) about seeing too much of JLH when he was writing the finale. His answer was a bit rude... And he didn't listened for sure, so they're not listening to "screaming fans on twitter"

[missmycat]

Why I wasn't at all happy that Kate got more screen time than Reid. The screen time I am the most pissed off about(besides the unsubs) is JJ's screen time.

I am more than fed up with the way JJ continues to dominate the show season after season.She is the reason, not Kate, that CM is no longer must see TV for me.

EM's "Golden Girl" aka "the precious" doesn't get a pass from me just because unlike Kate she is a long time character. I found it downright disgraceful that she had gotten twice the screen time that Reid did.

 

And just to make it clear I am not bashing the actress. AJ Cook may or may not have negotiated for more screen time,but she wouldn't be the first,so I am not going to hold that against her. No.rather I'd say that the majority of my anger is directed at CBS followed by Erica Messer and many of these so called writers.

[The Kings Foot]

Hated it. But I think the thing that bugged me most about this episode was we're supposed to believe a teenager stupid enough to fall for the cute-boy-online trope is clever enough to escape death by playing mind games with a serial killer.

 

So agree with this.  They spent a season showing that a Meg was an idiot then have us believe she has that information in her head ?

 

Contrast with the daughter in '3rd Life"  the one who was in the witness protection program.  SHE, I could believe would have that presence of mind

Edited June 1, 2015 by The Kings Foot

[Meedis]

-I love whenever they bring an ME back and I think this is the third time we've seen this woman. I also love Molly Culver and she was believable in her role.

-I appreciated Meg not being an idiot and finally getting her crap together. I was also pleasantly surprised by Markayla surviving. She seemed like a prime candidate to get offed: a recurring character whose death won't affect the team long term.

 

 

I loved Molly Culver since her V.I.P. days in the late 90's.    She's definitely a great actress.

 

I agree too being pleasantly surprised by Markayla surviving.   I just knew she was gonna be the sacrificial lamb.

 

Overall it was an okay episode but +1 for wanting "Mr Scratch" as the finale.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Meedis