S12.E01: The Crimson King

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

New recruit Luke Alvez helps the team capture a killer who escaped with 12 other convicts.

Free free to post promos or pictures but hold your thoughts about the episode until after it has aired. Thanks!

[ForeverAlone]

Here is another sneak peek, this time between Luke and Penelope. I have to say, I find the way Penelope is written these days to be so incredibly insulting, at least in some of her personal reactions. Penelope is acting like she has the emotional maturity of a teenage girl and not a woman in her early 40s. I hope this doesn't continue on for long, because I like smart and professional Penelope. 

http://www.tvguide.com/news/exclusive-criminal-minds-sneak-peek-alvez-garcia/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

[Danielg342]

Can I say that I'm excited that we finally have a new episode to discuss? :)

[Willowy]

ForeverAlone, I loved that clip!

"I made lasagna!"

"I don't care!"

I laughed out loud at work. Pretty much think they've established Penelope is ruled by her emotions. It was funny!

[ReidFan]

well he didn't specify that it was  a meatless lasagne, and Garcia is a vegetarian so it wouldn't surprise me at all that she said "I don't care"

I'm not overly fond of lasagne, so he mighta got the same reply had he directed that at me.

If it had been Reid, however, I'd have told him I'm bringing the wine---and lots of it O:-)

Cannot *WAIT* for this episode. Hubby is working that night *yay* and I will pay my son to get lost for an hour if I have to as well. Just me and the dog (cause he doesn't make disparaging rebarks) to watch it.

[smoker]

I would love seeing CTV promo, but nobody has uploaded it on youtube yet :(

Edited September 27, 2016 by smoker

[autumnmountains]

21 hours ago, ForeverAlone said:

Here is another sneak peek, this time between Luke and Penelope. I have to say, I find the way Penelope is written these days to be so incredibly insulting, at least in some of her personal reactions. Penelope is acting like she has the emotional maturity of a teenage girl and not a woman in her early 40s. I hope this doesn't continue on for long, because I like smart and professional Penelope. 

http://www.tvguide.com/news/exclusive-criminal-minds-sneak-peek-alvez-garcia/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

Agreed. That clip of her was rather juvenile. Hopefully it's not the indicator of how she's going to be from now on. 

 

I am excited for the new episode though :)

Edited September 27, 2016 by autumnmountains

[Willowy]

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm on pins and needles!

[ReidFan]

closed captioning is on, wine glass is poured, son has been put on mute.

[CrimeFan12]

Quote

 

How much did it cost to get your son to disappear for an hour? ;-)

[ReidFan]

lol. he's 21. he got told to shaddup or be out of my (paid for) house.  

[ReidFan]

OMG it's awesome so far. Love the new opening credits: Joe, Matthew, AJ, Kirsten, Aisha, with Adam and Thomas. The images of Reid in Matthew's credit are new from this season too. Love, Love, LOVE.

[Droogie]

Hmmm...

I was pleased with the credits, more or less.

Not so thrilled with Reid spouting facts and not much else.  I liked Reid going in the house first with Alvez.  Less so, the fact that Lewis is the one who empathized and talked the perp down.  I feel like that's Reid's job.  Reinforces my belief that the team is just too big.  I Ike Lewis, but we don't need her.  We just don't.

New guy is ok so far.  His banter with Garcia didn't make me want to lay open a vein.  I did snicker when Garcia bit her thumb to keep from responding when Alvez suggested they look into BDSM shops.  I was glad they didn't play Reid having to go there with Alvez for laughs.  He's a middle-aged man -- start treating him like one.

Why didn't they address Mr. Scratch last season, when it was fresh and we still had Hotch?  

Rossi ends to shed the vest.  I love Joe but he has just aged right out of the job.  Make him a consultant.

I am going to miss Hotch so terribly.  I have always loved him but watching this ep showed me how much.

I don't have another thought in my head about the show tonight.  Happy to see Reid on my screen again.

[Willowy]

I liked it, though it didn't set my world on fire. Reid, who I always look for first, was too singsongy and almost glib throughout. JJ was barely there, and Tara dominated the episode. Expected to see a lot of Alvez, and I do like him, but the way he bobs his head after nearly every word is annoying right now. Garcia was cute and her and Luke could make a decent comic relief if she insults him a lot, the opposite of her flirting with Morgan.

[MMC]

26 minutes ago, Droogie said:

Hmmm...

I was pleased with the credits, more or less.

Not so thrilled with Reid spouting facts and not much else.  I liked Reid going in the house first with Alvez.  Less so, the fact that Lewis is the one who empathized and talked the perp down.  I feel like that's Reid's job.  Reinforces my belief that the team is just too big.  I Ike Lewis, but we don't need her.  We just don't.

New guy is ok so far.  His banter with Garcia didn't make me want to lay open a vein.  I did snicker when Garcia bit her thumb to keep from responding when Alvez suggested they look into BDSM shops.  I was glad they didn't play Reid having to go there with Alvez for laughs.  He's a middle-aged man -- start treating him like one.

Why didn't they address Mr. Scratch last season, when it was fresh and we still had Hotch?  

Rossi ends to shed the vest.  I love Joe but he has just aged right out of the job.  Make him a consultant.

I am going to miss Hotch so terribly.  I have always loved him but watching this ep showed me how much.

I don't have another thought in my head about the show tonight.  Happy to see Reid on my screen again.

I too was happy with the credits. So much for a certain somebody who was claiming yet again that he was going to be bumped down in the opening credits.

Glad I am not the only one who was bothered by that. And I agree that she is totally unnecessary, especially with Prentiss coming back. Nevertheless we are stuck with her. And given the way EM fawns over both the actress and the character. I suspect we are going to be seeing a lot of Tara Lewis.

[Mysteyman]

Franky, I have not seen the episode yet, but maybe the head bobbing will go away as Rodriguez gets more comfortable.

just a thought.

[secnarf]

48 minutes ago, MaliceMisel said:

 

 

Anyways, my thoughts on the episode:

-Exceeded expectations, although in all fairness expectations were pretty low

-I thought Emily was going to be in this episode, but I'm glad she wasn't, there was enough going on without adding her in as well

-For the first time, I felt like Tara was an actual character with an actual personality, but I do agree that her character is still unnecessary. 

-I liked the new guy more than I expected to. Again, I don't really think he's necessary, but he's alright.

-The Mr Scratch mind control bit was good and lends itself much more to the "minds" part of CM rather than the physical aspect. As soon as they said that the guy in the hospital (Brian?) had DID and "didn't break", I realized where they were going with that. It was creepy - that dead-eyes look always gets me. A bit too creepy for being home alone at night, but after almost making it through the first episode of Jessica Jones (similar storyline that I was totally spoiled for but still freaked me out so much that I shut off the TV), this was pretty tame in comparison. I think the story was of better quality than CM has been lately, so that is promising. I wonder how long they'll drag out this storyline - I feel like I remember reading that it's wrapped up "quickly", but I don't know how fast that is. Hopefully they get Mr Scratch before Hotch leaves. I did wonder as Hotch was entering the house with the girl, if he was worried about being drugged. I thought I saw some of the other cops cover their mouths.

-Overall, pretty decent episode. I'm looking forward to seeing Emily. I think their biggest challenge going forward, other than writing out Hotch without being able to film any scenes with him, is going to be juggling the large cast. Of course, they could just minimize all the unsub focus, but I don't think I'm that optimistic!

Edited to add:

-I hadn't watched any of the sneak peeks so I hadn't seen any of Garcia's reaction to the new guy, and it wasn't quite as bad as I was anticipating. She wasn't really in the episode much, and the two of them probably spent a grand total of five minutes interacting with each other. I can easily see him growing on her - I think it's happening already. It doesn't look like any screentime is being "wasted" specifically on Garcia not liking him, so I'm glad for that. It definitely would have helped if they had left in the line from last season though, about how she would not like whoever replaced Morgan, because otherwise her behaviour could seem kind of random.

So I had added an edit, but I guess my post was being edited at the same time and it was all deleted :(

As best I remember, these were my nitpicks:

1. WTF is a 'heavy duty antidepressant' or 'heavy duty antipsychotic'?!

2. What drug is used ONLY to treat PTSD that you can just look at the name and know that's what it's used for?!

3. Omega 3 does not cure, reverse, slow or halt the progression of any type of dementia. Reid should know better.

I'm a pharmacist and these things all irritated me. Unless you Americans have a magic PTSD drug that Health Canada has not yet got around to approving, in which case I'm interested to learn about it! But somehow I doubt it.

Edited September 29, 2016 by secnarf
Fix my post

[CrimeFan12]

6 minutes ago, MMC said:

I too was happy with the credits. So much for a certain somebody who was claiming yet again that he was going to be bumped down in the opening credits.

Glad I am not the only one who was bothered by that. And I agree that she is totally unnecessary, especially with Prentiss coming back. Nevertheless we are stuck with her. And given the way EM fawns over both the actress and the character. I suspect we are going to be seeing a lot of Tara Lewis.

I disagree.  Lewis was the one who was dealing with the young man from the very beginning and she made a connection with him so it would make sense for her to talk him down.  Reid had no contact with him the entire episode.

[ForeverAlone]

I have mixed opinions about the case story itself. I think I would have preferred it more if it was a straightforward case, where they were actually pursuing The Crimson King or even a straightforward copycat. But what we got just didn't make sense to me. This whole convoluted mess with Peter Lewis trying to turn DID victims into serial killers was just too unbelievable. I mean, we never got any answer about how Peter Lewis happened upon The Crimson King, or why he specifically sought out this victim pool. At least in Mr. Scratch, the victims he was targeting made sense, since he had a specific grievance against them. This just seemed like an excuse to bring back Mr. Scratch without putting much emphasis on building a realistic case story.

But up until the whole mess of a plan was revealed, I really enjoyed the case and the teamwork on it to build the profile. I thought for the most part the team worked well together, with one glaring exception. I liked the introduction of Luke Alvez, and that he was shown to be skilled, but still have stuff to learn on the job. I liked Luke's interaction with all the team members but one. I especially liked his interaction with Hotch, as they have different reactions to similar crimes, and Hotch could be a good example for Luke to channel his emotions (at least for a short bit of time). I thought the rest of the team had plenty of good contribution, and we only had smidgens of Peter Lewis. I enjoyed Tara this episode and while we didn't get too much Reid, I did like what we saw (though I have some reservations about the trip to Paris with his mother).

What does make zero sense to me is Penelope's reaction to Luke. Yeah, yeah, I have heard all the garbage about how Penelope is supposed to be the voice of the audience, and her reaction to Luke was supposed to mirror the audience's reaction to Luke. Major freaking eyeroll, because aside from the fact that there is no larger audience reaction to Luke (I for one was perfectly okay with Adam joining the cast, and I know I am not the only one), it also means Breen had to write Penelope as an emotionally immature teen girl. Luke didn't join the team until the end of the episode, so up to that point, he was just on loan from the Fugitive Task Force. So what was the reason for Penelope's emotional freakout around Luke? She acted like one of those teen girls who wants to screw a guy, but doesn't want him to know it. I mean, otherwise, what could he have possibly done to her, because he seemed perfectly pleasant and there was no reason given for any actual conflict between the two of them. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[CrimeFan12]

10 minutes ago, ForeverAlone said:

I have mixed opinions about the case story itself. I think I would have preferred it more if it was a straightforward case, where they were actually pursuing The Crimson King or even a straightforward copycat. But what we got just didn't make sense to me. This whole convoluted mess with Peter Lewis trying to turn DID victims into serial killers was just too unbelievable. I mean, we never got any answer about how Peter Lewis happened upon The Crimson King, or why he specifically sought out this victim pool. At least in Mr. Scratch, the victims he was targeting made sense, since he had a specific grievance against them. This just seemed like an excuse to bring back Mr. Scratch without putting much emphasis on building a realistic case story.

But up until the whole mess of a plan was revealed, I really enjoyed the case and the teamwork on it to build the profile. I thought for the most part the team worked well together, with one glaring exception. I liked the introduction of Luke Alvez, and that he was shown to be skilled, but still have stuff to learn on the job. I liked Luke's interaction with all the team members but one. I especially liked his interaction with Hotch, as they have different reactions to similar crimes, and Hotch could be a good example for Luke to channel his emotions (at least for a short bit of time). I thought the rest of the team had plenty of good contribution, and we only had smidgens of Peter Lewis. I enjoyed Tara this episode and while we didn't get too much Reid, I did like what we saw (though I have some reservations about the trip to Paris with his mother).

What does make zero sense to me is Penelope's reaction to Luke. Yeah, yeah, I have heard all the garbage about how Penelope is supposed to be the voice of the audience, and her reaction to Luke was supposed to mirror the audience's reaction to Luke. Major freaking eyeroll, because aside from the fact that there is no larger audience reaction to Luke (I for one was perfectly okay with Adam joining the cast, and I know I am not the only one), it also means Breen had to write Penelope as an emotionally immature teen girl. Luke didn't join the team until the end of the episode, so up to that point, he was just on loan from the Fugitive Task Force. So what was the reason for Penelope's emotional freakout around Luke? She acted like one of those teen girls who wants to screw a guy, but doesn't want him to know it. I mean, otherwise, what could he have possibly done to her, because he seemed perfectly pleasant and there was no reason given for any actual conflict between the two of them. 

I also thought Garcia was acting like an immature teenage girl.  There is a big difference between being civil and professional to throwing a hissy fit because he might (at the time) take Morgan's place.  I also didn't have a problem with Adam joining the cast and I liked him.  He didn't rub me the wrong way like Blake did nor was I indifferent to him like I was with Callahan.  He's a little one dimensional right now, but it is the first episode and he and the writers are still figuring him out.  Most characters in the first appearance are like that so it normally doesn't bother me.

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, Droogie said:

  Less so, the fact that Lewis is the one who empathized and talked the perp down.  I feel like that's Reid's job.  Reinforces my belief that the team is just too big.  I Ike Lewis, but we don't need her.  We just don't.

As someone already mentioned, Tara had already formed a relationship with the guy, but even more than that - it wasn't just Tara talking him down, it was her and JJ. Remember that the guy's alternates that comforted him and repeated those words to him were two girls. I got the impression they were trying to emulate that as best they could, having both of them say 'nothing can hurt you now' or whatever that specific phrase was.

Anyways, if it had been JJ taking the lead I'm sure there would be people upset that it was her instead of Reid. But this is where Tara's previous rapport with the guy comes in.

I still think Tara is superfluous, but I do think this scene was a good use of her character.

[ReidFan]

agree, FA...... If Garcia 'hates' Alvez solely because he isn't Morgan, that sure did not come across in the episode. I mean, we all know it because Kirsten and a number of other crew/writers etc have alluded to it, but I never got the feeling in the episode that the reason she was so rude to Alvez was because she misses Morgan. 

[Danielg342]

Bored. Really bored. Devoid of real depth or exploration or anything really intriguing anyway. I knew Mr. Scratch would get away, so that was false drama.

I also believe Mr. Scratch got away way too easily...c'mon, you've got a proven supercriminal on the run, you've pinpointed his exact location...and no one thinks to shut down the entire Greater Phoenix area? Seriously, who runs the police on this show?

What it really boils down to is the fact the writers don't think too much about the details...they have their goals and they do a cursory bit to get to them. This is going to be unpopular, but I find Peter Lewis horribly underwhelming. We get a whole lot of talk about how smart he is, but we never see it in action. If he was a one-off criminal, I could excuse a criminal who does little more than drug his victims with sage and gets them to go on rampages. Since we're told that he's some sort of mastermind, the lack of insight into his planning, his method of escape and, well (more importantly), having his plans have some kind of demonstrable goal is mind-boggling.

What was the point of the BAU going on this wild goose chase? To arrest the guy he drugged? So what? Who is he? Why should I care? What purpose does it serve? It's not like Mr. Scratch and his Merry Band of Villains needed some kind of set-up- we had that in "The Storm". I suppose this is "taunting" but...c'mon, we've seen him taunt the BAU enough, it's tiring.

As for the other parts of the episode- well, I think the only real bright spot we had was the new guy, Luke Alvez. Adam Rodriguez had instant chemistry with just about everyone (especially Garcia) and thus Alvez fit in just fine. Really think he ought to have his own star vehicle by now. Looking forward to the energy he brings to the set as well as the episodes. As far as I'm concerned, he's more than a worthy Derek Morgan replacement in my book.

Everything else...nothing really stuck out. I mean, the rest of the team were there and they appeared to be contributing...but they did nothing memorable in my books. Perhaps they really should make CM all about Alvez...he was the only one worth watching, really.

Episode Grade: D. Thought about the "F" because it was dreck...but Rodriguez was fun. So it gets a partial upgrade.

[Willowy]

Previews aside, I did get the feeling, though it was implied and not ever stated, that she would somehow feel disloyal to Morgan (Hunky Guy numero uno) if she were immediately nice to Alvez (Hunky Guy numero dos). That's all I got, it didn't seem deeper than that with those two. 

I do think she's still struggling with the loss of Morgan being there every day. Makes me wonder if she's like Reid on JJ's couch. Every night for 10 weeks or more at Savannah and Derek's. :)

[ForeverAlone]

Penelope seemingly managed to deal just fine with Morgan being out of the team for six months. Yeah she assumed he would be coming back to the team, but it's not like she isn't used to working without him. And it is truly a disservice to Penelope's character (or at least my hope for her character, because the reality is very much in line with what we saw this episode) and to professional women who manage to keep it together when their favorite colleague moves on to another job. Actual grownups in the actual workforce know how to deal with a changing work situation and we don't take it out on the new person. Because her being polite and friendly to Luke wouldn't be disloyal to Morgan in any way; it would just mean she is a reasonable adult woman who behaves like a professional adult in the work place. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[Willowy]

Right. I think she just doesn't want to like him, though. And like you said, they set her up to be the viewer feelings channeller... so anyway, yeah. That's probably what she's doing. I have a colleague that I insult every day, and he insults me back. We try to be creative and it's a mark of affection because this guy is actually wicked smart and really a good person and we just have a little fun. I'm hoping that's where they take this because I cannot ever imagine her doing the flirt thing again.

[Reghan]

Reid in a BDSM shop? Haha that's not something I thought I'd ever see. 

I personally loved the exchanges between Garcia and Alvez. They weren't too over the top. She's just got to warm up to him a little. She doesn't like change as has been established previously. She misses Morgan and she doesn't want to see him replaced so it will take a little time, but I'm sure they will be friends in a few episodes.

[novhappy]

I didn't understand why they had to go to the guy in the hospital to get the names of the kids in the camp. What, now Garcias Magic computer doesn't work?

ps. Anybody catch the subtle Hamilton reference?

[Bookish Jen]

7 hours ago, Reghan said:

Reid in a BDSM shop? Haha that's not something I thought I'd ever see. 

I personally loved the exchanges between Garcia and Alvez. They weren't too over the top. She's just got to warm up to him a little. She doesn't like change as has been established previously. She misses Morgan and she doesn't want to see him replaced so it will take a little time, but I'm sure they will be friends in a few episodes.

And I'm impressed how TPTB didn't have Reid acting like a blushing, immature pubescent giggling and pointing at the bondage gear, dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, anal beads, porn-related DVDs, fetish wear...yes, I've been in these types of shops. Why do you ask?

And thank goodness the woman behind the counter was professional and didn't say something out of line like to Reid like, "I bet you'd like to be handcuffed to my bedpost!"

Edited September 29, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, novhappy said:

Anybody catch the subtle Hamilton reference?

Which reference? As in Hamilton, the city?

[Bookish Jen]

2 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Which reference? As in Hamilton, the city?

I'm thinking the massively successful Broadway musical. But I can't remember the reference either.

[Danielg342]

Oh...I always get excited about references to my home and native land, even if CM doesn't always get it right.

[smoker]

I will post my size plus opinion later. 

I do agree with some of your points, but I am afraid that if I start to quote everything I will make a collage ;P

By the moment, my thoughts are that I liked the new credits; the episode, as a whole, I did enjoy more season eleven's premiere. Mr. Scratch's arc has fallen into commercial land, just another missed oportunity.

Edited September 29, 2016 by smoker

[zannej]

The Good

• I like Alvez. He's professional and despite the awkwardness with Penelope, he handled her rudeness well.
• Hotch got to give some advice to Alvez
• Aisha did a great job of showing Tara's emotions as she dealt with what transpired
• JJ was empathetic with Tara, yet kept her head
• I like Bodhi Elfman. There is something about his voice that I like. I can't quite put my finger on it.
• It seemed reasonable to me for Brian to be worried about being laughed at .
• It actually made some sort of sense that JJ and Tara could get through to the unsub because it was girls who comforted him when he was suffering
• Reid's name being used to purchase stuff at a BDSM shop and Reid didn't get all flustered. It's particularly amusing to me since there are unsubstantiated rumors that Gubler is in to BDSM.
• I like how Alvez gets along with most of the team.
• I actually felt sorry for Brian at the end of the episode.
• We got to see the late deputy's family and I thought the way the cops reacted was actually believable
• I liked that Tara stayed with Brian to make sure the cops didn't hurt him.
• While I guessed from the moment they picked Brian up that he might be the unsub, it was still interesting to see the Manchurian Candidate type element where a word triggered his break. It also made me wonder if he placed a suggestion like that in Hotch's mind.
• I do NOT miss the whole "baby girl" and "chocolate thunder" crap. I was glad to not have the over the top innuendo crap, although I sort of wish there had been a little gentle ribbing of Reid about his name being used for the BDSM store. In earlier seasons, Garcia would have teased him at least a little and with his growth over the last few seasons he probably would have at least cracked a smile.
• Despite Garcia's rudeness to Alvez, I felt that the two had chemistry (not sexual, but I couldn't help but get the sense that Kirsten and Adam like each other-- although maybe it's biased because I've seen behind-the-scenes photos and comments).

The Bad

• I felt like it was a bit too light on Hotch
• The team was too spread out, didn't share info, and it just didn't feel like they were working together. I wanted to see the team in the room with Hotch more and see them looking at him with concern as they discussed Mr. Scratch.
• Certain plot elements- plot was a bit too convoluted and the team took too long to figure out stuff that I figured out without having any info the team did not already have.
• Team failed to do Victimology on Brian properly-- should have found out about the DID diagnosis much earlier on.
• Once they had the DID diagnosis, they should have brought Reid in to talk to him along with Tara because Reid has more knowledge of the disorder and more experience dealing with people who suffer from it, than the rest of the team.
• Exposition dialog was clunky in some places.
• Reid's line about Mr. Scratch being so dangerous because he's a "math genius" was laughable. Being a math genius does not endow one with common sense, understanding of human psychology, or a myriad of other things that would be necessary to accomplish his goals.
• Continuity fail with Garcia's surname origin- in season one she said it was her step-father's surname. Also, her parents died when she was in college-- putting her in her late teens at their death, so it makes no sense that she would abandon their surname at that age and take a different one. Also highly unlikely that she was adopted at that age-- particularly with things established in past episodes.
• Line delivery from Matthew-- too rushed and he was pretty much relegated to exposition with no emotional reaction or connection to the past incidents involving DID. Something just seemed off about his delivery to me.
• Line delivery from Joe during certain exposition scenes. Sounded like he was telling a story rather than actually talking to someone at points.
• Hotch walking along next to Tara silently while she talked to the police chief as if she were in charge. They could have had him ask at least one question during the walk to see the victim.
• At one point the smoke was escaping from the gas mask-- I wonder how uncomfortable that was for the actor to have that stuff blown in his face.
• Even before reading other reviews, I called BS on the treatment for Reid's mother's dementia.
• When Brian said he recognized faces instead of names, wouldn't it have made more sense for them to have obtained the list, found photos of each of the individuals and then shown the pictures to him and kept the names to themselves instead of saying them out loud? Or, showing a face and letting him say it was familiar and then having the deputy say the name out loud.
• Garcia's behavior toward Alvez made absolutely no sense at all. He was just on loan from another agency at the time she was acting snippy toward him. It was childish and unprofessional. I also felt it was out-of-character for Garcia to be so rude and judgmental of someone based on their looks. She never treated Morgan rudely. I kept wanting to see Hotch step in and tell her to knock it off. IF he'd already been a full-fledged member of the team and was replacing Morgan outright, I could see her being a little hesitant, but this just made zero sense. Attention writers: Please stop trying to have the characters be the voice of what you think the audience is feeling. It almost always flops.

In Between

• Brian working for the unsub was predictable to me. I figured it out quite early on, although I did wonder what exactly the end-game was.
• I'm not sure if the cuts on the stomachs really worked for me. On one hand, they seemed too wide, but it wasn't the worst wound makeup I've seen on the show.
• Did I miss something? Was Alvez saying Garcia had a "Canadian boyfriend" an inside joke of some sort? I mean, in one regard, I think he was trying to get her to open up, but it just seemed like an odd thing to say.

I really want them to stop the crap with Garcia being rude asap. I don't expect her to treat Alvez the way she treated Morgan-- I really don't want her to do that at all. I would like to see her attaching herself (in an appropriate manner) to another team member.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was moderately entertaining so I'll give it a C.

[Bookish Jen]

1 minute ago, zannej said:

The Good

• I like Alvez. He's professional and despite the awkwardness with Penelope, he handled her rudeness well.
• Hotch got to give some advice to Alvez
• Aisha did a great job of showing Tara's emotions as she dealt with what transpired
• JJ was empathetic with Tara, yet kept her head
• I like Bodhi Elfman. There is something about his voice that I like. I can't quite put my finger on it.
• It seemed reasonable to me for Brian to be worried about being laughed at .
• It actually made some sort of sense that JJ and Tara could get through to the unsub because it was girls who comforted him when he was suffering
• Reid's name being used to purchase stuff at a BDSM shop and Reid didn't get all flustered. It's particularly amusing to me since there are unsubstantiated rumors that Gubler is in to BDSM.
• I like how Alvez gets along with most of the team.
• I actually felt sorry for Brian at the end of the episode.
• We got to see the late deputy's family and I thought the way the cops reacted was actually believable
• I liked that Tara stayed with Brian to make sure the cops didn't hurt him.
• While I guessed from the moment they picked Brian up that he might be the unsub, it was still interesting to see the Manchurian Candidate type element where a word triggered his break. It also made me wonder if he placed a suggestion like that in Hotch's mind.
• I do NOT miss the whole "baby girl" and "chocolate thunder" crap. I was glad to not have the over the top innuendo crap, although I sort of wish there had been a little gentle ribbing of Reid about his name being used for the BDSM store. In earlier seasons, Garcia would have teased him at least a little and with his growth over the last few seasons he probably would have at least cracked a smile.
• Despite Garcia's rudeness to Alvez, I felt that the two had chemistry (not sexual, but I couldn't help but get the sense that Kirsten and Adam like each other-- although maybe it's biased because I've seen behind-the-scenes photos and comments).

The Bad

• I felt like it was a bit too light on Hotch
• The team was too spread out, didn't share info, and it just didn't feel like they were working together. I wanted to see the team in the room with Hotch more and see them looking at him with concern as they discussed Mr. Scratch.
• Certain plot elements- plot was a bit too convoluted and the team took too long to figure out stuff that I figured out without having any info the team did not already have.
• Team failed to do Victimology on Brian properly-- should have found out about the DID diagnosis much earlier on.
• Once they had the DID diagnosis, they should have brought Reid in to talk to him along with Tara because Reid has more knowledge of the disorder and more experience dealing with people who suffer from it, than the rest of the team.
• Exposition dialog was clunky in some places.
• Reid's line about Mr. Scratch being so dangerous because he's a "math genius" was laughable. Being a math genius does not endow one with common sense, understanding of human psychology, or a myriad of other things that would be necessary to accomplish his goals.
• Continuity fail with Garcia's surname origin- in season one she said it was her step-father's surname. Also, her parents died when she was in college-- putting her in her late teens at their death, so it makes no sense that she would abandon their surname at that age and take a different one. Also highly unlikely that she was adopted at that age-- particularly with things established in past episodes.
• Line delivery from Matthew-- too rushed and he was pretty much relegated to exposition with no emotional reaction or connection to the past incidents involving DID. Something just seemed off about his delivery to me.
• Line delivery from Joe during certain exposition scenes. Sounded like he was telling a story rather than actually talking to someone at points.
• Hotch walking along next to Tara silently while she talked to the police chief as if she were in charge. They could have had him ask at least one question during the walk to see the victim.
• At one point the smoke was escaping from the gas mask-- I wonder how uncomfortable that was for the actor to have that stuff blown in his face.
• Even before reading other reviews, I called BS on the treatment for Reid's mother's dementia.
• When Brian said he recognized faces instead of names, wouldn't it have made more sense for them to have obtained the list, found photos of each of the individuals and then shown the pictures to him and kept the names to themselves instead of saying them out loud? Or, showing a face and letting him say it was familiar and then having the deputy say the name out loud.
• Garcia's behavior toward Alvez made absolutely no sense at all. He was just on loan from another agency at the time she was acting snippy toward him. It was childish and unprofessional. I also felt it was out-of-character for Garcia to be so rude and judgmental of someone based on their looks. She never treated Morgan rudely. I kept wanting to see Hotch step in and tell her to knock it off. IF he'd already been a full-fledged member of the team and was replacing Morgan outright, I could see her being a little hesitant, but this just made zero sense. Attention writers: Please stop trying to have the characters be the voice of what you think the audience is feeling. It almost always flops.

In Between

• Brian working for the unsub was predictable to me. I figured it out quite early on, although I did wonder what exactly the end-game was.
• I'm not sure if the cuts on the stomachs really worked for me. On one hand, they seemed too wide, but it wasn't the worst wound makeup I've seen on the show.
• Did I miss something? Was Alvez saying Garcia had a "Canadian boyfriend" an inside joke of some sort? I mean, in one regard, I think he was trying to get her to open up, but it just seemed like an odd thing to say.

I really want them to stop the crap with Garcia being rude asap. I don't expect her to treat Alvez the way she treated Morgan-- I really don't want her to do that at all. I would like to see her attaching herself (in an appropriate manner) to another team member.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was moderately entertaining so I'll give it a C.

Well, you saved me from writing a lengthy critique because I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. I give the episode a C, but your critique an A+

[normasm]

One thing, now we have another inappropriate nickname for Garcia, chica. Just saying

[ReidFan]

forgive me for asking, I speak/understand zero Spanish (I'm assuming it's Spanish) what's wrong with chica? Not familiar with the term at all. Does it have some sort of bad connotation?

[smoker]

It's perfectly fine

Chica = Girl

I guess the point is why Gacia needs a nickname.

It would be nice if she also lost the "baby" in her attitude.

Edited September 29, 2016 by smoker

[bkathi]

59 minutes ago, zannej said:

The Good

• I like Alvez. He's professional and despite the awkwardness with Penelope, he handled her rudeness well.
• Hotch got to give some advice to Alvez
• Aisha did a great job of showing Tara's emotions as she dealt with what transpired
• JJ was empathetic with Tara, yet kept her head
• I like Bodhi Elfman. There is something about his voice that I like. I can't quite put my finger on it.
• It seemed reasonable to me for Brian to be worried about being laughed at .
• It actually made some sort of sense that JJ and Tara could get through to the unsub because it was girls who comforted him when he was suffering
• Reid's name being used to purchase stuff at a BDSM shop and Reid didn't get all flustered. It's particularly amusing to me since there are unsubstantiated rumors that Gubler is in to BDSM.
• I like how Alvez gets along with most of the team.
• I actually felt sorry for Brian at the end of the episode.
• We got to see the late deputy's family and I thought the way the cops reacted was actually believable
• I liked that Tara stayed with Brian to make sure the cops didn't hurt him.
• While I guessed from the moment they picked Brian up that he might be the unsub, it was still interesting to see the Manchurian Candidate type element where a word triggered his break. It also made me wonder if he placed a suggestion like that in Hotch's mind.
• I do NOT miss the whole "baby girl" and "chocolate thunder" crap. I was glad to not have the over the top innuendo crap, although I sort of wish there had been a little gentle ribbing of Reid about his name being used for the BDSM store. In earlier seasons, Garcia would have teased him at least a little and with his growth over the last few seasons he probably would have at least cracked a smile.
• Despite Garcia's rudeness to Alvez, I felt that the two had chemistry (not sexual, but I couldn't help but get the sense that Kirsten and Adam like each other-- although maybe it's biased because I've seen behind-the-scenes photos and comments).

The Bad

• I felt like it was a bit too light on Hotch
• The team was too spread out, didn't share info, and it just didn't feel like they were working together. I wanted to see the team in the room with Hotch more and see them looking at him with concern as they discussed Mr. Scratch.
• Certain plot elements- plot was a bit too convoluted and the team took too long to figure out stuff that I figured out without having any info the team did not already have.
• Team failed to do Victimology on Brian properly-- should have found out about the DID diagnosis much earlier on.
• Once they had the DID diagnosis, they should have brought Reid in to talk to him along with Tara because Reid has more knowledge of the disorder and more experience dealing with people who suffer from it, than the rest of the team.
• Exposition dialog was clunky in some places.
• Reid's line about Mr. Scratch being so dangerous because he's a "math genius" was laughable. Being a math genius does not endow one with common sense, understanding of human psychology, or a myriad of other things that would be necessary to accomplish his goals.
• Continuity fail with Garcia's surname origin- in season one she said it was her step-father's surname. Also, her parents died when she was in college-- putting her in her late teens at their death, so it makes no sense that she would abandon their surname at that age and take a different one. Also highly unlikely that she was adopted at that age-- particularly with things established in past episodes.
• Line delivery from Matthew-- too rushed and he was pretty much relegated to exposition with no emotional reaction or connection to the past incidents involving DID. Something just seemed off about his delivery to me.
• Line delivery from Joe during certain exposition scenes. Sounded like he was telling a story rather than actually talking to someone at points.
• Hotch walking along next to Tara silently while she talked to the police chief as if she were in charge. They could have had him ask at least one question during the walk to see the victim.
• At one point the smoke was escaping from the gas mask-- I wonder how uncomfortable that was for the actor to have that stuff blown in his face.
• Even before reading other reviews, I called BS on the treatment for Reid's mother's dementia.
• When Brian said he recognized faces instead of names, wouldn't it have made more sense for them to have obtained the list, found photos of each of the individuals and then shown the pictures to him and kept the names to themselves instead of saying them out loud? Or, showing a face and letting him say it was familiar and then having the deputy say the name out loud.
• Garcia's behavior toward Alvez made absolutely no sense at all. He was just on loan from another agency at the time she was acting snippy toward him. It was childish and unprofessional. I also felt it was out-of-character for Garcia to be so rude and judgmental of someone based on their looks. She never treated Morgan rudely. I kept wanting to see Hotch step in and tell her to knock it off. IF he'd already been a full-fledged member of the team and was replacing Morgan outright, I could see her being a little hesitant, but this just made zero sense. Attention writers: Please stop trying to have the characters be the voice of what you think the audience is feeling. It almost always flops.

In Between

• Brian working for the unsub was predictable to me. I figured it out quite early on, although I did wonder what exactly the end-game was.
• I'm not sure if the cuts on the stomachs really worked for me. On one hand, they seemed too wide, but it wasn't the worst wound makeup I've seen on the show.
• Did I miss something? Was Alvez saying Garcia had a "Canadian boyfriend" an inside joke of some sort? I mean, in one regard, I think he was trying to get her to open up, but it just seemed like an odd thing to say.

I really want them to stop the crap with Garcia being rude asap. I don't expect her to treat Alvez the way she treated Morgan-- I really don't want her to do that at all. I would like to see her attaching herself (in an appropriate manner) to another team member.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was moderately entertaining so I'll give it a C.

I think the Canadian boyfriend reference is from when you were in high school and there was always one kid who wasn't dating and said they had a significant other from Canada (or in college) as an excuse. 

[Bookish Jen]

1 minute ago, bkathi said:

I think the Canadian boyfriend reference is from when you were in high school and there was always one kid who wasn't dating and said they had a significant other from Canada (or in college) as an excuse. 

Exactly, like when Anthony Michael Hall's character in "The Breakfast Club" referred to his girlfriend living in Canada (man, I'm old). Or the Avenue Q song, "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada." 

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/avenueq/mygirlfriendwholivesincanada.htm

[MaliceMisel]

1 hour ago, zannej said:

The Good

• I like Alvez. He's professional and despite the awkwardness with Penelope, he handled her rudeness well.
• Hotch got to give some advice to Alvez
• Aisha did a great job of showing Tara's emotions as she dealt with what transpired
• JJ was empathetic with Tara, yet kept her head
• I like Bodhi Elfman. There is something about his voice that I like. I can't quite put my finger on it.
• It seemed reasonable to me for Brian to be worried about being laughed at .
• It actually made some sort of sense that JJ and Tara could get through to the unsub because it was girls who comforted him when he was suffering
• Reid's name being used to purchase stuff at a BDSM shop and Reid didn't get all flustered. It's particularly amusing to me since there are unsubstantiated rumors that Gubler is in to BDSM.
• I like how Alvez gets along with most of the team.
• I actually felt sorry for Brian at the end of the episode.
• We got to see the late deputy's family and I thought the way the cops reacted was actually believable
• I liked that Tara stayed with Brian to make sure the cops didn't hurt him.
• While I guessed from the moment they picked Brian up that he might be the unsub, it was still interesting to see the Manchurian Candidate type element where a word triggered his break. It also made me wonder if he placed a suggestion like that in Hotch's mind.
• I do NOT miss the whole "baby girl" and "chocolate thunder" crap. I was glad to not have the over the top innuendo crap, although I sort of wish there had been a little gentle ribbing of Reid about his name being used for the BDSM store. In earlier seasons, Garcia would have teased him at least a little and with his growth over the last few seasons he probably would have at least cracked a smile.
• Despite Garcia's rudeness to Alvez, I felt that the two had chemistry (not sexual, but I couldn't help but get the sense that Kirsten and Adam like each other-- although maybe it's biased because I've seen behind-the-scenes photos and comments).

The Bad

• I felt like it was a bit too light on Hotch
• The team was too spread out, didn't share info, and it just didn't feel like they were working together. I wanted to see the team in the room with Hotch more and see them looking at him with concern as they discussed Mr. Scratch.
• Certain plot elements- plot was a bit too convoluted and the team took too long to figure out stuff that I figured out without having any info the team did not already have.
• Team failed to do Victimology on Brian properly-- should have found out about the DID diagnosis much earlier on.
• Once they had the DID diagnosis, they should have brought Reid in to talk to him along with Tara because Reid has more knowledge of the disorder and more experience dealing with people who suffer from it, than the rest of the team.
• Exposition dialog was clunky in some places.
• Reid's line about Mr. Scratch being so dangerous because he's a "math genius" was laughable. Being a math genius does not endow one with common sense, understanding of human psychology, or a myriad of other things that would be necessary to accomplish his goals.
• Continuity fail with Garcia's surname origin- in season one she said it was her step-father's surname. Also, her parents died when she was in college-- putting her in her late teens at their death, so it makes no sense that she would abandon their surname at that age and take a different one. Also highly unlikely that she was adopted at that age-- particularly with things established in past episodes.
• Line delivery from Matthew-- too rushed and he was pretty much relegated to exposition with no emotional reaction or connection to the past incidents involving DID. Something just seemed off about his delivery to me.
• Line delivery from Joe during certain exposition scenes. Sounded like he was telling a story rather than actually talking to someone at points.
• Hotch walking along next to Tara silently while she talked to the police chief as if she were in charge. They could have had him ask at least one question during the walk to see the victim.
• At one point the smoke was escaping from the gas mask-- I wonder how uncomfortable that was for the actor to have that stuff blown in his face.
• Even before reading other reviews, I called BS on the treatment for Reid's mother's dementia.
• When Brian said he recognized faces instead of names, wouldn't it have made more sense for them to have obtained the list, found photos of each of the individuals and then shown the pictures to him and kept the names to themselves instead of saying them out loud? Or, showing a face and letting him say it was familiar and then having the deputy say the name out loud.
• Garcia's behavior toward Alvez made absolutely no sense at all. He was just on loan from another agency at the time she was acting snippy toward him. It was childish and unprofessional. I also felt it was out-of-character for Garcia to be so rude and judgmental of someone based on their looks. She never treated Morgan rudely. I kept wanting to see Hotch step in and tell her to knock it off. IF he'd already been a full-fledged member of the team and was replacing Morgan outright, I could see her being a little hesitant, but this just made zero sense. Attention writers: Please stop trying to have the characters be the voice of what you think the audience is feeling. It almost always flops.

In Between

• Brian working for the unsub was predictable to me. I figured it out quite early on, although I did wonder what exactly the end-game was.
• I'm not sure if the cuts on the stomachs really worked for me. On one hand, they seemed too wide, but it wasn't the worst wound makeup I've seen on the show.
• Did I miss something? Was Alvez saying Garcia had a "Canadian boyfriend" an inside joke of some sort? I mean, in one regard, I think he was trying to get her to open up, but it just seemed like an odd thing to say.

I really want them to stop the crap with Garcia being rude asap. I don't expect her to treat Alvez the way she treated Morgan-- I really don't want her to do that at all. I would like to see her attaching herself (in an appropriate manner) to another team member.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It was moderately entertaining so I'll give it a C.

Matthew might have been directed his line delivery to save the screentime for other awesome EM's favs. And Joe might have been not interested in the show all about girls with ab.

Both are better actors than AR, but they seem to lose every interest in the show, which indicates what kind of show will it become.

 

The early ratings were announced. The demo number of the premier is tied with that of S11's finale. Messer's new golden boy and super girls didn't draw viewers at all.

[novhappy]

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

I'm thinking the massively successful Broadway musical. But I can't remember the reference either.

The Hamilton reference was in regards to the musical. The names of Hamiltons wife and her sister( major characters in the play) are Angelica and Eliza. There is a song with there names repeated a lot and that song is quite the ear worm 

[Bookish Jen]

2 minutes ago, novhappy said:

The Hamilton reference was in regards to the musical. The names of Hamiltons wife and her sister( major characters in the play) are Angelica and Eliza. There is a song with there names repeated a lot and that song is quite the ear worm 

Thank you so much. I'm a total Broadway geek, but you seriously know your stuff.

[novhappy]

I listen to the soundtrack A LOT!  My daughter watched CM after I did and texted immediately about the name check!

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

Exactly, like when Anthony Michael Hall's character in "The Breakfast Club" referred to his girlfriend living in Canada (man, I'm old). Or the Avenue Q song, "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada." 

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/avenueq/mygirlfriendwholivesincanada.htm

I get The Breakfast Club reference, but I didn't realize that having a significant other in Canada was an actual thing that people would say. Growing up in Canada, it's not something I would ever hear. So, that whole bit about Garcia's "Canadian boyfriend" just seemed way out of left field.

[zannej]

2 hours ago, bkathi said:

I think the Canadian boyfriend reference is from when you were in high school and there was always one kid who wasn't dating and said they had a significant other from Canada (or in college) as an excuse. 

Ah. I never heard of that-- but then, I went to an international high school. Some of my classmates were from Canada-- and India, China, Pakistan, Israel, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, Singapore, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

Exactly, like when Anthony Michael Hall's character in "The Breakfast Club" referred to his girlfriend living in Canada (man, I'm old). Or the Avenue Q song, "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada." 

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/avenueq/mygirlfriendwholivesincanada.htm

I have not watched that movie in over 20 years and the only Avenue Q song I've heard is "The internet is very very great (for porn)"

56 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I get The Breakfast Club reference, but I didn't realize that having a significant other in Canada was an actual thing that people would say. Growing up in Canada, it's not something I would ever hear. So, that whole bit about Garcia's "Canadian boyfriend" just seemed way out of left field.

Well, I've never even been to Canada but didn't get the reference. LOL. I used to have a great memory-- now, pfft. I start typing and forget what I'm saying mid-sentence.

And gah... Cat keeps trying to sit on my keyboard. But she's so cute I can't get mad.

Something else I forgot to comment on: I noticed that in the beginning, the show would have multiple characters react to the situations in different ways. More than one could be affected at a time. Lately it seems that the writers decide that a particular character should be the focus and they only write that one character having an emotional response and the rest of the characters are not affected-- even when it is something that *should* affect them. It would not detract from one character's "moment" to have another character react. I would have loved to have seen at least one moment where there was at least *some* reaction involving Reid's feelings about DID rather than just fact-spouting. But it doesn't seem to have been scripted-- as if it wasn't even remembered.

Now, the DID angle did bring about a thought-- what if Mr. Scratch breaks Adam (from "Conflicted") out and uses him.

[Mysteyman]

44 minutes ago, zannej said:

Ah. I never heard of that-- but then, I went to an international high school. Some of my classmates were from Canada-- and India, China, Pakistan, Israel, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, Singapore, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

I have not watched that movie in over 20 years and the only Avenue Q song I've heard is "The internet is very very great (for porn)"

Well, I've never even been to Canada but didn't get the reference. LOL. I used to have a great memory-- now, pfft. I start typing and forget what I'm saying mid-sentence.

And gah... Cat keeps trying to sit on my keyboard. But she's so cute I can't get mad.

Something else I forgot to comment on: I noticed that in the beginning, the show would have multiple characters react to the situations in different ways. More than one could be affected at a time. Lately it seems that the writers decide that a particular character should be the focus and they only write that one character having an emotional response and the rest of the characters are not affected-- even when it is something that *should* affect them. It would not detract from one character's "moment" to have another character react. I would have loved to have seen at least one moment where there was at least *some* reaction involving Reid's feelings about DID rather than just fact-spouting. But it doesn't seem to have been scripted-- as if it wasn't even remembered.

Now, the DID angle did bring about a thought-- what if Mr. Scratch breaks Adam (from "Conflicted") out and uses him.

Its possible that Adam was one of the 13 that broke out, you never know.

[Mysteyman]

I should have said one of the 5 remaining at large.

It was clever of the writers to open up the season with the majority of the inmates recaptured.

I wasn't expecting that.

[ReidFan]

4 hours ago, zannej said:

The Good

 

• Reid's name being used to purchase stuff at a BDSM shop and Reid didn't get all flustered. It's particularly amusing to me since there are unsubstantiated rumors that Gubler is in to BDSM.

wait. WHAT?!!!

[normasm]

3 hours ago, zannej said:

Now, the DID angle did bring about a thought-- what if Mr. Scratch breaks Adam (from "Conflicted") out and uses him.

He was in a hospital for the criminally insane, which, yes, hardly exist anymore in this age of privatized incarceration. However, Amanda is probably still in hospital.

Edited September 29, 2016 by normasm