You Know You're Obsessed With Criminal Minds When...

[normasm]

To me, canon is the pilot episode, Extreme Aggressor. It sets out the entire job of profiler, and how the individuals on the team view it. How it's affected them all, from Hotch to Garcia, with the main focus being Gideon. Gideon's life has been nearly ruined by his dedication to the job, yet it's still worth the strain. Extreme Aggressor also lays out in fascinating fashion the world of serial killers, what causes them, how one fights them. It also has one of the best "delivering the profile" scenes in the entire canon.

100 is great for the teamwork on it, and the focusing of one particular serial killer on wielding control over a profiler/nemesis. It's a great episode also, very emotional, taking characters we know well through an extreme personal experience. EA was crafted by the folks who invented the show's mission statement. 100 was written by all the writers at the time teaming together, and the unity showed.

[Willowy]

Nodding as I'm reading your post, normasm. Agree about Extreme Aggressor. It is as close to a perfect episode as CM gets, for all the reasons you listed and more. 

[Bookish Jen]

You know you're obsessed with CM when instead of watching a first run episode of Timeless (a new show I'm just not getting into though it showed much promise), you watch a rerun of CM on ION for the 187th time.

[Willowy]

With all there is to watch (I haven't even finished Luke Cage!), I still come home, no matter what time of day, and immediately turn on ION to see if CM is playing. I don't always leave it on (especially if Proof is the episode) but it always gets first priority.

[normasm]

My husband thinks of Ion CM episodes on Monday, Tuesday and Friday as my anti-anxiety medication. He always asks me, "have you seen this one?" fully expecting me to tell him what the episode is and if it's a favorite or (more likely) a not-so-good one, a so-called LOP. 

[Bookish Jen]

At this point CM is kind of like televised comfort food to me. Yes, I've been a bit critical of CM in its past few seasons, but I still find myself turning it on when I'm home and a marathon is on ION. Season 11 starts tonight, and even though I'm not thrilled about last season, I will probably have it on and half-watch while I putter around my lady lair.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[ReidFan]

I don't have ION here, so CM marathons are restricted to the occasional one A&E runs (which always seems to be the same 5-10 episodes) or self-administered, which ends up being the same ones all the time too LOL. What I will do now is depending on my mood (or if I have story research to do perhaps) is run a bunch from a particular season together. Currently doing season one :) ; but I have been known to do 'the Revelations arc' or the 'post Maeve arc' . Son will see Revelations or Amplification (my two most watched) and just roll his eyes "Again?! You wanna see him dead or something?"

[ReidFan]

LOL.... "You know you're obsessed with Criminal Minds" when half a dozen of your coworkers PM you on Facebook to say something like "Oh man, you'll wanna watch @midnight tonight! Your guy from Criminal minds is on it!" or you open up your email and have a folder called 'have you seen  these?' and open it to find like, fifty photos of Matthew Gray Gubler that the sender thinks you may not have already seen. Or the worst, when your supervisor calls you at home and says "I know you don't usually work Wednesday nights, and I totally understand why, but <so and so> asked for it off for <some valid reason> and you're the only other person available. Any chance you could just PVR it this week?" And I will jump at the extra shift because, doncha know, it ain't on tomorrow night but the boss doesn't know that and this way I have a favour saved up O:-)

[Bookish Jen]

2 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

LOL.... "You know you're obsessed with Criminal Minds" when half a dozen of your coworkers PM you on Facebook to say something like "Oh man, you'll wanna watch @midnight tonight! Your guy from Criminal minds is on it!" or you open up your email and have a folder called 'have you seen  these?' and open it to find like, fifty photos of Matthew Gray Gubler that the sender thinks you may not have already seen. Or the worst, when your supervisor calls you at home and says "I know you don't usually work Wednesday nights, and I totally understand why, but <so and so> asked for it off for <some valid reason> and you're the only other person available. Any chance you could just PVR it this week?" And I will jump at the extra shift because, doncha know, it ain't on tomorrow night but the boss doesn't know that and this way I have a favour saved up O:-)

I accidentally read this as "filthy."

[ReidFan]

16 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

I accidentally read this as "filthy."

Damn! You know me too well, woman!

[Bookish Jen]

Just now, ReidFan said:

Damn! You know me too well, woman!

Way too well. I used to be so sweet and innocent until I came to these parts and was corrupted by all of you.

[normasm]

You can thank us any time.

[senin]

32 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

LOL.... "You know you're obsessed with Criminal Minds" when half a dozen of your coworkers PM you on Facebook to say something like "Oh man, you'll wanna watch @midnight tonight! Your guy from Criminal minds is on it!" or you open up your email and have a folder called 'have you seen  these?' and open it to find like, fifty photos of Matthew Gray Gubler that the sender thinks you may not have already seen. Or the worst, when your supervisor calls you at home and says "I know you don't usually work Wednesday nights, and I totally understand why, but <so and so> asked for it off for <some valid reason> and you're the only other person available. Any chance you could just PVR it this week?" And I will jump at the extra shift because, doncha know, it ain't on tomorrow night but the boss doesn't know that and this way I have a favour saved up O:-)

I identify with most comments you've written today , more or less but this part made me laugh. 

The channel which shows CM has re-runs of episodes everyday, two episodes per day. And yes, although I have the DVDs I record them, and play them frequently...sometimes it's favourites, sometimes the first one that gets my attention, sometimes the one that's on... you name it. Do you think I should see a doctor about this?

BTW, Booky, I'm also watching Timeless, and so far I like it. (just seen the first two episodes), so if you feel like talking about it, just ask. 

[Bookish Jen]

13 minutes ago, normasm said:

You can thank us any time.

Thank you my darlings!

Edited October 18, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[secnarf]

I read these articles and my second thought was that they would fit well as a CM episode. Then I realized I can visualize the episode perfectly, with way too much focus on the unsub, and I would hate it.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/criminology-prof-woodstock-1.3821332

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/police-investigate-multiple-jurisdiction-death-1.3818887

[CrimeFan12]

You know when you are obsessed with CM that when you are watching the episodes on A&E, you notice the spots where they cut scenes out so that the episode fits into their airing time.

[senin]

Earlier this afternoon I was trying to find out which channel showed a film I wanted to see. Suddenly, the actor that played Tobias Hankel's father appears on screen (I think it was an old episode of Cold Case).

I felt weird, I was almost afraid of him!!

[Bookish Jen]

2 hours ago, senin said:

Earlier this afternoon I was trying to find out which channel showed a film I wanted to see. Suddenly, the actor that played Tobias Hankel's father appears on screen (I think it was an old episode of Cold Case).

I felt weird, I was almost afraid of him!!

I totally squeed when I saw Lola Glaudini on an episode of Law and Order: SVU. And extra squee points? She had red hair in the episode (however, her character was a baddie).

[ReidFan]

You know you're obsessed when you watch Mr. Scratch for like, the twentieth time, and *still* scream out in an agonised noooooooo! when 'shots fired! Spence is down! OMG no!' 

[senin]

Something similar happened to me a couple of days ago, I was watching, for the umpteenth time, 100 and Slave of Duty. The fight between Foyet and Hotch gets to me every single time. And Hotch's words at Haley's funeral... 

I think it gets worse the more times I rewatch , even when I know what is coming next!!

[Droogie]

100 never fails to absolutely slay me.

[FanOfDorks]

Everytime.

 

Revalations just creeps me out as well as Mr Scratch.

[senin]

In fact, Revelations is one of the episodes which gets harder to see every time I rewatch it. But as a truly masochistic CM (and Reid!!) fan I keep rewatching from time to time (and I cringe when Reid gets beaten, and I hate Hankel everytime, and I love Hotch when he works out the clues Reid is giving him...)

[smoker]

Hotch and Reid... the good ole times :'(

[smoker]

I just finished Kubo and the two strings. Awesome film. And while Regina Spektor sang "while my guitar gently weeps" wonderfully, I couldn't help thinking of Hotch and his "white album".

[senin]

When someone tells you he is going to a concert tonight, a band named "King Crimson"!! 

And you smile... 

Editing to add: my brother (he is much more into music than I am) has been really surprised that I know of the existence of said group!! Maybe being a CM Fan is not such a bad thing after all

Edited November 22, 2016 by senin

[Hotchgirl18]

When Hotch shows up in your dreams more than once. 

When you use the word unsub. 

[Bookish Jen]

When you accidentally call your cat Booky instead of Pokey.

[Willowy]

When you've got two episode reviews and a half-done fic chapter to write, and you're as happy as a pig in poo with that situation.

[Hotchgirl18]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 5:33 PM, ReidFan said:

You know you're obsessed when you watch Mr. Scratch for like, the twentieth time, and *still* scream out in an agonised noooooooo! when 'shots fired! Spence is down! OMG no!' 

Or when you wonder what Mr. Scratch did to Hotch. And you've seen the episode a million times. *sigh* Questions we'll never get answered.

And I STILL cry over 100, when Haley dies. And I root for Hotch when he pummels Foyet into a corpse and keeps going! He got what he deserved!

[normasm]

I, too, sigh (and cry) that we won't ever see Hotch against, well, anyone who deserves it.

But, every time i see Hotch lose it and turn Foyet's face to mushy pulp, i think about how much he lost when he did that, in addition to what he had just lost (Hayley) and what he thought he might have lost (Jack). Him doing that to Foyet, yes, Foyet deserved it, but Hotch lost part of himself when he killed Foyet.

[Droogie]

100 will forever remain one of my top 5 CM episodes of all time.  Even more than Mr. Scratch, Thomas Gibson BROUGHT it.  Yes, good writing, but my goodness, just an unparalleled performance in that episode.  Why he didn't win an Emmy, I will never know.  

Edited March 8, 2017 by Droogie

[Fashionista7]

2 hours ago, Droogie said:

100 will forever remain one of my top 5 CM episodes of all time.  Even more than Mr. Scratch, Thomas Gibson BROUGHT it.  Yes, good writing, but my goodness, just an unparalleled performance in that episode.  Why he didn't win an Emmy, I will never know.  

I know right? Not just a Emmy, but the other big awards: Golden Globe, Screen Award and such.

If SVU got some Emmy and Golden Globe noms and a win, why couldn't CM, TG and MGG?

[Hotchgirl18]

On 3/8/2017 at 5:50 PM, normasm said:

I, too, sigh (and cry) that we won't ever see Hotch against, well, anyone who deserves it.

But, every time i see Hotch lose it and turn Foyet's face to mushy pulp, i think about how much he lost when he did that, in addition to what he had just lost (Hayley) and what he thought he might have lost (Jack). Him doing that to Foyet, yes, Foyet deserved it, but Hotch lost part of himself when he killed Foyet.

It freaking pisses me off. 

[AsYouWish]

You know you're obsessed with CM when before you even finish watching Compulsion, the second episode of the series, you rush to Amazon to order Seasons 2-5 because you're already that hopelessly hooked for life. 

And the fact that those DVDs arrived today is the highlight of your strange little life. 

You know you're obsessed when you find yourself constantly reflecting on every little apsect of these characters - much more frequently than you think about nearly anyone you know in real life. 

You know you're obsessed when you force encourage your dear mother to watch this show just so you have someone else to bond over it with, and rather than talking about any of the various real life issues affecting you both, you spend your entire weekend visit on topics like "so which was your favorite serial killer so far...?" 

[idiotwaltz]

When your boss says, "I'm impressed with your calm and practical approach with the client," your reply is, "Everything I know about client management, I learned from Criminal Minds." 

[ReidFan]

You know you're obsessed when you're trying to download a movie and the computer warns you 'disk almost full, please manage'........ so you 'manage' to find that there are more than 30000 screencaptures of Matthew Gray Gubler (mostly Reid, but not all) on the dang computer...

<<<<now moving to TimeCapsule>>>>

wow, look at all the space available now! :)

[Willowy]

Transcribing (new interview up tomorrow), researching, writing, resizing, compiling, publishing, watching, and reading. Everything but cleaning.

THIS is my Saturday, and I'm blissed-OUT! 

I love weekends. 

[AsYouWish]

Is anyone else obsessed enough to have watched the first five seasons at least five times each?! My mother is maintaining that "no one" is quite as obsessed with this show as I am, and like the mature middle-aged fanatic that I am, I'm eager to prove that at least a few people out there are as obsessed as I am :)

[Old Dog]

I've watched almost all the episodes in the first five seasons more times than that! There are a few I pass on that I don't like - such as "Riding the Lightning" but most of them I've seen often enough to know a lot of the dialogue. So you are not alone! Later seasons, not so much - just the outstanding episodes there.

[normasm]

Ditto, Old Dog!

[Annber03]

Ahaha, yeah, I've lost count of how many times I've seen the episodes from all seasons, what with the ION marathons and such to sit down and watch when I have free time :p. And then the ones that are particular favorites, I've probably watched even more often than that :D. 

[normasm]

Even my poor husband has seen some of these episodes 5 times, enough to know sorta which ones they are...

[Annber03]

Same with my mom. She'll catch certain episodes and be like, "Ohhhh, yeah, I remember this one, it's the one where....", and she kinda tries to fill things in from there :D.

[senin]

I've watched some favourite episodes far more than five times, and there are some favourite scenes that I can quote from memory. If that is being obsessed,then I am absolutely obsessed!! 

[AsYouWish]

Thanks to all of you for letting me know that I'm not the only one with this particular addiction obsession completely healthy interest in this TV show. :-)

Your next move is to assure me it's also normal that I watch nearly every episode when it's on TV, record as many of them as I can, AND own most of them on both Amazon video and DVD. As much as I love having them all on my phone, TiVo and computer, we need the DVDs: surely I can't be expected to live without gag reels and the ability to watch every random deleted scene!

[senin]

Again I can tell you you're not alone!! 

[ReidFan]

31 minutes ago, AsYouWish said:

Thanks to all of you for letting me know that I'm not the only one with this particular addiction obsession completely healthy interest in this TV show. :-)

Your next move is to assure me it's also normal that I watch nearly every episode when it's on TV, record as many of them as I can, AND own most of them on both Amazon video and DVD. As much as I love having them all on my phone, TiVo and computer, we need the DVDs: surely I can't be expected to live without gag reels and the ability to watch every random deleted scene!

I'm worse. I have them all on the harddrive, the external harddrive; I have this season and last on the PVR still, and I have the dvds for all the seasons I do like most of (so, like, missing season 6 lol) AND,  I went through season 12 episodes 14-20 and edited together *just* the Reid prison scenes so I could watch them all in succession without the distraction of those silly cases of the week interrupting me :)  

If my QT viewer could count the number of times I've seen a particular episode the way iTunes counts how many times I've listened to Elms District's Journey On (over 500 now....and that's just since May when I discovered it), it will have torn a muscle by now and rolled its eyes screaming 'Entropy AGAIN?' and/or 'Lemme guess.... Red Light?'

even my husband can recite Entropy verbatim now.

[idiotwaltz]

When you finally get the opportunity to tell your co-worker, “I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror,” and she doesn’t get it. 

On the plus side, neither of us have to do a prison interview (yet). 

[IHateMyself]

...when you know the actor/actress is sick when hearing their voice