S12.E07: Mirror Image

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

The BAU team opens an investigation when a man who fully believes he’s Dr. Tara Lewis’  brother arrives in town, knowing everything about her and her family, and she is unable to make contact with her real sibling.

[thewhiteowl]

Fire away...

[ReidFan]

I thought Joe Mantegna's direction of this one was far better than his previous efforts.......

and I was happy to see that Reid was treated like the intelligent being he is (Breen wrote this one, so no surprise there). Prentiss knew he would know what the bible verse was and even though he was busy working on that remote trigger device, he was still cool enough to recite that verse to her. And earlier, he knew the photo ID was a forgery because it was too perfect. 

Admittedly, Tara is nowhere near my favourite character so I wasn't really as emotionally engaged in this story as I could have been, but it was still well done.

Edited December 1, 2016 by ReidFan

[Willowy]

This was an amazing episode! Aisha SAID it would be different, and it was! I'll be happy to discuss this one, deeply.

BUT what I want to comment on right now is the "I'm not just a pretty face" said in the preview for next week's unsub! REALLY??

Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking??

[CrimeFan12]

No clue...lol.  Enlighten me.

[secnarf]

I was actually pretty captivated by this episode, despite being pretty confident that the real Gabriel would be fine. Obviously Tara-centric but entirely focused on the BAU unit, which was a nice change from the now-typical unsub-focused episodes. We didn't see or know anything until the team did. The roles were still pretty interchangeable, and there were the usual gripes about Tara being so involved (especially in the field) in such a personal case, but those are pretty minor quabbles, imo. Also was nice to see Emily leading the team. Really not looking forward to this new agent though, and it felt really forced/disjointed, like "oh I was really nervous about starting and then I got here and found enough money to hire another agent".

I agree that this storyline easily could have gone to Hotch, but it was nice to get to know a bit more about Tara.

I am really not one to pay attention to or fuss about the direction unless it is really noticeable one way or the other, but I didn't think this episode was much different from any others in terms of directing.

Mr Scratch is still creepy, which is good, but not too OTT yet. I have been a bit worried he is going to go the way of Pelant (from Bones).

We don't get the promos right after the episode, so can't comment on that!

[Willowy]

20 minutes ago, CrimeFan12 said:

No clue...lol.  Enlighten me.

Check it 2:48 seconds in.

If he's the UnSub, I called it. If not, I'm just a dork.

[CrimeFan12]

2 minutes ago, Franky said:

Check it 2:48 seconds in.

 

If he's the UnSub, I called it. If not, I'm just a dork.

Ah...good old Anderson.  I doubt it unless he moved to Washington state...lol.  It might be your dorkness. ;-)

[ForeverAlone]

I think with this episode, the Mr. Scratch storyline is officially played out and needs to die a quick death. He has now descended into comic book super villain levels of stupidity and ridiculousness. The fact that he has been supposedly able to capture and torture all of these people, AND stalk Hotch's family, and set up these elaborate Rube Goldberg-style traps, is utterly stupid. I wish we could get back to some interesting and scary, REALISTIC profiling stories. 

Edited December 1, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[smoker]

Did they name Hotch or is he the new Voldemort?

[normasm]

Forever, I think the end of Mr. Scratch will somehow entangle with "Spencer". They originally probably wanted it to be a Hotch hero smackdown, but that won't happen. Maybe it could be a Reid hero smackdown? Nah, they wouldn't let the nerd win.

[ReidFan]

Bodhi elfman wasn't listed as a guest in the spencer episode .....which by no means means it didn't happen.  And yeah Normasm.  I think you're right. On all counts.  

[Old Dog]

Do you know, not so very long ago I would get up early on this side of the Pond and it would take me one to two hours to read all the comments, opinions  and reviews about the latest episode that aired in the US (I don't do Facebook as that is just too infantile, idiotic and just plain crazy for me!).  This morning it took me just 7 minutes. That kind of says something about what is happening to the show don't you think?

[Bookish Jen]

10 hours ago, Franky said:

Check it 2:48 seconds in.

 

If he's the UnSub, I called it. If not, I'm just a dork.

So instead of an unsub, we have an ansub?

[normasm]

Riff, when they were trying to keep Maeve hidden, they didn't list Beth Reisgraf. I can't remember if they listed Mark Hamill as the Replicator before his 2 episodes aired. I dunno, it may be that they would want to make a big deal of the end of Mr. Scratch, so they'll probably string it out to the end of the season/(show?).

[smoker]

there are comments saying JM did better this time, I wanna say his episodes were a crap not only because of his lack of talent in this field,  they gave him horrible scripts too and that made things worse. Actually, most of season 11 was horrible and not even MGG could shone. So my educated guess is this time everything was better because the script was "decent" and not because JM improved his skills as a director.

If I say this is because I'm always pointing my finger at writers and EM as responsible parts in the lack of quality of the show. This episode seems the evidence of that. They don't need working pretty hard to get something watchable, but it seems they aren't interested in doing a good job.

Of course I won't critic anything of the episode itself because I haven't watched it.

[smoker]

39 minutes ago, normasm said:

Riff, when they were trying to keep Maeve hidden, they didn't list Beth Reisgraf. I can't remember if they listed Mark Hamill as the Replicator before his 2 episodes aired. I dunno, it may be that they would want to make a big deal of the end of Mr. Scratch, so they'll probably string it out to the end of the season/(show?).

You could be right Normasm. Although I think they are going to keep Mr. Scratch until the end of the season. I don't know if a bit before of the finale, like they did with Morgan's nemesis or it will be the final act. But I think you will have PL around for awhile.

Edited December 1, 2016 by smoker

[ReidFan]

2 hours ago, Old Dog said:

Do you know, not so very long ago I would get up early on this side of the Pond and it would take me one to two hours to read all the comments, opinions  and reviews about the latest episode that aired in the US (I don't do Facebook as that is just too infantile, idiotic and just plain crazy for me!).  This morning it took me just 7 minutes. That kind of says something about what is happening to the show don't you think?

I just don't have the time right now to really go into detail about how much I liked this episode. And to be honest, I see all the negativity posted and it just makes me sad. It's like I'm not watching the same show all those naysayers are watching. I'd be more inclined to share my thoughts in a smaller group of more like minded people.

[Willowy]

You're not alone, ReidFan. I too enjoyed it very much, and thought it was the best of Joe-directed episodes. I appreciated how different it felt from the normal episodes and I thought the performances were all excellent. 

[Old Dog]

8 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

I just don't have the time right now to really go into detail about how much I liked this episode. And to be honest, I see all the negativity posted and it just makes me sad. It's like I'm not watching the same show all those naysayers are watching. I'd be more inclined to share my thoughts in a smaller group of more like minded people.

Sorry Riff. I haven't seen the episode yet as it won't air here till next week. I was just making the observation that the level of comment about the show in general has almost completely fallen right away. Maybe this happens with all long running shows. Maybe the long time fans have all given up and moved on. I just recall the times when there would be dozens, sometimes scores of comments on every episode and much interesting debate on what did or didn't work. All I know is that I've only seen two complete episodes so far this season and both - even the one Matthew directed - were disappointing. I know a lot of the negativity comes from the NHNW gang, but there are also a lot of people like myself who find the quality of the writing has slipped badly and the tenor of the show has changed. I expect that this latest episode will be better written as Breen wrote it and he still has some clue about what the show is about.  But I can't not comment as objectively as I can - the quality of the show has been sliding for years now and there is no getting away from that. I would love to watch this episode and think Yowser that's as good as the early years - but this season so far hasn't given me much hope. But hey, you loved it and that's a good thing - here's hoping I love it also when I finally see it. And surely it is better for you to debate your view of the show in an open forum like this than just go to one of these rah rah sites where there is no grown up critical discussion but just blind adulation or sycophancy?

[Willowy]

I think it's over-simplifying and dismissive to say that because some people actually like the show that they are sycophants or have no adult opinions. I personally know and regularly speak with several people in their 50s, 40s, and 30s who really are stalwart fans, and can tell you why in multiple paragraphs using flawless grammar and reasoning (and not a single emoticon in sight). Not that I feel age should be a factor in determining the validity of someone's status as a fan,  in fact I know one 15 year old poet that can run rings around me with her words and ideas. 

[Old Dog]

And Riff, I just saw the ratings for last night and they are not good at all - and they can't blame a ball game or the POTUS for that. A lot of long time fans seem to be finding the show wanting this season, as I have. Also there will be some more fall out for the Reidless episodes coming up. I think a lot is hanging on the Reid arc with Jane Lynch or the show may be in real trouble which is such a shame.

[ReidFan]

arguably, though, ratings are down for *everything* and *everywhere* this year. People are netflixing and huluing and shomiing and (downloading) . And I just discovered you can actually buy the episodes from iTunes! really?!! !!!  whoa!!!!

:::adds to Christmas wish list::: (hubby will love that, CM on the iTunes account bwahahahhaha!)

[MMC]

6 hours ago, Old Dog said:

And Riff, I just saw the ratings for last night and they are not good at all - and they can't blame a ball game or the POTUS for that. A lot of long time fans seem to be finding the show wanting this season, as I have. Also there will be some more fall out for the Reidless episodes coming up. I think a lot is hanging on the Reid arc with Jane Lynch or the show may be in real trouble which is such a shame.

But at least it was matched with the last episode as far as the demo goes. Hopefully it will not adjust down when the final ratings come out later this afternoon. TVBTN recently upgraded the show from being a toss up to likely to be renewed. Their reason was because while CM has declined quite a bit in their ratings so had a lot of other CBS shows. Some even more so than CM had

tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/renewcancel/cancel-bear-vs-cbs-week-10-criminal-minds-is-down-but-won't-be-out

ETA: My apologies but I seem unable to make this link clickable no matter what I do.

Edited December 1, 2016 by MMC
to add a link

[Old Dog]

Well we shall see - but it is fun to speculate!

[Willowy]

25 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

arguably, though, ratings are down for *everything* and *everywhere* this year. People are netflixing and huluing and shomiing and (downloading) . And I just discovered you can actually buy the episodes from iTunes! really?!! !!!  whoa!!!!

:::adds to Christmas wish list::: (hubby will love that, CM on the iTunes account bwahahahhaha!)

I know digital is the big thing and people are buying physical media less and less, but there's something about having the actual dvds that's comforting to me. Maybe it's a holdover from when I was unemployed and really poor for over a year and couldn't afford even basic cable, so the local library's dvd collection was mine and my kids lifeline to home entertainment. Thank goodness for cheap, $20 dvd players!

[normasm]

I'm glad I watched it over, it was worth my while. Because it was such a different episode, the "talkiness" was to be expected. Fairly well-written, nothing that really stuck in my craw, which is good, because the pretext is deliciously creepy. "Desmond" was suitably disturbing, Tara was appropriately upset but professional. Even Emily is starting to get her Emily back (I loved when she called Mr. Scratch a "rat-faced son of a bitch", because, yeah). At first I was confused about Gabriel calling out for Luke, but it turned out to be a nice explanation, and brought everything around to a conclusion. 

As for JMO's Reid-Meter™, I'm sure we all expected it to be Reid-lite, as he was editing Eliot's Pond. And Reid got to do some smart things and save the day, so it was OK. JJ was good as well, AJ seems to really inhabit the role lately, instead of looking like she's trying too hard. Just the Garcia bit at the front had me cringing, she was awful. Again.

A bit of the dragginess of the scenes between the fake siblings and the father-daughter could probably been pepped up a little bit with livelier direction, but it was OK, especially for Joe. And now we know why they built that tall building on set, to accomplish that cool nail incident! 

I know what you mean about the negativity lately, Riff, although I think here it's more a sense of resignation and disappointment (in the writing and "mission" of the show), rather than just anger at the loss of TG. Now we won't see Reid in a new episode until late January, so I'm really bummed about that. Why couldn't they at least get the 2 or 3 Reidless episdoes out of the way before the end of the year? Oh, well.

[JMO]

Slept completely through it last night, but took Harry's advice to DVR it.  I think you pretty much said it all, Normasm.  Apart from the victim's point of view at the beginning of the episode, I didn't really notice the direction, which is a compliment, and makes it the best directed of Joe's episodes.  

I enjoy character-centric episodes that still actively involve and integrate the team, so I thought this was a good way to give more depth to the Tara Lewis character.  It helped me like Tara more, and I thought AT did a great job.  I agree with Normasm that the fake-sibling scenes were too long and dragged out, and I would have liked more of the team.  But I also realize that JM and MGG were otherwise engaged, so there were limited options.  

I really enjoyed the actor who played Tara's father.  Wasn't familiar with him, but wouldn't mind seeing him again.

The Reid-Meter™moved about the amount expected, with points for appropriate use of his intelligence and continued good looks.

That whole presentation by Garcia at the beginning was just bizarre and uncalled for.  The same with the BDSM couple and their child.  

My recording pixilated right when Garcia was explaining why Desmond was familiar to her.  Something about someone sending her a video?  But why would anyone do that?  Was there something I missed that made sense of that?

There is a lot of room for exploring why Mr. Scratch chose Tara next, unless it was just an opportunistic thing (easy access to her brother).  Also room for exploring why he was drawn to the 'prodigal son' aspect of her life story (which actually was totally off base for the biblical story, but that's another issue).  I hope someone at CM is actually thinking about these things, and planning to incorporate them in subsequent episodes, because they lend themselves to the kind of intellectual exercise that has gained the show so many viewers in the past.  

In the end, the puzzle and the bizarre Rube Goldberg setup with the chair, the shotgun and the nails, evoked the Fisher King.  Examined too closely, neither episode made sense, but they were both engaging enough to make me ignore that.  

So, are we really thinking Reid is gone as early as next week?  Or does he disappear the episode after?

[smoker]

4 hours ago, ReidFan said:

I just don't have the time right now to really go into detail about how much I liked this episode. And to be honest, I see all the negativity posted and it just makes me sad. It's like I'm not watching the same show all those naysayers are watching. I'd be more inclined to share my thoughts in a smaller group of more like minded people.

I've never try this thing with a procedural, but my perspective in "Miniseries" kind of shows (The shield, SOA, Breaking bad, Justified, GoT...) is different if I watch them season by season instead of the whole thing together and that setting aside preferences for characters or/and actors. 

It's something curious because sharing opinions with some of my friends, about several shows, I've realized this happens often. I am not telling this in general terms, I am sharing this theory with you, Reidfan, because I know you started to watch the show recently.

what I mean is perception is a very personal thing, in the terms of how much you enjoy something, and that is what really matters. Finding someone to share that feeling is cool, it can be great, but it's secondary. I remember I totally love Rock Creek Park and I was surprised the episode didn't receive all the appraisal I thought it deserved ;P

It happened something curious in my second "forum", a place focused to ship a couple of characters in a very safe enviroment. It was a great place and the person in charge was wonderful, it became a very comfortable and familiar site. When the history between those characters was finished, this person and other members started to talk about other shows, the one I was watching at the time was SOA and I was a fan of "whoever but Jax" while the owner was Jax fanatic. Suddenly, the enviroment felt very unpleasant even when I was (always) walking on eggshells. I stopped visiting frequently and one day I found out the owner had banished me.

Personally, I feel closer to @Old Dog opinions right now.  I miss the show that got me hooked and I was sad and disappointed almost every week during last season. However, I'm glad I still can share my thoughts here even if once in a while there is a misunderstanding. So please Riff, stay with us!

Edited December 1, 2016 by smoker

[normasm]

Reid is gone in episode 12.8, which is the first episode with the new newbie (is Garcia gonna have some kind of thang/problem with him, too?), and 12.9 is also No-Reid. I think the Jane Lynch first episode is 12.11. I'm not for sure that Reid is in 12.10. We shall see.

 

Yeah, JMO, I wasn't too clear on the video of Desmond to Garcia thing either.

[Bookish Jen]

I couldn't get too much into this episode because I have a cold and was really tired last night. I do think the Mr. Scratch story line has gone on wee bit too far and is almost cartoonish. I guess he just scared me a lot more in the original Mr. Scratch episode that Matthew directed.

However, I did love Emily's line about "rat-faced son of a bitch." It just cracked me up.

The rifle poised at the Tara's real brother and the nail Rube Goldberg murder set up was a bit over the top, but I got to give props its due for making such a contraption.

And a big shout out for having Reid diffuse the trigger device while also knowing the Bible quote. I liked seeing him in such a competent and professional manner. More of this please.

Gossipy Garcia needs to be shoved into a volcano. Oy, did she irritate me in the beginning of the ep, but at least her kitty ears and magical computer didn't save the day.

And though I'm not prudish, the little girl knowing her parents were into BDSM really squicked me out.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Bookish Jen

[Autistic Queer]

This is probably my favourite episode in years, I adore Aisha Tyler in anything. I was planning to stop watching before last season, then I changed my mind when they cast Aisha. 

I liked the bit with the fake brother, also, someone at CBS must like Alimi Ballard, he's always popping up in their shows. 

I sort of disagree with the person who said you could've done this with Hotch. The storyline itself, yes you could. And as much as we all knew Tara was telling the truth, as did the team, their was a slight chance she wasn't, within the show and as viewers, no-one really knows until Tara's father confirms it isn't her brother. As viewers, and the team on the show, we know Sean Hotchner, there's less jeopardy. 

The thing with Garcia not being able to keep a secret, I mean I totally believe it as a gossipy thing, but I seem to recall they've shown her to be told things during an investigation that the rest of the team can't know and she keeps it too herself. 

Much as I love Garcia I understand how her quirks would irritate others. I'm glad there was nothing about Reid's aversion to technology in this episode, that irritates me no end. 

[Droogie]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

I couldn't get too much into this episode because I have a cold and was really tired last night. I do think the Mr. Scratch story line has gone on wee bit too far and is almost cartoonish. I guess he just scared me a lot more in the original Mr. Scratch episode that Matthew directed.

MGG slayed on that episode.  His directing, and Thomas Gibson's performance, sold me on the terror of Mr, Scratch.  Without those two variables, in my opinion, Peter Lewis becomes overdone and ridiculous.  I do sincerely hope he isn't a factor in Reid's arc.

If I could have a handful of wishes (besides whirled peas and all that), I would wish that Mr. Scratch has been resolved in S11, when it was fresher and we still had a couple more key players.

[MMC]

Also in fairness to CM it did have to go up against a Dolly Parton Special. And who doesn't love Dolly. I probably would have watched her special had I known it was on. Would I like CM to be getting better ratings. Of course I would. But as has been pointed out TV viewing has pretty much been down across the board. Even Empire has declined in it's L+SD ratings. And while it still beats CM handily in the demo as far as the overall viewership goes the 2 shows are practically even these days.

[Bookish Jen]

15 minutes ago, Droogie said:

MGG slayed on that episode.  His directing, and Thomas Gibson's performance, sold me on the terror of Mr, Scratch.  Without those two variables, in my opinion, Peter Lewis becomes overdone and ridiculous.  I do sincerely hope he isn't a factor in Reid's arc.

If I could have a handful of wishes (besides whirled peas and all that), I would wish that Mr. Scratch has been resolved in S11, when it was fresher and we still had a couple more key players.

Yes, yes, yes!!! Matthew's direction and Thomas' performance were master class. Things shrouded in mystery scare me more than blatant gore. 

[MMC]

7 minutes ago, Droogie said:

MGG slayed on that episode.  His directing, and Thomas Gibson's performance, sold me on the terror of Mr, Scratch.  Without those two variables, in my opinion, Peter Lewis becomes overdone and ridiculous.  I do sincerely hope he isn't a factor in Reid's arc.

If I could have a handful of wishes (besides whirled peas and all that), I would wish that Mr. Scratch has been resolved in S11, when it was fresher and we still had a couple more key players.

Droogie I agree that season 11 would have been better for them to have revisit the Mr. Scratch storyline. But I guess with that Dirty Dozen arc they gave Garcia plus the 3 episode exit arc they gave Shemar Moore for his character, I am guessing that they just did not have time to do so.

[ReidFan]

they could have given us that instead of the drek which was 'Awake', 'Internal Affairs' and 'Future Perfect'....

[smoker]

2 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

they could have given us that instead of the drek which was 'Awake', 'Internal Affairs' and 'Future Perfect'....

I like Internal Affairs subplot! Ok, you can say I am totally Hotch-biased xD

[Willowy]

Maybe they felt that Mr Scratch would lend a gravitas to the 'escaped unsubs' thread that another unsub might not. He's fresh in our minds and malevolent, and if he can mess with Hotch's mind, why not all of them? But I was impressed with Tara, really. Loved this episode. 

[ReidFan]

17 hours ago, Droogie said:

If I could have a handful of wishes (besides whirled peas and all that)

what are whirled peas?  

[Droogie]

6 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

what are whirled peas?  

LOL.  It's a play on words:. "Whirled peas" = "world peace."

[Bookish Jen]

8 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

what are whirled peas?  

"Whirled Peas" is a dance track by Spencer, Hold My Earrings.

[ReidFan]

1 hour ago, Droogie said:

LOL.  It's a play on words:. "Whirled peas" = "world peace."

ah!

yes.

and also, rats. I was thinking it was some cool unheardofbeforenow recipe for peas. Dang. though I like this.

and it also looks like that's gonna be at least a double album by Spencer, Hold My Earrings now too.

[Droogie]

Yes, a double album for certain.  We need a track listing!

No new recipe for peas, alas.  But it does make me think of a yummy split-pea and tofu burger I used to make back in my veggie days, which were delightful shade of green.

[SSAHotchner]

On 11/30/2016 at 10:05 PM, Franky said:

This was an amazing episode! Aisha SAID it would be different, and it was! I'll be happy to discuss this one, deeply.

BUT what I want to comment on right now is the "I'm not just a pretty face" said in the preview for next week's unsub! REALLY??

Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking??

I knew! I have always liked Anderson.

[Danielg342]

If this episode wasn't a Mr. Scratch episode, I'd say it's a highwater mark for CM.

Maybe even the highwater mark. You can't have a more mindtwisty episode than that.

I mean, you had just about everything. A brilliant performance from Numb3rs alum Alimi Ballard. A wonderfully played mind trick on not just Tara Lewis but the entire BAU, forcing them to rethink their strategies. The deep, surreal journey to figure out how to outsmart a bad guy who's competency is more than what we would expect of UnSubs for this show.

Then, once the team figured out the key to subvert the trick, they plunged it into the lock and opened the door with authority.

...and slammed it shut.

Everything was there to make this a truly memorable CM episode, one of the best this show has ever had.

...but...

It just had to be a Peter Lewis episode.

How utterly, utterly...

Underwhelming.

Yes, underlined with a capital "U". Just because I can.

I mean, look...seriously. I remember saying back in the original review for "Mr. Scratch" that he deserved to be a criminal who'd get a lot more time devoted to him, and not just a single episode, as what I feared at the time. Then he reappeared in "The Storm" and promised to unleash all these serial killers onto the wider population, giving the BAU the kind of unique, universe-widening story that CM really needed.

Yeah..."comic-booky"...but the idea of spending an entire season forcing the BAU to fight Mr. Scratch's army as they unleash havoc on the American people (and maybe the Canadian people too) would have been loads of fun.

Now, the hunt for serial killers isn't just some task a few people in a back office are completing...it's something even the President of the United States would want answers from.

Wouldn't you watch that? I would.

Instead, seeing Mr. Scratch go through the motions to mess with Tara and show the BAU just how good he is at playing them (and escaping their grasp, because apparently Mr. Scratch knows the FBI doesn't do any follow-up searches or bothers to look for their most important criminal until a sweeps episode) is just poor, lazy and uninspired conceptualizing. We're basically now doing retreads of The Reaper combined with The Replicator, minus all the gore...it isn't new, it isn't exciting...it's just...not riveting.

When I said I wanted more Mr. Scratch, I wanted a bad guy who could take the BAU to new levels and see them have to pursue cases that would require them to explore new avenues they never explored before. Sure, learning Tara's backstory was nice, but Mr. Scratch really gained nothing out of it, and we as viewers gained nothing out of it. I don't think there are many of us who didn't believe Scratchy couldn't mind trick with the best who have mind tricked the BAU, so an episode where he did that doesn't establish anything new.

Maybe if the twist in this episode was a bomb beneath Gabriel that, had it gone off, would have levelled an entire Washington neighbourhood (or, say, The White House) that might have been better, because that would force other agencies to take notice of Mr. Scratch and ask the BAU what they're doing to catch him.

You could probably then have an episode or a scene where Rossi or Prentiss tries to explain to the Senate that Scratch poses a real risk to the entire U.S. and that they'll need everyone's help to catch him only for the Senate to go all Cassandra on them and turn them down. Predictable, yes, but the BAU conflicting with other law enforcement agencies is something we haven't seen in...ever.

Oh well...I guess twelve seasons in isn't time to try something new.

Episode Grade: C+. If this was a standalone, it would have been a highlight. As part of the Mr. Scratch series...it's a rather useless and academic installment.

[Willowy]

I don't know, Daniel.

I don't think you can discount the merits of this ep just because Scratch engineered what happened. Your opening salvo more accurately described how I felt watching it. 

[Danielg342]

Does a book become entertaining simply because it has one good paragraph?

Does a movie become entertaining simply because it has one good scene?

Does a serial killer become less of a serial killer because he chose not to kill someone one day?

This is an episode that is part of a narrative, and I have to grade it as part of that narrative. It is not a standalone episode. I'm not going to give the CM writers a pass when one part of their arc does nothing to move said arc forward.

[Willowy]

I guess what I meant is that I enjoyed the entire episode as a whole (meaning I didn't think only "one scene" was good), and didn't find it academic or sluggish. Forward movement is important, but so is backstory. I thought it was an exciting episode that also allowed us to know more about Tara, and it's okay for them to pause once in a while to let us find out more about a team member (especially when what's happening to the teammate is part of the narrative), while still giving us another piece of Scratch's puzzle. Your grade for the episode didn't parallel my experience while watching, but that's why there's so many flavors of ice cream. 

[Bookish Jen]

On 12/1/2016 at 3:33 PM, MMC said:

Also in fairness to CM it did have to go up against a Dolly Parton Special. And who doesn't love Dolly. I probably would have watched her special had I known it was on. Would I like CM to be getting better ratings. Of course I would. But as has been pointed out TV viewing has pretty much been down across the board. Even Empire has declined in it's L+SD ratings. And while it still beats CM handily in the demo as far as the overall viewership goes the 2 shows are practically even these days.

If you don't love Dolly then don't talk to me. Dolly is a national treasure.

Okay, now I'm imagining Dolly as as an unsub working 9 to 5 killing people with her many coat of colors, but not with Jolene because Jolene is a tramp. We can call this episode “I Will Always Love You (But I Have to Kill You Anyway).”

On-topic: Pop culture, whether it be movies, music, books and TV, is always going to be subjective and opinions are going to be different for every episode of CM. I did like certain aspects of Mirror Image and others just left me cold. At least we can discuss these things like adults. Believe me, I’ve dealt with some snotty attitudes at other sites, so PTV is for the most part, is a welcome reprieve from all that childishness.

Edited December 3, 2016 by Bookish Jen