S12.E08: Scarecrow

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

The BAU team heads to Yakima, Wash., after the remains of a dozen people are found along a creek bed.

[Willowy]

Hmm. Lots of great Rossi moments... I liked the victim, she had her head in the game.

But mah bb Reid. Poor sweetling. 

Corny unsub death. lol

[Danielg342]

SSA Stephen Walker (Damon Gupton). I can get behind that...he has a natural "coolness" to him that I like. He seems like he could be a bit of scenery chewer, though.

Also, at least the UnSub didn't choose to "save himself" by getting arrested, and at least he killed himself in a novel way (at least in that he didn't die in a haze of bullets).

Other than that, I can't say there's a whole lot I liked in this one. This one was essentially a retread of "...and Back" (and a poor one at that), only without the UnSub team and the somewhat "good motivation" behind the killings. Both episodes featured prostitutes dying, with the one survivor appearing from the beginning and warming the UnSub's heart to such a point that it allows her to escape.

Only Lily Kershaw was miles better than the actress who played Cherry. At least Lily knew there's something called emotion in acting.

(Oh, and Luke...if that's your definition of "scantily clad"...you (or, more likely, the writer) doesn't get out much)

I could also add this episode was pretty liberal about sprinkling this episode with every cop show cliche they could think of, right down to the "you gotta catch this guy" line.

(No, really? We wanted to let him walk)

Apart from that...Reid's emotions about his mother was a highlight, and there were a few fuzzy feelings when Prentiss and Reid talked about it. Didn't get the same fuzzies with JJ even though they tried...just not feeling their chemistry.

Other than that...really tired of the Scratch stuff. It's just so underwhelming at this stage that a man as smart and as narcissistic as him is reducing himself to being a thorn in the BAU's side. It's an overused police show trope- not just on this show- and seems really beneath a man of his abilities. So while I can understand why Tara brooded over it this week, I still can't get behind the story.

Episode Grade: C-. There were moments, but ultimately it was just one big cliche.

[ReidFan]

17 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

 

Apart from that...Reid's emotions about his mother was a highlight, and there were a few fuzzy feelings when Prentiss and Reid talked about it. Didn't get the same fuzzies with JJ even though they tried...just not feeling their chemistry.

can't feel what isn't there, Daniel. The off screen friendship between Paget and Matthew made Reid and Prentiss absolutely light up the screen. Nowhere near that kind of electricity/chemistry/ooooomph between Reid and JJ.  And that hug between them looked so clumsy.

[rhys]

As someone who is married to a farm boy, I can't get behind the very very green stalks of corn vis a vis the harvested corn that dropped into the silo. Unless those were soybeans.

This epic reminded me of one a couple seasons ago, too.

[Danielg342]

16 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

can't feel what isn't there, Daniel. The off screen friendship between Paget and Matthew made Reid and Prentiss absolutely light up the screen. Nowhere near that kind of electricity/chemistry/ooooomph between Reid and JJ.  And that hug between them looked so clumsy.

Yeah. It felt like JJ was asked to hug a ball of slime.

Those two just don't work as "best friends".

[MMC]

9 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

can't feel what isn't there, Daniel. The off screen friendship between Paget and Matthew made Reid and Prentiss absolutely light up the screen. Nowhere near that kind of electricity/chemistry/ooooomph between Reid and JJ.  And that hug between them looked so clumsy.

Yet we know that Matthew and AJ are fond of each other in real life. So why is it that for some of us there doesn't seem to be much in the way of chemistry between their characters. However since I did find their friendship at least somewhat believable in the earlier seasons,it tends to make me want to put more of the blame on Messer and her writers that I find their friendship lacking as oppose to Matthew and/or AJ themselves.

[Willowy]

I liked their hug. We haven't seen them be warm with each other in a while, but I was glad she was the one that walked in on the call. Nice holla back to their history, and I think their hugs always look genuine. She's just so tiny and Matthew's hands are so huge! 

It was a highlight of the episode for me.

[Droogie]

My attention wandered, but that's nothing new, since I watch only for Spencer these days.  But I didn't hate the episode.  I thought there were nice moments amongst the team -- loved Reid's scenes with Emily especially.  And BJ Rodgers deserves an Emmy.  My, my, my.

I would, however, really appreciate it if the writers could write something for Spencer that would make him happy for once.  Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.  Pair that with him having some sort of character development/story arc that wasn't centered around his mother.  Please and thank you.  (Although I am super excited to see Jane Lynch again as Diana).

However.

Not cool for Emily to say "Wheels up."  That will never not rub me the wrong way.  Sounds way better than "We fly" (good grief!), but still.  I realize others may feel differently, but that line is Hotch's. Give Emily her own.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Droogie

[ReidFan]

8 hours ago, rhys said:

As someone who is married to a farm boy, I can't get behind the very very green stalks of corn vis a vis the harvested corn that dropped into the silo. Unless those were soybeans.

This epic reminded me of one a couple seasons ago, too.

Lol.  I believe it was puffed wheat cereal they used for the silage scene ?

[normasm]

That's what they built that silo for!

[Lostinthehouse]

The first thing I thought of was . . . the Long Island Serial Killer.  One of the characters mentioned this case was not related, however - bodies together in one giant burial ground, burlap sacks covering them - you get an "F" on originality, show.

The second thing I thought of was . . . 

Quote

 This one was essentially a retread of "...and Back" (and a poor one at that),

The third thing I thought of was . . . a new profiler?  Why?  If you can't make the show better, just add more actors to beef up its ratings.  Fail.

Overall, a lackluster retread and yet more reasons and more ways to torture women.  Blah.

[Danielg342]

I was thinking it's be a lot more fun if Cherry had fallen in love with the UnSub, and not as a ruse. Yeah, it's twisted...but at this stage in the series, doing yet another story where the UnSub shows their dominance over a quivering victim is just dull.

I want something different.

[ReidFan]

9 hours ago, MMC said:

Yet we know that Matthew and AJ are fond of each other in real life. So why is it that for some of us there doesn't seem to be much in the way of chemistry between their characters. However since I did find their friendship at least somewhat believable in the earlier seasons,it tends to make me want to put more of the blame on Messer and her writers that I find their friendship lacking as oppose to Matthew and/or AJ themselves.

exactly, MMC. You're right. It (the *friendship* certainly not any kind of relationship) was believable in the earlier seasons....but I haven't bought into it since Proof. and it isn't because of AJ or Matthew.

10 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I was thinking it's be a lot more fun if Cherry had fallen in love with the UnSub, and not as a ruse. Yeah, it's twisted...but at this stage in the series, doing yet another story where the UnSub shows their dominance over a quivering victim is just dull.

I want something different.

well, it was a little different. She managed to stab him with the shears and start a getaway which led to her rescue. This wasn't the helpless wrist wringing damsel in distress type. 

.5 for that :)

[Danielg342]

24 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

Well, it was a little different. She managed to stab him with the shears and start a getaway which led to her rescue. This wasn't the helpless wrist wringing damsel in distress type. 

.5 for that :)

Except we had the victim also charm the UnSub in order to escape in "X", most recently (and other times when the victim outwitted the UnSub, like in "Open Season").

So I gotta downgrade that to a 0.25...sorry...

[ReidFan]

LOL! okay :) 

just don't be downgrading my man Spencer, okay?

[Danielg342]

I could never do that.

I'd love to upgrade him to his own show.

[ReidFan]

41 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I could never do that.

I'd love to upgrade him to his own show.

okay, you're like my favourite person here now :D

[Bookish Jen]

54 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I could never do that.

I'd love to upgrade him to his own show.

And Spencer, Hold My Earrings can do the theme song.

On-topic: I did think this was a fairly decent episode. I really liked howthe victim, Cherry, fought back both mentally and physically. She wasn't just some damsel in distress. 

And I was touched by the scenes where JJ and Emily comforted Spencer over his issues with his mother. But still, can Spencer have some happiness in his life? If anyone deserves to be happy, it's Spencer. I also admit I did flinch when Spencer was speed reading and took a moment to slow down and rub his eye like he was reading something wrong or couldn't comprehend something. Did anybody else notice that?

[Lostinthehouse]

Quote

 I also admit I did flinch when Spencer was speed reading and took a moment to slow down and rub his eye like he was reading something wrong or couldn't comprehend something. Did anybody else notice that?

Yes, but he was thinking about his phone conversation with his mother, and how the new environment and medication weren't working.  He was sad, wiped away a tear, and carried on.

[Bookish Jen]

3 minutes ago, Lostinthehouse said:

Yes, but he was thinking about his phone conversation with his mother, and how the new environment and medication weren't working.  He was sad, wiped away a tear, and carried on.

Yep, that's how I played it out in the end. He's just upset about his mother. But still, it had me going for a brief moment.

[normasm]

Maybe they heard us fans say the writers have had him be too robotic lately. Whatever it was, I liked it. It showed that his heart can overrule his brain, and make it hard to "genius." I also liked how he paused, took a moment, verrrry slowly went back a few steps, and started again, gradually working up to his "normal" speed.

[Bookish Jen]

13 minutes ago, normasm said:

Maybe they heard us fans say the writers have had him be too robotic lately. Whatever it was, I liked it. It showed that his heart can overrule his brain, and make it hard to "genius." I also liked how he paused, took a moment, verrrry slowly went back a few steps, and started again, gradually working up to his "normal" speed.

Yes, it was a very human moment. And I think these human  moments are why Spencer is such a relatable character to so many of us. He isn't some robotic character with a genius IQ and gifts we can only dream of. He has his troubling, vulnerable moments, the kind that would affect a majority of us.

[JennyMominFL]

Am I the only one who thought the unsub was Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th part 2?    Just me?

[ReidFan]

it was him.

[JMO]

I liked it.  I thought it was, by far, Karen Maser’s best writing effort for CM.  The story moved along and made reasonable sense.  Despite the huge number of cast members, it felt less cluttered than have other episodes this season.  That may have been, in part, because Rossi and Lewis were featured much less.  There did seem to be some timeline disconnect in who was where, when, and with whom, but that could have been my failed attention.

Garcia was a little toned down, in a most welcome way, with more professional language, demeanor and wardrobe.  I really like KV’s new, shorter locks.  I liked that they told her what to look for and where to look for it.  That latter piece has been missing all too often in recent years.  As small a thing as it seems, I think it becomes an important factor in reminding us that the profilers are actually doing the thinking.

I thought it was strange that they several times mentioned the LI serial killer as though they’d heard about it on the news.  Wouldn’t the BAU have been called in?  The bodies have all been discovered within the duration of the show.

I didn’t mind the similarities to previous cases.  It is, after all, a show about serial killers.  Pretty much every week, that’s what it will be about.  And, if there wasn’t great overlap among them, there would be no ability to profile, and no need for a BAU.

Definitely scored high on the Reid-meter, for appearance, contribution, situation and performance.  I understand what Qwerty means about MGG’s delivery sometimes.  There have been scenes, in a number of episodes, where the difference between mature Reid and childlike Reid was all in the line delivery, and not in the writing.  In this episode, MGG chose mature Reid, all the way through, and it was wonderfully effective.  I enjoyed the scenes with both JJ (maybe because I’m not in JJ-recovery?) and Emily, and I thought even his little breakdown with Emily occurred in the context of a grown man, confident in his abilities, facing something he can’t fix with his favorite tool.

Booky, I think the scene where Reid slows his progress through the pile of papers, and needs to review some of them, was there as a marker for the point where he realized he’d lost focus, and would need to take time off.

A complete aside, but----I love that, whenever there’s a get together in the bullpen, it seems to happen around Reid’s desk.  I like to think that they are all drawn to him.

Sounds like we won’t be seeing our resident genius again for over a month, between the holidays and the Reidless episodes.  Where’s the wine?

[Autistic Queer]

15 hours ago, MMC said:

Yet we know that Matthew and AJ are fond of each other in real life. So why is it that for some of us there doesn't seem to be much in the way of chemistry between their characters. However since I did find their friendship at least somewhat believable in the earlier seasons,it tends to make me want to put more of the blame on Messer and her writers that I find their friendship lacking as oppose to Matthew and/or AJ themselves.

I have no difficulty believing in the friendship between JJ and Reid, it's been there since season 1. I find it's usually someone looking to criticise AJC, because it could never be MMG's fault. 

I wonder who was to blame when he had all the emotions of a block of wood in his solo scene? It's telling they put in the voiceover, it obviously wasn't clear enough without it. 

I liked this one, I'm usually not a fan of seeing the unsub, but this made sense. I like Boss!Prentiss. 

I like the new guy too.

I'm not a fan of workplace violence but it's the best thing to happen to this show, Thomas Gibson is not missed on screen at all. Both the new guys are far superior actors to Gibson too. 

[Autistic Queer]

Knew I forgot to add something. One thing I love about this show is a case of missing and dead sex workers gets the same priority and hard work as a case involving rich 1%ers. And they are always treated like human beings. I wonder if the real FBI can say the same. 

[JMO]

Forgot to mention the 'wheels up in twenty'.  It was such a signature line that I think it deserved a moment of homage to Hotch, and I could have easily accepted it if Emily had preceded it with, "As Hotch would say..." It would have been fitting, and a tribute to the memory of a great character.  As far as I'm concerned, she could have owned it after that, because she'd acknowledged where it came from.  It was a missed opportunity to appease the fans who fear that TG was correct when he said the show was trying to erase him.  The mention of Mr. Scratch, without the mention of Hotch,  and the new attribution of what Mr. Scratch did to Tara's family as the reason they need to fight him, is just so puzzlingly clueless.  It would have cost them nothing but some misplaced pride.  

[normasm]

Yes, JMO, this. It would have made a lot of fans happy, including me, if they had just had Prentiss make that brief but heartfelt mention of Hotch before she said the line. Trying to erase Hotch (I bet he will never be mentioned again) is not cool. I am not saying a word about TG, I'm just talking about the character who was central to the whole damn show.

[Bookish Jen]

18 minutes ago, normasm said:

Yes, JMO, this. It would have made a lot of fans happy, including me, if they had just had Prentiss make that brief but heartfelt mention of Hotch before she said the line. Trying to erase Hotch (I bet he will never be mentioned again) is not cool. I am not saying a word about TG, I'm just talking about the character who was central to the whole damn show.

Yes, Emily could have simply said, "As Hotch used to say, 'wheels up in 30.'" Or she could have come up with her own phrase like, "We depart in 30 minutes" or "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." Oh, wait, that was Bette Davis in "All About Eve." Love that movie.

[ReidFan]

I so agree with normasm, JMO and anyone else thinking this...... and I'm not even a TG/Hotch fan (don't dislike, just not a huge fan like some are). The very LEAST she coulda done was say 'to borrow a line from an old friend wheels up' or *something* like that, there's a million ways she coulda done it: "To quote Hotch", "to invoke my predecessor/our previous leader/*something*" etc etc. Even *I* thought it was wrong to just give Hotch's signature line to Prentiss without any mention of it. I'm sure the company/producers/writers/etc stand on this is that just her saying it is like keeping him in the room. Well, no. We kinda need it spelled out to us, since Hotch does seem to be being erased from existence. And some people (nobody here, necessarily! but definitely the FB people who still think Morgan was killed off) DEFINITELY need it spelled out for them.

11 years on the show, the glue that binds, and he's not even mentioned when HIS signature line is parroted by his successor?

not. buying. it.

(other than that, I loved this episode)

[Bookish Jen]

Yes, I do realize TG was fired from the show and for a good reason. But let's not mistake TG for the character he played, a very notable and prominent CM character. Hotch does deserve some kind of respect and shout-out even though TG's on-set behavior was completely atrocious and out of bounds.

And some people on FB think Morgan was killed off? WTF?

I am so glad I do not follow CM via social media.

On-topic: I think I'm going to like Emily as unit chief. She has the experience and gravitas to handle the unit chief role, yet at the same time she brings a bit of humor and brightness that Hotch lacked.

[autumnmountains]

I loved all of Reid's scenes.He was so great in all of them, especially the scene where he was trying to "Speed Read" through the papers and had to stop for a moment, showing a lot of emotion as he thought about his Mom. The scene where he got the call from his mom was spot on too-the phone call and his rumination of it. Great acting by MGG, as usual. I also loved both his scenes with Prentiss. I noticed,like someone else did, that when in "work mode," Prentiss called him (and Alvez) by their surnames, but outside of work (well at least in "wind down, coming home mode"), she went personal with the use of "Spencer." 

In paradox to the scene Reid and JJ shared in which she hugged him. The characters simply haven't had the same friendship they shared prior to season 7. It happens and as this is a thread about an episode in season 12, I won't rehash old news. The hug and her caring for him, though she tried, it didn't seem as natural or as meaningful as when Prentiss held his hand. I am sure that probably speaks to the history of the characters, but moreso, the fact that Paget and Matthew are close friends in real life, made it all the more real. Not saying that AJ and Matthew aren't friends, they are but it's easy to see Paget and Matthew as closer. 

The Wheels Up thing, didn't bother me.I know I am in the minority for that, but it just didn't irritate me. *shrugs* 

 

I loved that Cherry (I think was her name), was able to keep her head and get into the unsub's head so that she could escape. Yes, she ended up caught again, but without her earlier attempt, I'm sure he would've killed her. 

It was interesting about the the silo climax. Of course, it was obvious that the team would be fine, but I found it an mostly fresh "unsub death." Neatly enough, I saw in a behind the scenes picture that they used cereal for the grains. Makes sense. Funny, the other show I watch on a regular basis, Chicago Fire, had a scene a couple weeks ago where the firefighters had to rescue a man who fell into a truck bed of grains (I think, could have been "saw dust" but I'm almost certain it was grains) and they too, used the same type of cereal. 

I don't think we need yet another team member but I'll see where it goes. Hopefully, he'll treat current members with respect. 

[smoker]

14 hours ago, qwerty said:

I know it seems like I'm picking on him, but as always with Reids feelings episodes I was left with some second-hand embarrassment. I'm not sure why I get these feelings, I'm fine with every other character being emotional. 

Maybe it's because I don't find him attractive like the majority of his fans seem to, so him simply being on screen doesn't make the episode for me. But this is Reid 2.0, so I don't know what I expected.

I feel like Reid's my own 'JJ' compared to the rest of some people here sometimes. People here notice if JJ's wearing something weird, or if it's inappropriate for her to be emotional, or if they think AJ was being a bad actor or a line didn't fit but when it's the same things with Reid people barely mention it and rush to defend it.

I get what you mean about Reid, I've felt like that for awhile and I feel the same about the enviroment sorrounding MGG and Reid. It seems nobody wants exchange opinions when MGG's performance is questionable or the writing doesn't fit the character.  Criticisms about a loved character are never welcome, so I understand. However, I don't know if they don't see it the same way because:

• They genuinely like it and don't care about the writing
• They are fierce fans of Matthew and don't care about the writing
• They really think he is in character or well written

You're right, this doesn't happen with other characters. Although, I think is also due to Reid's minutes were limited  for several seasons, giving MGG nothing to work with and keeping Reid in the background. That has kept the character "safe" longer than the others.

Look at Prentiss now, she isn't the Emily we knew anymore. She is like the 3.0 version now.

Personally, I love discussing about OOC scenes and behabiors [yes, that includes Hotch! xD]. It's always "happier"  if the people involved got the same POV, but it's more enriching when there are different perspectives.

2 hours ago, JMO said:

I understand what Qwerty means about MGG’s delivery sometimes.  There have been scenes, in a number of episodes, where the difference between mature Reid and childlike Reid was all in the line delivery, and not in the writing.  In this episode, MGG chose mature Reid, all the way through, and it was wonderfully effective.  

Totally agree with your comment.

P.S: @ReidFan, don't hate me, you know I like Reid and I think he deserves better!

Edited December 8, 2016 by smoker

[smoker]

19 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

On-topic: I think I'm going to like Emily as unit chief. She has the experience and gravitas to handle the unit chief role, yet at the same time she brings a bit of humor and brightness that Hotch lacked.

sorry, I don't understand what you mean, Hotch was pretty intelligent, everybody in the team was smart in their own way. Even Morgan sometimes.

I like Hotch sense of humor... before it was taken away :(

[Bookish Jen]

Just now, smoker said:

sorry, I don't understand what you mean, Hotch was pretty intelligent, everybody in the team was smart in their own way. Even Morgan sometimes.

I like Hotch sense of humor... before it was taken away :(

Oh, I didn't mean brightness as in smarts. I mean Prentiss isn't quite as dark or brooding as Hotch. Though there were some times when he could lighten up and dazzle us with a smile.

[smoker]

47 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

Oh, I didn't mean brightness as in smarts. I mean Prentiss isn't quite as dark or brooding as Hotch. Though there were some times when he could lighten up and dazzle us with a smile.

Agree!

thanks for explaining what you mean :0)

[Willowy]

I felt that by saying "Wheels up..." that she was paying tribute to Hotch. It wasn't an accident, she said it with all seriousness, like he would have. It felt to me like she was acknowledging him, bringing all their attention back to him, by using that phrase, deliberately.

[UncleChuck]

9 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I'd love to upgrade him to his own show.

Sounds like a good idea.  Then I could watch Criminal Minds without having to put up with all his foolishness.

[Willowy]

Nothing about the character of Spencer Reid is "foolish", to me. He's been the main reason I've kept watching for 12 seasons and I consider him to be wholly unique and endlessly interesting. 

I may question some of the developments the writers have chosen for him, but Spencer remains my favorite character withing the entire television landscape. No question, there.

[ForeverAlone]

I found this to be a serviceable episode, with better team moments than most this season and the unsub scenes weren't really cringeworthy to me. I always like it when we see the team working together and building the profile. It would be nice if victims would actually put a little bit more force into their attacks on their attackers and put them down (if not kill, at least really disable them). That is a comment about all these situations across shows and movies I watch, not specific to this episode. 

I always enjoy some good emotional Reid (and particularly loved Reid's scenes with Emily since Matthew and Paget have great onscreen chemistry), but I am definitely in the category wishing that the show could come up with something other than his mother to provide any sort of character moments. It's like the writers have no idea of what could possibly go on in his life outside of his mom. And since we know that Matthew will be out the next two episodes and Jane returns in episode 11 (and whatever the hell is in store for episode 13, "Spencer"), we know that some bad stuff is likely coming down the pike for Reid and his mother. *sighs*

One thing I did find distracting (and it's only because I am from Washington so it stood out for me) is that it seems like the show has given up on even trying to provide some semblance of seasons passing or environmental realism in the different settings. Meaning, I have no clue when this episode is SUPPOSED to be set (let's assume it's December, but who the hell knows), but it is obvious it was filmed in a warm climate. There is no way in hell that it would be that warm in Yakima this time of year or people would be running around without warm clothes. Can we at least pretend this show isn't filmed in LA county and have the clothing reflect the time of year and location the episode is supposed to represent?

It will be interesting to see how the new agent fits in, even though we are a bit full on profilers. It would be nice to see a return of the media liaison, but that is not going to happen. With his background in terrorism, I fear we will get more terrorism related cases or at least way too much Mr. Scratch. But there is nothing I can do about that. 

[ForeverAlone]

8 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

Yep, that's how I played it out in the end. He's just upset about his mother. But still, it had me going for a brief moment.

Oh yeah me too. It stood out for me. I first feared that the show was laying the first breadcrumb that something was wrong with his brain or the onset of some sort of mental illness (like a return of those dreaded headaches), but he was probably just distracted by worrying about his mother. 

[Willowy]

Yes, he used to put his fingers in his eye when he was having the headaches! I thought that for a second, too. 

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, ForeverAlone said:

It would be nice if victims would actually put a little bit more force into their attacks on their attackers and put them down (if not kill, at least really disable them). That is a comment about all these situations across shows and movies I watch, not specific to this episode.

....

One thing I did find distracting (and it's only because I am from Washington so it stood out for me) is that it seems like the show has given up on even trying to provide some semblance of seasons passing or environmental realism in the different settings. Meaning, I have no clue when this episode is SUPPOSED to be set (let's assume it's December, but who the hell knows), but it is obvious it was filmed in a warm climate. There is no way in hell that it would be that warm in Yakima this time of year or people would be running around without warm clothes. Can we at least pretend this show isn't filmed in LA county and have the clothing reflect the time of year and location the episode is supposed to represent? 

I forgot to nit those picks in my review but I found that distracting as well. Especially the first one- it appeared that Cherry stabbed the UnSub pretty good with those shears, but the UnSub ran around like nothing had happened. Maybe that's adrenaline but there's no way he'd not at least feel excruciating pain and we didn't see that.

As for Yakima in winter- cases like that make me think, "why not just make the setting in Louisiana or Texas or New Mexico" or any other warm clime? There was nothing about the case that suggested it had to be in Yakima (which highlights another problem in that CM essentially treats the cities and towns as interchangeable and does nothing to highlight their uniqueness), so I don't understand why the writers just couldn't just change a few words and put the case in a different place.

Especially if they're not even going to try to acknowledge winter exists.

[Willowy]

21 hours ago, qwerty said:

I noticed Garcia gave them all paper files again, maybe I missed it in other episodes but when did they stop going paperless
I'm a little annoyed Alvez was the one to say 'We should deliver the profiler.'

I agreed with both of these things, qwerty. They bounce back between paper files and tablets so often I get dizzy with it. Someone told me once that 'budget cuts' are the reason. Take that as you will.

Alvez is too new to really know when they've reached that point, isn't he? I mean, I don't recall Blake or Callahan ever even saying it once. I really do like him but I hope they aren't trying to push us into thinking he's established yet, because he's still very *new* to me.

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, Franky said:

I mean, I don't recall Blake or Callahan ever even saying it once

Kate said it once, in S10E09 "Fate" (the episode where a female serial killer went to town after getting frontal lobe damage).

[amensisterfriend]

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I get what you mean about Reid, I've felt like that for awhile and I feel the same about the enviroment sorrounding MGG and Reid. It seems nobody wants exchange opinions when MGG's performance is questionable or the writing doesn't fit the character.

I've always considered Reid my favorite character, but I don't view every aspect of the show through an automatically pro-Reid prism and am definitely not among those who thinks the character and actor can do no wrong :) Case in point: I felt his scenes were really off this episode. It seemed like he was underacting at certain points and overacting at others. I have a sick parent, and so Reid's angst over Diana should really resonate with me---but, due to some combination of the writing and acting, it didn't. 

I'm so torn on Prentiss's return! As usual, I like the actress and want to love the character. I feel like I could, but somehow they always just seem so all over the place with how Emily is written. Who IS she?! Is she an introvert or extrovert? What are her primary personality traits? How, if at all, has she supposedly changed since we last saw her? I would love to hear people's thoughts.

I actually liked Cherry and how her savvy helped her to navigate her way through this ordeal, but overall I was just kind of "meh" on the episode. And I'm really meh on getting yet another new team member despite liking the actor because, good lord, this show can barely ever bother to define and develop the characters they already have! It already feels like the team is too large as is, almost none of whom have distinctive personalities, specialized areas of expertise, etc. If the vast majority of the team members are interchangeable and don't bring different skills and perspectives and personalities, what's the point of having so many of them?!  

Edited December 9, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[needschocolate]

Did the unsub kill the first victim, or did his father?

I have never seen a silo in real life, so I am asking this question to everyone who has - Would a silo's door open in (like it did on this episode) or out?  Seems to me that you couldn't check on the grain when the silo is full if it opens in, but, on the other hand, if it opened out, that might increase the chance of the door busting open when the silo is full.

The victim stabs the unsub with the shears (yay for her!) then runs out of the barn.  The unsub runs out after her.  When the BAU shows up, the barn door is latched.  That means that the unsub, who has been stabbed in the back, runs out after the victim, then turns around, latches the barn door, then heads on after the victim.  I suppose it could also mean that he dragged the victim back to the barn, realized he left the door open, goes over to latch it, while holding on to a screaming and kicking victim, then drags her over to the trough to drown her.  Either way, it makes no sense to me.

On 12/7/2016 at 8:35 PM, rhys said:

This epic reminded me of one a couple seasons ago, too.

It reminded me of an episode a week or two ago where the three boys ran through a corn field.  Perhaps they paid rent on a cornfield and had some time left in the lease.

[SVNBob]

On 12/7/2016 at 9:26 PM, Franky said:

Corny unsub death. lol

Not a bad pun, but I have a better one, related to how unsubs tend to die.

This was one of the first cases I've seen of Suicide by Crop.