S12.E12: A Good Husband

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

The BAU team is called in to investigate when male victims are found with no way to identify them.

[ReidFan]

6/10 for the episode, way too much blood guts and gore for my liking

10/10 for the Reid and Prentiss discussion; him realising he just can't do it (look after mom), her reaching out to help him, and the natural deep chemistry & friendship between Matthew and Paget translating beautifully to their characters.

[Bookish Jen]

3 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

6/10 for the episode, way too much blood guts and gore for my liking

10/10 for the Reid and Prentiss discussion; him realising he just can't do it (look after mom), her reaching out to help him, and the natural deep chemistry & friendship between Matthew and Paget translating beautifully to their characters.

I agree. I really liked the ending for the reasons you stated. But you're much to generous with your grading of the unsub plot. I thought the unsub plot was a four at best, bad acting and no chemistry between the husbands.

[zannej]

Garcia was very annoying. It was something about her line delivery. The corpses looked fake.
We saw too much of the unsub, although they tried to keep some mystery so we weren't sure he was the unsub at first.

I actually liked that the team did more legwork in this one. They were out taking photos of the people near the crime scene, interviewed multiple people, got some information from DNA, and didn't have the magic computer solve EVERYTHING. However, the computer came up with facial recognition way too fast.

I liked the bits with Reid and Prentiss.

I liked that we got to see the victims' family members and sympathize with them.

I think the thing that bugged me the most was when they kept saying "gay divorce". I kept thinking of a comedy skit where they made fun of people saying "gay" in front of things. It just shows how out-of-touch people are to say "gay divorce" instead of just "divorce". So, it seemed odd.

There was something anticlimactic about the ending. I think the final potential victim was not all that convincing. I kept feeling like he was not giving it his all or just wasn't that good. He didn't show believable fear. I also felt like the unsub lacked menace. I think the acting sort of fell short for a few people in this one. I think this one had a decent script but fell short in execution.

[autumnmountains]

50 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

6/10 for the episode, way too much blood guts and gore for my liking

10/10 for the Reid and Prentiss discussion; him realising he just can't do it (look after mom), her reaching out to help him, and the natural deep chemistry & friendship between Matthew and Paget translating beautifully to their characters.

Amen. The Reid/Prentiss scenes totally rocked. Their friendship is very believable- most likely because of Matthew's and Paget's real life friendship.

[rhys]

Is everyone here trusting the home care nurse? Every time she appears, I hear: da ta ta tum." I hope I'm wrong.

Edited February 9, 2017 by rhys

[CrimeFan12]

I enjoyed the episode even though it was a bit too heavy on UnSub.  The team was out there working the case.  Doing a lot of the legwork and not standing around the police station throwing out possible scenarios left and right.  We got to see JJ being the media liaison we loved from years ago.  Walker is beginning to grow on me. I'm sure I'm one of the minority who doesn't mind that the team is up to eight.  It's only one more person.  I'm liking this new side of Emily.  We got used to her being played as a subordinate and now we're seeing the boss side of her.  It took a bit to get used to, but I'm liking it.  As someone said to me Hotch is more direct while Emily is more compassionate and says things in a way that tells people what you want them to do without saying to do it.  It's a nice change in leadership style.

I especially enjoyed her scenes with Reid. It showed what good friends they are and that they have long gotten past the deception of her 'death'. I liked how they were sprinkled throughout the episode and not just tossed in at the beginning and end like they have done in the past to give us some personal stuff on the characters. 

I do admit that when Bill hit Mark and then he just turned around, I was like 'Don't stand there you idiot.  Run!'...lol.

To me a pretty solid episode.

Edited February 9, 2017 by CrimeFan12

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I echo most the comments already made;

-  Too much time spent on the UnSub

-  Really liked the Reid-Prentiss moments, really brought back shades of the early-to-mid-parts of her earlier run on the show and the two characters' connection

-  I'm unsure of my feelings as to the size of the team, maybe mostly indifferent... but if you are going to have a team this big then they really need to start making the episodic UnSub mysteries even bigger & harder to solve.  Right now you've got 8 people doing the job they did just fine with only 5, at the very beginning, and continued to do so until JJ became a full-fledged member of the BAU.

I do think they made a jarring subplot gaffe, or at least a dropped opportunity, in having JJ so concerned about Spencer in the previous episode, but not even a quick "how are you doing?" to him in this one.  I know the writing on this show isn't award-winning, but that just seems kinda basic.

Edited February 9, 2017 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[JMO]

As with most episodes, I woke up in time to fast forward through to the Reid scenes, and formed an impression.  This morning, watched it through---same impression.

I think this may have been the first time we’ve seen the full team travel to a case---am I correct?  There are now so many of them that they are being dispatched in threes.  Lines are spread thinly, especially in the delivering of the profile.  Add in the inexplicably large amount of unsub screen time, and you have the makings of a very ‘meh’ episode, which is what I thought of it.  The details of the case weren’t even intriguing enough to make up for it.

I did enjoy seeing JJ back talking to the media.

Loved Reid with the little girl, the ‘hair’ remark was cute, but my favorite line of the entire episode was, “Have you ever had a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich?”

A number of you enjoyed the Reid and Emily exchanges.  I have always loved their relationship, even when they were at odds, because it’s always been portrayed in such an organic, rich fashion.  The opening exchange was like that, and I also I enjoyed their casework together. 

Not so the final scene between them.  To me, it came across less like Reid and Emily and more like two actors playing Reid and Emily.  A good part of that was the content.  I heard it as a series of non sequiturs, obviously there to set up for next week, but not really making any sense in their current context.  I think social media ruined that part for me.  If I hadn’t seen so much telling me about Reid’s upcoming imprisonment, the purpose of the conversation wouldn’t have been so blatant.  I might have enjoyed it better in retrospect, as irony.

[Bookish Jen]

Yes, JMO, one bright spot in this dreary episode was seeing Spencer bond with the little girl, grossing her out by talking about eating a "peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich." And I did giggle when she said her doll and Spencer had the same hair.

But yes, way too many profilers, and too many profilers spoil the delicacy of the CM broth. If it was up to me, there would be only four profilers with specific skill sets that make them fully-dimensional and stand out from each other. JJ would have remained media liaison where she is totally bad ass. Garcia tech skills would definitely come into play without the episodes devolving into every thing being solved by her "magic computer." Tyler could be brought on an on-call basis. And though I have no problem with the actors who play Alvez and Walker, I find the characters superfluous. 

More on-topic: Way too much unsub once again, and I couldn't care about his issues or why he murdered people. He and his betrothed didn't click for me. The acting was bad, and the writing didn't help matters. Every time they showed up on my screen I rolled my eyes. 

However, Emily is growing into her head role as the boss. She is fair yet firm, and she brings more of a warmth that Hotch often lacked. And though I absolutely loved the ending scene where Emily commended Spencer for asking for help in this precarious time in his life, I do wish JJ would have been also there due to her concern scene in last week's episode.

And I'm on pins and needles regarding next week's episode. 

[ReidFan]

12 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

I agree. I really liked the ending for the reasons you stated. But you're much to generous with your grading of the unsub plot. I thought the unsub plot was a four at best, bad acting and no chemistry between the husbands.

sorry?

I *really* wanted to give it about a 2/10 but then I couldn't have fairly graded it as better than say, Sick Day or Taboo, which ultimately I did think it was.

am I too Canadian O:-) ?

[Bookish Jen]

13 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

sorry?

I *really* wanted to give it about a 2/10 but then I couldn't have fairly graded it as better than say, Sick Day or Taboo, which ultimately I did think it was.

am I too Canadian O:-) ?

Nope. Just a nice person who doesn't want to hurt people's feelings.

I've been writing pop culture critiques since I was in college. I've written film, book, music, theater and concert reviews for ages. I know a lot of blood, sweat and tears go into these creative pursuits, and for the most part, the cast and crew give 110% to an episode of CM. When I give a critique I want to be honest yet empathetic at the same time. But with an episode like last nights, a girl just has to unleash her inner Simon Cowell and say:

[TheGreenWave]

13 hours ago, zannej said:

However, the computer came up with facial recognition way too fast.

Agree completely.  Also, did they mention against what database she ran the recognition software?  It didn't look like DMV photos, so I'm thinking: how on Earth did they bring up those pictures so fast?  Also, once they had identified the first guy, why didn't Garcia just look up the marriage license? 

 

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

The acting was bad, and the writing didn't help matters. Every time they showed up on my screen I rolled my eyes. 

Ha ha!!  I did the same thing - almost rolled my eyes out of my head during the scene in the SUV where they get the unsub's background.  I was like, oh yeah: parents divorce + working for dad at butcher's shop def = serial murder by dismembering.  One of them was all: totally makes sense now.  Ooookaaaay.

 

4 hours ago, JMO said:

To me, it came across less like Reid and Emily and more like two actors playing Reid and Emily

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I pretty much think this is my issue with all of Emily's scenes post new role.  It's like Paget playing Emily playing Hotch.

[MMC]

Perhaps a series low of 1.2 and less than 7 million viewers might finally wake them up to the fact that what the are doing now isn't working.However they will probably convince themselves it was mainly because of L&O:SVU 400th episode. Now I am not saying that didn't play a factor. No doubt it did.But there were other factors as well.

[JMO]

12 minutes ago, TheGreenWave said:

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I pretty much think this is my issue with all of Emily's scenes post new role.  It's like Paget playing Emily playing Hotch.

I kind of agree with you, and it makes me sad.  I miss the real Emily.

[threebluestars]

I really think the show missed its chance a few years ago to retool to what it had been. In the beginning, each character DID have specialties. If I remember right, Reid was geographical profiling, Greenaway was sex crimes, Morgan I can't remember (obsessions? something like that?), JJ was media liaison. And Hotch tied it all together. If they could have gone back to that ... I would've liked to see Rossi lead the group, JJ back to media, and have the characters have those specialties so it could narrow the focus a bit more. The cast is so bloated now it feels like the entire production is just cranking episodes out for a pay cheque, and that's it.

[TheGreenWave]

14 minutes ago, arieswriting said:

I really think the show missed its chance a few years ago to retool to what it had been. In the beginning, each character DID have specialties. If I remember right, Reid was geographical profiling, Greenaway was sex crimes, Morgan I can't remember (obsessions? something like that?), JJ was media liaison. And Hotch tied it all together. If they could have gone back to that ... I would've liked to see Rossi lead the group, JJ back to media, and have the characters have those specialties so it could narrow the focus a bit more. The cast is so bloated now it feels like the entire production is just cranking episodes out for a pay cheque, and that's it.

That's a really good point - and, yes, I do remember them having their specialties.  Especially with the large group they have now on this team, it would make much more sense for them to choose a small group to go on each case.  I mean, I am on a team at work, and we do not go to every meeting together or every work event together - it is always a smaller sub-set.

[normasm]

Morgan specialized in obsessional crimes, and was a bomb expert from his cop days. Reid had several specialties, mainly geographical profiling and psycholinguistics. JJ made so much sense as the media/families liaison. Blake was an expert in liguistics, sex crimes was Elle, as you said, and Emily knew a lot about languages and international cultural stuff. Hotch had extensive knowledge of the law, and with Gideon and Rossi, was a veteran profiler. However, it makes some sense that, over the years, they all would learn from each other's expertise, and it wouldn't be so dependent on one profiler to do the "bomb thing" or the "linguistics things."

And, yes, it does seem like they can have half the team be onsite and half catching up on paperwork (offscreen, preferably, heh). In fact, please get rid of all new hires back through 2014. With Hotch being permanently gone, that will get us back to 4 + Garcia.

[Willowy]

I could deal with Tara staying. I feel like there's a lot of untapped potential in her character and she seems much more valuable than they've explored. They could lose Luke, imo. He's adorable and very sweet, but redundant, and rather than filling Morgan's vacancy, he just makes me miss Derek more. Stephen can just go. I have been unable to muster any semblance of attachment to him.

[Danielg342]

Criminal Minds hit a first for me tonight:

I fell asleep during the episode.

Now, it could very well be the fact that I've been running on fumes and have had a grand total of 6 hours and 35 minutes of sleep over the past two nights, but I've pulled that stunt before and the episode at least engaged me enough to keep me barely awake throughout.

This one? Not a chance.

I do want to say that it's a novel concept- someone killing as a means of convincing their romantic partner to stay, as opposed to the killings happening because a romantic partner had left.

I'll also say that I didn't see the reveal that the UnSub was, in fact, the UnSub- I thought when he went to the bar and met with the guy who wanted to "get him to forget his troubles" that his date would off him, but it wasn't the case.

So, credit for that.

Still, this was an episode that hit all the cliches, and the characters did a lot of talking and little actual doing. I get that we probably couldn't actually see the UnSub chop up the bodies, but we probably could have seen more of the UnSub developing his jealousy. The potential was there to have the UnSub stalk his husband, see him at the local watering hole and watch from a distance as his husband chats up other guys. We would then see the UnSub take what are seemingly harmless gestures- like, say, his husband giving another guy a pat on the back- and obsess over it, to the point where after the next commercial break there's another body being found.

The show could have also done a lot more with contrasts, by establishing the married couple as polar opposites- hubby's a singer or a DJ, which would mean he's naturally going to have lots of people hanging around him, with the UnSub being a night cleaner, meaning he doesn't interact with a lot of people and might not really understand that his husband's just a really sociable guy.

Yeah, this probably isn't very novel either but...it's far better than what we got, which was just a bunch of talking heads.

Ho hum.

Oh and...well, I guess I should talk about Reid. I really felt that Prentiss was hitting us over the head with how much Reid should leave to take care of his mother...she was practically begging him to do so. It just felt so off, and I was disturbed by what Prentiss was doing...I reckon it was poor writing, because I can't see how anyone would think that's how real friends would talk to each other.

Spoiler

Of course, I totally get that the show wants to perhaps set up Reid's exit...Episode 18, the popular choice for actor exits- Prentiss left the first time in 6.18 "Valhalla" and Morgan left in 11.18 "The Sandman"- is being written by Erica Messer. So we'll see how that goes.

Episode Grade: F. When a show actually puts you to sleep...you take notice.

[MMC]

Honestly, if it were not for the fact that I know this is something totally out of their control I would suggest that everyone who was on Twitter bombard Harry Bring, Erica Messer and whoever else concerning our feelings about the size of this cast. but then again if they are paying even the least bit of attention to their social media they have to already be aware of that fact. At the very least they need to get rid of Walker.

[Kara101]

I thought this was one if the worst episodes in a long time. It could be that I wasn't paying enougn attention, but the motive and profiling leaps didn't make much sense to me. One big thing that confused me me is how after the one gay victim was killed they assumed the unsub was gay even though he previously had two straight victims? I don't know if I missed it or if it wasn't explained. 

[BlueJayFan]

21 hours ago, rhys said:

Is everyone here trusting the home care nurse? Every time she appears, I hear: da ta ta tum." I hope I'm wrong.

She got my spidey-senses tingling last episode. I can't believe Spencer hasn't picked up on it yet! She questioned him as to whether he was sure those were all the drugs his Mom was taking, she constantly talks about how much better off Diana would be in a facility, and just in general skeeves me out.

[Willowy]

Skeevy-jeebies here too. I think she's working for Scratch.

[The Wild Sow]

23 hours ago, zannej said:

I think the thing that bugged me the most was when they kept saying "gay divorce". I kept thinking of a comedy skit where they made fun of people saying "gay" in front of things. It just shows how out-of-touch people are to say "gay divorce" instead of just "divorce". So, it seemed odd.

There was something anticlimactic about the ending. I think the final potential victim was not all that convincing. I kept feeling like he was not giving it his all or just wasn't that good. He didn't show believable fear. I also felt like the unsub lacked menace. I think the acting sort of fell short for a few people in this one. I think this one had a decent script but fell short in execution.

 

That's it!

I'm not hard to please and I rarely even notice "acting skills," good or bad, if the story is decent.  But as I was watching it I kept asking myself, "Did these 'gay community guys' win some kind of contest?  Did the show raffle off some chances to guest-star in an episode?  Because that was some BAD acting!  Just trying way too hard with the 'gay this' and 'gay that.'"  So I IMDB'd the guest cast and apparently they're all actual actors....but you couldn't prove it by this show.  

2 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

 

Criminal Minds hit a first for me tonight:

I fell asleep during the episode.

 

 

Ha, so did The Wild Boar.  Twice!  Last night in real time,  and tonight when I watched the recorded episode.  

[secnarf]

Finally got around to watching it.

By the 19-minute mark, I no longer cared what happened.

So many issues. "Unsub is gay or bisexual" <literally twenty seconds later> "The unsub is gay". Both statements solely based on one victim being gay. Because if the victim is straight, it gives no information, but if one is gay, that has to be important.

And Garcia sitting alone in her office with a rainbow flower headband was a bit much, on top of the constant rainbow flags. I think this is literally the first time in my entire life I have been annoyed by rainbows - I love rainbows. I have them in my apartment, my computer screen, my phone screen, on my work lanyard, etc. I am the last person to be annoyed by this, but it was ridiculous. When they have straight victims/unsubs, they're just people, but when they have gay victims/unsubs, we must constantly be reminded of this fact. They are gay before they are people. Although, there is a part of me that is surprised CBS even let this storyline fly. Not that it hasn't been done a thousand times before with straight people.

I agree I saw no chemistry between the couple, and the acting sounded like they were reading off a script. In their defense, I'm not sure we were supposed to see chemistry. They're clearly a terrible and unhealthy couple. It would have been nice to see this issue portrayed in a more realistic manner. "I need you to hurt...like I hurt". Give me a break. Even the two friends seem unrealistic.

I thought Emily was a bit pushy in trying to tell Reid to take time off. It seemed odd, although maybe less so in the context of friends - her trying to make sure he was taking care of himself first. The conversation at the end, OTOH, just seemed random. I did like Emily's quote at the end, though.

[Kara101]

1 hour ago, secnarf said:

Finally got around to watching it.

By the 19-minute mark, I no longer cared what happened.

So many issues. "Unsub is gay or bisexual" <literally twenty seconds later> "The unsub is gay". Both statements solely based on one victim being gay. Because if the victim is straight, it gives no information, but if one is gay, that has to be important.

And Garcia sitting alone in her office with a rainbow flower headband was a bit much, on top of the constant rainbow flags. I think this is literally the first time in my entire life I have been annoyed by rainbows - I love rainbows. I have them in my apartment, my computer screen, my phone screen, on my work lanyard, etc. I am the last person to be annoyed by this, but it was ridiculous. When they have straight victims/unsubs, they're just people, but when they have gay victims/unsubs, we must constantly be reminded of this fact. They are gay before they are people. Although, there is a part of me that is surprised CBS even let this storyline fly. Not that it hasn't been done a thousand times before with straight people.

I agree I saw no chemistry between the couple, and the acting sounded like they were reading off a script. In their defense, I'm not sure we were supposed to see chemistry. They're clearly a terrible and unhealthy couple. It would have been nice to see this issue portrayed in a more realistic manner. "I need you to hurt...like I hurt". Give me a break. Even the two friends seem unrealistic.

I thought Emily was a bit pushy in trying to tell Reid to take time off. It seemed odd, although maybe less so in the context of friends - her trying to make sure he was taking care of himself first. The conversation at the end, OTOH, just seemed random. I did like Emily's quote at the end, though.

I agree with pretty much everything that you said. I was hesitant to post my annoyance with the abundance of rainbows, but I have the same exact opinions as you. It was like they were screaming the fact that "these two victims were gay" the entire episode. It didn't make sense becuase there were also two straight victims and it was made clear that he wasn't killing gay people because they were gay. They were targeted because they were having relationship troubles, not because they were gay. I was confused for a lot of the episode wondering why the dialogue and the cinematography ( is that the right word?) weren't matching up. The dialogue indicated that he was choosing his victims based off of relationship troubles, not sexuality, but the scenes made it act they were all joining together agaisnt homophobia. I was genuinely confused for much of the episode because of this.

I was also confused why the unsub switched from targeting straight guys to a gay community. Did they ever explain that? 

Edited February 10, 2017 by Haleysgalaxy

[zannej]

I actually think the two friends were not unrealistic in terms of the writing. I'm one of those friends that would be there to protect and help another friend. It could be 2 or 3am and if one of my friends called me and asked me to come pick them up, I would do it.

But I do agree they were trying to push the whole "gay" thing too far. It's 2017 people! Stop making such a big deal out of someone being attracted to a person of the same gender! It's not the 90s anymore.

The unsub's husband just stopping and pulling out his phone instead of running the hell out of the apartment was absolutely asinine. And then, as I mentioned before, the appropriate level of fear was not there. Maybe I'm spoiled because I recently saw Matt Letcher's acting chops on a couple of different shows where his characters were terrified just about out of their minds. On Scandal, his character was kidnapped, stripped, bound with duct tape, and about to be cut up while alive and the panic and pleading were very believable. And on Legends of Tomorrow, it looked like he was so frightened that you'd think he pissed himself while being pursued by a monster. So, the acting in this one fell especially flat.

I've noticed that the acting quality in general has declined in the past couple of seasons.

I agree that the unsub switching from straight victims to gay didn't really make sense.

[Danielg342]

15 hours ago, zannej said:

I do agree they were trying to push the whole "gay" thing too far. It's 2017 people! Stop making such a big deal out of someone being attracted to a person of the same gender! It's not the 90s anymore.

Kind of reminds me of "Broken" where the writer hit us over the head with just how bad conversion therapy was- it's another example of Hollywood's fake awareness, trying to show the public how "in tune" they are with issues affecting marginalized groups. The exploration is pretty much nonexistent, and thus a real understanding of the issue just isn't there- it's really just lip service.

I actually didn't think the depiction of the gay community was in this episode wasn't too over the top, at least when it came to the actors. It would have been easy to make them all flamboyant and have effeminate voices but they were instead (for the lack of a better term) "normal". This could have been a heterosexual couple and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.

Granted, I wasn't too engaged with this episode and fell asleep during it, so I must have missed making the same cringeworthy connections the rest of you made when I probably should have.

15 hours ago, zannej said:

I've noticed that the acting quality in general has declined in the past couple of seasons.

We used to get big name guest stars all the time as the UnSubs, but this has tailed off considerably since S9 or so. Other than Alimi Ballard ("Mirror Image") and Danny Glover ("Derek") I can't think of the last time we had a high profile actor since Mark Hamil's turn as The Replicator.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Danielg342

[SVNBob]

2 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

This could have been a heterosexual couple and I wouldn't have noticed a difference.

If this had been a first or second season episode, it would have been a heterosexual couple.

So, steps (well, stumbles) forward for helping to "normalize" homosexual couples, yet steps back for having the killer be part of one.  A wash then?

[senin]

Just finished watching and before I read any of the opinions above, I will say that just the ending scene, from the moment Reid is speaking to Bill to the end, is worth the whole episode. Best Prentiss we've seen this season, I think, and wonderful Reid. 

Now I'll go and read everything, and try to decide if I liked the rest of the episode or not. 

[normasm]

Did anyone notice, when they have that last conversation, Emily calls him "Spence" and a few moments later, he calls her "Em."

I had to play it a few times to make sure, but he definitely says, "Em, I need to take a couple of days..."

[ReidFan]

love that. It shows that she's the boss, but she's still a friend, probably his best friend. 

Hotch was always Hotch. Only Rossi ever called him Aaron. (and Mark Hamill LOL.....)

[secnarf]

8 hours ago, SVNBob said:

If this had been a first or second season episode, it would have been a heterosexual couple.

So, steps (well, stumbles) forward for helping to "normalize" homosexual couples, yet steps back for having the killer be part of one.  A wash then?

I don't think having the killer be gay is a step back. It's not like when they make their unsub a straight character it reflects poorly on straight people. LGBTQ people don't always have to be portrayed in a positive way. It's helpful when they're not stereotypical, but it doesn't have to be positive. There are some LGBTQ people who are terrible human beings, just as with straight people.

I disagree that this episode helps to normalize same-sex relationships when the audience was constantly reminded how "other" they were.

[senin]

I noticed too. I think I've heard Reid call Prentiss "Em" sometime before , I just can't remember when.

 But I'm almost sure this is the first time she calls her "Spence", that's JJ's name for him!! ("Do you know she's the only person in the world who calls me Spence", Reid to Gideon in season 1, sorry I don't remember the episode) 

OK, a few more things about the episode: some people have mentioned they get a bad feeling from Reid's mother new nurse? I already had them last episode, she just seems too nice... 

JMO mentioned social media ruining part of the episode for her, and I really feel that we (as viewers) are getting too much information too early. We know what is coming (even if we try hard not to learn too much, as I do, but it's everywhere) so some things loose their capacity to surprise us, or make us wonder what will happen next!!

I loved the interaction of Reid with the little girl, I liked Prentiss becoming more settled in her boss role, (though I still don't like it  when she says "wheels up in...", couldn't they have thought of a different line for her??) and I really didn't care much about the case. 

Enough...for now. 

[Willowy]

@senin, I too get bothered when someone else calls him 'Spence'. Maeve did it once too, outside the restaurant and I did. not. like. that. It surprised me how visceral a reaction I had to it, too. Like an immediate "HEY! YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!", all indignant.

I like Emily saying "Wheels Up...". To me, it's her way of honoring Hotch and keeping him in the room with them. You just know, like us, everyone thinks of him when she says it.

[JMO]

Emily has called him 'Spence' a few times, and I've noticed it every single one.  Not just for the JJ thing, but because it wasn't Emily's usual.  She's always called him 'Reid' or 'Spencer' (or 'Handsome'!) in the past.  Along with other things, it's been part of what's made Emily seem so 'not Emily' since she came back.  

Whoever described it as 'an actress playing Emily playing Hotch' nailed it, I think.  The character was put into an awkward situation, which was glossed over way too quickly.  I would have welcomed a conversation or three between Emily and each of her former teammates about the strangeness (and tragedy, really, considering why Hotch was said to have left) of coming back to the BAU in this circumstance.  A few lines here and there might have re-established old relationships, and brought them to a new place.  As it is, to me, she always looks nervous and uncertain, socially isolated from her usual social circle, and in need of having a good, long talk about it with someone.  Morgan comes to mind as someone who's been in her reheeled boots in the past.

[thewhiteowl]

I figured someone was going to be gay when they said Palm Springs which has a very large and visible gay community. However I don't think sexuality mattered to the unsub because at first he targeted those who were not being Good Husbands.  He targeted the friend of his husband out of jealousy. That's what I got out of it.

[senin]

I hadn't noticed the "Spence" coming from Emily before. Sometimes I have to pay so much attention to what they're saying, because if not I lose track of the action happening, that small details like that go undetected.

And I hadn't enjoyed Prentiss much, until this episode. I got a feeling of the old Emily  but I just can't explain why. 

About things being "glossed over too quickly" I think that someone (writers/show/ whoever) didn't want to remind us constantly of Hotch. But moving away from the topic so fast has left too many things unsaid, unexplained and the actors in awkward situations. 

[Willowy]

That long shot of Emily at the end of last episode made me feel sorry for her. I think it was supposed to telegraph Spencer's departure from his norm, and it did, but it also made me sad for Em. I wonder if that was intended. She does seem 'socially isolated', as JMO noted.

Once again, I'll reiterate that the unwieldy size of the team is at least partially to blame. There just isn't enough time to fit everyone in satisfactorily like there used to be.

[normasm]

42 minutes ago, JMO said:

her reheeled boots...

See my icon

[ReidFan]

1 hour ago, normasm said:

Did anyone notice, when they have that last conversation, Emily calls him "Spence" and a few moments later, he calls her "Em."

I had to play it a few times to make sure, but he definitely says, "Em, I need to take a couple of days..."

Awesome.  It shows that their friendship has deepened over the years.  Early season one JJ was 'the only one who called him Spence'.  I think Emily calling him that and him calling her Em just shows how much closer they are now. That she's as close or closer than Jj.  I want to hear both Rossi and Garcia call him that too :). 

[JMO]

Between Emily and Reid, I always saw 'Spencer' as her affectionate name for him.  Just as I call my friend Jimmy, 'James' and my friend Tim, 'Timothy'.  It's just between us.  To change it now is just to emphasize the strangeness of it all.

[normasm]

I see it differently, JMO. Reid's and Emily's relationship has been through all kinds of twists and turns. She might as well be a new person to him since coming back. I found it jarring when he called Diana "Mother" twice last week, but, again, she's almost a different person to him now. When he's in a panic about her losing her mind, he panics, and she's suddenly Mother, not Mom. I found myself doing this when my mother was hospitalized with an aneurysm. Everything about her was so suddenly different, I found myself calling her "Sweetie" and "Dear" when trying to comfort her, which I never did (I mean I never called her anything but Mother). 

Maybe Emily is Em occasionally now, because he needs a dear intimate friend in her, more than in the past.

[Danielg342]

4 hours ago, secnarf said:

I disagree that this episode helps to normalize same-sex relationships when the audience was constantly reminded how "other" they were.

I compare this to "In Heat" where every gay character had that high pitched voice and had that flamboyant flair- in other words, as stereotypes.

In this one, at least the actors sounded "normal", in that unless you were told they were gay you wouldn't know if the characters actually were. Heck, I gotta say Javier Fernandez- who played the UnSub- was very manly.

I grant that the rainbows and the dialogue where the team emphasizes- perhaps overemphasizing- the fact that the victims and the UnSub were homosexuals was over the top, and that the team jumped to "our killer is gay" too quickly.

Having said that- Church & Wellesley (Toronto's predominantly homosexual neighbourhood for those who don't know) does have a healthy dose of rainbows, even when it isn't Pride, and I'd suspect- to a degree anyway- that the team might treat homosexual UnSubs differently in their thought process, since they're more used to heterosexual ones (although the team shouldn't at all be surprised- some of the more famous serial killers did target homosexuals and were homosexual themselves, like John Wayne Gacy).

3 hours ago, JMO said:

Emily has called him 'Spence' a few times, and I've noticed it every single one.  Not just for the JJ thing, but because it wasn't Emily's usual.  She's always called him 'Reid' or 'Spencer' (or 'Handsome'!) in the past.

Personally, I see it that Prentiss and Reid have worked so long together that they've developed a comfort level with each other to the point where they'll use nicknames with each other. I'd expect after 13-15 years on the team that Reid would start being more comfortable with more people other than JJ or Morgan.

[ReidFan]

9 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Personally, I see it that Prentiss and Reid have worked so long together that they've developed a comfort level with each other to the point where they'll use nicknames with each other. I'd expect after 13-15 years on the team that Reid would start being more comfortable with more people other than JJ or Morgan.

this is it exactly. The use of each other's last names has twigged me since day one. These are close knit folks; they spent an inordinate amount of time together every day on the job. And then off work too. And within a matter of weeks, calling each other Agent Jareau/Agent Morgan/Agent Reid just wouldn't be happening. My husband is in law enforcement and when you are part of a unit, like he is, *everyone* is on a first name basis (except the boss/supervisor in front of non-members) with everyone else. If not first names, nicknames (although again, the nicknames only amongst eachother, not in 'public'). These people's lives depend on each other. Best friends, but for 11 years, they almost always called each other Reid and Morgan. The 'Pretty Boy' coming from Morgan was *exactly* how they'd be talking to each other. 

[Danielg342]

At my work, everyone is on a first-name basis, even the President. I can vouch that it does help foster a more comfortable work environment, and I'd imagine LEOs would aspire to do the same thing.

[ReidFan]

Yeah, my hubby does call his boss Buck around the other cops, but in front of the public, he's definitely referred to as Sargeant Owens (and his first name is actually Andy, but they call him Buck). I see that with the BAU, 'Pretty Boy' in the office around the others, but "Dr Reid" in front of the public they're dealing with. Ditto 'Em' or 'Emily' around the office but "Chief Prentiss" (or whatever the hell the rank name is) in public.

[secnarf]

4 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I compare this to "In Heat" where every gay character had that high pitched voice and had that flamboyant flair- in other words, as stereotypes.

In this one, at least the actors sounded "normal", in that unless you were told they were gay you wouldn't know if the characters actually were. Heck, I gotta say Javier Fernandez- who played the UnSub- was very manly.

I grant that the rainbows and the dialogue where the team emphasizes- perhaps overemphasizing- the fact that the victims and the UnSub were homosexuals was over the top, and that the team jumped to "our killer is gay" too quickly.

Having said that- Church & Wellesley (Toronto's predominantly homosexual neighbourhood for those who don't know) does have a healthy dose of rainbows, even when it isn't Pride, and I'd suspect- to a degree anyway- that the team might treat homosexual UnSubs differently in their thought process, since they're more used to heterosexual ones (although the team shouldn't at all be surprised- some of the more famous serial killers did target homosexuals and were homosexual themselves, like John Wayne Gacy).

I used to live a couple of blocks from Church & Wellesley, and I didn't feel the rainbows are excessive/annoying there. I loved walking through the neighbourhood and being surrounded by rainbows, especially during Pride when it's even more prominent, but in the episode it just seemed way over the top. I remember one scene where Reid is talking on the phone in the car and all you see is a rainbow flag reflecting off the window, covering his face, and then there's the rainbows all over the street, in Garcia's hair, etc. Maybe part of it is that it seemed very out of place, but it really just felt like they were constantly reminding us that this is a gay community, not a "regular" community, and at the same time trying to put out some sort of pro-gay PSA.

I don't think avoiding the flamboyant stereotype is a positive, though. It should just be a given. I mean, some people really are that flamboyant, but the majority of people aren't. Some people do have a higher-pitched voice, and others are like a colleague of mine who has a very deep voice and is always complaining that people are surprised he is gay just because of that.

This whole episode just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I didn't actually notice the Spence/Em thing - so I guess that means I didn't find it odd? I agree that Emily seems more isolated/closed off, though. It's nice to see her interact with Spencer in a friendly way. I do have to say, though, I cringe every time she says "wheels up in thirty". It feels so awkward.

[MCatry]

And now dealing with the newest episode:

'Nice' beginning. Stereotypical dumb blond in high heels finding a body. Well, sort of.

New guy 1 and new guy 2 plus Garcia, then Garcia ruining again the intro to the case plus the compulsory tablet ad. Now that I think about it, what happened to anyone else tablets?  Quite a few have paper copies of pictures. Not environmentally friend,y at all. One copy, and then sharing is an option...

Round table discussion is so monotonous I had to rewind it to pay attention the second time. It didn't quite work that much.

Prentiss and Reid: nice intentions, but is it me, or Prentiss changes her voice as if she would be talking to a child?

And of course, someone is killed and titles roll on now!

Not even in the airplane scene can I have a break. Garcia is there. Bummer. I just heard the team distribution and woke up.

Finally a police officer! Now I wonder if we will be seeing him again.

Gubler talking to the kid while dressed as Reid, so nothing new. Why people exaggerate when talking to kids? 

New guy 2 and Rossi. I wonder if new guys 1 and 2 will be around for long enough that I may need to learn their names...

New guy 1 and JJ. Nothing interesting per se.

Hey! Reid on the screen being smart! With Prentiss! And of course they have to ruin it by dumping Garcia right in the middle. 

The couple scene: well, the only good thing about the whole thing was the short news on tv. Everything else, cheesy and boring.

New guy 1 and JJ again. And the other lady. Good. I can press forward without regrets.

Then, typical unsub time: too long, uninteresting, bad acting and loud sound effects.

Again, new guy 1 and JJ. At least the police officer was there.

Again the annoying guy that apparently keeps coming after leaving the Unsub, again.

Prentiss and Reid with the victim's sister. A little bit boring. And Reid's line, not worthy. It was kinda dumb, and The woman was right.

Somehow they deliver a profile, and now we are back at the unsub and the annoying husband who apparently forgot he wanted to use the toilet.

The team is in trouble. They don't know who is the unsub, so they call Garcia. Now that I think about it, why do they bother delivering the profile? When was the last time someone other than Garcia (and rarely, another BAU member) finds out who the unsub is, where he lives and work and any other obscure data?

So the unsub and his husband got together again. And husband forgot about the bathroom, since the unsub spent a long time cleaning the mess. And he is gone again. Please unsub: just kill him soon.

But no. Yet another extended scene with boring dialogues, endless scenes, bad acting and unsub being unsub.

Reid and the older lady taking pictures while the others say something innocuous and then more unsub. So, back to the team, again Garcia saving the day identify the victim in record time. So the name is Tara. I need to remember that.

Victim complaining again and unsub just there. Boring...

Reid not taking pictures because he has to call home to check how things are. Who cares if he accidentally misses the picture that could solve the case? The lady tells him the truth. He is not there. So, what's the point of Diana being at his home? Then again, that applied to Hotch and Jack, and applies to JJ and kids.

Finally they got some witness! And new guy 2 plus Rossi doing the interview with the newest victim's partner which leads them to the name they needed, so Garcia obviously finds him in no time, address and everything. 

And again unsub and victim time. Can they be more annoying? I think I would rather hear Garcia. Well, she is back on the screen. Yep. I rather take Garcia.

Rossi driving. I remember a time when he said he wouldn't drive. Look at him now... Driving around at high speed!

Again unsub and victim. Please kill him now and end it all!

But no luck. The only worthy thing about the whole scene was a tiny shot of Gubler's nice hair and profile. That's it.

And that victim is so annoying it even ruins a Reid's scene. 

And finally, Prentiss and Reid. It all started ok, but then the thing about 'something more going on'. From that point Prentiss lines are rather weird for me, disconnected form what Reid just said. And the thing about 'it's difficult caring for family, but it takes tremendous strength to ask for help' line. I was like 'what that even means'? He asks for a few days off and she says that? It is not difficult caring for family. It is difficult to take care of a paranoid schizophrenic that has been institutionalised for years. And what about the help? When did he say something like asking for help? He said he would talk to the moms doctor. I couldn't be more proud? Who is she?  Weird. They are both good actors, but the word choices and general lines were all wrong.