S12.E13: Spencer

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

When a BAU member gets in trouble in Mexico, the team enlists the services of the International Response Team for their help.

[ForeverAlone]

Hmmm...even though the show said words to excuse why Rosa didn't give Reid the medication in Houston, it didn't really hold water for me. I think they just pulled the easy cheat of having Rosa be a dual citizen to justify the extradition back to the US. But I don't think the explanation was adequate why Rosa could not have simply given the drugs to Reid in Houston.

And we know that Reid ends up in jail at the end of next episode. Considering Matthew SEEMINGLY has not been on set for a while, it seems like this prison arc will be long term. I honestly don't see how this trial could be conducted in the US, since the crime took place in Mexico, but whatever. I know they are likely going to tie this back to Mr. Scratch in some way, but that just seems like lazy storytelling to me. 

Edited February 16, 2017 by ForeverAlone

[Willowy]

AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Too much to process just yet. Watched with my kids and they are tossing out scenarios and trying to calm everything down but I'm extremely stressed out and feeling like I'm in the BAU with them all. MY REEEID!!

[zannej]

I'm saying AAAAAUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH because the damn local broadcast was all kinds of fucked up and rendered the episode unwatchable. Even at nearly max volume I couldn't hear the dialog, the sound kept cutting out, stuff kept skipping, screen was pixellating, going black, changing colors, and generally being shitty and trying to watch actually made me nauseous. When the sound was audible, it was distorted. Seriously, WTF? Of ALL the nights for the CBS broadcast to be fucked up, it had to be tonight. My inner unsub is seething right now. I'll have to try to find a way to watch it later.

From what I heard, it sounds like Reid just started giving his mother the black stuff with no clue of what was in it. I call total BS on that if that's the case. No way would he give her something without knowing what it was and testing it first to make sure it didn't contain pesticides or whatever no matter how much he trusted "Rosa".

Hopefully after I take some painkillers and chocolate and watch the episode again I'll have a better review.

[Willowy]

I think he was still befuddled from the drugs because when he came back to himself he asked where they were and knew the indiginous plant life and its usage. He'd obviously done some research and had had discussions with Dr. Rosa.

[secnarf]

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a "fun" Reid arc. I have no idea what EM was thinking when those words came out of her mouth.

My gut is still that this whole thing is ridiculous, but since we don't really know the actual story - how all of this happened - I suppose it is too early to really judge.

I laughed out loud at them calling JAMA a journal of "experimental medicine", though. I think that's the most amused I was all episode.

It was nice to see the team without spending most of the time on the guest star/unsub of the week, though. Even the two from CM:BB didn't take up too much time. It felt reasonable.

[zannej]

secnarf, what is JAMA? I'm not familiar with it. Journal of the American Medical Association or something?

[ReidFan]

I think 'fun' episode was probably 'fun for Matthew to act out'..........

[Willowy]

This is really a lot of info. "Reid" at your own risk if you don't want BIG hints as to the rest of the arc.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-reid-arrested-murder/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

[secnarf]

22 minutes ago, zannej said:

secnarf, what is JAMA? I'm not familiar with it. Journal of the American Medical Association or something?

Yeah, you can check out the sorts of articles here. It's a fairly high-impact and broad journal. Not that it couldn't publish Alzheimer's research, but it's hardly what I would call a journal of "experimental medicine", particularly in the way that the team was using the term. I don't know if there is a journal that I would classify as experimental medicine (wtf kind of phrase is that?!), but they could have at least picked something like Lancet or New England Journal of Medicine.

I'm sure real FBI agents find it hilarious when people on TV pretend to be FBI agents. I am finding it funny when these people pretend to know about medical research. It has been several years since I have been involved in drug discovery research - I largely abandoned research in favour of a more clinical career - but this is ridiculous.

20 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

I think 'fun' episode was probably 'fun for Matthew to act out'..........

He played stoned for most of it! I suppose that might be "fun" but it was more flat than anything.

[zannej]

I think the fact that the agents themselves don't have knowledge of the medical journals could be factored in. They might have just assumed that it talked about "experimental medicine". Maybe it talks about new techniques, medicines, and studies? I have no idea. LOL.

[Willowy]

Yeah, well I thought it was pretty freakin' amazing. I was yelling at the TV and my kids were hilarious trying to calm me down after. They loved it too, fwiw. The entire show devoted to Reid with no distracting dumbass unsub to take away from him. Matthew was excellent, imo. 

[CrimeFan12]

I really enjoyed the episode.  I not a big fan of Reid (Or his hair. I thought the only time it looked good was in season 7 when it was actually cut and styled...lol)  but I still like him.  I liked it because it's going to be stretched over multiple episodes.  This way they don't have to cram everything into 40 minutes and make illogical leaps in logic like they did in the horrible 200. They can take their time to tell the story and that's what they did.  We didn't have the team going rogue, multiple car chases except for the opening which they needed to set it all up, shootouts with bullets flying everywhere and explosions.  We had good old story telling where things were thought out

Now my one wish is that Reid's troubles are not the main focus of every episode.  That will make the story line get very old very quickly.  It will be fine as the B story with the main story being the team working to clear his name in between cases they have to work.  I'm not here to watch the Reid show, but the cases.  I've always been a fan of cases, first, personal lives of the team second.  

I'm eagerly looking forward to see where they take us.  Overall, a solid episode for me.  If I had to rate it, I would give it 8 out of 10.

.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

1 hour ago, Franky said:

This is really a lot of info. "Reid" at your own risk if you don't want BIG hints as to the rest of the arc.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/criminal-minds-reid-arrested-murder/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

So, unless I misread or misinterpreted words, EM is basically confirming that

Spoiler

Scratch is behind all this going on with Spencer currently, and through the end of the season

Which, phew, is 'good'.  As long as it means MGG isn't on his way out (of the show) at the end of this arc - & season - I can deal.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I am a SR fan, first and foremost, when it comes to this show so going from that POV, this episode delivered on all fronts.  Like mentioned above, it was a joy to watch as he was the focus and not side-plotted by some lame U(nSub)otW.

I do hope the writers don't just ignore the needed explanation why it was that Reid had to cross the border with the doctor lady to obtain the vials.  It makes no sense without a backstory.

It works out better for Reid, so I (probably) shouldn't complain, but maybe a little too convenient that the experimental medicine was totally legit (at least in terms of ingredients).  Another reason I'm hoping for more backstory on all this, is if it is all 'on the up & up', then why all the secrecy and need to keep the existence of the meds a secret, such a priority?  Why hide it if there's nothing to hide??

Another thing I feel the need to be a bit nitpicky about....... if Reid was really so messed because of the drug cocktail in his system, how the world was he able to partake in a highly dangerous high-speed chase after 'Rosa's killer?  Why wasn't he basically a very sluggish blank slate from the near get-go of the drug's being introduced to his system??  I don't know whether to call it bad writing, or need to wait to get an explanation of events later on.

Edited February 16, 2017 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[threebluestars]

I think it's interesting jimson weed was mentioned since it contains scopolamine which Scratch uses.

I assumed during the chase he was still high on the coke, and as he came down off that, the effects of the heroin were stronger.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

35 minutes ago, arieswriting said:

I think it's interesting jimson weed was mentioned since it contains scopolamine which Scratch uses.

I assumed during the chase he was still high on the coke, and as he came down off that, the effects of the heroin were stronger.

Good call, if true. 

I'm unfamiliar with the exact 'results' of each drug's use.  So basically, cocaine is an 'upper' and heroin is a 'downer'?

[zannej]

I finally got to watch the episode mostly undistorted- the last few seconds had some glitching.

I wonder how the hell Reid was able to even participate in a high speed chase at 85mph while so high on drugs. That kinda didn't make sense. I also wonder why the cops didn't go after the lead truck (which was going 95mph). And I had to chuckle at how good the grammar was in the "translation" of the police report from Mexico. There are some striking differences in sentence structure, so I doubt it would have translated to English so nicely.

(Edit: When I clicked to see new replies I see someone else mentioned the bit about the drugs and high speed chase).

I loved the look of shock on Emily's face when she heard that Reid was in a high speed chase. LOL. Mind you, high speed driving and dealing with oil slicks, etc on the road are things that are taught to law enforcement agents. I think FLETC had courses on it.

I think the hair samples taken from him could prove he hasn't been using drugs long term.

I was relieved to see that the Mexican police were not portrayed as stupid, inept, or uncooperative. The lead guy came off as intelligent and competent. He didn't have a big ego and wasn't really lording it over the team that he had jurisdiction at first. He did remind them gently, but he still let them talk to Reid. There was an appropriate amount of respect for other law enforcement agents. He wasn't going to let them walk all over him, but he also wasn't going to cockblock them at every step.

I also liked how gentle and helpful the medic was. There was none of the stereotypical bs of the foreigners being jerks to the Americans. The medic was professional and kind-- moreso than some of the medical "professionals" I've had the misfortune of dealing with.

I wonder if the briefing the US govt before going to Mexico is a legit thing- and if it is, it must be new. Or maybe something that did not extend to INS/Border Patrol. IIRC, INS and Border Patrol agents used to go to Tijuana and other places just for day trips for shopping and fun (back when Tijuana was safe for tourists) without having to ask permission or file any special paperwork.

I actually didn't mind Simmons and Claire stopping by because I like them. They didn't really contribute much, but they didn't really detract either.

It was interesting to see that at least Tara was unaware of Reid being kidnapped and drugged years ago. Which reminds me, Reid seemed remarkably calm considering he used to be addicted to narcotics and he was suddenly given some again (enough to really mess up his cognition) and he didn't seem to be in any sort of withdrawal when he came down from them-- but maybe that would come later.

I wish that someone on the team had told the lead Mexican cop about Peter Lewis and how he had a habit of kidnapping, drugging, and manipulating people and how he had already targeted members of the team in the past. I do think the guy wanted to give the BAU the benefit of the doubt, but I actually found it plausible that he felt that justice was not being served. It could just seem like a cover-up to him.

I wonder if it is really true that the bureau lawyers would not defend Reid in those circumstances. Makes me miss Hotch even more because he could be Reid's lawyer if he wasn't in witness protection. I do wonder if they will forget that William Reid is not a criminal attorney and have him come in to defend his son. At least we know that Rossi has the funds to get Reid a top notch lawyer-- maybe even someone better than anyone the FBI has.

I'm still confused about why Reid had to meet the doctor in Mexico instead of the US and whether or not he ever knew exactly what was in the vials. I would think he would want to know and that he would have run tests on the stuff to make sure it was safe. Also, it seemed like there was some confusion about the first time he met "Rosa" and then he went to talking about when she was killed. Granted, some of that can be explained by his confused state due to the drugs. And honestly, what Prentiss said about him still being in an altered state does hold water. Any statements he made while still under the influence would be inadmissible in court. I just wish the sequence of events had been a little more clear to the audience.

I wonder if Mr. Scratch made Reid write the name on his arm because with his eidetic memory he wouldn't need to write it down. Also, did they ever establish who owned the car he was driving?

I really hope they don't ruin things for Reid and make it so he can't be in the BAU.

[Lostinthehouse]

Quote

I wonder if Mr. Scratch made Reid write the name on his arm because with his eidetic memory he wouldn't need to write it down.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/eidetic-memory

the ability to recall images with vividness bordering on actual visualperception; total recall; also called photographic memory

Reid had to actually see the name, and/or the face, to recall Rosa.  And yes, I think that Scratch knew about Reid's memory, therefore he had to write the name for Reid to remember the image of it since Reid was so stoned.

I have an eidetic memory (as I've been told by doctors), and I can remember where I kept things in old houses, but I can't remember specific events involving those things (like when I put the thing there, who might have given it to me, or where I originally got it.)  I totally understood that Reid had to see the name to remember Rosa.

[normasm]

I have that kind of visual memory, but it stems from the fact that I have spatio-temporal synesthesia, and I see or hear things as tacked to space and time. I can recall what I was doing when I hear something specific on the radio, like a song, or what I was doing the last time I smelled a certain smell, that kind of thing.

[JMO]

It was good, but it didn't bowl me over. A re-watch improved it for me considerably.  

Still, for a KV/EM episode, I found it a bit emotionally wanting, and found myself far less moved than I'd expected.  Maybe because I consider Reid to be the emotional center of the show, the character (and actor) who always brings it----but watching a drugged Reid for most of an episode was, to me, like not watching Reid.  I did appreciate the concern on the part of the others, especially his oldest friends on the team, even if I wish Garcia had dialed back her 'Garcia-ness'.

Haven't a clue why we needed the CMBB duo, nor the random threat of 'El Diablo'.  Most of the episode seemed like a lot of exposition, to the team, of information that I, the viewer, already had.  Maybe, given that it's an arc, that was necessary, if unsatisfying.  

Instead of that, I wish we'd gotten a better look at:

What's gone on with Diana?  Her status went, essentially, from Reid having difficulty finding someone to care for her for even a few hours, to him being able to leave her for days at a time, and JJ being able to 'stop by with the boys'---all happening off screen.  Is she stabilizing?  If not, how did he finally get round-the-clock care for her?  If so, how?  He hasn't been there to give her whatever amount of med he had left.  I expected more concern on Reid's part when he came back to the BAU, because hiring a nurse for three days is a lot different from hiring one for months or years.  

The long term effect of the drugging on Reid.  There was a little bit of set up for a relapse, or at least withdrawal, with the harkening back to the Hankel episode.  Because they inserted that scene from Revelations, I expected to see some inkling of fear in Reid about the physiologic fallout from having been drugged once again.  Not to say it won't play out in future episodes, but if it does, it will be a pretty delayed reaction.

Concern for the rest of the team, re: Mr. Scratch.  Since they're assuming it's him, he's showing that he will come after another member of their team just as easily as he did (the now witness-protected) Hotch.  So I would have expected some renewed concern about the rest of them, and their families.  

So, it was a set-up episode, and a serviceable one.   I don't think it will work all that well as a stand-alone, so ION and A&E, please take notice.  

Maybe we'll see some of the above played out in the coming weeks.  The promo certainly looked promising.

[normasm]

I agree, JMO, this was an elaborate set-up episode, and I, too benefitted from a re-watch. I'll do the old good/bad dissection:

The Good:
Matthew's acting. It was really frightening watching him stumble around and look so out of it and confused. Again, he could have really over-acted this, but I'm so glad he's not that kind of actor. 

The look of absolute terror on Emily's face when she first sees and observes Reid in the jail.

JJ's reaction. Very plausible and concerned. I also like that she was not in the group that went, but stayed behind to help from there. When he came back to the BAU, she embraced him and reassured him, as it should be. She gave a little of Spencer's background, which probably needed to be said if someone is watching for the first time.

The helpful attitudes of Tara at the BAU and Luke in Mexico. Tara was talking the ridiculous Garcia down, and Luke was doing his best imitation of Morgan, which made me miss Morgan. 

The Mexican LEO was believable and a good cop, not a cardboard villain.

Spencer's physical appearance. I kept wanting him to get a shower, and I sure hope he got a tetanus shot and some antibiotics! I swear, I could smell him, and it wasn't Old Spice.

The Bad:

First and foremost, there were too damn many people! So much so that Rossi was completely useless and didn't have anything constructive to say or do. They not only gave lots of lines to Walker, Tara and Alvez, they dragged in 2 of the nonentities from Beyond Boredom and mentioned Magic Monty 2 or 3 times (thanks the stars he stayed off my screen). Way to attach your failing pet project to Reid's coattails, Erica Messer! Sheesh.

The story of the Mexican-American doctor makes zero sense, even considering Reid couldn't remember. The magic potion thing seemed bogus when they introduced it 2 weeks ago, and now is even stupider. Why would Spencer risk his career to get a kitchen batch of herbs and natural supplements? Not at all plausible.

Garcia.

I know this episode set up the next 9, so not much was resolved, so, yes, it won't be a good standalone, as JMO has said. And next episode seems to introduce a well-worn soap opera trope, the passionate combative lawyer ("I can't defend you if you lie to me!!"), who happens to be somewhat attractive and age appropriate for a love interest. Could they be more obvious? I will stick with it because it is Matthew/Spencer, but they better do right by him.

[TheGreenWave]

47 minutes ago, JMO said:

If not, how did he finally get round-the-clock care for her?  If so, how?  He hasn't been there to give her whatever amount of med he had left.  I expected more concern on Reid's part when he came back to the BAU, because hiring a nurse for three days is a lot different from hiring one for months or years.

Confused about this as well - they felt the need to anvil how amazing and nice the nurse is, but I'm pretty sure you can't hire an in-home nurse for 24 hours a day (although this statement is based upon personal experience, in which agencies would only hire out in-home nurses for shifts of 8 hours each day), so they would need at least two other nurses to care for her.

[ReidFan]

when she was being interviewed and accepted the job, she told Reid she'd hire someone to do the nights. 

[Autistic Queer]

I like this arc with Reid. Most of the time the show shows how different Reid is, but how many of us could be in Reid or his mother's shoes when it comes to caring? Now we're not likely to seek out experimental treatment, but how many people would buy marijuana if it helped a sick relative, or buy painkillers a doctor won't prescribe. I like that Scratch has figured where Spencer is like us, but also is different.

They must've used the flashbacks from Revelations cos according to imdb that kid is now 21. 

I did like the way the Mexican police were portrayed, I can't remember if it was Rossi or Prentiss who said if they didn't know Reid they would think he was guilty too. 

[senin]

We expected emotions this week and we got them (at least I did ).!! Just finished watching and I will need to see it at least one or two more times, I'm sure I missed a lot of things. 

I'm not going into the good/bad yet (I'll rewatch before that), just some random ideas. 

The quote from the Leviticus, said by Reid at the beginning, was said by Hotch in Revelations (how I missed him this week, and I think I'm going to miss him even more in the following weeks). The fact that I just rewatched (for the umpteenth time) The Big Game and Revelations just two days ago is some coincidence !!

I also missed Morgan a lot, seeing Reid in trouble and not having Morgan around to help him.... was just painful. 

And a curiosity: I had to check the meaning of jimson weed in Spanish, and the example I found in the dictionary is "He has written in detail about his experimentation with jimson weed in northern Mexico." I couldn't help laughing!!

[TheGreenWave]

31 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

when she was being interviewed and accepted the job, she told Reid she'd hire someone to do the nights. 

Ah, thank you - I missed that.

[ReidFan]

Matthew and Paget were both fantastic in this episode. He played strung out Reid, coming down Reid and snippets of lucid and smart Reid perfectly. Like the theme of the quote, and as Prentiss said, he did wrong but for the right reason. Mom. (the feels! :) ) He's still a good guy, despite what went down.

 

The team rallied around their favourite genius, both those in Mexico and those back at the office. But I couldn't help thinking Alvez was just the wrong one to be consoling Reid in person....that should've been Prentiss, or even Rossi. (actually, it should've been Morgan but.....) I loved that Rossi asked him if he wanted company. *sniffle*

 

I agree with those who think the inclusion of the IRT was superfluous, nothing more than a bit of cross promotion from the WannaBe to the MotherShow. Rossi, with his seniority and contacts, and Prentiss with her connections could just as easily have procured that extradition. Enough cast members already! Thankfully, they were kept to a minimum though.

They've set up this arc nicely. Don't think I'll have any fingernails left but soon. And as I hoped, it's giving Matthew ample opportunity to show us just how good an actor he is. 

Cannot wait!

[Autistic Queer]

Actually isn't there a early episode where the BAU go to Mexico? The guy in Charge had taken a course run by Gideon?

[ReidFan]

Machismo.

ugh.

[Autistic Queer]

It would've worked better if they had said the BAU couldn't be a part of the investigation because Spencer was a member of the team, so brought in the IRT. 

[zannej]

I also felt that there was something just missing in terms of emotional impact-- but maybe it was because I had to re-watch because the initial broadcast was unwatchable. I wonder if the broadcast problem for CBS for that one area affected the ratings at all. It was probably too small of a sampling to matter.

Reid going down to Mexico to get some herbal remedy that he might have been able to mix up himself if he just got the right herbs didn't make sense. So, what if he encountered Scratch in Houston the first time or if he was so desperate he went to Mexico and encountered Scratch that first time-- because when he was asked about what happened the "first time" in Mexico he ended up talking about what happened when Rosa was killed. What if he trusted her because Scratch manipulated him to trust her and he didn't know he was being influenced?

Did they ever say whether the more detailed tox screen came back?

As for the eidetic memory, thank you for the information, but Reid has shown that if he focuses on remembering something he heard, he can remember it in detail without having to see it written down. Perhaps he creates a visual in his head to remember. So writing the name down on his arm of all places didn't seem to make sense. I suspect Scratch made him write it.

I rolled my eyes at the Rosa name being an anagram. I mean, who actually does that? Wouldn't it make more sense to just pick names at random? or pick names from different friends or relatives to use? The anagram just doesn't make sense UNLESS it was somehow influenced by Scratch as part of a taunt for the BAU. It's kind of like having the team guess a password that is a date or something personal instead of something more secure alphanumeric password.

Walker didn't overtly bug me this episode, but I still feel like he's not necessary. I wish they'd had JJ talking to Tara instead of Walker. I did think that AJ did a good job of showing JJ's concern for Reid.

I wasn't bothered with Prentiss being so stand-offish because she had to compartmentalize and behave professionally in front of the Mexican authorities. She has to make sure to keep emotions out of it as much as possible so she can think rationally. Reid could be the first one to point out about the studies that show when a person utilizes the emotional part of their brain, the critical thinking part shuts down and vice versa. Emily needed to use that critical thinking part.

Does anyone know much about the whole briefing to leave the country thing? I think it would make sense if going to a somewhat hostile country like Cuba or North Korea or something for a trip, but not Mexico. The lawyer thing I am not sure on. On one hand, it *is* the federal govt and they will refuse to pay for stuff that is supposed to be paid for by them because they are cheap.

I forgot to mention that I liked Alvez in this one. He showed the right amount of concern and support for Reid.

Back to the FBI lawyer thing, I really don't think the FBI would employ the absolute best lawyers out there. Rossi is filthy rich and would probably hire the best he could find in a heartbeat for Reid. So the whole thing about the FBI not providing a lawyer for Reid just kind of fell flat to me. If it meant saving Reid's life, I'm sure Rossi would not hesitate to pay for a lawyer for him. So they better not say Reid is getting some cheap public defense attorney.

I'm hoping that the cognitive interview on Emily's phone doesn't get used-- but I suspect it will. But, really, Reid couldn't even answer the questions or remember clearly. He'd been drugged and possibly manipulated by a person who knows how to affect people's memories. Scratch will probably somehow hack Emily's phone and give that sound byte to the prosecution. BUT, legally it would not be admissible in court because Reid was still too confused/ high.

Also, they had to name the one prison El Diablo? Really? That kind of made me roll my eyes.

But, it was still more entertaining than a lot of what we've seen recently on the show. I did find myself missing Hotch and wondering how he would have handled things. I think he would have wanted to stay near Reid and make sure he was safe and he would have tried to convince the Mexican cops to delay moving Reid to a dangerous prison. I think he could have found the right things to say to him and also been all over all of his connections trying to make sure Reid got moved to the US and doing his damnedest to make sure Reid got out on bail.

[ForeverAlone]

I used to work for the federal government and lived, worked and traveled extensively for personal reasons overseas. I know every time (no matter what country I was visiting), I had to get a security briefing. I know the military has had to do something similar when going to Mexico, especially the border cities, since they can often be dangerous. So while that doesn't strike me as too off, I do still think the story stretched credulity about the basic story. And I can't see the FBI (or frankly any government agency) using their own lawyers or funds to defend one of their own who is accused of murder and drug charges in a foreign country, especially since Reid wasn't down there on official business anyway. But apparently Emily coughs up the hot lawyer who is going to defend Reid, since she is friends with the lawyer (I guess Uncle Rossi didn't want to dip into his deep pockets). :) :) :) 

I have said numerous times I am over Mr. Scratch, so if we find out that EVERYTHING has been coordinated by him, he will be even more of a comic book supervillain than he already is. There just was no GOOD reason why Reid kept having to visit Mexico, especially in the exceedingly convoluted manner in which he did it. And yeah, there needs to be more detail about this medication that Reid was giving his mother, especially does he know what is in it (you would think he would) and why does he think this is some sort of miracle drug? I get that he is desperate and at the end of his rope, but he still has a working brain. 

In the real world, I can't see Reid being extradited to the states for such a serious crime committed in Mexico against a Mexican citizen (even if she does hold US citizenship as well). I honestly think this story could have worked just as well if it all took place in Houston (though that would also bring up jurisdicational issues, since he would be tried in Texas courts for his alleged crimes). How exactly is the federal government going to try this case? I mean, is the Mexican government going to give them all the evidence they have? Of course we will see how all of this unfolds next week, so I hope we have some semblance of realism in the legal side to this case. 

Edited February 16, 2017 by ForeverAlone

[secnarf]

A single instance of using drugs is not enough to induce withdrawal. Assuming it has been ten years since Reid last used Dilaudid, he no longer has a tolerance to it. He would not go through withdrawal from this one instance.

It may be realistic for him to begin to crave the use of Dilaudid again, but I really hope they don't go that route.

[ReidFan]

5 minutes ago, secnarf said:

A single instance of using drugs is not enough to induce withdrawal. Assuming it has been ten years since Reid last used Dilaudid, he no longer has a tolerance to it. He would not go through withdrawal from this one instance.

It may be realistic for him to begin to crave the use of Dilaudid again, but I really hope they don't go that route.

Amen. Though I think we've all read, likely several times over, that Matthew did not want to revisit an addiction storyline.

[JMO]

18 minutes ago, secnarf said:

A single instance of using drugs is not enough to induce withdrawal. Assuming it has been ten years since Reid last used Dilaudid, he no longer has a tolerance to it. He would not go through withdrawal from this one instance.

It may be realistic for him to begin to crave the use of Dilaudid again, but I really hope they don't go that route.

Not sure that we know it was a single dose. If so, you are correct on the withdrawal issue.  Still, and considering his circumstances, it could trigger a craving.  My point is that I'd like to see those thoughts go through Reid's head, even if his fears don't reach fruition.  To simply drop the issue (especially after showing the Revelations scene) is way too superficial for my taste.  

[Droogie]

I finally got to watch. Night shift last night, by no means my own doing. Thankfully I was too busy to think about anything but work, but there was one point at around 9:15 when I went in a patient's room that had a TV on, tuned to CM. Patient's family has been watching TV in there earlier and it wasn't turned off. I seriously considered mowing down an anesthesiologist and two RNs to get to the set and turn it off, but instead I left.

THE GOOD:

This is the most Spencer Reid I've ever had on my screen, at least in recent memory. I was in Spencer Reid Heaven.

Loved the use of flashbacks.

Loved the look on Emily's face basically throughout the entire show. She looked like she was in actual pain for him.

Loved how fair and competent the Mexican authorities were. I don't know what I was expecting but I was happy to not see anything that looked stereotypical to me.

My skin crawled when the first inmate came up behind Reid in the holding cell. It's what we were all worried about, I think.

MGG was just exceptional. I thought it would've been a great chance to chew the scenery but as always, he was subtle, understated.  

For the most part, I thought the script was solid. Especially if I didn't overthink things.

I really liked Alvez in this.

Reid, driving like a bat out of hell? I need to see me some more of that.  

We didn't have to see Monty.

THE BAD:

We had to hear about Monty. And share screen time with the two BB peeps, whose names I've already forgotten.

I felt like the "brainstorming" scenes with JJ, Garcia, Lewis and Walker were as though they were all underwater. Let's see who can speak with the least inflection -- minus Garcia of course.

How does Garcia have room for her computer keyboard amidst all the crap all over her desk?

Kitten ears.

JJ's default gesture to convey worry/pain seems to be to cover her nose with her hands. It started to get on my nerves.

As much as I liked Emily in this, I find her speech just off. I'm a person who talks fast. When I consciously slow myself down, I think I sound funny. It's how Emily sounds to me. That, and like she is trying to speak on a lower register. I get that she is perhaps trying to convey the gravitas of the unit chief, but sheesh.

Can I just tell you, telling that Mexican police captain that she didn't record Reid's cognitive was ballsy and awesome. I hope it doesn't come back to bite her in the butt.

They would seriously allow a prisoner, just extradited to the US for murder, a quick pit-stop at the BAU? I realize that is hardly the least believable thing in the episode, but come on.

I missed Hotch and Morgan like woah. They would have made a solid episode absolutely stellar.

THE SHALLOW:

I can't tell you how long I have waited to see Matthew Gray Gubler's endless long legs poured into a pair of Levi's 505s. I was not disappointed. 
 

[slasherboy]

13 hours ago, zannej said:

he didn't seem to be in any sort of withdrawal when he came down from them-- but maybe that would come later.

This has already been addressed, but I was going to say he wouldn't have withdrawals from a single dose, or even a couple, as others have pointed out.

 

2 hours ago, ReidFan said:

Though I think we've all read, likely several times over, that Matthew did not want to revisit an addiction storyline.

Did Matthew say why he didn't want to revist an addiction storyline?

[autumnmountains]

20 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

This has already been addressed, but I was going to say he wouldn't have withdrawals from a single dose, or even a couple, as others have pointed out.

 

Did Matthew say why he didn't want to revist an addiction storyline?

For the withdrawals, would he be more likely to have them though since he was coming down from both Heroine and Cocaine(??? I running on no sleep so pardon if I got the last one wrong) Not trying to argue, just curious. I know very little about that.

[Droogie]

30 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Did Matthew say why he didn't want to revist an addiction storyline?

Allegedly.  And addressing it in this way during this arc is not necessarily a revisitation.  Erica said "someone" didn't want to delve back into a difficult storyline bc it was long ago "when the cool kids were writing it."  This was at the beginning of S10. Can you imagine the disaster that would've been?  I remember an early episode in that season that had Spencer massaging the area of his neck where he'd been shot at the end of S9. And then absolutely nothing came of of it and Garcia got the closure for the shooting.  Gosh I was so frustrated with the show at that time.

He may have just trusted Kirsten and Erica to write it -- so far it isn't as if he is relapsing into addiction but rather that he has again been drugged against his will.  As many have said, this wouldn't necessarily result in withdrawals.  And as others have said, it may rekindle the craving, though.  I certainly hope it is at least addressed.  Although I'm really satisfied that it was mentioned and explained to the newbies.

I know I really appreciate that they actually consulted canonical events and integrated them into this episode -- one of the only times I've ever seen it.  Maybe THE only time.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Droogie

[secnarf]

25 minutes ago, autumnmountains said:

For the withdrawals, would he be more likely to have them though since he was coming down from both Heroine and Cocaine(??? I running on no sleep so pardon if I got the last one wrong) Not trying to argue, just curious. I know very little about that.

No. The number of drugs doesn't matter - it is the length of time, when it comes to withdrawal. Withdrawal is a physical process that occurs after your body builds up some level of tolerance to the drug/drugs in question. Essentially, your body becomes used to the drug's presence, and biochemically adjusts accordingly. When you take away the drug after the 'adjustment', you get withdrawal as your body now has to re-adjust to being without the drug.

[Danielg342]

The more I think about him, the more I wish they would just shoot him.

No, not Spencer Reid. Although he hasn't exactly been Reid for a while now.

I'm talking about Mr. Scratch, or, as I like to call him, "Mr. Comical"...because now he's not even a "comic book villain", he's just comical.

As in comically bad and comically unrealistic.

I should have been careful what I wished for in 10.21. As I said before, I wanted a criminal I've never seen before, someone who could take the team- and the show- to new heights.

Not this crap where a man as smart as he is decides all he wants to do is taunt the BAU.

(Perhaps if Scratch was this villain who actually is capable of wiping out the BAU, one member at a time, I could get behind that, if he was doing so as part of the show's final season...but, seeing as how that's not the plan, he is underwhelming as yet another "baddie who targets the main characters", one of the worst police procedural cliches)

As it relates to this episode, why couldn't this have been a story of Reid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, where Rosa is simply murdered by a "normal" killer? Why does Scratch have to be involved? Because the writers are lazy and can't be bothered coming up with a truly unique criminal who has actual motivations and whose characterization can be somewhat realistic?

Is that what we've reduced Scratch to? Some guy we can slot in there in place of a "random" killer?

Is that how lazy these writers are now?

Ugh.

Scratch makes me so upset, because here was a character with so much potential and the show has not just utterly wasted it, they completely and utterly tarnished it, destroying it so it can have no effective use anymore.

Yeah, I should have known better to think that these writers were capable of writing a truly engaging arc or even a character worth a dime...but the level that they have reduced Mr. Scratch to is absolutely mind-boggling.

I never thought writers could suck this much.

So...what are we left with? A waste of 40+ minutes. Matthew Gray Gubler was good but that's about it. This installment was about as pointless an endeavour as you could ever put out, and in the world of CM, that's saying something.

Episode Grade: F. Really, did you expect anything different?

[secnarf]

4 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Scratch makes me so upset, because here was a character with so much potential and the show has not just utterly wasted it, they completely and utterly tarnished it, destroying it so it can have no effective use anymore.

Yeah, I should have known better to think that these writers were capable of writing a truly engaging arc or even a character worth a dime...but the level that they have reduced Mr. Scratch to is absolutely mind-boggling.

I agree with everything you wrote about Mr Scratch. This storyline is a bit too much like the Pelant storyline from Bones, which IMO was the worst possible thing that the show could have done. It spanned several seasons beyond the point of utter ridiculousness and absurdity, and frankly makes the current Scratch storyline look extremely thoughtful, realistic and logical. I just worry that by the end of the season, things will escalate and Scratch will become like Pelant.

[Danielg342]

23 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I agree with everything you wrote about Mr Scratch. This storyline is a bit too much like the Pelant storyline from Bones, which IMO was the worst possible thing that the show could have done. It spanned several seasons beyond the point of utter ridiculousness and absurdity, and frankly makes the current Scratch storyline look extremely thoughtful, realistic and logical. I just worry that by the end of the season, things will escalate and Scratch will become like Pelant.

The good news is that I'm not sure CM will last long enough for Scratch to truly evolve into a Pelant...but, who knows, he may well end up doing that anyway.

I understand why procedurals like having these long term nemeses...when they're done right, they're riveting and memorable. The problem is that the potential to do them wrong is very, very high, because oftentimes writers can get lost in their imaginations and forget that for any character to work it's got to be grounded to a degree.

I can't comment much on Christopher Pelant because I didn't watch Bones, but I will bring up every procedural's cautionary tale- The Mentalist's Red John. I think RJK is perfect because here's a criminal who, like Scratch, had the potential to be a truly memorable killer but, because the writing around him lacked any kind of real focus, RJK quickly devolved into a comically bad Teflon-like character who would only be believable if he were superhuman. It's telling that Bruno Heller, who created The Mentalist, admitted he had no idea who RJK even was until halfway through season four- and yet he was a character who was there right from the beginning.

Now, I don't think Mr. Scratch fails for the same reason RJK did- at least we know who Mr. Scratch is and what kind of skills and abilities he can bring to the table. I'll also grant that likely Thomas Gibson's firing threw a curveball into whatever they were planning with the character. However, I think it's a small excuse for a character who is doing nothing more than retreading The Replicator, and that's ultimately where the character fails. They're just not being adventurous with him at all, especially considering he's got the abilities that would enable him to do so much more than John Curtis.

This is a guy who hacked the NSA and freed 13 serial killers for crying out loud...why isn't this guy CM's Joker who's causing havoc for everyone in North America and causing every agency all kinds of headaches? Why does Peter Lewis just want to "mess" with the BAU?

At least if Lewis is messing with the BAU at least do so as a cover so he can cause havoc somewhere else...at least then this whole "taunt the BAU" has a purpose. Otherwise, we're just left with a predictable storyline with a predictable conclusion- Lewis "makes it personal" and gets caught by the BAU.

Just like the other criminals who decide to "target the main characters". Rinse, repeat...

[Willowy]

Well, as ANOTHER country heard from - My son called me from work today to tell me that the episode has been on his mind all day, and that two different groups of people, at two different times, were talking about it in his break room at work.

His co-workers are varied and diverse, and they were all just sitting around emotionally discussing the episode, and he thought I would like to know that. What really got me though, is that MY SON called me from his work to let me know he was still feeling and thinking about the episode today. None of you know him, but take it from me, he does not buy into pop culture lightly. He regards most of it with a picky, stand-offish air that I find frustrating, sometimes. 

It's rare that he is deeply affected by any tv show, let alone my chosen fandom. He watches with me each week pretty much to just be supportive of me. Seeing Reid in this predicament bothered him in the extreme, and I have to say that I loved that it did. I loved that the show took the entire hour to devote to Spencer and his frightening situation, and I love that I have renewed and heightened levels of respect for Matthew's abilities as an actor.

Also my son is 21 and never uses the phone to call anyone except his grandma. It's always text. Another bar breached. Way to go, CM.

[Bookish Jen]

Still need a while to let this episode sink in. It really has affected me mind, body and soul.

[Bookish Jen]

On 2/15/2017 at 11:27 PM, Franky said:

Yeah, well I thought it was pretty freakin' amazing. I was yelling at the TV and my kids were hilarious trying to calm me down after. They loved it too, fwiw. The entire show devoted to Reid with no distracting dumbass unsub to take away from him. Matthew was excellent, imo. 

Wasn't he? And on a shallow note, a busted up Spencer looks better on his worst days than I do on my best.
#ratbastard.

[senin]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

Still need a while to let this episode sink in. It really has affected me mind, body and soul.

I understand the feeling, it's been 24 hours since I watched it and it's still going round and round in my mind.

(You said it in such a beautiful way!!)

[SSAHotchner]

On 2/15/2017 at 11:02 PM, secnarf said:

This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a "fun" Reid arc. I have no idea what EM was thinking when those words came out of her mouth.

My gut is still that this whole thing is ridiculous, but since we don't really know the actual story - how all of this happened - I suppose it is too early to really judge.

I laughed out loud at them calling JAMA a journal of "experimental medicine", though. I think that's the most amused I was all episode.

It was nice to see the team without spending most of the time on the guest star/unsub of the week, though. Even the two from CM:BB didn't take up too much time. It felt reasonable.

I have long suspected that Erica is incredibly dense. 

[UncleChuck]

On 2/16/2017 at 0:54 PM, zannej said:

I did find myself missing Hotch and wondering how he would have handled things. I think he would have wanted to stay near Reid and make sure he was safe and he would have tried to convince the Mexican cops to delay moving Reid to a dangerous prison. I think he could have found the right things to say to him and also been all over all of his connections trying to make sure Reid got moved to the US and doing his damnedest to make sure Reid got out on bail.

Not so sure...Hotch is not "real".  He would have been performing the same lines as written by TPTB for Prentiss.