S12.E18: Hell's Kitchen

[Willowy]

Yes that pic with him in that 'court suit' of his, and Diana is there with a badge on for whatever reason. I think it's his court date. I just wish I could suss out which way it'll go for him. 

If the 'toxic drug' thing he just did turns out to NOT be a dream sequence, then he could be accused of trafficking, holding with intent to sell, or worse while there in stir, and he'd be sent up the river (why am I suddenly James Cagney?)! 

AUGH!

[autumnmountains]

13 minutes ago, Haleysgalaxy said:

 

I also thought we saw a behind-the-scenes picture of reid in a suite? Maybe it was his court outfit? I was hoping it was an indicator that he was free

I think it was hinted by other TPTB, that he'd be out be season's end. *shrugs*

Edited March 31, 2017 by autumnmountains

[Willowy]

That's... not the case. If I'm wrong, I will totally own that, but Harry has not confirmed, nor hinted that Reid would be out by season's end.

If that's your opinion, you are of course entitled to it and that's none of my say or business, but if you're claiming it as fact and can produce that tweet, I'll happily eat my words. :)

Whoops! Okay, you edited your post, I see that now. Ignore the above!

Edited March 31, 2017 by Willowy
Post I was responding to changed, and made my words irrelevant :)

[PMPA]

Well from my reading of comments from various folks, behind the scenes and otherwise, there was no indication that Reid would be free as a bird any time soon.  I think lots of people are putting bits and pieces together and hoping its the case - totally fair.  There was indeed a bts picture of Reid in a black suit and if memory serves me correctly, that picture was from quite some time ago, possibly around the filming of 16 or early 17. 

[autumnmountains]

1 hour ago, Willowy said:

That's... not the case. If I'm wrong, I will totally own that, but Harry has not confirmed, nor hinted that Reid would be out by season's end.

If that's your opinion, you are of course entitled to it and that's none of my say or business, but if you're claiming it as fact and can produce that tweet, I'll happily eat my words. :)

Whoops! Okay, you edited your post, I see that now. Ignore the above!

Nah, I haven't the time nor will to wade through his Twitter (or anyone's), but it's hinted by him and others. Not outright said, but hinted.  *shrugs* 

Edited March 31, 2017 by autumnmountains

[Willowy]

Okay, well we can continue to discuss this if you want... I kinda thought we were done. You did say you thought he had confirmed it.

No, he hasn't hinted or affirmed that Reid gets out of prison by the end of the season. Nobody has hinted or affirmed that. They're actually very careful not to hint or affirm that. And if you wanted to find the tweet you're claiming is definitely out there, there's search functions galore that could assist you. 

Agreed that his grandkids are adorable. 

[Kara101]

10 minutes ago, Willowy said:

Okay, well we can continue to discuss this if you want... I kinda thought we were done. You did say you thought he had confirmed it.

No, he hasn't hinted or affirmed that Reid gets out of prison by the end of the season. Nobody has hinted or affirmed that. They're actually very careful not to hint or affirm that. And if you wanted to find the tweet you're claiming is definitely out there, there's search functions galore that could assist you. 

Agreed that his grandkids are adorable. 

This is what made me think he hinted it.

[Willowy]

Thanks, Haleysgalaxy... autumnmountains? 

Appreciate the clarification... in my opinion that still doesn't mean much. Just Harry messing with fans.

But thank you for posting that. :)

[CrimeFan12]

I watched the episode again last night and it wasn't as bad as I thought.  It still wasn't the greatest.  I think I let myself get distracted from really paying attention by the UnSub showing up in the first five minutes.  This time I paid attention to what the UnSub was saying and doing and I do agree now with others that he is a more sympathetic UnSub.  He's not killing to kill, he's just desperately trying to find a cure and going about it the really wrong way.   I still stand by my original comment that we saw too much of him.  That time could have been used to show the team profiling, more Reid, or more of Dave's and Reid's visit.  

I'm loving this arc, not just because we're getting to explore Reid and what jail can do to a person, but the conversation it is generating.  With a normal episode, it is reviewed then done with.  This arc, everyone here is talking about it, tossing out theories, looking at motivations and so much more.  This makes it so much fun.  This is what the producers and writers wanted.  They want you talking. They wanted you invested, be it good or bad.  I'm just loving it...lol.

Edited March 31, 2017 by CrimeFan12
Bad spelling and miss words.

[autumnmountains]

7 minutes ago, Haleysgalaxy said:

This is what made me think he hinted it.

That was one of them, yes. I have horrible internet and searching Twitter is a nightmare because it inevitably freezes up my computer/kindle/phone. This is a good enough hint for me. I trust him on CM related things.

Edited March 31, 2017 by autumnmountains

[Willowy]

There's been no confirmation. I'll wait for that.

[ReidGirl]

I really want Reid out of prison in the next episode. I hope that happens. I don't want the season to end with Reid still in prison and the story line continuing in next season(if we are getting season 13). And worse if we don't get season 13 then Reid left to rot in prison is not how I want the show to end.

[mythoughtis]

I really do not understand why Reid had to get caught up in the holistic therapists murder and in end up in prison.  I see nothing that it adds to Reids character or the units characters.  I also see nothing entertaining about it. If MGG wants to leave the series, temporarily or permanently, all that needed to be done was for his character to decide profiling was no longer his passion.  He could have been going to do research on a cure for Alzhiemers, or actually developed a romantic relationship cross-country. 

[Kara101]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

I really do not understand why Reid had to get caught up in the holistic therapists murder and in end up in prison.  I see nothing that it adds to Reids character or the units characters.  I also see nothing entertaining about it. If MGG wants to leave the series, temporarily or permanently, all that needed to be done was for his character to decide profiling was no longer his passion.  He could have been going to do research on a cure for Alzhiemers, or actually developed a romantic relationship cross-country. 

I still wish he would have found a girlfiend in Paris and lived happily ever after in France. The more I think about it the more I think how soul draining the BAU must be. He obviously loves his job, but does he love it because it's his "family" or because he actually wants to continue hunting killers? I sort of think he likes it so much because he thinks it gives him secure relationships. He could meet someone and have an actual real family and get a nice job trying to find the cure for schrizophrneia. I never really understood why he joined the BAU in the first place. Especially bc he said to Gideon " it's all I've been trained for." I sort of tnought that getting 3 PhDs was the path of an aspiring academic? He was trained to be an academic.

[needschocolate]

Did they ever explain why the unsub only took women who looked a certain way?

I was also wondering why the unsub would let the girl try to escape, but then I realized that they needed to have her and the unsub away from the entrance, otherwise, how does the team get there unnoticed.  ,  

[Drogo]

On 3/29/2017 at 10:04 PM, CrimeFan12 said:

What did he do?  Did he switch out the drugs?  Alter them in some way?  Or was it a bad batch?  That was interesting.

He added bleach to the drugs, intending to hurt the two inmates who executed Luis in front of him.  Malcolm said they didn't make him test, but it turns out they did.  I don't think he anticipated that they would distribute those drugs to other prisoners knowing they'd been tampered with, but I definitely think he was trying to hurt them.

You would think that a prison arc would be a good time for them to cut Reid's stupid hair.  

[Old Dog]

Reid's fabulous hair is just about the only thing keeping me watching these days! I am very much over them letting Reid languish in prison for months without the team doing more to help him than the visit of the week.

[Willowy]

32 minutes ago, Drogo said:

Reid's stupid hair.  

Reid's wonderful, kinetic, uncontrollable, life-of-it's-own, fabulously gorgeous hair.

FTFY. ;)

[Drogo]

Thanks for the fix but I meant his stupid hair.  It was silly in civilian life, in prison it's a floppy walking punchline.  Emily, Tara and Luke have pretty great hair, though.

[normasm]

Actually, we don't know that he did anything.

[ReidGirl]

1 hour ago, Willowy said:

Reid's wonderful, kinetic, uncontrollable, life-of-it's-own, fabulously gorgeous hair.

FTFY. ;)

Completely agree with you on this. Though I like his hair combed properly I will never call it stupid :-) (just my opinion).

[ReidFan]

realism: he'd never be allowed to have hair that long and unruly as an FBI agent....and I'm pretty sure they have it buzz cut in prison (except for religious reasons etc) because of lice et al (ick!)  too.

reidism: I like it relatively long (not busted up knee season five greasy looking long, but long like it is right now anyway) and as long as it's clean and combed it's wonderful as it is.

I just googled 'putting bleach into cocaine' and even though I typed cocaine, I kept getting hits about Coca Cola getting bleach put into it (apparently, bleach turns coca cola clear LOL).... the only thing I could make any sense of (because I know zilch about cocaine, not a drug user nor am I law enforcement who would have any such knowledge) is that a couple of drops of bleach will test the cocaine to see how pure it is.

Which to me, meant this: Reid was testing the cocaine to find out its purity; he wasn't doctoring it. He may have discovered that it was indeed tainted, and the reason he's beside himself in distress over what happened is because he knew it was bad and chose to keep that information to himself. And again, probably not thinking anyone but Frazier and perhaps Duerson would be using it; and perhaps not knowing exactly what would be the result of using the tainted drug. 

[autumnmountains]

Some of us like his hair, others don't. I love his hair the way it is. I don't care for Tara's hair or Emily's bangs but I wouldn't call any style stupid. It's a matter of taste and opinions. *shrugs*

Moving on, I am looking forward to seeing what actually happened at the end, because as Normasm pointed out, we don't actually know what is going on. Sure, the show is attempting to get us to believe that Reid poisoned them. I'm inclined to think it's a red herring and we have clues that he gets out by the season's end. They wouldn't free someone who did that. 

[Danielg342]

On 30/03/2017 at 2:52 PM, senin said:

I think I could "forgive" the trafficking, as the only way Reidhas to "buy" a certain level of security. But the rest? NO!

I'm with you on this one. Letting the drugs through would very much be a "go along to get along" kind of thing, and Reid might be able to get out of liability by telling investigators that he was essentially coerced into letting the drugs through (Reid was told after Luis was killed that he'd end up like Luis if the drugs don't get through).

...but actually tampering with the drugs is tantamount to attempted murder. Essentially, Reid is lowering himself to the level of the other prisoners because he's decided to repeat their tactics. Realistic or not, he should be much better than that.

[ReidFan]

damn, forgot this. Further to what I said a couple of posts ago..... the guard knows it's a bad batch of cocaine; he said so. (assuming it's cocaine). So, is he aware that this is going on regularly then? And doing nothing? And they (the guards, the other inmates) don't know that Reid knew/may know it was a bad batch either. There's nothing to tie him to it except himself. So I was thinking, if this is the case (that he was testing it, knew it was bad, kept that to himself) maybe *that's* what he's wrestling with, the guilt of knowing he didn't say/do anything. I have a further thought on that, but it would have to go to the spoiler/speculation thread.

[normasm]

2 hours ago, autumnmountains said:

Some of us like his hair, others don't. I love his hair the way it is. I don't care for Tara's hair or Emily's bangs but I wouldn't call any style stupid. It's a matter of taste and opinions. *shrugs*

Moving on, I am looking forward to seeing what actually happened at the end, because as Normasm pointed out, we don't actually know what is going on. Sure, the show is attempting to get us to believe that Reid poisoned them. I'm inclined to think it's a red herring and we have clues that he gets out by the season's end. They wouldn't free someone who did that. 

I hope you and I are right, and this whole thing - like the implied rape that didn't happened 2 episodes ago - will turn out to have a Spenceresque explanation. One that keeps the character intact and allows him, if he chooses, to return to the BAU. Otherwise, they may have sullied a longtime hero. The last time they had someone act rashly enough to end their career was with Elle. Spencer would never compromise his values for survival. In this episode, they gave us equal emphasis on musings about Spencer's possible "dark side" with Spencer's definite sleep depravation. Longterm sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations and psychotic breaks. We won't know until Wednesday, if then, but I have to believe they wouldn't make Spencer "bad" after all he's been through to fight it.

Edited April 3, 2017 by normasm
punctuation nerd

[JMO]

The thing I noticed is that Reid's little science experiment (and I do agree that he was probably testing, and not tainting---I hope) gave off a noxious odor after he mixed the liquid with the powder---any chemistry buffs out there?  Does this tell you anything?

If it turns out that the other inmates' reaction to the drugs is part of a nightmare, I can accept that.  But, if, as I've seen posited (? here or elsewhere), the entire prison sequence is some type of hallucination, I will feel misled and betrayed.  No amount of 'happy ending surprise' would undo that.  

Unless, of course, it was all part of a hallucination Hotch was having.  That would get my attention.

[Hotchgirl18]

3 minutes ago, JMO said:

The thing I noticed is that Reid's little science experiment (and I do agree that he was probably testing, and not tainting---I hope) gave off a noxious odor after he mixed the liquid with the powder---any chemistry buffs out there?  Does this tell you anything?

If it turns out that the other inmates' reaction to the drugs is part of a nightmare, I can accept that.  But, if, as I've seen posited (? here or elsewhere), the entire prison sequence is some type of hallucination, I will feel misled and betrayed.  No amount of 'happy ending surprise' would undo that.  

Unless, of course, it was all part of a hallucination Hotch was having.  That would get my attention.

I think this sorry excuse for a season is Hotch 's hallucination. He's hallucinating there are imposters acting as team members.

[Willowy]

This is a season I'll be rewatching again and again, just to see what clues they dropped all through. If the finale is as epic as I've been hearing, then seeing where they go next is what I'm looking forward to. 

Also, Reid needs to be out. Like now.

[Danielg342]

I just can't see a happy resolution to this.

• If Reid is being framed, he's again being shown as weak.
• If Reid doctored the drugs, he's morally compromised.
• If Reid merely tested the drugs and let them through knowing they're bad, he just got lucky.
• If Reid in prison is just a hallucination or a dream, then what was the point of this sorry excuse for an arc in the first place?

[normasm]

Valid points, all.

[autumnmountains]

Eh, I agree with MOST of those points, however, I disagree that if he's being framed, he's being shown as weak. The two don't correlate.

Edited April 4, 2017 by autumnmountains

[Aethera]

I liked this episode better than the last one, though I can't really put my finger on why. I spoiled myself some by reading the thread, so I wasn't surprise by the ending, but I liked Reid's confrontation of Shaw. It got me more excited to see how this arc ends.

I do wish we were seeing Diana, or hearing about Reid's case.

[normasm]

Yes, autumn, that's my thought, too. 

Also, no one is suggesting the entire prison thing is a dream or hallucination, just Reid's "actions" at the end. Because he hasn't slept in days.

[Danielg342]

52 minutes ago, autumnmountains said:

Eh, I agree with MOST of those points, however, I disagree that if he's being framed, he's being shown as weak. The two don't correlate.

It's the idea that he is again being used as a punching bag. He's already been beaten up twice and threatened with Luis being killed in front of him- to be framed for the drugs indicates that he still has no control over his situation, it's always someone else.

That is the heart of the matter- Reid has done absolutely nothing to drive his own plot. It's always others who make decisions or are effective at them. As far as I'm concerned, it's a catastrophic failure on the part of the writers.

[Hotchgirl18]

15 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

It's the idea that he is again being used as a punching bag. He's already been beaten up twice and threatened with Luis being killed in front of him- to be framed for the drugs indicates that he still has no control over his situation, it's always someone else.

That is the heart of the matter- Reid has done absolutely nothing to drive his own plot. It's always others who make decisions or are effective at them. As far as I'm concerned, it's a catastrophic failure on the part of the writers.

Because they can't write for Reid. This current crop has never been able to.

[ReidGirl]

1 hour ago, autumnmountains said:

Eh, I agree with MOST of those points, however, I disagree that if he's being framed, he's being shown as weak. The two don't correlate.

Yes, if hes is being framed does not mean he is shown as weak. Anybody can be framed no matter if they are weak or strong.

[secnarf]

I don't think it's being framed that makes him weak - just that he is continually shown as passive. Those don't need to go together; he could be framed and still take an active role in the storyline. However, he is mostly just 'there'. That's actually part of the reason I wouldn't mind if he actually did spike the drugs or whatever - at least he would be DOING something.

[autumnmountains]

41 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

It's the idea that he is again being used as a punching bag. He's already been beaten up twice and threatened with Luis being killed in front of him- to be framed for the drugs indicates that he still has no control over his situation, it's always someone else.

That is the heart of the matter- Reid has done absolutely nothing to drive his own plot. It's always others who make decisions or are effective at them. As far as I'm concerned, it's a catastrophic failure on the part of the writers.

 

 

while I do think it could be better written, I still have to disagree with  you here. Being framed does not equal being weak. Framing someone , especially  for murder, is a crime. 

I'm trying to cover a lot of thoughts on one message. Hopefully,  it'll make sense. Been up since 4 AM.

  I mean, realistically,  given his circumstances, what can he do? Not much at the  moment. He's tried to protect  someone else when he learned he was off limits and we know how that worked out. While I do hope he plays a pivotal role in  exonerating himself, he can't until he at least remembers what happened. Hopefully, that will be soon. 

 

As for physically protecting himself, it's  not exactly an even fight 1 against  several.  Also, though he's greatly improved since S1, Reid had never been the most physically strong person, the physical take downs he's been a part of, a lot of times involved  "props," things in his enviroment ( a pipe, a suitcase, etc). I know he tackled the unsub in Rabid, but that's unusual  for him.

 

At the moment, he seems to be in a no-win situation,  If he keeps his head down, the other inmates will still attack,  If he makes a stand, he's no safer.  

[Danielg342]

I look at it from the perspective of what the aftereffects will be. In a situation where he is being framed, Reid will once again be put in a defensive, reactive position. He'd still not be driving his own story.

[Drogo]

28 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I don't think it's being framed that makes him weak - just that he is continually shown as passive.  Those don't need to go together; he could be framed and still take an active role in the storyline.

Part of surviving in prison is being passive.  Reid is not a fighter, he's not an alpha, he's a stranger in a strange land. 

If he tampered with the drugs (as the scene of him tampering with the drugs seems to indicate) he's taking an active role in the storyline.  Not a smart role to take, but an active one.  Maybe he was trying to hurt or kill the two men who slit Luis' throat.  Maybe he was trying to ID their clientele/friends in the prison so he knew who not to trust.  Maybe he was trying to get himself thrown into solitary.

[autumnmountains]

10 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I look at it from the perspective of what the aftereffects will be. In a situation where he is being framed, Reid will once again be put in a defensive, reactive position. He'd still not be driving his own story.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree.  I get what you are saying,  but I simply don't  agree. Right now, there isn't  much  he can do. Once he remembers,  even while being framed, he'll be able to do more. 

cool to see so many different  thoughts on this.

[Aethera]

2 hours ago, Drogo said:

Part of surviving in prison is being passive.  Reid is not a fighter, he's not an alpha, he's a stranger in a strange land. 

If he tampered with the drugs (as the scene of him tampering with the drugs seems to indicate) he's taking an active role in the storyline.  Not a smart role to take, but an active one.  Maybe he was trying to hurt or kill the two men who slit Luis' throat.  Maybe he was trying to ID their clientele/friends in the prison so he knew who not to trust.  Maybe he was trying to get himself thrown into solitary.

I was thinking maybe he was just trying to ID who's involved, too. I think that would be more plausible if they were less affected - if people were just throwing up or something, instead of bleeding from places. It seems out of character for him to miscalculate the effect.

[ReidFan]

I just rewatched it today. He scoops powder out of that box next to him (presumably the laundry detergent). He drops a few drops of clear liquid into it (Presumably bleach? ammonia?) Science experiments? We didn't see him do anything to the little packet of presumably, the cocaine.

more red herrings.  and little hints. (hell, I'm grasping at any available straw now!)

[autumnmountains]

5 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

I just rewatched it today. He scoops powder out of that box next to him (presumably the laundry detergent). He drops a few drops of clear liquid into it (Presumably bleach? ammonia?) Science experiments? We didn't see him do anything to the little packet of presumably, the cocaine.

more red herrings.  and little hints. (hell, I'm grasping at any available straw now!)

Very true. Good catch :-)