Criminal Minds Analysis: Profile The Show

[zannej]

Cobalt, I loved that scene. I also loved how Reid reacted to what happened to Elle's coffee.

(last one is him putting his coffee down away from the computers)

 

Let's look at Garcia's reaction to the torture tape btw: 

 

She didn't whine or squawk.. She just looked in shock.  

 

Hope the images work...

[zannej]

I always took the "aiming for his leg" comment as a joke as well. I mean, shortly thereafter Reid told Hotch "you kick like a nine-year-old girl!"

I miss that Reid. He was able to make a joke and tease people.

 

Now they have it so people have to tell him that something is a joke. I'm sorry, but after all these years of studying people, I just don't buy that he would be that dense and that he would not know when someone was joking. Especially when they say something in a joking tone.

 

I actually thought that Gideon made sense with the comment about Reid not knowing how he felt. I think that Gideon believed Reid was just confused and that Reid felt numb at the time. Adrenaline can do that to you to an extent. I didn't quite buy Reid having PTSD after shooting Dowd. I think it would have been more likely for him to have had that reaction to shooting Tobias because he actually felt guilty about that. But I'll give it a pass since Dowd was his first kill. He probably had dreams about nailing him right between the eyes and seeing it over and over.

 

I still think the dialog was a bit clunky and it was a device to justify Garcia's behavior rather than being actual character development for Reid though.

[Knittzu]

I didn't quite buy Reid having PTSD after shooting Dowd.

 

 

I don't know how anyone could, considering that a) it happened almost a decade ago and b) Reid said himself that he wasn't bothered by it  at the time and never said anything to the contrary and c) they never once in the subsequent decade even hinted that Reid suffered PTSD after shooting Dowd. We were even privy to quite a few of Reid's dreams... absolutely none of which included Dowd.

 

To me it was clearly just a clunky attempt to prop up the silly "Garcia has PTSD so she needs to go weep and whine at a convicted killer" plot.

[normasm]

I'm moving this comment over from the episode place where we were discussing different interrogation techniques over the seasons.

 

It's funny, I just saw "JJ" where Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss are interrogating the slime ball guy and Prentiss and Reid are picking away at the other guy. They have both taken lie detector tests voluntary. After bringing him food, etc., Morgan and Rossi switch tactics and start hardrollin on their guy, making him stay standing, getting up in his face, Morgan getting all dramatic.

 

Meanwhile, after being primed by Prentiss to see the other guy is getting "special treatment", the other guy, who the profilers think is not too bright, gets the full Columbo treatment by Reid. Reid asks him a question, and the repeats his answer back to him. It starts to sound like an echo chamber, then Reid hones down on what would seem to most some nothing little nerdy detail. The camera is beeping in the background and the guy starts to lose his cool, when Prentiss comes in and snarls, "Sit down." She shows Reid he passed the lie detector test. she starts circling him and asking questions with Reid piping up with the nerdy Columbo act (smile), and the suspect drops an intelligent comment. Reid and Prentiss look at each other.

[dusang]

I actually really enjoyed JJ as an episode.  Partly because the two unsubs were from Joan of Arcadia and I was delighted at the mini-reunion.

[SSAHotchner]

I actually really enjoyed JJ as an episode.  Partly because the two unsubs were from Joan of Arcadia and I was delighted at the mini-reunion.

I liked this one initially, and it was one of the few episodes from season 6 that I actually liked. I liked that JJ took the high road when she was transferred and enjoyed the parallel of her character's and her personal situations. But now I can't bring myself to watch it because I can barely stand the character of JJ anymore. I want to still like her, but the writers are making it too difficult for me.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Amplification just started on ION for anyone who gets that channel, and then To Hell...And Back will run. For those of you who like Not Annoying!Garcia, there's some of her featured there.

[zannej]

I really disliked the "JJ" episode. For one, I despise when they have Angry!Morgan-- especially when he was manhandling and hurting a suspect in custody and Hotch and the others just stood by and allowed it to happen. There was no way in hell that Hotch of the past would have allowed that-- hell, I don't even buy that current Hotch would have allowed that. There was video proof of assault and battery. Anything the guy said would have been inadmissable after that because of the coercion. Literally twisting a suspect's arm is NOT allowed and his lawyer would have been all over it and would have had Morgan's badge (or at least had him in serious trouble).

 

Second, while I liked that Reid used the Columbo technique, the "intelligent" thing that the supposedly dumb suspect said was not even intelligent. So, the guy knew what a metaphor was? That doesn't make him smart. A 4th grader would know what a metaphor was. The sudden "uhoh, he's not as dumb as we thought" angle didn't ring true to me on that. I wish they'd found some other thing for him to say or do that indicated he was smarter than they'd thought.

 

And then we have the polygraphs. Its one of my personal pet peeves because polygraphs are BS. In one of the first cases involving profiling to solve it, the perpetrator passed a polygraph test. All polygraphs do are measure stress levels and are not an accurate way of determining deception or honesty. Reid of all people would have known that polygraphs are BS and the team members being all angry and asking how they passed the polygraphs was just stupid.

 

I didn't buy the JJ subplot of her being forced to transfer to another agency either. I can't stand the actor who played the kidnapped girl's father. Not sure why. But I had to fastfroward through his scenes. So there was just so much wrong with that episode that I couldn't like it.

 

I was always so distracted by the polygraph thing that I never noticed the Columbo technique being used. I may watch that part again and see if I can tolerate it.

[normasm]

I hear you, zannej, lots of not-so-great. I really just enjoyed Prentiss and especially Reid. Just the whole echolalia thing he was doing, the Columbo, "excuse, me, i don't understand, you've done this before, why is this unusual?"

 

I've always enjoyed the end of this episode, mostly because of the song. And it was sad, back when it was her last episode. But now I watch it and wonder what the show would be like if it stayed her last episode.

[Knittzu]

But now I watch it and wonder what the show would be like if it stayed her last episode.

 

 

I'd like to say "much, much less irritating," but you know... I'm pretty sure that if JJ hadn't returned, we would have been stuck with Ashley. And even though I found Ashley more appealing than JJ, I absolutely hated her being brought into BAU as a freaking cadet. I thought that was stupid and utterly unrealistic, not to mention canon-breaking if you compare it to Emily's experience.

 

But of course, that was before I saw '200'. "Stupid and realistic" has since been redefined. 

[zannej]

If she had not been brought back, I'm still not sure Seaver would have stayed. She was pretty much hated more than any other new character as far as I can recall. She didn't work out and the actress wasn't given enough to work with most of the time. When she's really given something good, she can really shine, but the writing for her was all over the place.

 

I wonder what would have happened if they had not had JJ come back and still gotten rid of Seaver. 

 

I sort of wish they had caved and gotten a new media liaison. They made such a big deal about how important the job was and now they don't have a liaison so it just sort of cheapens all of that. As annoying as JJ can be, I would rather see her presenting the cases instead of Garcia.

[Danielg342]

I wish the show hadn't messed with what worked and not fired AJ Cook or Paget Brewster in the first place. The team from 3.06 to 6.01 was the most cohesive, well-defined and effective team the show has ever had (if not the most effective team on television) and should never have been messed with. If CBS needed to cut costs somewhere, they should have done it with some of their other shows at the time, not CM. Who knows how successful CM could be right now if the team stayed together up to now.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I wonder what would have happened if they had not had JJ come back and still gotten rid of Seaver. 

 

Interesting idea, zaneej,and I think it could have worked, provided the person brought on in JJ and/or Seaver's place had been given good writing and something to do. The mistake Erica Messer made with JT was not being willing to give the new person anything to work with. Jeanne did the best she could, much as Rachel Nichols did, but the writing....was not good. And yes, as endlessly irritating as JJ has become, I'd rather see her back in her old job than Garcia doing it.

 

So I have a question about ....And Back, which just ended on ION. Would the guy who shot Mason Turner go to jail in real life? Would they be able to find a jury that would convict him? Hotch voice overs at the end of the episode that ninety-seven people lost their lives at the pig farm, and Hightower was a disabled war veteran. I'm seriously asking - what are the odds that he'd realistically do time?

[normasm]

He probably would have gone to jail imo, although it probably would have been pleaded down and most prosecutors in the US would tout his military service, and he probably would have gotten no more that manslaughter. Again, imo.

[ForeverAlone]

Yes, but he would have been prosecuted in Canada, so all bets are off. But they might plead him down or at least go for an EED or DimCap defense (assuming that is an option in Canada), considering the sheer body count for this case.

[Danielg342]

Yes, but he would have been prosecuted in Canada, so all bets are off. But they might plead him down or at least go for an EED or DimCap defense (assuming that is an option in Canada), considering the sheer body count for this case.

 

Canada doesn't have "temporary insanity" as a legally allowable defence, so that option would not work. He might get a second degree charge, since it wasn't premeditated but there's no doubt that he actually killed Turner.

 

EDIT- Given that he's a US citizen (as I understand) the US might ask to extradite him. However, Canada won't extradite him if he'll face the death penalty, so that might complicate matters.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Danielg342

[ForeverAlone]

Generally speaking if you commit a crime in a foreign country, you are subject to that country's laws and there is very little the US government can do about it. The US doesn't extradite US citizens back to the US for crimes committed in other countries.

[zannej]

I think that if the case went to trial there might be some of what is called "jury nullification" where the jurors recognize that a crime was committed but have such sympathy for the offender that they don't convict him. I'm not sure if that can happen in Canada though. I know very little about their laws.

 

ForeverAlone, I think there are some crimes in which I think US citizens can be held accountable even when committed in other countries. Mostly it involves sex offenders who go to other countries to solicit children though. But this crime is no something that the US would be likely to get involved in.

[normasm]

I had forgotten (bad fan, bad! bad!) it happened in Canada...

[Danielg342]

I'm Canadian...would never forget that. :p

[dusang]

Yeah... also that was ripped from our headlines so.... hard to forget.

[missmycat]

I'm Canadian...would never forget that. :p

Daniel do you actually still live in Canada.

I'm asking because sometimes for whatever reason a Canadian will find themselves living either part time or full time in the USA, but they are still considered Canadians.Perfect example is AJ Cook. She probably spends more time in the USA because of her career, but she is still considered a Canadian.

My apologizes if you had already answered the question about you residency in another post.Could be that I either forgot or missed it altogether. 

[ForeverAlone]

I think as long as you maintain your citizenship you can consider yourself your country of origin. I have lived the vast majority of my adult life in foreign countries for work, and yet I still consider myself to be an American, because I am an American citizen.

[Danielg342]

Daniel do you actually still live in Canada.

I'm asking because sometimes for whatever reason a Canadian will find themselves living either part time or full time in the USA, but they are still considered Canadians.Perfect example is AJ Cook. She probably spends more time in the USA because of her career, but she is still considered a Canadian.

My apologizes if you had already answered the question about you residency in another post.Could be that I either forgot or missed it altogether.

I've lived in Canada my entire life. In fact, I've called the Toronto area home for most of it, and I live on my own in Toronto.

Yeah... also that was ripped from our headlines so.... hard to forget.

That produced one of my favourite Morgan lines, after he saw how many pairs of shoes he saw on the racks:

“So how many lives did it have to be before you started caring? 100? 200?”

Perfect summation of the problems with the Pickton investigation.

[SSAHotchner]

Back to the JJ ep, I never bought that she was wanted by the State Dept. or the Pentagon or whatever. I just liked how she handled herself when she was forced to go. And I so much liked her as the media liaison. I hate having Garcia present the cases. This decision to do away with JJ and Prentiss created a domino effect of subsequent bad decisions that have almost killed the show for me. I keep hoping, but...

[alexvillage]

So, 100 was on and I know it is one of the all-time favorites. I have to rant though, because the idea that Foyet has had so many injuries and needs so much medication (I am not even going into the how does he gets his prescriptions - let's assume he is part of a pill mill thing) yet he is like a superman fighting Hotch in the end, no debilitation due to the side effects of all the med, no pain from the serious injuries JJ mentions in the beginning. He just fights and fights, and gives Hotch, who is full of adrenaline, a hard time for quite a while.

And since I mentioned JJ, didn't she know that lots of meds have a OTC equivalent? She needed the pharmacist to tell her that? I don't take medication, but I have know that for quite a while. 

[SSAHotchner]

I debated about putting this in the JJ thread, but I really think it's a then and now issue. Saw The Tribe today on A&E, and JJ was just so much better and more believable and even fun. That scene where Sean Hotchner comes out of Hotch's office and JJ says, "That's Hotch's brother? I don't see it."  and after he yells at Hotch she says, "Now I see it." is wonderful, especially the look on her face when they all scatter to get away from Hotch. I really love season 1.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I watched the earlier episodes on A & E instead of the ones on ION, 'cause for one thing, Elle, and for another thing....well....Elle.

 

I did switch over to ION after those were over, and I wish they'd stop running episodes out of order. They skipped from P911 straight to The Performer, which did spare me from having to look at Elle's terrible haircut, but was otherwise completely jarring.

[dusang]

So, 100 was on and I know it is one of the all-time favorites. I have to rant though, because the idea that Foyet has had so many injuries and needs so much medication (I am not even going into the how does he gets his prescriptions - let's assume he is part of a pill mill thing) yet he is like a superman fighting Hotch in the end, no debilitation due to the side effects of all the med, no pain from the serious injuries JJ mentions in the beginning. He just fights and fights, and gives Hotch, who is full of adrenaline, a hard time for quite a while.

And since I mentioned JJ, didn't she know that lots of meds have a OTC equivalent? She needed the pharmacist to tell her that? I don't take medication, but I have know that for quite a while. 

 

One of the things that has always bugged me about that storyline (beyond the fact that after basically causing his wife's death Hotch still didn't transfer out of the BAU or scale back his responsibilities in order to parent his own child) is that Foyet gave Hotch all the same injuries so why does Foyet need tonnes of meds and Hotch doesn't??

[Cobalt Stargazer]

One of the things that has always bugged me about that storyline (beyond the fact that after basically causing his wife's death Hotch still didn't transfer out of the BAU or scale back his responsibilities in order to parent his own child)

 

*eyebrow*

 

Hotch caused Haley's death? How do you figure that, dusang? Because he wouldn't cave in to Foyet's ego and make the same deal that Shaughnessy did? Might as well blame Aaron for getting married in the first place, since if he hadn't had a wife and son at all Foyet would have had no one to target, which is what psychopaths do.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[alexvillage]

Uncanny Valley

Reid wins me over simply by stating the obvious: no shock "therapy"

I wish it were so easy. Today, in MA, children and teens are shocked for things like "asking for attention", day and night, any time, and this is all legal and funded by some states. Of course, the kids are disabled or said to be "behavior cases" so not many people give a damn

[SSAHotchner]

So, 100 was on and I know it is one of the all-time favorites. I have to rant though, because the idea that Foyet has had so many injuries and needs so much medication (I am not even going into the how does he gets his prescriptions - let's assume he is part of a pill mill thing) yet he is like a superman fighting Hotch in the end, no debilitation due to the side effects of all the med, no pain from the serious injuries JJ mentions in the beginning. He just fights and fights, and gives Hotch, who is full of adrenaline, a hard time for quite a while.

And since I mentioned JJ, didn't she know that lots of meds have a OTC equivalent? She needed the pharmacist to tell her that? I don't take medication, but I have know that for quite a while. 

Yet Hotch did not need all those medications (because we're told Foyet needed them from his stabbing himself) and is able to continue in the field. The JJ scene would have worked better if it had been that it just slipped her mind to check OTC meds and the pharmacist's statement reminded her.

One of the things that has always bugged me about that storyline (beyond the fact that after basically causing his wife's death Hotch still didn't transfer out of the BAU or scale back his responsibilities in order to parent his own child) is that Foyet gave Hotch all the same injuries so why does Foyet need tonnes of meds and Hotch doesn't??

I should have kept reading the responses before I replied. My thoughts exactly, Dusang. And I'm sure many viewers wondered the same thing.

[SSAHotchner]

 

*eyebrow*

 

Hotch caused Haley's death? How do you figure that, dusang? Because he wouldn't cave in to Foyet's ego and make the same deal that Shaughnessy did? Might as well blame Aaron for getting married in the first place, since if he hadn't had a wife and son at all Foyet would have had no one to target, which is what psychopaths do.

I agree, Cobalt. I've always felt that, in that moment when Haley realized she was with the Reaper, it was like a light bulb going on for her that Aaron needed to be out there stopping these psychos, especially now that her son was also in danger. I'm sure that, had she lived, she would have been the one apologizing to him for not understanding how important it was for him to do his job. But I also think that if Hotch had gotten there in time to save both Haley and Jack, he would have left the BAU and kept his promise to Haley to spend the rest of his life making it up to her. 

Uncanny Valley

Reid wins me over simply by stating the obvious: no shock "therapy"

I wish it were so easy. Today, in MA, children and teens are shocked for things like "asking for attention", day and night, any time, and this is all legal and funded by some states. Of course, the kids are disabled or said to be "behavior cases" so not many people give a damn

 

Great episode because it shows both strong and gentle Reid.

[ForeverAlone]

Once it was pointed out to me, one of the biggest plot holes in 100 is that Haley didn't know what Foyet looked like. His picture should have been all over the news and Hotch or the marshals should have shown her his picture so she would know who was hunting her. He wasn't disguised when she went to meet him, so she should have taken one look at him and driven the hell away and called Hotch immediately. And hell while you are at it, Haley could have also been carrying a gun to protect herself and Jack.

Edited October 29, 2014 by ForeverAlone

[Knittzu]

Today, in MA, children and teens are shocked for things like "asking for attention", day and night, any time, and this is all legal and funded by some states. Of course, the kids are disabled or said to be "behavior cases" so not many people give a damn

 

 

Don't forget my personal favorite, "doing behaviors."

 

Forever Alone, that jumped right out at me, too. How could she possibly not know what he looked like? That made no sense at all.

[dusang]

 

*eyebrow*

 

Hotch caused Haley's death? How do you figure that, dusang? Because he wouldn't cave in to Foyet's ego and make the same deal that Shaughnessy did? Might as well blame Aaron for getting married in the first place, since if he hadn't had a wife and son at all Foyet would have had no one to target, which is what psychopaths do.

 

Fair enough, Costar.  I really enjoyed early Hotch and Haley where they were a happy couple who understood and appreciated each other (and Hotch actually smiled on occasion) and I was annoyed when TPTB decided to make her the neglected wife who couldn't hack it out with the emotionally (and physically) distant husband.  The added insult of putting an estranged Haley into witness protection and then killing her off so stupidly (as noted by ForeverAlone) and then having Hotch hand Jack over to his spinster aunt seemingly within hours of Haley's funeral may have soured my overall interpretation of events.  TBH I kind of hated the whole Foyet thing as he became too much of the all-knowing, all-seeing villain, which is another peeve.

Edited October 29, 2014 by dusang

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I agree, Cobalt. I've always felt that, in that moment when Haley realized she was with the Reaper, it was like a light bulb going on for her that Aaron needed to be out there stopping these psychos, especially now that her son was also in danger. I'm sure that, had she lived, she would have been the one apologizing to him for not understanding how important it was for him to do his job. But I also think that if Hotch had gotten there in time to save both Haley and Jack, he would have left the BAU and kept his promise to Haley to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

 

I agree with this, SSAHotchner. I think if Haley had survived, Hotch would have retired or cut way back on how much he worked. He loved her and he wanted things to work out so he could have the happy family he never seemed to have had when he was a kid. But I also think that when she realized who she was with, Haley saw the value in Aaron's job and that it was important for him to be out there catching guys like the Reaper, so who knows? Maybe they could have actually come to some kind of agreement.

 

Fair enough, Costar.  I really enjoyed early Hotch and Haley where they were a happy couple who understood and appreciated each other (and Hotch actually smiled on occasion) and I was annoyed when TPTB decided to make her the neglected wife who couldn't hack it out with the emotionally (and physically) distant husband.  The added insult of putting an estranged Haley into witness protection and then killing her off so stupidly (as noted by ForeverAlone) and then having Hotch hand Jack over to his spinster aunt seemingly within hours of Haley's funeral may have soured my overall interpretation of events.  TBH I kind of hated the whole Foyet thing as he became too much of the all-knowing, all-seeing villain, which is another peeve.

 

I suppose, dusang, but OTOH, Haley started to change almost right after Jack was born. In season one's Machismo, she tells Hotch that it's okay for him to go to Mexico in that tone someone uses when they're telling you the exact opposite of what they mean. I wish they hadn't resorted to that trope, the one where the spouse realizes their husband/wife still does the same work they did before the wedding. Doctors, lawyers, cops, federal agents, it's always a "thing" that the tension at home is work-related. It's why I'm equal parts relieved and annoyed that JJ and Will have avoided that for the most part, because why should her personal life be any less fucked up?

[Knittzu]

It's why I'm equal parts relieved and annoyed that JJ and Will have avoided that for the most part, because why should her personal life be any less fucked up?

 

 

Don't give them any ideas or we might have to suffer through three JJ-centric episodes this season.

 

If it means a few minutes here and there without JJ being shoved down my throat, I'm perfectly happy to assume that Mary Sue has the bestest and most perfect marriage ever. The only thing I care about less than JJ on this show is the boring JJ/Will union. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Point taken, Knittzu, and I neither want nor need to see JJ and Will dealing with marriage iss-shews when she's around all the damn time as it is. I'm more annoyed on Aaron and Spencer's part than anything else, if that makes any sense.

[zannej]

My beef with the pharmacy thing in "100" was that Reid didn't once come up with the idea about OTC replacements. Of all the people on the team, Reid would have been the first one to think of that. Not just because he seems to have a lot of medical knowledge, but also because he was an addict and you know he probably looked up all sorts of alternatives.

 

For those talking about why Hotch didn't have the same issues, if you watch "nameless faceless" there is a part where Foyet tells Hotch that he's lucky because he (Foyet) learned from his mistakes and what he did wrong when he stabbed himself. So he has refined his technique to cause severe pain, but not such grievous injury that Hotch might die-- apparently Foyet nearly died from his injuries. Although, you'd think it would be great revenge for Foyet to have disabled Hotch so he could no longer do the job that he loved-- but they were going with the angle that he wanted Hotch to continue to work and suffer so he could keep taunting him or something.

 

I absolutely agree that it was total BS that Haley didn't recognize Foyet when she saw him. Hell, the minute she got weird messages she should have hightailed it to the nearest police station and called the BAU to confirm it. I know they were saying that he was trying to make her panic, but despite her change of heart and leaving Hotch because of his job, you'd think Hotch wouldn't have been with someone who panicked so easily or who was that fucking stupid. Seriously, all the episode did was make me think that Haley went full retard and got herself killed and almost got Hotch and Jack killed. Of course, I blame the writers for that bit of stupidity.

 

Other than the huge gaping plotholes that drove me crazy, I did think it was a good episode in terms of drama- although I admit I rolled my eyes and was disappointed when Haley died. It didn't make me cry-- unlike the end of Mosley Lane when the parents learned that their son had been alive the day before but was now dead or The Fox when the schizophrenic guy realized that his sister was mouthing "help me" instead of "go away".

[Mari]

Hi, Mari. Sorry they've made you feel this way. Who or what is your reason for watching, or used to be?

I actually liked the creepy puzzle aspect, and that while the show was about horrible, violent things, that was not the focus--the focus was on figuring out who and why.  I've enjoyed most of the characters, although I will admit JJ never really registered strongly with me until the show shuttled her off and kept the young blonde intern who made no sense on the team.

 

When they brought JJ back, I was fine with it--like I said, her character was mostly wallpaper to me, but I didn't dislike her.  Unfortunately, she was brought back and back and back and back.  Suddenly, she was a better and more experienced profiler than everyone else, she was correcting the others, she was interrupting, she was rude and dismissive--and these are people that are supposed to be her close friends and family substitute? As well as coworkers, who all had more specialization and practical profiling experience than she did?

 

When it crescendoed  with the dreadful pairing of episodes where we learned that a communication specialist (basically, she was trained to do PR) was hand picked to go to the middle east because apparently in her spare time when she wasn't parenting she was preparing to be a superspyninja person?  And she's in scene after scene after scene?  And I'm supposed to believe that they'd pick someone with no specialty in interrogation, in languages, in culture, or in terrorism?  They picked the PR specialist?  Huh?  The unlikable PR specialist?

 

I was done.  I had to suspend too much disbelief, and fast forward through too many scenes.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Mari

[normasm]

 

 

while the show was about horrible, violent things, that was not the focus--the focus was on figuring out who and why.  

This very much. I first came to CM because a friend pointed out Reid to me, and really, MGG. I tuned in at the end of season 5, but also saw the reruns on ION and A&E. I loved the profiling, the team, and I admit, I liked the Reid character enough to come back. He has been very inconsistently written since 5 or 6, and I and others have gotten really sick of it. But I'll watch Reid do anything, even if it's some physical qualification stupid thang that Virgil (probably is told to) makes him do that he would know he doesn't need to do. 

[alexvillage]

Watching "the eyes have it", Morgan visits the victims's family and she says that they cannot proceed with the funeral without her sister's eyes, that she will be forever incomplete. Morgan says something about Buddhist tradition (before that) and she confirm.

If I heard it right, bullshit! I took the time to look it up because I thought it was strange. Nothing in Buddhist death rituals and beliefs gets close to this stretch.

Why do writers have to do this?

Maybe I did not pay attention and am being a total douche here, but I think he does say Buddhist

[zannej]

Yeah, when it comes to knowledge and understanding of other religious groups and cultures, that is when CM (and a lot of other tv shows) is at its worst. Even when they are trying, they still get stuff wrong.

[amensisterfriend]

What do you guys think were the best and most compelling cases of the series? The ones that most engaged you, surprised you, made you think and feel...etc. :) 

[thewhiteowl]

What do you guys think were the best and most compelling cases of the series? The ones that most engaged you, surprised you, made you think and feel...etc. :) 

 

 Strange Fruit always gets to me.

[normasm]

Upthread I probably said Tabula Rasa. It contains every good trait that Reid possesses, and Hotch as well. It raises lots of interesting questions about the nature of unsubs in general, and gives us an interesting unsub. We get a victim's father, an interesting LEO, and the trial. 

 

A nearly perfect episode, IMO.

[Old Dog]

Upthread I probably said Tabula Rasa. It contains every good trait that Reid possesses, and Hotch as well. It raises lots of interesting questions about the nature of unsubs in general, and gives us an interesting unsub. We get a victim's father, an interesting LEO, and the trial. 

 

A nearly perfect episode, IMO.

That was one episode where retconning actually worked! Did you notice how in the flashback Reid wore the same sweater he wore in the pilot episode? Back then continuity mattered more.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Old Dog

[amensisterfriend]

I totally agree with Tabula Rasa! 

 

A Real Rain, an underrated favorite of mine, raised really interesting issues about when, if ever, it's okay to take justice in one's own hands and the degree to which our legal system can fail us. 

 

Sex, Birth and Death did and still does fascinate me---I love when the show explores whether, er, 'un-subbery' is genetic or environmental and the degree to which it can be "cured" if detected in kids or teens. (It also helps that this one has some of my favorite Reid moments ever!)   

 

I also really love the case in Shade of Grey. As the title implies, there's such thought-provoking ethical 'greyness' in this one, and I remember actually being a little surprised (a sad rarity for this show!) by exactly who turned out to be so involved in the crime. (I'm leaving this deliberately ambiguous in case someone ambles by here who hasn't seen that episode :) ) 

[zannej]

"The Fox" always gets me because of the way the schizophrenic brother reacts when he realizes that his sister was asking for help and not telling him to go away and that he could have saved her. You can see the exact moment in his eyes when it occurs to him. Superb acting there and it was gutwrenching. I could relate to the feeling of wishing I'd done something differently and maybe my loved one would still be alive.

 

"Tabula Rasa" is another one because it has my alltime favorite Hotch scene. We also had Reid being very perceptive. 

 

"Damaged" is sort of a half and half. I did not care for Rossi vs the clown part, although I did feel for the grown children. I found Hardwicke to be interesting because despite how evil his acts were, he was trying to understand why he did it. There was a part of him that was broken and he yearned to have it fixed, but at the same time, he had absolutely no sympathy for any of his victims. Despite his monstrous acts, he was still a human being. And they didn't have to slant it to have his victims be awful people to justify it. Plus we had Hotch opening up to Reid a bit at the end.

 

I also liked "North Mammon" where even though on paper it wasn't enough for a BAU case, JJ could just feel in her gut that it was and Hotch trusted her instincts. That one also brought up the "what would you do in this situation" question. Although I felt the unsub's motivations were sort of weak-- the emotional impact was still strong.

Edited November 23, 2014 by zannej