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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S13.E09: False Flag

Aethera

By Aethera
in Criminal Minds

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Danielg342

Danielg342

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This was actually fun and intriguing in its own special way.

I might have liked an actual "false flag" case where the BAU investigated an actual government conspiracy (or an alleged put-on by a local government), or at least one that humanized the "truthers" and didn't characterize them as complete wingnuts (they're only semi-complete wingnuts), but this was still intriguing all around.

I liked that Tara had a lot of focus in this episode, and I liked seeing that she cracked, having that personal connection to Sandy Hook. They don't tend to use Tara very much, but when she does get in there she's very good at displaying her vulnerable side. I'd count her as one of the "newbies" more qualified successes, in that she's at least come across as human.

Melissa too was fun to watch. She was joyfully deranged, and she was a formidable foe for the BAU. She didn't give them an inch and they really had to dig to beat her, in one of the better written UnSubs we've seen in recent vintage.

(Also, three cheers for the show using an obvious female UnSub who was not fat. They go to that well too much)

Overall, the episode did a very good job creating misdirects and feints with the evidence, especially in crafting scenarios that might look outlandish and extreme but really had mundane explanations- like the metal detector and the aquarium.

I also appreciate that, other than the suicide at the beginning, there were no "guns blazing" in this episode- it was just straight-up, cerebral stuff.

A win, overall.

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secnarf

secnarf

I was also really surprised at this episode, in a good way!

The only downside was that the truthers invoke the same feelings in me as people who are anti-lifesaving science, despite all evidence to the contrary. Therefore, I was sickened and wanting to throw things at the TV for a good portion of the episode. It definitely took away from my enjoyment of a well-done episode.

Otherwise, good focus on the psychopathy of the events and good division of roles.

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mythoughtis

mythoughtis

(edited)
On 12/3/2017 at 7:42 PM, Sharpie66 said:

Oh, they’ll have to reference UFOs. It’s like when they mentioned Joliet, IL last season—they had to refer to the prison there. It’s the only thing we are known for.

Not true- Joliet is also known for its drag strip! 

This episode is disturbing. 

Edited by mythoughtis
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Annber03

Annber03

(edited)
1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

I liked that Tara had a lot of focus in this episode, and I liked seeing that she cracked, having that personal connection to Sandy Hook. They don't tend to use Tara very much, but when she does get in there she's very good at displaying her vulnerable side. I'd count her as one of the "newbies" more qualified successes, in that she's at least come across as human.

Oh, man, I loved her going into that room and shouting and cursing out loud. Given all the BS that gets bounced around in the news and online and whatnot nowadays, suffice to say I sympathized SO MUCH with her there. And since that's my general reaction anytime the Sandy Hook crap comes up as well, that made her reaction even more powerful. Her actually being part of the investigation that day was an interesting, poignant touch.

I loved her "magic bullet" line to Melissa at the end, too. Go, Tara. 

Quote

Melissa too was fun to watch. She was joyfully deranged, and she was a formidable foe for the BAU. She didn't give them an inch and they really had to dig to beat her, in one of the better written UnSubs we've seen in recent vintage.

She was so good and chilling. If I recall rightly, I read somewhere that that's Robin Williams' daughter? She clearly inherited his acting abilities. 

I really, REALLY liked this episode. Twisty, turning case, they went away from the usual episode structure in a really clever way, I liked how they touched on the real world conspiracy theories that are out there....yeah. This one had me guessing the whole time. Initially, when we found out that Carl was shot in the same place as JFK, and Brian, who believed in water-related conspiracies, drowned, I thought they were going to have it where the unsub was using each person's preferred conspiracy as a murder method. I think that might've been a little more powerful type of crime than having it come down to a mere love triangle. 

But even then, though, I still liked how they brought Melissa's manipulative nature into the whole messy situation. 

*I got a really good laugh out of the idea that Emily and Rossi have argued before over the theories behind JFK's assassination :D. Matt backing Rossi up made it that much more entertaining. I'm personally not a conspiracy theory sort, myself, but I would totally watch Emily and Rossi debate that sort of stuff in their down time :p. 

Good note to end on before the winter break :). 

Edited by Annber03
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CrimeFan12

CrimeFan12

It had humor and sass laced throughout.  Loved Emily's snark about suggesting that they could arrest the coral for murder.  And the way she and Tara stood there dumbfounded when Luke and JJ obliviously walked through the metal detector without setting it off.  

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ForeverAlone

ForeverAlone

(edited)

I didn't hate this episode, so that is good. Throughout the entire episode, I felt I was watching an X Files episode, one that would be darkly funny on that show. I certainly wouldn't have hated it if the show had gone for some more humor, but that is not really this show for the most part. I liked the structure and the investigation. It used the team well and there were some surprises along the way. This one was probably one of my favorite episodes of the season. 

Edited by ForeverAlone
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Mysteyman

Mysteyman

One of the things that I am really enjoying about this season is that they seem to be moving away from the long arc storytelling and just concentrating on placing the characters in different situations.


Like tonight, The FBI investingating a group of people who would never trust them.

I had a fun time and I have been able to say that with a number of episodes this year.

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JMO

JMO

(edited)

Giving credit where credit is due.  This was the first Reidless episode that held my interest.  Not that I didn't miss him, because the subject matter virtually cried out for him, and they probably would have solved things at least a day earlier if he'd been there.  But it turned out to be a good opportunity to focus on Tara, and Aisha did a great job with it.  

Loved the guy in the cabin, but wondered why Emily didn't post at least one deputy outside, to avoid Alvez and Simmons accidentally shooting someone when they burst in.  

Zelda Williams handled her role well, as the unsympathetic character you could love to hate, even if she hadn't turned out to be the unsub.  I could feel my BP rising as I listened to her dismissal of reality as conspiracy.  Sort of like reading Facebook.

Speaking of which....I applaud Breen's courage in tackling the idea of conspiracy theories, and especially his inclusion of such a wide array of examples.  He risked some fans identifying with the conspiracists, so I wondered what would happen.  Take a look at the Facebook comments to find out.  

JM directed this one. It was the first time I've appreciated his work.  I also liked the use of flashback scenes, and the inversion of the timeline of investigation.

Can't leave this post without commenting that the sheriff's hair was a character unto itself.

Edited by JMO
forgot to comment on JM's directing
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normasm

normasm

1 hour ago, JMO said:

Giving credit where credit is due.  This was the first Reidless episode that held my interest.  Not that I didn't miss him, because the subject matter virtually cried out for him, and they probably would have solved things at least a day earlier if he'd been there.  But it turned out to be a good opportunity to focus on Tara, and Aisha did a great job with it.  

Loved the guy in the cabin, but wondered why Emily didn't post at least one deputy outside, to avoid Alvez and Simmons accidentally shooting someone when they burst in.  

Zelda Williams handled her role well, as the unsympathetic character you could love to hate, even if she hadn't turned out to be the unsub.  I could feel my BP rising as I listened to her dismissal of reality as conspiracy.  Sort of like reading Facebook.

Speaking of which....I applaud Breen's courage in tackling the idea of conspiracy theories, and especially his inclusion of such a wide array of examples.  He risked some fans identifying with the conspiracists, so I wondered what would happen.  Take a look at the Facebook comments to find out.  

JM directed this one. It was the first time I've appreciated his work.  I also liked the use of flashback scenes, and the inversion of the timeline of investigation.

Can't leave this post without commenting that the sheriff's hair was a character unto itself.

Once again, JMO, you saved me a lot of writing time! I really loved Aisha in this, and it's official for me, Tara is the best new character since Rossi. The directing was OK, although the dust moats floating around in the interrogation room was a bit annoying and distracting. Breen didn't disappoint with his script, and I really appreciate the rearrangement of the unfolding of the story: BAM! Right in the middle of things, and then backtrack, and then loop back again. The smartest person on the team - which, when Reid is gone, is Tara - was sure, then uncertain, then horribly frustrated, then regrouping with the help of the team (good use of Prentiss's team use, changing things up so that Tara can see clearly again), then going after the unsub again. All the team had real contributions, especially the women, and the shot at the end where each member smiles genuinely at Tara, was really nice, showing that sometimes it's a near thing, especially with a foe like this, and one person can't do it alone (not even Reid). 

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idiotwaltz

idiotwaltz

(edited)

Definitely my favorite of the season. I echo the poster above who said this episode ide was reminiscent of the funnier episodes of X Files. I had low expectations when I first read the summary but ended up being entertained by the amusing absurdity of it all (killer coral!). Life is weird and messy, as Tara says. It was fun to see the show not take itself so seriously for once. 

Edited by idiotwaltz
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Hotchgirl18

Hotchgirl18

3 hours ago, JMO said:

Giving credit where credit is due.  This was the first Reidless episode that held my interest.  Not that I didn't miss him, because the subject matter virtually cried out for him, and they probably would have solved things at least a day earlier if he'd been there.  But it turned out to be a good opportunity to focus on Tara, and Aisha did a great job with it.  

Loved the guy in the cabin, but wondered why Emily didn't post at least one deputy outside, to avoid Alvez and Simmons accidentally shooting someone when they burst in.  

Zelda Williams handled her role well, as the unsympathetic character you could love to hate, even if she hadn't turned out to be the unsub.  I could feel my BP rising as I listened to her dismissal of reality as conspiracy.  Sort of like reading Facebook.

Speaking of which....I applaud Breen's courage in tackling the idea of conspiracy theories, and especially his inclusion of such a wide array of examples.  He risked some fans identifying with the conspiracists, so I wondered what would happen.  Take a look at the Facebook comments to find out.  

JM directed this one. It was the first time I've appreciated his work.  I also liked the use of flashback scenes, and the inversion of the timeline of investigation.

Can't leave this post without commenting that the sheriff's hair was a character unto itself.

This is what a CM episode looks like. Love seeing that Tara is human. At least we got to see the team profiling. Now, I want to see EVERYONE make a contribution. And when Reid gets back, that will be great. 

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Annber03

Annber03

16 hours ago, mertensia said:

I find it hard to believe Tara and the others had never run across the "Sandy Hook was faked!" bit before. 

I don't know if it's so much that she'd never run across that belief before as it was that even though she knows, on some level, that people believe that stuff, it's still startling to hear them openly saying it out loud, and with no shame at that. I've heard of that conspiracy, and it still stuns me, when it comes up in the news and such, to think about the fact that somebody actually believes that. 

12 hours ago, JMO said:

Speaking of which....I applaud Breen's courage in tackling the idea of conspiracy theories, and especially his inclusion of such a wide array of examples.  He risked some fans identifying with the conspiracists, so I wondered what would happen.  Take a look at the Facebook comments to find out.  

Yeeeeeeeeah, I was briefly wondering at times what some viewers might've thought of this episode, I think I'll spare myself reading those comments, 'cause I don't really want to break my computer screen :p. 

I too am glad he called all that stuff out as well, though. 

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UncleChuck

UncleChuck

Quote

I find it hard to believe Tara and the others had never run across the "Sandy Hook was faked!" bit before.

I'm sure she is aware of the conspiracy crowd, and may have run into them a time or two.  But Tara's personal experience on the scene at Sandy Hook, seeing the destruction and the bodies of the little kids, made it so much more personal when faced with that girl who was so directly in her face about it.

As I recall, Rossi has faced similar situations when confronted by those citizens who believe that the FBI was guilty of murdering the people at Ruby Ridge.  Seems to me that Rossi, as a young agent, was one of the FBI agents on that scene, and his buttons get punched pretty easily about that.

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Hotchgirl18

Hotchgirl18

11 minutes ago, normasm said:

HG, that actress is not your ex best friend. She's actually Robin Williams' daughter. Don't hang that stuff on her, OK?

Lol. The plot of the episode reminds me of EXACTLY what she did. She tried to have her cake and eat it too. Now, she didn't resort to murder, but she tried to string Hunter and my (now SO) Brandon along. When Brandon called her out on it, she got pissy with him. I believe I told you about how she screwed me out of fifty bucks, right? The unsubs behavior in this episode reminds me of her. 

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Racbec

Racbec

I thought the storytelling here was very amateurish.  The whole "same scene from different characters' perspectives" thing has been done so much better elsewhere.  I was way too aware of the clunky direction to be able to enjoy the story itself.  Did JM direct this?  

I agree with others that the actress playing the unsub was good.

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idiotwaltz

idiotwaltz

Quote

I don't know if it's so much that she'd never run across that belief before as it was that even though she knows, on some level, that people believe that stuff, it's still startling to hear them openly saying it out loud, and with no shame at that. I've heard of that conspiracy, and it still stuns me, when it comes up in the news and such, to think about the fact that somebody actually believes that. 

I don’t live in the U.S. so I was blissfully unaware of the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories until this episode. I looked it up afterwards and I am shocked and angry that there are actual people who believe this and harass the families of the victims.

On a more positive note, I rewatched the episode and the Rossi/Emily exchange on the jet about JFK is still delightful. I liked that we learned more about Tara without the episode devolving into a PSA or overwrought drama of Taking!It!Personally! as the folks would do on SVU. 

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Hotchgirl18

Hotchgirl18

12 hours ago, Racbec said:

I thought the storytelling here was very amateurish.  The whole "same scene from different characters' perspectives" thing has been done so much better elsewhere.  I was way too aware of the clunky direction to be able to enjoy the story itself.  Did JM direct this?  

I agree with others that the actress playing the unsub was good.

JM did direct this episode. And Zelda Williams gets her talent from her father. 

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Shellie

Shellie

6 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I always like the interrogation episodes the best.

1. They don't use 1/3 of the episode cutting away to the unsub slicing and dicing and in general concentrating on a character WE'LL NEVER SEE AGAIN AND DON'T CARE ABOUT. . . . . 

Two people in a small room at cross purposes will ALWAYS be more exciting than t*rture pron and people running around with guns. Always.

Every once in a while this show remembers it's a show about profilers. 

I had just about decided never to watch this show again for the reasons you state there.  But I'm glad I changed my mind and decided to watch this one.

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Hotchgirl18

Hotchgirl18

7 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I always like the interrogation episodes the best.

1. They don't use 1/3 of the episode cutting away to the unsub slicing and dicing and in general concentrating on a character WE'LL NEVER SEE AGAIN AND DON'T CARE ABOUT.

2. They have to...you know...profile.

3. Usually the person puts them through the wringer.

 

I liked how they captured so perfectly what an exercise in futility it is to debate with someone whose views are so warped, so far from reality, that using the same reasoning techniques you'd employ when talking  with a sane person, just don't work. They will just twist your words to bend to their own theories. They will do anything to remain in the delusional world they've built for themselves, because they've invested their whole life in it, and it's probably the first time they've ever been accepted within a group.

Two people in a small room at cross purposes will ALWAYS be more exciting than t*rture pron and people running around with guns. Always.

Every once in a while this show remembers it's a show about profilers. 

Hopefully, we can get an intense character to go along with it. 

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Mumbles

Mumbles

So apparently the sister of one of the Sandy Hook teachers is trying her best on Twitter to start something with Aisha Tyler on Twitter claiming that the episode caused her and her family a lot of pain. (But not enough pain that she's trying to make a big thing out of it.) The fameball idiot is not smart enough to realize the show was portraying the truthers as unhinged. Oh well, I guess some people will do anything for attention. So far Aisha hasn't bitten.

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Shellie

Shellie

On 12/7/2017 at 6:47 PM, UncleChuck said:

As I recall, Rossi has faced similar situations when confronted by those citizens who believe that the FBI was guilty of murdering the people at Ruby Ridge.  Seems to me that Rossi, as a young agent, was one of the FBI agents on that scene, and his buttons get punched pretty easily about that.

 

I have only watched this show sporadically over the years so am unfamiliar with this aspect.  Randy Weaver was acquitted in court and the feds had to pay him some $3 million for the FBI's actions, so what is the discrepancy that constitutes a conspiracy theory? 

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Annber03

Annber03

8 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I liked how they captured so perfectly what an exercise in futility it is to debate with someone whose views are so warped, so far from reality, that using the same reasoning techniques you'd employ when talking  with a sane person, just don't work. They will just twist your words to bend to their own theories. They will do anything to remain in the delusional world they've built for themselves, because they've invested their whole life in it, and it's probably the first time they've ever been accepted within a group.

Exactly. I have found myself in those types of conversations, and it really is like talking to a brick wall. Like I said, I related far too well to Tara's immense frustration throughout. 

Quote

Two people in a small room at cross purposes will ALWAYS be more exciting than t*rture pron and people running around with guns. Always.

Also agreed on this. 

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Danielg342

Danielg342

41 minutes ago, Shellie said:

 

I have only watched this show sporadically over the years so am unfamiliar with this aspect.  Randy Weaver was acquitted in court and the feds had to pay him some $3 million for the FBI's actions, so what is the discrepancy that constitutes a conspiracy theory? 

I believe Rossi hates those who fanatically hate the FBI. In "Identity" he lamentred that all anyone will remember about Ruby Ridge is that the FBI "shot a mother holding her baby."

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JMO

JMO

On 12/12/2017 at 0:44 PM, Mumbles said:

So apparently the sister of one of the Sandy Hook teachers is trying her best on Twitter to start something with Aisha Tyler on Twitter claiming that the episode caused her and her family a lot of pain. (But not enough pain that she's trying to make a big thing out of it.) The fameball idiot is not smart enough to realize the show was portraying the truthers as unhinged. Oh well, I guess some people will do anything for attention. So far Aisha hasn't bitten.

Tomorrow marks five years since the murders.  The memories, and the facts, of the event are still raw for a great many people in our part of the country, and especially so for family members.  While I wouldn't hold the actress responsible for the words, I have to admit that I cringed to hear the event used as a plot device, even when there was an attempt to write it sympathetically.  I can fully understand how it might have been exquisitely painful for those living it the stark reality of it.  I can simply take the family member at her word, and acknowledge that she is still grieving.  From there, it's very easy to be supportive, and not disparaging.

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Mumbles

Mumbles

The family member in question has a history of being a famewhore and this is yet another attempt by her to get attention and sympathy (I won’t name the stupid bitch because it will give her the attention she craves.)  

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JMO

JMO

5 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

The family member in question has a history of being a famewhore and this is yet another attempt by her to get attention and sympathy (I won’t name the stupid bitch because it will give her the attention she craves.)  

I won't use the language you do, but I will say that anyone----those you like, and those you don't----can suffer grief.  Respecting it is always in order.

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Mumbles

Mumbles

Agreed. It’s been five years. Move on and get a real job. The show was CRITICIZING Sandy Hook truthers. If you lack the critical thinking skills to understand that, then stay off the Internet. If you do and just cynically seize on any mention of this event to bring attention to yourself, you’re a stupid bitch and deserve to be ridiculed. 

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Aethera

Aethera

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Guys, let's keep this thread on the episode, not the news or Aisha's social media interactions. I know this episode brought up Sandy Hook, but let's keep to the actual episode happenings, please!

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