S13.E12: Bad Moon on the Rise

[Aethera]

Quote

The BAU is called to New York when several casualties of a brutal nature are reported in Central Park.

[Annber03]

Interesting case for the most part this episode, though they definitely could've just done away with the werewolf aspect altogether. I liked the moral vigilante angle JJ and Luke were discussing early on-that would've been a far better route to go, and added more sympathy for the unsub. 

Luke and Lisa are cute together. Though the actress playing Lisa looks so familiar to me. I'm going to need to look up the cast list and see who she is. 

[ReidFan]

yeah. but the MorganCloning continues. She's a Doctor. Like Savannah. really guys??

[Hotchgirl18]

Feel bad for the unsub. Reminded me a lot of The Gathering. Could've done without the werewolf thing. Where are the producers living? In  a Disney movie. Next thing you know, the next unsub will try to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

[mythoughtis]

She at least has  chemistry with Luke. Savannah and Morgan/ not so much. 

[Annber03]

Aw, I didn't mind Morgan and Savannah, myself. 

I didn't really consider the similarity between Savannah and Lisa's jobs, though. I suppose it is generally good these guys date or marry people who are as busy as they are, so they're not sitting at home alone while the team's away, but yeah, a bit of variety in the types of jobs they do would be nice.

8 minutes ago, Hotchgirl18 said:

Next thing you know, the next unsub will try to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

Okay, this made me laugh :D. It'd be silly and ridiculous as hell, for sure, but I kinda wanna see that now :p. 

[MMC]

I am going to get seriously pissed off if Luke ends up with a love interest while Reid is still alone. Seriously they need to start working on a decent love interest for him. And if they are finding it that damn difficult than maybe they should not have been so quick to kill off Maeve.

[TigerLynx]

I would like to see more Reid in all the episodes love interest or not.  I still wish they would thin the herd.

I did enjoy Reid listing off all the park details, and that someone actually mentioned how dumb it is to be in Central Park at night.

[MMC]

14 minutes ago, TigerLynx said:

I would like to see more Reid in all the episodes love interest or not.  I still wish they would thin the herd.

I did enjoy Reid listing off all the park details, and that someone actually mentioned how dumb it is to be in Central Park at night.

So do I. Although I am also of the opinion that if the overall writing was of a better quality like we got in the much earlier seasons, the kind of writing that did a much better job at defining who these characters were and what they brought to the team, the larger cast probably wouldn't be as much of an issue for some of us.

[Hotchgirl18]

34 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Aw, I didn't mind Morgan and Savannah, myself. 

I didn't really consider the similarity between Savannah and Lisa's jobs, though. I suppose it is generally good these guys date or marry people who are as busy as they are, so they're not sitting at home alone while the team's away, but yeah, a bit of variety in the types of jobs they do would be nice.

Okay, this made me laugh :D. It'd be silly and ridiculous as hell, for sure, but I kinda wanna see that now :p. 

I mean, with all the ridiculous unsub storylines, it wouldn't be a stretch if you ask me. Wait, don't give "em any ideas!

[CrimeFan12]

Again I thought it was a solid episode even if I didn't understand the werewolf part.  But then there's a lot I don't understand going all the way back to the start of the series, but I don't let it get in the way of my enjoyment of the episode.  

Luke and Lisa made a nice couple.  It's nice to get an occasional glimpse into their personal lives as long as it is small.  I watch the show for the cases, not what they are doing in their off time.  I'm really not interested in who is or who isn't dating.  I didn't mind Will, Haley, Beth, Savannah and now Lisa because they are such minor characters so they have very little screen time.

I'm liking this team.  It has a different dynamic from the original and that is good.  None of the newer characters are carbon copies of the ones that left.  Having the team at eight is no big deal to me.  It's only one more person.  It would be different if they added three or more at one time like some others shows I've seen.  

Edited January 18, 2018 by CrimeFan12
spelling

[Hotchgirl18]

The original team was far better. Reid, Rossi, and Lewis are the only ones i really like. Alvez is slowly growing on me. He's ok. 

[MMC]

22 minutes ago, Hotchgirl18 said:

The original team was far better. Reid, Rossi, and Lewis are the only ones i really like. Alvez is slowly growing on me. He's ok. 

I agree with you in part. Although to be fair one should acknowledge that the original team had the benefit of having a better show runner and better writers as oppose to what we got now. I seriously doubt that I would have turned against JJ the way I did had CM remained in the hands of Ed Bernero and his writers. And what pisses me off is that it very likely would have had some idiot network executive not made the decision to fire AJ and Paget back in season 6.

Edited January 18, 2018 by MMC

[ForeverAlone]

I was wondering when the show would get around to clinical lycanthropy, though the idea of it  would be a better Halloween episode. I had higher hopes for something creepy, but it fell apart for me at the end, once we got the full back story. 

I suppose this show goes for "timeless" with these episodes, but certain things take me out of episodes, and it seems to be more of a thing in later seasons. I always assume episodes are supposed to be set in present day during the first airing, meaning this episode should be taking place in January in New  York City. If that is the case, it was freaking obvious that this was filmed in California. I mean, no indication of cold weather or anything. NYC in January is freezing cold. Can't this show at least pretend that it takes place in different locations, in different seasons.

If I was Luke's date, and some crazy lady showed up to ambush my date, I wouldn't have been so friendly. I would have given her serious side eye. Sure, I would totally understand why my date had to be dragged away on emergency business. But Penelope was just weird, and not charming in the least (at least to me). 

[Mysteyman]

I liked Lisa.

I hope that she doesn’t turn out to be an

umsub!

[normasm]

OK, it's official: Spencer Reid is a ghost. Or a hologram they take along when they need Fun Facts. Or eye candy.

Seriously, I didn't mind the whole Luke-on-a-Date thing; Luke is an interesting character who is growing slowly into the show. Like Tara, he's a new character the writers can invent as they go along, and not have to worry about canon characters like, well, like the core of the show - Reid, Prentiss, Rossi, and JJ. (I don't include Garcia, because they just write her whatever way they want). Yeah, so they have JJ pretty much grown up as a 2.0 compassionate mom/committed agent, although it could be argued she's a new character because of the way they've changed her over the years. They've dropped the silly aging Lothario/accidental papa and grandpa thing for Rossi (kudos!). Prentiss understandably has her hands full trying to fill Hotch's role so that she doesn't have much time for a personal life.

But Reid has been horribly traumatized within the last 8 months or so, seen his ill mother kidnapped and nearly killed, and NOTHING. Nothing. Not even a mention of how or where Mom is. No outside life, no finding value in lecturing and meeting new people, no dating, for damn sure. I get that writing for Reid is tough; longtime fans such as I are pretty darn picky about his development; but we want development of his character! Instead they wimp out and leave him there, looking pretty and spouting facts, because that part of Spencer is safe, like pablum. Lazy, lazy, lazy. 

Back to the story. The front bookend, with Luke on a date, was nice, at least until the preposterous Garcia showed up. But she had to, so that Lisa could misunderstand about Roxie. And, did she have to be a doctor in a hospital setting, just like Savannah? The scene where Matt the Unnecessary was commiserating with Luke about the lack of communication with Lisa might have been nice if he had been talking to a core character such as Rossi. The back bookend, he and Lisa untangling Garcia's misdirect, was nice and he seems like a good guy.

The story was OK; I thought the makeup this time was gruesome, but anatomically believable. The father who froze when his son was attacked was a sad story, but I agree it could have been told without the lycanthropy misdirection, and the drinking, drugging and wigging out he did was a bit ridiculous. Sappy conclusion to his story. Oh, and full moons don't last 3 consecutive nights, btw.

TPTB for this show need to serve the core characters better. The most interesting character on this show has always been Reid (now that Gideon and Hotch are gone), and they need to remember that, and serve the show better. my 2¢

[Nerys]

YES! So much YES!! 

It's so annoying, this was episode 12 and yet we haven't heard a word about his mother and oh, what about his PTSD? Nothing. It's like the second half of last season never happened. And yeah, his lectures? Again, nothing.

It doesn't have to be a big storyline, just a few words with Prentiss or Rossi or JJ. 

[normasm]

Just a small scene or two, or make it the bookends of an episode, make him the big focus of one or 2 where all these issues are explored.

[ReidFan]

I don't honestly expect us to see his seminars. But yeah a simple 'How's the lecturing going?' // "Really well, thank you." as they're sitting down at the round table would do it. Just *acknowledge* he's doing them. Or even Prentiss just maybe squeezing his shoulder as she walks past him and says "The seminars are going really well I hear."

I don't really even expect a lot regarding his mother either. But there again a simple "How's DIana enjoying the new care facility?"  from Rossi or JJ as they're walking to their seats in the jet or sumpthin'.

What I *do* want, expect, practically demand, is more acknowledgement of his PTSwhatever. That really does need to be addressed. Large.

And that he's actually a feasible love interest for someone. Geezuz, if they can pull Alvez away from Roxy long enough to go on a date surely someone is interested in Reid. And again, I'd be satisfied with someone on the team  (say, Luke or Penelope) saying 'So how did you and the lady I saw you with last night like the new Star Wars movie?' to which he could reply, "I enjoyed it, but she's actually more of a Star Trek fan, we've been watching the new series every Sunday" (or something similar to indicate he's been seeing her for a while).

____

As for Bad Moon on the Rise....

judging by the costume changes, they were in NYC for at least three days/two nights. And there was a murder committed immediately before they were called in and another once they were there. Full moon....three nights in a row? wtf?

The whole werewolf thing was kinda unnecessary, really. Interesting, but not executed particularly well or believably. 

If it's supposed to be January in NY, to the best of my knowledge, it's been pretty freakin' cold and snowy there; points off. (at least there's no palm trees in Central Park on CM, points on)

Happily, no one rolled their eyes or sighed when Reid gave all of Central Park's (correct, because I checked LOL) stats. 

I realise it had to be 'nighttime' because of the werewolf parameters, but again, so much is so dark it's aggravatingly hard to see. 

loved, loved, LOVED the blocking/shooting of the scene in the alley where (JJ) Rossi & Reid attend the latest victim's murder scene. The variation of shots, and the angles made it somewhat unique and more interesting. (the hair, the HAIR!) Director (Christophe Shrewe) did make some interesting choices for blocking and shots in this episode, this particular one just stood out for me.

Is it just me or did Rossi look old and tired here? Joe wears the gray/graying hair/beard really well, but he looked pretty haggard here. 

I did manage to see the preview for next week's episode, and It. Looks. Good. I love coding! Reid coding! Hopefully we'll get a good ghosting of the crime scene again too.

[JMO]

Still haven't watched this one, but I agree.  In fact, I would rather see those small snippets woven throughout, even if we didn't get a full episode devoted to it.  It would serve all of the characters involved, and their relationships.  Just a check-in, 'How is it going?' or a statement or action that seems out of character for Reid, and makes one of his good friends reach out to him.  Why does it feel like we're begging for crumbs?

[Nerys]

Reid IS a gorgeous man. He is also incredibly smart and educated, well spoken and mild mannered. He is not a freak who collects bones or life-size plastic dolls, so to think that he is unable find a partner is just ridiculous.

[normasm]

45 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

I don't honestly expect us to see his seminars. But yeah a simple 'How's the lecturing going?' // "Really well, thank you." as they're sitting down at the round table would do it. Just *acknowledge* he's doing them. Or even Prentiss just maybe squeezing his shoulder as she walks past him and says "The seminars are going really well I hear."

I don't really even expect a lot regarding his mother either. But there again a simple "How's DIana enjoying the new care facility?"  from Rossi or JJ as they're walking to their seats in the jet or sumpthin'.

What I *do* want, expect, practically demand, is more acknowledgement of his PTSwhatever. That really does need to be addressed. Large.

And that he's actually a feasible love interest for someone. Geezuz, if they can pull Alvez away from Roxy long enough to go on a date surely someone is interested in Reid. And again, I'd be satisfied with someone on the team  (say, Luke or Penelope) saying 'So how did you and the lady I saw you with last night like the new Star Wars movie?' to which he could reply, "I enjoyed it, but she's actually more of a Star Trek fan, we've been watching the new series every Sunday" (or something similar to indicate he's been seeing her for a while).

____

As for Bad Moon on the Rise....

judging by the costume changes, they were in NYC for at least three days/two nights. And there was a murder committed immediately before they were called in and another once they were there. Full moon....three nights in a row? wtf?

The whole werewolf thing was kinda unnecessary, really. Interesting, but not executed particularly well or believably. 

If it's supposed to be January in NY, to the best of my knowledge, it's been pretty freakin' cold and snowy there; points off. (at least there's no palm trees in Central Park on CM, points on)

Happily, no one rolled their eyes or sighed when Reid gave all of Central Park's (correct, because I checked LOL) stats. 

I realise it had to be 'nighttime' because of the werewolf parameters, but again, so much is so dark it's aggravatingly hard to see. 

loved, loved, LOVED the blocking/shooting of the scene in the alley where (JJ) Rossi & Reid attend the latest victim's murder scene. The variation of shots, and the angles made it somewhat unique and more interesting. (the hair, the HAIR!) Director (Christophe Shrewe) did make some interesting choices for blocking and shots in this episode, this particular one just stood out for me.

Is it just me or did Rossi look old and tired here? Joe wears the gray/graying hair/beard really well, but he looked pretty haggard here. 

I did manage to see the preview for next week's episode, and It. Looks. Good. I love coding! Reid coding! Hopefully we'll get a good ghosting of the crime scene again too.

So much. THIS

22 minutes ago, Nerys said:

Reid IS a gorgeous man. He is also incredibly smart and educated, well spoken and mild mannered. He is not a freak who collects bones or life-size plastic dolls, so to think that he is unable find a partner is just ridiculous.

Hey! I collect bones!

::not human bones, mind you::

[Nerys]

Really? May I ask whose bones? I mean what animals.

[Hotchgirl18]

Remember, the writers just LOVE their girls. Because, you know girl power and all. And it happens at the expense of truly great characters like Reid. These writers need to write Disney Princess movies instead of Criminal Minds episodes. 

[illdoc]

4 hours ago, normasm said:

Oh, and full moons don't last 3 consecutive nights, btw

Obviously, you've never watched Buffy (or any other werewolf thing). There's the full moon (1 night), but the moon is considered full on the day before and the day after the full moon. So, while technically "full moon" is one day, it's really considered 3 days in werewolf mythology.

[Annber03]

I will say that Reid not looking to be in a relationship right now would make sense given all he's been through lately. Maybe he feels he doesn't want a girl to have to deal with all his personal drama, and wants to wait until he's got himself all sorted out and in a better place mentally and emotionally. Or at least, he wants to meet somebody he feels he can trust with all his problems and whatnot, somebody he knows will be there for him when things are tough. Obviously I agree that he's a catch :D, but some people just aren't ones to date much for various reasons (*Raises hand*), and I think that's kinda the case with Reid. I think he just wants to make sure his own life's stable before he brings somebody new into it, especially if he's looking for somebody he wants to settle down and have a life with. I can totally sympathize and relate, if that's the case. 

I fully agree, though, on wanting to hear a bit about his seminars and his mom and whatnot. I'd like to know how those parts of his life are going, too. As for his PTSS, I agree with the sentiments on that, too, but maybe we'll delve more into it later on this season somehow? 

[JMO]

Ignoring the inconsistencies between the scenery (full summer NYC foliage) and the outfits (knit hats and overcoats), I thought it was a reasonably good episode.  Random thoughts:

It was interesting to have Tara offer the lychanthropy diagnosis, instead of Reid, highlighting her psych expertise.

I thought the profile evolved more smoothly and sensibly than it has in a long time.

I really don't care for Simmons, and not just because he's number eight.

Garcia showing up to Luke's blind date was just weird and inappropriate.  The Roxy misunderstanding thing has now been used twice.  It was only new once.

Several times now, including in this episode, the extent of Luke's knowledge has surprised me.  He's a pretty bright guy.  (So was Morgan, until he became 'the muscle'.)

I guess they weren't going to give us anything on Reid (fallout, extracurriculars, Mom) in an episode with a Luke focus, but they'd better hurry up!

Edited January 18, 2018 by JMO

[normasm]

2 hours ago, Nerys said:

Really? May I ask whose bones? I mean what animals.

Mostly birds, and just when I've found them on the beach or walking in the woods. They're just beautiful things, skeletons.

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I will say that Reid not looking to be in a relationship right now would make sense given all he's been through lately. Maybe he feels he doesn't want a girl to have to deal with all his personal drama, and wants to wait until he's got himself all sorted out and in a better place mentally and emotionally. Or at least, he wants to meet somebody he feels he can trust with all his problems and whatnot, somebody he knows will be there for him when things are tough. Obviously I agree that he's a catch :D, but some people just aren't ones to date much for various reasons (*Raises hand*), and I think that's kinda the case with Reid. I think he just wants to make sure his own life's stable before he brings somebody new into it, especially if he's looking for somebody he wants to settle down and have a life with. I can totally sympathize and relate, if that's the case. 

I fully agree, though, on wanting to hear a bit about his seminars and his mom and whatnot. I'd like to know how those parts of his life are going, too. As for his PTSS, I agree with the sentiments on that, too, but maybe we'll delve more into it later on this season somehow? 

I think they should have had him dating, or at least becoming friends with a woman before the stress with his mother and then prison happened. Then we could have him struggling to deal with those things you mention, and the woman being a solid friend-to-romantic partner. Maybe i just read too much (mostly good) fanfic.

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, normasm said:

I think they should have had him dating, or at least becoming friends with a woman before the stress with his mother and then prison happened. Then we could have him struggling to deal with those things you mention, and the woman being a solid friend-to-romantic partner. Maybe i just read too much (mostly good) fanfic.

That would've been nice, yeah :). I'd have been all for that.

[mamadrama]

I was watching this in bed. Husband laid down, glanced at the screen, heard approximately 2 minutes of conversation at the beginning, and said, "Dude thinks he's a werewolf" before passing out. 

I was underwhelmed. 

Anyone else think that Rookie's date was going to dump him because she thought he had something going on with Garcia? That's where I thought that was heading. 

[Annber03]

7 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

Anyone else think that Rookie's date was going to dump him because she thought he had something going on with Garcia? That's where I thought that was heading. 

I thought that at first, too. Especially since Garcia made such a big thing out of going on about how he "wasn't her type" and they were just friends and all-kind of a "protest too much" deal, or something. 

I am glad that they didn't go there, though, or make Garcia get all jealous of Lisa in turn. With the exception of Kevin feeling a bit weird at times about Garcia's close bond with Morgan, the show's been really good over the years about not doing the whole thing where any of the team's significant others get all suspicious about and accuse them of possible affairs with their co-workers, or having one of the team members being secretly jealous of another's boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse. And I want that trend to continue here, too. 

(I do also remember Garcia kinda distancing herself every time she saw Kevin with a girl, too, but I don't know that that was so much jealousy on her part as just sadness at how quickly he moved on after their breakup.)

Edited January 18, 2018 by Annber03

[JMO]

20 minutes ago, normasm said:

I think they should have had him dating, or at least becoming friends with a woman before the stress with his mother and then prison happened. Then we could have him struggling to deal with those things you mention, and the woman being a solid friend-to-romantic partner. Maybe i just read too much (mostly good) fanfic.

I think that's why they ended up having to highlight his friendship with JJ.  The situation begged for a special someone torn up about him in prison, if not exactly pining away.  Since they've kept him as a loner, who else could fit the bill?  (Please don't say Garcia---just, no.)

I wouldn't be surprised if the series ended, this year or next, or whenever, with a hint of Reid heading toward a romance, and if they make us wait for it all that time. That way, they 'satisfy' the fans (in their minds only), but don't have to actually depict the relationship.  

Edited January 18, 2018 by JMO

[Annber03]

Eh, I could see them showing at least bit of his developing relationship in the run up to whenever the show wraps up for good. AT the very least, I could see one of the final scenes of the last episode with him and his girlfriend arm in arm, and if they do some kind of time jump situation, maybe we can see a kid in tow, too. 

[normasm]

I like it Annber, but i think they would probably have to find him a woman who already has a kid. I could deal with that, if she was smart and nice and in love with him. 

[Mariana]

10 hours ago, normasm said:

OK, it's official: Spencer Reid is a ghost. Or a hologram they take along when they need Fun Facts. Or eye candy.

Seriously, I didn't mind the whole Luke-on-a-Date thing; Luke is an interesting character who is growing slowly into the show. Like Tara, he's a new character the writers can invent as they go along, and not have to worry about canon characters like, well, like the core of the show - Reid, Prentiss, Rossi, and JJ. (I don't include Garcia, because they just write her whatever way they want). Yeah, so they have JJ pretty much grown up as a 2.0 compassionate mom/committed agent, although it could be argued she's a new character because of the way they've changed her over the years. They've dropped the silly aging Lothario/accidental papa and grandpa thing for Rossi (kudos!). Prentiss understandably has her hands full trying to fill Hotch's role so that she doesn't have much time for a personal life.

But Reid has been horribly traumatized within the last 8 months or so, seen his ill mother kidnapped and nearly killed, and NOTHING. Nothing. Not even a mention of how or where Mom is. No outside life, no finding value in lecturing and meeting new people, no dating, for damn sure. I get that writing for Reid is tough; longtime fans such as I are pretty darn picky about his development; but we want development of his character! Instead they wimp out and leave him there, looking pretty and spouting facts, because that part of Spencer is safe, like pablum. Lazy, lazy, lazy. 

Back to the story. The front bookend, with Luke on a date, was nice, at least until the preposterous Garcia showed up. But she had to, so that Lisa could misunderstand about Roxie. And, did she have to be a doctor in a hospital setting, just like Savannah? The scene where Matt the Unnecessary was commiserating with Luke about the lack of communication with Lisa might have been nice if he had been talking to a core character such as Rossi. The back bookend, he and Lisa untangling Garcia's misdirect, was nice and he seems like a good guy.

The story was OK; I thought the makeup this time was gruesome, but anatomically believable. The father who froze when his son was attacked was a sad story, but I agree it could have been told without the lycanthropy misdirection, and the drinking, drugging and wigging out he did was a bit ridiculous. Sappy conclusion to his story. Oh, and full moons don't last 3 consecutive nights, btw.

TPTB for this show need to serve the core characters better. The most interesting character on this show has always been Reid (now that Gideon and Hotch are gone), and they need to remember that, and serve the show better. my 2¢

I knew that they will just move on with the Reid story. Not a word on his mom or a hint of PTSD or PTSS ( whatever they call it now) at this point I just watch for the eye candy and that Gubler looked perfect. 

I really thought that this time they'll put Garcia with Luke in a relationship but NO!!! They go with the pretty doctor for the hot agent.

I still hate Matt.

The cognitive interview was ridiculous.

Still, not a bad episode.

[Danielg342]

Werewolves. We've really hit the bottom now.

I thought Pirate Guy was ridiculous...this guy is even worse.

I mean, at least Pirate Guy involved having to do some investigative work and maybe some profiling...but Werewolf Guy practically had his profile tattooed on to his head.

"We've got a guy biting guys with teeth modified to look like a wolf's and only comes out and attacks at a full moon...nope, he must be an ostrich."

Get a grip.

What do you need the BAU for? Simple police work would solve this case. It shouldn't take much to stake out Central Park at night and find some weird guy with a strange mouthpiece. Surely the park is traveled well enough that someone would see a guy like that, especially considering he did nothing to conceal his identity.

Also, how strong is this guy? He's a middle-aged, slender guy who, dripping wet, probably weighs about half as much as I do (and I'm a big boy. Trust me). How did none of those guys escape? Especially young robber dude with a knife. I don't care how "psychotic" he is, the killer's a twig and wouldn't stand a chance against many of his victims.

I wonder too how likely some guy devolves into "wolf" simply because he watched his son get killed and had to hear his wife (who was a Grade A jerk) yell at him at how useless he was in the situation. There was nothing in the story that would suggest he even had an inkling towards wolves, so why did he "become" one? Because the writer had this great idea for an episode and just had to use the idea? Why couldn't we have had a scene or three where we learn the UnSub was obsessed with wolves as a kid or was simply a Minnesota Timberwolves fan?

Note to writers: "psychotic" doesn't mean "you can make this guy 'any kind of crazy you want'." It still has to make sense.

Better yet...why not just write a story about a vigilante and forget this whole business of giving him some sort of angle or twist?

You know...a good ol'fashioned serial killer. The one this show used to have before it decided it's ridiculous.

All this and we haven't even touched on the fact that this case happened in New York freakin' City. Maybe one of, if not the best funded police jurisdictions outside of the federal government. Heck, I'm pretty sure the NYPD's budget exceeds that of several small countries.

How the New York Police Department doesn't have the resources to solve this crime is beyond me.

Let's see now...CM's already made the Miami Police Department look like fools, and now they've done it with the NYPD. I'd say they're going to make the Los Angeles Police Department look foolish, but a lot of people already think that anyway. So I guess Boston is next to be thrown under the rug?

I suppose the one thing I did appreciate about this case is that the final victim wasn't his wife- as it almost always is the case- and that the final victim wasn't actually in peril- yes, he was technically kidnapped, but the UnSub wouldn't have hurt the homeless kid- but it's a minor point that does nothing to salvage the dreck that came before it.

Oh, about the homeless kid- heart went out to him, that's a tough story and one that's unfortunately all too real. Still, I can't believe the BAU would think they'd get a coherent cognitive interview out of him- the night he met the UnSub he was drugged literally out of his mind, how could any reasonable person think they'd be getting correct memories out of him?

Lastly...Luke in Love was cute and Lisa's charming, but that was some false drama with the "lie". What did Luke not bring up his dog on their date? Was one small line going to be indicative of Luke's character?

Lisa might be nice, but I'm not sure if I'd stick around.

Just like this show.

[secnarf]

11 hours ago, normasm said:

Oh, and full moons don't last 3 consecutive nights, btw.

 

6 hours ago, illdoc said:

Obviously, you've never watched Buffy (or any other werewolf thing). There's the full moon (1 night), but the moon is considered full on the day before and the day after the full moon. So, while technically "full moon" is one day, it's really considered 3 days in werewolf mythology.

I also first thought of Buffy when the 3-day full moon thing came up! ("Three days a month, I'm not much fun to be around either!") But I think it is also the same in Harry Potter. I guess one day a month is not enough!

[Hotchgirl18]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

Werewolves. We've really hit the bottom now.

I thought Pirate Guy was ridiculous...this guy is even worse.

I mean, at least Pirate Guy involved having to do some investigative work and maybe some profiling...but Werewolf Guy practically had his profile tattooed on to his head.

"We've got a guy biting guys with teeth modified to look like a wolf's and only comes out and attacks at a full moon...nope, he must be an ostrich."

Get a grip.

What do you need the BAU for? Simple police work would solve this case. It shouldn't take much to stake out Central Park at night and find some weird guy with a strange mouthpiece. Surely the park is traveled well enough that someone would see a guy like that, especially considering he did nothing to conceal his identity.

Also, how strong is this guy? He's a middle-aged, slender guy who, dripping wet, probably weighs about half as much as I do (and I'm a big boy. Trust me). How did none of those guys escape? Especially young robber dude with a knife. I don't care how "psychotic" he is, the killer's a twig and wouldn't stand a chance against many of his victims.

I wonder too how likely some guy devolves into "wolf" simply because he watched his son get killed and had to hear his wife (who was a Grade A jerk) yell at him at how useless he was in the situation. There was nothing in the story that would suggest he even had an inkling towards wolves, so why did he "become" one? Because the writer had this great idea for an episode and just had to use the idea? Why couldn't we have had a scene or three where we learn the UnSub was obsessed with wolves as a kid or was simply a Minnesota Timberwolves fan?

Note to writers: "psychotic" doesn't mean "you can make this guy 'any kind of crazy you want'." It still has to make sense.

Better yet...why not just write a story about a vigilante and forget this whole business of giving him some sort of angle or twist?

You know...a good ol'fashioned serial killer. The one this show used to have before it decided it's ridiculous.

All this and we haven't even touched on the fact that this case happened in New York freakin' City. Maybe one of, if not the best funded police jurisdictions outside of the federal government. Heck, I'm pretty sure the NYPD's budget exceeds that of several small countries.

How the New York Police Department doesn't have the resources to solve this crime is beyond me.

Let's see now...CM's already made the Miami Police Department look like fools, and now they've done it with the NYPD. I'd say they're going to make the Los Angeles Police Department look foolish, but a lot of people already think that anyway. So I guess Boston is next to be thrown under the rug?

I suppose the one thing I did appreciate about this case is that the final victim wasn't his wife- as it almost always is the case- and that the final victim wasn't actually in peril- yes, he was technically kidnapped, but the UnSub wouldn't have hurt the homeless kid- but it's a minor point that does nothing to salvage the dreck that came before it.

Oh, about the homeless kid- heart went out to him, that's a tough story and one that's unfortunately all too real. Still, I can't believe the BAU would think they'd get a coherent cognitive interview out of him- the night he met the UnSub he was drugged literally out of his mind, how could any reasonable person think they'd be getting correct memories out of him?

Lastly...Luke in Love was cute and Lisa's charming, but that was some false drama with the "lie". What did Luke not bring up his dog on their date? Was one small line going to be indicative of Luke's character?

Lisa might be nice, but I'm not sure if I'd stick around.

Just like this show.

I'm frustrated with you too, buddy. This is ridiculous. What's next? Unsub sheltie collie? Or unsub pretending to be Barney Fife? 

[Danielg342]

32 minutes ago, Hotchgirl18 said:

Or unsub pretending to be Barney Fife? 

Or Barney Miller. =O

[Hotchgirl18]

53 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

Or Barney Miller. =O

Or the dinosaur.

[idiotwaltz]

It was much better than the pirate episode. I find this show is more enjoyable when I keep the bar low. 

The werewolf bit was unnecessary. The story about a vigilante killer would’ve worked without the clinical lycanthropy. The Real Rain in Season 1 was about a vigilante killer in New York and whilst that wasn’t one of the strongest episodes of the season, it didn’t involve a storyline from Supernatural. I’m not even asking for Season 1 quality. I can live with Season 7-quality writing. Seriously, my bar is low. 

That said, I genuinely felt terrible for the UNSUB, and his wife. 

I’ve enjoyed Reid’s outfits last week and this week. He looks more dapper than usual. But I still wish he would invest in a razor and a haircut. Apparently, in the writers’ minds, he only exists at this point to spout a bunch of random facts and/or statistics. It’s such lazy writing. 

This season has been very unkind to Emily in terms of hair and wardrobe. 

I don’t really care about getting a peek into the characters’ personal lives, so I could’ve lived without Luke’s blind date. Garcia is annoying as hell. 

ETA: This case didnt’t need the BAU, it needed Neon Joe: Werewolf Hunter. He-yump! 

Edited January 19, 2018 by idiotwaltz

[ReidFan]

On 1/17/2018 at 11:21 PM, MMC said:

I am going to get seriously pissed off if Luke ends up with a love interest while Reid is still alone. Seriously they need to start working on a decent love interest for him. And if they are finding it that damn difficult than maybe they should not have been so quick to kill off Maeve.

part of the problem here is that I'm just currently not available.  O:-) (JK!!!)

seriously, I wonder if part of the problem is that a huge portion of the Matthew fandom is the young uns, and they don't want him attached. And the powers that be would know this and maybe wanna cater to that young(er) audience.

argh!   So, we get unattachable Reid instead. What?! They don't think this smart, gorgeous, considerate, well mannered guy would be capable of getting a girlfriend??

[mythoughtis]

Matthews fans are probably part of the problem.  Matthew himself only wants to work part time( hence the Every 3 month seminar plot)... so he’s part of the problem too.  Adding a real long term romance into a show takes time.  Meaning Matthew would need to show up more. 

Edited January 20, 2018 by mythoughtis

[Vicky8675309]

pirates, werewolves.....wtf

I found the episode incredibly sad. The runaway teen, the destroyed family, etc....so many broken people.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, ReidFan said:

seriously, I wonder if part of the problem is that a huge portion of the Matthew fandom is the young uns, and they don't want him attached. And the powers that be would know this and maybe wanna cater to that young(er) audience.

I can imagine that's part of it, yeah. And there's also the fact that many fans would all have their own opinions on whether or not a girl he met was "right" for him or whatever, too.

(And there's fans who would prefer seeing him with a guy, too :D.)

[Mariana]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Matthews fans are probably part of the problem.  Matthew himself only wants to work part time( hence the Every 3 month seminar plot)... so he’s part of the problem too.  Adding a real long term romance into a show takes time.  Meaning Matthew would need to show up more. 

Yes, I agree with you about Matthew just wanting to be there part time. I feel like his heart is with the show but his brain wants other things and TPTB allow this part time contract to keep him in the show. 

But they had 11 freaking seasons to give him a girlfriend a LIFE,  instead they just made Spencer Reid a lonely guy who just have his mother, the writers are incapable of giving him a good story non ralated with his mom sickness.

Anyway, these season I just watch for his beautiful face, I don't care anymore about ratings or if the show will be renewed. 

[Danielg342]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Meaning Matthew would need to show up more. 

I'm not sure. All we needed to establish girlfriends for other characters was a single episode, so that should suffice for Reid.

[mythoughtis]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

I'm not sure. All we needed to establish girlfriends for other characters was a single episode, so that should suffice for Reid.

I needed more than that. It took me a while to warm up to Will- a character that I now really like.  I didn’t see Mauve as Reid’s girlfriend because she was there so briefly and as a plot device.  Beth was an off/on again character also. So, for me, I need Reid to slowly develop a relationship with a woman- one that isn’t damaged or in hiding.  

[Danielg342]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

I needed more than that. It took me a while to warm up to Will- a character that I now really like.  I didn’t see Mauve as Reid’s girlfriend because she was there so briefly and as a plot device.  Beth was an off/on again character also. So, for me, I need Reid to slowly develop a relationship with a woman- one that isn’t damaged or in hiding.  

I understand that part. I'm just saying the show believes a bookend is enough.

[normasm]

Bookends are enough for Luke, he's only been on a season and a half. When Morgan got a girlfriend, we knew we would see her throughout the season, because it was a big thing for an established character, a sea change, as it were. It would be even more of a big thing for Spencer, something he would have to share at least with JJ, and maybe that's the way TPTB could do it. After all, we (mostly) liked Maeve, it's just that they were hell-bent on killing her from the get-go. It's not that they can't write someone for Reid, but rather that they haven't.

And maybe this goes to Matthew having stretched his acting wings a bit last year and not being as interested in a romance story, who knows?