S13.E15: Annihilator

[Danielg342]

Quote

The FBI’s assistant director of national security, Linda Barnes (Kim Rhodes), joins the BAU as they investigate a quadruple homicide of a group of roommates in St. Louis.

Promo + Press Release via SpoilerTV.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Not to derail an episode commentary thread, but the info in the synopsis seems weird in that KR is getting a semi-recurring role on this show when (as far as I know) Supernatural's spin-off Wayward Sisters - of which she will be a main star - is in the works. 

[unless WS won't begin production until later this spring, for a fall premiere]

ETA:  I never watched Beyond Borders, so didn't know her CM character originated there.

Edited March 2, 2018 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[ReidFan]

It’s a four episode guest shot for her.  Annihilator is #3 for her and Last Gasp will hopefully BE her last gasp....

[normasm]

https://www.spoilertv.com/2018/02/criminal-minds-episode-315-annihilator.html

 

Interesting sneak peeks here, don't look if you don't like spoilers

[ReidFan]

[MMC]

I adore Reid, but sorry I take issue with him saying that Prentiss defines what it means to be a Unit Chief. Because to me it almost as if they are implying that Prentiss is a better Unit Chief than Hotch was. But hey that could just be me.

And then there is Dave's line "no offense but you are not a profiler" as to why this woman should not be allowed to go out in the field with them. And yet they don't have an issue with allowing Garcia who isn't even an agent let alone a profiler going out in the field with them.

Still I will admit my interest is somewhat peaked. And I will probably watch even only to see if Reid will indeed be able to talk Emily into returning and fighting for her job.

[ReidFan]

I'm not casting shade at Hotch here at all, but Prentiss is, IMO, more empathetic towards her team members than he was. That does not make her a *better* chief, just *different*. Hotch was more reserved, held back from the others except Rossi. Prentiss treats them all as her contemporaries yet still conveys absolute authority and respect. I think the camaraderie is deeper, as evidenced by the use of their first names, nicknames (also waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more realistic for a group of people who've worked together as long as some of them have) etc, which never happened under Hotch (again, except for Rossi).

I think Reid thinks of Prentiss as a *friend* as well as a *boss* where Hotch was a *boss* and a *mentor* but not necessarily a friend (depending on your definition of 'friend') And I also think, if Hotch was still the UC, Reid would've done and said the same thing. His ire was more about Barnes undermining Prentiss, then it was defining Prentiss as 'better' than Hotch, as I saw it.

[MMC]

20 minutes ago, ReidFan said:

I'm not casting shade at Hotch here at all, but Prentiss is, IMO, more empathetic towards her team members than he was. That does not make her a *better* chief, just *different*. Hotch was more reserved, held back from the others except Rossi. Prentiss treats them all as her contemporaries yet still conveys absolute authority and respect. I think the camaraderie is deeper, as evidenced by the use of their first names, nicknames (also waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more realistic for a group of people who've worked together as long as some of them have) etc, which never happened under Hotch (again, except for Rossi).

I think Reid thinks of Prentiss as a *friend* as well as a *boss* where Hotch was a *boss* and a *mentor* but not necessarily a friend (depending on your definition of 'friend') And I also think, if Hotch was still the UC, Reid would've done and said the same thing. His ire was more about Barnes undermining Prentiss, then it was defining Prentiss as 'better' than Hotch, as I saw it.

Fair enough. I will concede that this would be another way of looking at it. And one that is more preferably to the way I saw it when I first heard Reid say what he did.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, ReidFan said:

I think Reid thinks of Prentiss as a *friend* as well as a *boss* where Hotch was a *boss* and a *mentor* but not necessarily a friend (depending on your definition of 'friend') And I also think, if Hotch was still the UC, Reid would've done and said the same thing. His ire was more about Barnes undermining Prentiss, then it was defining Prentiss as 'better' than Hotch, as I saw it.

This. She may do things a little differently than Hotch does, but she still emulates and honors a lot of the aspects of being a unit chief that Hotch established. Had he continued with his rant, he could've reminded Barnes that Hotch specifically picked her to take on the position, which should say something right there. Mind, I don't know how Barnes feels about Hotch, so I don't know if that would've helped her opinion of Emily, but still. 

But yeah. Pretty interesting to see him openly defying Barnes like that, to the point of refusing to go into the field. And the second clip, with him trying to convince Emily to return, is bittersweet, too, both because of the way it shows his history of reacting whenever she's at risk of leaving, and also because it's a good example of their friendship in general. She put her job at risk to help him last season, so naturally he'd want to return the favor here.

1 hour ago, MMC said:

And then there is Dave's line "no offense but you are not a profiler" as to why this woman should not be allowed to go out in the field with them. And yet they don't have an issue with allowing Garcia who isn't even an agent let alone a profiler going out in the field with them.

This is very true and a good point. Course, when Garcia goes into the field with them, she's also not breathing down their necks, and actively contributes to the case instead of just standing there quietly scrutinizing them. These guys weren't thrilled when Strauss and Cruz would tag along on cases, either, after all (at least, not initially, anyway). It's not so much the fact that she's not a profiler, it's just that they know full well she's not going out of the kindness of her heart to be an added set of helping hands. 

Edited March 7, 2018 by Annber03

[normasm]

I think Reid thinks of Prentiss as a colleague and friend, whereas, Hotch was his boss and mentor. Reid saying that Prentiss defines what a unit chief should be doesn't detract from Hotch at all, because he likely thinks Hotch defined what a unit chief should be. I think the conflict is definitely Reid protecting his unit, nothing less.

[MMC]

10 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

This. She may do things a little differently than Hotch does, but she still emulates and honors a lot of the aspects of being a unit chief that Hotch established. Had he continued with his rant, he could've reminded Barnes that Hotch specifically picked her to take on the position, which should say something right there. Mind, I don't know how Barnes feels about Hotch, so I don't know if that would've helped her opinion of Emily, but still. 

But yeah. Pretty interesting to see him openly defying Barnes like that, to the point of refusing to go into the field. And the second clip, with him trying to convince Emily to return, is bittersweet, too, both because of the way it shows his history of reacting whenever she's at risk of leaving, and also because it's a good example of their friendship in general. She put her job at risk to help him last season, so naturally he'd want to return the favor here.

This is very true and a good point. Course, when Garcia goes into the field with them, she's also not breathing down their necks, and actively contributes to the case instead of just standing there quietly scrutinizing them. These guys weren't thrilled when Strauss and Cruz would tag along on cases, either, after all (at least, not initially, anyway). It's not so much the fact that she's not a profiler, it's just that they know full well she's not going out of the kindness of her heart to be an added set of helping hands. 

Someone else made a similar point in regards to Barnes vs Garcia going out in the field. And it is a point I will admit to being valid. However I will always have an issue with Garcia being put in a position where she is sometimes required to wear Kevlar. IMO as a non agent they have no damn business putting her in a position that requires her to wear it.

I guess it just irks me to no end that Messer and her writers seem to totally want to overlook the fact that she is not an agent. As oppose to Ed and his writers, who whenever they did have Garcia going out with the team, still remained mindful of the fact that unlike the rest of them she was not an FBI agent but merely someone who was employed by the agency. 

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, MMC said:

Someone else made a similar point in regards to Barnes vs Garcia going out in the field. And it is a point I will admit to being valid. However I will always have an issue with Garcia being put in a position where she is sometimes required to wear Kevlar. IMO as a non agent they have no damn business putting her in a position that requires her to wear it.

I guess it just irks me to no end that Messer and her writers seem to totally want to overlook the fact that she is not an agent. As oppose to Ed and his writers, who whenever they did have Garcia going out with the team, still remained mindful of the fact that unlike the rest of them she was not an FBI agent but merely someone who was employed by the agency. 

I can agree with that, yeah. Too much risk to somebody who has no training for field work. She can stay at the police station and do her work there. 

[Hotchgirl18]

2 hours ago, ReidFan said:

I'm not casting shade at Hotch here at all, but Prentiss is, IMO, more empathetic towards her team members than he was. That does not make her a *better* chief, just *different*. Hotch was more reserved, held back from the others except Rossi. Prentiss treats them all as her contemporaries yet still conveys absolute authority and respect. I think the camaraderie is deeper, as evidenced by the use of their first names, nicknames (also waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more realistic for a group of people who've worked together as long as some of them have) etc, which never happened under Hotch (again, except for Rossi).

I think Reid thinks of Prentiss as a *friend* as well as a *boss* where Hotch was a *boss* and a *mentor* but not necessarily a friend (depending on your definition of 'friend') And I also think, if Hotch was still the UC, Reid would've done and said the same thing. His ire was more about Barnes undermining Prentiss, then it was defining Prentiss as 'better' than Hotch, as I saw it.

And our lovely "unit chief" doesn't know the difference between friend and boss. She should get a job as the Unit Chief of a rec center. And it looks like our "acting unit chief" won't be much better. She won't be doing anything because Barnes will be running this show. She makes Erin Strauss look like an angel. 

3 hours ago, MMC said:

I adore Reid, but sorry I take issue with him saying that Prentiss defines what it means to be a Unit Chief. Because to me it almost as if they are implying that Prentiss is a better Unit Chief than Hotch was. But hey that could just be me.

And then there is Dave's line "no offense but you are not a profiler" as to why this woman should not be allowed to go out in the field with them. And yet they don't have an issue with allowing Garcia who isn't even an agent let alone a profiler going out in the field with them.

Still I will admit my interest is somewhat peaked. And I will probably watch even only to see if Reid will indeed be able to talk Emily into returning and fighting for her job.

At least Reid is getting a backbone. And the only good thing Barnes is doing is getting rid of unit chief "happy go lucky and I can't be serious to save my life." 

[Danielg342]

Special note to our Canadian viewers: CTV is airing this at Thursday at 9. Not sure if that will be its permanent home on Canadian TV but that's when this episode will air.

[ReidFan]

yeah, that's a royal pissoff for me. I will get the 10 pm CBS airing on my cable. But the source for my high def download uses the ctv feed and I'm not sure whether that'll be changed too, or if I'll have to wait til Thursdays now (every week? just this week? CTV, you piss me off!) for that :(

[ReidFan]

17 hours ago, Hotchgirl18 said:

 

At least Reid is getting a backbone. And the only good thing Barnes is doing is getting rid of unit chief "happy go lucky and I can't be serious to save my life." 

don't get your hopes up. Emily, who is a fine Unit chief IMO, is only temporarily being 'gotten rid of'. Kim Rhodes last episode is next week's "The Last Gasp" and hopefully it'll be *hers*

[normasm]

OK. You heard me. I said I had hopes and would wait and see. I waited and saw. And it was wholly ridiculous. Over the top, Oilcan Harry, stupid.

Spencer looked delicious, though. But I can see that in reruns.

[CrimeFan12]

I don't care what anyone else thinks, but I'm loving this story arc...lol. That's probably going to put me in the minority, but I'm cool with that. Barnes makes Strauss look like a pussycat.  

[Loves2Dance]

There is nothing fun about watching 'over the top' drama for 'over the top' drama's sake. There is nothing interesting about Barnes and frankly, this plot is tired and overused. We already had Strauss, could the new breaker of the BAU been...I don't know, male? 

Boring, bored, boring, bored...that sums up my last hour of viewing. 

[Annber03]

@CrimeFan12 I'll join you at that minority table! I'm enjoying this storyline, too. Maybe it's partly because I'm wondering if this whole "team being investigated" thing is nothing more than a ruse for something bigger going on. But either way, yeah, the whole thing has me curious and interested. 

So. Barnes. Damn. I loved how everyone was just so beyond done with her throughout. JJ calling her out on the plane was good, and I liked how Rossi instantly shut down her "small talk" attempts. Even at her worst, Strauss was never this intense and overbearing. Since Barnes' time on the show is limited, though, I'm honestly wondering how they'll write her out when her last episode rolls around.

I also really loved everything with Emily and Reid this episode. His mention of all the people she'd saved over the years, and pointing out how he and their teammates needed her, was so sweet and touching. I liked how they were honest with each other throughout, and talked things over. And I'm liking Reid's sneaky side coming out, with him working the case while Emily "just so happens" to overhear things :D. 

The case started off rather interesting, and there was a brief bit of tension in the takedown that I liked. But I think Barnes' reaction to how the case wrapped up might've had more punch if Justin or Corriene were more seriously hurt, or even perhaps killed. And I might've gone for a stronger motive, too. The family annihilator angle could've been potentially interesting.

As for that ending, I'm actually rather curious to see how the team will fare in their new assignments. I'd be interested to see the show focus on that for a few episodes, get an idea of what their non-BAU lives would be like. So I hope we get some good scenes out of that. 

[Mariana]

God, I hated Barnes (don't remember and don't care about her real name) but not because she is on a mission 7of breaking the team, her acting was ridiculous, her walk, face gestures, it's like they just tell her to be the biggest bitch and she... I have no words. 

For me they are recycling. 

Anyway Spencer is delicious so I'll keep watching. 

[JMO]

Grammar mistakes were irritating throughout. Yes, I was paying attention to the grammar, because everything with Barnes was too ....everything.

i agree that Spencer looked nice.  I don’t think any drama about the deleted recording makes any sense (because there’s no record of it and, even if there was, deleting it helped save the FBI from getting one of their own wrongfully convicted—-no way the Bureau would pursue it).  So, while I enjoy the friendship between Emily and Reid, the whole basis for that scene didn’t make sense to me. 

The ending would have been more intriguing if this had been episode 13x22.

[CrimeFan12]

Welcome to the table @Annber03.  The more the merrier.  I know a lot of people are comparing this to the Strauss story line when she had it out for Hotch and saying they are just rehashing it.  Yes, there are some similar elements, but when Strauss went along, she let the team do their job.  Here, Barnes interfered in everything.  JJ is the acting Unit Chief and she wasn't allow to make any decisions.  Barnes called all the shots and made enemies of everyone including the local police.  I'm looking forward to where they are taking this.  Things may not be what they seem.  

[The Wild Sow]

Oh jeez, I was  sooooo hoping Corinne would drop when she saw the gun, and Justin would miss her and shoot Barnes!

Please, can someone shoot Barnes?  Pretty please??

The FBI insider politics was boring when Erin Strauss did it, and it's boring now.  Stop it, show.

[Annber03]

22 minutes ago, JMO said:

I don’t think any drama about the deleted recording makes any sense (because there’s no record of it and, even if there was, deleting it helped save the FBI from getting one of their own wrongfully convicted—-no way the Bureau would pursue it).  So, while I enjoy the friendship between Emily and Reid, the whole basis for that scene didn’t make sense to me. 

The thing I'm most confused by about the whole thing over the deleted interview is that there's no way the officer in Mexico would've known Emily deleted that interview. I just saw that episode on ION last night. All she told him was that she hadn't recorded their interview at all, and he never had her phone in his possession at any point, so it's not like he would've found the deleted file hidden away somewhere or something. So Barnes telling Emily last episode that the officer had told her about the deleted interview is wrong, because he would never have known. And I don't remember Emily ever telling any of the other team members she deleted the interview. The only way Barnes would know about that is if somebody down in Mexico had seen Emily delete the file and told Barnes about it, which is why I agree with...

21 minutes ago, CrimeFan12 said:

.I'm looking forward to where they are taking this.  Things may not be what they seem.  

...this statement. Maybe somebody down in Mexico was being a spy/mole and is somehow connected to Barnes or the FBI in general? I dunno. 

Edited March 8, 2018 by Annber03

[MMC]

47 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

Oh jeez, I was  sooooo hoping Corinne would drop when she saw the gun, and Justin would miss her and shoot Barnes!

Please, can someone shoot Barnes?  Pretty please??

The FBI insider politics was boring when Erin Strauss did it, and it's boring now.  Stop it, show.

I concur with the "Stop it, show" sentiment. However I am of the opinion that at least Ed(the better show runner) and his (better) writers did a better job when it came to pulling off stuff like this.

[ReidFan]

1 hour ago, The Wild Sow said:

Oh jeez, I was  sooooo hoping Corinne would drop when she saw the gun, and Justin would miss her and shoot Barnes!

 

THIS!!!! 

I hope, because we all know inevitably this ship will right and she'll be the one overboard eventually, that she does end up being the cause of her own demise. Karma.

[threebluestars]

Did the writers go to Snidely Whiplash Writing School?

God, this is so dull. Strauss Version 2.0 - Now With More Mustache Twirling!

[CoyoteBlue]

1 hour ago, threebluestars said:

Did the writers go to Snidely Whiplash Writing School?

God, this is so dull. Strauss Version 2.0 - Now With More Mustache Twirling!

This ep was just ridiculous from beginning to end. As much as I love MGG, the whole season of running around after his drama was bad enough and now it's an Evil Queen being a giant one-dimensional psycho. It's been kinda crappy since Hotch left, honestly.

[Fashionista7]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

@CrimeFan12 I'll join you at that minority table! I'm enjoying this storyline, too. Maybe it's partly because I'm wondering if this whole "team being investigated" thing is nothing more than a ruse for something bigger going on. But either way, yeah, the whole thing has me curious and interested. 

So. Barnes. Damn. I loved how everyone was just so beyond done with her throughout. JJ calling her out on the plane was good, and I liked how Rossi instantly shut down her "small talk" attempts. Even at her worst, Strauss was never this intense and overbearing. Since Barnes' time on the show is limited, though, I'm honestly wondering how they'll write her out when her last episode rolls around.

I also really loved everything with Emily and Reid this episode. His mention of all the people she'd saved over the years, and pointing out how he and their teammates needed her, was so sweet and touching. I liked how they were honest with each other throughout, and talked things over. And I'm liking Reid's sneaky side coming out, with him working the case while Emily "just so happens" to overhear things :D. 

The case started off rather interesting, and there was a brief bit of tension in the takedown that I liked. But I think Barnes' reaction to how the case wrapped up might've had more punch if Justin or Corriene were more seriously hurt, or even perhaps killed. And I might've gone for a stronger motive, too. The family annihilator angle could've been potentially interesting.

As for that ending, I'm actually rather curious to see how the team will fare in their new assignments. I'd be interested to see the show focus on that for a few episodes, get an idea of what their non-BAU lives would be like. So I hope we get some good scenes out of that. 

Barnes 'but not so nobles' makes Strauss want she did to Hotch and Emily look rather minor.

TOTE LOVE THE SCENES WHERE EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY TARA AND JJ, CALL HER OUT ON HER HORSES**T.

I WAS SO READY FOR THEM TO THROTTLE HER! AND MY JAW DROPPED WHEN I SAW BARNES PULL OUT HER CELL PHONE AFTER TARA AND SIMMONS LEFT!

6 hours ago, Mariana said:

Anyway Spencer is delicious so I'll keep watching. 

1

DAMN STRAIGHT!

I get that hell-and-back time in prison, he grew a backbone.

LIKE DAMN! YOU GO, DOCTOR!

[normasm]

Strauss was a nuanced character. Think about the many times Hotch pressed back, showing her her own weaknesses. When she "held the BAU's hand" in the field in In Name and Blood, she found out just how tough the job is ("I stepped on her hair") and when it was over, she went crying back to her office. The viewers saw the cracks in her armor, and saw Hotch being strong in the face of losing his family.

Barnes was so over the top, she actually confronted an unsub in the middle of a takedown while using an innocent potential victim as cannon fodder. Totally ridiculous. And then coming back at the end and saying the director backed her up, before the Acting Chief had even made her report. Just ain't happening, folks. Not in the FBI, not in any government bureaucracy in existence. As JMO said (I think), the FBI would welcome not being culpable for prosecuting an innocent agent through the use of a cognitive interview that demonstrated how confused he was. Even thinking that Barnes is going rogue and didn't meet with the Director but wants everyone to think she did doesn't make sense. She couldn't unilaterally reassign everyone. Not gonna happen.

The only way this makes sense is that next week, they find out Barnes is certifiably insane and she's the Unsub of the week. TPTB botched this.

[CKTV123]

I don't remember the episode but at one time, didn't the team want to contact a local police department and offer their services to them but Hotch said it was strictly forbidden. The BAU cannot intervene unless they are expressly invited by that law enforcement agency to do so. But now Barnes is doing just that? 

When they were describing the unsub at one point, I couldn't help thinking that Barnes fits that description pretty well. Doesn't fit in, jealous of those who do, she knows shes never the smartest person in the room and has to push and bully those in her charge to drive home how superior she believes she is until they are ultimately destroyed one way or another. She can't function unless everyone around her is either cowering in fear or kissing her a$$. Getting to take on the case then treating the detective in charge like a flunky and undermining every single aspect of the investigation. Something tells me she isn't as tight with the director as she is letting on so she's determined to drive a wedge in there so no one believes they can go to the director with any concerns. All points stop and start with her and only her. 

My dark, mean, petty little soul is hoping for an epic take down of Barnes. Job loss, disgrace, possible investigation into unethical or illegal practices while on the job...

Edited March 8, 2018 by CKTV123

[K42]

2 hours ago, normasm said:

Strauss was a nuanced character. Think about the many times Hotch pressed back, showing her her own weaknesses. When she "held the BAU's hand" in the field in In Name and Blood, she found out just how tough the job is ("I stepped on her hair") and when it was over, she went crying back to her office. The viewers saw the cracks in her armor, and saw Hotch being strong in the face of losing his family.

Barnes was so over the top, she actually confronted an unsub in the middle of a takedown while using an innocent potential victim as cannon fodder. Totally ridiculous. And then coming back at the end and saying the director backed her up, before the Acting Chief had even made her report. Just ain't happening, folks. Not in the FBI, not in any government bureaucracy in existence. As JMO said (I think), the FBI would welcome not being culpable for prosecuting an innocent agent through the use of a cognitive interview that demonstrated how confused he was. Even thinking that Barnes is going rogue and didn't meet with the Director but wants everyone to think she did doesn't make sense. She couldn't unilaterally reassign everyone. Not gonna happen.

The only way this makes sense is that next week, they find out Barnes is certifiably insane and she's the Unsub of the week. TPTB botched this.

 

 

Every time she picked up her phone, I felt like she was working with someone who was in power. I feel like she's not alone in this. Someone had to be working with her and mindlessly backing her up to take down the BAU and what not. 

I liked the episode. It was different. The actress did a good job at pissing the characters (and the viewers) off. Her role kinda reminded me of The Mentalist. How there were people inside the CBU working for Red John (The antagonist). 

Edited March 8, 2018 by KatsDivision

[All That Jazz]

Oh no. Is she the mole who fed inside information to Mr Scratch? Is she being blackmailed/controlled by his successor? Is she the Manchurian Assistant Director? Ugh. Hope not.

[secnarf]

22 hours ago, Annber03 said:

The thing I'm most confused by about the whole thing over the deleted interview is that there's no way the officer in Mexico would've known Emily deleted that interview. I just saw that episode on ION last night. All she told him was that she hadn't recorded their interview at all, and he never had her phone in his possession at any point, so it's not like he would've found the deleted file hidden away somewhere or something. So Barnes telling Emily last episode that the officer had told her about the deleted interview is wrong, because he would never have known. And I don't remember Emily ever telling any of the other team members she deleted the interview. The only way Barnes would know about that is if somebody down in Mexico had seen Emily delete the file and told Barnes about it, which is why I agree with...

...this statement. Maybe somebody down in Mexico was being a spy/mole and is somehow connected to Barnes or the FBI in general? I dunno. 

Well, in all fairness, it's not hard for someone to have deduced that she had deleted an incriminating recording, and made allegations to that effect to the FBI. It was pretty obvious that that's what happened.

I don't know if I'm going to stick around much longer. I don't look forward to watching the show at all - it's more of a chore than anything else. Barnes came across as quite deranged on the plane. I hate everything about this storyline.

[Danielg342]

I was about ready to give this a "F" because...it was real crap.

I mean, the Reid/Prentiss stuff was a reject from As The World Turns.

Oh, and the Barnes stuff...very predictable. Did anyone really think Barnes was going to be co-operative and help the team in any way shape or form?

...and did anyone really think the team members weren't going to crumble when she egged them on?

I mean, Barnes would much more fun if she were subtle, and perhaps was an expert profiler and profiled exactly how to push the team's buttons.

It seems like the show wanted her to be that...but the presentation failed.

...but...

Then...

...

That final scene though...where she reassigned everyone...talk about your bombshell.

Barnes didn't disrupt the team, she eviscerated it.

Methodically...and quickly.

It's a lot to process all at once.

Normally I'd say that this story happening so early is a clue everything will undo itself...but CM is on its last legs.

This could actually be the "closing arc".

Even if it is undone in the next few episodes, the end of the season could be very different.

Hang on to your hats, folks.

[secnarf]

24 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

I was about ready to give this a "F" because...it was real crap.

I mean, the Reid/Prentiss stuff was a reject from As The World Turns.

Oh, and the Barnes stuff...very predictable. Did anyone really think Barnes was going to be co-operative and help the team in any way shape or form?

...and did anyone really think the team members weren't going to crumble when she egged them on?

I mean, Barnes would much more fun if she were subtle, and perhaps was an expert profiler and profiled exactly how to push the team's buttons.

It seems like the show wanted her to be that...but the presentation failed.

...but...

Then...

...

That final scene though...where she reassigned everyone...talk about your bombshell.

Barnes didn't disrupt the team, she eviscerated it.

Methodically...and quickly.

It's a lot to process all at once.

Normally I'd say that this story happening so early is a clue everything will undo itself...but CM is on its last legs.

This could actually be the "closing arc".

Even if it is undone in the next few episodes, the end of the season could be very different.

Hang on to your hats, folks.

I was actually hoping it was a closing arc as I was watching it. But then I thought that's a pretty crappy and depressing way for the show to end.

[Danielg342]

32 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I was actually hoping it was a closing arc as I was watching it. But then I thought that's a pretty crappy and depressing way for the show to end.

I would agree, although I think when the show does reach its end, it'll be depressing no matter what, and I'm not sure they'll have an ending any of us will agree on.

At least this would be more palatable than a serial killer killing the team.

[BookWoman56]

I haven't watched many new episodes recently, but caught this one more or less by accident. I thought Barnes was just the Strauss plot redux, but Strauss seemed much more complex and concerned about the team as a whole even as she was trying to get rid of Hotch, whereas Barnes came across as one of those people brought in by upper management to do a re-org for no good reason. At the end, when she announced all the changes, I started wondering why the hell the entire team doesn't go to her supervisor, explain how she nearly got a victim killed because she disregarded their professional expertise, and announce that they are resigning en masse unless Barnes goes away. I'd think it would be quite difficult to replace an entire team, given the specialized training they have, and not difficult at all to replace one bureaucrat. And even if the supervisor sides with Barnes and the entire team does quit, that kind of mass exodus would not look good on her record.  When an entire team quits rather than work with you, word gets around pretty fast. Overall, this episode did not impress me favorably.

[Mystery]

On 3/7/2018 at 8:29 PM, JMO said:

Grammar mistakes were irritating throughout.

I cringed when JJ told Dave and Matt to meet Corrine on the tarmac and bring her to "Barnes and I" at the mobile command center. 

[JMO]

From JJ at the beginning, to Barnes at the end, who kept telling them they should have done it “quicker”, it was annoying.

[MDL]

IMO the end had a feel somewhat reminiscent of NCIS when Vance broke up the team, but there we knew that  Vance was "one of the good guys", while Barnes, not so much.

[TheGreenWave]

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 11:10 PM, Loves2Dance said:

There is nothing fun about watching 'over the top' drama for 'over the top' drama's sake. There is nothing interesting about Barnes and frankly, this plot is tired and overused. We already had Strauss, could the new breaker of the BAU been...I don't know, male? 

Boring, bored, boring, bored...that sums up my last hour of viewing. 

Completely agree.  I would have loved it if, instead, these cracker jack profilers used their skills against her instead of stomping their feet and talking down to her (I mean, I don't know about you all, but when I yell and talk down to my supervisor's supervisor, I always get my way).  Now that at least would have been entertaining - I do love a good Jedi mind trick or two.

[Kelda Feegle]

13 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

Take a look at my avatar and ask if I was annoyed as well.

haha - I have the shirt that says this

[Mystery]

5 minutes ago, Kelda Feegle said:

haha - I have the shirt that says this

Me too! 

[Calamity Jane]

Barnes:  "Everything has to be solved quicker!  See how fast it goes without Emily?"   "Run every single decision by me when you go out next time without me."  And that makes things quicker how, exactly?

[preeya]

In today's world of KEVLAR, perps should learn to aim for the head or the crotch.

That said, Just the mere fact that the witness wasn't killed, but did take a bullet to the kevlar, is fodder for Barnes, The Almighty, to be brought up on charges.

[secnarf]

I gave it some more thought, and the ONLY way I will ever be okay with this storyline is if Barnes ends up actually being an unsub. She'd be the most interesting unsub in years.

[Mislav]

Dear God. It is almost like the show has become a drama. But not the drama about characters' personal lives (not that that would make it much better). A drama about the team itself. The team that tracks down serial killers. But for the sake of drama, unsubs and profiling have been reduced to a B plot.

Also, even if Barnes isn't supposed to be in many episodes, I suspect they will somehow drag out this arc until the season finale, the same way they did with Spencer's prison arc the last season.

It is baffling. I don't think I've ever seen a TV show derail so quickly and inexplicably. They don't even bother to make dialogues grammatically correct anymore.

[QASteph]

So let me get this straight.  The team is dealing with someone who has already broken apart another team and they *know* she has support "all the way to the top."  She is transparently dismissive of their expertise, rude as all get out to everyone she runs into, and was willing to say - out loud - that the types of cases she wants to select are the ones that have "good optics" meaning she isn't even trying to hide her complete lack of morals.  So this crack team of profilers, upon hearing one short argument (which took nowhere near 20 minutes) that, frankly, seemed more like a draw at best rather than a win for JJ, decides "whew, dodged a bullet on that one, let's go celebrate."  Really?  About 2 minutes into meeting this woman they should have been documenting things like crazy.  Things she said, things she did, recording their meetings with her, etc.  It's not paranoia if she's really out to get you.

 

THEN.  She throws her weight around reassigning people hither and yon.  I have news for her.  The FBI?  Not the military.  People don't have to just go wherever you send them and take on any old job you assign.  Reid is a genius and could walk out into a better job within minutes.  They ALL have options which are about 1000% more appealing than going along with her plans and meekly accepting the new roles she has assigned them.  Maybe the mass resignations would play into her hands but life is too short to put up with that when you have other options for putting food on the table.  Furthermore, did the continuity fairy kidnap Reid's sponsor or whatever from Beltway Clean Cops? It was strongly implied that John was much higher in the FBI.  Does he have no influence?

 

I am also still annoyed that TPTB decided that JJ was the person to take over for Emily. She wasn't even a profiler until 5 years ago or so.  Or perhaps her lack of seniority was the point?  Ugh.