Criminal Minds: Please use this thread to discuss "Distress" written by Oahn Ly and starring Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Mandy Patinkin, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness and Paget Brewster?
**BEWARE OF SPOILERS***
****THIS IS THE SPOILER THREAD FROM IT'S FIRST AIRING. PLEASE ADD ANY NEW THOUGHTS YOU HAVE HERE***
83 comments:
commercial. so far so great.
pretty good, way too many commercials. I had two brothers in Iraq in 2003, so I kinda know how wars can mess someone up. I was hoping for more Reid though. He was acting like a jerk. Gotta Love It!
Loved it. I think the music set the tone for this one. And poor Reid is melting down slowly. Couldn't believe he snapped at Prentiss.
how did it end ?
I loved the scene with Garcia photoshopping Morgan. She is so cool. I felt bad for this unsub even though he was a killer.
I thought it was a good episode. Vert sneaky of the writers to pair up Reid and Prentiss, cause really Prentiss doesn't know Reid that well. I believe he's going through a withdrawal, cause some of the symptoms were yawning, irritableness, figiting. So yeah, I believe that's what going on.
The writers god bless them,lol. They so know what they are doing with the drug storyline.
Besides Reid, I felt so bad for the man that was suffering through PTSD, it has got to be scary. I never suffered through it, but I did feel the guys pain.
Can't wait for next week!
I thought the episode was very good and very sad. It certainly struck home with me since we have a war going on now. I like how they humanized the American Veteran. They showed how good people can go over the edge like Reid is doing with the drugs. I liked the symbolism.
Reid was late to the meeting, first off. Then on the plane, when they're talking about who is going to do what, when that woman offers to help Reid and he gets all snarly, saying he can do his job. Hotch says that she will help him...and my god, I think Reid's gone from *kitten glare* to *lion cub glare* Tee hee. His hair was messy and stuff, too. He's twitchy through the ep too.
GREAT Morgan/Garcia phone talk tonight. When he first calls, she asks if he's lonely in the lone star stat and then if he's wearing chaps. He says the only place she'll see him wearing chaps is in her dreams. She's like...maybe not, I've got photoshop. Then at the end of the convo he said he'd better not find any photoshopped pics and she tells him he'd never find them.
Reid being all brusque and stuff at the homeless shelter and then his telling that woman off outside the shelter. GO! Reid. "You don't really know what you're talking about, do you Emily."
Hotch was so very Hotchly tonight (and he definitely noticed Reid's attitude on the plane). And the man must be psychic after he says the unsub needs to make a mistake? *gasp* he makes one.
How surprising. That woman speaks spanish. Liked Hotch with the little girl.
I'm gonna have some H/R caps tonight. Yay.
Loved Hotch and Gideon at the end. Even got a Hotch smile. Loved that Hotch knew where Gideon would be. Those two KNOW one another.
Really amused by Reid with an attitude...This episode was just sad. That poor man. I am so sorry he died.
New concept for us all to not just hate the unsub. I liked it. I thought it will now make us think before we rush to quick judgement. I hate that they shot him. Loved Gideon going to go see Reid.
Wow, this was a great episode. I thought the twist of trying to save the unsub was really cool.
Loved the Morgan/Garcia phone call! I WANT to see those pics!!! *Lol*
Looking fwd to next week
Loved it. Like how they're handling Reid's problems and I thought it was great that he told Prentiss off like he did.
I'm just hoping the story line doesn't drag on forever!
Enjoyed the rest of the story tonight, too.
Yeah, Reid was disheveled in general - I mean much more than usual. No good shot of his fingernails, tho. LOL.
I still don't know about the drug storyline. I assume he's taking them, although I'm still confused about the timeline. He HAD to have had at least a couple of weeks off work after the kidnapping, and if he started taking the drugs he lifted from Tobias (just 2 vials) right away, you'd think he'd have run out of that pretty quick. Is he buying off the streets? Probably pretty easy to hook up if you're in the FBI.
Really waiting anxiously for next week! If my DVR doesn't record it again, I will shoot it! (Is that a sign of decompensating? If so, I'll start wearing a hooded shirt/jacket right away.)
Realy good episode. Very contemplative. I have never seen one where the unsub affected the entire team the way he did. But, he wasn't a normal unsub--he thought he was in a war zone. I hated it that the SWAT guy killed him in the end.
Reid was really showing some attitude and you saw the whole team noticing it. He really nailed Emily with the "you don't really know me" line when she commented that he wasn't acting like himself.
They are taking it slow with Reid, which is realistic. It takes a while for people to notice erratic behavior in drug abusers because they are good at hiding it. I can't wait to see how they resolve the issue!
Gideon was great as usual. Loved the scene with Morgan where he said that someone was going to have to go down in the sewer (and you knew it wasn't going to be him)! And Morgan saying he was going to put in for hazard pay and Gideon saying, "good luck with that" was a hoot.
Garcia and Morgan just move the earth they are so good and Garcia would have no problem making those pics.
I just watched the episode again. Thank goodnes for recordable devices. LOL! Anyway, when Reid walked in late and then Morgan looked at him, just look at Reid's face, he's off in never never land. He seems very out of it. I love the way he looked. Then toward the end, when Hotch was in the room with Reid talking about the unsub re living his nightmare, Reid is like "yeah." RED FLAG Hotch! Hotch just walks out the room. I'm looking forward to more episodes. Love this show!
Oh, and Garcia is hilarious. Loved that line about he'll never find the photoshop pictures. LOL!
I give the episode a B+ and not an A because I want to see the conclusion of the drug storyline and I am worried we are going to leave the season with hanging over us. Loved the lighting and the acting.
I don't think I could handle all summer without a conclusion.
Lori nailed my favorite scene. Morgan and Gideon at the sewer. I loved it. You Sooooo knew when the words left his mouth that he was NOT going to be the one going down. I like how they play lines off of Gideon.
It was a wake up call to have feelings for this unsub. I guess they wanted us to remember that not all killers are born with mental defect. This poor unsub went into the bowels of hell and did not come out whole on the other side.
Good episode and the music was a great selection.
Surely this will wrap before the season ends. I like the shows that are dealing with it but Reid on drugs is not the same summertime project that Fisher King was. I don't want a soap opera. I liked the episode but I need some closure here.
It was obvious from the moment we saw Reid in the episode that something was not right with him. I think given the trauma he just went threw that the team probably attibuted his "off" behavior to that. I do not think he was "off" enough yet for them to suspect drugs. Gideon knows Reid has a problem and I think he will be the one to piece it together.
I need to rewatch it. Not sure how I felt about it yet.
At least we had Garcia back even if we did not have a resolution to the Reid drug thing. I liked the episode but it is not going on my favorites list. I did like the fact that the other characters actually got air time this episode. Love Reid but enough is enough. This is taking way too long.
Great ep.
Yeah, Jan. Be careful about wearing anything with a hood. Dead giveaway that you're the unsub! (Kind of like red-shirted engineering guys in Star Trek.)
As a newbie to the show I think there are things I do not understand.
1. What is the relationship between Reid and Gideon?
2. Why is Reid so mean to Prentiss?
I liked the show and I am really glad that I started watching it. I hope you all are not made about all my questions. I am just trying to sort it out in my head.
I can never remember our Yahoo Group chat being as full and quiet as it was last night. I also actually rewatched the episode this evening. I wanted to rewatch it before commenting.
I think the episode accomplished exactly what it needed to. It took us back to the criminal case being the focus of the show.
It has become obvious without being loud that Reid has a real problem. I like that they portray his downward spiral muted and life like.
We got our Garcia and Morgan moments which we all treasure so much. I am not a shipper. I just like the relationship, whatever it is, that these two have. Garcia would so have pictures of Morgan. No doubt.
We finally got our Gideon back which of course thrilled me. I agree with those who posted before me that you knew asap who was going down the sewer and it was a very Gideon like scene.
We learned to be compassionate to even the unsubs which I don't ever think we were shown before. Not a bad life lesson to remember.
I especially liked how not only did Hotch know where Gideon had gone but that most of us long time watchers also knew it. Gideon and Hotchner understand each other better than any other of the characters. And Gideon knows Reid.
I think next week is going to be great. This week was a solid episode. Spmetimes the best episodes are the ones that take you a minute to think about. :)
Mona: So sorry. I almost forgot to answer your questions. Reid is basically a prodigy and student of Gideon's. I think Gideon cares about him like he would his own son.
Reid normally has gotten along fine with Prentiss. His snarkyness was a sign to us that everything was not alright with him. Reid before the drugs was an exceptionally polite person and in this episode we sure did not see polite. :)
Reid is amazing upset like that. He is absolutely riveting. I wish he had more lines though.
We are a year behind in episodes. I would die without your blog to keep me hyped up and excited. Thanks.
I can't wait to get home from work tonight, CM got bumped by American Idol this week (on Canadian TV, go figure that one) so my friend taped it for me last night. I can just about guarantee I'll be watching at east three times tonight. I'm a Reid girl, but I can't wait to see poor Morgan when he finds out he's going sewer diving. GAG. Do they actually show Garcia doing photoshopping, or just joke about it?
Mona, Ask as many questions as you want. I've never seen one go unanswered here. More questions equals more fans, more fans equal more shows. Everybody's HAPPY.
Not to mention, one of Jill's pet peeves is people just looking and not talking, so keep the conversation going.
Still can't signin right, so
LoraLee.
I liked this ep. Except for Reid being snarky (and I *like* Reid with some bite to him!), it felt like more back to the old team than it has in a while. Gideon was more involved, a little warmer than he has been. And we got our Garcia goodness back. (Photoshop chaps! I wanna see!) I missed her last week.
I thought it was really interesting, as others have, that they didn't make the unsub evil or unsympathetic. They did the same in "Sex, Birth, Death" in a totally different way. And actually, a great many of their unsubs you get enough backstory on to know why they are like they are and to be a little sympathetic. (Tobias stands out on that front.)
I thought they pulled a couple punches with their veteran. One, he could easily, and probably more realistically, have been just back from Iraq. And two, when his friend said he tried to get him to go for counseling at the veteran's hospital, the correct response would have been, "They told him there was an 18-month waiting list." Which there actually, shamefully, really is, even if vets say they're suicidal. I guess I can understand them not wanting to get political with it ... but we did an ep about Muslim terrorists at Gitmo ...
I love that Reid's getting more camera line, but to be honest, the whole recovery story line is annoying me. I guess if they were going to cover the problem, I wanted them to do it full-on -- I wanted to have seen Reid stuck in the office for three eps on crutches, surrounded by knowledgable support. I did *not* want to see the team of the smartest profilers in the country *again* failing to respond to behavioral clues in one of their own teammates. I thought the Elle story line was badly handled and unbelievable, and they're headed down the same path. And God help me, I can already hear Gideon, at the end of Reid's torturous breakdown, comforting him with something like, "We couldn't help you until you were ready to help yourself" or some such. Rarrrr! But then, I knew from the first spoiler I was going to hate this story line.
Now I have to go back and watch Reid snarking at Emily, because my DH called in the middle of it. Men!
There it is. I have wanted to post about this episode since last night but couldn't put my feelings into words but Lin made a light bulb go off in my head. Thanks Lin because I have been frustrated trying to figure this out. It is the drug story. I did not like it when it started and it is now tainting all the subsequent episodes for me. I thought last night episodes was good but I usually think they are great. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't embracing this episode like the others. CM is my show and I love it but now I see it is the continuation of the drugs that is holding me back. It needs to end.
Loved Garcia and her main man Morgan.
We got Gideon back to normal last night.
We thought the team was going to need therapy after they finally found Reid but instead we may all end up needing therapy. This simply can't go on for the rest of the season. :(
Thank you for the spoilers, I was dying to know what happend. Now I feel that I am not completly out of the loop. I got the quotes, I got gyst of the story, the amusing banter. It isn't the same as watching, but the cravings aren't as bad.
You have no idea what is was like last night knowing a new episode was on and I couldn't see it, I was pacing like a caged animal.
Criminal Minds Fanatic the patch for Criminal Minds Addicts.
OMG I have figured it out and I know what is going to happen. We all have been wondering why the writers have been writing Prentiss as such a cold fish. Well I think she is the one that figures it all out about Reid and then becomes a hero. How much you guys want to bet!
Saucy makes complete sense. Reid was hard on her last night. She goes to Hotch and tells him. Hotch goes to Gideon and they confront Reid and then Prentiss is a hero. I am not taking the bet because I agree with you.
Um, I actually liked Bitchy!Reid! and it was a good to see the *kitten glower* develop into a *lion cub glower* - although he has got a LONG way to go until he can do a proper Hotch *death glower*
And the twitchiness and snappiness could be stress, PTSD or drug problem - the CM CMs teasing us again.
Do we assume the team think he is getting counselling, support etc and are waiting for him to ask for help?
It could just be stress but Reid looked like he needed a bath and put on some clean clothes. That says drugs to me but maybe it is depression. Next week's episode looks good. Lets hope for answers then.
Reid is acting up.late for the meeting and how he snaped at everyone. they will find out hes on drugs, i mean, Hello! he works with a team of profilers.
But i still loved that show. id i still love MGG (reid)
Let me hear an amen if you think MGG is still hot. Amen!
I thought the episode was very good. The Reid thing is obvious and I did feel for him. How would we rebound if the same thing had happened to us. JJ does seem to be over it though and I would have thought she would still be seeing dogs.
Right on lin! I agree with you about the need to address the drug/PTSD issue head on instead of dragging it out. The cure may be long in coming but forward progress is important to us.
I liked the character of Reid but I do not like his present incarnation. I do understand it takes a while to catch on to a drug problem, but they absolutely had to suspect he had PTSD …duh! The only excuse I can give them, if it is the writer’s intent, is that the whole team except for Emily, is also suffering from it from just watching the torture. They are not ready to face it in themselves, perhaps?
What I see lacking in a number of episodes lately is any redemption. There has to be some good coming out of what the profilers do. How about a win for our team, and our psyche!
I guess what chews at me most is, remember the first episode? When Gideon had a trauma, he was off the team for what, six months? And then they watched him like a hawk when he came back. Doesn't anybody in the PTB remember Boston? It's never referenced, even though it's a critical part of Gideon's character. I don't mean they should dwell on it endlessly, but it would be nice if he showed some sign of identifying with others in the same position.
Poor Reid
This cap makes me want to cry. I know Reid is not real but he is on wednesdays and he is so pitiful looking in this cap. I really want to cry. I need our new episode to hurry along to chase away these blues.
I think what this episode was missing was at least some discussion between Hotch and Gideon about Reid - because those two are so close and know each other so well, there is no way they won't be talking about his behaviour.
And maybe they are sitting back and watching and waiting for him to talk to somebody. But the sad thing is, he DID try to talk to Morgan last week and got told, basically, that he should find the silver lining to his experience. So that would possibly make him reluctant to talk to anybody else - Hotch and Gideon are his boss and his mentor and he won't want to them to see any weakness.
Just my twopennorth anyway!
I think Gideon will figure it out and help him.
I liked the episode. Gideon was on the mark and Hotch was his normal wonderful self.
I agree that at this point Prentiss is going to be the one who makes the connection that something is seriously wrong. I've known people who've had problems with drugs and others with P.T.S.D., and Reid's behavior right now matches both scenarios, which makes sense because obviously both are going on. Everyone seems to have noticed the behavior; I think they're "giving him space," because he's their friend, when he really needs a major kick in the ass and a good counselor.
MGG said in the TV Guide article that he's afraid people are going to hate Reid. But the article also hinted that we're going to get some resolution this week. Hope, hope, hope.
LoraLee
I always trust that the writers will take care of us and I am putting Reid in their hands! :)
I loved this ep and thought Matthew Gray Gubler did such a good job.
and he looks great as well!
It was great rewatching it tonight.
This was a really good episode. The writers really do know what they're doing. Like with the Reid drug storyline. By looking at little details like him fidgeting. Genious.
It was a great rewatch!
On rewatch I noticed just how bad Reid looked. I don't think I realized it the first time around.
Paige:
I thought the same thing last night. I was shocked that I missed how in your face it was. I noticed he was drowning the first time around but it really hit home for me last night.
I loved it. poor reid. though why was Emily the only person who asked him why he was acting weird? I mean everyone else should have been the ones asking... they've known him for the longest. My dad continually throughout the episode (he teases me relentlessly for liking Reid) said "thats what becoming an addect will do to you, make you act like a teenager" It was so weird when Reid rolled his eyes though! So all in all I loved it.
I liked this episode in that it gave MGG a chance to add more layers to a complicated character like Reid.It's good to see Reid with a little more starch in him because it makes him more multifaceted and human.
This would be a great episode to submit for the Emmys for both MGG and the writer.
My take on a few things overall from Distress and related eps:
The Reid addiction arc was kinda-sorta resolved ("I'll never miss another plane" or whatever), although i think it was pretty lame. (I prefer to see problems dealt with - or at least explained - more directly, but that's just me.)
Reid and Prentiss aren't going to become buddies, regardless of the drug/PTSD resolution. Personally, I like a dynamic where 2 characters just don't like one another. Very RL.
MGG's acting is stellar. We keep talking about the writers, who are undeniably excellent, but I believe that MGG is bringing crisis!Reid to life himself, as an actor.
Reid should forget talking to Morgan about anything serious. He'll either rat on him to Gideon (nightmares), make fun of him, or come up with some platitude (this was like the 3rd time). Does Morgan just not know what to do with a prodigy/genius? He seems genuine enough with everyone else.
Although I intend to gorge myself on re-runs through the summer, I'm already in serious withdrawal for new eps! I hope the writers, actors, and other crew members have some good time off and rejuvenate themselves for another intense season of our favorite show!!!
I love the relationship between Hotch and Gideon. Great episode.
For me I loved so many things about this episode. I always love the phone conversations between Garcia and Morgan so that was a plus. Reid's demeanor and the way he came across in this one was so different then anything we are used to. Fascinating. Very well written. It held my attention all the way till the end. I had never seen this one before. I am happy with it. So glad that I got to see it.
Hard to believe that this was Oanh Ly's first episode. She is very talented. Hope she writes more for the show.
I didn't realize it was her first episode. That is totally cool and she did a great job. Distress could not have been an easy episode to write.
I finally got to watch Distress and the Finale tonight. I am never going on vacation to a place without tv again. Okay here goes: Distress was wonderful. I caught so much that I missed the first time around. I really missed the level of snarkyness from Reid. I loved it. Reading everyone else's comments shocks me. I am in awe that this was the writer's first script for the show. She nailed it down and took no prisoners.
I am really enjoying rewatching this one. Garcia's photoshop line to Morgan is a classic.
The flashback scenes were just awesome and poor Reid. Is it drugs or PTSD or both? We know now but they really did a great job of misdirecting us!
Great episode. Too many commercials. You'd think with all that ad money they could pay the writers.
I feel so bad for the ranger who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It seems so strange how the show can actually make us feel empathy for an unsub and not just the victims. Great writing and the cast was sooo good in this one. I loved how Gideon and Hotch were keeping an eye open on Reid. Whoever played his wife did a great job. You really believed her when she talked about her husband and his problems.
Love this episodes for many reasons. I like how they let Reid's problems take their time before manifesting him as a blown apart person. Drug addictions and/or PTSD are usually a slow process and those around you don't always figure it out right away. Also, the parallels between Sergeant Roy & Reid in regards to PTSD were amazing. I really appreciate how they worked that into the episode. Reid snarking at Prentiss was a shock. Loved it the first time around and again tonight.
I don't think I really caught just how fidgety he was in this episode until I rewatched it. It really hit me this time. He couldn't sit or stand still.
What I zoomed in more this time how he kept scratching his chin, neck and hands and he seemed so agitated the whole episode. It was the anti-reid. Definately should have known for sure that it was drugs then but I lingered in the beginning thinking it could be something else. Then you rewatch it and you know!
Dilaudid is definately not your average drug. Talk about a slow burning meltdown.
Garcia & her photoshop makes me laugh just thinking about what she could do to Morgan. Love those two. Good episode.
Reid's spiral down...down. Matthew did a fantastic job.
I remember how pissed off I was when they introduced the drug storyline and now it doesn't phase me. I love how they tell stories and take the characters places we would never imagine them. I have to agree that the parallels between the unsub and Reid were really well written. Of course Reid would never turn into an unsub.....or would he? *g*
I'll donate an extra $10 if we can see the photoshop pics of Morgan in chaps!
I enjoyed this one again. I had forgotten how cheeky Reid was to Emily. I also had forgotten just how terrible he looked in this episode. As if he had slept in his clothes dryer.
really great episode.
Oanh Ly did such a great job with her first episode. So many layers to this one.
The glances Hotch and Gideon shot to Reid when he came in late; the playfullness with Morgan and Garcia; Reid snapping at Emily; the poor unsub caught in a 1993 war zone in his mind; his wife just wanting him back safe and sound; his friend trying to bring him in from the field; and with lots of hindsight, groundwork being laid for Gideon's departure. I guess we can read that into lots of episodes from S2 with the benefit of hindsight; but the foreshadowing, whether intentional or not is there!
Great episode and way to go Oanh!
i like this one the first time i watch it. i have watch on my season 2 dvd many times and it was good to see on again tonight.
I have enjoyed this episode all three times now that it has aired. Good thing since if the strike isn't over soon I willl probably get to see it a few more times.
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