Sunday, July 29, 2007

CRIMINAL MINDS: AMANDA BERNERO


Criminal Minds: Amanda Bernero portrayed Rebecca Bryant in three Criminal Minds episodes. In "Fisher King, Part One" Rebecca was the victim the BAU was trying to save. In "Fisher King, Part Two" Rebecca was saved thanks to the wonderful fast thinking Dr. Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler. Unfortunately Rebecca Bryant was one of Frank's victims in "No Way Out, Part Two: The Evilution of Frank". Amanda did a wonderful job in all three episodes. What I will never forget is the conversation in the chat room after NWO 2. Ed Bernero killed off his daughter's character was the theme for much of the chat. I recently asked Mr. Bernero about this and he pointed out to me that Amanda had actually guest starred in more episodes than any other guest. Thinking about it later I realized that Frank's killing of the BAU's survivors was one of the things that actually made NWO 2 different from any other Criminal Minds episode and helped it to be the incredible episode it is. Thank you to Stacy for the screencaps of Amanda. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1057085/.

62 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't realize that Rebecca was his daughter. She did a great job and those were not easy scenes. The last one with Frank sent chills down my spine.

Anonymous said...

Great job by the young lady and I must admit that I did not know either. I was very impressed though with her performance. And heck yes Irma that scene scared the crap out of me too.

Anonymous said...

Well now we know that all the characters are fair game to Ed when it comes to producing the show. lol. She did a great job and I agree that this was not the easiest character to play. When Frank was talking with her pretending to be Gideon I think I was shouting at the tv set. You knew what was going to happen and you just wanted to reach into the set and save her. Poor Reid. His survivor died.

Anonymous said...

Are we sure that Frank is dead? Could he and Jane have jumped to the other side of the tracks before the train hit them? Maybe we need to have Hotch call the other survivors and warn them that a psycho loonie toon is on the loose and that Ed spares nobody when it is for the good of the show. Nicely done Ms. Bernero.

Anonymous said...

Too bad Rebecca died and not Gideon. Wouldn't that have made everyone's lifes easier? Sorry. Tacky. Nice job Amanda. Sorry for the touch of tack.

Anonymous said...

Allie: You only wrote what so many of us have been thinking. No apologies nec. in my opinion.

Amanda did a very good job and I can remember emailing you in shock that he killed her. Really great episodes. Some of the best.

I still say daddy shouldn't have killed her off.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Frank was trying to reach the other side. I think he knew death was the only way he could be sure that Jane never left him again. Of course with our show you never know. Only kidding. No way they lived. Our writers are good but not that good. We saw them jump straight infront of the moving train.

Carradine was brilliant in NWO 1 and 2. I never knew he was such a wonderful actor. Amanda Bernero did a great job acting in all the scenes but that one with Frank was especially great. It was a great episode. If your character has to bite the dust then better to do it in one of the greatest episodes. lol.

Anonymous said...

I loved NWO 2. Very nice job by Amanda. She surely did go out in a good episode.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to anyone who doesn't think it was funny but I loved Allie's comment. NWO 2 did leave the door open to ending the Gideon character once and for all. I can think of 20 scenerios off the top of my head and I don't have a tenth the talent of our writers. I hated seeing Rebeca get killed off. I can't think of a worse way to hurt the BAU then to take down someone they had already saved. Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't she Reid's first save?????

Great job by Ms. Bernero. Shame on you Ed. Only kidding! We love ya!

Anonymous said...

I am another fan who didn't realize she was Mr. Bernero's daughter. I guess talent runs in the family because she was really good.

slashgirl said...

Maura said:

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't she Reid's first save?????

Actually, Reid saved Lila in "Somebody's Watching" which took place before the fisher king. I think Lila is his first save on the series, iirc.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for clarifying that slashgirl. It is hard to remember anything from that episode except the kiss.

Anonymous said...

AB did a very good job. What is her next project going to be? New series perhaps?

Anonymous said...

ooooohhhh the kiss! What a great episode that one was for Reid lovers. Okay that is not the subject of the post but I will be thinking about the kiss now when I go to bed. Thanks for the reminder. Lovely job done by Ms. Bernero. Ahhh the kiss. Goodnight everyone.

Anonymous said...

Oh our loveable nerd did save her but maybe telling the others about the bomb would have been useful. Morgan was awesome in that scene. Poor nerdish Reid with his pants on fire. Amanda has really been in some great scenes. She looks really young. Very good job and obviously has lots of potential. Maybe one day her dad will be the Executive Producer of a show she is starring in. That would be really cool. All in the family.

Anonymous said...

Yes, she did an incredible job on all the episodes! Well, the apple doesn't fall too far from the talent tree in the Bernero family. Hope we can see her in something else in the near future!

Riccie said...

Ok. I won't even try to pretend I know what the storyline is about. I'm still a Bobby girl :) But I did want to drop in and say hello and hope all is well...

Anonymous said...

He did kill her off but he gave her a role in three of the best episodes. Well done on her part. Those could not have been easy scenes.

Anonymous said...

Great job Amanda!

Anonymous said...

Frank was so convincing as Gideon. I guess a pyschopath knows how to assume many roles. I too wanted to yank her butt out of the room the minute I saw it was him sitting there with her. Poor Rebecca. She was our prize in FK2. Really good job by Ms. Bernero.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that I am not the only one who wanted to scream at her to run. My boyfriend told me to calm down because no way would Mr. Bernero kill his daughter's character. WRONG! He usually is wrong but I love him anyway. I thought she was fantastic in that scene. He must have been so proud of her.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Bernero did a great job in NWO2 but I think she really did a great job in the Fisher Kings. Those were our best episodes in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

I should probably sign this as anonymous because nobody is going to like reading this but I liked the character of Frank. He was great to watch. I loved how he was always just half a step ahead of the unit. He was as smart, if not smarter than Gideon and when he was in an episode you always knew that it was not just going to be good but it was going to be great. It took seven of them to catch him. Great episodes they were. Congrats to Ms. Bernero on her exc. acting ability. Congrats to Ed on having such a talented daughter.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Bernero did a great job in all three episodes but I am voting (are we voting) for her performance in No Way Out #2. I am sure that she meets celebrities everyday of the week but working in a scene with them is different and the kid held her own and did a great job. Kudos to her!

Anonymous said...

Amelia: Don't feel badly. We never did see any Frank bits on the tracks. You never know what the writers may have up their sleeves. I add my congrats to everyone else's for Amands.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful performances!

Anonymous said...

Color me stupid too because I did not know who she was either. Thanks Jill for the info. I will keep my eyes out for her next project.

Anonymous said...

I remember the email that went around work after the episode. I think the title was Bernero killed Rebecca. Someone wondered if Amanda had failed to do the dishes so he killed her character. Of course we were jesting but I think there were many of us that never believed she would die even when we realized she was in the room with Frank. Rather silly of us. She was just another character.I think we just felt invested in her because of the FKs. Great job on her part for making us invested. Great writing.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know she was his daughter either. It was sad to see her die after all the hard work Reid and everyone else put in to save her in FK.

I also felt a small connection to her because of her name and Reid saved her. LOL!!!

Anonymous said...

They did work so hard to save her. Great acting job by Amanda. Great episodes period.

Anonymous said...

OMG the last scene with Gideon and Garcia sitting there and then the little girl on the phone telling him that she was safe. Cried like a baby. I loved NWO2. My favorite episode by far. Rebecca never stood a chance. If you were alone in a room with Frank you were going to get gutted like a trout. Great job by Amanda B.

Anonymous said...

Here's the limerick I wrote about Ed killing off Amanda!

There once was a CM writer named Ed
Who went where others might dread
He killed off his daughter
In a terrible slaughter
And left her lying there in her bed

Anonymous said...

I have figured it out. Gideon falls into a deep and INSTANT depression that the victims and his friend were killed and he jumps in front of the next train that came down the tracks while they were still cleaning up the tracks that Frank was mashed on. No that won't work because we saw him later inside with Garcia like someone else posted. Okay lets try this one. He has nightmares about Rebecca Bryant (so Amanda gets another episode) and then blows his own brains out. We can get the Gideon storyline over with and see Rebecca Bryant for another episode and have all that done in the first 15 minutes and then move on to brighter things than Gideon. I add my appreciation for Ms. Bernero's portrayal of Rebecca. Very good job!!!

Anonymous said...

Lori- That is a great one. I need to go back and read the entries.

Anonymous said...

I did see that limerick and it was very funny. Well done Lori and congrats to Amanda for her wonderful job. We are a hard group to please and you did it three times. That should have gotten you an Emmy.

Anonymous said...

Oh he is dead. He has to be. They just saved us from seeing the blood and guts. Very nice job by Ms. Bernero as Rebecca Bryant.

Anonymous said...

Great job.

Anonymous said...

Oh sure Frank is dead. I like the different ideas for killing off Gideon. Creative juices seem to be flowing on this one. Here is my idea: Gideon blows his brains out because he can't face his internal demons anymore. Someone said that it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes but my way is quicker. The lead in to the episode is the back of Gideon and a gun going towards his head and a shot rings out. Cut to black. Commercial. Then we see the BAU unit with a line across the screen that reads "a month later" and it is over and we move on. Amanda did a great job and I almost feel guilty mentioning MP's character in the same comment as the young lady's kudo but I had to jump into the conversation.

Anonymous said...

Okay I want to jump in also but first I want to comment on the great job Amanda did in all three of her episodes. Very strong performances.

Can't we just have Gideon leave the building and then never mention him once EVER like we did with Elle. I like that idea. Nobody even notices he is gone. It works for me. I would just as soon not waste the airtime on him. And for the sake of all things holy which one of our darling actors would we want to force to do a scene with that man right now. None of them deserve it. Which one of our writers would have to write the scene for him! I'll write it....we interrupt this broadcast of CM so that MP can apologize to the world for the screwing he gave everyone this month. Oh sorry MP forgot to show up today so again there will be NO statement made on behalf of MP.

Criminal Minds Fan said...

Okay. I am jumping in for the sake of getting everyone back on track. I know that many people are still upset over recent events but we really need to try to put it behind us. It is over. Whatever the writers come up with to explain Gideon's departure will be great. Lets just move on. If you need to vent then the place to do it is our Yahoo Group. I would like the blog and the website to move on but I am respectful of how many of you feel. The Yahoo group is still discussing the situation and I have no problem with it. I really do respect your feelings and share most of them too and I am not trying to censor you but lets vent there instead. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Amanda on such outstanding performances.

Anonymous said...

Great job Amanda.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful performances by Ms. Bernero and I would say that her scene with Keith Carradine was my favorite as it is with so many of the other posters.

Anonymous said...

I think that Frank is certainly dead. I think Amanda did a very good job as Rebecca.

Anonymous said...

True and funny story. When the episode aired we watched it as a family. At the end of the episode my son said "Isn't that the Producer's daughter that was killed?" to which my husband gave him a glare and in almost a whisper said "See what happens if you get a C in Biology". I almost died laughing. It was a great family moment. No the C. That sucked. Amanda certainly proved herself to be an accomplished actress. I think all three of her episodes were tough ones. I would love to know how she liked working with Carradine. They were great in that scene together.

Anonymous said...

Is it just me or does she not look just like her dad? She did a really good job. Chilling scenes. Well written and well acted.

Anonymous said...

I think the scene with Frank was the most disturbing of her scenes but I think her scenes in FK One were her best scenes.

Jill: Any idea on what her next tv show or movie is?

Anonymous said...

Well I deserve a pinch as well because I had no idea who the actress was but I thought she did a great job. Well we certainly know she didn't get the part because of a daddy gift. The lady can really act very well. How nice to have such a gifted daughter. I know how nice it feels when my 8 year old does so well in her dance recitals. No pride is greater than seeing your child accomplish something great. Good for Amanda and her parents.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if she has been formally trained to act or if she has picked it up by being around actors all these years. I would think she would have had to be born with the gift and cultivated in one of those two ways. NWO 2 was so good. Such a perfect episode. No misteps, no lull. It was perfect.

Anonymous said...

I will come out of lurkdom because I so did like the Fisher King shows. Good job by the actors.

Anonymous said...

I thought I was going to jump out of my skin when he was there and she was on the phone and omg it was so scarey and you just wanted to scream. That one scene was an example of how freakin great this show is. Where the hell are our Emmy nominations? Amanda was great but Carradine not being nominated is just beyond my comprehension. The show not being nominated I blame on the freakin wind bag press. But our writers on their worst day stomp the other shows down to mulch. NWO 2 was an incredible episode. No other show on tv has produced an episode that could hold a candle to it. Amanda should be very proud of her skills and I hope she knows that we hated seeing her die but she did it very well!

Anonymous said...

Jill, to reiterate a previous post, if you know of any further projects for AB, would you let us know?

She did a fantastic job in the FK eps and also NWO2 which I just watched recently. I'd love to see her in more stuff.

Anonymous said...

I do remember being surprised that her character was killed. I really do just repeat was has already been noted that the three episodes Amanda Bernero guest starred in were three of our best. That couldn't have been an easy character to play and she did a great job. Lovely!

Anonymous said...

Great job ny Ms. Bernero but I am going to buck the popular opinion and also go with the Fisher King episodes as my favorites that she was in. Since they are clearly my favorite episodes.

Anonymous said...

Bravo to Ms. Bernero on her great performances and I too look forward to seeing her future work.

Anonymous said...

The scene with Frank pretending to be Gideon scared me to death and thank goodness I am not alone in having yelled at her to get out of the room. My husband thought I had lost my mind but it was a knee jerk reaction. Fabulous performaces by Ms. Bernero. I am sure that she has a very bright future ahead of her.

Anonymous said...

Well done Amanda!

Anonymous said...

If Ed knew then what he knows now then Amanda's character would have lived and Gideon would have been toasted on those train tracks! She did a really good job.

Anonymous said...

When she called him Agent Gideon I almost screamed too. I guess it was a common emotion. I am cracking up reading everyone's comments. Emotions seem to be running high. The new season will be here soon as we won't even remember all this fuzz. I am sorry that Amanda won't be joining us for the new season. I checked her IMDB link you posted but it did not say what she is currently working on. Maybe she still in school and not working now. Full of talent though and hopefully she will stay with acting.

Anonymous said...

I always seem to have a different opinion than everyone else. FK2 was my favorite of her's.

Anonymous said...

Great job Amanda!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful episodes with a very talented guest star. Congrats Amanda.