Tuesday, August 07, 2007

CRIMINAL MINDS: HOW DO WE......


Criminal Minds: In a previous thread some people expressed a desire to have more scenes with Garcia in our Criminal Minds episodes to which other posters said that since she is the tech person and not a profiler that it could not happen. Never say never. How could Garcia reasonably get more screen time without totally changing her character?

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

She could be called upon to set up a data analyst/tech office that is closer to the crime scene, especially those where technical expertise is required(as in The big game/Revelations.

As an analyst her role would be equally as important to the team and the phone bills would be a lot less if she was with the team, rather than back at Quantico!!!

respectanimals said...

Computers are everywhere in today’s society, from the phone company, to social security records, to private homes, to flooring companies, to pet grooming companies, to warehouse inventories, to airports, to the Post Office, etc. etc. so the possibilities for gaining screen time for Garcia are basically endless. There are also numerous different databases out there with pertinent information that a FBI agent could take advantage of, but they might not know which databases exist, much less be able to hack into them. Garcia’s talents not only get the team answers that help them to do their job better, but she does it very quickly. And the fact that she is willing to break the rules, can write her own computer programs and has a hacker mentality, makes her an indispensable resource for the team. The writers have done a fabulous job in the past thinking of ways to fit Garcia into each episode, and when they finally get around to centering one around her, there are numerous computer geek movies (Hackers, Antitrust, etc.) which they could steal a few ideas off of.

Then there are the more personal scenes, like when she has had conversations with Reid about Nathan or his mother or when she was there in the season finale with Gideon. Those type of scenes can fit into any situation or episode and can include any character.

With the exception of rare instances such as what happened in the episodes Riding the Lightning and The Fisher King 2, I don’t think moving Garcia out to the field would make much sense, as she has her own incredibly hi-tech workstation back at Quantico. She is GOD there! LOL! I think that’s where they need her to be most of the time.

Anonymous said...

I can't really see her anywhere but at Quantico, but one way would be to have her whole arsenal travel with her and let her work with the gang as they travel accross the country. But then I (and I think others, as well) would miss her perfect ways to answer the phone. A lot of the chemistry between her and the rest of the group would be lost in that.

The Boss said...

I do like JJ & Garcia , great characters - its their role in the team as semi-outsiders that make them so endearing and intriguing,(And a little different than the others!) This has worked very well up untill now. Don't fix it if it aint broken. Leave them as they are

Anonymous said...

I liked the few times that Garcia was in the field. She was awesome in Riding the Lightning.

Visiting Death Row is not in my job description.

She could pop out with them on a few more cases.

Anonymous said...

I think she could be in more of the meetings that they have at headquarters, have more phone calls with Morgan and travel with them more.

I don't think any of those things would change her character.

I thought she had a great part in the season finale.

Anonymous said...

I don't recall her being in the jet with the rest of the family. One or two trips a season?

Anonymous said...

I think she has a perfect amount of screen time as it is because the time she does get is SO captivating. But if they did want to give her more time I simply like when she gets out and about around the office. Walking to the bathroom, stopping in the break room, sitting on Reid's desk chatting with Morgan. She is by far my 2nd favorite character!

Lee :)

Anonymous said...

While I would love to see more of Garica/Kirsten, I don't want them to shoehorn her into episodes, or radically changing her job just for screen time. It would be interesting to see her teaching students at the FBI academy or at another agency like Gideon and Reid in Somebody's Watching.

Anonymous said...

I think that the suggestions already suggested are really good. It would be just nice to see her even for a few more minutes an episode. It was so exciting when they moved her to the round table.

I like the plane idea.

dearlydead said...

Quanity is not necessarily quality. I like the time she is given now. Garcia is not a profiler. I don't see any reasonable way to give her more time without compromising quality.
imho
-DD
P.S.Thank you, Shemar! ;)

Anonymous said...

You all are correct--she is in her kingdom in her computer room. BUT, one of the people in the KV yahoo group suggested that she could be the victim of a stalker. She would still be in Quantico, but maybe we would see her home, and more scenes in/with Esther, her way cool car.

Anonymous said...

I think a lot of her charm comes from the fact that you are left wanting more... I think that if she got too much screen time she would have to become more serious and she would loose that spark that we love so much...

On CSI I loved Greg Sanders when he was in the lab... now that he is a CSI he just isn't as much fun...

That being said I think a Garcia centric show or two would be fab!

Anonymous said...

I'm not one for accepting a lot of change right now with Mandy leaving and all that going on but a few extra moments of Garcia on the screen would be refreshing. I think it could be quite easy actually. An extra phone call or a more regular trip for her out of the office. Also, we have never had her featured in any episode although we have had every other character including J.J. have one. Maybe just one Garcia episode and then a few bleeps extra would be very nice.

Anonymous said...

They were able to work her in incredibly well into the main scheme in "No Way Out, Part Two". I know that shouldn't happen in every episode but a larger role in an episode now an then would be awesome as long as it wasn't being just done to do it. I think the writers are talented enough to pull it off very nicely.

I do agree with the notion of if it is not broken then don't fix it as someone else posted but right now our show is a little bit broken and adjustements are going to have to be made anyway so this could work.

Anonymous said...

Even a few more minutes would be cool.

Anonymous said...

Garcia is my favorite character. I would love for her to have more air time. But I agree it wouldn't work for her to leave her computer sanactury or drag her stuff out to the fields. More phone convos would be a great starting point and they should deveolp her relationships with the rest of the cast. I would love to see her and Reid deveolp more of a friendship (I would personally like a Reid/Garcia pairing but I doubt that will happen. But yes a Garcia centric episode is long overdue. Oh Oh prehaps she could discover Reid's drug problem if he so does have one.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty much in agreement with RespectAnimals -- well said!

I do have the impression that cyber-related crimes are on the rise -- or maybe that's just because there's a new ep of "To Catch a Predator" almost every night. And even more traditional rimes probably contain more computer elements -- chat rooms, web sites, on-line bill pay, etc. I can easily see Garcia bringing a little more into every investigation. A minute here, thirty seconds there -- it all adds up to more Garcia goodness.

And yeah, I'd love to see at least one Garcia-centered ep, too.

Anonymous said...

I also agree with respectanimals.

Many child predators and serial killers are meeting their victims in chat rooms and the like. It is in the news almost everyday. I think that Garcia's role could be expanded naturally in this fashion.

Anonymous said...

Very true. I read yesterday that My Space is checking their database for convicted sex offenders and they have found that some of their members are on the government's lists. That could be a story for Garcia. I think that snagging a few extra minutes for Garcia would not be hard or out of the show's main vision at all.

Also, an extra phone call here and there would be very cool!

Anonymous said...

Or the recent case that was on MSN news this week of the teenager who had an online relationship with a pedophile she met on line and then she met him and then killed herself.

CM does stories like this all the time so our favorite tech kitten should work herself well into those types of stories.

I don't want her to all of a sudden take center stage because that would seem weird but I think she could be expanded.

Anonymous said...

love everyone's ideas.

Anonymous said...

I think it would be much easier to add lines for J.J. than for Garcia. J.J. already has a larger role and she travels with the team.

Anonymous said...

Even a few extra minutes would be great with me. How hard come that be?

Anonymous said...

I think her computer skills and sharp wit could be working into a couple of extra minutes a show. With Mandy gone there should be some extra time.

Unknown said...

I think a Garcia-centric episode is in order. We know very little about the BAU's tech goddess, and I think the show's writers have the skill and creativity to pull off an episode that would show the audience who the woman behind the computer screens really is.

As for a potential story line, I have an fairly reasonable idea. The BAU could be called out to a city where children/teenagers have gone missing shortly after having contact with an online predator. (This is very much a social issue in today's society, which would make it all that more terrifying.) The online predator could turn out to be a former college professor or mentor of Garcia's. We could see her combating this online predator and the frustration and heartbreak that would come with such an emotional case.

I think a story line similar to this would allow Kirsten to shine.

Just my $0.02 CDN. :)

Anonymous said...

I think some of the ideas I have read are really good and I hope we do get even just a little bit more Garcia and J.J. in the next season.

GuBlerLoVerR494 said...

Lori's idea is GREAT!

GuBlerLoVerR494 said...

gotta give props to Rebecca as well. those ideas are excellent!

Anonymous said...

I think that you gals all came up with really creative ideas for Garcia. I would love to see some of them play out on the show.

Anonymous said...

We really only know tiny bits and pieces about Garcia's life. I bet the writer could up with something awesome for her.

Anonymous said...

In our world tech smart people rule. I love how smart she is and the ideas suggested could be really cool to watch. Kirsten would do a great job I bet.

Anonymous said...

Kirsten did such a great job with Garcia in NWO-2. I think that giving her scenes like those every few shows would be great.

Anonymous said...

An extra few moments here and there whether a phone call or a few extra lines would be lovely.

Anonymous said...

Garcia is the one thing that everyone in this fandom agrees about. She is so awesome and I would love any extra time they gave to the character.

Anonymous said...

I vote for more phone calls. They don't even have to be with Morgan. Garcia is great on the phone with all of them.

Anonymous said...

Slap a minute or two extra in and you will have made me a happy duck. Love Garcia.

Anonymous said...

I really have to agree with all the possibilities for tech to be written into the stories more. I think that there are so many ways to write Garcia a larger part. I hope they decide to do that.

Anonymous said...

Garcia is such a multi complex character. She is funny but she is also a tech genius, she does help in cases by using a fresh pair of eyes and she has a sharp brain. We could definately use more Garcia!!

Anonymous said...

Love love love Garcia. I would beg for just a few extras Garcia moments.

Anonymous said...

I love the suggestions!!