Criminal Minds: Please use this thread to discuss Criminal Minds' episode "Children of the Dark". What did you think of the episode? Criminal Minds spoilers....you have been warned!
*** Here is the original spoiler thread from the first airing***
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
CRIMINAL MINDS EPISODE "CHILDREN OF THE DARK" DISCUSSION & SPOILER THREAD.
Criminal Minds: Please use this thread to discuss Criminal Minds' episode "Children of the Dark". What did you think of the episode? Criminal Minds spoilers....you have been warned!
*** Here is the original spoiler thread from the first airing***
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119 comments:
I'm counting the hours.
We're having a CM & pizza party at our house tonight. Looking forward to seeing the episode.
i wanna see it, i wanna see it!!!
can't wait, but i'm not home tonight, so i'll tape it and watch it first cance i get!
OMG they made the kids watch as their parents were killed. I can't believe he let that guy into the house. How freaky. Home invasions are so scary to even think about. The opening scene was really great but eeew lights are going to be on in my house tonight.
JJ got to say the quote. I am so freakin happy!!!!
Love Reid knowing the stats for home inv in Colorado. Love Reid!! 18% just like he said.
Those poor kids watching mom and dad get beaten with a golf club. And the phones being out all over the neighborhood? I did not get that.
OHHHHHHHH PLLLLEAAASE let Garcia spank Morgan. The look on his face was awesome. She is just the best. The episode so far is great. I hate commercials. Poor dead people and poor dead cat.
Okay the first family was bad enough but the unsubs hearing that teenager beg to be given more freedom and credit and then seeing her open the door and then the fire poker and hearing a whack.
Great episode. Great! The cast looks great.
Carrie was so brave wanting to give her statement to JJ and Emily. She really did reach him emotionally. I can't believe they are going to use her to trap them. There are too many ads in this show. So many interruptions. He took her picture with him. Spooky crap for sure.
Prentiss was so caring with her.
This is great so far. I agree with everyone else. Hotch looked like he was thinking about his family when he was talking to Hotch about the home invasion risks.
Great so far!!
J.J. was certainly not happy with how Prentiss was handling things with the teen. Not at all. I thought the scene was great.
The whole episode is great. I agree with you Tina because I think Hotch was thinking about what would happen if his estranged wife opened the door and they were killed.
Loving every minute of this!
Abused kids ending up as abusers but is nothing new but this had a twist!
Can someone please tell me the title of the song that played at the end of this episode?
Thanks!
I'm speechless. Just speechless.
All I can say right now is....Morgan, I just fell in love with you (okay, so fell in love again). On so many levels. That scene was just......I had tears, literally, streaming down my face.
Amazing episode. Horrible, but amazing. 15/10 for me. Wow.
Shemar made me cry like a baby when he promised that boy he would never have to go back. EMMY performance. The cast was on the mark big time in this one. The writing was tight!
Prentiss wanting to adopt the girl was wonderful and J.J. telling her that she would be a good mom made me cry some more.
THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE SHOW. THE EPISODE WAS FANTASTIC!
Hotch needing to have his son woken up was it for me. Hell Allie, I cried almost the whole episode. Powerful writing. The cast was wonderful. The whole episode was about the case but about them as people who are compassionate. Loved this one!
Okay first off, the guy who played Gary, the actor I mean..PHENOMENAL!!! He honestly played a psycho so well, he even had the eyes down.
I wasn't too keen on the cop. He somehow seemed out of place to me.
Spencer got lost behind the column at the foster home. Did anyone else pick up on that? MGG is so skinny he turns sideways and disappears literally.
Emily amazes me. She is my second favorite character by far. She needs to know she is human, that moved me.
This was a great episode. Thank goodness. It had everything I love about the show so I can not complain. The case was great. I didn't like seeing the cat put to sleep. I can deal with people being murdered but not animal. :(
Lee
Okay how sweet was Morgan at the end? I thought that was soooo touching. He really cared about that boy. The freakin foster mother deserved to be shot. And I'm not normally a Prentiss lover but you could so feel for her at the end of this episode. Liked Garcia's answer on the phone and Morgan's look after it. It made me giggle. The one unsub was sooo sweet. He kinda made you want to give him a hug. That poor guy. I felt bad for Hotch at the end cuz he can't see his wife and little boy to know they were alright. I have to admit I liked the "restock the minibar," comment. Let's see... I give it an...8.9. Excellent to all on the show.
Reid figuring out that the boy was given the gun was good but I figured that out when the unsub said that they should let the boy decide what happens to his future. Plus they did not find a gun on the unsub.
I loved this one though. Prentiss showed a side of herself that I would never have imagined in a million years.
Prentiss and Morgan blew me away in this one. When he grabbed that crying boy I was talking to the tv telling Shemar that he is the best actor in the world.
This episode was over in just a few minutes. It flew by so quick. Great writing. Really great writing. I loved it all. Every minute of it was used to the fullest.
A+++++++!
CM at it's best tonight. It moved me to tears, gave me lots of insight into the characters I adore and held my attention so tight I could not move.
The kid wanted milk. When I saw that key around her neck I wanted to become an unsub and kill the witch. This was foster care abuse at its worst and so relevant to what is happening to so many kids in that system today. The writing was so great that I am still excited by the episode.
This is one of the best episodes I have ever seen.
It was one of the ten best episodes of the series. Every performance was sensitive. I don't know who to praise first-Paget? Shemar? the guest stars? Everyone was amazing.
-Dee
P.S. Thank you, Shemar!
This was a dark dark ep even among the usual dark episodes. Dead cats! Dead kids! violence and abuse! Yikes!
Lociloco
This one scared the crap out of me. I was praying he would let her live when he took her by the arm into the bedroom and then shocked that he did let her live.
Prentiss really was emotional in this one. Wanting to adopt her. That was great.
The whole thing was great but Shemar ruled the day with that last scene with the kid. He acted his ass off and he was so convincing.
amazing episode! everything about it. amazing acting, amazing story line. great balance between case and the profilers' personal lives (although i am always for going deepere into their personal lives!). great episode.
Dead cats. Dead kids. Dead parents. Abused foster kids. I agree it was dark but it was awesome. One of our best episodes. It was perfect.
Watching him use his knowledge of the key to manipulate the kids to get into his car really showed how abused kids have to learn to adjust to everything. He was raised by a monster and became one. Hotch missed his son. Prentiss wants a kid. Morgan is godlike around abused children. Great job by the writer and the cast.
Amazing episode. Spooky topic. I won't be opening my door to anyone again...ever!
Prentiss had the quote tonight.
Hmm. I think we need to go back to the mysterious unsub, makes it more interesting. I mean, not that this was boring, but I do like the added suspense. (I hated Colombo, btw)
On the plane, Hotch and Reid beside each other. Loved Reid's rambling about the Cleavers (from Leave it to Beaver) and if that reflected how those writers felt about suburbia. Hotch says "Focus, please." *G* Nice to see Ramblin' Reid back...
Great Garcia Morgan phone call. He calls her and tells her she's on speaker phone so she'd better behave. Garcia: "Or what, you'll spank me?" The look the cop gave him. *lol*
At the scene, I think Hotch KNEW that the unsubs weren't watching the parents die, I think he knew it was the kids.
Hotch saying, at the scene wehre the girl lived, about opening your door and everyone you love is gone.
Prentiss was good in this, but I really, really question letting the girl go in and talk to the unsub. It worked, but yeesh.
Oh, and the thing with picking the foster kids up at the school--why didn't they (or get the foster mother too) CALL THE SCHOOOL AND KEEP THE KIDS AT THE OFFICE. *sigh* such an obvious plot hole/plot device.
Prentiss wanting to take the orphan teen girl home with her--and her and JJ on the plane--femmeslash, anyone? I can see those two together. *G* ALthough I can kinda see JJ/Garcia as well.
Poor Hotch at the end, calling the bitch so he could hear Jack's voice. Poor Hotch, he really needs a hug. From Reid.
Oh, yes Hotch co-wrote the text book on Hostage negotiations. I'll have to go back later and check--did he say he worked as one as well? *twitch* More time line fun. The writers are out to drive me mad.
Overall this was an okay ep. Lots of Hotch and a fair bit of Hotch/Reid (thank you!) and you can never go wrong with Hotch in Kevlar with his gun.
Oh, yes, and Reid got to go on the raid tonight. *G*
Making the kids watch their parents die was really hard for me. I liked the episode.
LOVED it.
I love JJ and Prentiss and Morgan and it was a great show for all of them.
More of this, please. So much more interesting than last week.
Wow! I am almost speechless. What an awesome episode. It had everything -- everything that makes CM so fabulous, and then some!
I've had a bit of trouble adjusting to knowing who the unsub is before the team does, but it occurred to me tonight -- we're getting another look at the criminal mind -- from the INSIDE. It gives me chills. How clever. I'm totally into it now.
Ed, the writers, cast, crew...everyone...BRAVO!!
Oh Stacy, you make me smile in so many ways. I also totally thought of femmeslash. We'll see.
Lee
This was such a great episode! Creepy but great! Bravo to all!
Great episode! They just keep getting better and better!
The unsubs were creepy--at first I thought the guy in the suit was going to be the nicer one and the other guy the pure whack job, but they switched on us! Just goes to show that appearances can be deceiving.
There was lots to love about Prentiss and Morgan this week.
Prentiss wanting to bring Carrie home with her and JJ saying that she can see Prentiss with kids--kind of made up for JJ jumping all over Prentiss when Carrie went in to talk to the unsub.
Morgan hugging the boy at the end was wonderful. He really showed his sensitive side this week and how strongly he feels about children being abused, be it physically or mentally!
I felt so bad for Hotch--at the end calling Hayley and wanting her to wake Jack up so he could hear his voice. I guess they must have had some contact, but who knows what is going to happen there.
The unsubs were creepily wonderful. The actors did a fabulous job.
I can't wait for next week!
Ed and all out did themselves tonight. This episode was CM greatness. My heart is still racing a mile a minute. I love the show and I am so happy to have this kind of quality of episode. I did not like it last week but tonight was just super.
The acting was so good. Even the unsubs were terrific. The foster mom needs to have that key placed somewhere right between her eyes.
Prentiss and Morgan were dying inside having to take those kids back to that hell house. They were terrific in this one. Both of them were just so compassionate and loving. They both really invested their feelings. Sorry Hotch wasn't happy with Prentiss doing that and I get that they need to be able to separate but you have to have a heart too and he has gotten close to victims before.
Great episode. Yeah CM!
I want to find the writer and bow at his feet! Brilliant job by the writer and the whole cast.
This one needs to be a submission for next year's award show. They were all that good in it.
Prentiss came to the BAU acting all cold and stern and now she is so human and so caring. When she offered to take Carrie home with her I melted. I just did not see that coming. Prentiss has really come a long way. I wonder if she will take JJ's advice and either have a kid or adopt one. That would be cool.
My heart hurt for Hotchner in this one. He misses his son. Ouch!
Great episode!
What are you going to do spank me?
Classic Garcia. I do wish she had been in it more but I thought the episode was really well balanced and the hour was over in a flash because the pace was so energy charged and electric.
This was a very dark episode but it was a great one. I give it a B+
Loved it, loved last weeks. I've enjoyed the season so far but these last 2 weeks have been fabulous. I love how they are changing things up. It's very nice but I keep waiting for another ep where we do not know the unsub. Just the right amount of personal touches and emotional angst. Great character dynamics (my wonderful CM family). The guest actors playing the unsubs were amazing. I like Prentiss more with each episode. It was dark but well done. There were such real moments...the kid cursing and then his mother doing it right after...the argument in the restaurant.
CM writers, actors, staff, etc. keep up the great work.
Using the dead cats got to me. It is something I would fall for if it happened to me at home. I learned something from the show tonight. When the husband and wife came back with the garbage bag and the unsub had gloves on I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
This episode was great but I will be using a nightlight like many others have said already.
Really a good strong episode tonight. I think they are on a roll. They just keep raising that bar we all talk about. The show just keeps getting better all the time.
BUT...we have moved from growling dogs to dead cats. ED: Do you not like animals. LOL.
Great episode. Really enjoyed watching them. Very well written.
Given what we know about how Morgan gets around children who have been abused I am surprised he didn't slap the crap out of that woman. He was wonderful with the young boy.
Prentiss was great with the teenager. I think maybe the girl reminded her of herself.
The boy obviously had been given the weapon. I was surprised that when they were patting down the scum and did not find a gun they didn't figure it out. Hotchner obviously knew something was wrong which is why he questioned him about why he had surrendered so quickly. This was the only problem that I had with the episode. Other than that it was really great.
My favorite part was when the we saw that the boy had shot the pictures and not his foster parents and he looked at Morgan and told him that the pictures were a lie.
I thought Morgan was going to cry. I did!
"Or what, you'll spank me?"
I am going to needlepoint that on a pillow and have Jill send it to Kirsten. It was a hoot!
Good epi.
HEY ...someone asked what the end song was...... it's SHOW ME by John Legend. It's on his Myspace.
FYI.
:)
This episode was okay. I think I have seen this plot somewhere else recently. Maladjusted foster kid turned miniature killer maybe?
There were some character advances, if not back story. We learned that Prentiss has conflicts similar to those of Elle. She wants to have a life and after only a brief time in the BAU she already contemplates what she is missing. We see Hotch struggling a lot. He tells the others to concentrate but he is obviously struggling to do that himself. Morgan still jumps to protect abused kids, and JJ still tries to be the voice of reason.
On the down side: Reid is starting to look like just another agent.
The story did not really pull me in. If I could change one thing I would have removed the scene where the unsubs were talking. I don’t want to see them plotting. Not knowing what will happen adds dramatic tension and the show lacked any really tense moments. There was emotion all around, but no tension.
I will watch it several times over the next few days, and I am sure I will see things I missed. I might even change my opinion.
I have to admit that this is the first episode that I have liked so far this season. It was good.
This show just gets better each week. I haven't cried during an episode for a while, but I just couldn't stand it when they brought those kids back to that home.
And yay, Emily! I kept saying, Wow, she's finally human! I love her more with each show.
And there the writers go again, giving us a sympathetic unsub. During the scene in the interrogation room I just wanted to reach out and hug him and tell him it's gonna be OK. Did he remind anyone else of Tobias? Just a little?
Great job, everyone! This is just a small example of why I love CM.
not bad but not my favorite.
When Callie reached for his hand I almost jumped out of my skin. All she wanted to be was a good daughter but really she is a wonderful person.
I am not trying to start up any crap but I have to say that I did not miss Gideon for a second tonight. I used to love the character but I never even thought about him while the episode was on. I think that speaks very well for the episode. I do think it had a couple of flat parts but I can live with them all being this good in the future.
That's the first one this season that has really fired on all eight for me.
Excellent work, and the understated dialogue worked very well in a lot of places. Also, some gorgeous lighting and some great character bits.
Shiny.
(I have frothed at length over at my livejournal, Jill. *g* But I will spare you guys the four-page recap. ;-))
This is the first episode I loved. It moved well and we got more personally out of the main character in this one. The ending is my favorite with morgan and the boy.
I mad though, I didn't even notice the song. How could I have not. John Legend is my favorite performer out now. Was it when they were running in the house? I just block it out. Wow. Paget was very good tonight. Everyone was very good tonight.
Patty, are you saying that they seem to be phasing Reid out? I only ask because this is what my husband said just a few minutes ago, I couldn't tell if he was just trying to rattle my chain or if he was maybe right.
Lee
I agree that this one had it all and did it right. The character development was nice. I like backstory too but we have been on overload with that lately. This was nice. Nobody died. The unsubs were pitiful and I did feel kinda sorry for them even though they were monsters. Society's neglect created them.
Carrie was strong and smart and the character was beautifully written.
I can't wait to watch it again tomorrow.
it was not john legend at the end, sounded more like coldplay, definitely had a piano. still searching...
I think I have lost my mind because I think both unsubs are still alive and that just doesn't happen on the show. lol.
Terrific episode. I don't think they are phasing out Reid. I think they have to spread it out among all the great actors. Reid has had more air time than anyone over the past two seasons.
There were lots of cute Reid moments and he did figure out that the gun was missing. Go Reid but Morgan was golden child tonight. Shemar gave us 200% tonight. He really kicked it up a notch.
Lovely!
Please stop commenting on the song. I am sure Jill will update it tomorrow if it is not correct. Thank you.
I liked the episode but I am still not in love with them telling us who the unsub/unsubs are in the very beginning of the episode. I liked the old format better.
Fast moving, well written, well acted episode that kept me rivoted to the couch. I screamed at one point and scared my husband. lol. He loved it even more than I did which is a first.
Sad story matter. Abused children.
"Are there any happy families?"
Not on Criminal Minds! lol
I think Hotchner really is having a hard time with losing his family.
Prentiss wanting to be a mom and JJ encouraging her was interesting.
Morgan doesn't like children to be abused. The hug he gave that boy had lots of love and prayer in it.
Very good episode.
Great episode. Loved everything but the dead cats.........I'm hoping it was just a non-real prop.
I thought it was wonderful and I like knowing the unsub upfront. It gives you the chance to really get into his head while the team is doing it too.
Kisses and hugs to our six wonderful angels for another great show.
This was a Awesome Episode The abused child part hit homewithme Ihad a happy childhood but I did recieve abuse so I understood teh Unsubs. Morgan is just the best he realy showed his heart in this episode. That Foster Mother I wish the kid had killed her it would have been her just desserts. And Carrie such a brave young woman the way she got the Info from teh unsub after he almost killed her and killed her family just wow.
I loved this episode. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Another great episode of CM.
Loved it. We were all so exciting waiting for it to start but once it started you could have heard a pin drop in the house.
Shemar Moore and Paget Brewster deserve some ice cream for their performances in this one!
Wow. It was a really powerful episode. Feeling sympathy for killers is a new feeling for me. Great show.
This is the first time I've ever watched Criminal Minds and...I looooved it. It was extremely touching and very believable.
I might have to catch it again if I have next wednesday off!
Ps; I was searching forever for the song playing at the end as well because it made me cry haha. It's called "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra.
Beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7xDK8dzwYg
Whatever the song was it complimented the episode very well. The episode was really good. I liked seeing Prentiss being so vulnerable and compassionate. I hope she does adopt.
Re: Hotch getting it wrong.
I thought that was one of the most interesting things about the ep. I don't know if the writers did it on purpose, of course, but over the past couple of eps, Hotch has been constantly reminding other team members to keep their minds on their jobs, and focus on the work.
And it seems to me that what's going on is that he's projecting. *His* mind isn't on the job. He's distracted, and making mistakes--and he knew he was making a mistake while he was doing so. The little headshake while the CotW was complimenting him seems to shore that up.
He's not working at his best. Luckily for him (and the Wicked Step-parents), Reid and Morgan and Prentiss were on the ball.
(P.S.: I think we need to add Stacy's ongoing fixation with a two-year-old timeline error to the drinking game... [Also, was that Morgan making a drinking game joke at the end of the ep? Was that for us? ;-)])
The thought of a home invasion is really frightening but to think that they let them in. The dead cat ploy was really smart. I know that we should probably feel sorry for the unsubs because of the abuse they suffered but I did not feel that way.
I liked the episode. I thought the cast were great. I never gave Gideon a thought either. I just liked the pace of the episode and the human side of the team members that they showed us.
There is a CM drinking game??? I want in. How does it work?
Epi was awesome.
The episode sounds wonderful. I can't wait to see it! And what is the drinking game?
Wonderful new one. I loved it. So much emotion and the case was really interesting. Morgan was so great with that young boy and Prentiss was awesome with Carrie.
The team really seems to have come together and are working really well together.
Morgan was so great in this episode. They were all great but he really shined. We know they all have their individual hot buttons and for Morgan it has always been abused kids. This was his episode.
Hah! Yes. There's a criminal minds drinking game.
I don't want to post links here without asking Jill, but if you google on "criminal minds drinking game" and "they must need bears" (which is my blog title) and the word "tapwater" (include the quotes), it will be pretty easy to find.
Stacy, Maddy, and I came up with it some time ago.
Disclaimer: We do not recommend performing this action with anything caffeinated, alcoholic, or containing sugar, and it's even *possible* that you could give yourself water toxicity using just tapwater.
Just watched it! That was one powerful ep. Nasty man Morgan making me cry!!! The treatment of the kids at the foster home.... well, nuff said. very moving.
Some very nice Reid moments
Loved that both JJ and Emily had larger parts and got to see the two of them having differences of opinion about how to work with the girl (sorry, name escapes me)
It's great to give these to women a chance to discuss their views on the work even as one is the profiler and the other is not, both are equal members on the team.
This was an excellent Emily piece, gave her a chance to be empathetic and gave us a chance to empathize a bit with her.
The end with her and Hotch discussing objectivity and humanity was an eye opener for both of them and while I already know he trusts and respects her (from last season's last ep when he talks about her to his superior and the true first ep of this season when he teams up with her after she resigns) shows the growth in their professional relationship; excellent, but she stood up to him about the humanity and then we get the nice bit of him waking Haley to wake Jack or at least talking to Haley to wake Jack (the actress who plays Haley is on the cast list for next week's eppie :-)
While it was a great character bit to see all these people struggle, especially Prentiss and Emily it was a bit over the top in the violence...I lost count but we saw two families killed on screen (sort of) and then a third found in their home along with what, two others in the past three weeks...a bit much although filmed well without giving into the gratitous gore.
The ending was a bit forced to my mind...I knew as did Hotch that the donut shop ended too easily and was yelling at them to check the backpack...I don't mind that they didn't and don't think it damaged the episode or the characters' credibility it was just so obvious to me the viewer and I didn't see the latest boy as that ready to become so violent (which thankfully he didn't)
I rated it a "LIKE" not love for the over the top killing and the forced foster home ending, if the regulars hadn't done such a fabulous job with their believable reactions and the Emily JJ and even Hotch introspections it would have gone lower.
As long as the show sticks to what they've indicated they're going to do which is focus more this season on what the job does to the team (and they're doing a great job of it) LIKING and episode will be as low as I go.
It's a great season so far and I'd watch this again...does that make any sense?
Love it. I loved everything about it but the poor dead cat. It was no surprise that Morgan would get the way he did around abused kids but Prentiss was a real surprise. She was so protective of Carrie. Very good episode.
Anony, Yes you made sense but you need to stop being anonymous and join the group.
"They will eat you out of house and home." Key around her neck. I could really feel the pain that boy felt when all he wanted was a glass of milk. I was happy he shot at the pictures and did not ruin the rest of his life by shooting someone.
We saw a very new and improved Emily Prentiss last night. It was wonderful to see a maternal streak in Prentiss. Carrie seems to have really brought that to Prentiss' surface. I don't remember any other episode in which Prentiss felt and cared so much for a victim. I wonder if she saw something in Carrie that triggered that reaction or if Prentiss is just evolving. Either way makes me happy. It was very nice.
The conversation between her and JJ at the end was pure beauty. Two female co-workers acknowledging maternal yearning and not talking about men and dating. So very grown-up and I loved it.
Leave it to Reid to want a donut and to figure out that there was a gun missing. He wasn't in this episode too much but he was really important.
Prentiss and Morgan, on the other hand, really kept it going. Morgan handing that boy his business card reminded me of Profiler, Profiled when he told the teen he could call him day or night.
A+ for the episode
I'm new to the show but so far I am loving it. I guess I will need to start buying dvds soon so I can catch up on what I have missed.
This blog is wonderful.
I'm not clear on why in the world Prentiss and Morgan had to take the boy and girl back to that foster home. The FBI could not make other arrangements for them?
It was a great tv moment and led to the great scene in the house with Morgan and the boy but it seems unrealistic to me.
Hotch is not ontop of his game. I think he is doing what he tells everyone else not to do. He is allowing his personal problems to enter his workplace.
It was an interesting episode with some great touches in it but I only give it a B+. It is still better then any of the dreg on tv right now.
Season is off to a good start.
Great episode. This is one of those CM episodes that we end up talking about for awhile. There was lots of character growth which I always appreciate.
Prentiss as a mom??? She works all the time. What would she do with the child? I think she understood what the girl meant by "being a good daughter" because she tried that when she was a teen too and the results seem to have been less than perfect.
i really like this one alot/ it kept me on the edge of my seat. ilike the talk that morgan had with the boy
I think our team is growing up. Reid seems more mature even though his talking about Leave it to Beaver was a hoot. The gals all seem to have matured. Listening to them talk about kids was huge to me. Morgan still has his edge but he seems to have really taken more of a lead role within the BAU this season. Garcia is Garcia and there is no tampering allowed with perfection. Hotchner seems to be the one closest to failing apart. I am having a hard time believing his wife cheated on him. I think it is something else and we are being purposely mislead (bad on you Ed lol)
This episode was very good. Not too wild about the topic but it beats watching kids burn in cars. I am just so sensitive to kids being the victims of crime. I guess it is realistic but it sucks.
The writing this season is even better that what we have been spoiled with in the past. This was a truly solid job of writing.
Killing the children with the parents so they would not end up in foster care tells me that these two unsubs had no extended family to live with when they were no longer with their own parents. It was interesting that Carrie struck a memory that kept her alive.
I could go on and on but the bottom line is that I liked the episode.
Francis Capra was a great guest star. He did a great job last night. Amazing how you can feel sympathy for a murderer. I think that takes a great script and a guest star who can bring his A game to the set. Capra did the job!
Every member of the BAU had some type of rocky childhood so it is no wonder that when kids are concerned we see a warm side of them. Professional but definately softer.
Great episode. It freaked my teenager out but that is okay with me. Now she'll know to never open the door to anyone.
Loved it
Hotch is off his game. Letting it slip by him that the kid had the gun. He needs to get his family situation settled so he can refocus.
JJ and Prentiss in that last scene sealed the deal for me. Great episode.
Great episode! The acting and the story were great.
The home invasion part made me really think, plus it made me realize how lucky I have been in the past.
Certain government organizations in Colorado sure didn't look good in this show (Boulder Police - yes they brought it on themselves, and DHS)
"amanda said...
I'm not clear on why in the world Prentiss and Morgan had to take the boy and girl back to that foster home. The FBI could not make other arrangements for them?"
It wasn't the FBI's job to find a new place for the kids, it's up to the foster people/social services. The FBI can't just take the kids away from the foster parents no matter how badly they wanted to, it was not their choice. The kids weren't in any danger they could prove so social services has to investigate it and then if they see fit remove the children.
I loved this, but I love them all. I especially liked that they made Prentiss more human. I liked her from the start, but now others who didn't are starting to.
And just a side note, someone said Prentiss and Emily, they're the same person, Emily Prentiss.
Incredible acting by everyone. I enjoyed the episode. I loved watching Morgan react to everything that was happening when he realized the foster kids were being taken advantage of and being abused.
After this episode, I'm not opening my door again to even the Girl Scouts! And yet, I felt empathy for the unsubs which reflects on the great writing skills of the CM team. Way to go, team!!!!(Congrats on the great ratings,too) Loved that the women and Morgan are reaching out to the hurting kids and really cared about their fate.It was also nice to see JJ and Emily opening up and revealing a more personal side.
Sometimes Garcia reminds me of myself. People are being horribly and brutally killed, and she is the most upset that the guys are killing cats to use as their ruse. Weirdly hysterical. I do the same thing - worrying about what's going to happen to the animal and forgetting about the human bodies all around (only about TV/movies, tho. I'm not completely heartless. Just weird.)
It was a really good one but some of it I did not quite "get" like why did they leave the man with the cat unattended when the wife was already suspicous and why did not one check the kid for a gun or weapon.
I did like it though.
Loved it.
This was one of the best Criminal Minds episodes ever. I was shocked that I would love an episode without Mandy in it as much as I did. It was the acting of the others and the great story.
I am really impressed!
adored this, fave from season 3 so far
im SURE theyre beginning to hint at a more romantic relationship beteween morgan and garcia...
he said hed call her back!
i could go on for days but everybodies already said it, what a great job :)
I loved last nights eppy! It was great! Though I dont think I will open my door anytime soon. Especially since last night, I was hearing weird sounds in the hallway outside my door, and l,ast week somone knocked on my door and asked if I was missing a cat.
Morgan was great in this eppisode, and I loved the new side we saw of Prentiss.
I have been a vocal supporter of the show. I invest a lot of time in this support. The show let me down. Thinking about it has not helped.
The plot was weak. This case would not have been sent to the BAU and would have been solved early on by a beat cop. The weaker unsub made mistakes and was easily identified. Heck, they did not wear gloves or clean up. How many times do you have to have a whole family butchered to bring the entire state lab in on the case, and the FBI and just about everyone else...JUST 1.. not 3 or 4.
The profilers did standard police interviews and standard police work to catch standard suspects. The weak unsub could have been "broken" by any good interviewer. Anytime you have someone identify a suspect, the way the girl did, you will have all you need to find the other one. As written the unsub would have made mistakes long before case number 4 that would have gotten him caught.
The family structure is in shambles. While people might not miss Mandy/Gideon, the role of dad is crucial to the family/team dynamic. I know all the characters are expanding to fill Gideon's space in the story. Though the actors can fill Mandy's space, the characters would not automatically fill Gideon's. Profiling takes time and skill. I don't want them to "fill it " to show they don't need him. I want them to grow into it. As an example from my Mom, also an avid fan: Prentiss "grew up" too fast. She just jumped in and started profiling like she had done it for years. That is just since last week. She needs a learning curve, as all profilers do.
Everyone was jockeying around to be lead detective. Too damn many bosses! Definitely not a well oiled machine! I hope Rossi helps fix this, but it has to be written that way.
The uniqueness of each character was missing. I could have interchanged the dialogue and had anyone speak any line and it would not have made a difference (perhaps with the exception of Hotch). Each of the team members used to have a special skill. I did not detect any difference in the characters. Episodes don't need to be Reid centric, but they all need to have each character contribute something unique to their character-especially Reid.
There was no tension. We knew everything before it happened. The unsubs talked about what they were going to do in advance. Other plot devices that made the show unique were missing.
There is a danger in having the same expert choreograph the SWAT and arrest scenes of all the major dramas. They all begin to look alike. I flipped the channel and for a moment I was not sure which show I was watching.
I can only hope that the show's uniqueness returns. The multi layered stories that made CM the show for the thinking person can easily be replaced by a formulaic cop drama. Hope not.
Actually the unsubs did wear gloves. Which should have really freaked out the 1st set of parents killed, when the dad comes back with the bag. Second guy is there and suddenly they have surgical gloves on. (the first guy holding the cat didn't have them on until after the dad went to get the bag.
Also he used either a glove or a rag to unscrew the lightbulb and ring the doorbell. (both instances he wasn't wearing them, only carrying them)
I also think I'm one of the few that like that reid is in the background this season. They had almost too much of him in season 1 and 2, kind of overused him. But that's my personal opinion on that.
I also kind of wish they didn't add a new character into the mix. I think show is proofing to be balanced with the mix it has right now.
We had a storm in the area and the episode was replaced with storm coverage. They replayed it at 2:00 AM, but the replay ended when the guy was picking up the foster kids from the school. Any ideas where I can watch the episode online?
Emale me with the info please.
MeraleeCrowl(at)yahoo(dot)com
I almost missed this episode because I forgot to turn the timer on for my VCR. I had a half hour lunch break and normally, even though I live just up the road from work, I don't go home unless I have an hour for lunch but I made an exception in this case. I can't miss my CM fix, even if it means inhaling my dinner and getting indigestion!
I'm really glad I did because I thought this was an outstanding episode. I don't miss Gideon at all because the team does so well without him! I was so touched by Prentiss wanting to take that poor girl in and how crushed she looked when Hotch told her the girl's family was coming in to get her.
This was a disturbing episode too not just because of what the unsubs did but because of the portrayal of foster care. While many foster parents are good, kind-hearted people who want to give children a chance in life, there are far too many who do it for the money or worse, do it so they can have someone helpless to take their sadistic tendencies out on. My step-brother and his family lived next door to people like that; the wife was so obese she couldn't get off the sofa and the husband sat around and watched tv all day so they basically made the kids their slaves. Despite numerous complaints to social services, nothing was done until a nine-year-old broke his arm cutting wood with a chainsaw and the foster parents didn't take him to the hospital for three days! At that point, social services had no choice but to pull the kids out of the home.
One of my favorite moments--Garcia getting upset about the unsubs using dead cats as the ruse! Not that she wasn't upset about what they did to the families but the poor kitties being sacrificed in such a way really got to her, and I have to admit as a "kitty parent" to two fur babies myself, it got to me too.
Wow.
I've just watched this and am still trying to get my head around it.
probably one of the most harrowing CM episodes and almost the episode that the previous 2 seasons have been leading up to.
The backstories that we know are reflected in this and no doubt they are foreshadowing as well. You need to almost forget about the crime-of-the-week and watch everything else. Broken families, broken people - the whole show is about how we relate to one another and this just epitomised that.
Reid saw first hand how his life might have been had he not managed to keep his home together, Hotch saw how other abused kids turned out and what a broken home does to children, Morgan came face to face with his past again, Prentiss got ambushed by her own fears and desires, and JJ . . . hmm . . . we don't know enough about her past, but I bet there were resonances there too.
This show really does have the most amazing team of writers. Well done guys, you are the real stars.
Awesome episode - a good one for "makes you think" with the foster care issues and should you open the door to help. A brief but amazing moment: that cold look Reid gives the foster mom after Hotch says "you should get back inside" - Holy Cow!
I loved this episode... I'm from the Cherry Creek Area so it kinda hit home. It is upsetting now watching this episode because I have realized that reruns are coming from now on =(
i watch it when it was first om in oct. and it was very good .i watch it again tonight and i enjoy it even more.
OKay missed this epis when it first aired because of a female dog collegue of mine wanted to watch Law & Order I mean c'mon seriously anywho so I missed it and I glad I had the first time to see las night and OMG! I am so mad at the fact she made me miss it Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ had me almost in tears I mean the ending was so incredible and the song they chose to play by Tge Cinematic Orcherstra had me really on the edge of my seat I could just feel my heart beating so fast when Morgan was on the phone with Hotch and Hotch was telling him about checking the backpacks and o my goodness the gun went off I SCREAMED!! Like O no the kid shot that mean woman!!! I mean I felt she deserved it if he did shoot her but he didn't. And how could someone have a freaking key to lock the fridge I mean gees grandma!
Overall I love this episode and I loved he way Morgan consoled Tyler thsat was very touching and how Prentiss wanted to take the lil girl that was so sweeeeet I was like AWWWWWW Emily!
I watched this before
This episode just left me speechless I broke down about half way through the episode had to put my guinea pigs on me to calm me down. I mean the bravery of that girl and what she was forced to watch and do and yet she was able to face this man and get him to give up info without to much anger. And the whole concept of what went on in that foster home it was heart wrenching( got to watch it or Ill start crying again). And the way it affected two men the way it drove them to kill families. It was just so close to reality. The way the boy could have killed the mother but chose not to showed that despite of what happened to him he was not gonna take a life.
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