Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Demonology" written by Chris Mundy and starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness.
**Beware! Comments on this thread will contain spoilers! **
*** This is the original spoiler thread for this episode. Feel free to add comments once it has reaired ****
110 comments:
Can't wait for this Emily epi!
7h 5m and counting! I can't wait to see this ep!!!! Saw my first (very short) promo last night and it looks great. Can't wait to learn more about Prentiss too!
Dying to know Prentiss's secret.
7 hours to go...Now would be the cue for the time lapse so we can be at 9pm already
Looking forward to seeing the ep!
keren
6 hours and 43 minutes and counting down! I can't wait for this episode!!!! WOO HOO!
Hi,
I can't wait Emily's episode. I really like this character from the beginning...Paget Brewster's acting is the mainly reason, besides. She managed to make loveable her character (even if I know that until Children inDark, a lot of CM fans haven't like her!).
i can't wait to see that ep! curios about it!
I can't wait to see Demonology. Chris Mundy always writes such great episodes and Paget Brewster is awesome. So happy that we are going to finally find out Emily's secret!!
Come on 9PM PDT...(I really need an East Coast feed)!!
I've been waiting for this episode for a long time & can't believe the day has finally come! Hurry up, clock!
I'm so excited about tonight's episode...more about Emily...an interesting topic...a new episode...and Bruce Davidson! Yay! Is it 9 o'clock yet?
Here it is exactly 9 PM, but no new ep. OMG. I have to wait longer and i can´t. I´m so excited to see a new ep from Chris Mundy and what are Emily´s secrets.
I read somewhere, in response to a question about a possible Hotch/Prentiss connection in this ep, that we won't necessarily see anything that shows a romantic connection, but we will see how much they care for each other as team members. I really, really hope that's true because one of the things I love about Criminal Minds is the family connection! I'm not a shipper for anyone on the show, I just want the family love! :)
So, can't wait for this episode! Any new Criminal Minds episode is cause for rejoicing! :P
Here in Canada we have 3 hours to wait for a a new CM!
Can't wait for an episode that will focus on Emily!
Brigitte
geez it sucks to be in MT, not EST! But I'm sure it will be worth the wait... Prentiss rocks!
It seems the closer we get the harder it is... for me at least. This episode will be so awesome. I can't wait... A whole Emily episode :o). Soooo coool
Can hardly wait til 9 PM, only 5 more hours! Looks and sounds like a great show is in store for us and I can't wait to learn more about Emily - I love her more and more every week. This group is def like a family and I'm with Helen - I love to feel that family love! Brings it right into my family room and warms my heart despite all the gruesomeness our team must endure - just endears them to me even more. CM is the very best! Love you guys and all the CM fanatics!
i have 5 hours to waite
I didn't like it. For the first time every I had to turn it off. I couldn't watch it. How could I watch something that goes so completely against my beliefs? I was feeling to uneasy and uncomfortable.
Heh, negativeness.
I'm loving it so far.
Anybody else cry during the explanation? *sniff*
Wasn't Roxanne Hart also on Chicago Hope with Thomas and Mandy? I'm liking the episode so far.
My heart totally went out to Emily. I remember being 15 and the outcast....
I am glad for backstory.... not impressed with the presentation.
Awesome episode!!! Creepy!
I heart Chris Mundy
This was an awesome episode, I loved the backstory on Emily, it was fantastic!
Any insights on the nosebleed at the end? Did I miss something?
Awesome episode. The only part I was iffy about was whether Emily should have been the one doing the interviewing. Other than that it was terrific. Great job by the whole cast.
The promo for next week was chilling. OMG. Two great ones in a row.
incredible
wow. wow wow wow.
Chris Mundy, you have an imagination that goes to the most bizarre places.
I was looking forward to the big secret for a while now, and while it wasn't as big as I thought it would be, it still fit with Emily's personality. Emily's emotional rollercoaster ride during this ep was portrayed beautifully by Paget.
Rossi has come a long way from the loner jerk with a huge ego...now's he's taken on the role of Dad, and looking after the kids.
Hotch knowing right away (as any mom would) that something was wrong with Emily.
the rest of the team was great as supportive siblings, too.
I can't wait to watch it again.
-keren
Wow...all I can say is wow. Now we know why Emily wants kids!!!
Spectacular episode. I loved watching the team reach out to help Emily w/ something that obviously meant a lot to her w/ no questions asked. Hotch & Rossi were even willing to take the heat for Emily's actions done in the heat of the moment.
And put Morgan under the covers & give him some chicken soup! Poor guy sounds like he has a cold.
Again, kudos for a great episode!
All I have to say is that it was an amazing episode. I really felt bad for Prentiss and I am happy we got to know more about her. I was happy that Rossi stood behind her the entire time. Just every aspect of this episode was amazing. Paget did an amaing job and I hope they give her some more personal story lines. I recorded the episode so I am going to watch it again. The part at the end was weird when her nose started to bleed. All in all I give it a 10/10.
what did the show mean? was the guy at the end possessed? why did her nose bleed? did they kill the priest in Spain?
Tied in nicely with "Children of the Dark". Very nice to have some of Emily's history. Emily knows what it is like to feel like a stray. Sad story but interesting episode.
WOW WOW WOW! Leave it to CM to take on the Church! I can see how some people are going to be uncomfortable with the subject matter of this episode, but it was so well-done.
This was such a cool episode. We got Emily backstory and it was wonderful to see the team helping one it its own. Rossi and Emily are a good pairing, he inspires trust in her and she feels comfortable confiding her most personal secrets to him.
I like how Rossi took Emily out to visit Matthew's family to find out what happened even though he knew that Emily was persona non grata with them.
Rossi and Emily quoting to one another was a different spin on the quotes - interesting.
The priest Rossi talked to about the exorcisms asked Rossi something about how Emily found out about the deaths, and said something about being suseptable to the evil? I need to watch that again, because we saw all the victims with bloody noses before they died and at the end, when Emily was walking, she had a bloody nose. Is that just to mess with us or is it something more sinister???
I'm wondering about the bloody nose also. I don't like the implication but I did like the episode. BUT, wouldn't a priest only pray in a catholic church? That wasn't a catholic church, was it?
WOW!!! What a great episode! One of the best of the season.
My heart just broke for Emily. She is so reserved and to have this part of her life opened up...oh my gosh. But Rossi - I'm loving him more each episode.
The story was excellent. This might be obvious and I'm just missing it but I wonder, was the priest killing the men because he was trying to find and kill the real conduit to evil...who happened to be the man who said in Italian "I am stronger than you?" The man who got Prentiss pregnant? And has she been opened up to evil/exposed to the 'demon'? Remember, all of the men's noses bled during the exorcism, Emily's nose bled while she was standing in front of a church...
Oh, lots of questions!
Loved the ep!
I'm really excited to see this episode, but I have to wait a lot of time because here, in Lisbon (Portugal), this episode just appears on TV there for April or May :S It's not fair... Here, we are in Season 4 episode 8(Masterpiece). But I have seen the rest of episodes on youtube until episode 16, but the quality is not so good, but better then nothing.
Well, I hope you all enjoy the episode... I'm also very curious to see Paget Brewster in this episode. She's amazing and brilliant. Big kiss for everyone**(Catarina)
I didn't care for it. Could've been so much better, IMHO. But I am curious about her bloody nose.
here's a theory - the nosebleed is symbolic of the exorcism casting out the demons - if they were real or imposed is up for question - but when Emily's nose bled at the church, perhaps she was ridding herself of her "demon", she realized her conflict was not with the church, but with the fanatical priests. Maybe she found some peace. What do you think?
Wow!!
This was an amazing episode!!!
Paget was wonderful and hearing what she went through was heartbreaking. I was pleasently surprised that Rossi stood behind her the entire way...and that Hotch new what he had to do to set things right, even if it was there asses on the line. The subject of exorcism is still debatable....but in this case the unsub was just using it as an excuse for murder. The victims died becasue of stresses sustained to the body during the "excorsism" no one was really possesed....rather the victims were viewed as possesed because of their addictions and mental health. I was a little unclear why the preist went for Pretiss's friend at the very end. But I figured he was the father of her aborted child in the way that he approched her in the office and how she reacted to him.
Everyone was on their game tonight....but everyone also knew that the subject they were dealing with, was one surrounding a cloud of uncertainty and brought their personal beliefs into play...which makes a case hard to work. But most importantly everyone stood by Emily! Which was amazing!!!
I think the significance of Emily's nose bleed at the end was supposed to mean a "realization" of something in religious terms. It is said that when someone bleeds either inside or outside of the church that they have been touched by god. Perhaps this was the realization for Emily that she is not outcasted to faith. Not entirly sure though...so treat this as an opinion.
AWESOME job everyone!!!!!!!!!:):)
If I do say so and may be biased for one moment....I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!:):):) HOTCH-CENTRIC....BRING IT ON.....please:)
Lasell xo!
Wow. There are no words to describe how great this episode was. Paget Brewster was so perfect. It's like you could feel every emotion that Emily was going through just by the look in her eyes. It's episodes like this that make me want to give the writers a great big hug for writing such brilliant stories for the amazing cast to play out every week. Major props to Chris Mundy!
Could anyone tell me the song playing at the end? It was lovely
Here is what Spencer Mabry told me on the yahoo group:
"I was thinking exposure to sarin or something like that from the "Holy Water" Fr. Paul threw at/on her. "
I am satisfied with that as a rational cause. But as for symbolism, it was certainly the ridding of personal demons.
I liked all the "levels" this story has. There is the basic CM episode, but then there's lots of other issues (some of which are controversial)that were layered in. We had some good discusion of some of the layers in the chat room tonight and then we were wishing Chris Mundy was there.... we had all these questions we wanted to ask him!
Good job, Chris! Thanks for a great ep.
Phoenix
What a great episode! Awesome
and excellent writing by Chris
Mundy, and an awesome job as
usual by the cast. Paget did
an excellent job in tonights
episode. Her grief over losing
her close and dear friend, had
me sad and crying right along
with her. Now we know what her
secret is. She got pregnant
when she was 15 and had an
abortion.
Rossi is such a good listener
and a wonderful father/big
brother.
Hotch didn't want to reprimand
Emily, but really had no choice
when he was catching heat from
the Italian government and the
Vatican.
Hotch didn't appreciate Rossi
going behind his back and
taking Emily to see Matthews
parents after he told Emily to
take some time off. But he did
the right thing after Rossi
told him why they should go
after the priest.
Who would think that a priest
would perform exorcisms on the
ones that had something to do
with the priest that died in
Italy?
As for the nose bleed in the
end: Emily had an abortion,
which is frowned upon by the
Catholic Church, and is
considered murder in the eyes
of the Catholics. When Emily
went for her walk after the
priest was arrested, she
found herself in front of the
Catholic Church, and was about
to go in, when she got the
nose bleed. The nose bleed
was the blood of the child
that she aborted, and it was
Gods way of reminding her of
what she did.
All in all, an awesome episode,
and i loved it from beginning
to end.
Kudos once again to every one
who put this together!
Criminal Minds Rock!!!
I think Jill has the info about the song posted on the blog....
http://criminalmindsfanatic.blogspot.com/2009/03/criminal-minds-hodges-is-part-of-cm.html
Hope this helps!
I really didn't like this episode. I loved that we got more on Emily's background but the rest of it was pretty lame.
It's ok if you didn't like it, but please tell us why you didn't like it.
Yes explain why. There has to be a reason besides that it was 'lame'
How beautiful!
Left-wing propaganda coming through on a show; like we've never seen that before...
Throw in that anti-Catholic bias and pro-abortion bias! Why not?
Ugh.
I appreciate good TV, and Criminal Minds is usually good TV. But not when they have an agenda. I respect people's political and social ideologies and beliefs.
But not when they drive it through in an attempt to influence people's opinions. Not cool. Shame on you, Criminal Minds.
Did anyone else wonder how Emily must have felt when JJ announced that she was pregnant? Took me way back! Loved the episode. I really like how they are writing Rossi and Prentiss. He was so kind to her and she had no problem opening up and confiding in him.
What a sucking excuse for a childhood she had.
Paget was brilliant in this episode. Really fantastic.
I can see Emily revolting against her parents and being sorta wild as a teenager. She had an absent witch as a mom. I liked the episode. It wasn't as dark as I thought it would be but it brought the creep! Beautiful performance by PB.
I think the blood at the end could have many different meanings and doesn't necessarily mean that the storyline is going to continue. Also, the blood could have been a sign from her dead friend, which would have been a good thing.
The pope on speed dial. lol
Emily was lucky to have Matthew. Think about how worse her life would have been without him. Even with the pain she is feeling now.
So now we know Emily's big secret. I actually hope they do explore it some more. More Emily is a good thing. They seem to fade her character into the background too much sometimes.
I thought this was a great episode. From the tension between the team, is this a serial, is it not?, to Rossi being such a great "dad" (you've come a long way Rossi), to Emily's having to deal with so much from her past. Paget did a fabulous job - as they all did - but Paget was just amazing! This team truly is a family and they protect and care for each other. Wonderfully written Chris, thank you so much for a great ep!
This was a really good episode HOWEVER it left more questions unanswered then not. I saw an anonymous post on here with a lot of questions and I agree. Why did her nose bleed? Is she possessed now? Was her friend possessed? Was he talking as a demon? Did they kill a priest? Why? How?
I wonder if the rumor about the relationship between Prentiss and Hotch was meant instead as Rossi and Prentiss? Not romantic of course.
Paget did an amazing job and so did everyone else. Great episode, just left a lot of questions and I'm not a fan of that type of thing.
Lee
This was a risky storyline. Not a bad one but risky. Whenever you deal with the topic of abortion and the church you are setting up a debate. I applaud the show for taking the risk.
I agree with an earlier commenter that the blood was a sign from God reminding her about her sin.
I don't disapprove of abortion but it is considered a sin within the church.
I also agree that Paget Brewster did a FANTASTIC job in this episode.
Okay guys, just a story. Lots of people in the world make mistakes, many of them take different paths from that point. It's easy to say that something is propaganda when you disagree.
As for the "blood of the aborted child" thing...no. I majored in literature, did a lot of analysis of both books and cinema, and I think that's a stretch.
It fits better that she was letting go of past demons--all the other people who had exorcisms had nosebleeds too. Not all of them had abortions. Not all of them had any part in anyone's abortion. One guy just went to Spain. He didn't even know Emily or her friends. That rules out any connection to Emily's situation.
As for the criticism of Catholicism, Rossi is devout. He persuaded Morgan to deal with his issues and return to the church. He also prayed with a rosary during Garcia's surgery. The series itself is more pro-Christianity than not, but growing up as a pastor's daughter has taught me that it is easy for people to grow up in the church and leave because of judgement and guilt. It's healty for people to see others working through it.
Sorry if my views offend, but again, just a story.
Awesome episode. Great job all around. Great writing, lots of complex issues and great directing. It had the feel of the episodes I enjoyed in the first season. Paget did a fantastic job with being on the edge but not really losing it. She also portrayed guilt very well.
As for the characters, I wanted to cry when Prentiss walked into Hotch’s office at the beginning. Nice Rossi-Prentiss interaction. She seems to be bonding well with him. At the same time there is a bit of distance between she and Morgan. Morgan is still trying to distance himself from any belief system, which is true to his character.
I am going to re-watch soon and look more in detail. I am looking forward to it!
Jonathan, I couldn't disagree with you more.
I've seen plenty of blatant propaganda (Boston Legal, for example) and what we saw tonight just doesn't qualify, not by a long-shot.
And I can't recall a CM episode that ever had "an agenda" - except, perhaps to entertain us.
I meant "healthy" not "healty"--there is no edit option there...
Phenomenal acting in this episode. The ending will definitely stick with me for awhile. I had chills up and down my spine at the bloody nose and wanted to cry when PB was standing out there in the snow looking up at the church.
And I adore the portrayal of the characters' struggle with religion given the aspects of their job. It's a very powerful thing.
Thank you for a great EP!
I love this episode. I agree that the storyline was risky, but then again whenever you make it about belief you will step on a few toes here and there.
It's cool that we got to see another part of Emily and discover more about her past. I just love the fact that she's so passionate about the things she cares. It's not the first time she puts her career on the line for something she believes in. And I love how all the team pulled together as a family to help her. Rossi has come a long way this season. I just loved how fathery he was to her this whole epi. And Hotch has stuck his neck out again for one of the team members. Just love this family.
WOW I just noticed I used "love" 5 times in a few sentences, so that should say a lot.
Great episode and BRILLIANT, FABULOUS, AWESOME acting from Paget. Didn't expect anything less.
The expectations were pretty high for this epi and I think they did a wonderful job. I was worried at some point that with all the build-up I'd be a little disspointed, but noooo way. Just wonderful. And I'm going to stop here cause I've run out of adjectives (at least for now :o)
Great job everyone and thank you so much for this wonderful episode.
Lea
Best ep of the season so far. Beautifully written, wonderfully acted. I'm not the biggest Rossi fan, but he really was great in this one. The awesome part is that we learned a lot about him while it still remaining all about Emily. I'm just so blown away by how good this one - what a great team. Thank you to all involved in this!
Good work, CM! Taking on controversial material takes guts; well done! Loved everything about the episode: the writing, the acting, all delivered superbly. Certainly gives us all lots to discuss and debate while we endure 7 long days until 'Omnivore'. Thanks to Ed and the entire team at CM.
It was a good episode.
curious about the nose bleed ,
I think Emily knew of another possible reason why mattews nose was bleeding.
Something religious .
just a theory .
Wow, so many different opinions...
I'm really looking forward to watching it myself. Hope I can manage that some time soon.
CU sindee
I waited so long for the Prentiss episode, and then I was strangely disappointed. The concept was great, the acting was spot on, but I think the writers tried to pack too much into one episode, and it was pretty confusing. Why the nosebleed? Did they really kill the priest? Did the victims die from accidental causes or did the father set out to kill them?
It was a decent ep, worth the time, but I ended up with a lot more questions than answers, something which doesn't happen a lot on CM.
Good episode.
Paget's acting was incredible. She has so much emotion in her eyes.
So does Thomas Gibson. I loved the scene in his office.
I'm not sure why anyone would think the show had actual evil spirits and possessions. This was CM, not Supernatural...
But it's interesting that some people saw it that way. I just saw another unsub seeing what he wanted to see.
Kudos to Chris Mundy for writing such a personal story with lots of themes running through it. It did open up a lot of questions for me too but that will make for lots of interesting discussions among the fans. There could be lots of different interpretations of what Emily's nosebleed meant, what happened to the priest in Spain and his connection to the three dead men,etc. Interesting editing of the exorcism montage!! There hasn't been this much demonic action since peasoup projectile vomiting and head-spinning was in vogue!
The best part was how all the team was portrayed as a loving and caring family when Emily really needed it the most. Rossi was soooo there for her. Hotch stuck out his neck to keep the case going, risking another visit from the dreaded bosslady Strauss. Morgan and Reid were there to bat for her!!! Yay, BAU!!!!!
I suppose there's no way to write a story with abortion as the subject without it being viewed as a bias and agenda. Because another show, where a character chose not to have an abortion was viewed by some people as being biased against abortion and that the show was pushing an agenda. It's never seen as fitting the character or the story for the sake of the story. And, seeing as Bruce Davidson and the other priests who were presented with the profile were portrayed as good men and the Vatican (I think?) agreed to deport the unsub (whose name I can't remember) I don't see how the show was biased against the whole Catholic Church.
As for the episode, I'm personally not comfortable with exorcisms or demons or things like that on tv, so I wasn't going to like that aspect. But, as far as the secret, I thought it was good and just the right amount of bigness and importance. It was big in the fact that it obviously had a profound effect on Prentiss and her relationship with her mother and her relationship with Matthew (where did they say that John was the father of her baby?). It also fit with her being a lonely teen moving from place to place wanting to be accepted. The scenes with her and Morgan and her and Hotch were great. And the team helping her -not just helping but reigning her in when she was too emotionally involved. Just a request for any writers on the show. Can we get some more scenes of the women interacting with each other for about the length of any of those scenes? Or pairing them up in an investigation? I love almost all of the possible pairings (I mean that purely professionally and/or friendship way) but it doesn't seem like the female cast members have interacted with each other for any extended length of time for a few episodes lately.
Could have done without the nosebleed at the end.
Demonology opens in Georgetown, District of Columbia where we see a man tied to a bed bleeding from his nose with a priest in another room. We then see Emily Prentiss pull up to a bar where she meets an old friend, John. John tells her that their mutual friend Matthew Benton has died of an apparent heart attack. John also tells Emily that shortly before Matthew died, Matthew was afraid that someone was going to kill him, that they had already killed a guy named Tommy V and made it look like an accident.
Emily is pretty devastated to hear of her friend's death and asks Garcia for help finding out who this Tommy V is. Garcia identifies him as Tommy Valentine who was found dead of dehydration. Emily asks if Hotch is there and Garcia tell her "I'm pretty sure he lives here". Emily goes to Hotch to tell him what she knows and to ask for some leeway in investigating her friend's death as murder.
Hotch pulls the team together unofficially to help Emily out sending Morgan with her to the morgue to speak with the ME. Flashback to a young Emily telling a young Matthew that she is scared and asks him to hold her hand. Matthew says "Always". Emily notices that Matthew had ligature marks on his wrists and the autopsy report shows that Tommy V did too.
Meanwhile, Hotch and JJ go to visit Matthew's parents and Rossi and Reid go to see Tommy's wife. Tommy's wife says that her husband had been hearing voices. Back at Matthew's house, JJ tells Matthew's father that he had been worried someone was trying to kill him. When they ask JJ who that person was, she said it was Emily. Matthew's mother promptly asks her and Hotch to leave.
Emily tells JJ and Hotch that she and Matthew met in Rome when her mother was posted there. They were friends but Matthew's parents thought that she was a bad influence on him.
Garcia finds a common bond between the two men. They both had recently travled to Galicia, Spain. Garcia tells the team that there is a church there called Santiago de Compostela that is visited by over 100,000 religios pilgrims a year.
Rossi begins to wonder if the two deaths aren't the result of exorcism because of the talk of evil and the soul, both had ligature marks, and there were scuff marks under the bedposts to indicate a sign of struggle. Drug abuse and schizophrenia both present as demonic possession.
Patrick Cavanaugh is the third man to suffer a suspicious but presumably natural death. He had also visited Galicia, Spain at the same time as the other two. Emily confronts the man's fiancee and practically accuses the fiancee of sanctioning an exorcism saying she'll bring her up on accessory to murder charges. Morgan intervenes and gets Emily out of the room. But the complaint stonewalls the investigation as the DC Police won't invite the BAU to investigate.
Hotch, Rossi, and JJ are discussing the case when Garcia find that the week the men visited Galicia, the priest there died. Conspiracy theorists suggested he may have been gased by sarin.
Rossi takes Emily "out for coffee" to the location of the former home of the original Exorcist case that inspired the movie. While there Rossi asks Emily what the story is behind this for her. She admits to him the secret....she got pregnant at 15 and had an abortion. Matthew was not the father but was her friend and helped her through it. Helped her walk back into church to face the priest that told her she wasn't welcomed there. It was after this incident that Matthew really started to question his faith. Emily feels that Matthew saved her life, made her feel worthy of love and friendship, and that she owes it to him to find out what happened to him.
The team gives an unofficial profile to local priests who tell them that exorcisms take a lot of energy when performed. Reid asks Garcia to check local Catholic hospitals for any admissions for exhaustion following Patrick Cavanaugh's death. Cross reference with the other men and they find their man...Father Paul Silvano.
Problem is, he has diplomatic immunity. He and the priest from Galicia had been in seminary together. They bring Fr Silvano in for questioning where he and Emily face off. He asks her if she still prays, she says this isn't about her. He tells her to be strong, the storm is almost over.
Rossi and the others realize that there is another victim to save because his immunity runs out at the end of the month. Hotch releases the priest after some pressure from the State Department. Hotch summons Emily to his office where he tells her their involvement in this is over and for her to take some time off.
However, Rossi has other ideas and he and Emily go see Matthew's parents to find out who the fourth man is. His parents said Matthew wasn't supposed to see anyone but Emily knows he'd seen their friend, John Cooley. When Matthew's father says he didn't tell John about Matthew's death, both Emily and Rossi realize that John is the fourth man.
Rossi goes to Hotch to get the Vatican to help stop this man from perveting their beliefs while Emily and Morgan race to save John. They find John tied to his bed while Fr Silvano is trying to cast out his demons.
Emily and Morgan rescue John but not before Emily is splashed with Fr Silvano's Holy Water. Emily yells "What is in that water?!" Once outside, John apologizes for not being there for Emily back in Italy. One can presume he was the father of her baby. Emily offers Hotch her gun and badge for disobeying a direct order but he refuses. The team gets Fr Silvano deported back to Italy before he can do more harm.
The episode ends with Emily walking in the snow, ending up in front of a church where her nose begins to bleed. Was it the result of being splashed with the "Holy Water", stress, or something else? Scene fades with "My Side Of the Story" by Hodges playing in the background.
I was really liking to see something of Emily's past but I didn't really like the episode! I don't like the new atmosphere that is used in the last few episodes! Even though the amazing acting skills shown by ALL the actors, with a big WOW for Paget!!! To explain some more:
It was kind of the obvious from the beginning that the killings were exorcists gone wrong! So a dark episode. Fine by me. But that doesn’t mean everything in the episode needs to be dark? It becomes more of a thematic episode, a thing that made me lose interest in CSI (Las Vegas). You don’t have the same atmosphere inside the BAU or outside or anywhere else. One person might feel dark the world isn’t filled with that one person!
The thing that still bugs me is the music. If an episode is already so dark by visual aspects the music adding some more “darkness” can be quite overwhelming! Although it has become somewhat more subtle than the previous episode “pleasure is my business” I still find its presence quite too much! I like it when I don’t realize that there is music but it’s definitely there. A way that the music is one with an episode rather than it completely jumps out!
Me personally I really like the season 1-3 way of finding out the identity/face of the unsub! Through the profile! Not because we see him/her in scenes starting from the beginning of the episode with too much info that makes me NOT wonder anymore! Yeah, but this was a personal matter… So was “profiler, profiled”. And this isn’t the first episode that used this way of telling the story! It felt more like finding the motive than the real profiling stuff. Which makes it a general cop show. Which we have enough of.
I loved Rosssi in this episode! Paget did an excellent job. But I missed Reid...
This episode was great!!! I love finally getting some Prentiss backstory! I must admit... it kinda creeped me out too though, but I guess GREAT drama should do that to you!
I like that we saw emotion from Paget/Prentiss. Her tearing up at the beginning almost made me tear up! One of the commenters remarked about Chris Mundy's imagination going to dark places... I Concur!
I can't help but love the family dynamic from the show. Jill said it in another post -- but you can see how much 'family' exists on camera as well as off camera. Congrats to Ed, the cast, and the entire team for a excellent production
My roommate and I were watching it together. She actually GASPED at the preview for next week!
I did miss seeing more Matthew, but Shemar's cold made his voice kinda HOT!
It was an interesting episode. I liked Emily's back story. I liked Rossi stepping up to help Emily. I liked how Hotch handled Emily's issues and that the others helped as much as they could. They were all there for Emily...very cool.
I thought it was interesting about the Robbie Doe case... mental illness... interesting point of view.
I needed a few more strings tied...did they kill the priest in Spain(i think it was Spain)? Then the killer was seeking revenge...right?
The nose bleed...which has gotten everyone it seems...release of inner demons...maybe. Or was there a type of "gas" in the room or something in the water that made the victim bleed, shake, ect ... and Emily breathed some or was it splashed on her...and she had side effects...maybe a sign from her friend... it could mean a lot of different things.
Maybe Mr. Mundy could give us his insight since he wrote it? :o)
I did like it... I want to see it again so I can really absorb it.
April
I do NOT think there was 'an agenda' as suggested above. The subject matter was difficult at best, but I felt it was handled very well. I did feel that it left more unanswered questions than explanatations, but is that a bad thing? I like a show that give me something to dwell on, but that's just me.
Paget did an AMAZING job. She really showed her phenomenal range. I loved the interaction between all the cast members. Of course I wished for more Reid, but the few scenes we did have with him did not disappoint....the clothes (A+)..the hair (A).
And next week.....whoa! Didn't see that coming.....What happens to Morgan?? Can't wait for that one!!!!!
OMG that promo was CHILLING!
Morgan pushed to the ground! Our Morgan tackled?? I rewatched the promo three times.
I enjoyed watching this episode. That Emily never told her mother about the abortion says everything you need to know about her childhood but they threw in more for good measure. Paget did great!
Rossi and his religous beliefs can be a bit confusing. He prays but doesn't confess. How lapsed is he?
Quotes being read over dialogue is getting old fast. I don't like this newest tweek and we've had it three times this season. I know I am picky but when you find a show you really like then you get picky.
It's all good if you disagree. :-)
But surely you noticed that they depict Priests automatically as questionable characters. As far as child molestation cases, if you take the percentage of Catholic Priests and the number of molestation cases, and compare it to that of the percentage of doctors or teachers, you'll see that there are many more perverted doctors/teachers than priests. But there is anti-Catholic prejudice within the media and in Hollywood, and that's why all you hear about are the cases with Priests. Also, they make Prentiss the hero when she tells the story of having an abortion, and walking to the front of the Church. They make it seem so uplifting that she defied the Church's teachings on abortion. The fact of the matter is that abortion is a grave sin within the Catholic Church; they want to make light of it, and depict the Church and it's Priests as harsh and radical, when really, they are merely against the holocaust of innocent life for convenience. I'm not saying I'm Catholic, or that I'm Pro-Life; I'm just stating their stance on it, and it should be respected, not ridiculed via Hollywood and the media's "agenda".
Yes... agenda.
Feel free to disagree. I just wanted to share my sentiments. :-)
I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, we have really wonderful performances from Mantegna and Brewster, but on the other hand, there was an oddly undisciplined feel to the writing.
It was an interesting idea to have the priest be effectively a premeditated serial killer while intending nothing of the kind. Some hundreds of years ago, he might have been in his element, but in the modern era of rationality, it's all rather pathetic. It can't help but cast religious practice in a bit of a backward light, although they work hard to counterbalance that with Bruce Davison's character. Davison has considerable screen charm, but in the end it feels a bit wasted, since indeed his character seemed to be there simply to reassure us that they weren't just dumping on the Catholic Church. His presence wasn't actually important to the story. Something his character said seemed a little strange besides -- he says, if children are born innocent, when does evil enter their characters? Theologically, aren't we all born tainted by original sin? Not that a priest can't take a nuanced view, but those words seem to belong more to a behavioral scientist.
The teen pregnancy and abortion was a cliche. Yes, it happens, but I honestly was hoping for something less pedestrian for Prentiss' secret, especially since she's a female character. Matthew's disillusionment and downward spiral because of his friend's rejection by the Church was interesting, though, and his uncomprehending parents blaming Prentiss was sadly human. I take Prentiss' nosebleed as an indication that she was as much put through the wringer as the priest's unfortunate victims, although she wasn't literally tied down and tormented.
I can't say I liked the writing for Hotch. His inital support of Prentiss feels right, but Hotch having to be cajoled by Rossi into doing the right thing is out of character. His caution makes sense when they have no proof of foul play or that the deaths are related, but once the priest practically confesses, it's out of place. It gets really awkward when in one scene, Rossi tells the others Hotch will lose his job if he goes to the Italian Consulate, then a couple scenes later urges Hotch to do just that. "I'm okay with that." With what? Hotch losing his job? It wasn't as if they had no right to stop kidnapping and false imprisonment, Italian Consulate or no Italian Consulate. The crisis is resolved with the next best thing to a deus ex machina: the Vatican intervenes! Man, that was fast.
Also, Reid was uncharacteristically muzzled. I know it's Prentiss' episode, but you take a subject as complex and storied as exorcism and religious persecution of the mentally ill, and the brainiac with the schizophrenic mother has almost nothing to say about it the entire episode? Really?
Paget was AMAZING.
And Mantegna too.
good episode, very intresting.
a bit of unanswered questions though...
What happened to the dead priest? HOW did the Unsub priest manage to kill the young men? Just stressing them? And how long it took?
Very long if one of them died of dehidratation!
Paget had a great accent in Italian...not the priest! LOL!
I think the episode would have worked better for me if they had shown another five minutes of it. I also have nothing but questions and this is not a two parter.
The acting was great. Paget showed her chops last night. Perfect performance.
Abortion and cannibalism. What happened to the good old days of rape, murder, arson and stalking?
I totally agree about Reid. He was way too under used in this episode and I am not a Reid lover. The subject matter did lend itself to Reid babble and it just wasn't there.
Better than average episode. Not one I am likely to recommend to someone though.
Forget about abortion and the church for a mo and lets talk about the problems with diplomatic immunity. Yes, there is immunity from prosecution but not to my knowledge immunity that bars you from being deported out of the country. There is recourse and the impression given in the episode is that there isn't any. Did anyone find that odd besides me?
Also, Paget really nailed it. Great job by all really but wow the lady did us proud. There were some very very good scenes in this episode. Lots to like. Back story is always yummy.
but
Too many holes in the story for my taste. Too many unanswered questions. It leaves me asking about what was left on the cutting room floor.
What was the deal with the shrine in Spain? I mean they vaguely mention that the four men had started this group on the internet, that a priest mysteriously died, and that the unsub may (or may not) believe that the men killed the priest. But they never followed up on it. What's the deal? They never answered that question.
They also leave open the possibility that the men may have been possessed after all, with the exorcist confronting Emily's friend and calling him "Belial" which is the name of a demon and the man answering in Latin (or maybe Italian) "I am stronger than you." Anyone who has studied actual exorcism cases or is a devout Catholic could clearly see an example of a typical "exorcist-demon" conflict. So does Prentiss prevent a demon from being cast out?
Bringing in the priests for the profile was a nice touch and I like how the priest explained how exorcism works in the church although I wish that they had followed up on what he said about sanctioning the exorcism. They never said this in the show but exorcisms must be approved by the local bishop before they can succeed.
All in all, this episode disappointed me. The back story on Prentiss just seemed to be a swipe at the Church-oh, no the mean priest told the pregnant girl that she couldn't have an abortion! He told her that a sin was a sin! It annoyed me. It seemed like this show was hellbent on demonizing (no puns intended) the church, with the exception of Rossi's priest friend. And I really didn't like the subplot of Prentiss having an abortion when she was 15. I did think that Paget Brewster's peformance was award worthy. I did like Rossi going against the rules though and Hotch helping Prentiss out. We still had our family looking out for each other but it just wasn't enough for me.
Amazing episode!! I also wonder about the nose bleed at the end, but I'd like to think that it's supposed to show that maybe she can forgive herself for what she had to do. Her life wouldn't be the same it is now if she didn't, she was just a kid when it happened. Like she can move past thinking that Matthew's downfall was all her fault. Be rid of her own 'demons'--like other postings here say.
I love that an episode finally did some back story on Prentiss other than her 'political' upbrining.
Looking forward to the next episode...only 6 days and 5 hours and 39 minutes to go....
Okay, a few things here.
I am a die hard CM fan...but when I first started trying to figure things out, even I said (as a Catholic)"What, they are doing an episode where the Catholic Church is killing people?" Then, as the story was revealed, I eased up on the writers. :) It IS a story and CM is getting what it wants...fans in an uproar, and more importantly, fans buzzing.
As for the nosebleed...it really IS just a story written to entertain!! I'm sure the writers have no moral agenda. It made us think, though about what it DID mean.
Another thing is the comment on a Rossi/Prentiss relationship that ended with "not romantic, of course". Why not?? They would be sweet. Age is just a number, the writers could make it interesting (unless the reason is because they work together, then okay, I understand).
PB, who I have never really paid attention to, was GREAT! She did a really great job.
It goes without saying that I'm thrilled with all the time JM got. Seeing him play Rossi as kind and concerned, and not, as someone commented in an earlier post, as arrogant, just "ups" his yum factor. He is too die for! He is not looking well these days though.
I absolutely loved this episode. It was so great to see the hidden side of Emily and to explore once again the danger that people can cause all in the name of religion. Rossi seemed to really get it. Maybe it was his knowledge of his own religion or the cases he's worked but wow it all worked for me. Striking performances by Paget and Joe. Kudos to both of them.
I really like this episode alot. Paget did excellent work, so did Joe and Thomas. I'm wasn't surprise by Emily's secret but I was impress by the scene where she told Rossi about it. The setting, where the event in the exorcise took place. Very creepy place that was. Emily telling Rossi was a surprise since he is a believer.
Taking on the church in an episode will always be controversial but I like that CM does that from time to time, it take guts. The exorcism angle was interesting. You could see with the priest who was friend with Rossi that it is was a touchy subject.
Just like with the lawyers in Pleasure is my Business, they presented the profiles to those who might had more chances to know the unsub, the priests. I like that scene and the fact the genius boy like Garcia calls Reid,figured it all out!
Hotch was the poor guy between the team and the politics in this episode. He did all he could to support Prentiss and even put his career on the line for her. That phone call with the State Department seems to have be an unpleasant affair. But like the great team teader that he is, he did all he could to help and protect the team.
Loved Rossi in this episode. He was a good friend to Emily throught out the whole case and wasn't afraid to confront Hotch.
Wonderfull ending and the song was great, it gave the right atmosphere to the scene. I am still wondering at what Prentiss nose bleed meant.
As for the unsub, I am not sure about him. Was he sick? delusional? Or was he sane and believed that those men were possessed?
There wasn't much humour in that episode but I did like Garcia's line at the beginning when Emily asked her if Hotch was there and Garcia's says something like 'he lives here', yep Hotch is still the total workaolic. That theme been there since the start of season 4 and it is still going on, I wonder where it would lead us.
Anyway, I love the episode, great writing on Mr. Mundy's part, great acting.
I must say after seeing the promo on CBS and the Canadian CTV, I can't wait to see omnivore next week!
Brigitte
I have never been disappointed in a Chris Mundy episode and this was no exception.
Very dark, very real and very challenging. I liked that there was no easy solution and I thought the storyline was very interesting. Great performance by Paget as well.
Well, I just watch Wednesday's episode and even if I don't share the whole Chris Mundy's opinion about religion and its extremism sometimes, I have to admit that I really like Demonology! :-D
Of course, being one of rare Emily's fans, I wasn't disappointed at all as seeing as first, this episode was focused on this character and second, it had to reveal one of her secrets... Paget Brewster did a really amazing, incredible job in let us find out another Emily's facet, more sensible than the straight (and ofr some people, cold behaviour) she used to have (she has began to show her interest in kids at the beginning of season 3 besides, Children in Dark and the one before). So, a big THANKS Paget to make me love more your character!
I don't know if people would like Emily Prentiss more but one thing is sure, the one who plays the role (Paget Brewster) is a true talented actress!
I can't wait the next season to watch a new episode focuse on Emily Prentiss (and her mother aka Kate Jackson).
Now, I'd like to know more on JJ (Idon't like specially her character but I think that there are some dark zones in her past too...)
btw I meant Exorcist not exorcise....that will teach me not reread myself before posting....
Brigitte
Just watched it and WOW...AWESOME!!!
This one was really creepy but in a different way.I mean there wasn't much blood but those religion things are always creepy to me.I can't really explain why.
Okay now the writers AGAIN surprised me with the secret that Emily was pregant.I really didn't see that coming.
Paget is such a great actress I really (I kid you not) almost cried with her when she cried.WOW.I felt so,so,so sorry for her.
I was surprised that Rossi talked to Emily alone I actually thought Hotch would do that.
Morgan was as usual unsure about this case but HEY that's how he is.But he was there and just that counts,right?!
I have to say I haven't really looked at Reid's hair this time cause I was focused on the case too much.But what I realized was great.Sexy.;-)
Brilliant episode!!!
What an awesome episode . I loved everything about it. We've been waiting a long time for an Emily epi and it was worth the wait. Paget was just fabulous in this epi. You felt her inner struggle throughout. I was so impressed when Em walked into Hotch's office with that broken/vulnerable expression on her face. It was just wonderful. The secret turned out to be not so big, but I'm not sure I would have liked it any bigger than that to be honest.
But I absolutely loved how they got them all together as a family. I loved how Rossi protected Emily the whole time. I think he was extra careful because the priest told him to take care of her, but nonetheless he was great with her. Hotch put his career on the line yet again for one of the team members, even though at first he seemed a bit torn. Morgan as usual butted heads a bit, but he means well . Just like a real family.
And I loved to see Emily fight so hard for something she believes in yet again. She gets so fired up when it comes to the people she cares for, or something she believes in .
I loved the theme as well. I like a bit of controversy . With the church you always get that because so many people believe in so many things. I have a huge respect for them for having the guts to attack the subject, knowing what kind of controversy it might spark.
Brilliant writing from Chris Mundy. Brilliant acting all around, especially Paget. Brilliant episode on the whole.
Congrats to everybody and thank you for a great episode
Loved it
Well... I already saw the episode on youtube and you had reason. This episode was amazing and Paget was perfect.
Is very hard see Paget Brewster crying... when she cried on serie Huff was also so hard ... because she have a beautiful smile and she really seems a good person, is so sad to see her like this.
But she's brilliant, in this episode you can see the suffering in her eyes. She has so much emotion in her eyes... my god, she was perfect. Congratulations Paget!
You're really good actress. Good luck for your future and your career. Big Kiss from Lisbon (Portugal) - ***Catarina
I'm happy I had my Emily hour and I felt sorry for her all the time. All I wanted to do was hug her and hit Matthews' mother! The first 5 minutes were incredible sad and the scene when she told Rossi about the abortion was just beautiful!!
I know there's a lot of questions but I don't care...I'm just happy!
Paget is definitely one of the 7 wonders of the world!! I can't stop to love her and Emily, oh boy...everything that happened explained the great woman that she is. I can't stop to respect her and to love her either.
This episode really impressed me. It was brave, controversial and complex. Not one of the episodes where I’d go immediately crazy about how much I loved it, but more one of those silent episodes that keep my brain busy for a long time and have a lasting impression on me. I really liked ‘Demonology’.
Prentiss’ back story that was presented today explains so much about her: Her wish to belong to the team which she tried so hard in her early BAU days, the way she connects to cases involving children, her way to compartmentalize. She had an abortion in her youth, still has no children and her colleague JJ became pregnant. A close friend of Emily’s has been struggling with drugs for half of his life - that explains a lot why Emily was the one to call Reid on his behavior in season 2.
I also wonder how Reid with his schizophrenic mom felt about the exorcisms that were used to expel demons from people sharing his mom’s disease or using drugs like he had in the past? He was unusually silent in this episode.
How ironic that Emily is the one who hates politics most and it was ‘her’ case where politics played an important role. First politics or rather diplomatic immunity prevented them from getting a grip on the wayward priest, but then it was the interference of politics that made it possible to get rid of him.
Something that bothered me a little was that the exorcism was performed in English, I really had expected it to be a ritual performed in Latin? And when Prentiss’ nose bled in the end, was I the only one who thought that it was because maybe she tried cocaine in her youth?
Something about this episode felt differently to me than the usual CM feeling though I can’t exactly say what it is. Somehow this was like a Christmas episode for me, and the snow in the end really fit that atmosphere.
excellent, excellent, excellent episode. us fans usually end up either really disliking or loving character-centric episodes, but i think this one was one of the ones we would come to love.
chris mundy, your writing is superb.
paget, you are awesome.
criminal minds never fails us. oh, and next week's promo? "omnivore"? CRAZINESS. only CM can make someone wait for the middle of every week.
Was not fond of this episode at all and I'm usually thrilled with episodes by Chris Mundy.
I don't think it was so much that this priest thought these men were possessed as he was out for revenge for the other priest's death.
More character development for Emily which was good.
Rossi has suddenly become the self proclaimed father figure of the team. Giving JJ advice in Cold Comfort, Morgan in Lucky, Penelope and Lo Fi, Hotch in numerous episodes and now Emily in Demonology. He's not said too much to Reid but lately Reid has been almost MIA and since Reid is the major reason I watch the show, that's probably why I haven't enjoyed the last few episodes so much.
I agree with those who said Reid was underused. When it was mentioned that schizophrenics were sometimes exorcized, I'm amazed he didn't have some comment since that would be a personal thing for him. He still seems to be in the credits so maybe I'll see him in a future episode for more than two minutes but I'm not holding my breath or getting excited about episodes anymore which is sad for me because I love this show.
As having also grown up in the church I agree with Laura's point of view.
Before I review the episode i'm going to rewatch it...so my thoughts on that will come later.
What an interesting episode! I was a bit wary when I learned it was about exorcism. AW did a great job though and it wasn't just a Catholic church bashing episode. So Prentiss isn't all that perfect after all...;)
I'm glad the last episodes have not been all about Reid anymore as much. As much as I enjoy his character he's the least believable SSA. Consultant yes, agent no. Cute though ...
Forgive me if this has been mentioned already. I tried to read all the comments first before posting...
My theory on the nosebleed: Somewhere during the show, it was mentioned that evil had to have a "conduit" or something like that. So I'm guessing as the first exorcism finished, the demon was cast out and had to find another "host" in which to exist.
At the end, when the guy kissed Prentiss on the cheek, I'm thinking he was passing the evil on to her...causing her nosebleed as she passed by the Church.
It will be Prentiss' choice whether to let the evil overtake her...or to defeat it.
I think the nosebleed was just showing how much stress she was under all the victims had nosebleeds because of the stress they experienced before they died. I loved the episode...but what has my attention now is the promo for next week...
When I first watched the epi... I was so disappointed. Somehow it just didn't strike that familiar CM chord with me. I watched it again, tried to see it through the eyes of those who "loved" it... and I found it better than disappointing, but mostly just tolerable.... a new CM epi to get through the week.
It wasn't even the opposing beliefs that were presented... I don't go to TV for my morals / beliefs, especially not one about serial killers!
It certainly wasn't that it lacked Reid... because I prefer he just be another cast member than the focus (how many epis have centered around him ?!!)
Not an episode I will FF to when the DVDs come out, but I'll def watch it again.
Loved the interation between Prentiss and Rossi. Awesome acting from the both of them. They are my two favorites on the show. I really like the direction that the writters are taking with Rossi this season. He was so caring with Emily. Joe Mantegna is wonderful and I am glad that he was the one to replace Mandy.
Wow, what a great ep, i totally loved it. Paget did a great job, first i felt bad for her, but i´m happy that we know more about her. Rossi stood behind her all the time. The team was great like a family. Love the quote at the begining and the song at the end.
There are many questions at the end of the ep. Did they kill the priest in spain, how excatly died the victims and what´s about the blood nose of Emily. English is not my native language maybe that´s why i have no answers. I have to watch it again
Thanks to Chris Mundy for this great story!!
I did the recap Wednesday but did not post my opinion of this episode. First of all, Paget Brewster is an amazing actress and keeps proving it everytime she walks on the screen.
The episode was wonderfully written by Chris Mundy and the direction by Ed Bernero was fantastic. Even the editing was great. I loved the way that the scenes morphed from people to the stained glass windows.
Emily's secret was muted enough to be in character with her. I was, however, surprised to see her "confess" to Rossi, I would have expected maybe JJ, Garcia, Hotch, or Morgan before Rossi. But I did love the fact that Rossi supported her and did not judge her.
Lots of unanswered questions in this episode but I find that true of religion in general.
All in all, one of my favorites of the season so far mostly because of Paget's awesome performance. I can't wait for Omnivore this Wednesday...it'seems like it's going to be intense.
i like this one alot. pagent did a great job. she really rocks.i did feel bad sor her. hope they do more with her.
Don't know what to say, another epi that became my favorite. Even if it wasn't about profiling that much, but it was about emotions. Loved it.
this has got to be my favourite episode
Paget is an outstanding beautiful actress and her portrayal of Emily is awesome.
the scene at the beginning had me in tears, the scene explaining what she had been through was beautiful and the song at the end fitted perfectly
overall a brilliant episode and an "oh my gosh your the most awesome person on the planet!!!" to Paget :)
Post a Comment