Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Risky Business" starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangsness.
** Spoiler Alert. There will be spoilers in the comments of this thread ***
***Quote and song info will be posted after the episode airs on the east coast ***
73 comments:
YAY...another new CM ep! I can't wait to find out what connection this case has to JJ's past. And it's written by Jim Clemente. So very exciting.
Keep up the great work this season!
This new episode should be very interesting and disturbing at the same time. Jim Clemente wrote it and it will bring JJ's past to the forefront. Can't wait to see it. Teen suicide is a big situation right now. Another great episode althought somehow...sad.
Just a few hours to wait for a new CM, Yay!
Brigitte
Looking forward to another new CM epi! JJ's backstory should be interesting and of course, hoping for more of our fabulous Unit Chief... :)
can't wait! :D love JJ, will be interesting to see what it has to do with her
I can't wait for this episode. Finally an episode which gives us insight into J's past!!
A JJ centric ep!!! Can't wait!
So happy another epi of CM is coming our way! This one written by Jim Clemente promises to be intersting!
Half scared to see this epi-a couple kids hung themselves during my daughter's high school years and have heard some friends' & neighbors' sim stories. A very sad situ, maybe a sign of the times, with all the high-tech communications means like sexting and the cyber bullying. People can be so cruel. But it will be super to learn more about our sweetie, JJ, for sure.
Great shows are coming, too - how about the one on March 3rd that our boy MGG is directing? How cool is that? And he claims he is more confident at directing than acting?! He is going to be AMAZING if that's the case because you all know how I think his acting is unsurpassed! Lots to look fwd to!
Can't wait! I am so glad that my cable it working again! I had to call them again today as it was pixaling. I was stressing that I wouldn't be able to see CM clearly enough tonight! However, she "cleaned" my lines and it's working fine....again.
Wheeeee, another interesting episode. Written by Jim Clemente. Can´t wait to watch it, i´m so excited. Love to see more from JJ.
Does anyone know the name/artist of the song they played in the opening of this episode?
Okay. That was depressing, I'm so glad we got some info on JJ!!! That ending between her and Hotch was awesome.
That is such a sick game. Ugh.
Great episode!
Pretty good episode. Great writing, a case that got me wondering who was the killer until almost the end. Everyone on the team got to shine from Morgan tackling the kid to Reid being funny, of course Reid would miss the point from Prentiss story! Funny! Garcia was awesome when she was interviewing the kid. Sad story from JJ. At the end I thought Hotch was to be comforting JJ but he ended up being the one who got the comfort. I like JJ and Hotch having those conversations, they do understand each others.
Poor kid, he lost his mom and his dad was just not a serial killer but tried to kill his kid. What sick man that was.
all and all good episode. Too bad we don't have a new episode next week.
Brigitte
Dear writers:
Please stop giving Reid the Lt. Cmdr Data treatment. He isn't an android, and his reaction to Emily's little fable was just...too clueless for him. One of the things I love about CM is that Reid does NOT get the stereotypical "TV nerd/genius" writing, but lately he's been getting it, from his totally out of character ignorance of pop culture in "The Performer" and now this. This is a character who's a Trekkie and goes to Comic-Con, he's made Siouxsie and the Banshees jokes, he isn't ignorant or incapable of understanding humor and common symbolism, like Mr. Spock.
Cut it out.
It was good. I think I was expecting it to be a stellar episode since Clemente wrote it but I feel let down. The scene with Hotch and JJ was good. Not much else to say about it.
Why no promo for the next episode?
What's the name of the song that is played in the begining I'm watching it right now it's so good
Anon: The songs are posted in the post under this one!
This episode was gripping.
You knew that something had happened to JJ beause she knew so much about suicide and Hotch kept looking at her, like he was thinking "WTF? Having it turn out to be her older sister who commiteed suicide was touching and especially nice when she was able to turn it around an comfort Hotch through his loss of Haley.
Will, Chris's father was a total bastard and Chris was just as much a victim as the other kids who died playing the chocking game.
There was a really nice balance with the team in this episode and Garcia got to go with them! And she still has red hair! WOOT.
good epi! lots of exposure for all the gang... so sad convo between JJ and Hotch.
Loved Reid being clueless about the point of the story and then being complete genius in solving the "impossible" puzzle.
Poor kid.... what a horrid time. There was something in his eyes when Morgan had him pinned, I wondered "who is he afraid of??"
That was a good ep!
I, unfortunately, didn't get to see the first half of the episode, so I can't properly give a good opinion on it..
But I started watching when Garcia went in to talk to the goth kid. Dang, he's cute! ;)
LOL, but anyway... I loved that different little scenario for Penelope, really awesome..
I was getting scared because it didn't seem as if JJ was included much, and this was supposed to be a good ep for her. All she was doing was standing by Garcia's desk.. But then near the end, when she was asking Garci if the kid gave her anything, Garcia had this weird expression, and then asked, 'how'd you know that..?'
Then, it's revealed within the last five mins. of the ep, between Hotch and Jayj. Wow, that's really, really sad.
Both AJ and Thomas were great. They projected such emotion, and it was just fantastic. What pros.
Would it be selfish to ask if we could have even more JJ in the future eps?! Please? =P
Whoa! Jim Clemente you can write for CM anytime! Congrats on an excellent episode! It felt very realistic. Subject matter was interesting but so sad.
I loved getting a bit of backstory on JJ...and didn't she look especially beautiful tonight?
The interaction between Garcia and the kid was great. I loved how Reid handled himself in the classroom. He dealt with the sarcastic remarks well - very calm and self-assured. I'm lovin' the grown up, capable Reid. :)
Thanks to everyone for their hard work on tonight's episode. I am a very happy Fanatic!
Poor JJ! It is not an easy event she went through when she was young and even with the memory of that event, she was still able to follow her professional guts and convince Hotch that there was something wrong and take the case. The team all gave in very efficiently has they always do and did a great job.
Ok! Note to tthe writers here: NOT enough Rossi again... :o( (Dear writers, I’m getting really worried here about that). I was glad though to see him part of the action. But with is experience I'm sure there is a lot more he can do.
Garcia at “interrogation” was a cool moment. Who she is made her the best key to access the kid and I really like the way she did it. Morgan back at his old “chasing the perpetrator” was good. Reid was a little too much like an encyclopaedia again. Prentiss clarity of deductions during the case was awesome and it was great to see Hotch leadership still impeccable. ;o) The JJ/ Hotch scene was special and the Prentiss / Reid moment was so funny. Jim Clemente wrote a very good episode. It is a very disturbing subject and with the internet who has become one of the major way of communication I thought it was a very interesting way of showing what lies out there on the net. The actors, writer and crew did another great job.
Not fond of this one.
It was nice to see some JJ backstory, but the episode really felt like a PSA.
WOW, loved it! Superb ending! Really great epi, very real! Loved the kid. Already want to watch it again! Clemente rocks and so do all the cast! Thomas and AJ were great as was Kirsten!
i have a hour tell it comes on.i been wanting to no more about jj past . i get tonight.
I was really confused because at the end of the episode it said to stay tuned for clips from the next episode like always but this time they didn't show the preview.
Otherwise the episode was amazing!!!
Debbie - I'm a big fan of confident, capable Reid, too! We've been seeing him a lot this season, especially last week, which was a fantastic episode all around.
I'm NOT a fan of Reid = Bones, in case I didn't make that clear in my earlier comment. Reid is one of the most unique, appealing characters on television because he is NOT a stereotype of a TV genius. He's a nerd who is nonetheless allowed to be cool and heroic and sexy while still rattling off statistics and deciphering codes longhand. If the common TV "nerdy genius" tropes of "pop culture ignorant" and "unable to comprehend metaphor" are applied to him it will kill the character and his uniqueness.
I thought this episode was fantastic. I think this will go into my top 10 for favortie episodes.
Subject matter was intense. It's sad that unfortunately these things happen.
I like that Garcia and JJ got to shine a little bit. The hug from the sherriff for JJ was a sweet touch. And Garcia was so nervous that she was going to screw up the interview but she was able to get the kid to talk to her.
The group moments were the best. I loved Morgan Garcia, Rossi and Prentiss talking about Reid at the end. And the JJ & Hotch convo broke my heart, with her reassurance to him that things will get better.
A little JJ backstory!! Thank you!! Felt bad for her the entire ep because you could tell it struck really close to home. Didn't tell a whole lot about her past but definitely gave us some. AJ Cook...you rocked tonight. You made us feel JJ's pain.
JJ has great instincts. This isn't the first time she's pulled for a case when there didn't appear to be one. And every scene between JJ and Hotch was great. I so love their relationship and that JJ used her own hurt to help Hotch with his was wonderful.
Garcia in the box! How awesome and unexpected was that. She connected with that kid on so many different levels. She belongs on the jet with the team every week.
And Emily Prentiss how I heart thee. "There's a lot to hate about you Dr. Reid." L...O...L!!
Way to go CM! Another great episode. And I second that Jim Clemente should write more eps.
Can't wait for the next one!!
I think this episode was great!
It was a sad case and it's disturbing to know just how much damage the Internet can do. My heart went out to the families of the dead kids. It must be such a horrifying situation.
A little background information on JJ was long due and it turned out to be heartbreakingly sad. AJ got a chance to shine and did a superb job with the emotional side of it. The scene between JJ and Hotch on the plane was very well done, very heartfelt.
I loved the little Emily story at the end. Reid's reaction to it was funny and her reply even funnier.
Thank you Jim Clemente for some great writing and thank you CM cast and crew for a wonderful job and a thoroughly enjoyable episode.
(I'm posting again now that I've seen the whole ep.)
Great episode!
Now, I say it's great, but it was so very depressing at the same time. Suicide isn't exactly a stranger, and it just took quite a toll on me. I appreciated that my favorite character off of the show, JJ, wasn't either and just admired her strong sense of urgency to take this case. I could relate to her.
The beginning with her talking to Hotch.. I knew the unit chief was hearing alarm bells in his head when he was staring at her. She just looked so concerned and anxious. Also, I loved the scenes with her, Prentiss and Hotch speaking with the parents. The facial expressions from JJ throughout the whole episode was enough to make my eyes tear up a bit. She looked so distant and scared. The ending scene between her and Hotch was just heart-breaking. They both were on the verge of breaking down, but they'd only allow that sort of emotion to show towards each other, and not anyone else. They are people who put shields up and keep a sense of professionalism about them, whatever the reason, but when they come confront each other, you see their true emotion.
In other words, A.J. Cook did a freakin' amazing job with this episode. She needs more screentime, more action, more everything! And by the way things are going with this season, I don't think that will be an unfulfilled wish after all, like the past seasons.
Also, kudos to Penelope Garcia for being awesome!! It was interesting to see her talking with Chris, the goth kid, and get something out of him.. although she did it indirectly.
That also reminds me of the scene where JJ urgently asked what he had given her, and Garci just looks up at her with this kinda bewildered expression, asking, "How did you know that..?" I don't know, that particular scene was interesting to me too. Just the sublety in it, ya know?
Anyway, I'm gonna stop rambling. In order words, Jim Clemente did a great job with this episode!
I loved his way of writing. It was great to me.
Btw, NN is actually me, BB. I'm so sorry for posting a third time..
To MadLori: yeah, the whole star story thing at the end did not ring true. I would have expected Reid to be fascinated (albeitly a little patronizingly so) with the story, but be willing to understand that humans make stories to make their lives bearable. My first thought was that maybe the writers are trying to bring Reid back to center, not to android, but we'll see.
To AuntiCara: I thought it was a bit on the side of a PSA up to about halfway through. Then I started getting into the story. Thankfully it was saved from being a bit from Lifetime Channel.
Great show, despite the unusually depressing story content (will we ever get used to that?) JJ was excellent, esp at the end. I see & admire the bond that she has developed with Hotch and the wonderful mutual respect they have.
On the Reid subject, I agree with MadLori, he is far more capable and self-assured now and the puzzle/story was no longer appropriate Reid-like behavior. This is so evident as Debbie mentioned in the scene tonite in the classroom where he didn't get the least bit flustered despite being made fun of by the student remarking "Do you believe this dude?" (excuse me if I mixed you ladies up, BTW,) but our new adult Reid is WAY more mature and self-assured than the scene depicted with Prentiss. He can still rattle off facts and trivia with such rapidity we can hardly keep up -that's the eccentric genius part of him we will always love but the weird/nerdy kid-stuff has to go. There you have it, writers, we know it's fun to write stuff for Reid, but please, BE CONSISTENT!
And I can't wait to see the epi he directs in March! Maybe he will try writing after that, and come up with some lines of his own for himself - LOL!
There was a question of why the bit from next week wasn't shown as promised. State of the Union is scheduled at the same time as CM. I am thinking CBS hasn't decided what to do about it yet.
Oh, and I forgot to mention how great Garcia was - she was totally on the same page as that poor kid in two minutes - her own orphan background and her geekiness were able to connect with him where the regular profilers could not! Hotch is right - she should come along always - with her new red hair AND all her gear!
Pretty good episode. What's with all the creepazoid dads all of a sudden? LOL. The plotline was a little transparent. I already guessed the unsub was the dad and that either JJ or someone in JJ's fam had attempted or succeeded in committing suicide. But overall, a pretty good episode with some very touching moments for the team. Loved getting to know more about JJ! She is my favorite female agent on the show. My favorite moments of the episode:
* JJ pitching the case to Hotch. Yes, this case obviously hit close to home for her but she's never been wrong yet about cases that "seem wrong" to her. Go JJ, way to fight for your cause! :)
* On the plane ride on the way to the case, after JJ explains spontaneous declarations of love, Hotch just gives her a long, hard look; he knows it's hitting close to home for JJ. Awww. Go Hotch!
* Garcia and the kid in the interrogation room. That kid is a good actor. That scene was really touching, especially the end of that scene. Way to go casting people, Kirsten, and kid! lol
* most favorite part: JJ & Hotch at the end. I thought Hotch was going to get to comfort JJ and it turned out JJ ministered to Hotch's heart through her own pain/experience. Aww. I ♥ how JJ always looks out for Hotch. She would always check on him in his office and always say bye to him in his office in past episodes. I think she and Rossi understand Hotch best. :)
Bad thing about the episode: Lots of scenes with TG in it, causing me to drool excessively. OK, who am I kidding here. Those were excellent parts of the episode! LOL. =P
Dear AJ Cook,
I'm sure you get this a lot, but you have amazingly beautiful eyes. Also, the rest of you is pretty perfect too, like a life-size Barbie doll. And you did a wonderful job in this episode. *pats you on the back*
Sincerely,
CB
So, but why wasn't there a preview for next week's episode? It said stay tuned but there was none. D'oh!! Is it because filming has gotten a little behind schedule because of all the rain/tornados/waterspouts? *contemplates building an ark in my backyard* Except without all those animals to poop and stink up the place. So more like a covered cruise ship, I guess. HA!!! LOL.
gubegirl: I'm a little afraid of the episode that MGG will be directing. His twitter has mentioned being proud of making people puke from his scary stories. *cries* I don't wanna puke!! *is scurred* LOL
I loved it. Was great seeing a little more of JJ. Now I will just have to wait for this episode to air in Norway, which will be in April...
Anyways, KUDOS to Jim Clemente.
i love that we've got some jj background but i love any hotch/jj scenes especially! well done to all but aj and thomas rocked this ep :)
I absolutely <3 this episode!!! i loved JJ's storyline and how Hotch was concerned for her all the way through. I also loved that the concern was reciprocated at the end.... i love how hotch is able to keep it together, but then they show little clips of his vulnerability. At first I wanted them to approach the whole reaper situation more head on.... but now, i think it would be great, if each team member approached him seperately, in little 'Plane' scenes at the end!!! :-) hehe!
Loved it! this episode was awesome!
Jen x x x
Jim Clemente may write complete seasons!! What a deep episode full with very good team moments! After Hotch kicking the Reapers ass this is my fave episode so far!
Awesome episode!
Loved to get at least a little bit of JJ's background (though there's still so much more I'd love to know).
The writing was excellent. Loved Reid again in the classroom scene with Morgan, that was wonderfully done.
One (BIG!! VERY BIG!!) complaint though: Where was Rossi? There was not nearly enough of him in the past episodes.
Oh, I forgot something: Garcia was amazing! (As usual :-)). It was great to see her on the plane with the others. Love her red hair, by the way.
This wasn't my favorite episode, but that's a personal bias. I loved seeing Garcia with the team and interviewing Christopher. I liked AJ Cook in this (JJ). Subtly played and still emotional. I loved the plane scene at the end! It was interesting to see JJ choose a case based on personal knowledge.
I really liked this episode. I guess I didn't expect to like it. When I saw the promo, I thought "Oh, a hanging game. That's been done before." It just didn't seem like a unique idea. ...BUT... the episode was very well done. I enjoyed the teenage son's role and thought the main cast was exceptional, as always.
At the end of the episode, my husband and I both agreed that is was done very well! Great job. Keep it up!!
Exceptionally strong episode for everyone – reaffirming the sure footing of each member within his/her speciality on the team. Rossi was missing but I loved him at the end for those few short moments. I haven’t read any posts yet so I may be repeating….
The silences in the conversation when they were talking about the case were extremely effective. This case was shaking each member.
Hotch is back strong and committed but his heart doesn’t seem to be in it yet. There were great dynamics in the schoolroom scene between Reid and Morgan and the students.
KV was terrific with Garcia and the student. The programming of Garcia’s computers and what we see for each episode is amazing.
The ending was terrific again. Prentiss is always amusing with she deals with Reid. Reid seemed a little upset at everyone’s comments about his abilities at the games but he is more sure of himself now.
I loved that Hotch continues to immediately see the needs of his team no matter what happens to his life and he proactively acts on doing what he can to help them. As JJ retold her family history with her sister, it seemed to take him by surprise that she turned it around so smoothly as support for him. I loved that TG looked down when that happened...the ever private Hotch. It also created greater depth to the thank you he gave JJ.
The details from every aspect of production is marvelous on CM.
Thanks CM.
can´t wait to see it
Good episode. I enjoyed Jim Clemente's writing. Love JJ's emotion throughout. AJ Cook did an awesome job. Great to see Garcia take a more active role. Great job everyone!
Very sad indeed. But good story. Loved the team interaction. Good feel. Family. Loved the ending on the plane. All of it.
Does anyone know what JJ said at the end regarding sorrow and remembering in grieving? My mom died this past year and the words really hit close to him - would love to know what she said. Can anyone help me?
I loved the fact that Garcia got to with them and the way she connected with the kid. You could tell JJ was disturbed by all this through the whole eppisode. Loved the scene at the end where she talked to Hotch and told her about her sister. Though there was another suicide eppisode, where she didn't seem to be disturbed by it. Or was that just because this one was teens and the other was adults? ( even though it turned out the other wasn't suicides )
It was a little disturbing of an eppisode though. I've heard so much negativity about the chocking game and what's happened because of it. This morning when I got to work, I went to the Toronot Star website like I always do, and started reading it. There was an article about teen suicides that have been happening in a certain area up there and what they are doing to try to prevent more of it happening.
cmwinner
In regards to MadLori's comments, I hope you don't mind if I respectfully disagree: Just because Reid is growing up, doesn't mean he doesn't still have areas of weakness, and flaws, and gaps, and some dorkiness. And I don't want to see those be taken away.
I don't want a flawless character. Those gaps are in part what makes him unique as a character and that make him human, and that have made him unique from the beginning. I like to see him growing up, but don't want him to become something completely different, or he will lose that uniqueness. He'll see the world just like everyone else, only with more facts in the mix, and I don't want that.
And though the writers are not always consistent, these traits are not new portrayals. He's always struggled to pick up sarcasm (in the moment), and sometimes metaphor. I don't think that's a sign of immaturity, or a trope. And in my opinion it tends to happen when his mind is on other things, like a reflex reaction, and he looked deep in thought about other stuff.
In short, I don't want the writers to take away those moments. Keep giving us a Reid that has grown up and is more socially confident, but still with those gaps that put him outside the mainstream.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this one, but the twist with the father at the end sold me. Great story, if a bit slow to start.
I loved JJ and Hotch at the end, Morgan and Reid at the school, and I'm always happy to see the jet this season.
Like several others though, I was thrown by Reid's reaction to Emily's story. Reid's been shown more than once to have some knowledge of popular culture. He's read or had read to him other stories of a similar type and "gets" them. Season 1 Reid wasn't even this clueless.
Agree with everyone else. Reid is NOT Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory!
But aside from that, really digged this episode. Strong plot, solid writing, high creepy-factor, and the opening scene with the music was great.
And Garcia's red hair + blue hair thingy = wow!
If I was a parent, this week’s episode probably would have freaked me out, but since I don’t have kids, I could thoroughly enjoy it. Geekiness for the win! It’s a scary thought though that you can live in a relatively safe area, have a happy family, raise great kids, basically do everything right and still not be able to protect them from intruding horrors.
All in all the episode was a ‘lighter’ one and we got a happy ending for the second week in a row with lots of team love on top of it. Honestly, after all the angst and sadness of the first half of this season I’m really grateful for that. Although still sad and thought-provoking, in the last two weeks CM was pleasant TV entertainment again and not the weekly hour of horrors and torture. I really appreciate that break.
I love it when CM goes country, so this was a bonus this week. The silent communication between JJ and Hotch throughout the episode was impressing, they conveyed so much with the look of their eyes. Garcia got to shine and I really liked the sheriff in this episode.
As for Reid, I liked him better in the classroom than on the plane, but I enjoy both sides of his character and won’t complain if he’s used for a bit of comic relief. It seemed a bit out of character, but it was funny and cute. The Reid on the plane was more like the Reid from earlier seasons and the whole plane scene with Prentiss reminded me of the deleted plane scene from Fear and Loathing.
Also, Chris, the goth kid, reminded me strongly of Zizzo from The Popular Kids and the whole Risky Business felt like a mixture of The Popular Kids, P911 and A Higher Power to me - not that I’m complaining, I thoroughly enjoy the nostalgia that brings about.
All in all a very pleasant hour of TV entertainment, CM just as I like it. :)
I really liked this episode. It was very sad - they had so much to live for, they had just begun. The family is definitely back in the team which I love. The plane scene at the end is always a favorite of mine.
I do not find Reid's reaction to the Star story that unbelievable. My husband's family has a few Reids in it and he immediately said sounds Like .... They just seem to take things too seriously.
Keep up the good work. This season is great.
I loved this episode. I felt for the parents of the victims and for the goth kid. My sister had the father pegged as the unsub when she saw him. I wonder about the victims. They all seemed smart so I wonder why they would be that unthinking as to play a game like that.
I loved Garcia interviewing the kid. She was so sweet with him.
I felt bad for JJ reliving her sister's suicide. I liked the conversation betweenHotch and her.
My favorite parts had to do with Reid though. I have to disagree with what everyone's saying. I loved Reid in the classroom and Morgan watching his back,but Reid was able to handle himself. I love the growing confident Reid,but I also love the clueless Reid,who solved the puzzle in a few seconds. Maybe he's pretending to be clueless just to be funny. If not,I don't mind. It seems like everyone thinks it's a crime to not be knowledgeble in pop culture. I,like Reid,don't know the names in Twilight,or the Clockwork Orange, or even the story Emily told. I don't think that means that he's a robot. It's the same as the others being clueless when he goes on his ramblings. I think Reid is perfect the way he is. I don't mind him maturing but if he loses that bit of innocence and quirkyness then the character will be like everyone else and stagnate and I hate to see that happen.
For such a difficult topic as teen suicide that resulted from peer pressure on the internet, Jim Clemente did an admirable job without making it too maudlin or preachy. My favorite part was how Garcia was able to bond with the Goth kid. She was very genuine and sincere in her desire to help.
The plot was predictable. As soon as the Dad showed up, it was obvious he was the real unsub.
The bit about JJ's sister seems too over-dramatic to me. For the team to have been so like family for at least five years, it makes it look like everyone is closed off to each other to not know that about her. It's almost a stereotype that all the team members are hiding some heart-wrenching secret from the past. I guess there's no such thing as a happy childhood in TVland. :)
The hardest thing about having a guest writer is that they are not as invested in the characters' development. IMHO, I felt that Reid was written as if he hasn't changed since Lesson Learned. He seemed like a fact-reciting robot without empathy for the grieving parents. To be so literal about a fairy tale doesn't ring true for him any more. The classroom scene was cute though. It was funny that Morgan did all the running up and down the halls to tackle the kid and all Reid had to do is take the short cut and still manage to arrive at the time of the tackle. It's the ol'head them off at the pass trick.
In the end, we are still reminded to give our loved ones a big hug because we never know if we will have a second chance.
A decent CM episode but not a favourite which is a shame b/c I thought that it could have been a classic.
I liked the basic premise of the case and was quite looking forward to seeing how it would pan out, but instead found it too predictable. I normally stink at figuring out the identity of the unsub unless hit over the head with it, but even I knew it was the father from the first time he entered the picture. So that was disappointing.
On a positive note: From a team pov, nice to have Hotch's screentime back up after the last couple of weeks and thought the whole cast generally did well. KV stood out for her great 'interview'; nice for Garcia to have such a major and different impact on a case.
My sincere thanks go to Jim for FINALLY putting in a personal conversation between JJ & Hotch... They have needed one ever since the Premiere so it was loooong overdue. JJ has a lot she can offer to Hotch in terms of both support of losing a loved one and in parenting while working in the BAU. Cudos to AJ & Thomas for such great portrayls of that end scene; you captured the emotions perfectly. :)
And here I thought the episode did Reid justice. It showed he's still quirky and not like the rest of them (which I love), yet, during the classroom scene still showed him as confident and competent. He didn't seem robotic to me, and I didn't find a lack of empathy in him. I really enjoyed the character in this episode. I though it showed a good balance.
And why would Reid know all the characters of Twilight? I think there are some pop culture things he is into, but I don't see him being into Twilight. And I think if he was, then he'd be the stereotypical nerd or geek, and I don't want to see that.
This was both a very interesting psychological episode and a painful one for those who know computers and the Internet. Although the case is clearly an odd one for them to take, we know we're not here because it involves a simple suicide pact, and there's an intriguing eerieness as we wonder what's really going on. There are strong passages where the parents desperately try to pry answers out of the team, and one excruciating moment when JJ is left to squirm after a one-word mistake. The abusive relationship between Chris and his father is truly disturbing, and it's not easy to guess at. The father's expression of icy superiority as he looks down on his son on the floor is repellent.
There is some nice interaction between JJ and Hotch. Understatedness is one of the best things about the character writing on CM. Neither character has many lines to illustrate what they're thinking, so Gibson and Cook have to communicate a great deal silently, which they do very well. There is also blessedly no histrionic revelatory scene, just a quiet conversation at the end in which Hotch tells JJ she has no need to explain, but she chooses to do so to offer him comfort. Of course, she doesn't tell him anything he doesn't already know, because he lost his father at an early age, but it's still an affecting exchange.
On the other hand, the technical side of the episode was the typical confused TV writing about computers found on every show. Just say "firewall", "encryption", "we can't possibly shut him down because he's super-duper resourceful and might have replicated his site", and for God's sake don't just go to the ISP with a violation of TOS, get the logs, and track him down like the real FBI. It's too bad, because this show is capable of more. Some of Garcia's past technobabble rants have actually made sense. There's also the Internet-as-boogeyman, with a series of apple-cheeked teenagers staring gormlessly at their computer screens as evil pours itself into their apparently blank little heads. Well, thank you, Dr. Phil. Yeah, you can do bad things with the Internet, but you can also make crank phone calls and send hate mail via the postal service.
MadLori - Reid actually is a Hollywood construct. In the real world, there are limits to the breadth and depth of knowledge of geniuses, but Reid always magically knows what the episode needs him to know to solve the puzzle, no matter how random. TV likes to telegraph genius via hoary cliches such as reading a gazillion words per minute or calculating pi to the umpteenth place in one's head, and the writers are guilty as anyone of using this kind of device. But Reid has always been an enjoyable character despite that, because they've also taken the time to introduce quirks and sensitivity and insight into his character. He always used to have a grasp of the figurative, so suddenly Brennanizing the character doesn't work. Besides, he's not even right about falling stars always burning up in the atmosphere. Some hit the earth. They're called meteorites.
Last night's episode was great - I really like the twist at the end with the dad being the unsub -especially having Munchausen by Proxy, usually associated with women. I felt so bad for the boy! However, I really wish it hadn't ended so bluntly - why must we always see the plane at the end? Why not a little extra time wrapping up the emotion the boy was experienceing, loosing mother and now father - those minutes couldv'e been a quick scene between Garcia and Chris - they connected so well, why shouldn't Garcia get more scenes with another character she relates to so completely well! Instead we get the plane and a quote, emotional connection is cut off. Not best choice imho.
As for Reid, my favorite character, much has been said above, and all I can add is, yes, he's growing up and that's good, but he seemed flat, depressed, somewhat out of character in this episode, he doesn't have to lose his innocent side compeltely, just because he's more confident and experienced. The dialoged with Emily could've been written more playfully than "as a matter of factly" - someone said he isn't Sheldon Cooper and that's very true! His mom is a literature professor after all, he gets it, Brillant geek doesn't = stiff autistic person; I don't think Reid ever had autistic leanings, please don't add that now.
Finally some JJ backstory! From all the spoilers, I had expected one of JJ's siblings to have committed suicide, but for some reason I never pictured her having a sister.
I love JJ and Hotch interaction. I really want to see them hug one day, but not in a shippy way. I just feel like Hotch really needs a hug, and JJ's the only one I can see hugging him. (AJ and Thomas are amazing together.)
@MMM: JJ said something like "One day, you'll remember her, and it won't hurt. You'll be happy."
Congrats to Jim Clemente. What a great topic. I usually don't let my girls watch it (I think with 12 & 14 they are too young for this show) but this was an episode that they NEED to watch and will do so this weekend. Both love to surf the internet and converse with their friends online. We do supervise but it's so easy to miss something.
Loved the ending with JJ and Hotch.
Thank you for a great episode.
A very good episode and very scary what can be done through the internet by a deranged individual. I felt so sorry for the son.
Nice to get another piece of the puzzle that is JJ and it was nice to see her able to comfort others while reliving her own private hell.
Garcia rocked. Hotch is right, they should bring her all the time.
About Reid, he has definitely matured. I am reminded of the difference between him trying to talk to the students in Compulsion and talking to these students. He was so flustered back then. This time there was none of that. But he has always also had trouble relating to the things most people relate to. When he was a child his mother didn't read him Hickory Dickory Dock but Proost, poems by John Fowles and ancient conversations between death and a lady. He had no childhood so his belief in fairy tales would be suspect. He didn't know what "Penelope and Kevin sittin' in a tree" meant. I agree with Reid maturing but I also like to see them keep some of his cluelessness that has made him so endearing.
Wow, Jim Clemente has written two episodes and has proven himself to be a great writer! The case and storyline was compelling and fascinating, and the character development was superb. Wow. What a great episode!
And AJ Cook, finally in the spotlight, and she delivers a hundred times over! The scene with her and Hotch at the end was heartbreaking. Even while she's in pain, she's still looking out for others.
Loved the Garcia part as well, she deserves more screen time! Jim Clemente gets credit for a great episode, and for bringing two of our most underused characters to the forefront; genius. :)
Anyway, I guess you can tell I loved the whole episode! Great job by the cast and crew, and by Jim Clemente, and I can't wait for the next one!
Only managed to watch Uncanny Valley & Risky Business over the past two days, loved both episodes, amazing, enthralling, edge of the seat stuff, CM just gets better and better!!
A little late to post but I just cam across this page! I lost my son Cayden to this terrible choking game that it has been rumored that he and his friends had found it on the internet.
I have read that many of you have called it a PSA and I would agree, but it is the most national attention that I think that the choking game has gotten. I love the fact that they had Reid explain the details to the process of this supposedly "safe game"
They were able to do this along with keeping the drama and the twist in the show. So i want to thank CM for putting this out there!
Oh, what a great epi again. Loved the secret around JJ which was finally revealed in the chat with Hotch. And Garcia "interviewing" the kid and at first having issues with it was awesome. Great job, Kirsten.
CU sindee
hi what a great forum i found it at yahoo ,
Hope im welcome to the community. :)
hopefully i will post a useful post soon
greets
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