Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Parasite" 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 ***
61 comments:
Looking forward to this episode. Season 5 has been so awesome so far! I'm really interested in seeing how the team will profile this Con Artis.
Will it be a Rossi epi... :o/
This sounds really interesting.
I am looking forward to tonight very much.
Who is this handsome dude? Hopefully not the un-sub. Damn. But I'll bet he could con most of us out of anything just based on his looks alone...:)
So looking fwd to a new epi...love it...love it...love it...
I'm really looking forward to this episode. It should be interesting, I love the stories written by Oanh Ly.
And the quality of the last two episodes was absolutely phenomenal!
(On a side note, I was delighted to to see Matthew Gray Gubler healing and Reid getting a little more screen time - I hope it won't stop :) ).
I'm really impatient to see this episode.
Can't wait for a new episode tonight!
Watching it right now! YAY!
watching it right now..... So far it looks good... Especially my man Morgan :-)
wicked eppisode! Loved it!
Really didnt expect the unsub to be married with a kid! Loved the confrontation scene when he walks in and sees his wife talking to the lady he was targeting/sleeping with! I also figured that when his hand was in the pocket that it would be the white collared FBI guy ( whose name has left me ) that would be the one to shoot him.
Nights like this (or, rather, Wednesday nights... only...) when I wish I lived on the East Coast! Two hours and forty minutes! Not that I'm counting... *shifty.*
Criminal Minds is the one show right now where it doesn't matter what the promo looks like; I'm still totally stoked about each new episode! Shiny. :P
Predictable so far. Not feeling the love. Flat episode. Maybe it ends on a high. Still waiting.
wasn't too impressed... but the tire iron with the kid in the car? freaking chilling
Interesting little twist!
how many times can Hotch encounter moms/sons in danger and not be effected? Our writers are really disappointing me. *sigh*
I have loved Season 5... this epi was a bit of a snoozer. I actually found myself checking the time to see if it was almost over. But every writer is entitled a low moment I guess :)
Very good episode of CM IMO. Victor Webster was yummy.lol. I found it interesting how he could not keep his aliases straight and so forth.
Interesting case. The idea was good, just not enough impact though. When you see what a man like this can do, it's freaky and with his son in the car.. :o/
Team was great like always!
But not enough Rossi again... :(
Wow. This was a violent episode.
The unsub kept reliving his kills and each one became more violent than the previous one. It was a little disconcerting to find out he had a wife and child, especially when he beat that one vic to death in the trunk of his car while his son was in the front seat watching a video. SICK!
A pretty good episode, violent but good.
Neat episode! I loved all of the gals throwing nicknames to each other. I heard Em, Jayj and Penn all within one episode, LOL!
Saw it twice tonight, first on CTV and then on CBS. Quite disappointing. The best part is Morgan facial hair, the worst part is the regular cast looked a bit sickly to me. Hope the flu was not going around. Guess cast was ok but the story to me was lacking.
Disappointing episode although the unsub was good looking. The episode didn't keep my attention.
Good episode in an old-fashioned sort of police/thriller way. I liked it. I liked the nervous while collar agent too. He was in way over his head and the way Prentiss stared at him a few times, I thought he might be the unsub at the beginning. I liked the pace of this episode and the unsub wasn't bad to watch either.
Solid show, good effort and writing.
Lociloco
After seeing it twice, in Canada the episode was on CTV at 8h00pm then I did watch again on CBS at 9h00pm.
all I can say is that it was an okay episode, unsub problem with keeping who he is was interesting. The ending was good in the sense that the kid was not hurt by his dad.
everything else was blah. Best part was the scene with the kid in the car and the woman in the trunk, that was awful.
not one of my fav and less favorite of season 5. Oh well they cannot all be good one.
Brigitte
I thought it was a good episode. The unsub was creepy, and it was surprising to watch as his life actually started falling apart around him. I was so happy to see Annabeth Gish! Good acting from everyone. The CM cast is awesome!
I thought the flashbacks were distracting. I get that he couldn't keep up with all of his different aliases and his increasing anxiety but the flashbacks were too distracting. This was Madoff on steroids. Not great.
It was a long hour. This was the token yuk episode of the season. We always get one or two and this was one for season five. No intention of ever watching it again.
Somehow it was missing that special something. I can't quite put my finger on it but it was a little flat somehow. Perhaps it was too violent. Or perhaps the flashbacks were too distracting. Although, I don't see how you could portray the mayhem/confusion going on in the unsub's head any other way... hmm. I dunno. But it was a good effort, Ms. Oanh Ly! :)
Can't wait for each episode. T-minus 7 days and counting. LOL. From MGG and KV's twitters, it seems like the CM team puts in an awful lot of long hours, so thanks again to the entire CM team for all their hard work.
And where are all the Shemar Moore/Derek Morgan fans? It's been a while since we've had any good Morgan time. I'll gladly help you guys out and give him some lovin. *ahem* In Italian accent: Hey baby, how YOU doin'?? *smarmy grin* LOL.
And HEY, check it out, a whole post from me without once mentioning Thomas Gibson!! <---- Although I guess I just did. D'oh!! FAIL.
i am really looking forward to see the ep!
morticia
aka
lilly
Okay, first of all, I just gotta say...SHEMAR ROCKS THAT GOATEE!!
The episode...well it was okay. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
I was disturbed by the guy killing the lady while his child was in the car.
Made me think about how we tend to trust good looking people more readily than average or less than average looking people.
I loved seeing David Eigenberg. He did a great job. So did the unsub, Victor Webster.
The chemistry of the team didn't seem to be present, but only because the episode focused too much of its time on the killer.
And I agree with whoever said it is becoming more and more disappointing to see the show continue to harp on Hotch's loss. Even as an underlying story.
I really liked the plot and I think it was an interesting episode. I especially enjoyed seeing the Unsub experiencing difficulties with his numerous identities. His struggle to keep up the charades and pretenses was well done.
I also appreciated Agent Goldman's surprise when he realizes that the BAU has its own jet.
We are used to that on the show, of course, but for someone from the outside it must be surprising.
I, too, would have enjoyed seeing how the Unsub started this "business" in the first place.
His pride wasn't going to let him settle for a lower lifestyle and he certainly got caught up in that business and in his web of lies.
I think it was a good and solid episode.
I admit that generally, I do not like the scenarios of Oanh Li but I recognize their originality. “Parasite” hardly convinced me and I would go so far as to say that I missed by looking at it.
Too much blah blah
It is true that usual plan of the "ménage à trois" is the following one: the husband (or the wife) kills the spouse to stay with the mistresses( or the lovers). There, it is the opposite. The guy is married and head of family and he multiplies the mistresses by killing in the passage in several States crossed for his job.
(During the episode, I caught wondering if I did not look at an episode of CSI so much the story had agreed (and nevertheless, I like the original series with Gresson!) )!
On the other hand, I appreciated the return in the normal with Rossi, Prentiss, JJ, Garcia, Penelope, Morgan and Reid working together under the leadership of Hotch. This last one not overriding the others like during the first part of the 5th season, mainly.
I can’t wait the next episode next week (?) !!!!
A question to end: do you think that it is possible to see again the character of Jordan Todd (she had replaced JJ during her maternity leave at the beginning of the season 4)?
It would be nice see her again…even the time of an episode...
gbraeme71
I think their focus has turned to the spin off because Oanh Ly has never written a bad episode before this one. I think they must all be working double duty on the spin.
Shemar looked handsome for the few minutes we actually saw him on screen.
Paget was great. I truly have come to count on Prentiss.
I don't know what else to say about this episode. I don't think it was the cast that bombed this one. I think it was unfortunately the writing.
We have a whole suicide by cop thing going on this season and last night was no different. I found some things to really like in the episode.
Maybe we needed Rob Lowe on the show last night. lol
Not the best episode but maybe like it might be in real life: some cases are better (?!) than others??
Anyway, great acting on the part of both Eigenberg and the Victor guy - had never seen either before and they were excellent.
Shemar looked oh-so-handsome with his 'stache and goatee; I'm not one big on facial hair but then again, he is so beautiful, nothing he could do to himself could make him look bad.
Then Matthew: PLEASE consider cutting your hair, sweet thing, we have been telling you for months, please think about it! We can't see that handsome face of yours nearly as well as we would like to with that thick mop of yours distracting us!
Loved the nicknames - noticed that "Jayj" and "Pen" for first times last nite. Equal tho' minimal time for each actor which is the way it should be sometimes.
Hated the anniliation of the one woman in the trunk while the child was in the car - could have done without that. Loved the confrontation scene with wife and the PG vic - he so deserved to have that happen and that was well done.
Could foresee the white collar agent being the one who took the unsub down - also deservedly so. He rose to the occasion and stopped picking his nails :) long enuf to do what he felt needed to be done.
OK epi enjoyed it but won't go back and re-watch.
Solid episode, I did like it but agree with comments above that it didn’t hold the usual punch except the bit where the unsub killed his victim in the boot with his son in the car had me on edge, but you expect that or accept that of criminal minds with the kind of content of the show, I guess we’ve seen worse
Totally agree Shemar looked good, watching an earlier episode I wondered if we would see him with a little more hair in season 5, he’s back to his casual self, somehow seemed a lot more relaxed
Loved Hotch leading his team, they didn’t get a lot of screen time but I thought they worked well together, the team dynamic was certainly there, well worked with the storyline. I must admit I didn’t take the storyline as harping on Hotch’s loss as a couple of comments noted above
My favourite bits –
- Prentiss on the plane, "we take turns piloting, you want to give it a try?" – loved the looks the comment got
- The look on their faces when they walked into the field office, priceless the four of them standing there with a mountain of boxes in front of them, the look JJ gave Reid for his comment “maybe it won’t be so bad at least it’s well organised”
- Morgan and Garcia are back – “Hay baby girl it’s me you’re on speaker” & loved Garcia’s retort “Oh sug I don’t care who hears it, it’s always been you” .. so cute
- I absolutely loved the scene with Morgan & Reid going through the files, Morgan’s comment “Your not enjoying this are you?” and Reid’s response “I like a good paper trail I find it meditative”, topped by Morgan’s retort “Is it really that hard for you to be normal just one time” – brought back memories of a True Night
I did like the overall story line, the plot was interesting, especially the unsub juggling a family and in the midst of it all falling apart and experiencing difficulties with his numerous identities, I thought that was well done. The final confrontation was good, although I found it hard to understand that they had lived together for 10 years and his wife didn’t have a clue as to who he really was, but I guess you could put that down to him being a master at his craft and a true con artist!
Wow! I really didn't like this episode. I actually took out my laptop and started surfing the web, about halfway through. I usually love the episodes written by Oanh Ly.
This episode was different, but good. It looks like the team is starting to get back to normal, and my God, Shemar looked amazing :)
*sigh* Rushed home from working in the evening and wished I'd just gone to bed. The episode didn't grip me at all in spite of our actors doing their best (guest cast & our team regulars).
Unlike a couple of others, I didn't see the epi focussing on Hotch's loss at all, quite the opposite which was surprising given the nature of the case. The lack of continuity on this was irksome.
Also, the team just didn't seem to have their usual 'presence'... something was missing but I can't put my finger on it.
Oh well, looking forward to next week! Still love our show, hope this one is just a blip.
Is this what happens when a great show has to share with a spin off??? Yuck. Good-looking unsub but boring... the team seemed to think so too.
Misdirection!!!!
Oanh doesn't write boring episodes and this one was violent and boring. She has a proven track record of great episodes.
Has it occured to anyone else that this was done on purpose to get us hyped for the spin???
Finally, some bantering between Reid and Morgan. Has Morgan called Reid "kid" recently? I guess their relationship has changed since Reid has shown he's not a kid anymore.
Prentiss looked unusually tired this ep.
And for every person who wants MGG to cut the hair, there is a person who wants it long, like me. What's a guy to do? :-)
After watching it again last night, I found some interesting points in the episode.
I was hoping seeing more Rossi. I have to say thought that even if he didn't get much more time than the latest episodes, his role was more prominent in the profiling of the unsub.
Superb team work again! They each have their own strength and it is so awesome to see how they complete each other.
I found interesting to see how a Con Artist can become victim of his own con by having too many names to live with knowing that, according to Rossi, even the CIA agents are only given 3 to keep them from fractioning their minds. Having a family sure didn’t make it easy for him to cope with all of his life. It was sad to see that in the end, his family became also victims.
liked how everyone worked together it was a really good episode
And I agree with whoever said it is becoming more and more disappointing to see the show continue to harp on Hotch's loss. Even as an underlying story.
That is NOT what I meant in my post.... I meant I cannot believe they are throwing it out there and it having no effect on him. It is like the writers are driving him to another Reaper breakdown. I don't think they give ENOUGH attention to it... it is more like they forgot all about "100" and he should just look at mom /son stuff like any other case
Gosh, did this unsub get on my nerves! He wasn’t creepy, just a major pain in the neck, and that’s what spoiled the episode for me. It wasn’t a bad episode, but not a great one, either.
What I did like is the concept of an FBI field office requesting assistance instead of a local police department (have we ever had this again since the very first episode?), and it being a white collar unit made that all the more interesting for me. Though the con scheme was difficult to follow, I liked how they showed it was all about paper work (and how Reid enjoyed that).
Agent Goldman was a likeable character, but a bit underused in my opinion. When he was so nervous when it came down to ‘real’ field work and not only pushing papers, I expected to get some tragic back story on him. Initially I was convinced that he had lived through something tragic like Hotch and would be used to show that while our unit chief mastered it and returned to the field, others break and retreat into the security of a desk job. Too bad we didn’t get anything like that but he served as a nice contrast to show just how exceptional our team of profilers is.
Another guest character I really liked was the pregnant con victim. Honestly, she was the only female victim I felt sympathy for and not the need to strangle her myself. There were so many rich and beautiful but incredibly superficial and stupid characters in this episode that it was really annoying to me. There were moments when I found myself wondering if this was Miami Vice or Silk Stalkings instead of CM, but I don’t attribute this so much to the writing as more to the directing and whichever function is responsible for the “looks” of an episode.
I, for one, have to admit that I’m not too thrilled by Morgan’s “new” look which is actually pretty much back to season 1. I like him better clean-shaven, just as much as I prefer Reid with shorter hair.
Other little moments I enjoyed were Prentiss joking on the plane, the team walking in single file into the room with all the paper work awaiting them, Rossi relating to the number of fake identities the CIA uses (which made me wonder if he has taken over Gideon’s job of doing psych evals of CIA agents), the team having lunch over the paperwork (it’s been a while since we last saw them with some food) and the banter between Morgan and Reid over the paperwork.
So, all in all, there are many aspects to this episode that I enjoyed, but I’m not too excited and the unsub really got on my nerves.
I'm sorry but this one really sucked. First off, it just didn't seem believable that the team would take on the case like that.
Aside from the fact that i found the case to be pretty boring, I think it just comes down to the writing. I know the show can do so much better.
Somehow it's not too exciting when it's a knownsub and the team is chasing a trail instead of figuring out who it is. It's been done before in Haunted and both episodes were kinda flat.
I'm not sure if any psycho-pathology was explained as to why a loving husband and father of 10 years would go bashing heads just because he was unraveling in his ability to keep up multiple facades.
Oh well, not a favorite epi but not the worse by far. But now I know what they mean by "full-service" financial adviser!
Okay episode. Not quite what I expect from Oanh, but still good. Victor Webster did a wonderful job. Not enough team time for me personally.
From anon: "That is NOT what I meant in my post.... I meant I cannot believe they are throwing it out there and it having no effect on him. It is like the writers are driving him to another Reaper breakdown. I don't think they give ENOUGH attention to it... it is more like they forgot all about "100" and he should just look at mom /son stuff like any other case"
Totally agree with you. I understand that the other characters deserve attention too, but it really isn't that difficult to give us a quick line or too. Or allow Thomas to use his great facial expressions to let us know all is not 100%. An aerial shot of him just walking away was disappointing.
Won't be watching this one again, and hopefully we'll get back on track next week.
I'm not sure if I missed something and I did not like last nite's epi enuf to watch it again but where is Hotch shown lamenting about mother-son stuff as mentioned? I agree with whomever said he should be demonstrating MORE emotion than he is. We all know how tough he is but he is not nearly as pensive or brooding as I might think he would/should be and to be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing him emote more. Partly because it's Thomas and partly because it would be natural and human for him to do so.
I can't forget about "100" and neither can many others so why should be? Just MHO.
gubegirl - to my knowledge that is the point... he didn't show any emotion at all... just another case, another unsub. That is what grates at me sooo much - he was obviously a broken man after all that happened, but now he is all better. I want HIS therapist!
Wasn't horrible - but wasn't great either. Not sure if I will really remember this episode at the end of the season. (But I will watch it again over the weekend and see if I missed anything)
As far as the conversation about Hotch not being emotional enough, I don't want to watch him depressed the rest of the season. Speaking from my experience, when you go to work you tune out the other stuff and focus on the job. It doesn't mean you are "all better", it just means that you can get the job done.
I was very disappointed with this episode. The unsub seemed to have more screen time than all of our favorites combined. I would have preferred more of Hotch, Prentiss, Reid, etc.
It does appear that there is a bit of a disconnect between what the writers write and what appears on screen. It seems that the writers do not view the final version of the product we see on screen. There should be some attention given to Hotch's situation since the death of his wife and the Foyet attack; but it appears he is completely over it.
I thought it was a good episode. It seems hard to get back to regular cases when the show was so anxiety producing earlier in the season. It's still my favorite show and I'm glad to get back to a good who dunnit.
I thought it was a good "team" episode, very plot-focussed rather than character-focussed like many of the earlier episodes this season. The reason for calling in the BAU to find this con artist was a little thin (wouldn't a single case of murder have been handled locally?), but I found it a very interesting illustration of using the unsub's quirks and behavior patterns to tighten the net around him. He seemed at first like the needle in a haystack, but he ultimately gave himself away, especially as the shingles began to fall off the roof. The odd thing was to find that the unsub had a classic domestic life when all his other attachments and impulses were so relentlessly shallow. Agent Goldman was amusingly out of his depth. The return of Morgan-Garcia flirtage is +10 points.
Just an average episode I guess...nothing really special about it. It kept me intrigued, but I wish there was more focus on the individual team members rather than the unsub.
I can't believe how random Parasite was. This is not a quality of show which CM crew make as accustomed. The Unsub maybe was handsome, but - excuse me - I knew what's going to happened after few seconds. Our lovely BAU team was on screen how long? Five minutes? That's definitely not long enought.
Hope that next episode will be better.
Absolutely not up to the usual standard, and I've identified at least part of the problem:
In a usual episode one member of the team or another picks up on every behavioral cue of every individual around them, and the writers use that fact to give us windows into the personalities that are working with the team as well as against them. Emily seemed to be following that pattern when she picked up on the white collar crimes agent's anxiety, but it didn't actually _go_ anywhere.
The unnecessary death at the end of the episode would have been the tragedy it should have been _if_ we had had a sympathetic insight into the agent being "out of his depth," or perhaps too personally involved. Instead it's just another bit that is there without fitting in.
I get the feeling that there's a lot of tape on the cutting room floor that shouldn't be there.
Don´t know what to say, it was okay for me nothing more. Will watch it again maybe i missed something.
CM is my favorite show looking forward to next week.
Best of the episodes I've seen in this season (which has been weak so far, IMO). Oanh Ly one of the two strongest CM writers, I feel, and she did it again with this interesting plot. It wasn't the unsub so much that made it for me though...
I absolutely LOVED Goldblum. He's everything that they could have made Hotchner. Desk-bound by disposition but more than that, willing to push himself, intense and vague at the same time, a bit jumpy and maybe naive, and deeply deeply committed to his work -- he was also beautifully acted. I loved the character and would cheerfully swap Hotchner to keep this guy.
He and Mantegna would interact beautifully. It would be the making of the show if we had two or three actors regularly able to bring this calibre of work.
Everyone is entitled to their own point of view but "anonymous" doesn't seem to be viewing the same episode I am. For one thing, there is no "Goldblum" character. His name is Goldman. For another, what was lacking in this episode was sufficient fleshing out of the Goldman character - too much time was spent on the angst of the unsub. It would have been a much stronger episode if it actually had as much of Goldman as "anonymous" thinks it did.
As for trading Goldman for Hotchner, that goes over with a real thud for me. Goldman is interesting, and should have been more so - but Hotch is enigmatic, hyper intense, and driven. Do you really want to replace that with someone who is "intense and vague at the same time, a bit jumpy and maybe naive?"
There would have to be a _lot_ of personal development in the character to make it watchable over the long haul, and an ensemble TV series isn't really a good place to do that. Witness the fact that the Foyet vs Hotch sequence effectively dominates our memories of two whole seasons, despite only having one episode plus the tag to the season finale in season four, and two and a half episodes plus mentions in season five.
While I, personally, could watch a series built entirely around Hotch, it wouldn't be Criminal Minds. For the same reason you couldn't put Goldman in Criminal Minds and still allow time for back stories and personal issues for any of the other characters. It would all be taken up making him into something worth watching every week.
As a one-off (in a guest star spot), Goldman was great. As a one-off (taking any episode that doesn't specifically focus on him), Hotchner isn't much. But that's how an ensemble cast works - everyone is merely a supporting character most of the time. Goldman, in a supporting role, would be nothing.
As for season five being weak – please, re-watch season two. Just because four was routinely fabulous does not mean that everything else is “weak.” And I think the show is “made,” thank you.
Sorry, yes, you're right, alisoncircus, Goldman, thanks. (I knew there was gold somewhere in them thar hills.)
But my point is that the actor who played the guy has weight and genuine talent so you didn't need to have acres of time given to the portrayal. You just have the contact with the character. Hotchner could be on the screen all episode and you'd not come close to him. There isn't enough there to make him breathe. Not for me.
Agree that the unsub was not so interesting as Goldman but that in a way was structural to the plot. You have one man, apparently anonymous, flying a desk, who really has got qualities to admire: resilience, perseverance, intelligence, commitment, and a certain moral standpoint that wants to bring things back to a level where there are real and recognisable human beings. He wanted to find William, or BIll, not just the hub of alias 1-10. And then there's the unsub: handsome, living his dashing life but, through his illness, completely hollow at core. All he has are illness-driven Machiavellian skills without depth.
The two characters worked well in those opposing ways and I think we were supposed to feel that dichotomy.
And I loved that they gave the time to develop a structure of that nature.
Loved the moment at the board where Rossi quietly agrees to let Goldman have 'affinity groups' instead of 'victimology'. I like that the guy stood his ground and explained his position, and I like the implicit respect of Rossi giving way. There was goodness in that. Maybe it's because I'm a Mantegna fan, but I thought this would be a productive relationship on the show. Simpatico.
I know it's a matter of taste in these matters but I'd gladly exchange Goldman for Hotchner. I'd turn in regularly for that instead of remembering -- sometimes -- to watch online three months after the airing.
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