Tuesday, March 02, 2010

CRIMINAL MINDS SPOILER THREAD FOR "MOSLEY LANE"



Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Mosley Lane" starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, A.J. Cook, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness.

**Beware of spoilers! ***

**** Quotes and Song info will be posted as soon as the episode airs on the east coast***

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

i cannot wait to see this episode especially because it is being directed by matthew. What i know fans would like to see is a jj episode where something happens to her every other team member has had incidents such as profiler, profiled for morgan. Revelations for Reid. Faceless, nameless for hotch. Minimal loss for prentiss.Damaged for rossi. Penelope for garcia. Please this would be so awesome

Brigitte said...

Finally CM is back! Can't wait to see what MGG will do behind the camera!


Brigitte

Angie said...

sooo looking forward to this one! Promo looks creepy. The waiting finally comes to an end. :)

gubegirl said...

Cannot wait to see this. Partly because I am so ready for a new epi - but mostly because I am anxious to see MGG's direction - something very dif than his "totally tubular" stuff and his Killers' C'mas video. It will be esp cool to watch him in FRONT of the camera while knowing he is also BEHIND it or calling the shots!

Talk later!

melissa said...

this episode looks so intense and emotional! i can only imagine how incredible it will be. it only adds to the suspense to know that our own MGG is behind the camera. We already know how talented he is; this is yet another opportunity for him to show us.

finally, the day we have all been counting down to. :D it's hereee! ready to add this episode to my favorites tonight!

Sofie said...

Can't wait to see this episode! First because I need to see a new episode and the promo looks so creepy good...!!! MGG seem to have done a very good job in directing it.The darkish style he gave to the visual aspect make it so cool. Barbara Lynch is a good actress who has done lots of similar roles and she is has creepy as usual in this one. The story is also very interesting. Kids beeing kidnapped for years and disapear. We don't know what happens to them only that there is that big oven that seem to be a tool for an awfull sick mind of an unsub... brrr!!!

bring on CM!!!

K said...

I'm couting minutes to see this episode! Its gonna be a few hours later here, in Poland, so I don't have any idea how to stop myself from reading your comments. After seeing the promo I could only say "Wooow".

It's not any more the Reid effect: it's the MGG behind camera effect.

Neoshia said...

I'm excited. This episode looks like it will be really good because it looks eerie. Plus, MGG is directing it which is good for me.

Amanda said...

So excited - and happy birthday yesterday to Lori!

CheetoBreath said...

Whew! I made it through the break without going bonkers!!! *pats self on back* Plus, MGG's tvguide interview said there wasn't going to be any gory stuff so I am a bit relieved!

... and A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, Lori!! Thanks for putting up with spazzy people like me in the yahoo group. LOL. *ties balloons to your hair and sings and claps birthday song in a freaky way like waiters in restaurants do* LOL. Enjoy your day, cutie pie! :)

Anonymous said...

It's back!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Glampire30 said...

Can't wait for tonights episode... From the promos alone it looks like a good one.... Congrats Matthew on your first Directorial debut ;-)

Sarah said...

Just watching the first five minutes creeps me out..good start

Jenny G said...

So creepy already! I jumped a foot when the guy came in front of the eye hole.

Bina said...

Always great to have new episode but this one is not one of my favorites. I found myself checking my email while the show was on. I don't think I had ever done that before while CM was on. Story was a bit lame and fake. Reminded me a bit of a bad horror movie ... Acting wasn't that great either. No real energy.
Sorry for being so critical. I'll remain a faithful fan. Just this episode didn't do much for me. :(

Anonymous said...

it was creepy..... and lacking. dunno.

Jenny G said...

Really? I actually liked it a lot. Maybe it's cause I'm partial to MGG but I thought it hit all the right creepy/uplifting notes. But I do wish we had more focus on why the unsubs did all that. Normally we have more reasoning. This episode didn't have that. But that's my only critical thought. Otherwise I loved it!

Anonymous said...

OMG!! Just finished watching this episode and Matthew is brilliant as a director. It had creepy, scary moments and ended with me crying both for the sad and happy parts. Matthew definetly should direct again.

Sarah said...

I really enjoyed this episode. I actually think it was one of the better ones this season.

I thought the case was very interesting and complicated and the unsubs were particularly creepy and deranged.

MGG did a fantasic job!! I have nothing bad the say about this episode, it was great.

Caitlin said...

Wow! That was a really good episode! I think MGG did a pretty good job! I think the casting was well done. That woman creeped the living daylights out of me! It was a pretty filled episode though, not very much team interaction because there was so much going on. I can understand why though, an episode can only be a certain amount of time. Other than that, I really enjoyed it!

Unknown said...

wow, i really loved that episode. :) i actually cried at the end of it. i was just so happy for that mother.

Nita said...

I think everyone did a great job. Looking at the lighting, editing, along with the music, MGG did a wonderful job directing. It was creepy and also left out the gore that has become a common expected element.

This episode played more with the viewers imagination. Reminds me of older horror series that used to be on late nights.

I liked how the one mother never gave up on her son, drawing on JJ's maternal instincts while Morgan questioned the investigation in the beginning.

Great job to our CM cast and to MGG as director.

BB said...

Wow. Mr. Gubler, your directing is magnifique! The camera angles and the creepy music really added in as a great factor to the episode. I recognized that certain 'Lullaby' song, too, from that first Fox episode..

WOWIE WOW WOW. AJ, you make me proud to be one of your biggest fans! Ha, I thought she was so great in this episode! The relationship with the mother was interesting, with the drinking and the fact that you should keep on hoping. Kindof reminded me of the episode 'Cold Comfort', because JJ wanted to remain hopeful as well, no matter what. I liked the little tense interaction between her and Morgan at the beginning as well, and that she got a few scenes with the rest of the ladies of the team, Prentiss and Garcia. Always nice to see those three together. :)
The shot of them all at the end was great, but what was BRILLIANT was the look between the mother and JJ at the very end!


Ok. Rambling over.
To sum it all up..
Yay JJ! Yay Gubler and his directing! Yay team!

Oh, and another thing..I'm wondering if that pic of 'Henry' on JJ's desk was Mekhai? :P

Anonymous said...

Awesome episode. I must admit I paid more attention to the music, the camera angles etc. because Matthew directed the episode. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time. I loved JJ and Emily in this episode. Emily supporting JJ saying she wasn't a mother and she believed what JJ believed. Great job Matthew, I know this was a labor of love for you and you can be very proud.

Megan said...

Mr. Gubler, you, sir, are a fantastic director.

And that music? Perfect. It only added to the eeriness of some parts.

Everyone was on top of their game in this one.

Such a bittersweet ending.
Factastic all around.

Lori said...

CREEEEEEPY episode!

I really loved this episode. The story was wonderful (yay Simon and Erica), the acting was great (yay Thomas, Joe, Paget, AJ, Shemar, Kirsten, and Matthew), and extra kudos to MGG for a great directorial debut.

The case was exciting, and the end especially creepy. I am glad that Charlie killed that old bitch of a woman and that he, Amy and the other girl were able to go home to their parents. And, poor Steven's parents, they found out their son had died the day before they were all found. It was his body we saw the old bitch put into the crematorium.

Was Amy's mother the one who played the senator's kidnapped daughter in Silence of the Lambs?

Anonymous said...

i have a hour to waite tell criminal minds comes on. i can,t waite

Sofie said...

MGG has done well for his first directing job. I like the "horror movie" visual style he gave to it. The story was well written, Simon Mirren and Erica Messer did a great job.

The team was efficient like they always are! It was a good "Ladies" episode with JJ, Prentiss and Garcia at the forefront in key moments it was cool. The man of the team did a good job too. ;) I thought that Morgan was maybe a little to bossy. There were also good support moments , like Prentiss and JJ. Prentiss and Hotch , doing a profile was so interesting to watch. Glowing moment from everyone except for Rossi who was non-existent... :(

It was so awful seeing those poor children having to live in these circumstances. A couple owning a Funeral home who burns the kids that they kidnapped if they don't behave...Those people are really sick!!! Urg!!! I felt for the poor parents who had been struggling for so long with the disappearance of their children. It must be so awful. The end made me cry!

Anonymous said...

was ok. mgg did a very good job on his directing.hope he does more sometime soon. i felt real sorry for the kids and all they went through.

ToonEy said...

I cried like a baby towards the end. I really liked the quote from the beginning from Nietzsche and the one at the end from Emily Dickinson. Brilliant directing from MGG. I loved it...the unsubs were creep-tastic.

CheetoBreath said...

Dude, that sucked so bad.


NOT!! I think that was my 3rd fave episode of the season, after 100 and The Uncanny Valley. And it's going in my faves of all seasons but I just don't know where yet. LOL.

Great picks for the guest cast!! The kids were fantastic. Beth Grant is always fantastic (although she always reminds me of the "Farmer and his Wife" portrait - I dunno why LOL). And Ann Cusack was fantabulous (although at first I was distracted by "Hey, it's Shirley Baker from A League of Their Own!!" hehe). Actually, the entire Cusack family is freaking awesome. I ♥ you Cusack siblings (John, Joan, and Ann)!!!! Fo shizzle.

Simon Mirren and Erica Messer, you guys get gold stars! And a scratch 'n sniff sticker of your choice. LOL. This episode was beautifully written. It was a very complex and emotional case, with lots of things going on and so many layers. What a heartbreaking case, such a nightmare for so many families. Great choice of quotes. I loved how they mirrored the 2 different attitudes (negative/despair vs. positive/hopeful) the parents could choose to take. I especially love love love that Emily DIckinson quote. Such a beautiful description of hope from someone who had such an interest in morbidity and death! And the rest of that poem fits the episode too:

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

CheetoBreath said...

I can't think of a "chillier land" or a "stranger sea" than when your chid is snatched from you, your family falls apart, and everyone stops believing in you. Hope was the only thing Sarah had left and she clung to it, poor thing. I also loved that Sarah came up with the same info that Garcia pulled up - all on her own without all of Garcia's technology; the old fashioned way - sheer sweat and perseverance! Wow. I also really loved that it was creepy without ANY blood and gore. See? You don't need to show that stuff!! =P Especially that first scene of the kids in captivity - oh man. Truly creepy!! I do kinda wish that the kids had pushed the unsub into the fire - kind of like a modern day Hansel and Gretel. I found the quote that female unsubs who aren't mothers are the most vicious interesting. I wonder if this ties in with the "males are more likely to be unsubs" thing. Like perhaps there's a "nurture" gene that makes women less likely to become unsubs and when that is missing or messed up in a woman, then that is what makes them more likely to become an unsub? Hmmm.... interesting. Loved the ending with Sarah and the girls of the BAU - kind of like a woman/motherhood pact thing. And the part at the end when Steven's parents find out about their son's bravery and how close they had come to being able to save him made me cry. *sniffle* And there goes JJ with her intuition again!! Initially she was willing to write off Sarah because there wasn't really any proof and Sarah had previously come in so many times before. But the minute something clicked in JJ's head - man that is as good as gold right there. You can bank on that woman's intuition. The BAU should be taking her to the horseraces. Like, cereally dude!! LOL!!

One last minor thing: the promo pic confused me a little bit. I guess that it was a behind-the-scenes shot? However, it wasn't labeled as such and I got all excited to see Hotch/TG in casual clothes at the office!! I know, right? Like, has hell frozen over? Are pigs flying?? LOL. I thought that there would be some twist to explain that and kept looking for it in the episode but as it turns out the picture was a behind the scenes shot I guess?? LOL.

Dear Matthew Gray Gubler,

You hit a homerun. Congratulations!


Dear Edward Bernero,

Please let MGG do this again. LOL


Sincerely,
CB

Anonymous said...

Wicked episode! Congratulations to Gubler!

Connie said...

very creepy episode for me. If that is what MGG was going for, then excellant job on his part!! Well done all around.

M@rK1ll said...

Loved this ep MGG did a really great job but I still hate eps with kids as victims in it! Makes me feel so horrible!

Anonymous said...

while MGG did a fine job of directing.... the episode was still flat and full of holes.

Where is the profile? Why did the unsubs do this?

A few gripping scenes (particularly when Charlie tells the other boy's parents he died the day before saving the little girl... can't imagine that heartache) but overall a slow paced episode.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic Episode !!!

MGG has a making of brilliant director...
The Cast was brilliant as ever!!

Well Done!

P.S wen r we goin to have a Reid & Hotch vs. Rossi & Morgan conflict over a profile? Be interesting to see how the ladies would fall into this ......

Anonymous said...

This was a fabulous episode! It's going on the list as my second fav from this season so far. Congrats to the cast and crew for another good show!

I do, however, hate that they once again never got into the "why" of the UNSUB. Why were they snatching young people? And why did Charlie not end up in the crematorium? What purpose did the children serve for these old crazy people? I hate being left with so many questions at the end of an episode.

H.Ewing said...

I think that the beauty of this episode is just that you're left with so many questions . . . I mean, the imagination can do more to creep you out than the writers could have done here. And a lot of the times, is there really closure at the end? I think this episode really caught the unexplainable side of profiling and law enforcement, when something is just utterly senseless.

Overall, I thought it was an excellent episode and definitely one of my favorites.

gubegirl said...

Weird, spooky and unbelievably sad. I think children being tortured and killed by sick/ mentally deranged adults is the worst. I think this epi hit me harder than it might have since they found our local missing teenager, Chelsea King's body yesterday and showed her monster killer being arraigned on the 5 o'clock news - thank God they caught him. Will we ever understand what motivates these demented people to do what they do? I agree with southerngrace - WHY???

Wonderful acting, terrific directing my MGG - good job sweetie, you bug Ed to do more of this, but not at the expense of us not getting to SEE you in front of the camera- we would SO miss that expressive face of yours.

The girls were all great, so was Morgan, making some insightful comments plus looking more hunky& gorgeous every time I see him.

Not much of Rossi, and only a tad nit more of Hotch, but again, you just can't fit it all in and there was LOTS of shots and pieces for the guest actors, Sarah was wonderful and I agree with Cheeto-breath about the Farmer's Wife!

I loved Charlie killing the woman at the end; I was yelling to him, "Hit her! Stop her! Kill her" and gota little carried away because her actions were so unthinkable and unacceptable - esp in front of the other kids.

I will watch again because there was so much to this and I want to appreciate all the nuances of Matthews directing as well as all the details I always realize I miss when I see the epi a 2nd time. There's ALWAYS something!

Love you all, good to have some new epis, they never disappoint.

Ashley said...

Although I loved this episode I found it just slightly lacking. The profiling wasn't as evident or explained. Also not a lot of Spencer which makes sense because MGG was directing but I still missed his presence. I found some of the dialogue and acting a little lacking but I did enjoy the episode.

Anonymous said...

Just getting into this show on repeats, so I began watching this. I was quickly getting obsessed, but this ep just made me think, Eh, no. I agree with Bina- just missed the creepy train and went all the way to hokey and fake. Some element was missing. Also? While I get that it's drama, the ick factor of killing children is getting to me. It's creepy. I find it wrong. And too bad, b/c I love every actor and every character.

Anonymous said...

A little disappointed in this one---the story just did not gel for me. However, I will say MGG was right about the actors he chose: excellent stuff. He did a good job in creating mood. Taped it so I could watch it again, pretending to not know he directed it. I was kid of distracted by that fact. :-)

Oh, and *hated* Prentiss' hair.

RMF said...

I liked the story but hated the script, if that makes sense. Well really I had problems with the beginning and end of the script, although the middle was fairly absorbing. I'd expected to scrutinize the directing instead, since it was Gubler's first effort, but it matched the high quality of the majority of CM episodes. I liked the story because it was reminiscent of some real life cases, most famously the Steven Stayner case, and it showed that children in these situations can take actions that seem cowardly to others because they're unformed and just trying to survive. The children in this episode were so brainwashed and conditioned to their terrible treatment that they could scarcely stand up to their tormentors until the acutest crisis arose. Not everyone can be a Midsi Sanchez.

After the opening scene in which the mother loses her daughter, though, the beginning is choppy and unsatisfying. Hotch and Rossi abruptly show up to question the mother, Morgan says some stuff around the table, then they're leaving. Um, what? Maybe in real life the BAU does show up, deliver the profile and leave, but the problem is, in 99% of the episodes of this series, we don't see this. They're always in it for the long haul. But here they bail, and when you put it together with being outprofiled by a drunken civilian, it's a real dud of an opening. Likewise, the ending was a case of too-obvious writing worthy of CSI:NY, and I even love those lines by Emily Dickinson.

And wow: least favorite Morgan moment ever. JJ starts to see some sense in the mother's line of argument, and Morgan asks her, are you sure this isn't just because you're a mother? Gee, JJ, are you sure you're not just an irrational woman? What an asshat, and not characteristic of Morgan.

I particularly enjoyed the performance by the actor who played the creepy husband. He was the kind of hearty, jolly, completely false character that on Supernatural splits open to reveal a fanged monster. There is a moment of demented brilliance as he asks whether the search for bodies will hurt the roses. Uh huh. Dig there.

And yeah, Prentiss needs to stop with the Plan 9 From Outer Space look.

K said...

Can't remember when was the last time I cried like this watching a show. It's not about burning with tears, but about sadness which is overwhelming, need and hope of good ending growing and growing from minute to minute...

I've must say I was wrong about Matthew behind camera: he didn't done well, he made a little creepy masterpiece. And a fact that most of the screen time took the Unsubs, not the team, didn't really affect on my perception of the episode.

Definitely Mosley Lane is in my top CM episodes.

Shadow said...

For me this was an extremely intense CM episode, though I wouldn’t exactly call it creepy, more like incredibly sad. Child abuse cases always get under my skin and I’m really grateful that we were spared any gore. The case reminded me a lot of P911. The worst thing is that these horrible crimes happen in real life.

Like others I wish the episode hadn’t left so many questions unanswered, though. What made the female unsub become like this? How did the dynamics between her and her husband work? What purpose did the children serve? Where did Tommy fit in with this? Why were so many kids killed while these three managed to survive? What made them different from the others, and what effect will that have on them in the future?

I think not diving into these aspects wasted some golden opportunities; the witch could have become one of the most interesting female unsubs. The scene with her and the kids in the crematorium right in front of the oven reminded me a lot of Hansel and Gretel, and I’m relieved that like in the fairy tale the witch had to die.

An aspect that was thoroughly explored was the effect of Charlie’s abduction so many years ago on his mother Sarah. I’m really impressed how elaborate her character was. For most people she has been just the drunk nutcase that couldn’t move on from an incredibly horrible experience, but what she achieved in these 8 years was so impressive. She gained considerable knowledge on aspects of the crime that changed her life and the whiteboard where she tracked all the other possibly related or unrelated cases left me speechless. She was the one who hoped against hope, and in the end she was rewarded for her persistence. A really tragic character. She also showed how important it is to have closure one way or the other.

The quotes were very well chosen once again. They represented two diametrically opposed points of view and while I hated the first, I loved the last. I’m glad that the case wasn’t built in a way that would have changed the sequence of the quotes. It would have been devastating if the case had ended on a hopeless note.

Something that bothered me was the effect his experience had on Charlie. When he took all those pictures I thought he had turned from victim into child molester himself. It was a relief when it turned out that he was merely collecting evidence and making sure his ‘siblings’ would be remembered, but the way he suddenly took charge towards the end of the episode came as a bit of a surprise to me. I would have expected him to be much more messed up than was visible in the last scenes. His and Sarah’s nightmare is far from over, but at least they now both have reason for hope.

Concerning our team, Morgan totally rocked this episode! He felt more in charge now than sometimes during his turn as unit chief and I totally enjoyed this side of him. At moments one could really wonder if Hotch is still the boss. Where was he this week? I did like all the female power we got this week, though, and I especially enjoyed how JJ, Morgan and Prentiss discussed whether to trust Sarah’s observations or if it was just JJ’s maternal instincts getting the better of her. I have seen several discussions between fans about whether JJ is reduced to her mother role or not, and I like it that this issue was faced head-on during this episode.

All in all a difficult and thought-provoking case that I enjoyed very much.

And last, not least, Congratulations to MGG to a directing debut very well done!

Pat said...

Bravo Matthew! You did a great job of directing. You created a great atmosphere for the story. Hopefully you'll get to direct more - but please continue to act also. We would really miss seeing you.

I liked the show itself although it was very sad. Kidnapping, killing and cremating children is just too sad.

Glad you are back. Can't wait until next week.

Anonymous said...

I loved every minute of this episode. It was really sad and I cried during it. I know for a lot of people it was hard to watch because of the children but these things can really happen. The couple abused the children and then got rid of them. Remeber the team went to every offenders house so that tells you right there what they are doing with the kids. JJ was great and I liked it how Prentiss backed her up. All in all it was great and I am excited for next weeks episode

Anonymous said...

I have to laugh reading these comments for the most part. I wonder how many people would have rated it "the best episode ever" if it had been directed (exactly the same) by some Joe Schmo director instead of MGG?

He did a great job but it just wasn't enough to pull it off.

Kendal said...

It was a brilliant episode, Mathew did a great job, the actors did a great job and for once we didn't have to be told what the profile of such horrific beings are, we already know. Mosley Lane was about Sarah and the belief she had in her son still being alive. Who cares what happen to Rodger and Anita, whatever their stress trigger was didn't matter. It was nice for the writers/producer/director to believe in their audience to know without having to write it in the episode. At least that is what I got out of it.

Anonymous said...

This episode was a bit of a disappointment. The script was poorly structured, the direction was good, but a bit disconnected. There were many holes in the story and the conclusion was less than satisfying. As far as the creep factor is concerned, I'm not sure it was creepy or just simply strange. The unsub worked hard to look diabolical, and she came off looking silly.

My concern is if this is our measure for greatness, and we view this as fantastic and outstanding, then the producers and the network can continue to give CM the not-so-good scripts and the second-best of everything, and give the CM spinoff the 1st-tier script and the best producers, writers, etc., because they know we'll accept what we get as the greatest.

I think MGG did a good job with what he had, but the superlatives somehow escape me.

Lola said...

Great episode Matthew! Loved the music and creaking doors!

CheetoBreath said...

How did the dynamics between her and her husband work?
The team profiled this and said the male was submissive. It seemed to me that the wife wore the pants in the family.

Why were so many kids killed while these three managed to survive? What made them different from the others, and what effect will that have on them in the future?
I thought they were conveying that the unsubs would get rid of the children who broke the rules or disobeyed. The older children kept trying to warn Aimee to do what she was told, eat all her food at dinner, etc. It seemed to me like the female unsub got a kick out of playing house/family of sorts and required a high degree of obedience. As for the husband's role with the kids, I prefer not to think about it and that's what makes it creepy for me. LOL. What made the surviving children different was that they realized what it would take to survive (Reid profiled a little of that at the end when Sarah was asking him about how Charlie would do). Seeing what a fighter Sarah was, it is not surprising that Charlie picked up some of that from his mom! :)


I will be one of the few lone dissenters and say I kind of liked the fact that they didn't put in the "why". I know the show is about getting into the mind of the criminal, but every once in a while a break like this is refreshing. It keeps the show from being formulaic. That was why I grew so tired of the original CSI and why I never got into any of the spin-offs. So formulaic. In CM's case, it would be: Team gets case, Team profiles the who, Team figures out the why/stressor which is the break in the case, Team solves case, The End. In this episode, the Team almost didn't even have this as a case if it weren't for JJ's intuition. And what people perceive as a lack of profiling, to me, is really that there wasn't very much for the Team to go on at all. Which is what made it so different and interesting. Granted, the Team usually does have much less to go on than say a CSI team would but this case was even more extreme. I mean, the crime scene didn't yield very much - nothing to profile there except that it was a crowded place with minimal security. There were no bodies because, as they find out later, it seems the kids are being kept alive. Pretty much all they had to go on was victimology and even that was pretty much a dead end at "various children 8 yrs of age". That's why Sarah was so pivotal to the case - she provided info that the Team could not have acquired otherwise (the similarity in the M.O. of abduction, the sighting of Charlie meaning kids are being kept alive, etc.) and they wouldn't even have had that had Sarah not come in on her own to offer help and follow the case. A true testament to her perseverance and love for her child. And though it came at a very high personal price for her, she was willing to give it. I also liked that this had a happy ending (of sorts) because in CM you don't get that very often. I liked that there was no why because, again, it can get boring and formulaic to have it be explained to you by exposition week after week. It was nice to try and study the unsubs myself. Also, sometimes it paints the unsub in a sympathetic light, and though yes it is unfortunate when one's past/childhood is tragic or a stressor is tragic, in the end there really is no good reason for people to hurt others. Also, in a previous episode the Team mentioned the fact that it should not be the unsubs who get the attention and are memorialized in the public eye, but rather the victims, and this was a nice example of that. It was a very humanized episode and it was a nice break from all the doom, gloom, and depravity we get every week. This story was so full and had so much going on that it did feel a bit squeezed in there. Perhaps they should have made it into a 2-parter.

Dawn said...

After watching for a second time, I still feel let down. MGG did a good job with the poor script he had. That script felt like something that should have been filmed when Morgan was unit chief. Morgan was the one in charge and Hotch took a back seat. Did I miss an episode and Hotch was demoted again? Or did the writers, Simon Mirren and Erica Messer forgot to rewrite that part of the script?

Best part was the ending, very emotional.

I agree with Annonymous who wrote "My concern is if this is our measure for greatness, and we view this as fantastic and outstanding, then the producers and the network can continue to give CM the not-so-good scripts and the second-best of everything, and give the CM spinoff the 1st-tier script and the best producers, writers, etc., because they know we'll accept what we get as the greatest." if we praise this CM will get the second hand scripts while the spin off will get the great stuff.

For me, '100' is still CM crowning achievement. 'Mosley Lane, was nothing more than a very average CM episode.

Dawn, a very dissapointed fan who is now dreading the spin off.

Anonymous said...

I thought that this was a good ep though it did take 2 viewings to think so. I missed a few things the first time around. I completely agree with everything that CheetoBreath wrote so I won't repeat. MGG was right, the guest cast was amazing. Still I would have preferred a little less focus on the guest cast and more on the regular cast. The episode did have creepy moments but I would have liked it to be creepier.

Laura_G said...

Loved everything about this ep! Great job and congrats to MGG, Simon and Erica and the entire cast, guest stars and crew.

Anonymous said...

Disturbing but interesting episode, I thought the storyline was good, congratulations to the writers and Matthew did a good job of directing the episode. Everything about it was creepy the surroundings that the children were held, the music, & yes I too made the connection to ‘The Fox’, the lighting and the Unsubs made my skin crawl, especially the women when she was sitting on the bed with Amy and tapping the bed.

The biggest question for me was why and okay maybe the whole episode did leave a lot to the imagination, I think the whole thing was too close to home particularly with the child abductions you hear about anytime you turn on the news or read a newspaper, I guess we never really know the why in these instances either, it’s just sick and deranged individuals out there.

The children’s reactions really touched and saddened me, the way they rallied around little Amy and took care of her to minimise the harm that would come to her was heart wrenching. Charlie at the end when he spoke to Stephen’s parents was haunting.

The first time I watch it I thought Morgan came across a little bossy in parts although it was likely written that way, didn’t like his questioning JJ, I think it was the way it came across, was out of character for him I thought, although he did make some good points on the case, team interaction was ordinary and a little disconnected I thought but I’ll forgive that as they did have a lot to cover with the story line

The ‘girl’ time fit nicely with the storyline and was very well done, Garcia talking to Amy’s mum was wonderfully touching, JJ’s interaction with Sarah throughout the episode was well done and I loved the end, the quotes fit perfectly, especially the end quote, loved JJ’s delivery. CheetoBreath thanks for posting the rest of the poem.

Reid speaking to Sarah at the end stuck with me particularly the mention of the closest thing he’s seen to a miracle & the “5 years 7 months & 19 days” line when she asked him how long he’s being doing this for!!

I was touched by the scenes of the parents at the end & I’ll admit to crying at the sheer sadness and with some relief as to how it all turned out at the end.

I will definitely watch again, although not one of my favourites, overall a good episode

Anonymous said...

I agree with CheetoBreath comments so I won’t repeat, I too didn’t mind that there was no why, in real life do we always know why these sick and deranged people do these things?

I must admit that it all happened very fast for me and I picked up a lot more of the nuances and the story by watching it the second time around

And like CheetoBreath I too was watching out for a more relaxed dressed down Hotch/TG ;) ;)

MKT said...

I'm really concerned about the effects of the spin off on our beloved CURRENT CM. Yet again, absolutely no continuity in characters. More parent/child angst and Hotch isn't the least bit affected? Come on. Oh yeah, that would be because both he & Rossi were virtually non-existant in their presence (different from screen-time). What was Morgan doing issuing orders? Did someone make him Unit Chief?

MGG did a good job directing, I won't take away from him and won't take away from the cast since it was all well-acted. But the writing had holes galore and I'm just so disappointed in the lack of follow up.

Hire other writers for the *** spin-off or rehire Andrew Wilder for us!