Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Middle Man" written by Rick Dunkle and starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness.
**Beware! Comments will contain spoilers.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
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95 comments:
cant wait!
Does this picture speak to you!!
iPads & Hotch with a paper file ;) I love it, technology is great but I'd go with the paper file myself :)
Promo looks/sounds good and I am excited because I am giving my sore back a break, cutting yoga class tonite, and will be parked in front of the TV ON TIME at 9 o'clock -not trying to catch those first few minutes I always miss by rewinding the DVR at the first commercial - so annoying!
Wonder if Morgan will still be getting texts from Ellie or if Reid will suffer any more heartburn? Oh, my, I so need a life...
Talk tomorrow about all the juicy stuff...enjoy, everyone!
A Rick Dunkle episode, I'm really excited !
I can't wait to see this episode, I'm sure it'll be great.
And yes, I too would prefer the file folder over the iPad.
To Gubegirl,
Yes, I was also wondering if we're going to see Reid suffering from heartburn or other stomach troubles.
Someone pointed out to me that in 'Devil's Night' when the lieutenant said 'hope you have a strong stomach' Reid made a face.
After watching that scene again I did notice it. And Hotch stared at Reid (who didn't meet anyone's eyes) as if wanting to gauge his reaction.
Well, I'm certainly impatient to see this episode. I'm sure it'll be a good one.
Yay CM night!!!!
Just started watching and seems so interesting. Plus Garcia's answer to Hotch "I did a thing"...and he answers "we´ll talk about the thing later"....priceless!!!
So now they are high tech thanks to Garcia. I wonder if this is product placement by CBS to earn ad money.
Three young men, one alpha and two submissives, who kidnap hookers or strippers and drug them and rape them over an entire weekend. They make the victim dance around a stipper pole while handcuffed to it.
I figured out that one of the unsub's was going to turn out to be the sheriff's kid. He was so smug and arrogant with Hotch when the BAU got to town. It was obviously going to be the sheriff himself or his son. No surprise.
I LOVE THIS EPISODE!!!!!!
I really liked this episode. Total teamwork and the case was super interesting.
what was the ending quote for this episode?
Great shooting. Shot the kid in the arm to stop him from killing himself. I loved Prentiss during the standoff with them. She was tough as nails. Weird to think that two college kids could be so taken in by an alpha male college kids. So damaged they would do everything they were told to do. I am sure they liked having sex with the victim but there was so much more to it than that.
I can't imagine running through a field being chased by three men and a truck. Talk about being terrified.
Great episode. Good night for CM fans!
Terrific. So much better than last week's episode.
This episode was amazing! I love the whole back story with the Sheriff's son being involved and I love how the unsub that got killed unravelled and tried to go against him. I've also got to point out Prentiss's heroism in this episode and Paget's INCREDIBLE acting that ent into portraying Emily and let us really see the importance of Prentiss's role in the BAU. She should be with the team PERMANENTLY!
It rocked! Loved it!
Can't believe the kid had already done this in another state and gotten away with it.
rick+pen+paper=awesome episode!
enough said. keep up the great work everybody.
see ya next wednesday
same time
same channel
1960kyh
This was a really good episode. I was surprised actually when the sheriff's son held up his gun after the Alpha was shot. I was really happy to see a lot of scenes with Emily too. And Hotch looked totally awesome as usual.
I'm really digging Reid's new haircut.
I really agree that the Sheriff's attitude with Hotch when they first met tipped me off to him being involved in some way but it didn't matter. I enjoyed watching them build the case and watching how the unsubs were falling apart as a unit. Very good!
Ditto what's already been said. It was a smokin great episode.
I want to know what the "thing" was that garcia did cause I want an iPad. Great ep, especially seeing an officer create an unsub.
Can't imagine any CM fan not liking this episode. It was a new unique unsub, great teamwork and solid acting. A+
Another typical episode, with nothing special.
*sigh*
What happened? It was so good in the beginning. Flynn, Morgan, Garcia, Ellie....
Now it's becoming dull again.
=/
Piper,
I agree. It would be interesting to see if he takes Hotch's advice from the last scene and helps heal his son. I liked that Hotch didn't back down from pinning the blame for the son being the way he is on his dad but also showed compassion and wisdom.
G*R*E*A*T* E*P*I*S*O*D*E*
iJustine was great. The whole cast did a fantastic job. The episode is a keeper.
I really enjoyed this episode. The teamwork was definitely back. Everyone contributed to the case. I still like the paper folders but then I am old - whatevery works.
I wonder if the kid learned to degrade strippers from his dad who bluntly said they deserve what they get. He created a killer and a rapist. I think Hotchner was being kind at the end to say that there was something he could really do to help his son. I don't think life in prison or the needle in his arm are going to be the environment someone so damaged needs to heal.
I love Garcia/Kirsten's hair color.
The iPad bit made me laugh. Product placement for sure. But cute.
I knew it was going to be a great episode watching her running through the field. WOW I was right.
This was a great episode and I hope to see more along this line. WooHoo Dunkle! The comraderie is back, the clever sub story regarding sheriff's son, and everyone looked just great. I did notice that MGG was looking tired in opening scene as if he wasn't sleeping...secrets?
Tonight's episode was awesome. Just when I think CM can't get any better, they WOW me again. Great job everyone!!!!!
I pretty much enjoyed this episode. I thought there was a ton of emphasis on profiling and the psychology of the unsubs, which is always good to see in a show about criminal profiling. The alpha unsub was super creepy, and it was rather compelling to see how he managed to talk Chris into killing Stephen. I thought it was an effective example of a pack mentality, and it was different than previous pack episodes, because the lower two didn't even realize the alpha was killing the women. Of course it shows a lot of naivete on their part that they believed he would just let them go after raping the women all weekend long. While the other two were not as cold blooded as the alpha, they definitely were deviant personalities, since they thought it was a good time to abduct, rape and chase women for sport through a cornfield. The violence in this episode reminded me a lot of “Extreme Aggressor.” I didn’t think it was that graphic (particularly compared to Devil’s Night), but I found it deeply unsettling and creepy, which I imagine was the point. I knew what was happening, but was grateful that it wasn’t presented so in your face. It was left more to the imagination, which is always scarier.
I knew the sheriff was connected somehow, because of spoiler previews, but I just didn't know how. I admit that I was shocked that the sheriff shot his own son at the end to prevent his suicide, but I feel it was ultimately the best thing for Chris in the future. It's different that the BAU was profiling the criminals, but also had a more up close and personal look at some of the triggers for Chris's behavior, because they got to work around his father. You could see how a clearer link between early family upbringing and subsequent criminal behavior. It was also nice when Hotch contrasted his parenting style with Sheriff Salters. They are both super alpha at work, but it’s good that Hotch doesn’t take that home with him. The few times we’ve seen him with Jack showed this as well, since it really is the only time you get to see his softer side. I would be surprised to see Jack turn out as an unsub. :)
Emily had some good moments in this episode. I was glad to see a return of tough Emily, and the fact that Hotch deliberately selected her to talk down the unsubs, because he knew that a strong woman confronting them would rattle them completely. I want to see more of Emily in that capacity. She doesn’t take crap from anybody, and was very effective at showing Chris just what sort of man his friend was.
I was glad this episode finally mixed up the partnerships, even if the interaction was more case-related rather than personal. I hope this continues for future episodes, because it was nice to see the team interact with each other more on these cases. I giggled when Reid was stammering that he didn’t judge strippers, because he’s from Las Vegas. It’s hard to be judgmental when you are from Sin City, and are probably familiar with it all.
As for the iPads, the first thing I thought when we saw the preview photos was the budget, because there is often throwaway talk about budget problems. So now I am really curious just what sort of backroom, under the table deal Penelope pulled to score them. Maybe Hotch and she will have that conversation in future episodes. And at least techno-phobic Reid was spared the horrors of converting to a paperless office. That man lives in a vintage, throwback world. Aw, Penelope knew just what he needed.
I am glad they are going to still have paper files as well as their new tech toys. It should be fun watching the new graphics they can show us using the new pads.
Tons of profiling always makes me happy. I like those episodes the best and this was a truly good episode.
Very good episode!
Can't wait to watch it again tomorrow!
Loved the episode. Interesting case. The actor that played the sheriff was really good. Loved all the interaction between the sheriff and Hotch...the end was awesome. Good team work and lots of profiling. It is nice to see Garcia at the beginning of each case but I still miss JJ. Good work everybody!
The only thing that I did not like was that I would have loved to see Garcia explaining to Hotch was what the actual ¨thing¨she did to get the I pads! :)
Last but surely not least...Hotch was so sexy when at the beginning he met the sheriff and took control!
He not only got the kid's juvenile record sealed but he had it deleted. He's in law enforcement. How didn't he suspect his kid? What a jerk he was. No wonder his kid ended up being submissive. And a rapist and murderer. I couldn't believe it when he killed the third guy who wanted to leave and felt bad about what they were doing.
Loved tonight's episode with the special guest stars... The iPads!
But seriously, great story and ending! Criminal Minds is the only reason to have a tv.
The middle man was one messed up dude. The episode was exc!
I really liked this episode. The case was interesting, the sheriff's son as an unsub was a smart twist and the team was on top of everything! Kudos Rick Dunkle for a solid episode!
This Prentiss fan is a happy fan tonight. I'm so glad Emily finally had some material in this episode and got to show off her great skills. I'm just wondering why Morgan always feels the need to tell her what to do or when to do it. Regardless, I'm very happy she got to do the negotiation and she handled it beautifully. I definitely can't imagine the team without her; she needs to stay! I hope she will continue to have material in the episodes to come too.
Great work CM cast and crew! Thank you!
First Louisiana and then Indiana. If the BAU hadn't gotten involved it would have kept on happened being the sheriff was too stupid to figure it out. What a jackass bully. I thought Hotch's speech to him in the end was perfect. Leave the job at the office and shower your kids with love.
LaShawna, Glad you could see this one live!
I enjoyed the episode. The teamwork, especially amidst the antagonism of the local dept.
Good casting, Great lighting in the cornfield -- often night scenes are really hard to see.
Good tension all throughout the episode.
But I'm not feeling the love from Ed. Where are we now? Episode 7 and barely a hint of a secret on screen? We're almost 1/3 the way through the season. Hmmm . . . maybe there's some scoop there with Garcia's funding thing.
I really hope that this is not going to be like season 4 the promise of a theme that remains undeveloped.
Although not extensive, we're getting more info about the secrets from actor interviews than from the episodes.
What a relief to get back on track after last week's disappointing episode. This one was great. No complaints from me or my roommate.
every episode Paget comes out and shows how much she can do with limited screen time/ story line....
More Paget/Prentiss please :)
Well I had no clue that the middle man was the sheriff's son until the very end, so that part of the mystery was good.
I have no idea who "iJustine" is or why I was supposed to be so excited that she was in the episode. Was she the girl that was saved in the end?
I guess Reid is fully healed from his trauma from The Big Game, because he didn't even blink an eye at being out in a cornfield.
I can't quite put my finger on what is different about CM these past two seasons...it just looks and feels like a different show. Glossier, shinier. It's not something I particularly like, either.
I agree with Rutland about the lighting. I usually don't take notice of it but I did in tonight's episode. It was masterly done.
Garcia is going to eventually win and drag Reid into her techie world. LOL
GREAT episode. Very well written by Rick Dunkie. One of CM best of the season.
By: GibsonGranny
Best line: "I might shoot you myself." Prentiss was great!
Our guy Reid has healed I think. He didn't show any discomfort in the cornfield which I thought he might given what he went through it one. I was glad he was there with Morgan. His big brother. Just in case!
Smooth episode that held my attention so much I didn't even answer my cell phone when my boyfriend called.
Did Garcia say Head Hocho or am I losing my mind?
Kudos to all. Great episode.
The actor who played the Sheriff was great. Actually all the guest stars did a really good job. Going to bed now but I will comment more tomorrow. This was a good episode. Really good.
laurel r, I completely agree, that line is solid gold! Prentiss is awesome!
Great profiling episode.
Solid episode. The actor that played the Sheriff is Robert Newman who was on the Soap Opera Guiding Light for approx. 20 years.
Excellent episode. It might be one of my favorites. loved it. I was glad that they didn't pair up the same team members together as they have been doing recently. I was especially happy to see Morgan and Reid together. I Love Reid's hair - he looked really good! I think they need to start dropping some hints about the "secrets". I'm dying to find out what Reid's secret is.
Wonderful episode!
Really interesting story with great twists and profiling.
Really great episode tonight !! I loved it !!!
It was good to see Reid and Morgan pairing up again. Even if this is still not the interaction we used to have between them up until season 5, we got at least a glimps of it !
And I absolutely loooooved Garcia's "I did a thing" !!! That was brillant !!!
I love when Garcia said "Just let not talk about the thing " so clever...Just love the whole team
I liked the episode. It's probably my favorite so far this season. At first I was wary because I've found that cases with multiple unsubs tend to bore me, but this one was really interesting. Also, (for all you Bones fans) the whole time I was thinking, I can't believe Wendall is a serial killer!
The opening scene was cute. I've seen all CM episodes, but I don't remember Reid ever being much of a techno-phobe, so I was kind of thrown off by that.
The strip club scene was too hilarious. It opened with Reid unabashedly watching one of the strippers, then stammering his response about living in Las Vegas, then looking totally uncomfortable when Prentiss and the other girl were sitting in the booths. So cute.
I don't want to nitpic details trying to look for clues to the "secrets," but there is one thing I keep noticing. Is it just me or does Reid's face keep twitching? I noticed last week and again this week. It's so subtle that it's almost something that MGG could just be doing, but then again it could be intentional.
I agree overall though that they should start dropping hints. I want some team angst!
I couldn't help but grin at the Apple product placement. Those Apple marketing guys are awesome IMHO. :)
Great episode, Mr. Dunkle! Bravo. You write really awesome Hotch scenes. Like when Hotch pwned the Sheriff. Then took it to the next level by showing Hotch's compassionate side towards the Sheriff at the end of the episode. This is why I love Hotch - he's a BAMF! but also a stellar, compassionate guy. Also, he's sexy as hell. But that's really more TG's fault than Hotch's. :)
Also great work by Prentiss, and I loved how the unsub's (the middle man's, at least) fate wasn't cliche - he didn't get shot to death or kill himself... it was a REALLY nice change.
I was going to say thank you for cutting out of the bat killing scene and not showing us any gore, but it was then followed by the uber grody tractor scene. Yuck!!!! lol
Thank you cast, crew, and writers for another great show.
*chugs more Nyquil and crawls back into bed*
The guy who played the sherrif was excellent, as were all the guest stars. I thought it was a really good episode, very unsettling. Solid stuff. Plus those were some freaky Dr.Who style scarecrow masks. *Shudders*
I was very happy to see Reid paired up with Morgan at last although some of the awesome pre-season 5 interaction between the two would have made it even better. I miss the big brother, little brother interaction between those two so very much. And I loved Reid's scenes in the club with Prentiss, Reid's stammering line about coming from Las Vegas was hilarious. And I loved that Garcia brought paper files for technophobe Reid. Bless her. She does look after him. Her 'I did a thing' was funny.
I had been hoping for some reaction from Reid to the fact that these things were happening in cornfields, I guess the boy is over his The Big Game/Revelations trauma.
"I don't want to nitpic details trying to look for clues to the "secrets," but there is one thing I keep noticing. Is it just me or does Reid's face keep twitching? I noticed last week and again this week. "
OOohhh...I've noticed this too, Hennie. It seems to me that Reid has been much more 'twitchy', for want of a better word this season. I noticed it last week and in the J.J episode and now this week.
I'm so desperate to get some idea of Reid's secret. I hopw we get a Reid centric episode so so we can start to get some hints.
I’d like to first commend and thank Rick Dunkle for a CM episode that was diverse, balanced and entertaining throughout. And I’d like to thank him for finally giving fans and the actors a script that was engaging, balanced; and one that gave that allowed the actors full participation in the storytelling.
Its obvious Dunkle knows these characters and how to make good use of their abilities; and he finally broke the monotony of gave us as a fresh spin on teaming: Morgan/Rossi, Prentiss/Reid. I could pick and say Hotch was once again left at the precinct and no real Hotch/Prentiss scenes; but his interactions with the sheriff were hard-hitting, direct and intense; to a later softening, supportive and inspiring, classic Hotch.
Finally, Reid gets to know what it feels like to troll a crime scene; and Prentiss gets to make us of her negotiation skills to talk down the unsubs. The storytelling moved with a swiftness that never left me annoyed or bored, no roll-your-eyes moments. And when the sheriff shot his son in the arm to prevent him from killing himself; my husband commented that that was what the sheriff should have done; noting that many shows let characters stand around while the suspect/unsub shoots himself or someone else. And Dunkle gave us closure; we finally saw the mother reunited with her child, and the distraught father reunited with his daughter. This was a very satisfying CM.
Great episode for Dunkle, the actors and CM; I’d love for him to pen a Prentiss-focused episode with Hotch riding shotgun for her like Morgan does for Garcia. I believe he would do it justice.
It’s fun to watch the unfolding of an episode when the writer knows the characters and how to engage them in the action.
Since when is Reid a technophobe? The guy has a doctorate in engineering for cripes' sake. Oh that's right...since last season when he declared he didn't have email, five episodes after telling Morgan he just checked his email and didn't see any messages from Hotch.
Continuity is your friend, writers, and random quirks you invent on the spot are not the same thing as character development.
I miss the end scenes on the jet with the team summing up the business of the day. I thought the final scene with Hotch and the sheriff made no sense, character wise. Since when is Hotch so sympathetic toward abusive parents?
I still love this show, but loving it doesn't mean I think it's always perfect. I think the show is slipping into the late-season morass that all shows fall into eventually.
I thought the episode was just mediocre. There was some great profiling and I liked that they changed the usual pairings.
But there was too much time spend on the unsubs . It wasn`t really necessary because with their profiling the team explained the pack dynamic. I also thought the opening scene with the unsubs chasing the girl in the cornfield was too long . The scene with the harvester was gross and probably just in the ep for shock effect. The writer should have found another explanation for finding the corpse.
The music near the end when the victim was reunited with her daughter was way too cheesy for my taste. And they should have cut Hotch`s speech to the sheriff at the end a little shorter and added a nice team/plane scene.
The ep was much better than last week`s ep but nothing special.
I enjoyed the episode. I'm not a fan of Garcia in the briefings, but apparently it's something I'll just have to get used to. It was probably the only thing in the episode I didn't like. She shouldn't be fudging around with the budget to satisfy her own personal techie desires and she could get Hotch into trouble doing stuff like that.
I did kind of snicker at the sight of Hotch on the airplane with the ipad lying unused on the table in front of him while he held Reid's paper files in his hands. I don't think he likes the idea of a paperless office.
I loved the twist of the Sheriff's son being the middle man and didn't see that coming. It was good to see Hotch in charge the way we've always seen him in charge in the past and I thought the way he handled the sheriff was perfect. He remained calm, but intimidating in the beginning when the sheriff tried to bully his way into the interview with the missing girl's father. He was strong and professional and pulled no punches once he realized the sheriff's son was one of the unsubs and he drew on his natural compassion in the end when the sheriff was looking for someone to tell him what to do.
I thought the stuff with Prentiss was a bit gratuitous, but was happy they finally gave her something useful to do.
I wouldn't have expected Reid to react to the cornfield. The cornfield isn't where his trauma unfolded. Leafy areas, cemetaries at night, creepy hunting cabins in the middle of nowhere would certainly bring back the trauma, but a cornfield, not so much.
This episode was definitely better than last week's, although I still feel like the 1st 5 episodes were better. Thus far "Compromising Positions" has been my fav of this season. My fav moments of this episode were Reid&Prentiss at the strip club, Reid's I'm from Las Vegas dialogue was so cute, I'm sure he didn't judge her because of her job, he seems very open-minded that way compared to the Sheriff.
Prentiss negotiating with unsubs was terrific, I was so happy that she finally got a bigger role in this episode, I hope to see more of her as she's been underutilized in the past.
Finally, the last scene with Hotch I liked a lot. All the things he said were really touching, no wonder he's such a great dad.
I'm really curious to know Reid's secret, he's been very conspicuous since season 5 and I think we really need to see more of him, that's all I wish future episodes, a bit more Reid please!
Really enjoyed this episode, suspenseful and great profiling through the episode, teamwork was excellent, and I thought overall the teaming, profiling & team interaction worked really well throughout the episode.
Hotch in a word awesome, love it when his leadership stands out and he uses it to his and the teams advantage, there is no walking over or pushing Hotch around, reminiscent of Catching out I thought when he confronted the Sheriff in the beginning & with the connection of the son. Loved the end I thought it summed Hotch up to a T and yes he was being way to generous to the Sheriff at the end, but then again, this is Hotch, he is masterful at getting the job done most effectively & efficiently, and getting the best out of everyone, but being compassionate at the same time. Some parallels to A Thousand Words.
This episode I thought was reflective of a number of earlier episodes and moments reminded me of Hopeless, Shades of Gray & Popular Kids.
I don't remember Reid ever being much of a technophobe either, particularly given some of the earlier episodes where he worked with technology to crack cases .. Compulsion, Elephants Memory & with Garcia on Fisher King, The Fox come to mind, checking his e-mail in Cradle to Grave, admittedly from the picture on the plane, and generally the characters, and not that he is opposed to technology either, but I thought it would be Hotch who would stay conventional and want paper files … we most likely will never hear any more about it, but I’m keen to know about ‘the thing’ Garcia did, liked the Hotch / Garcia exchange on this.
The use of Prentiss & the way she handled the situation worked, but this brought me back to my recent ponderings on the whole use of Prentiss over the past few episodes, and particularly the impact of not having a regular female presence might have on the team (if CBS pursues with their agenda!), aside from the female touch in the field, I was watching ‘JJ’ again & Prentiss putting her jacket back on after being used to ‘gain the perpetrators trust’, we saw this again in Compromising Positions when she used herself as bait, some previous episodes that come to mind, Pickup, The Performer & Outfoxed, negotiating on the Angle Maker & then there was JJ in Riding the Lightning, Elle in Aftermath,to mention a few, all tactics used in achieving their ultimate goal of solving the case. I appreciate that these are written in but they certainly make for interesting story lines, team interactions & dynamics.
Great episode … thanks everyone :o)
Great episode! Enjoyed it very much. Sorry, no time to write more but wanted to say thank you to the CM team, writers & producer.
I have to say.....I still watch CM....but something is just TOTALLY missing without JJ :( I know we should move on cuz nothing what is done is done but it is JUST NOT THE SAME!!!! They have Garcia trying to fill in JJ's roll which has kinda changed her character and you can just "feel" its different! I will still continue to watch but I definitely do not look forward to Wednesday like I use too!!! :(
This episode was great. I was glad to see the different pairings - Reid/Prentiss, Reid/Morgan, etc. Robert Newman was an excellent guest star. Rick Dunkle is an amazing writer.
I hope I'm wrong, but does anyone think that Reid's secret may be drugs? He was bouncing in his seat during the presentation of the case, and I've never seen him do that before. Also, he used the terms "uppers and downers" on the plane instead of the correct names, and Morgan gave him a puzzled look. Then, he was scratching his leg on the plane, and he did that some when he was on a drug before. Maybe I am looking too hard for clues to the secret.
I liked this episode. I am a fan of Rick Dunkle, he knows the characters well.
I enjoyed seeing Prentiss and Reid together for a change and glad Prentiss was used in another capacity.
The only thing I missed was the team dynamic,the cookies,the little bits of banter between the characters that gives us a tiny bit of insight into who they are.
Noew I adore Hotch, but lately he seems slightly overused. I didn't like his speech to the sheriff at the end. I understand he would feel a bit of compassion fo the man but seriously the guy was abusive to his son and the son was a rapist, kidnapper murderer. I would rather have seen a scene on the jet.
BTW, I noticed Reid's twitchiness too. He was scratching his ankle like crazy on the jet. A symptom of dilaudid addiction perhaps? or did MGG just have one really itchy ankle?
Sorry, but Hotch can never be overused. For me, there is never enough of him. MORE HOTCH PLEASE!!
Great episode for Dunkle and CM; also great ratings. But we need some Hotch/Prentiss moments, please!!! Haven't had any this season.
Wonderful, quality episode that kept me on the edge of my seat. Excellent acting by not just our team but everyone playing in a guest role from the unsubs to the sheriff to Stephanie, the victim. The dominant unsub was scary-insidious and heartless and the other two were unbelievably naive to follow his lead and cow-tow to him the way they did. I actually felt sorry for Stephen, the tender-hearted one of the bunch who wanted to let Stephanie go. You just knew that they would kill him, and that Chris would get reined in to do the dirty deed.
I love Garcia lending a hand in her own-very-Garcia-techie way, not mimicking JJ at all but giving it her best shot to help the team; Prentiss and Reid were great in the strip club and so-o-o in character: I love when the writers inject some personalism into the script that I see as a cookie crumb for us fanatics, like Reid stating he comes from Vegas:)
Hennie: Reid might be showing a few signs of something that leads up to the outing of his "secret" but I think with his way shorter, new haircut you can just see his face much more clearly. Matthew has an extremely expressive face and now we are seeing much more of it - luv you, Sweetie! He also uses his entire body to express himself, especially his hands, but almost in a "I can't sit still" and again, child-like, manner. I think it is just MGG at work, nothing planned/planted by the writers but it is an interesting thought. The "hope you have a strong stomach" line last week when Hotch shot a glance at Reid was too fleeting to read anything into it - I re-watched it sev times and couldn't see a thing.
Hotch was so effective at standing up to the sheriff who was such a great actor. Loved it and also his words to him at the end. Hotch has a heart even tho' be can be one very tough dude.
I totally agree with those of you who have commented at the lack of consistency in scripts as far as character facts go; i.e., the one about Reid and his use/non-use of e-mail,the fact that we have known for years that Garcia has sev. brothers, etc.
I suggest someone on staff with lots of history PROOF (for accuracy) these scripts by new writers which may be rushed to completion, in for revisions, etc and this stuff is being missed. This might be OK on other shows but not our beloved CM that is being watched by the most fanatical group in the audience world, ready to pounce and pick apart such discrepancies.
That said, could I pls have the job? CM PTB: I would give it due diligence, I have endless resources avail to me (other CM fanatics!) You can just e-mail it to me, I will print it out, red-mark it and get it right back to you, no sweat! I need no paycheck - I would be happy to work for free. I would only ask that I get to come to LA about once a month to hang around the set and snuggle up to the cast just a little bit. What do you say??
A great episode, I loved it.
Thank you Rick Dunkle (and everyone) for your hard work and efforts.
It's not everyday the BAU team members deal with a pack.
I found the dynamic between the three unsubs interesting.
The dissensions between Michael, Chris and Scott were to be expected. Those scenes were well acted and fit nicely with the overall flow of the story.
Sadly, Scott was doomed from the beginning. What he choose to do to those girls was horrible, but he never expected it to get this far.
I found his naivety quite believable.
The scene where he feeds Stephanie Wilson is quite telling, he felt empathy for the poor girl, even if he tried to cover it up when his associates joined him.
The scenes with Hotch and the sheriff were great. I loved how he wasn't going to let that man tarnish the reputation of the victims.
Jeff Salters was a bully, but I did feel for him at the end.
Thinking of your son facing death row ...it's difficult to imagine what that must be like.
Hotch was right to not explain to him what led his son to become a murderer. Putting salt in an open wound is never a good idea.
Prentiss was great, it was nice to see her negotiating near the end.
I really hope that she can stay on the show.
I loved the scene with Reid and the stripper. And Reid has never been judgemental, quite the opposite, he's open minded (and he did grew up in Vegas).
I don't think we should take Garcia's comment about Reid and technophobia to heart. Reid does have PhDs in Engineering, Mathematics and Chemistry, so he couldn't be technophobic.
But I can totally see Reid preferring his paper files to the iPads, it's extremely 'Reid like' (and something I greatly enjoy about his character).
I had to laugh at his sad/anguished face when he saw the iPads and said 'We have gone paperless ?'.
And to participate in the debates regarding Reid's secret I too think he's sick. He looks more and more tired in the debriefing scenes with each new episode. He has obviously lost weight since the beginning of the sixth season. He really seemed in pain at some point in the episode but apparently tried to cover it up (when he was with Hotch and Rossi, with Garcia on the phone talking about the rapes in Louisiana).
Add to that the antacids, the fact that he was sick, that he looked uncomfortable in 'Devil's Night' when the lieutenant talked about having a 'strong stomach' which drew Hotch's attention...
Of course this is just a theory, we need to wait and see.
Anyway, great episode. And I'm really impatient to see 'Reflection of Desire'.
Didn't Morgan have an iPad in an earlier episode? Thought it was funny how they were all discussing the details of the case a split second after Garcia handed out the iPads. Maybe improve mind-reading, if so, I need one! LOL
Great episode!
This was a good episode and I appreciate that the writer gave us a balanced script ustilizing all the team with a lot of emphasis on the profiling. The case was engaging with some surprising twists and the acting was superb.
I do wish there had been a bit more delving into the psychological motivations driving the unsub leader. And, I found it unbelievable that the 2 unsub accomplices, who were college students, would be as stupid as they were. Chris was the son of a sheriff, so one would expect he had learned something about crime solving from his father growing up. Is he really so dumb to make a phone call in a place where the other could that easily overhear him without him realizing? And, did he not have enough sense to figure out that if the leader was capable of murdering the girls and then making him kill Scott, then he could and probably woudl,most certainly kill him. The idea that he would be that trusting after finding out about all this earlier on is just not plausible.
Realistically, he would have been smart enough to be much more on his guard and concoted some sort of plan to at least make sure he didn't become a victim even if, at the end, his need to belong undermined his attempt to escape.
I agree with the comments made about the lighting. Often, the CM night scenes are so dark that it is difficult to follow the action on the screen, but the lighting in this episode was perfect.
I liked the different pairings of the team members. Reid's Las Vegas comment was completely in character and I was glad to see that he, as well as the other team members, got put to use throughout the episode. I hate his new hair style, however. It is so unbecoming.
I liked Hotch's scene with the sheriff at the end because it showed the softer side of his character and allowed him to step out of the role of a profiler and connect as a father. It showed that he had an understanding of the complexities of human nature. He also most likely drew on his experience as a prosecution lawyer.
Overall, I liked this episode, and am pleased that the violence was not so in your face. It actually creates alot more intensity that way--leaving something to the imagination of the viewer. But, to really match the quality of the earlier seasons, the writers need to make more use of the techniques they used earlier on in the series such as inserting the profilers into the crime scense while they are giving a profile and drawing more parallels between the unsub's psychological state and how the that on occasion related to what an individual profiler was currently dealing with in their own life. It's a shame these techniques have not been explored recently because they are what used to make the show unique and a lot more thought provoking, especially in the first 4 seasons. Some work on continuity with the characters could also be improved upon.
WOw, this was a really good episode. I got a bit worried affter last week ;) Loved the interaction between Hotch and the sheriff, nice to see him back after "Hopeless". Didn't really care for the ipads or the repeated "they didn't have a chance"b in relation to the unsubs, but overall very good
I remember looking at the promos for this episode, and asking "Why doesn't Reid have a funky tablet thingy?" I like how he totally insists on a paper file. Good for you Reid; you prove that we don't need to follow the crowd. Paper is perfectly fine!
After watching this episode, I am suddely reminded of why corn fields scare me! But I was kinda sad; usually Reid gets propositioned by working girls, and I didn't see that last night... Can't have everything, though!
Can't wait for next week! :D
Great episode!!!!
I thought the guest stars in this episode did great jobs. I liked all of their performances. Our cast did a great job. I agree about the lighting. It was top notch and really good!
iPads.......$$$ for CBS. Garcia was cute in that scene though.
Great episode. Good writing from Mr. Dunkle.
Loved how Hotch did get in the sherrif face over what he said about the victims deserving it. Hotch IS awesome! whoever said we have too much Hotch lately, no way! More Hotch please!
Emily was great when she did the 'negotiation'! Go Em!
The case was interesting, the unsubs were just twisted people. I almost cheered when the cops did shoot one of them!
Congratulations to the cast and crew on the great ratings, well deserved!
Sammy
"He really seemed in pain at some point in the episode but apparently tried to cover it up (when he was with Hotch and Rossi, with Garcia on the phone talking about the rapes in Louisiana)."
^^^This moment shot out at me when I watched the episode. Reid seemed to flinch and he momentarily looked to be in pain and/or distress, he then kind of slumped as if exhausted. I think he's ill too.
Thank you Rick! Solid episode. I must admit, I hated having Hotch back in his cage at the police station, but it was worth it for the Hotchalanche he unleashed at the Sheriff! :) Great team effort and I liked all the guest stars this week too. And wow, Emily got to do something! Yay!
Hints are definitely being dropped for the secrets, can't wait til they start seeping out! :)
Congrats to both cast & crew.
This episode answers the age-old question of why do unsubs bring their victims to cornfields.
So they could stalk them.
Nicely written but it was predictable for some reason.
After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realized the plot was too similiar to Third Life.
Same set-up, young guys under the spell of an older leader. The youngest has the red-shirted Star Trek ensign fate, the second in command is torn, and we are left to wonder if the leader gets his just desserts.
Too much time spent on the unsubs so I missed having team interactions. Rossi and Morgan basically could have gone to Starbucks and phoned it in. It sounded promising to have Reid and Prentiss go to the strip club but we got one fun line of
"being from Vegas". It would have been nice to have more awkward moments from Reid with not knowing where to look at the girls.
One good character moment was when Garica skipped giving Reid an Ipad. It's a nice recognition that Reid doesn't like to own anything made after 1951.
It was weird that they insisted on Prentiss risking her life by putting down her gun and standing in front of 2 misogynistic idiots. After they reprimanded Morgan, Reid, and Hotch for doing the same thing, it's strange that they were OK for her to risk her life. If I were her, I'd be wanting to leave the FBI. The handwriting on the wall spells EXPENDABLE. Poor Prentiss fans must be bitenailing over how they are planning to write her off the series. She is constantly being used as bait.
BTW, Reid fans are still waiting and dying for a Reid-centric story. He's been underused for waaaaay toooooo looooong!
Please. :)
Elisabeth R.and/or Anonymous: Which episode are you referring to where Reid looked sick while with Hotch and Rossi listening to Garcia talk about rapes in Louisiana? This season? Am feeling compelled to go back and re-watch it analyze poor Reid's (sick?) expression.
Thanks!
Is there any place where I can catch up with season 6 online? I missed this epi and CTV doesnt seem to be working atm. I'm excited that KV/Garcie gets to interact with the team more. I hope the secrets plot/backstories really get developed this season.
jazN:
Try going on hulu.com to catch recent episodes.
To jazN and gubegirl:
CBS doesn't allow hulu to post any of their shows and doesn't even have CM episodes on their own website. Seasons 5 and 6 are on YouTube but you have to know where to look. I can't help you more than that. I don't want them to get shut down.
Another great work, everyone.
Paget definitely needs to stay...the team can't work without a female profiler, Prentiss always knows what to do and fans WANT HER TO STAY!! WE DON'T WANT A REPLACEMENT!
Finally they changed pairings. Good to see Reid/Prentiss again.
Hotch rocks!!
Prentiss rocks!
Hi Gubegirl, sorry I didn't see your message sooner.
When I mentioned Reid apparently being in pain, I was talking about this very episode, 'Middle Man'.
There is a scene with Hotch, Rossi and Reid. They are on the phone with Garcia and they are talking about the rapes that occurred in Louisiana.
Reid seems to be in pain but tries to make sure Hotch and Rossi don't notice it.
The accumulation of little (and not so little) things makes some of us think that he could indeed be sick : the antacids, the fact that he was sick in JJ, the obvious weight loss, the fact that he looks exhausted (more than usual)...And this episode is not the first one where he seemed to be in pain. I suppose time will tell if this theory is correct.
I must admit that I would really enjoy that storyline if it's treated well.
Elisabeth R.: Thanks, I will try and go back and find the scene before the next new epi.
Do you agree that the scene that Agathon mentioned prev. involving the local LE mentioning hoping that they had "strong stomachs" (Devil's Night) and Hotch gave a look to Reid was fleeting at best? I could not read anything into that one because it was so brief and also seemed like a natural response, but wondered if you went back to have a look?
Thanks again.
Elisabeth R.:
Went back last nite and found the scene you mentioned right in the middle. Reid does appear uncomfortable, from rubbing at his right thigh to twitching his face a bit in response to Hotch's comments about the rapes. He does, however, answer in his usual Reid-like-ATM-spit-out-that-info fashion and doesn't look too different than our usual dark-under eye-circled boy to me. I don't know, I hate to be missing something and have you guys all yell later "told you so!" but maybe we are looking too hard and letting our imaginations run away with us a little bit?
Maybe we will see something else that's telling tomorrow night. Hope so. I'm ready!
Hi Gubegirl,
You're right, those possible 'hints' are very subtle.
There's nothing obvious there.
Reid's possible pain in the scene we were discussing can easily go unnoticed if you don't look closely.
Same thing with the scene in 'Devil's Night', the one where the Lieutenant talks about having a strong stomach.
If you blink you miss the little moment where Reid seems to flinch and the fact that Hotch was staring at Reid.
We might be speculating too much, we might see too much into this.
There are two reasons why some fans are looking this closely.
1) The 'secrets storyline'. If we hadn't been told that this season's theme was the secrets of the BAU team members, we probably wouldn't speculate like we are.
2) This speculation about Reid being sick started when he was ill in 'JJ'. As soon as I saw that scene I also found it odd, there was no need to tell us that Reid was sick (just after he took antacid tablets).
Combine these two factors and you get a lot of fans dissecting Reid's scenes and looking for hints (well, I guess it's mostly us, Reid fans, who are guilty of doing that).
But we might see hints were there are none, it's completely possible.
(personally, I still think that Reid is sick and that all the little moments we talked about are intentional and not just our imagination).
Don't worry, even if it's true and Reid turns out to be sick I will never say something like 'I told you so'. It's not in my nature and I just thoroughly enjoy these civilized discussions.
And I might be the one who speculates too much there (and I might also be the one who will get an 'I told you so' comment if it's the case :) ).
Elisabeth R.: Thanks for your take on things. I would love to see a storyline about Reid altho' the nurse/mom in me hates to see the sweet thing be sick for even one minute! But, I can promise you I will be watching like a hawk for any winces/twitches/rubs, eyes averting, etc., from here on out! Hope none of the rest of my family wants to watch with me - I will be driving them crazy with the rewind and pause buttons!
(I promise not to say I told you so, also...:)
Please see my Jack/Hotch website
http://jackandhotch.webs.com/index.htm
Thank you!
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