Friday, October 12, 2007

CRIMINAL MINDS: GIDEON'S LETTER


Criminal Minds: What do you think Dr. Spencer Reid will do with Jason Gideon's letter? Is he going to tuck it away in a drawer, carry it with him always, throw it out, etc.? Also, some fans have commented that the letter looks like Mandy's handwriting. Do you think they had Mandy Patinkin write the letter? Criminal Minds just keeps getting better and better!

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since I have no idea what Mandy's hadnwritting looks like, I cant really compare! But I think he probably did.
Also I think Reid might carry it for a while, but then put it in the same place where he keeps the letter his dad wrote him. (and when he places it there, he will pull it out and read it, and we can hear what his dad wrote him!)

Anonymous said...

Gideon kept the picture of Rebecca in his wallet to remind him of their successes and to help him when he couldn't sleep or was depressed. The letter is too large to put in his wallet but I think Reid will carry it with him for a long time.

I think it is a prop but wouldn't it be a nice touch if MP had really written it himself.

Season 3 is off to a great start. I can't wait until next week.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I have no idea what MP's handwriting looks like so you girls are awesome for noticing that. I think he'll keep it tucked away and as he grows in maturity he will slowly understand the true meaning behind it.

Lee

Anonymous said...

i think he will put it away then look at it again later on, and then read his dad also.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully he takes Prentiss' advise and really reads and thinks about it again.

I think he will always keep the letter some place safe but for awhile he will carry it with him.

I have Mandy's autograph from the Baltimore concert and I also looked at the post-it notes he wrote for DLM and it is definately Mandy's handwriting.

Anonymous said...

WOW if Mandy did write at least page 1 (we've only seen the first page so far), then fair play to him!! Maybe he came up with the content of the letter as well....hmmm but that's a thought for another posting.

What Reid will do with the letter...I think he will carry it around with him for a while. In TV land it's been well over 2 weeks since Gideon was last seen, and Reid still had the letter on him (he was reading it at his desk) and appeared to show it to Prentiss when they had 'THAT' conversation (although to me it looked like it was just the envelope!!!). So I think he'll keep it with him for a while! His satchel is certainly big enough to carry it in!!!!

Hoping that he does consider what Emily said, and thinks about WHY Gideon chose him to get the letter, and the explanation.

Anonymous said...

Reid will carry the letter around with him for a very long time. This was an awesome question.

Anonymous said...

I hope he does take the great advice that Prentiss gave him but Reid isn't going to "get it" quickly. I think he will have to really think about it for awhile.

He keeps the letter in his bag and I bet he reads it over and over again for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Mandy having written the letter would be an incredible thing. I hope it went down like that.

Anonymous said...

I hope Prentiss keeps an eye on Reid and talks to him about the letter again. Our Dr. Reid isn't exactly street smart and I am not sure he really understood what she was trying to tell him

I think he will tuck the letter away along side of the last "dear spencer I am leaving you" letter. Gideon carried the pictures in his wallet for comfort but I don't think there is anything comforting about Gideon's letter for Reid.

The letter being addressed to Spencer was great. It really was well thought out by the writers.

Anonymous said...

I think he will read it every chance he gets for a long time. I think he will want to hold the paper in his hands.

Elizabeth said...

I think he will tuck the letter away along side of the last "dear spencer I am leaving you" letter.

Good point that there isn't anything comforting about Gideon's letter.

And sadly, Reid has probably got a box where he keeps these letters - the one from Gideon, the one from his father, the Dear John letter from Lila Archer, the last Tooth Fairy note his Mom wrote for him before she was too ill, a goodbye note from Elle . . . .

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth, Wow. I forgot about the other people who have turned their backs on him. Even though his mom's mental illness is not her fault their had to be a part of that young boy that felt like she had left him. What an excellent point.

Anonymous said...

It would be very cool is Mandy wrote it himself, but I doubt he did. I think Reid will keep reading it until he feels like he understands why Gideon left and then maybe it'll help him with the loss of his own father. He'll keep the letter tucked away in a safe place.

I also love how he wrote to "Spencer". So much more personable and direct.

Anonymous said...

I think the entire scenerio was well written. The writing of the letter addressed to Spencer and Reid's sullen look while he was reading it again. I wondered how many times he had already read it. I think he will keep it close to him for awhile. I don't think he will put it away until he feels like he really does understand it. On some level Prentiss did at least get it through to him that he didn't really get it.

Raphael0877 said...

Reid will probably keep the letter in his bag (where else) and read it over and over again. Which is why I said "duh" when he told Emily he has an eidetic memory - like that's gonna help him work all of this out.

But I loved how Emily gently kept prodding till she got him to talk. I'm liking her more and more - till the last episode I never saw the softer side of her. It fits her well; and I think it's great that out of all the team, she's the one to talk to Reid about Gideon. Great empathy.

Anonymous said...

When he reminded Prentiss that he had an eidetic memory I knew too like everyone else that the man was just missing the whole point. Gideon had to know that Reid would not be able to see past the words. He knew Reid well enough to tell him that he knew this would be hard on him. Nasty on Gideon.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Reid is not the only one that got a note. I just don't see him leaving Hotch without even a word. Perhaps he mailed it to him.

PAOLAFROMPARIS said...

He will carry it until it breaks into pieces. And even if he reads it over and over again, he will never find confort in there. The feeling of being abandoned is burning in his heart. He misses Gideon so much and yet he feels betrayed. Remember what he said to Morgan in 'the popular kids'?"You know, this is exactly what I get when I trust someone. It gets thrown back in my face."

Anonymous said...

With Reid's memory, why would he read it over and over?

To me, THAT adds some real poignancy to the whole letter plotline.

Poor Reid. I just want to hug him.

Anonymous said...

Reid really does have the beginnings of a collection of goodbye letters. I think he will eventually realize why he was the one to get a letter.

Anonymous said...

I think he will put it in his sachel and pull it back out to read sometimes. Maybe when he is working on a case and wonders what Gideon would suggest if he was there.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is ironic that with his "eidic memory," as he reminded Prentiss, he'd already reread the letter at least once in public.

Heaven only knows what all Reid keeps in that satchel of his or how he organizes his things in an emotional sense. I have no idea where, but he'll keep the letter at the ready and look at it often.

Anonymous said...

Reid will keep the letter for a while and then put it with his dad's letter, but then again he may still be carrying around his dad's letter.
He needs to look at it not just from an emotional stand point but as a psycholinguistic stand point. Why did Gideon choose the wording that he? Why just to Reid? Why did he call him Spencer when he never had before? ect. I know it will be hard but he needs to think like a profiler, not as an abandoned child.
Gideon under estimated Reid's ability to compartmentalize the situation with his own personal abandonment issues. Gideon should have known better considering Reid's already fragile state of mind. I doubt if Reid will ever gain any comfort from the letter but I do think that he will eventually get understanding. Perhaps in Reid's intellectual mind comfort and understanding is one in the same.

Anonymous said...

I think Reid will keep the letter close at hand for a long time as well. Eidetic memory or not, I think he IS trying to find some hidden meaning in it, the one Prentiss tells him later to "re-read it" again for. I also think him re-reading the letter might simply be holding the letter and reflecting, he doesn't appear to be reading it when they show him holding it, he actually seems to be more staring into space, the letter just happens to be in his hand. I think that he's confused, frustrated, feels betrayed, and understandably upset, and holding the letter has more significance to it than just reading it over and over again. It's more sentimental.

respectanimals said...

Even though the letter isn't a pleasant or comforting thing, I think it probably is like having a piece of Gideon with him right now, so I think Reid will carry the letter around with him for a while. Then when the pain starts to ease up and he's not in shock over Gideon's departure anymore, and he starts to figure some things out, he'll put it away some place safe at home. I think he'll always keep it though.

I was a bit surprised when Gideon addressed the letter to "Spencer" rather than "Reid", but my memory is so bad that I can't remember if he ever calls Reid by his first name or not. As I recall JJ was the only one that actually calls him Spencer, so I'll have to go back now and rewatch a few older episodes to verify that. LOL!

I agree with those that said Reid is not actually rereading the letter. We only see him holding the letter and looking at it. I'm guessing that he's thinking about it, more than reading it.

I can't even venture a guess as to what answers Reid will find for Emily's questions, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

I don't know what Mandy's handwriting looks like, so I couldn't tell if he actually wrote the letter or not. It would be kinda cool if he did though, especially as many times as they show the audience the actual letter. They could have just stuck a blank sheet in his hand and refered to the letter, but they actually took the time to write it down and show it to us. That's neat!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if it is Mandy's handwriting or not, but as so many of you said, it would be cool if it really was his handwriting.

As to Reid keeping the letter, I think he will and refer to it often, much like a touchstone. Sometimes it is good to have something tactile of a loved one's so you can touch it and bring back memories of that person.

Personally, I have many things that both my grandmother and mother made--afgans, cross-stitch samplers, quilts, etc., that every time I use or see, bring back fond memories of both of them since they both have passed.

I realize that Gideon is still alive, but in a real sense he is gone from them and I doubt they will ever see him again and Reid having that letter will bring a part of Gideon back to him.

Kris said...

I HIGHLY doubt Mandy wrote that letter.

Anonymous said...

I think it will be a long time before he tucks it in a drawer. I think he is going to want it close to him for a long time. I thought somebody made an interesting point when they mentioned that he may even have his dad's letter with him.

Anonymous said...

I haven't really noticed Mandy's handwriting, so i can't comment on that. I think Reid will carry it in his messenger bag always.

Anonymous said...

One of the many things that I like best about CM is the smallest detail is done perfectly. The letter was really wonderful. I think he is in that big bag he carries with him all the time.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure that he doesn't "get it". I think it just hasn't sunken in yet and he is feeling lost.

Anonymous said...

He has had so much paternal rejection. I hope he does find a therapist to talk to about it. I think he holds it for awhile and then it lands in a drawer.

Anonymous said...

why does reid always carry that bag with him?