Tuesday, February 15, 2011

CRIMINAL MINDS SPOILER THREAD FOR "TODAY I DO"


Criminal Minds spoiler thread for "Today I Do" written by Alicia Kirk starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler and Kirsten Vangsness.

**Beware! There will be spoilers in the comments :)

544 comments:

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AJ/Paget fan said...

Ben, how do you know that Gibson and the rest of the cast thinks the petiton is distasteful?
No one thought it was distasteful when we signed it for AJ and Paget to stay? Even if you like the actress, the character is not a match for the team. And RN is using this attention to her advantage. Its obvious.

Alison said...

I really liked this episode. It had a feel of old style profiling, with sufficient focus on the unsub but not so that it overtook the whole episode.Really interested in the Prentiss storyline and thought they slotted it in nicely into the ep - "see you soon" eek!! As for Seaver I really enjoyed her input.I thought it was helpful and fitted in nicely with the team and their profiling. Though I'd love to know how her hair went from curly to perfectly straight between the station and Molly's house :p!

Karen said...

Can we stop with petitions and Twitter talk, please. I don't think the Seaver character is a fit at all for the show for many of the reasons cited here, primarily because it is an asinine premise for a character on CM and it does disrupt the flow. But I don't want this to veer into a conversation about petitions and Twitter. There is enough to critique with the character itself.

Laura said...

Sorry, but I sign petitions to keep on shows, not remove them.
And on that topic, our 20.000 (or 30.000) people petition did nothing to get AJ back.
The thing is, Seaver is in the open credits, she is not going anywhere.
I really feel like this battle is lost.
No more JJ, no more Prentiss and now Seaver is the only woman left in the field. These are the women left in Criminal Minds these days, that and the unrealistic caricature that Garcia has become.
Am I happy about it? No, no and no.
Can I try to do something about it? I have been voicing our concerns, they don't care, they don't listen, they won't change a thing.
Now, all of this people on this board, get on board or get off, because this is what Criminal Minds has become and it won't go back to what it was. I hate to say it, but I fell like I have to.
The family feel? That ship has sailed with JJ. The good cases? Those went to the new show. The attention spam of the producers? That is also on the new show. The great writers? Fired! The good characteristics and individualities of these characters? Gone in favor of the movie rip off of the week and Bams and Booms go the dynamite.
The things is, this is Criminal Minds now. A franchise. A big mess of a franchise that has lost its individuality to give place to a generic and formulaic money grabbing machine, and the needs of a neglecting network and a way too busy producer.
I made my peace with it last night when I saw the credits.
I will watch it while Paget is on, when she leaves, I'll try to tune in one more time, if I can stomach, I'll stay, if not, I'm sure they won't miss me. They aren't listening anyway.
And they probably won’t miss you all either, because you don’t have Nielsen boxes and most of you aren’t willing to watch their new shiny show with its awesome Oscar winner (who is better than this franchise, I have to say).
I’m saying, make your peace with this, realize is now a franchise, won’t go back to its original form, and just decide what you have to do.
Watch, don’t watch. The thing is, even though we have no power of words or choices with the show and the way it’s deteriorating right in front of us, we will always have the power to go find some other show that make us happy.

Ben said...

AJ/Paget fan. Are you serious of course the rest of the cast find it distateful. They are co workers on the show and they are friends with Nichols. I definitely know that Matthew and Gibson and Rachel is pretty close friends.

So of course they find this petition distateful and you know it

AJ/Paget fan said...

Ok Laura, if thats the case then I hope Hitch leaves because once Prentiss leaves I will only want to watch becuase of Hotch.
But people will keep trying to get AJ back and get Paget to stay and to get Ashley off the show. People are going to try to get a good show back the way it was. You never know. They listened when we backlashed about AJ and Paget. Well they listened and asked Paget to return so they must realize they made a huge error and hopefully they'll ask AJ back as well. Maybe they're waiting for rating for Paget's last episode and maybe they're waiting to see what happens. But if the fans keep trying then they will.

AJ/Paget fan said...

Ben, How would you know such a thing? Are you on the show or something as a key grip or a writer or something.
Even if the rest of the cast likes Rachel as a person, that doesnt change the fact that she's a bad actress, and if you still like her as an actress, that doesnt change the fact that Seaver is abad fit for the show.
How about this? If you bring both AJ and Paget back, and do something more useful with the Seaver character, then I wont say another word about how irritating she is. But I dont like how she practically advertises her "friendships" with AJ and Paget. I still dont beleive that. I understand being friendly and cordial with the girl but friends? yeah right.
You sound like a teenager though...

Ilona said...

Ben,

AJ/Paget fan says it best. You are so obviously in love with Rachel it's pathetic. I stated pretty clearly I have something against her character Ashley Seaver not Rachel herself. It is in my comment so please read that. I do not, I repeat, I do not hate Rachel Nichols. I really don't see why I should. I just do not care for the character Ashley Seaver and I want her off the show. Very simple. I am just voicing my opinion without hate.
But I must say that I did see a few episodes of the Inside and I do not see a difference between Rebecca Locke (if I am correct) and Ashley Seaver. She plays them exactly the same. Rebecca was kept hostage for years by a pedophile which aparantly gave her unique insight. And Ashley has a serial killer as a father. I guess I am still waiting for her unique insight because it didn't shine in What happens at home or any other episode she has been in.

Laura, I find you comment very depressing but you are right. I don't think this is going to change and it pains me because I liked this show so much. It is the only show I like. So if you know another show just as wonderful as CM please let me know, I can not come up with one. I will wait untill the last episode of Paget and then I will decide as well if it is still worth it.

I love Hotch said...

Hotch is the best! We need more Hotch!

I agree with AJ/Paget fan. If Aj and Paget were to come back and something more constructive was done about the Seaver thing, then people would probably leave it alone. The two situations are separate, and yes RN accepted a job on the best crime show, but at the same time, since she's replacing them both...not gonna work.
And yeah, I am not a Seaver fan and I also dont think that RN is the best actress either so...

Ben said...

It is YOUR opinion she is a bad actress i have seen many say she did very good last night. That is my 2 cents

AJ/Paget fan said...

Thank you Ilona,

I detest Seaver and I think that RN cant act either. But if RN wasnt pretending to be chummy with the actresses she's replacing, then I wouldnt be so pissed about it! But she is, and pictures and words can say a lot. Maybe I overanalyze, but I doubt I'm wrong. I've seen RN getting along with the rest of the cast but really...I understand its not her fault for being there. If she werent then someone else would and they would all be friends still. Though they could have found a better actress, and one who wasnt blonde and blue eyed either. Its just a painful reminder of JJ the great.

Timothy said...

Unfortunately, I believe that Laura is right. CM has completely veered off course and there is no way that I see it will get back on course. Why, well, there are several reasons. First, the fired writers of yesteryear. To date, they have not been able to find writers that match the quality of those that wrote for the show before. Most definitely, no one of Andrew Wilder's stature and that has without a doubt effected the show. Today, they are quite content in poorly ripping off ideas from movies and books, including a heinous rip-off of the Clarice Starling character. Second, firing a critical cast member like JJ threw something off, the family feel if you will, that they have not been able to regain, and seem like they don't really have any interest in regaining. Paget, well, she is almost surely out of the door, out of this sinking ship, and when she is gone, there I will go behind her. Lastly, the addition of the most absurd character that could have ever been conceived of in a thousand nightmares for CM. There is no excuse and no forgiveness for such a contrived and god awful character, and to an earlier commenter's point, how is it, the commenter wrote, that they who have been watching the show for 5 years knows that the Seaver character is a disastrous fit for the show, but the writers, producers and the showrunner didn't. Well, that is simple, because this is the course that they are headed with this show and they simply cannot be bothered to listen to the individuals who have supported the show even in this crippled state.

I don't want to seem negative or dissaude anyone from voicing their opinions and concerns here, but for me they are not listening, instead are moving full steam ahead on a half a tank of gas. They will continue this journey until they have either alienated almost every long-term CM fan, or until they have completely run this show down into the ground.

AJ/Paget fan said...

Ben, you dont really have anything else to say do you?
Everytime someone asserts your opinion, all you can say is "It is YOUR opinion..." blah blah blah. But no reasons other then that. I bet RN is too hot for you anyway. She may be nice but she aint going to date you. Sorry to bust the truth on you but its true.
And yes, it is MY opinion. Along with thousands of others so dont single people out!

Veronica said...

Laura and Timothy, I said something similiar to what you two have stated her several weeks ago. It is a sad but almost sure reality.

Annie said...

AJ/Paget and Ben, would you like for the rest of us to leave so you two can have this board all to yourselves?

Ben said...

to Aj Paget fan.thousands of other people oh give me a break, there is plenty of people here that also said she was good last night and isn't such a hateful person like you. Thank god not all people are the way you are becuase if it they were the world would be a shitty place to live on

Well you say i am in love with Rachel but i guess you are in love with AJ and paget. So what the hell is it to you huh!

I like them to i just think we should give the new girl a break but you are to selfish and childinsh to even do that. Not even the one who runs this blog wants your hate her on her

I am done wasting my time with such an unpleasant person like you

Stacy said...

Yes, please stop this back and forth. It is distracting especially in light of what Laura and Timothy just wrote, something that I fear may be the case for CM and it upsets me because I love this show. Yet, I cannot deny the points they have made.

AJ/Paget fan said...

Sorry Annie, my sincere apologies.
I dont like being singled out so harshly and called a digrace to being a CM fan and I'm sure Ilona doesnt appreciate either.
i have been watching the show since the first episode premiered and am very sad that this is what it has come to.
I wish I could communicate with AJ and Paget and tell them how great they are and good luck and everything because they are the best two tv actresses out there plus a few others and...I just took it to heart that RN is going to be replacing them bith. However you look at it, thats the case and if the ship has truly sailed, then I hope Thomas Gibson does too so that I wont have towatch the show continuing in a Titanic like disaster as its been going.
Sadly i think Laura may be right and...I just dont want to give up just yet. I actually used to like Rn but now I cant stand her for various reasons.
Apologies again.

That unsub was a great actress though, just an afterthought.
Also, I like MGG better with the Johnny Depp hair, not the boy band look. Though he still looks adorable.

Criminal Minds FTW said...

See what did I told u about people being jerks?
If you're real fans u wont sign that stupid petition to remove Seaver.

Just support the show, if anything sign a petition to KEEP Paget. But to sign something to remove a job from someone? That's cold =(

Laura said...

Veronica, I'll look for that comment then, I'd like to read it.

Honestly, I'm tired. Tired of wishing, of hoping, of writing long arguments pointing out what I think is off.

And yesterday, I got too tired to complain about the spin off, too. It has happened, it's on, it did well. It hurt our beloved show in a way that it can't get back to what it us, and that's that.

I'm just glad this board is still Criminal Minds original exclusive and I'll be really happy if I didn't have to read one more word about this spin-off in here.

I'm choosing to ignore it and I'll try to enjoy Criminal Minds Original while I still can, while it's still on.

The Battle is lost.

But I'm still here.

For how long? I guarantee I'll stay with Prentiss until the end, after that, I don't know.

Tiffany said...

My mind is made up, once Paget is gone from the show I am no longer going to watch CM.

AJ/Paget fan said...

Ok Ben, sorry for offending you. But you keep attacking me so I will attack back.
Sorry to argue on this thread everyone. SOrry if I hit a nerve Ben. And there's nothing worng with having a crush on RN. Or AJ or Paget.
Hate to go all school yeard on ya, but you started it.

Anyway... the unsub was a great actress and I like Reid better with the Johnny Depp style hair, not the boy bandish hair.He still looks good.

I love Hotch said...

Ben and AJ/ Paget fan,

you two are really funny and hilarious in a strange way.
I must admit, I side with AJ/Paget fan though.
I think that a lot of people liked RN and she dissapointed them. Not entirely her fault, but if she could just improve her acting skills...

any theories on what type of secret Emily has? I think that Ian Doyle is obsessively in love with her.

Dont give up yet... said...

To Laura,

we cant give up hope yet. They did aske Paget back and thats a sign! Maybe Aj will come back too.

Veronica said...

Laura, I have cut and paste my comment here for you. It is in the spoiler thread for the Corazon episode. It is nowhere near as detailed as yours and Timothy, but I felt there was a similiarity.

"Before anything, I want to say that this is my opinion, not trying to lump anybody here into any specific group.

With that said, Carlos, you hit it on the head. If you are expecting the caliber and type of writing that CM produced before, forget it, that era is done and over with. Now, as Tammy's commenter pointed out, the show is being written from a different angle, to catch a different audience and those who are lamenting here are almost certainly not the ones the show is writing for anymore (myself included). The essence of the characters and the storyline has indeed fallen back and if you are coming week after week to see the level of writing that was there when Wilder and Mundy were writing and producing, my friends, forget it, that is gone. I think the sooner you (me) come to that realization the better."

Ilona said...

Well I guess I am very cold that I want the show to return some of its old attraction. The show does not need Ashley Seaver.
Why should I be warm when the writers, producers obviously are very cold by shoving us a character through our throat that is upsetting the flow in the show. Rachel Nichols will be fine. If I am not mistaken she is in GI Joe II next year. I do not wish anyone without a job. But apparantly the producers/CBS had no problem ditching AJ. So why not ditch RN? And replace her with a character that makes sense. I wish they could rewrite the character Ashley Seaver to someone that fits better but I believe they have boxed themselves in with her (as many commenters already mentioned before). The best would be the return of AJ and keeping Paget. But that is not going to happen. So give us a strong female character that actually belongs there.

And you are right AJ/Paget fan, I do not like to be called a disgrace to CM. I am a real fan and I feel protective of the show. This could be seen as something else, but that is all it is for me. I just want my old CM back. And no I don't think it is going to happen. Just like you I am not ready yet to waive the white flag.

Be Happy! said...

LOL @ Annie, I agree!! Will someone PLEASE give AJ/Paget fan a HUG!!! Seriously, calm down! I don't like the Seaver character either, she just doesn't work for me on this show. Just not a good fit. Lots of people feel the same way, lots don't. But leave Rachel Nichols alone. She just an actress acting on a show. And because of this, you HATE her??? Your words. She took some pics with the cast, took this job, is happy about it, and you talk like she's the Antichrist. Yeah, the character she plays sucks big time, you gotta separate the two.

P.S. Rachel Nichols DID NOT replace AJ or Paget. NO ONE CAN!!!

Mira said...

wow this blog has now become the place where we don't talk about CM but about who Rachel Nichols is friend with, what Nichols tweet, if she is sincere, if MGG and TG are her friend and are disgusted with the petition etc. All this sound like teens fighting over who is BEST friends with who! So very immature.

You know, I don't care about any of this. I care about CM and last night episode wasn't great but as Laura said, we know the good scripts and writers will go to the spin off. that Ed don't care about CM but does care about the Oscar winner and his band of rogue agents.

Like Laura said, I made my peace with it. CM will never be as good as it was before. AJ and Paget are gone for good. the cadet is where to stay. TG and SM may be the next one to leave. Next season it could be MGG too. I don't care anymore. Will watch until TG decide to leave then so will I.

Mira

Anonymous said...

AJ/Paget fan said, "Hate to go all school yard on ya, but you started it."

LMAO!!!! YOU STARTED IT??? You're too funny!!!

AJ/Paget fan said...

Be Happy,

I just want the cast like it was before. And Rn did replace Aj and is replacing Paget as well in technical terms. Obviously she will never replace them in our hearts but I feel like the producers are selling out the show and its wonderful cast.
Rn will be in GI Joe next year and she signed up for the Conan franchise so she'll be fine. In fact, I think she belongs in the movies, not on CM.
I know what its like to be forced out of a job you love and away from people you love working with becuase of the head honchos say so... and it doesnt feel good. It doesnt make the situation any better and its just not cool. How could they do this to AJ? She doesnt seem like she has a mean bone in her body! She seems like one of the most liekable people ever! and Paget seems so unique and funny and cool! I will supposrt them wherever they go.

Hotch fan said...

Mira,

thats the internet with you. Whatever you call yourselves, you have anonymity and so it seems, these are the issues. AJ/Paget fan and Ilona have made several good points.
I am actually hoping that TG leaves so that i dont have to watch a great show beign further ruined by the writers who know nothing and by Seaver.
Its a shame, I was really looking forward to finding out more of their back stories as well, especially JJ's and Hotch's.

Peter said...

Agree with Ben. We need to give her a brake she is new

And why does everybody say Paget is leaving, there has been discusion about, that they asked her to remain on the show.

And i thought Rachel Nichols did good yesterday on Criminal Minds, she is warming up to me more and more. And i gotta feeling the longer we get in the show, the more she will fit well with the cast.

Margaret said...

Yes, this does sound like tweenagers fighting. Please stop this, seriously. How can anybody come here and take this blog seriously when this type of banter is going on? For that matter, why would they even want to come here with that type of conversation going on. It is certainly not reflective of the type of discourse that happens here regularly, so I would just ask people to please refrain from those types of conversations. They really serve no purpose in the end. Thank you.

On another note, here are the nielsen breakdowns for CM and the spin-ff in 30 minutes increments. Interesting SB breakdown in losing some people halfway:



9:00 Criminal Minds started with 12.489 viewers


9:30 picked up .688 for total 13.177 viewers


10:00 CMSB started with 13.077 viewers

10:30 CMSB lost .336 and fell to a total of 12.741 viewers

Anonymous said...

A petition to get rid of a character? Really? Extremely distasteful. First off, it won't work. Second, remember, there is a real person behind that character who you are wanting to put out of a job. How would you like a group of people who don't even know you personally to sign a petition for you to be fired from your job? Not because of anything you did, but because of what your boss makes you do. Or in Rachel's case, how the writers write her character. And by the way, I'm not enjoying her character either.

Ilona said...

Thanks Margaret for the numbers. I was curious how CM and the spin off both were doing last night.

I guess people started with interest for the spin off and halfway dropped out. With CM it was the different way around. Interesting. I guess the big question will be what the second episode of the spin off will do. Will it be as big as the original or will people already lose interest?

Susan said...

Ok, has everyone gotten the petition and the Twitter talk out of their systems? Let's please just stop this guys, it looks extrememly bad and it is not fair to the majority of the people who come and leave thoughtful and well-written comments about different topics for consideration. You may disagree with a point of view, and that is fine, but let's just not take it to these levels. This is most certainly not what this blog has been like for the most part before and it should not be what it becomes like now.

Emily's secret said...

Ok the Seaver character doesnt fit and I am not enjoying her either or the actress playing her.Sorry but I dont see most people warming up to her as much as they will be feeling sorry for her if she's always ready to crack and cry like she was when explaining why someone would want to cut themselves.
Petition wise- thats up to the individual. Sing in, dont sign it- we still want Jj abck and for Emily to stay but it looks bleak as it does with Thomas Gibson and Shemar Moore.
If TG leaves, then so will I.

now lets start a new topic of discussion.

What is Emily's big secret. And when did she work at Interpol. I thoght she only worked in the FBI?

Why dont the writers keep track of these things?

Annie said...

Can I start up a line of question here?

Why do you guys still watch the show?
What is the reason why you tune in every week.?
I'm not asking about what the show was or what it used to be, but right now, why do you still turn on you tv and watch it every wednesday?

And, what would be the one thing that could happen that would make you stop for good?

Just curious.

Ilona said...

Obviously they wrote this as a setup just in case Paget is really leaving. I read somewhere that it will be a cliffhanger to make sure that she can return in case she wants to. It is still unsure if Paget is coming back or not. They did offer her a new contract. We will just have to see.

Ofcourse it is very possible she worked for Interpol prior to the FBI work. Maybe it is known to higher ups but I doubt anyone like Hotch would know about this. This is most likely a classified case. Not anyone could get their hands on these files like that. Accept if your name is Ian Doyle because then you can get the files, Emily's address and mobile phone!

Anonymous said...

I thought the episode itself was good - but where is Hotch???? What is happening this season to his character. The new writers obviously haven't got into his character. Some of season 6 episodes he has been himself - even if he wasn't central to the storyline. But many of the recent episodes he just has token lines to deliver, and stand around looking thoughtful. Why is this? He is one of the most popular characters and actors. Without a strong, edgy, intense Hotch CM is missing so much. We need more team interaction - with Hotch looking out for the others as the Unit Chief he always was. C'mon writers ... earn your money! give us some quality dialogue and give us more Hotch, more Hotch, more Hotch!!!

Be Happy! said...

AJ/Paget fan,

You won't be alone supporting them. I will too and so will plenty others. I too wish them well in their future roles, but I also wish they were back on our beloved show. Or would stay on. It probably won't happen, but either way it still is not RN fault. I love AJ & Paget, and I love the characters they play/played. Most of us did/do. Ashley Seaver? I DO NOT LIKE THIS CHARACTER! I probably will not like this character in the future. To me, she's just...UGH!!! But RN? I have no reason to dislike her. And truthfully, neither do you. She has done nothing wrong.

Anonymous said...

The way I see it, RN/Seaver has put AJ out of a job to return to and is putting Paget out of a job as well. She claims to be a fan but why would she do that? So anyone defending Rachel's right to a job, what about AJ and Paget? CBS had no problem pushing them out. And Berenro went ahead and made RN a regular. WTF is up with that. Rn isnt getting my sympathy vote.

Carol said...

Yep the petition to remove a person from a show is very distateful

Yeah if TG leaves i am also done with the show. But did anyone see his interview on KTL last week, it does not seem like he is leaving besides the show would not survive without him.

On Seaver i think she was very good on this episode, and i have no doubt in my mind she will continue to impress.

The episode itself was very good, little misery but still it was a good episode. Last weeks episode they heavily borrowed from Perfume. So i guess this is how it is, when you make a show about serial killers. All cop shows do it. So i can respect that, if its done in a good way like tonights and last weeks episode.

Anonymous said...

Annie, I can answer your last question, "And, what would be the one thing that could happen that would make you stop for good?" I'll be stopping for good when Paget is gone. She's pretty much the only thing that interests me about the show anymore. That wasn't always the case.

LaShawna said...

I watch the show, because I enjoy the stories for the most part. Some weeks I am disappointed, and some weeks I am very pleased. But every week I watch the show with a positive attitude hoping it will meet my expectations of good storytelling and good team interaction. There are a couple things that would make me stop watching: the departure of Matthew or Thomas. I am a hardcore Reidchick, and while I may have started watching the show for the profiling, I got hooked because of Reid. While Hotch isn't my favorite character, I believe his character sets the tone for the leadership style on the show. It is a more reasoned, cerebral approach to crimefighting, where the focus is on catching the bad guy and not on flashy heroics. If Hotch left, he would be replaced by some guy who would not have the same leadership style, and it would throw off everything about the show for me. I liken it to CSI: LV. I watched that show devotedly until Grissom left. Grissom wasn't my favorite character, but he set the tone for the quirky, science nerd feel for that show, and after he left, I could not develop an affinity for his replacement. I fear if Hotch left the team, it would have the same effect. He is usually the quiet, confident leader providing guidance to the team, and the team and the show would NOT be the same without him.

Be Happy! said...

Thanks for those numbers Margaret!! I couldn't find them and I was very curious!!

AJ/Paget fan said...

No RN did nothing wrong aside from her poor acting ability.

I still watch the show becuase of the rest of the cast,and to see what they are up to and the crimes and the group dynamic which is now noexistent. I will stop watching the show if paget doesnt return and if Hotch leaves. But if Hotch stays, then the writers better give him some more storylines!

Stacy said...

@ Annie For me, I guess I have been holding out for hope that the writing will get better. With the exception of last week which was good, not the best, but not the worst, the episodes this season have left much for me to desire. In a nutshell, they have been bad. But now, I am fairly positive that when Paget leaves, I am leaving. This is not because I can't watch a show if a certain character is not on it, although, I must confess if certain characters were to leave this show it would lessen my desire to watch it. It is just that ever since AJ was fired, the show has not only lost some quality, but like Laura and Timothy wrote, it has veered off course. The most obvious example of that is the latest character addition. I go over it in my mind but still don't understand how anyone thought that character would be good for CM, but I guess that is the point, what is good for CM is now being replaced by a vision that someone is trying to force on the screen and not what is truly good or sensible for CM. Maybe they think that the viewers are like sheep or that we have short-term memory, I don't know. What I see is something that is slipping further and further away and I don't want to slip with it.

Carol said...

Stacy.
I don't think Paget is leaving

Margaret said...

Be happy and llona, you're welcome!

Anonymous said...

I really loved how JJ was a sidekick to Hotch in a way and just their working relationship. I thought that maybe they would happen after Htoch got divorced but then after ep 100, I guess not.
Please bring JJ back. I really miss her. CM is not what it used to be. Buffy went out with a bang with the core cast in tact and everything. It is not a part of the show's natural evolution to fully replace a much loved character. That is BS. There was nothing wrong in the first place and now it seems that everything is wrong.

Anonymous said...

Carol,
how can Paget not leave. RN is evidence that she will be replaced. I dont want her to go, but after the way they treated her. I really hope AJ comes back as well.

Mira said...

good questions Annie;

"Why do you guys still watch the show?" For Hotch. I started watching for him, not for TG as I didn't know who he was back then, his quiet leadership, strenght, competence, dedication to the job is what drew me to him.


"What is the reason why you tune in every week.?" Hotch first, then I like the other characters, then for the case of the week.

"I'm not asking about what the show was or what it used to be, but right now, why do you still turn on you tv and watch it every wednesday?" Because despite some bad episodes this season and some with very OOC moments for the characters and in some episode lack of any team interaction, I still hope the next one will be better.

"And, what would be the one thing that could happen that would make you stop for good?" TG leaving. Or that Hotch is so much in the background in most episodes ( like now) that it wouldn't be worth it watching even if the other characters had good/interesting moment or the case of the week was great. TG is the lead actor on CM, he plays the central character yet Hotch is so much in the background that yesterday I wonder if Hotch secret is not that he mastered the art of dissapearence!

Mira

BAU2133 said...

anonymous. In what way is Seaver a sign that she is replacing Prentiss?

She apparently becomes a full fledged agent in 6.19, but I don't really see how that is replacing Prentiss....

I'm still holding out hope that Paget stays. I think Emily Prentiss is one of the best characters on television. She's a tough, butt-kicking chick but she's also sweet and compassionate. Elle always had a chip on her shoulder like she had to work extra hard to 'keep up with the boys' or something. Emily's never been like that, and she's still a kick ass FBI agent

Alison said...

Anonymous you have majorly contradicted yourself here!!!!:
"The way I see it, RN/Seaver has put AJ out of a job to return to and is putting Paget out of a job as well. She claims to be a fan but why would she do that? So anyone defending Rachel's right to a job, what about AJ and Paget? CBS had no problem pushing them out. And Berenro went ahead and made RN a regular. WTF is up with that. Rn isnt getting my sympathy vote."

As you said it is CBS who have screwed over AJ and PB and put them out of jobs!It was not Rachel Nichols!

Glynnis said...

I'm very tired of the back and forth RE Seaver/RN. I see the name Rachel and skim on...

Annie, I was thinking about the question you raise last night while watching CM (didn't watch CMSB). I guess I watch CM because over the years I've come to care about Hotch, Reid, Prentiss and the other members of the team and I want to learn more about them. Having seen so many good eps in the past, I watch in hopes it'll get good again.

But today I'm beginning to accept that it won't.

Some are starting to talk about E Bernero and what is up with him. I can't help but think that CM bores him now. He wants something less bureaucratic and "clean." He wants some gritty Red Cell incarnation of CM and that's where his energy is.

He stopped really caring about CM.

What would make me STOP watching? Easy. No Hotch, No CM for me! ;)

But cuz I like TG, too (love Hotch, like TG), I look at the fact that other than Law & Order, most shows think 6 yrs is a pretty good run. He might want to really play hard on the contract with the idea in mind that either 1) he should be elevated to lead actor (a la Mark Harmon on NCIS) and undisputed Unit Chief; OR 2) he should look for his next big project while he's still young enough to be highly marketable. I imagine his desire to be a strong father/family man in real life plays heavily into his decision making. Whatever he does, I'll follow and hope to find it entertaining.

Anyway, I'm sorry CM is not the show it used to be. I wish I saw a path for it to return to form, but I don't think TPTB are gonna ever do what it would take: keep TG, SM, PB... get back some of the better writers and hone focus on the team and their expertise (not the unsub's depravity in bloody, gory detail)... drop the cadet or reduce her role so it makes sense w/how BAU works... redo the theme again so it's more cerebral (the explosions and sirens somehow make me think of *BAM* POW! from the 1960s Batman show)... go back to the team's development of the profile as the true center of the show! Sigh... If only!

Mike said...

BAU2133.

Look at this:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/news/a303623/brewster-asked-to-stay-on-criminal-minds.html

I got a feeling she will stay on the show:-)

So there will be 2 female agents Prentiss and Seaver, that is a better number for the many male agents there is on the show. Now its more devided equally

Anonymous said...

It was CBS true that put them out of jobs. But as a fan, she shoulda taken the arc and left. I think her character would have been better off if they did that instead.

Margaret said...

Annie,

Why do I still watch the show? I can't answer that question without tapping into what the show used to be. What it used to be is what drives me back each week; the hope that this time all will be well. But without fail, I am almost always disappointed nowadays and I am afraid that the disappointment is reaching a point of no return. I'm not saying that I will stop watching the show next week, but I believe that once Paget leaves, the cast that will be left behind is not something that I can reconcile myself to watching. The male lead's are fine, I love them. Yet, the latest cast addition as representative of a female field agent is not something that I will be able to stomach, I believe.

With every work of fiction, there is a bit of a little something here or there that is contrived, but this lastest character is all the way through contrived and it is something that I am hard-pressed to believe won't weaken the other characters. We have seen how her presence on the team has, in part, invalidadted the Hotch that we know would never have allowed her to be on the team in the first place. What other changes will bestowed on Hotch with the continued presence of this character? What effect will be bestowed on all of the characters? There will have to be some because the nature of that character dictates that the team lose a little something character wise to because of her inexperience; to what extent, I am not sure, but there will be some manipulation.

This is the point in the life-cycle of a show for me when I have to decide whether or not to keep watching until the whole thing crashes and burns. I'm not saying that CM will necessarily crash and burn as a show. This is more of a personal meter for me. I am the type of person that doesn't care for people trying to pull the wool over my eyes and that is what I feel CM has done with a lot of the writing this season as well as and the latest cast addition.

Hope this reply answers your questions.

Tina said...

Oh God Timothy, I hate to agree, but I agree.

What cm used to be said...

Ashley Seaver sucks. So what if RN ends up out of a job for season 7. Its best for everyone. I hate seeing Seaver onscreen.
Emily should get more screen time as should Hotch and EVERYONE else. Since the arrival of Seaver, none of the characters have been acting like themselves anymore. Hotch would make Seaver jump tall bildings and hoops on fire befire letting her on the team. When Emily came aboard, she was a fully qualified agent and profiler who was put on the team on probationary status. Why is Seaver getting away with this? Its also aggravating if one actually want to be a profiler in real life and then a fictional character makes it look almost easy. Not fair.

Ashley said...

@what cm used to be
So you speak for everybody now do you?

I like this new character. I think she will grow into a very interesting character

Tina said...

Ashley, are you speaking for everyone when you say that you like the character? No, just as what CM used to be is not speaking for everyone when he or she says that the Seaver character is bad. It is an opinion, that is all. People will either agree with the opinion or nor. I happen to agree with what CM used to be's opinion as I am sure there are those who agree with yours. Again, it is just an opinion.

Alana said...

Why is everybody attacking each other lately?
What is this?
Can't you give your opinion and move on, or when replying to someone who commented on your post, try to be polite?
Stop getting so personal and defensive, please.
Talk about whatever you want, but respect other people's opinion.

And can someone, anyone, try to use this post to talk about the actual episode?

3 things I gotta say about the episode.
1 - Did the unsub kept the victims subdued saying that was an intervention of some sort?
Logic? The unsub was already living with them, why would a different location be needed to continue the "treatment"? And the victim got more upset with the fact that the unsub slept with her ex than when she smashed her leg/knee. And try to run with an injured leg?
I don't know what is worse, this or that lady that kept hiding in a corner while her tied up husband tried to save both of their lives.

2 - Emily's storyline is dragging. And becoming quite unrealistic. And silly.

3 - MGG is still adorable and his presence on any scen warms my cold, cold heart.

4 - can't remember what it us... but I will

Pat said...

Annie, good questions:

I started watching the show specifically because I liked Mandy Patinkin and I like to watch shows where they delve deeply into things and this looked particularly interesting. In the first episode, though, my interest and my heart were taken hostage by the infinitely interesting character of Dr. Spencer Reid. I was mesmerized by MGG as he brought this quirky genius to life.

Perhaps the reason I tune in every week, other than MGG, is not a sound reason anymore since the writing of the early days is no longer present, the writing that made me choke up when an innocent Sarah Jean Dawes went willingly to her death for her son Riley. I still cry every time I see that episode,even though I know exactly what's going to happen; or Distress, where the veteran, lost in flashbacks doesn't realize what he's doing. Both so painful, both so beautifully written. I always liked the family feel of the team and the excellent writing and the family feel seem to no longer exist.

I guess the one thing that could make me stop is if MGG were to leave. That would indeed be the last straw for me.

Thanks for those questions Annie.

babruin said...

Hmmmmm, Misery loves company. This unsub looked like an updated Kathy Bates with the hammer hobbling. She was a nightmare of a best friend/houseguest from hell.
Not much profiling to do as soon as the personalities of the victims matched up. Couldn't Garcia had found medical records of the girls faster than waiting for the fathers to cough up the info??????
She always had fantastic snooping powers before.
Not that much humor as last week which would have helped the plot but the funniest line was at least a shout-out to the genius mind of Reid ( I read 22 self-help books today).
As for Seaver, I just ignore her. Since the ratings has not dropped, CBS will continue to feel justified that any blonde cutie is good enough to plug into the team. To have an ingenue team member join an supposedly "elite" team is so degrading to me, I choose to ignore the whole situation. Network execs pander to viewers on the level of 12 year olds, anyway.
So what's next CBS???? Criminal Minds, the Swimsuit Edition??
As for Suspect Behavior,the team members are too laughably implausible to watch that show.
Plus the 5 main reasons to not watch are:
1. No Reid-no need
2. No Hotch-no watch
3. No Morgan-no more,again
4. No Prentiss-won't even rent this
5. No Rossi-ain't my posse!!!
6. No JJ....... oh wait even CM doesn't have JJ anymore.

Vanessa said...

Last night's episode, one word, letdown. While it wasn't horrific, it certainly wasn't anything that I will be iclined to revisit. That being said, I'll say that I thought the unsub was sufficiently creepy. However, did we have to spend so much time on the unsub. I guess we did since that seems to be the trend with Criminal Minds as of late. All one needs to do anymore is look at the previews to find out who the unsub is, and in some cases, why the unsub does what the unsub does. This completely kills the suspense for me, not to mention, that feeling that I am truly tracking with the team to discover the identity of the unsub.

In retrospect, I think that the episode could have been called "Today I do, Hotch I don't." Where in the world did Hotch disappear to for most of this episode? Even when Hotch was on the screen it was nothing that would cause anyone to remember his presence in that scene. Hotch's disappearing act reminded me of Rossi's disappearing act in the Thirteenth Step. Do Hotch and Rossi have another job that we don't know about that causes them to disappear for scenes at a time? Speaking of Rossi, I did enjoy that he was finally given something in this episode to sink his teeth into. Previously, he was like the guy who sits at the end of the same corner at the neighborhood bar, everyone knows he's there, they know what he is all about, but they just leave him alone to drown his sorrows in one shot of whiskey after another.

A shot of whiskey is what I could have used to get past all of the incredibly ridiculous scenes with Seaver. While it was nice that this episode wasn't replete with Seaver's pseudo- profiling stylings, the writer's still mananged to creep in unbelievable tid bits of information spewing out of Seaver's mouth that made one wonder "How did the BAU ever get on without the aid of this prodigy super sleuth?" The short answer is just fine. Aside from the fact that this character is all shades of contrived, now there seems to be a hint that Seaver may have had some issue with an eating disorder. Honestly, how many more tragedies can they slop onto this character. Wasn't the serial killing father enough? It should be enough as that is what landed this inexperienced and completely unqualified cadet a spot on the BAU team. To say that I am at the end of my rope with the senselessness of this characters presence on the show is putting it midly. One character, however, who is not senseless but has unfortunately been treated as such is Prentiss. Her arc is beginning to resemble Noah's arc in the length of time it is taking to begin. I certainly hope that after all of this wait the arc doesn't sink into an ocean of bad writing and cliches. Paget Brewster desrves much better than than that.

Overall, this episode left much to be desired but that seems to be the clarion call for this season.

Elisabeth said...

Annie, good questions.

1) Why do I still watch the show ?
I watch it for the cases and for the characters.
Like LaShawna, sometimes I'm disappointed and sometimes I'm happy, but I do my best to have a positive attitude.

I'm also a Reid fan, and when the writers give him good material to work with, I'm a very happy camper.

2) Why do I tune in every week ?
To see the team resolving crimes with their brains and not for the action scenes (and not to see too much of the unsubs).

I prefer to first discover the unsubs through the eyes and the mind of the profilers, not by seeing them directly from the get go.

I watch it for the cerebral thrill it can give me.
I watch it for the 'cat and mouse' game between the team and the suspects/unsub when they are interrogating them.

I also tune in every week for Reid, who made me a real fan of the show.

3) What would make me stop watching the show ?
I'm pretty sure that if Reid were to be written out of the show I would be gone, and the same probably goes for Hotch.

That said, I think it could apply to the other characters too.
The cast has been damaged and it would be more than difficult to stomach another main cast member leaving.

Concerning Ashley Seaver, I'm really not a fan of the character by a long stretch, but I also believe she's here to stay (much to my disappointment).

People have made their point clear. If Ed. Bernero and the others have read the comments, they'll know (I'm not saying that they'll want to change things, but they'll know).

Walter said...

Somewhat a little bland episode. But Seaver is beginning to show a little more character. That is a good thing for the show.
Looking forward for her, to become a more intergral figure on the BAU team.
But i still REALLY hope Paget is staying!

Christa said...

OMG Vanessa, that is the best review ever :) But what about Reid and Morgan? You talked about everyone but Reid and Morgan. Not sure if you were going to mention Garcia since she wasn't really in the episode much.

Michael said...

vanessa

Well of course she has had many problems, and its totally believable, that she does have them

if your father was a serial killer, how many problems do you think, you would have had. just saying ;-)

Tia said...

All of the characters have issues, but my god, it is like a soap opeara of problems with that character. And so what, they all have issues but they don't get leveraged like this characters issues so much so that it was those issues, not experience or qualifications that got her on the team. That is just weak in my opinion.

Christa said...

Yeah, enough with the blah blah blah my father was a serial killer sob story.

Anonymous said...

I have it figured out. The episode where Prentiss worries about the team - the stalker guy is after JJ so the put Seaver in her place since she looks just like her. Seaver saves the day and becomes everyones heroine

AL said...

This place has gotten ridiculous. You have gone beyond thinking a character has no credibility to bashing an actress on the "fanatics" website for the show she is on.
I think Seaver is a farce and a detriment to the show - but I will NOT participate in a petition against the actress. It is taking the issue entirely TOO far when not one single thread here is safe from the Seaver conversation.

It is a disappointment that the moderators aren't able to rein in the subject and give the rest of us a place to talk about the episode.

That said:
The episode wasn't all bad. Kind of old that they are depending on horror book knock-offs, but at least they know it is a good storyline if it is from a best seller.
Good to see Rossi in action and blasting the dad in Rossi old-school style.
Reid rattling off facts and being Reid was a welcome relief.
Prentiss makes me know I will miss her more every day if she goes.
I missed Hotch.... have missed him all season.
Morgan was with Reid! I loved the profiling and visiting the scene together.
I am ready to see how this season pans out - so much up in the air in real life.

zagi said...

I thought the episode was ok. Some nice profiling done by Reid and Morgan. I loved that Rossi had more screen time. The actresses who played the unsub and her victim were great.
I didn`t like teary-eyed Seaver and the writers will never manage to have me feel pity for her,sorry.

The Prentiss story is too unrealistic and dragging out too long IMO. It is distracting from the cases. They should have wrapped up her story line in one or two episodes , which should have been solely dedicated to the story line. And the team should be involved in her story line.

Margaret said...

Al absolutely! It is one thing to think that a character on a show lacks the credibility to be there, but it is quite another to start targeting attacks toward the actress who plays that character. Similiarly, it is not correct to target attacks against people who say that they feel a character lacks credibility and label them as hating the actress who plays that character. For example, I like Sandra Bullock, but I don't like the character that she played in the movie "The Proposal". Does that now mean that I hate Sandra Bullock? No, I just didn't like that particular role that she played in that particular movie. You can like one and dislike the other, but for some reason, people are turning individuals dislike for a fictional character into a dislike or a hatred for the actress. Forgive me, but these leaps in logic demonstrate that either the individual(s) logging these accusations are very young, or in some way related or affliated with the actress personally and can't separate criticism for the character the actress plays from the actress herself. Likewise, some people have turned this into a personal issue against the actress which also defies logic. It is one thing to say, I don't like the character the actress plays and quite another to say that the actress somehow lacks some moral component or is responsible for taking someones job.

If you cannot accept that people have strong feelings against the Seaver character without twisting that into a personal hatred for the actress, then please refrain from sharing those comments here. Likewise, If you cannot comment on the Seaver character without making some inappropiate personal remark about the actress, please refran from sharing those comments here. This is a space where all types of opinions will be shared about the different characters on the show, as well as the writing, sometimes set design, etc. To personalize these comments on either end is just childish and unproductive. Bottom line, Criminal Minds is a creative work that is aired on TV and as such is out there to be evalauted for its content as a creative work. This includes evaluating the characters that are on the show.

In a sense, it shouldn't matter that a particular character is discussed on every thread, what matters is how that character is discussed. Again, personalizing this on either end is childish and unproductive. The overwhelming majority of the people who come here are people who want to share insights about the show, particular characters, specific episodes, etc. While oftentimes people do not agree on certain things, never has this sort of personalization gone on at this level. If for whatever reason you feel that you cannot personally and/or emotionally handle what is being shared here, then please be respectful of those who can and do not start wars based on "perceived" hatred, petitions, or Twitter.

Please, thank you.

Emma said...

the episode was good. The unsub was just twisted, and they certainly borrowed much from Misery. But what show or movie doesn't do that these days.

Seaver finally stepped up a little, and i can see that this character is on the way to develop fine on the show. I am kind of glad they got another female agent.
I am sure she is gonne become a great character on the show.

Vanessa said...

Christa, you are absolutely right. I failed to mention Reid and Morgan in my discussion of the epsiode. Yes, I probably wouldn't have mentioned Garcia because she didn't play a large role from what I remember in the episode. Well then, I adored that Reid was perceptive enough to see that something was going on with Prentiss. I do hope that he figures in the arc as well Morgan, Hotch, Rossi, and Garcia. But of course, I want Prentiss to reign supreme.

I liked that Morgan and Reid had some quality profiling time together, although lately there have been some leaps in the way things are deduced. The most notable to date for me was in the Thirteenth Step when it was deduced that the rice thrown about in the convenience store meant the couple had recently gotten married. For all they know, it could have been the work of some scrappy pups run amok in the store, tipping and tearing into rice bags with their fangs.

Kirsten said...

"I’ll bet Ed will have Forest Whitaker chewing up the scenery in every episode of CMSB; which only heightened my indignation with the way Hotch has been minimized this season. This episode was a continuation of that. I refused to watch the spinoff to confirm my suspicion. However, I read enough reviews and articles to know that Ed was overjoyed with the way Whitaker was contributing to every aspect of his character and the production; while he and CBS treat Gibson like a second-class citizen."

As has become a habit, I'm yet again in agreement with you, SDWally. I'm completely disgusted at Thomas Gibson's treatment. He has been fantastic for 5+ seasons, and who can forget his performance in '100'?! Apparently, CBS, Ed & the rest of the writers can (with the exception of Huggins, whom I would like to take over all scripts!). CM NEEDS more Hotch. The show is not the same without him and I just wish tptb would figure that out. And return us to our Unit Chief, not this guy who shows up for a split second and seems oblivious to Emily's plight, which is complete b**sh**.

The strength of this show has always been in its characters. The move towards unsub-focused this season has been a flop. I hope we get more team-character-based episodes like last week moving forwards. Of course, if TG isn't returning for more seasons, it really won't matter. Give him his contract, CBS!

No TG, No CM.

Steph said...

But cuz I like TG, too (love Hotch, like TG), He might want to really play hard on the contract with the idea in mind that either 1) he should be elevated to lead actor (a la Mark Harmon on NCIS) and undisputed Unit Chief;

He IS the lead actor! The fact that most don't know that just shows the treatment he gets by CBS, who seem much more concerned with throwing money at idiots like CSheen.

I'm with everyone else, I won't watch is TG isn't back next year.

Paget fan said...

I know this is kind of off topic but does anyone know when episode 18 will air?

Cindy said...

Part 1

Increasingly, I find that Criminal Minds is becoming less about the team and more about the unsub. More often than not, we are discovering who the unsub is prior to the show airing and the emphasis of the episodes seems spilt, half team, half unsub. No longer are we mainly finding out what drives the unsub to do what he or she does from the team working through victimology, stressors, etc., now we see the unsub perform this or that act, with a cut to the team one or two steps behind the unsub. I believe this has caused Criminal Minds to lose that distinctive flare it had over other crime dramas. The unsub in this particular episode was clearly disturbed, but I felt that this aspect of her being could have been explored in a much more succint way that wouldn't have taken away from the team delving into creating a profile of this unsub.

There was a lack of cohesiveness to the episode that I felt clashed with the team's investigation of the unsub. Then, there was "The Curious Case of the Disappearing Hotch." At some point I saw Hotch in the episode, but then it is like he got erased from the screen. Sure, he appeared in this scene or that scene, but it was almost as if he weren't in the scenes that he was in. I'm not sure what is going on with regard to Hotch nowadays. Yes, the show shouldn't center around one character, but Hotch is the Unit Chief and as such he should play a prominent role in episodes. He shouldn't be someone who fades into the background, so much so that viewers question whether he was in the episode or not. Could this lack of Hotch presence be tied into his secret (whatever that will be), or is this simply a failure to recognize the role that Hotch plays in the hierarchical structure of the BAU?

Another crack in the veneer of Hotch's role as Unit Chief is the seeming addition of Seaver to the team. I say seeming because last I recall she was completing her remedial training at the BAU. But why would Hotch, the Hotch most everyone has gotten to know for years, just simply accept this remedial trainee into the BAU. For that matter, why has the BAU become a haven for remedial trainee's? This is simply not plausible for this character and it diminishes not only the credibility of Hotch as Unit Chief, but of the team as a whole. Why would the show want to move in a direction that invalidates what they so painstakingly worked to build up for 5 seasons? This of course leads into the discussion of the Seaver character. First, I am glad that the writers scaled back her participation with the team in the sense that she did not incredibly and ridiculously provide part of the profile to law enforcment (curiously neither did Prentiss), but there were still moments when she was volunteering information that these seasoned team of pro's certainly did not need her around to aid them in deducing. This not only takes away from the pleasure of experiencing the flow between the seasoned profilers, but also highlights the absurdity, futility, and need of this character to be at the BAU. It has been said time and agin, but I believe bears repeating, a cadet, soon to be junior agent, simply should not be on the team. It is indeed a farce and a detriment to the show.

coadygirl said...

I am so addicted to CM that I dream of it in my sleep. I still have faith that we'll get better, that the writers will sort themselves out and we'll have continuity again. I'm remembering when Gideon left the show everyone said it couldn't go on being successful and it has. In *my* mind I see the team helping Emily fake her death,Hotch having another personal crusade in getting Ian,& keeping the biggest secret EVER. The season ender could be Reid getting a coded message that only the team knows is from Emily. Alas, highly doubtful. I just know I'm really going to miss her character. Watching all the past episodes reminds me of all the humor this show used to have. Just how difficult is it to write a script now days? Just open the newspaper for God's sake..a million ideas to choose from. Just so damn frustrating to me. How would the rest of you like to see the season ender..end? (be nice ;)

Cindy said...

Part 2

It was a pleasure to see Rossi assuming a larger part in this episode. Like Hotch, Rossi has been relegated to the background far too often lately and I don't understand why. Rossi, I believe, excels in interviewing people and I was glad to see that he was given a chance to do that in this episode.

I think the scene that grabbed most people's attention was that between Reid and Prentiss. It was endearing to see how Reid cared and reached out to Prentiss. I sincerely hope that this is something that we will have to look forward to in upcoming episodes, as well as some genuine moments between Prentiss, Morgan, Hotch, Rossi and Garcia. Perhaps we will see a moment where Reid and Prentiss are profiling togetehr as he did with Morgan in this episode; I think that would be a great opportunity not only to see their respective experience at play together, but also, a moment where Reid can further reach out to Prentiss, and perhaps Prentiss will open up. I do hope that Prentiss eventually opens up to either Reid, Hotch, Rossi, Garcia or Morgan. It hardly seems real to me that Prentiss is leaving the show and possibly for good. I sincerely hope that the writers will present her arc in a way that is befitting of the contribution that Paget has given to this role. But I also hope that we will get more than some teasers. Like others, I am growing impatient to see the unfolding of this arc, although also sad because it may mean saying goodbye for good to the Prentiss character.

In all, I feel like this episode is yet another step back in a season marked with many steps back.

karen said...

This was an okay episode. It would've been better if it focused more on the team, Seaver excluded, and not the unsub. Don't get me wrong, the unsub was quite an interesting character, but I watch if for the team, most especially Reid.

Seaver needs to go. I cringed every time she opened her mouth and cringed even more when I saw her in the opening credits.

Like many others I didn't watch CM:SB. The thing is that I would've been willing to give it a chance if they didn't screw with the orignal just to make the new show happen.

Charlie said...

Cindy and Karen,
OK i am getting really tired of hearing how they don't think Seaver belongs on the team.

you say that Seaver is unfit to be on BAU. can you tell my you think YOUNG JJ was fit to be on the team 7 years ago. She was younger then Seaver when she started. so how was she fit then and not Seaver. You can bet JJ was a junior to at that time.

So what excuse can you come up with now, to say why JJ was fit then, and not Seaver now?

Cindy said...

Charlie, JJ started in the team as an SSA (Supervisory Special Agent), something you can't just become straight out of the Academy. It requires several years of experience. Also, JJ was the team's media liasion, not one of the profilers. Even still, Hotch asked JJ in one episode if she wanted to become a profiler by taking the profiling classes, now this is after several years experience as the team's media liaison, plus the years she had to become an SSA, she said no.

These are things that are easily verifiable if you don't trust what I am saying here.

Charlie said...

i still say if seaver is unfit now by your definition. JJ was also unfit as her title then.

CM fan said...

"Cindy said...Charlie, JJ started in the team as an SSA (Supervisory Special Agent)"

No, go back to season one, JJ was a SA ( Special Agent) later her rank was changed to SSA.

Susan said...

Hi, Im just checking in here for the first time to let you know how much I LOVE this blog, so many cool pics. Where'd you get those?!

I recently started rewatching seaosn 1 and 2 and just love the 'old'episodes.

I have them on DVD and just yesterday (!) I saw they have a mini-doc about MGG and KV, their home, art, how MGG fretted about his first on-screen kiss. How did I miss that the other times I watched those DVDs?

Thanks for doing this blog!

Ilona said...

Ok, I am getting sick and tired of this. Many times people have stated the reasons why Ashley Seaver has no business of being on the show. And every time someone AGAIN saying something like 'Well JJ was younger or something along that line....

With the other characters, like JJ, Elle, later Emily and Rossi, there was never a doubt that they didn't have the qualifications, the experience. If they would fit in the team was the question but they had something to back up why they were there. Having a serial killer for a father doesn't back up anything only justifies therapy. Why is that so difficult to understand for people that a so called specialized team does not need a rookie. Then the team isn't specialized any more, it completely takes that away. What brilliant minds are we talking about if a cadet can join. If she was some kind of prodidy somehow I might (!) buy it, but she isn't. Hell I could join. What's the point? The beauty of Criminal Minds is to see brilliant minds at work, to see how they think and dive into the minds of criminals. At least that's what I like about it. Now Ashley or asks stupid questions, which is annoying as hell or says things that make me wonder where she got the experience. It is very confusing. And it doesn't make any sense.

Cindy said...

Charlie,

I simply don't understand how you are comparing JJ and Seaver????? It is not logical mainly because of function. I think countless others have demonstrated why Seaver is beyond not qualified for the team, you may like her as a character, ok, but it simply cannot be argued that she is qualified to join the team. But if you are determined to believe what you believe, then fine. There is no point of trying to convince you of the opposite and I don't want to contribute to what Margaret was saying is starting to happen here because of people personalizing something that shouldn't be personalized.

CM fan, I will have to go back and check that.

Cindy said...

Susan, welcome to the blog!

kat887 said...

Laura,
I don't think the "old" CM has died. I think this is the year of experimentation and I have no problem with it. I also expect some rebalancing of old and new with the writing as the season progresses. The rebalancing has already started.

kat887 said...

Cindy,
I believe JJ started as a Special Agent and then was promoted to SSA @ Season 4 or so around the same time as Morgan. I don't think all the team members started out as SSAs.

kat887 said...

Why I watch the show: Hotch and TG's characterization. That man is good. He can do more with one look...

Cindy said...

Kat887, I will check that as soon as I can. Thanks!

I know LaShawna had posted something before about the qualifications for the BSU, but I can't remember where. LaShawna, do you remember what post I am referring to? It was a little bit ago.

Nancy said...

Morgan came into the team having had years of experience of being a cop, as did Elle. I also believe they had a few years under their belt at the FBI. Neither Morgan or Elle them came straight out of the FBI Academy into the BAU. Prentiss had the correct number of years in the agency to join the BAU, and Rossi, well, Rossi is one of the founders of the BAU as is Hotch. Between Rossi and Hotch, there is at least 2 decades of experience.

Nancy said...

Forgot to mention JJ. JJ wasn't some fresh out of the Academy person either. The job that she did on the show is one that she would have had some experience to do, not just waltz from the Academy straight into being the Media Liasion for the team.

Can't say for certain how many years experience JJ had before getting a spot at the BAU, but she didn't just come straight from the Academy to the BAU. The BAU is a specialized team that not just anybody came get into.

CM fan said...

Nancy said "Rossi is one of the founders of the BAU as is Hotch."

No, Hotch was no one of the BAU founders, that was Max Ryan, Jason Gideon and David Rossi. Hotch was recruited by Rossi and 'taught all he knows' (see tabula rasa). But yes, Hotch been an agent for at least 10 years.

Nancy said...

CM Fan, your on fire, lol..

I'll check the episode out tonight to see about Hotch.

Have a great weekend!

Brian said...

Some of you got a problem why Seaver is on BAU. I think it all boils down to you are angry JJ is not there anymore. My opinion.
I like Seaver and i think she will get interesting in the future on this show.

But what about Sam from the spin off he murdered a suspect in cold blood. It is even more out there that he is on the team of Coopers

Nancy said...

The spin-off is a joke. Plus, it is based on the fact that they are a "rogue" team outside of the boundaries of the traditional FBI. In other words, they don't play by the standard FBI rules that the BAU does, that is why not only do they have an ex-con, but also a British citizen which is something that can't be in the FBI, you have to be an American citizen.

I'm not going to address your comment about JJ because honestly that has been discussed to death here and it is not the case. I am going to follow Margaret's advice and not be one of the people that initiates or furthers those types of conversations on this blog.

sonnet said...

Charlie,

PLEASE DONT DISS ON JJ EVER AGAIN!You need to check your dvds becuase JJ and ick-SEaver are imcomparable. JJ is a kickass chick, very mature, responsible, team liason and communications director, etc who was thought of as so good by Hotch, who pretty much gave his endorsement of her becoming a profiler if she wanted to. JJ was 26,27 when the show started. She applied to the academy shortly after graduating college, and was the team liason for a year before the show started. Whcih menas she had at least another year or two of getting the rookie experience. That should answer your questions. Seaver...hopefully it is just an experimentation and she leaves in season 7. I dont need to state the reasons here why Seaver is unfit for the team and the show. They are listed on about 2 to 3 pages of posts for about 5 weeks. We can only add to that in the coming weeks and the non seaver fans can only hope that CN can be rectified.

I love AJ said...

Has anyone ever met AJ Cook? I just found out that my friend was taught an acting class by her and had nothing but good things to say about AJ. I am so jealous? Has anyone met any of the CM actors?

Nancy said...

I haven't met any of them, but I would love to! Especially, MGG, but not for the same reasons as the rest :)

Charlie said...

sonnet,
what is this school yard one on one ha ha.
You like JJ so did i, but she is gone. I like Seaver and she is the new team member giver her some slack.

kat887 said...

Aha moment. What the writers are doing this year is showing the profile instead of just having the team discuss it.

Nancy said...

Sonnet, may I counsel you to avoid these types of interactions here. There have ben far too many of these discussions here with that tone and it is not good. Yes, JJ was a wonderful character that people miss dearly and to try and make a comparison between her and Seaver is just, well, I'll just leave that there.

It is okay to highlight things, even to correct things that people have stated about the show that may be incorrect such as CM Fan did. Those are things that people can check to see if are correct, as I will do tonight, and then move on :)

Nancy said...

That is an interesting observation kat887. Will have to mull that one over for a bit.

sf81387 said...

But yes, Hotch been an agent for at least 10 years.

Hotch has been an agent since Emily was headed off to Brown...no Yale....so he's been in the bureau FOREVER, which is kind of amazing when you consider he was a prosecutor and was with S.W.A.T. prior to becoming an FBI agent. When you consider that in a totally different episode it's revealed that Prentiss is just a year younger than Hotch his timeline is nothing short of remarkable. He must've been a bigger prodigy than Reid if had already been to college, law school, had a career as a prosecutor and joined the bureau all prior to Emily leaving for college.

Trying to validate any of these characters based on their inconsistently portrayed back stories would be an exercise in futility I think. : )

Nancy said...

nountylYes, there are inconsistencies, but even in those inconsistencies there is a valid reason for all of the people that you mentioned to be on the team. That is simply not the case with Seaver.

CM fan said...

I have meet all of the CM actors/actresses except for AJ and Shemar. All nice, funny people.

CM fan

Nancy said...

CM Fan, that's great! I am extremely jealous :)

CM fan said...

sf81387,

Yes Hotch timeline is nothing short of amazing and since no one not even the writers can tell us for sure how long Hotch been a FBI agent hence my 'at least ten years' ;)

sonnet said...

Charlie and Nancy,
If you read my post, I was pointing out several reasons about why JJ was a great fit for the team, and I didnt actually go one about Seaver. I made more of a passing comment about that character.

Nancy said...

Sonnet, please don't take my comment as some sort of slam against you. I just don't want this blog to become riddled with the types of comments we have unfortunately seen here lately. Again, I met nothing personal with respect to my comment to you. Sorry, if that is what it seemed like.

Curious said...

Why were AJ Cook and Paget Brewster let go initially? I read it was because they were too expensive, which doesnt make sense to me at all. Neither one was famous or well known prior to CM and neither one is particualry famous or well known right now either. THey arent followed by paparazzi, they've never even been nominated for any type of awards and there is barely any personal information about them on the internet, and only a couple of websites that are purely work related.
My point is that they couldnt have been expensive, especially compared to several other actors, or even Thomas Gibson, or the most well known of the cast, Joe Mantegna.

Not dissing on any of the actors here at all, but I dont think it was about hiring someone less expensive.

Rachel Nichols is actually better known than either Paget or AJ. She was in "Alias", a very high profile show, ok only for one season, but nonetheless, then there were the movies The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants, Dumb and Dumberer, The Amityville Horro, and the franchise movie GI Joe, then she's going to be in Conan the Barbarian, another possible franchise.
Rachel Nichols is actually better know than most of the cast and is on the verge of becoming an actual movie star. She is occasionally followed around by paparazzi and there is alot more information about her available to the fans. if anything, she must be more expensive thatn either Paget or AJ. Financially it doesnt make sense.

Any comments

sonnet said...

Nancy,

okey doke.

CM fan said...

to Curious,

maybe Rachel was hired to increase the male audience? I notice we seems to have more guys posting here when the comments are about Rachel.


CM fan

Curious said...

Thats great. hire a typical hollywood starlet with major sex appeal to play a stereotypical victim/ dumb blonde, all the while replacing two of the best, most underrated actresses in tv who would actually deserve the extra cash.

Very nice, yeah.

Hopefully she aint here to stay. Character-wise just so I make myself clear!

Nancy said...

Curious, I have never heard of Rachel Nichols prior to CM, so I can't speak to what level of fame she has. To your question about AJ and Paget, it is hard to answer because CBS was all over the place with the "reasons" why they fired AJ and were trying to fire Paget until the fans stepped in (unfortuantely nothing could be done with AJ). They first said that it was for budget reasons, saying that they had to scale back. Then, they said that it was for creative reasons, to "creatively refreshen a veteran crime drama." Paget basically came out and said that the "creative" reason was BS and that it was about money. Oh, and let us not forget Tassler basicaly stating that the spin-off did effect the changes that were made to CM.

At the end of the day, the result is that the show lost one wonderful actress and character AJ Cook/JJ, and may lose another great actress and character Paget Brewster/Prentiss. AJ's loss to the show has been terrible, I can't imagine what it wil be like if Paget decides to leave.

Curious said...

I did notice the mostly male attention and defending that she was getting on this blog. Gosh, Seaver just annoys the hell out of me...

Curious said...

Nancy,
well you've probably seen RN in something or other. Depending on her hair color... I've seen her in a lot of things. To me, she's someone who will eventually sell out becuase she kind of already has in some ways.

I have a lot of respect for AJ and Paget because they obviously do not give a damn about the fame.
I've been looking up reasons for Aj's dismissal and it really doesnt make sense. Creative reasons are bs. The spinoff sucks, I couldnt get through the first 20 minutes of it, and RN is only a couple years younger than Aj so the whole youth thing doesnt make sense to me either. Plus, the Clarice Starling/
silence of The Lambs thing has been done one too many times. This is the second time RN is doing it too, if anyone has ever seen The Inside, you'll know what i mean.

i really miss AJ and will miss Paget as well.

is it true that they are best friends? I think I read that somewhere.

zagi said...

@Kat887
Morgan was SSA from season one . You can see it on his badge. In the first season all the agents , even Gideon and Hotch introduced themselves or were introduced simply as agents or special agents. In season two "Empty Planet" all agents except for Reid and JJ were introduced by Hotch as SSA. After his time as Chicago cop, Morgan also has been some time with the ATF (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabaco, Firearms and Explosives), as was said in season one episode "Won`get fooled again".

Nancy said...

Zagi, thank you for that breakdown. I was almost certain that Morgan was an SSA from season 1. I knew Morgan had a lot of experience prior to landing a spot on the BAU but as don't have season 1 or 2 on DVD it would have been hard for me to go back and check.

LaShawna said...

Well like many people have said about this episode, it certainly wasn’t the worst of this season, but it was also absolutely not the best. The unsub was definitely channeling Annie Wilkes from Misery, right down to smashing the victim’s leg with a hammer. I liked her creepy narcissism, though it did get repetitive after a while. I could have done without the seducing the loser ex boyfriend and show the victim the sex tape part of the show. That just seemed pointless and overkill (ha!) to me. The time spent on that sequence could have been better served by having more team interaction.

I too was wondering where the hell Hotch was in this episode. His presence was sorely missed throughout most of the episode, as was his leadership. I don’t understand why the writers aren’t writing more for Hotch, but he doesn’t seem like the leader I love. Though I did like that Rossi got to do more than he has in many episodes. He always does interrogations very well, and I particularly liked it when he was laying into Molly’s father about hiding her secrets. I always enjoy seeing Rossi on fire while trying to help/protect a victim. It gives his profiling more purpose and demonstrates why he still does the job after 30 years and a retirement.

I was glad to see Reid and Morgan working together this episode, and while the brotherly camaraderie of seasons past wasn’t present, at least Morgan didn’t seem annoyed by Reid’s presence like he has in many episodes this season. I particularly liked them talking through the dump site, what it said about the unsub, and then profiling the unsub as female. It’s that line of psychological thinking that makes this show interesting and sets it apart from other cop shows. Along those same lines, I liked the scene where Reid, Rossi and Emily were talking about self help programs [loved Reid’s little aside about reading 22 self help books in one day- that’s my boy genius I love  ] and teasing out the unsub’s motivation and likely behavior with the victims. I know some don’t like that Reid’s headaches haven’t been dealt with. However, Reid looked especially tired this episode (his dark circles looked exceptionally, and in my opinion, deliberately exaggerated), and I wonder if that is not a silent acknowledgement of his ongoing health problems and his issues will be readdressed in future episodes.

Emily’s arc was tangential to the main story, and I agree that it’s being drawn out way too much. Her admission that she was the only one who had a personal connection to Ian Doyle shores up my theory that she posed as his lover during the takedown operation. However, I am growing weary of the fact that Emily is going alone on this one. I understand it is in keeping with her personality, but I wish all of the team’s personal issues could be used to draw them together as a family. We see Reid struggling with health problems on his own, and now Emily’s life is in danger and she’s alone. The producers pay much lip service to the idea that this team is a “family”, but if they really wanted to highlight that, these storylines could be so important in reestablishing that family feel. I would like to see the team pull together to take care of one another and protect each other, but they are all walking alone in fear. Emily works for the FBI, and you would think she would want the benefit of the armed protection of her friends, but maybe she’s afraid she’ll get them hurt. The press release for “Valhalla” seems to bear this out.
(cont)...

LaShawna said...

...(cont)

As for Ashley, my reaction was basically “meh.” Her contribution was fine, and she didn’t really bother me in this episode. But I really wish the show would directly address the elephant in the room, and that is her cadet status. I assumed she would come back as an Academy graduate, but she is still a cadet. She shows up for the briefing and nobody says anything; it’s like she is supposed to already belong there and we should just accept that. That just makes no sense, and I personally want to see Hotch defend why he let her come back to the team after she screwed up royally. It still pisses me off that Hotch’s agreement to let her complete her remedial training was done off screen and we the viewers are just supposed to blindly accept that, because if flies in the face of the professional standards Hotch usually ruthlessly upholds. Hotch rode Emily hard when she came to the team to make her prove her qualifications, and Ashley gets a free pass. Her current place on the team as a cadet doesn’t make sense in any sort of realistic capacity. I’m curious how long she is supposed to have been on the team already. It’s got to be at least a few weeks now. The FBI Academy is only 20 weeks long, and in that time she is supposed to complete 850 hours of instruction. How is she completing her required studies by being at the BAU? Just how long is her remedial training supposed to last? Has she still not recovered from her head injury? I thought she was in remedial training because of a head injury, but her training should be more academic book learning. It makes absolutely zero sense that she would complete remedial training with a real FBI team, when she isn’t a real FBI agent yet. She’s still a trainee, and the FBI doesn’t place trainees with active FBI teams. After all, she could still fail out of the Academy and not become a special agent. And based on the fact that Ashley doesn’t get a gun until episode 19, you can assume she will remain a cadet through episode 18. Thankfully at least she didn’t give part of the profile this week, she doesn’t have a gun, and she doesn’t participate in raids. I would throw something across the room in anger if that occurs again before she’s a special agent. Oh and I found it amusing that the final cast photo on the opening credits is the photo they’ve been using since JJ departed, but just they just photoshopped Ashley into it. They couldn’t be bothered to take a whole new photo? I guess not.

I have two other quibbles about this episode. Penelope had a pretty clear picture of the stalker, so why didn’t she input that picture into her vaunted facial recognition software so they could have learned the unsub’s identity sooner? She did that all the way back in season 1, and you can imagine the technology has only gotten better. That is poor oversight on the writer’s part, because there is no way our technological goddess would forget something like that. And secondly, just how the hell did Ian Doyle get into the states? I presume he’s on US soil at the end of the episode based on the US flag on the hangar. There better be some GOOD and plausible reason for that. I get that he came in on a private plane, but US airspace is so tightly patrolled these days, I can’t imagine how someone could just sneak in a plane into the US, particularly since it looked like he landed on military or government soil. *sighs* Is this going to turn out to be some sort of government conspiracy where some turncoat in the US government is actively aiding and abetting Ian Doyle? I sure hope not.

Like I said, this was a “meh” episode for me. I liked the scenes with Reid, Rossi, Morgan, and Emily, but that’s about it. All I will say is that it could have been worse.

Julia said...

LaShawna, excellent episode recap and review!

I wouldn't bang my head over the fact that they haven't explained why Ashley is there seemingly as part of the team when she is only a cadet. In my estimation, they will never fully addreess that because there is no way to address that. It isn't plausible, it is not even plausible when she does graduate from the Academy because she still wouldn't have the qualifications to be there either. That is just something they are going to shove in there in my opinion expecting the viewers to accept it which is just plain crazy.

You made a good point about Garcia and yeah, how in the hell did Doyle get into the states. I thought he was on the run????

The Prentiss arc is taking way too long to get going.

Michael said...

Hi Michael here

CM fan have you meet Rachel Nichols have heard she is just sweetest thing?

LaShawna said...

Cindy,

This is an exact quote from the FBI website on the composition of the Behavioral Science Unit.

"Who makes up the unit.
Supervisory special agents and veteran police officers with advanced degrees in the behavioral science disciplines of psychology, criminology, sociology, and conflict resolution. The unit also includes a criminologist, clinical psychologist, research/crime analysts, and management analyst."

Based on the stated qualifications, Ashley really doesn't belong there as a cadet, or even a junior special agent right out of the Academy.

Rose said...

LaShawna, you may have a career as a writer ahead of you.
I dont understand what Ed was thinking when he wrote Seaver the way he did. Being a cadet is a major facotr, but then the characterization of a girl whose father was a serial killer is also way off. Seaver looked like she was ready to cry again when she explained cutting. Her voice was cracking. The character just isnt practical.
No offence, but I think that RN managed to somehow charm the producers of the show into becoming a regular. And with Seaver there, the writing seems to be getting worse and worse. They cant exactly retcon the whole situation now either.
The whole show is off, it feels so empty, because of JJ's absence, becuase of the writing, because none of the characters are acting like themselves and because the chemistry has been tampered with in a very negative light.

Rose said...

By the characterization of a girl being the daughter of a serial killer being way off is that...I actually know someone whose father was a murderer, caught before he went serial thankfully, but she became the most guraded person I know. She became very strong but she was determined to not let anyone really know what a great person she is. She became a loner and... anyway, I realize that not everyone in that situation would be like that, but, the writing of her character sucks.

Just saying said...

Why is it that anytime someone says that Rachel Nichols sucks as an actress, in addition to the whole Seaver thing, RN's fans are so quick to point out how sweet and nice she is in real life?
RN's actual personality is irrelevant to her acting. She's a bad actress and to the audience, her sweet self isnot going to make up for it.
you can go to a restaurant and order food because the chef is really nice and you dont want to hurt their feelings so you order the meal and it sucks, but the chef was just so nice. WTF? I'm just pointing this out.
Hilary Duff seems nice but she cant act if her life depended on it.

LaShawna said...

"kat887 said...
Aha moment. What the writers are doing this year is showing the profile instead of just having the team discuss it."

That is an interesting theory, and has merit to it. I just wish this didn't come at the expense of the team we love to watch.

I wonder if this focus on the unsub is a deliberate way to force this show to become the creep of the week with the main characters as interchangeable. However, with the exception of the original L&O, most viewers fall in love with the characters, and when the characters are tampered with too much, there tends to be a backlash among viewers. You can't change a show's style that dramatically mid stream without pissing off hardcore fans.

Ben said...

just saying.

You say it like its a fact she is a bad actress. It is YOUR and the seaver haters opinion she is a bad actress. There is plenty that say she is good and is great as seaver. And she was awesome on the Inside as well.

LaShawna said...

I agree that most of the time Ashley looks like she is on the verge of tears. Unless that is just her "thinking hard" face. It just comes across as emotionally weak, and makes me wonder how she passed the psychological tests to get into the Academy. Is she really emotionally strong enough to handle the horrific realities of the BAU, particularly in light of what her father did to innocent women? She just seems so meek and timid, and I would imagine you would have to pretty tough to not only get into the Academy, but excel at it. At least when Reid cried in the past, he was responding to something very specific. And with Reid's superior brains, Gideon would have done anything to get him in the BAU, even if he was crying like a little princess every day. Gideon just would have given him a teddy bear and a cookie, told him to buck up and then exploited his genius. :)

Just saying said...

Ben,

arent you that kid who was having that arguement with AJ/PAget fan?

Yes it is my opinion that she is THE WORST actress ever. MY OPINION but my point is that people like you are always taliking about how nice she is. What difference does that really make?
How about you offer your two cents when you actually have something to say other than "thats YOUR opinion" cuz you make it seem like anyone with a particularly detailed opinion of Seaver and/or Rachel Nichols is out to "get her".
LaShawna stated beautifully why Seaver doesnt belong on the team so dont make me rehash everything that most of the people on the board are saying.
Just grab a photo of her and take business into your own hands since you are so in love with her.
ps. I've seen The Inside. She still sucked and its virtually the same character with a few adjustments.

Rose said...

Reid seems like he could be a one man BAU lol from the quote LaShawna and he can be. he just needs to get laid...which I would love to... you know...help out with.

Just saying said...

By the way Ben,

dont accuse the so called "seaver haters" of hating cuz you hate them right back kid.

Julia said...

I just don't get why this blog has become like this.

Ben,

When someone says that they think a character is bad for a show, that is their opinion and unless they tack on that they feel that not only the character is bad but the actress that is playing it can't act, it is not fair for you to say that everyone who says that they don't feel the Seaver character is good for the show is also saying that the actress that is portraying her can't act. I have never said that RN can't act, I have said that the Seaver character is a ridiculous one for the show. Please don't tack on something that I or others haven't said. Sure, you can speak to what we have actually said, but not something we haven't.

And of course, you are more than welcome to share your opinion that you feel that the Seaver character is a good one and that you feel that RN is a good actress, but again, it would be useful for you to stick to what people have actually said in their comments, not lump everyone together under the same umbrella. So, in this instance, you can speak directly to "Just Saying," but please don't paint this as something everyone who has isues with the Seaver character has said because with the exception of a few, none here have touched on RN's acting abilities. If a certain commenter has an issue with how RN portrays the Seaver character and you disagree, please just address that person and don't place everyone in the same box.

Thank you.

Really?? said...

Just saying said, "Just grab a photo of her and take business into your own hands since you are so in love with her."

WOW!!! Was that really necessary? Is this what this great blog has become?

Anonymous said...

Umm, did Ben not direct his comment to "Just saying"??? Just asking.

Ben said...

Julia no you didn't say that i know but "Just saying" has definitely touched on RN acting.
She said that she is the WORST actress. Which is an attack on RN, and it does not belong here on this blog. Don't you agree and its far from true also. She is not even close to the worst actress i bet you agree on that to

Julia said...

"Really," I know, I just wish this would all stop. If, like Margaret said, people can't objectively analyze criticim and repsond to what they don't feel is correct in an appropiate manner, then I wish they would just hash that out in a differnt forum. This is not what this forum is, nor what it should become.

Julia said...

It is YOUR and the seaver haters opinion she is a bad actress.

That is what you said Ben. So, am I to take it that Just saying is the represntative of all the people you say are "Seaver haters." My point is that it would be useful to make a comment like "Just Saying," it is your opinion that RN can't act, and yes, if someone else that you recall has said that, add them on there to. That is what I am saying.

Ben said...

Just saying.

I have seen your remarks on me just shows how immature you really are

I will not waste my time on you anymore.
And i agree is this really what this blog has come to?

Ben said...

sorry Julia don't meant you. But some seaver haters IS like "just saying" But not you and some other here

Really? said...

Julia, I hear ya. I just wish a FEW others did too!! I think I'm just gonna try to ignore the crazy stuff, and just concentrate on comments like your's, LaShawna's, Gubegirl's (my favorite!), Margarate's, Laura's, etc. You all can word things about our show and characters much better than I can! LOL!!

Julia said...

@ LaShawna, I would have loved to see Gideon give Reid something like a Teddy bear, LOL

Just saying said...

Ben,

you are the one being immature and attacking me. So get off your high horse.
Read my comments and everyone's comments carefully, i said that I THINK Seaver is a bad fit and I THINK that RN cant act. Ok... she's not thw worst, but you are pissing me off and not understanding the point I was actually making. so let me make myself clear one final time.
RN may be the nicest person on the planet and if i actually met her, I would never tell her that her acting sucks in my opinion or that Seaver sucks in my opinion becuase I highly doubt that would even come up and i wouldnt unfairly attack anyone who was being nice and is a likeable personality.
MY point is that people may have difficulties in differenitiating the Seaver character with Rachel Nichols and then her acting with her persoanlity. A person's persoanlity and their acting are two different things.
Am I clear?
Do you know her or something becuase you are twisting my comments and are taking this far too personally.

Julia said...

Thanks Really! I'm sure that you can say things well, give it a try one day, would love to see your comments :)

And yes, I think the best thing is to ignore all of this while at the same time praying that it goes away. The majority of the people here do not comment as we have seen of late, so like you, I am just going to concentrate the typical comments here and start ignoring the others.

j said...

to Really,

this kid pissed me off and if he's going to attack my opinion then I will attack back. Maybe it wasnt necessary to say that but obviously I cant take it back and am not sure that I want to because I feel that he deserves it.

My apologies to everyone else.

Just saying said...

I meant Just saying... damn computer keypad got stuck lol...

CM fashion and makeup said...

What fashion brands does the team wear? I really like Hotch, Emily and JJ's clothes and sunglasses?
Does anyone know what makeup JJ and Emily uses?

Really? said...

Thanks Julia! And I am LMAO about the teddy bear!! Now I can't get that image out of my head!!

Dennis said...

People complain about the direction of the show but they still watch the show. Doesn't anyone have a backbone? When they fired AJ that was it for me. I am angry at CBS for firing AJ and I will not watch any of their shows now. I watched from the first episode of season 1 until JJ aired. I haven't watched since and I will only watch episode 18 to see AJ Cook, then stop again. I still read the blogs but I will not support CBS.

aj fan said...

Dennis, since Seaver has been added, you're not missing much.
But I still hold out hope that AJ will come back for season 7, and I love Hotch, Emily and Reid.

Pat said...

Ben,

AJ/Paget fan asked earlier if you would state your reasoning for thinking the Seaver character is such a good fit for the show. Those of us who don't have backed up our opinions, that for the most part, have nothing to do with RN as an actress, but with past knowledge from the show and even research from the FBI website. I think that it's only fair that since you are so adamant that Seaver is such a good addition to the team that you state your reasoning.

Melissa said...

Pat, I second that. Many people here have taken the time to reference past knowledge from the show as well as research from the FBI website. None of which state that having a serial killer as a father is a qualification for entrance into an elite and specialized unit like the BAU, so that cannot be used as a rationale for this characters entrance into the team.

That being the case, I too would like to know what reasoning is being employed.

I love Hotch said...

I really want to know as well too just out of curiosity.
Why are you so hung up on RN?
What is great about Seaver that couldnt be written for JJ or Emily? In a much more plausible way too? Personally, JJ and Emily and Hotch have the most mysterious pasts to me and I really feel cheated that we're not getting to know more about them.

Ben said...

Pat.
excuse me this is from a post i read here on this site. But it is a great reason and i rephrased it a little.

I believe that her father was a serial killer is a great reason.

She would know serial killers like the team won't. she would know how some of them act in there normal day lives, and would know things like their family issues when they profile them.
She has been close to one for several years none of the other team members has been through that. There is also something there, that might show up in future episodes.

This is something i came up with.
She could also relate to people they encounter, that maybe had similar experiences while growing up. I am not talking serial killer dads but troubled lifes while growing up.

I am not a writer on the show
so we will see in the coming episodes. She has only been on 4 episodes, and was in the background for 3 of them.
Yet you seaver haters will not even give her a chance to evolve. So it is hopeless really.b

Melissa said...

Ben,

I will just cut and paste what I wrote earlier:

"Many people here have taken the time to reference past knowledge from the show as well as research from the FBI website. None of which state that having a serial killer as a father is a qualification for entrance into an elite and specialized unit like the BAU, so that cannot be used as a rationale for this characters entrance into the team.

That being the case, I too would like to know what reasoning is being employed."

To suggest that somehow coming from a family background that Seaver did in anyway should allow her to be part of the team, I'm sorry to say, but that is preposterous. Not only that, it invalidates the years of experience that all of the team members have combined to state that now they need someone whose dad killed women to help them profile cases. They have been coming into contact with people who have killed women, children, men, elderly people, rapists, child molesters, etc. for years, they do not need to have someone who personally grew up in that type of environment, with each case they all live through that environment themselves.

In addition, that is not a valid reason to exempt someone who has no experience or qualifications to become part of an elite and specilaized unit, it simply isn't.

Ben said...

Of course you say that because you don't approve of her

Melissa said...

Ben, in part what you are doing is called an Ad hominem attack.

"Ad hominem attack (also called personal abuse or personal attacks) usually involves insulting or belittling one's opponent in order to invalidate his or her argument, but can also involve pointing out factual but ostensible character flaws or actions which are irrelevant to the opponent's argument. This tactic is logically fallacious because insults and even true negative facts about the opponent's personal character have nothing to do with the logical merits of the opponent's arguments or assertions."

So your continual assertions that people are "haters" falls in line with this logical fallacy and holds no bearing. What it does is negates your agrument. Moreover, it does not address the specific points and/or reasoning that people have addressed in their comments.

And yes, you are correct, I do disapprove of this character for the show because as so many others have said here the characters presence on the show is a farce and does not align with what the show has positioned itself. If the characetr were written differently, I would have no problem. Unfortunately, it wasn't and people have taken the time to outline exactly why that is here.

Elisabeth said...

Just to add a bit of positivism, I saw the extended promo of 'Coda' and I'm extremely excited about this episode.

The little scene where Reid plays the piano with the autistic child looks absolutely wonderful.

I also loved Rossi's comment when he looked at Reid and the child : "you're looking at two of the most fascinating minds I have ever encountered"....it just melted my heart (and I love scenes where they acknowledge Reid's genius).

And apparently there'll be a code to decipher.

I just can't wait for this episode !!!

Melissa said...

Thank you Elisabeth. That episode seems like it has the potential to bring out a lot of the ways that make Reid stand out in the team, as well as explore parts of himself that can perhaps identify with the child.

Did you see this preview on the main CM website?

Elisabeth said...

To Melissa :
You can find the promo on youtube and Dailymotion.
There are two promos, the one I just saw is the second, longer version.

Hope you can find it :)

Yes, it looks really interesting.

Pat said...

Ben,

First of all, just because I don't think a character doesn't make sense within the realm established by this show's canon does not make me a hater. Personally, I hate no one. I have never seen RN in anything before now, but neither had I seen AJ, Paget, Kirsten or Matthew before CM began. Their characters seemed to fit with the premise of the show although I don't think Garcia's antics would really be allowed, but she's comic relief in a dark show so I can understand it.

The Seaver character seems like a nice person so I have no reason to hate her. I only feel that, as a cadet, she's not qualified for this unit. The fact that her father was a serial killer giving her more insight was why she was brought in in the first place, but she really didn't offer any insight other than her father wouldn't let her have a pet. If a pet had figured into capturing the unsub, I might have agreed that her insight helped, but it didn't. The only reason she had any hand in catching the unsub was because she stumbled into his home while going off alone to return a computer which Hotch had specifically told her not to do.

Melissa said...

Elisabeth,

Thanks! I will search for them now. I think I read that Rick Dunkle is the one who wrote this episode, so I think there is hope to believe that it will be a good episode :)

gubegirl said...

OMG! I am just getting on after taking a 24 hr break from all the haggle and cannot believe this! The entire situ re: RN/AS has gotten so out of control, that you, who claim to be CM Fanatics are sniping AT EACH OTHER!

People: this is a blog to discuss the episodes and characters NOT to be knocking actors/actresses let alone EACH OTHER!

I feel like I am in the middle of a middle school debate team and wish I could reach thru my computer screen and smack some of you for being so incredibly childish.

You are just begging the administrators/moderators of this blog to boycott you. Go back to the homepage and READ THE MISSION STATEMENT.

If you don't like something, you are welcome to say so. But you need to LEAVE IT AT THAT. You needn't go on and on let alone take swipes at other posters.

The overwhelming majority here agree that the character, Ashley Seaver, as written thusfar, is NOT A FIT for the BAU team as we have known it for the past 5 1/2 seasons. Nothing against the actress. It's a job for her. Period. Now, it is time to CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

This has gone of for weeks and the subject has been beaten to death, so now let's drop it, because it is totally defeating the purpose of this blog.

It is supposed to be for FUN, in admiration and respect for the show and for each other as fellow fans.

So, I say, those of you who should be feeling abit embarrassed about now, go back and read what you wrote, see how others responded to your derogatory comments, then, after smacking the heel of your hand to your forehead to knock some sense back into yourselves, STOP.

Before I put you all in a timeout. (quote from JJ to Reid and Morgan when they were being silly:)

And if you are not feeling the least bit bad about your actions, then go find another blog to post on, because we serious CM fanatics are tired of all this.

Agreed?

I may or may not come back to check on you:) Depends on whether I find some engaging CM reruns on ion or the A&E marathon tonite: I strongly suggest you do the same! (You may actually see something that gives you something GOOD to discuss!)

ClaireNecessity said...

For me, there was something missing from this episode, and in fact the entire series so far. It doesn't feel like the Criminal Minds that I was so anxious not to miss in previous series.

I'm not keen on Seaver, but I also don't think she's been integrated into the group very well... it seemed to come off the back of a gap being left by JJ's departure. Personally, I'd be quite interested to see a storyline involving Seaver where she is actually killed off by an unsub as I would like to see the effect that it has on the rest of the team (since she's meant to be learning from them, would they blame themselves etc) I have nothing against the actress, and although i'm not keen on the character she doesn't annoy me, I just think it would be an interesting route.

I wasn't keen on the unsub being so prominent in this episode, I prefer the focus being on the team as they figure out TOGETHER who the unsub is etc.

I am, however, interested in the Prentiss storyline, and thought it was nice that Reid was looking concerned.

Cindy said...

I love you gubegirl!

Cindy said...

@ LaShawna, thank you for replying with the information about qualifications.

@ CM Fan, Zagi, and Nancy, thank you for your information as well.

Amy said...

Thanks Gubegirl, well put!

The episode was forgettable for me. Very little Hotch is a huge problem. I started watching because of Thomas Gibson and am really missing him this season. I can't understand why he isn't playing a bigger part... any other lead actor would be front & centre. The show just isn't the same without his guiding hand and I'll give it up if things don't change next season. This makes me really sad since CM used to be the best show around.

On a positive note, nice to see more Rossi but I don't like him (or Hotch)having to look after the new girl (who I don't like).

Please give us more Hotch soon.

Cindy said...

@ Amy, I don't understand why Hotch isn't playing more of a role either. I said earlier that no one character should be the center of the show, but Hotch as the Unit Chief should play a prominent role in the episodes. When he didn't appear in 25 to life, it was shocking to me.

Amy said...

@Cindy: Agreed. The team/show just doesn't work the same without him. Given all the other stuff we've had to put up with, I think it was a test either by Ed &/or CBS and for me, it backfired. As lots have been saying, no Hotch, no CM. The episodes either without him or with very little have been awful. I hope tptb come to their senses and give him the improved contract he deserves.

Cindy said...

I forget who asked, but it looks like episode 18 will air on April 13th. Of course, I could be wrong about that. I hope I am wrong because I do not want to wait that long to see the episode :)

LaShawna said...

I feel compelled to respond to the idea that Ashley being a daughter of a serial killer gives her special insight. That was demonstrated in the first episode that it was patently untrue. Ashley herself admitted she really didnt know the details of what her father did. She was undoubtedly protected from the facts when she was a kid, and she hasn't researched them enough now. Ashley couldn't offer up any clues to serial killers' behavior beyond the fact that her father wouldn't allow her to get a dog and probably killed the puppy she brought home. She grew up blindly unaware of her father's actions, because he tooks pains to hide them from her. In fact, it sounds like he was a good father to her, and ironically enough, more involved with her life than many non-serial killing fathers.
She was probably emotionally traumatized after the fact by the realization of the monster her father was, but she was never a personal victim of it. Plus she had her mother to take care of her (that's the relationship I would be curious to know more about). Combine that with the fact that she blindly walked into a serial killer's home, started blathering onto him, and didn't realize what he was until it was WAY too late to do anything but be rescued. She had NO clue the danger she was in, and could not sense the uneasy vibes coming from the unsub. She even went upstairs with him. If the writers try and make it seem like she does have some sixth sense in the future, it will be completely invalidated by this scene. She couldn't see what he was, and she was so focused on her own emotional pain that she felt compelled to apologize to the victim's family (completely unprofessional and out of line).

LaShawna said...

Cindy,

Episode 18 (Matthew's directing, AJ's return, Paget's departure) is currently scheduled to air on 16 March.

Cindy said...

Yay, I'm glad I am wrong about that :) Thanks for the correction LaShawna.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused, it was suppsoed to be that this season Prentiss was only suppsoed to be in half of the episodes in order to appease the rioting fans. But, this season Prentiss has been in every episode (yeah) and Hotch has been the one missing from half the episodes (boo). It seems like next year Hotch will be the one gone and Prentiss will be there to stay. maybe she might take over as unit chief? With all the cast members being very open and vocal about how disappointed they are with the direction the show has been taking it will only be a matter of time before they all leave. then what will CBS be left with? They will be left with a spinoff that on its best day would only be a mediocore comparison to it's original. That's my two cents and I'm sticking to it.
-Minuet888

LaShawna said...

When CBS reduced Paget's contract this year, it was to be for only 18 of the 24 episodes this season. She's been in all of them, but her last episode is episode 18. The show could have spread them out over the entire season, but elected to give all her episodes back to back and write an arc that will facilitate her exit. Whatever it is, it will allow Paget to return to the show next season if she wishes.

As for Thomas, he's been in all but one episode this season, and that was apparently because of some golfing committment. His contract is up for renewal this season and he's currently in negotiations with CBS. Nobody really knows how that is going, but I am hopeful an equitable agreement will be made and Thomas will be back next season. While some of the cast members have definitely disapproved of the spinoff, I haven't heard any of them say they want to leave. Paget has the option to return if she wants to and as far as I know, Shemar is also renegotiating his contract for next year.

Mai said...

Melissa said...

"Thank you Elisabeth. That episode seems like it has the potential to bring out a lot of the ways that make Reid stand out in the team, as well as explore parts of himself that can perhaps identify with the child."


I also just wanted to add my thanks to Elizabeth for the information upthread about the longer promo for Coda. I loved Rossi's comment, definitely a bit of a melty moment for me there too. :-) I'm really looking forward to this episode and to seeing how Reid bonds and maybe identifies with this child. It could deliver a lot in terms of Reid insight and characterisation as well as showcasing Reid's genius which, imo, they've been neglecting this year somewhat. There's lots of potential to this episode, I have my fingers crossed that it delivers.

Unknown said...

LaShawna to be honest I’m not sure that it had anything to do with some golfing commitment, this cast have always been dedicated and committed to this show and besides the credits and press releases included Cade Owens as appearing in 25 to Life (TG is a different story when it comes to the credits, given they would always list him being regular cast), I might be wrong but my feeling is that there were likely scenes shot with Hotch & Jack that were taken out or not included given the unsub focus with this episode as has been the case with many this season.

I for one was very disappointed not to have seen Hotch & Jack in that episode, particularly Hotch being the Unit Chief, and truly believe that if there is a will there is a way, they managed to get through MGG’s knee injury without excluding him from a single episode, and likewise with Shermar’s bike accident, so I’m sorry if I’m being controversial but I don’t buy the golf tournament thing with TG.

Disappointedly Confused said...

I've only skim read the previous 386 comments, so I apologise if I echo something anyone else has already said. My excuse is that I live on the other side of the Pond and it takes 24 or so hours for my "source" to provide me with the CM goodies!

The original CM:

The episode's plot was OK, better than some from earlier in the season but what is the thing for mirroring films (in this case "Misery")? I thought a lot of the cases were based on real cases from the FBI's files? Aside from that, I loved that girl's pink pyjamas with the bunnies on themm. Where can I get a pair??!

Again, the Prentiss stuff built nicely. My assumption for her not telling Hotch or any of the others is that rather that trying to do the strong independent woman thing she possibly feels by involving the rest of the team she could subsequently endanger them?

I had to laugh when the baddie got off the plane and there was a huge US flag obviously to proclaim their location. It would have been better without, then people would have been trying to guess where he was, even if it had been revealed at the start of the next episode. For example, him in the same car being driven along an Interstate with a really obvious road sign for DC or somewhere else on the East Coast.

Reid - Lack of continuity with the headache thing. I theorise the writers have got him noticing stuff going on with Prentiss so when whatever happens to her actually happens, Reid will go on a massive guilt trip that he should have noticed.

Seaver wasn't as irritating as in previous episodes, but the whole premise of that character sticks in my craw. I understand the concept of "suspending disbelief" (e.g. like that show Fringe, to which a friend unsuccessfully attempted to convert me) but she just doesn't fit. If they had to bring in a new character someone older and with the relevant experience would have sat far more comfortably.

So, I confess... I also got my source to provide me with the spin-off.

The storyline was good, but I would have preferred to see Hotch et al. investigating. Nuff said there.

The team left me cold. I know it's a new show, etc, etc but they just seem like a total mish-mash of random characters.

In addition, Mick Rawson's accent still irritated the proverbial out of me. He sounds like my Welsh cousins trying to imitate their English father (my Mum's brother) with his voice flitting between the Valleys and some weird allegedly English effort. What's wrong with having his character actually being Welsh? Why does he have to try to talk like some Hugh Grant clone? Reminds me of Keanu Reeves in "Dracula" from the early 90s.

The cat was enthralled though; he sat in front of my laptop for pretty much the whole episode, something he never does for the original. Hmmm...

Lynda said...

I finally managed to watch “Today I Do”, which was most definitely not my cup of tea, after last week I was hoping for a strong team focused episode and we got yet another Unsub focused episode, oh where oh where has the CM I love gone!!

I too found this episode disjointed and the team chemistry was nonexistent. The unsub was okay and story line fair, as some have said very ‘Misery’ like, I kept having flash backs of Kathy Bates.

Season 6 seems to be going from bad to worse, the story lines are just not the same caliber as in previous seasons, and as a long time fan I’m sorry to say that I’m extremely sad to see the track that the show is taking, it is certainly no longer the intelligent, thrilling edge of the seat show that I’ve put everything on hold to watch in the past.

My disappointment is now two fold , with this seasons sidelining of Hotch/TG, I have to say that Hotch/TG is my favourite, although I love the entire original cast and was very sorry to see AJ go, I guess there is no real point harbouring on this given nothing is going to change on this situation.

On top of the Paget debacle and the addition of the deplorable Seaver character which certainly doesn’t help, I’m desperately missing our Unit Chief, he hardly featured at all in this week’s episode. Please CM can we have our Unit Chief back.

I’m trying not to enter the AS debate but have to say that if our Unit Chief was truly there & heading this elite BAU team, as it is meant to be, she would never be there, but this is not a decision Hotch can make rather the way the show is trending is being made for him with no explanation, which in mho diminishes the credibility of this team. But enough said I’ll drop that there.

CM/CBS you have an amazing actor in Thomas Gibson, if you don’t see this you only have to go back and watch season 1 – 5 or just watch 100 & Slave of Duty, so why not use him.

I know we all have our favourites and I won’t apologies for the way I see CM, for me CM is Hotch/Thomas Gibson, so here’s hoping that CBS, TPTB & Ed are paying some attention to what fans are saying and are doing something to fix this show.

And finally I’ll join the many above me and say no Hotch/TG no CM for me.

Mel said...

Holly, I'm in agreement that the 'TG was away golfing' was simply a large smokescreen put up by Ed et al. Other characters have been away, injured, etc and a way has always been found to include them in all episodes. I would love those missing, FILMED scenes to appear in the dvds... probably the only way you'll get me to buy them for this season.

I wish the writers/Ed would stop trying to push round pegs into square holes and give the fans what they want. We all have our favorite characters and we want to see more of ALL of them, not this recent trend of more unsub focus, more violence, less subtlety.

-We need more Hotch. He is the glue that holds this team together. Ironically, Ed has said this himself. So give TG his new contract that he so richly deserves and return him to his rightful Unit Chief place.

-Work on your continuity. Reid's headaches, Hotch's trauma.

-Keep Emily Prentiss. Love to see her smart, quick wit and subtle acting.

-Quit hiring one/2-off writers! Build a smaller team of permanents, who actually CARE about the characters and will write accordingly, while still giving us a good story.

(no tg, no cm 4 me)

coadygirl said...

I myself am enjoying the Emily/Laura storyline so far. I want it to last as long as possible so I can try to figure how the plot line will finish. This is some serious shit kids. We really don't know that much about Emily other than her Mother;the Ambassador, a few old friends from her youth, and that she is quite capable in a few languages. Hotch found her to be a complete mystery and quite honestly folks the "agencies" aren't known for chatting with each other. If Emily had been CIA she wouldn't be randomly telling folks at the FBI. She carved a new life with the BAU, if it was me I'd be keeping my mouth shut. *They* busted Ian and took Laura away. He knew just by looking at her she betrayed him and she knows it. She had little fear when he was imprisoned but don't mess with one pissed off Irishman. I would already be underground after hearing he was out. Either that or pop him yourself and get back to your life. There are just so many different ways this can be played out and I'm excited everyweek to see what they give to us. I just hope that the writing lives up to my imagination and Paget's talent. That girl can certainly play Bad Ass. PS; hey there Disappointedly Confused and Gubegirl!

Anonymous said...

Ok Gubegirl I get what you're saying, many comments have got out of hand and petty, but in terms of "this is a blog to discuss the episodes and characters NOT to be knocking actors/actresses let alone EACH OTHER!" I suggest you have a look at what you wrote as you were one of the first comments to be outright attacking the actress instead of the character.

"I may or may not come back to check on you" - umm, did you actually just say that?!

Carol said...

Anonymous, just please stop. Who said what when doesn't matter at this point, what matters is that all of this just stops, can we just stop, please.

The essence of what gubegirl said is what matters. There has been way too much of all of this back-and-forth going on and it just simply has to stop. Like she said,

"If you don't like something, you are welcome to say so. But you need to LEAVE IT AT THAT. You needn't go on and on let alone take swipes at other posters."

If anyone is not capable of doing that, then I would just please ask them to post somewhere else. There are plenty of other blogs and forums where this kind of back-and-forth is not a problem, but it is a problem here. To quote Margaret,

"While oftentimes people do not agree on certain things, never has this sort of personalization gone on at this level. If for whatever reason you feel that you cannot personally and/or emotionally handle what is being shared here, then please be respectful of those who can.."

Optika said...

Ok I only skimmed through the comments but I just have something to add about Seaver;

It was implied in Today I do that she had an eating disorder and was a cutter or that she knew someone who was.

She did a less annoying job in that epsidoe but her little arc is more than enough to prove that she doesnt belong on the team becuase she is a cadet, soon to be a rookie with a gun, both are basically are umbrella reasons that have MANY justified overlapping reasons of why this was a terrible idea and must be rectified.

Seaver may have known a little something about eating disorders and cutting but anyone who has been slef destructive in those ways, and unfortuantely these issues are quite common, would be able to relate to this type of situation or person.

Also, Seaver said cutting is about no control. That is actually incorrect, or shall I say, open to interpretation.

Whatever reason someone cuts, it is a way of...actually being able to control something, anything at all in your life. Cutters also hide themselves and try to stay invisible in a way.

Myth: Self-harm is a suicidal act.

* Fact: Although people do die from self-harm, these instances are accidental; in general, self-harmers do not want to die. In fact, self-injury may be a way of coping, of regaining control of pain—in order to go on living.

Myth: People who self-injure are crazy.

* Fact: Those who self-harm are usually dealing with trauma, not mental health problems. There are exceptions, but by and large, you are probably trying to cope with problems in the only way you know how.

Myth: Injuring yourself is a cry for attention.

* Fact: Friends, family, and even healthcare professionals may think that if you hurt yourself, you are seeking attention, but the painful truth is that people who self-harm generally try to hide what they are doing—rather than draw attention to it—because they feel ashamed and afraid.

So whatever "wisodm" Seaver had about this subject, she was wrong in many ways. Seaver actually tries to get attention in my opinion. In What Happens at Home, she said that she knew that she could help but she had to see the families for myself, that wasnt true. She basically manipulated her way on to the team and then admitted later that she really didnt know the details of a killers life. And by almost every account, she seems to have had a happy, even enviable childhood BEFORE she found out her father was a serial killer.

Also, what makes Seaver special? These kinds of storylines have been brought up before, why havent we seen a serial killers daughter brought in before for consultation?
Becasue Seaver is a pretty girl but a COMPLETE AND TOTAL MARY SUE AUTHORS PET, whatever you want to call it. She ultimately serves no purpose and its driving me insane that the writers have now locked themselves in a position where they have to validate a hopeless character and are basically dumbing down Prentiss, Hotch and Morgon, who could have easily offered up more valid information about eating disorders and why self mutilation is an option for some people.

Sorry but I am not buying Seaver.

And Seaver? Really who that of that last name? eager Beaver much. And it rhymes with Bieber?

Anonymous said...

CM:SB beats CM by one 12.9 to 12.8

Robin said...

Optika,

I have actually heard what you have said about cutting. Although they appear like acts of someone who is out of control, they are actually a way for people to feel like they are in control of their lives. It is sad that people with those types of disorders are looked upon as if they are crazy because that is the not the case. They are just trying to cope with a trauma in a way that they feel like they have control, not no control like was implied in the episode.

Cutters especially try to hide the fact that they have been cutting themselves by wearing long-sleeved shirts and of course cutting themselves in places where they will not be detected. Cutting is a release for them, the one area they feel they are on top of things, but sadly, it is an act that is destructive.

Thanks for bringing out these points Optika.

Optika said...

Robin,

you are very welcome. Everything you said, not only do I agree with it but they are facts that can be easily verified.
When it comes to the show, the writing used to be accurate in a respectful way butthings have been going downhill and now they seem to be ...I am not sure exactly how to word it, but if they are going to get any type of knowledge or insight from a character like Seaver, please let it be accurate. This was insulting that the show has lost its quality in that way.
I hope that what I said made sense.

Optika said...

Seaver may have been more tolerable in this last episode but saying those lines made me loose all respect for her and that episdoe was the last chance I was giving the character.
Please get off the show and bring out beloved and understanding JJ back and keep Emily. I know its up to the network and the actresses but I wont give up just yet.
I really hope thatsomeone from the show is reading this.

Robin said...

Optika,

Yes, you made sense and I agree that information about those topics ought to be check and double checked before being incorporated into a script. Sadly, it seems as if lately the show is just stitching scripts together in a haphazard way, and adding a character like Seaver only increases the haphazardness of what is being produced lately and what will, in my opinion, continue to be produced if the character remains on the show.

Optika said...

Robin,

I agree. I think for many people the show helps you...learn more about the darkness of humanity and also has some, or occasionally have some important life lessons to teach, as corny as that sounds, and it is kind of painful to watch. I almost feel that my feelings are hurt because of this. i know that behind the scenes, its the writers faults but...to take it at face value...

And some peopple wonder why Seaver is hated. Well this misinformation can be taken very personally by some so...I dont know what else to say without sounding redundant. Its all been said and if the show continues like this, there will be more to say.

Anonymous said...

Well there are some tv shows that mean a lot to people and some people have lives and situations where they do learn a lot about life from tv, books, music and movies.
people have a right to be passionate about things, even if it is just a tv show.
Meaningful tv shows are shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer for instance. Actors even say sometimes that they want their work to mean something more too.

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