Here you can discuss the Criminal Minds episode 7.02 'Proof' starring Joe Mantegna, Thomas Gibson, Paget Brewster, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, AJ Cook and Kirsten Vangsness and written by Janine Sherman Barrois.
"The BAU is called to rural Oklahoma when women are being murdered after being blinded with sulfuric acid solution. Meanwhile, Reid treats JJ and Prentiss with deliberate disregard as he tries to deal with their deception regarding Prentiss's fake death."
Cannot wait for this episode! Creepy unsub, horrific crime and funny team moments, what else can a CM fan ask for? :D
ReplyDeleteExactly! I can't wait to see how the characters' interactions are going to be disrupted because of the Prentiss deception. Trust is a huge issue with the team, and if the Prentiss/JJ/Hotch deception didn't break it, it surely strained it mightily, so there are going to be some dues to (rightfully?) pay. This is going to get good...
ReplyDeleteI would have been disappointed if they had just glossed over the betrayal. Last week about about Prentiss coming back from the dead. This week will be the start of them becoming a TEAM again and rebuilding the trust that was lost. Oh yeah, and there is a really creepy case too. I trust they will balance both the past and the present and I can't wait to see this episode.
ReplyDeletethat was so sick! the guy making the woman drink acid!
ReplyDeleteCRY: Dr Reid with the "10 weeks" crying his eyes out (Would someone stop cutting the onions in here?!? Stop breaking my heart already!)
ReplyDeleteEWE: Creeptastic unsub with the acid and the cam! CRINGE!!!
Rossi: With the cooking? YUM! Cute wind-up!
I sense that all the trust issues haven't yet been resolved (Reid crying at her house...10 weeks...*sniff*), that it WILL take time to heal purposefully-broken trust, but I'm glad they're on their way to becoming a solid team again. Yay!
As I said to friends on Twitter, I love my show, but sometimes it's SO not easy to watch. I guess that's what makes it special. :) It was a horrific episode when considering the case and the unsub and the family - wonderfully horrific. (It got an 18+ rating here in Canada on CTV)
ReplyDeleteThe team dynamics were terrific! However, I believe we'll be seeing fallout from this for a while yet. It's not that easy, no matter how much Morgan, for instance, wants it to be. I do have mad love for the final scene though! :)
TERRIFIC EPISODE!! Bravo!!!!
While I want the team to get back to trusting each other, the ending seemed a little too easy. Reid should have been more standoffish there (and possibly not come at all). I'm hoping the feelings and fall out aren't done on his side. As soon as possible, but not completely after just one episode.
ReplyDeleteThey also did not need to show the missing eyes. Less is more.
And,it's only been one episode (last week was a different kind altogether, so it doesn't count). So, there's still plenty of opportunities, so I REALLY hope JJ gets to interact with families sometimes. Kind of like Hotch and Rossi did at the start and Prentiss and Morgan did when talking to Cy's relatives. I'm hoping my fears about some things are completely unfounded and without merit.
Okay, I really liked this episode. I think the case could have been better although I still think it was quite good. I wish they would go back to the times when we didn't see the unsub until the very end. We used to learn what was going on through the team profiling rather than just seeing the unsub doing it. This unsub was super creepy though so I give them points for that.
ReplyDeleteI loved all the scenes with Reid and JJ. Matthew Gray Gubler is such a good actor. I'm glad he's able to display his acting talents this season. At first I kind of felt bad JJ but after learning that Reid went to her house for 10 wks crying about Prentiss, I really felt for Reid. I love seeing this side of Reid. I really want to find out what's going on with his mother.
All the moments with the main cast have been great so far this season. I hope the cases will be just as strong.
I don't know, Emily and Spence are a bit out of character. Hope this gets fixed soon.
ReplyDeleteI am worried about the direction of the show. I feel the balance of character development vs. profiling science is being skewed in the wrong direction. The case was a bit simplistic and there was not enough angst from the characters towards Emily. I love CM, but again, the episode was a bit blah.
ReplyDeleteJanine has little grasp on the characters, it's as if she hasn't watched the show. And her handling of cases, mental disability and sexual violence is really off putting. I hope she doesn't write for the show again. This episode tanked in comparison to last week, and it's almost as bad as some of s6.
ReplyDeleteThe last scene was so good! I loved it. The episode was creepy! Although is wished for more angst, it didn't matter too much.
ReplyDeleteBut the best scene was when the last victim's father watched the video. It was so emotional for me.
"Yes, and that's why I cook alone."
Anyways, great episode, but it could've been better!
I must say I had high expectations on this episode after the masterpiece Erica wrote last week.
ReplyDeleteBut what I watched was completely unsatisfying. I did not enjoy the case, it was far too violent and the close-up on the victim's face was extremely unnecessary.
Also Emily, Morgan and JJ were completely out of character. I would have expected Morgan to be angry at Hotch and JJ but he was okay with everything as if he moved on, which is not compatible with his characterization. Emily was disturbed and dismissive of Reid's attitude, as if he didn't have the right to be upset. By far, JJ's remark concerning Reid's profiler ego was the one that awestruck me the most.
The ending scene came completely out of the blue and left us with a happy family as if nothing bad occurred.
The episode was a solid one. The story was good, but way to much unsub. I want to see how the team figures out the case, not watch it through the eyes of the unsub.
ReplyDeleteRossi was hands down my favorite part of this ep, he was just funny and I loved it. The Reid/JJ stuff was great, however, I would have loved to see them deal with it more realistically. I thought it would have been much better for Reid not to show up at the end.
I liked that the team is talking to each other on a personal level during a case, before that never would have happened. That was a great touch and I hope they keep it up.
The story was a good one, I just wish we would get back to more profiling by the team and MUCH less unsub. It is season 7 and in my opinion the eps should be more team centric both professionally and personally. I know more about last night's unsub than I do about most of the team.
I love JJ in her new role, she doesn't come off as a "know it all", she makes valid assumptions, but at the same time she still asks questions. I love that. All the team moments in the ep were great and I hope we see a lot more of that in the future.
I also wanted to add, that I thought Janine did a great job on her first ep. The story was a good one and she added a personal touch for each character. I LOVED THAT. I believe she will only get better with each new episode she writes. Great addition to the CM family. I look forward to her next episode.
ReplyDeleteI love this show and so glad everyone is back together, but I do feel the team dealing with Emily's resurrection has been glossed over despite the indications that it would not be. The reaction of Reid to JJ was great and MGG and AJ did an awesome job.
ReplyDeleteI was confused when Emily asked Morgan what she should do about Reid. If he was treating her a certain way we didn't see it as an audience. Was it just implied because we know he's upset or because it mentioned Prentiss' name in the episode synopsis? And Morgan is just fine with it? hmm maybe my expectations are too high.
I'm just a little worried the characters have changed too much.
I know people grow and events change people but it just felt like all the characters were a little OOC.
Like I said I love the show and doubt that will change.
The second episode was really good, just do not like Unsub mentally ill, I fear.
ReplyDeleteJJ is amazing and is a super profiler, was wonderful, in fact it is a very talented actress. she suffered in that episode, poor thing.
And c'mon, Dr. Reid play in the face of JJ that he could have returned to using drugs because of it, knowing that she blames herself for it have happened the first time, so she can feel guilty again ... in my opinion, was inhuman. He should blame only the Hotch.
In short: It was hilarious, Rossi was sensational! The Hotch laughing all the time! JJ and Paget's crazy to get drunk! and Garcia, wants to learn to cook ....I think it was an episode for them to return to be friends again. Apart from the suffering of JJ (caused by Dr. Reid), I loved the episode.
Congrats all.
We have to give this season a time for everything to go back to what it was before, or even better.
ReplyDeleteThe team is back and this counts a lot.
Loved the episode.. The unsub was one of the creepiest yet!! Poor JJ broke my heart... Glad Reid came around. Love that Morgan was so sweet to Emily and they're good.. She looked so relieved when he said he was ok.. And their little joke... Looking forward to more of those two. And the scene at Rossi's mansion was precious. Can't wait for more of that. Great episode... So excited for ep 3
ReplyDeleteIt was an ok episode. Way too much emphasis on the gore; I think they do better leaving things to our imaginations rather than showing missing eyeballs repeatedly. Somebody needs to get a leash on the FX department.
ReplyDeleteI hope this isn't the end of the Emily reactions. There's a big difference between Reid forgiving them and his trusting them again. And I expect something from Morgan ... anything? And Garcia, for all her sweetness and love, must be feeling some hurt, too.
Still, good to have our team back together.
very uneven characterization. reid okay last week, pissed this week. morgan hurt and angry last week but okay this week ... what gives? the cm team is much better than this. i did greatly appreciate aj & mgg's incredible acting in this episode. felt the happy ending wrapped up the hard feelings way too quickly. the violence was over the top ... crime shows can be interesting without having to be so twisted. the show clearly has a great crew and cast of people -- thoughtful, smart, talented and caring, so i don't get why they seem to think they have to out do themselves each week by coming up with sicker and sicker violent scenarios ... sorry to be so critical. i really do think erica and the cast are amazing ... the writers could do so much better with their portrayal of the team relationships and dynamics.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I just loved the ending when they were just like a family again, together!
ReplyDeleteThe case was great, but that's the only thing I was able to enjoy and all in all I really disliked this episode.
ReplyDeleteIt really lacked subtlety in terms of characters interactions.
1) I totally understand Reid's anger, but the way it was portrayed was a big disservice to the character (and bear in mind that I love this character). It also didn't quite ring true.
I understand his anger, and I understand why he would react more than other team members, I really get it.
But like I said it should have been treated with a lot more subtlety : the whole 'crying at your house for ten weeks in a row' for example or the rather dramatic 'it's too late, all right ?' really didn't ring true.
Reid has a right to be angry, that's not the issue. But it was painful (and not in a good way) to see some of his scenes, I really struggled with it and not because I was touched by the scenes.
2) JJ saying that Reid is angry because "Hotch and her managed to control their micro-expressions at the hospital and he wasn't able to detect their deception"....where did that come from ?
First : we know that's not the issue, it never was. Reid wasn't in "profiler mode" at that time, he wasn't looking for deception. He also never believed Hotch and JJ would lie about something so big.
So, his 'profiler skills' have nothing to do with this.
Second : it's exceedingly dismissive of JJ to think that Reid is only hurt in his pride here. She's dismissing his hurt over the lie as a 'you weren't able to tell we where lying'. The issue is so much deeper than that and much more complex.
Also, after everything that happened, is JJ really surprised that Reid didn't want to have brunch with her ?
In some way, JJ was totally unable to deal with the fact that Reid was angry with her and it showed. That was the only interesting angle of their scenes for me.
3) Prentiss little speech at the end didn't convince me : her mourning the loss of six friends is totally different from the kind of loss the other team members went through. I'm not sure you can compare the two situations.
I'm not dismissing what Prentiss went through, but it's simply too different.
3) The ending scene : it could have been a really great scene if the situation had been different. It's nice to think about the team reuniting together, but here it really felt off (unlike the other team diners we saw on other episodes).
Still nice to see the team together I guess.
Please, please, put Reid in a positive light next time, use his genius, that will make me really happy.
The subplot that interested me : Diana Reid. Please, don't drop that storyline. It could be a great story arc for Reid, I hope to see more of that and I want to learn more about what is wrong with his mother.
As a Reid fan that's the kind of episode that makes me want to give up on the show, and I'm seriously considering it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteSome writers don't give Reid much credit do they ?
I would like to pretend this episode never happened, really. I'm telling myself that Reid was also stressed because of his family issues.
It better be something big...
I enjoyed the team moments. I appreciated Reid's response to JJ. It's what I would expect from friends who have a trusting relationship, only to have one betray that trust.
ReplyDeleteI'm really frustrated by how the writers are handling Prentiss and the absolute non-interaction with Hotch. She's not had a scene with him since Corazon in Season 6. Prentiss didn’t have a “good-by” with Hotch scene like she did with the others in Valhalla. She never once apologized to him for lying and going on the lamb without so much as a “fake” good-by. Then when Hotch put his career and the trust of the rest of the team on the line for her; we don’t get to see so much as a thank you to Hotch for the sacrifice. Come on writers, I hope we get better than this.
I also didn’t like the way Prentiss “guilted” Reid about mourning the loss 6 friends, while he mourned one. The difference is she knew none of them were dead; and her exit although justified, was a choice. Reid was mourning a “dead” friend.
I love Hotch and Prentiss and CM writers used to know how to write good dialogue between them and good material for them. In the past two episodes they have not uttered a word between them. Not only is it not realistic, it’s silly. I hope these two episodes aren’t indicative of what we’re going to get in season 7; season 6 all over again minus the Seaver character.
I didn’t like this episode, but I didn’t like The Thirteenth Step or With Friends Like These either. Janine’s take on warped, twisted, crazy characters seem to miss the mark for me. I feel indifferent to the characters.
The scene at Rossi’s “Mansion” was great; but it didn’t save the episode.
I’m obsessed with Criminal Minds, but there is a thin line between love and hate. I don’t know if I can endure another frustrating season like the last one. I know this is just episode 2; and there are more episodes to come, so it’ll get better. But I remember thinking the same thing last season; and it didn’t.
The unsub was creepy; the actor did a good job.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the episode was the Reid scenes! MGG delivered a stellar performance throughout. I especially like the fact that Reid brought up possibly using Dilaudid again. This is a realistic reaction for him because he is a drug addict and it is a lifetime struggle--there is no cure. I hope CM never forgets this. It would be a disservice to the character if they did.
I agree that the situation with Prentiss is different. She KNEW her "friends" were not dead. I think Reid would be angry at all three of them for the deception. I don't understand his reaction towards Hotch. Why wouldn't he be upset with him, too? Morgan's reactions are equally confusing.
I would have liked to have seen a scene between Morgan and Reid discussing the deception and their true feelings about it. They ARE friends--almost more like brothers--and this is a perfect opportunity to let us in on what is really going on with them. We didn't even get Morgan going after Reid to talk when the team witnessed him walking out on JJ.
I'm sorry but with the exception of Reid's smile, I didn't care for the ending, either. It might have worked better later on but this is way too soon, especially for both Reid and Morgan. I'm not convinced that Reid would have even shown up although it was obvious that he would be there the way it was set up. Even at that, we didn't get to see Morgan letting Reid in at Rossi's mansion or announcing to the team "look who's here!"
I do like the promise of a storyline arc for Reid. The hints that he has stuff going on are there in this episode. I do hope that the Dilaudid comment won't be the end of dealing with Reid's past drug abuse. There should be future comments or even a scene with Reid at a meeting or talking to that guy John from Elephant's Memory. Maybe the team encounters somebody in trouble or question's someone who recognizes Reid from a meeting. Perhaps Reid is forced to help someone else on drugs by talking about his own problem and some members of the team are present to witness this. But I digress...
The episode overall was well done. I just think the writer's are too anxious to fix everything so the team will be whole again. The hurt over the deception could play out over a few more episodes. It would not be out of line--it would be more realistic.
I really loved this episode and felt the team was finally back together. I thought the case was difficult and also felt the character moments were stellar. Season 7 is off to a great start. Can't wait for next week.
ReplyDeleteThis was a horrifying episode in the best CM way. MGG was amazing and so was JJ. Glad to have the team back. The last seem was great. And so was the scene where Hotch asked Rossi to have the dinner. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteSorry no, this episode was as uneven as a lot of the really poor episodes in Season 6. The characterisation was all over the place (and that "crying for ten weeks" line was awful - I think it was for the Reid fangirls), and there was far too much emphasis on gore as well as the unnecessary mention of genital mutilation - it wasn't even a part of the profile so why mention it at all?. CM used to leave everything to your imagination, why has this changed? It's not "edgy" to show that stuff. The show was perfect from Seasons 1-5, I don't know what's changed. Episode one this season was perfect, I think we should stay like that, instead of trying to cater to the lowest common denominator by throwing loads of needless violence at the viewer. Less focus on the unsubs as well, in previous seasons it was normal not to know who the unsub was until the final act, and now it seems we have to follow them for the episode? I preferred the focus on the team dynamic and showing their profiling skills. Also, can we get a Morgan episode anytime soon? Shemar Moore barely gets anything to do! He has a load of interesting things in his canon backstory already that could be elaborated on.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid this was my last episode of Criminal Minds.
ReplyDeleteLet me start by saying that I understand perfectly well Reid's anger. Reid and JJ are very close so I understand his feelings of betrayal and why it would hurt him so much.
The way they choose to portray that anger though... NO, just NO.
They butchered his character and now everyone on Twitter is going on about how much of a spoiled brat he's.
He's my favorite character and I can't put myself through that anymore. I was hoping for a storyline involving his family issues but I'm not going to wait around and see what happens.
I'll miss this show dearly but it's better that way.
I loved the way they chose to deal with Reid's feelings. I also liked the way Prentiss dealt with JJ, Morgan and Reid. It's complicated and hopefully the writers will continue to delve into the feelings the team has about Prentiss's "death" throughout the season.
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of conflict about this episode. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI liked the episode, even though I did prefer the premiere. I didn't think that it was too digusting/disturbing at all. We've seen worse on CM. I dislike episodes where we know the unsub before hand, so that was annoying.
I was more interested in the Reid/JJ conflict. I loved it, and I think that MGG & AJ Cook are brilliant. I did not like the whole "crying for 10 weeks" thing though, and I am a Reid fan-girl. It made me cringe, honestly.
I'm surprised and disappointed that Morgan isn't any angrier. He should be the most upset. The fact that he's so accepting and calm right away doesn't fit with his character.
I really hope that this isn't the end of the Prentiss being back conflict, I'd be pretty disappointed. And as someone here said, I hope that they talk more about Reid's past with dilaudid.
Hopefully next week is better.
This episode was very complicated. I love how they weaved in the personal beats with the story of Cy. The Reid/JJ stuff was great and sad and the Rossi/Hotch stuff was fantastic. I liked the fact that Prentiss went to Morgan to discuss how people were feeling about her. Dealing with the aftermath of all this is going to be interesting. Can't wait. Keep up the great work, CM.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good episode in my book. The UnSub was creepy. The actor did a fantastic show. He made the UnSub real, and I think for me that was part of why he is maybe creeper that other UnSubs. I at least got the feeling, that somebody like him, harmless, even helpless guy on the outside and a psycho, in the inside, could totally be somewhere out there attacking strangers who just want to be friendly.
ReplyDeleteThe episode focused on the relationships of JJ/Reid, Hotch/Rossi and Emily/Morgan, but also made room for some JJ/Emily, Garcia/Rosssi time. I wouldn't have minded a bit more drama, but well, people did ask for happy team moments last season and the cooking lesson WAS sweet and I did like it. I do enjoy the JJ/Reid and Hotch/Rossi friendship scenes, but Morgan/Pretiss bores me to death. That's always when I want to press the the fast-forward button. I find Morgan/Garcia and Prentiss/Hotch much more interesting (friendship wise)and hope we'll have more of that (and less Morgan/Prentiss) later in the season.
Random observations: JJ finished her course. Considering all the complaining about Seaver not being a profiler I think it's a good thing, we got that cleared out right away. Nice touch to have JJ pass Garcia the remote. Love to see Hotch smile, but wondered why Hotch looked sort of sick (did he had the flew?). Love the profiling. Thought they shouldn't have let the dad watch the video at the end. If there was a bad murder, they normally only show pictures of the face of the victim to the family for identification, because seeing the whole body or what's left of it could traumatize the family. That's why I think it was wrong to let the dad watch the tape. Every scene JJ and Emily have together manges to make me smile, because it's just so good to have them back. Great to have a Rossi/Garcia connection. That's a first for them, isn't it?
Favorite image: Garcia with the Spaghetti in her mouth. Short, but priceless.
Favorite line: I don't have a house, I have a mansion.
Last: Anyone else thinks Rossis recipe should be posted on the Set Report Blog so we all can cook it ourself?
I reallyl iked this episode. All in all, I'm really happy with how season 7 has started out, but I want to see more dealing with Prentiss' return, especially a reaction of MOrgan, and I hope Reid hasn't forgiven everything yet.
ReplyDeleteWow just watch the episode. This was so compelling. The guy from "Weeds" was freaky and disturbing. To have the team back together and then to have them interacting and responding to last week's ep was fantastic. I hope they continue to have personal beats in the episodes while also telling the crime story. Season 7.... so far so great.
ReplyDeleteThis episode missed the mark in two very important scenes: Prentiss-Reid and Prentiss-Morgan. Those scenes could have been a lot deeper and warmer. I feel everything regarding Prentiss is too rushed and it does not feel organic. I love Paget Brewster and it makes me sad to see her character being so distant all the time. In this season the writers might try to lighten up her character a little, she is a brilliant actress, she can do great with every material given to her, I believe. And please at least on scene between Hotch and Prentiss. PLEASE!
ReplyDeleteI finally saw this episode and to be honest I didn't like it one bit. I'm actually surprised because I really thought I would appreciate 'Proof'.
ReplyDeleteLike a lot posters have said here, Reid's characterization was uneven and a real mess. It was a real disservice to the character (whom I love).
Yes he has more than a right to be angry, but the writer could have represented that anger in a lot of ways. The way she choose to do it was not effective and there wasn't a real sense of resolution at the end despite the scene at Rossi's "mansion".
Nothing is resolved but the scene at Rossi's home is a start towards resolution.
ReplyDeleteExcept Janine said in her chat that Reid is completely over everything now. So, unless she's mistaken (and she is one of the writers, and I believe one of the producers, so that's unlikely), everything *is* resolved on his part. And, I think it's much too soon. I would have assumed he was just making an effort because intellectually he understands things, but emotionally, he still hadn't gotten over it and hints of the struggle would be shown later. But, the writer of the episode flat out said it's all over with. I know there are still Morgan issues, but that's a completely different thing.
ReplyDelete(Although, I didn't find him the least out of character as far as anger and passive aggressiveness. He was hurt and angry and lashing out. Which I find not only understandable, for a person in general in a situation like that, but it reminded me of Elephant's Memory, so I found it especially in character for Reid.)
Sorry, I was not precise, yes, I meant all is not resolved, Morgan is not over it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Reid, knowing Reid I find it hard to believe he is over it. He may forgive JJ for lying to him, he knows and understand why she did it but will he ever turn to JJ when he needs to talk?
Agreed with you Angelwriter, Reid was in character. When hurt Reid lash out, yes he did it in EM, Memoriam, he did also at Emily in Scared to Death.
Just my two cents: I believe Reid's character should have been given the the time needed to actually deal with being lied to for over 10 weeks over the death of a real friend. No matter the (really good) reasons for the deception, the fact remains that he was purposefully lied to by three people who were supposed to have been not only his "team", but at least two of these people were supposed to have been his true friends.
ReplyDeleteReid's character has been presented as being somewhat "socially awkward", being raised virtually alone by the mom with severe mental problems, et al, so his handling of this deception, and the broken-trust issues involved, aught to be given much more time and leave-way. And I do think that his potential relapse should have been given more attention, because that could have been a very valid response to the emotional stress and strain of this loss, and subsequent knowledge of intentional deception.
I think that JJ's characer did suffer through the deception, but in the end her character DID have the option, no matter how it's stated, of telling Reid the truth, regardless. She just simply chose to NOT tell him, and I do believe that she should have to deal with that.
I sincerely hope the writers can manage to slide in more on Reid and his issues with this intentional deception instead of "calling it done". As complicated and complex as they've created his character to be, his character deserves an honest story-line filled with honest reactions according to his personality and all its lovely, strange, intriguing quirks. All the show's characters deserve that same honest treatment.
really awful programme. The plots are baseless rubbish. serial killers implausible and have you not noticed they feel the need for all the characters to explain why everything is happening, each taking turns to put their bit in just in case you DIDN'T GET IT yourself!
ReplyDeleteHonestly there is better stuff to watch